National Trust

The situation

The National Trust operates 500+ historic properties spread across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, alongside vast countryside estates and coastal acquisitions. Properties range from managed country estates to remote coastal cliffs. The Trust’s estate grows and evolves as the organisation acquires new properties and land. IT operations in this environment are unlike conventional business IT. Historic buildings present constraints on infrastructure installation. Rural and remote locations create connectivity challenges. Properties operate with varying levels of staffing and technical capability. The Trust needed an IT partner that could adapt to these unusual circumstances whilst maintaining consistent service quality.

What SCC did

SCC has been working with the National Trust for many years, growing alongside the organisation as it acquired new properties and expanded its operations. Rather than imposing a standardised service model, SCC developed approaches suited to the Trust’s distinctive operating environment. In heritage buildings, infrastructure installation requires sensitivity to the historic fabric. In remote locations, SCC works with equipment and connectivity solutions that may differ from conventional setups. The relationship has evolved as the Trust has grown, with SCC adding capability to match new requirements.

What changed

As the Trust’s estate expanded, the IT service scaled with it. New properties could be brought into the IT network without requiring a major infrastructure investment. Staff working at remote locations have reliable technology support despite challenging connectivity conditions. The organisation operates with confidence that its IT infrastructure will work across properties that range from ancient castles to modern visitor centres.

What the client learned

Lauren Tennant, Head of IT Service Delivery, described the relationship: “At the National Trust, we love SCC. The reason we love them is because they’ve been prepared to change with us as we’ve grown, delivering a service to special places.” She added: “SCC is an extension of our team. Making partnerships work is really easy. It’s about investing time, understanding and finding ways to collaborate.” The Trust recognised that their unusual operating environment required a partner willing to adapt and learn. SCC’s willingness to operate flexibly, to understand the Trust’s mission, and to find solutions to unconventional problems made them invaluable. Over time, the relationship evolved from supplier to true partner.