Logistics and distribution
IT for logistics and distribution
Nothing in a warehouse happens at a desk. The IT that matters is the wifi over the racking, the handheld that will not scan, and the customer portal that has to be up when a load is waiting.
Logistics is one of the few sectors where IT downtime has an immediate physical consequence. A vehicle on the yard, a bay that cannot load, a driver waiting for paperwork.
That changes what good support looks like. It is less about having every clever security product and more about knowing which three systems stop the operation, making sure those are resilient, and agreeing in writing what happens when one of them breaks.
The rest is unglamorous and specific: wifi designed around full racking, devices that survive a warehouse, and security that reaches people who never open a laptop.
What we see
What this sector is up against
Warehouse wifi that dies between the racking
Metal racking and stacked pallets absorb signal, and a warehouse surveyed when it was empty behaves completely differently when it is full. Most warehouse wifi problems are survey problems, not equipment problems.
Downtime stops the loading bay, not just the office
When the system that prints the paperwork goes down, vehicles sit on the yard. The cost of an hour is a different number here than in an office, and your support arrangement should reflect that.
Bigger partners audit you
Ports, retailers and manufacturers send security questionnaires down their supply chain. If you move their goods or hold their data you will be asked what certifications you hold, usually with a deadline.
Staff who never log into a computer
Drivers and yard staff use a handheld, a phone or nothing at all. Security that assumes everybody has a laptop and reads email does not reach the people who most need it.
What we do about it
In the order it usually matters
- 1
Survey the warehouse full, not empty
We design wifi around the racking as it actually is, including the aisles that are full in October and empty in January, so coverage does not depend on the season.
- 2
Prioritise what stops the yard
We agree up front which systems bring loading to a halt, and those get treated differently from a password reset. That goes in writing, not in a conversation.
- 3
Cyber Essentials for the supply chain questionnaire
The certification larger partners ask for, with a defined scope and an end date. We check, fix and submit.
- 4
Security that works on a handheld
Multi-factor that a driver can actually use, devices that can be wiped if they go missing, and training short enough to do on a phone between drops.
Logistics and distribution: common questions
Our warehouse wifi drops out in the far aisles. Is that fixable?
Nearly always, and usually without replacing everything. The common cause is a survey done in an empty building, or access points placed for the ceiling rather than for the racking. We survey it loaded and design around what is actually in the way.
A customer has sent us a security questionnaire. What do they want?
Usually Cyber Essentials, plus evidence of backups, patching and staff training. It is the same list we hold every client to anyway, so for most clients it is a matter of documenting what is already there.
Our drivers never use a computer. How do we train them on security?
On their phone, in a few minutes a month. The training that works for a driver is not the training that works for an office, and most scams aimed at your business will reach somebody by text rather than email.
What happens if a handheld or phone goes missing?
If it is enrolled and encrypted, you wipe it remotely and move on. If it is not, you are working out what was on it. That difference is a setting rather than a product.
Start somewhere
Find out where you stand
- Free
Microsoft 365 health check
A read-only check of your security, licences and backups, with a plain-English report and a walk-through call.
Find out more - Fixed price
Cyber Essentials
We check your setup against the five controls, fix what fails and get you through certification.
Find out more - Free baseline test
Staff phishing test
See how your team does against a realistic phishing email, then keep them sharp with short monthly training.
Find out more - Free review
Switching IT support
We handle the whole handover, including the awkward conversation with your current provider.
Find out more
Want a straight answer about your IT?
Tell us what is not working. We will tell you what we would do about it, with no sales pitch and no obligation.