Greater Manchester IT firm appointed as Brighter Futures Housing Association’s IT partner.

Heywood-based IT solutions provider, Central, has been appointed by Brighter Futures Housing Association as the firm’s dedicated technology partner for the next three years – after winning a private tender.

Brighter Futures is a Staffordshire-headquartered support service and accommodation provider for people living with mental health, homelessness, and other complex needs, and the firm sought an IT partner that could help to streamline its tech infrastructure.

As part of the project, Central will be providing a holistic solution that includes first, second, and third-line support for the housing association’s 230-strong workforce. The tech company’s team of engineers will be delivering a managed IT service, including endpoint and patch management, capacity and availability monitoring, plus regular service and maintenance reviews.

Commenting on the new contract, Central’s client director, Mike Dunleavy, said: “It’s exciting to be working with Brighter Futures as its trusted tech partner – driving the site’s tech infrastructure forward and helping it to plan for the future, through long-term IT strategy delivery.

“We have over 20 years’ experience within the housing sector – and 30 within the wider industry – and have worked with hundreds of customers in this realm, so we know our expertise and knowledge of industry trends will be mutually beneficial in this partnership.”

Paul Richards, interim head of contracts and procurement at Brighter Futures, added: “The crucial social and community work we carry out relies on us being able to be online 24/7, because without the right fast-functioning technology, we can’t help the vulnerable people who need our support.

“We chose Central not only because their tender was the most professional, but because having seen their wider work in the housing sector, we knew they would understand how to assess our IT infrastructure requirements. We’re excited at what the future holds.”

Central’s IT engineers are currently working behind the scenes to build up a picture of Brighter Future’s tech stack and digital infrastructure, with the project officially due to kick off mid-August.

The Heywood company currently counts Horton Housing, Women in Social Housing, and Bron Afon among its client roster.