Mears Group is a leading provider of services to the Affordable Housing sector, managing and maintaining over 450,000 homes across the UK. With a workforce of 5,000+ employees, Mears partners with central and local governments to deliver property management, maintenance, and broader housing solutions. Their mission extends beyond housing, focusing on long-term social, economic, and environmental well-being for communities, while ensuring high levels of resident satisfaction. 

As part of their digital transformation journey, Mears sought a cost-effective, user-friendly, and reliable cloud backup solution. Their existing setup lacked the granularity and flexibility they needed for modern operations. Specifically, they required: 

• Cloud-based backup for the entire Microsoft 365 suite, including shared mailboxes. 
• The ability to restore individual items such as files and emails. 
• A solution that was simple to configure and use, while providing fast, reliable restores. 
• Scalability, security, and ease of management were critical priorities, ensuring their data was protected without increasing operational complexity. 

Bytes Software Services partnered closely with Mears to design and deliver the right solution. Key steps included: 

• Conducting a market-wide review of leading vendors. 
• Creating detailed RAG matrix documents to compare functionality, cost, and coverage. 
• Facilitating vendor demonstrations and engagement sessions. 
• Supporting Mears through an internal RFP process to align commercials with technical needs. 

Through this structured evaluation, AvePoint Cloud Backup was selected as the optimal solution. Bytes’ Data Management Specialist, Poppy Corbould, and Account Manager, Judith Jordan, guided the process end-to-end, ensuring alignment with Mears’ cloud strategy. 

The adoption of AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 delivered immediate and lasting benefits: 

• Expanded Scope: After recognising its simplicity, Mears extended the project to also include Entra ID backup. 
• Comprehensive Protection: Unlimited storage, encryption, immutable backups, and air-gapped security provided unmatched resilience. 
• Ease of Use: Minimal training requirements thanks to the intuitive platform. 
• Fast Recovery: Granular restore options enabled quick recovery of files, emails, and other data. 
• Scalability: Confidence to grow securely, knowing future workloads are protected. 

With Bytes’ support and AvePoint’s technology, Mears has significantly strengthened backup resiliency, security, and disaster recovery capabilities, enabling them to move forward with their cloud-first strategy. 

Looking Ahead 

Mears is now equipped with a secure and scalable foundation to continue modernising its digital workplace. The success of this project has empowered them to explore broader cloud initiatives with confidence that their data and operations remain protected. 

If you would like to discuss your Cloud Backup options with the team, please reach out via [email protected]