The key to $N=255$ is the observation that it is squarefree and coprime with its totient function.
Let $n_q$ denote the number of Sylow $q$-subgroups.
So, let us begin by the observation than any group $G$ of order $15$ is cyclic. Indeed, let us merely note $n_3\mid 5$, $n_3\equiv 1\text{ mod }3$ and so $n_3=1$. Similarly, $n_5\mid 3$ and $n_5\equiv 1\text{ mod }5$ which gives that $n_3=1$. Thus, we see that both the Sylow subgroups $P,Q$ of $G$ are both normal. Since evidently $P\cap Q=\{e\}$, and $PQ=G$ (since $\displaystyle |PQ|=\frac{|P||Q|}{|P\cap Q|}=\frac{15}{1}=15=|G|$) we may conclude that $G\cong P\times Q\cong\mathbb{Z}/3\times\mathbb{Z}/5\cong\mathbb{Z}/15$.
Now, to the case of $|G|=255$. Let $P$ be a Sylow $17$-subgroup. Note then that $n_{17}\mid 15$ and $n_{17}\cong 1\text{ mod }17$ gives $n_{17}=1$. Thus, we see that $P\unlhd G$. Now, here comes the step that is different than the standard approach. Since $P$ is normal we have that $G$ acts on $P$ by conjugation, giving us a group map $G\to\text{Aut}(P)$ whose kernel is $C_G(P)$. Now, note that since $P$ is just $C_{17}$ we have that $|\text{Aut}(P)|=16$. Note now that since $(|G|,16)=1$ you can conclude from the first isomorphism theorem that the image of the group map $G\to\text{Aut}(P)$ is trivial, and so the kernel is everything. This says that $C_G(P)=G$, and so $P\subseteq Z(G)$. Note then that $G/P$ is a group of order $15$ which, by what we have said in the previous paragraph, is cyclic. Now, it is a common theorem that if you mod out a group by a subgroup of its center and you get something cyclic, your group must have been abelian the whole time. So, from all of this we can conclude that $G$ is abelian in which case, by any method that tickles your fancy, you get that $G$ must just be $\mathbb{Z}/255$.
While the above may be ad hoc, it was actually just a simple application of the following (EXTREMELY USEFUL!) theorems:
Theorem: Let $G$ be a finite group and $N\unlhd G$. Then, if $(|G|,|\text{Aut}(N)|)=1$ then $N\leqslant Z(G)$.
and
Theorem: If $G$ is a group and $N\leqslant Z(G)$ such that $G/N$ is cyclic of finite order, then $G$ is abelian.
These allow us to prove the more general theorem:
Theorem: Let $G$ be a finite group such that $(|G|,\varphi(|G|))=1$ (where $\varphi$ is the totient function), then $G$ is cyclic.
As a side note, a cool fact is that the integer $n$ has the property that the ONLY subgroup of order $n$ is $\mathbb{Z}/n$ is equivalent to $(n,\varphi(n))=1$.
The proof of the above can be found on my blog here.