Tech changes fast—but how do independent IT firms keep up (and stand out)?
I had a great conversation with the MD of Twin Systems Ltd to find out how they do it, what challenges they’re facing, and what makes them different. Here’s what Paul Songaila has to say:
What inspired you to start your own IT business 30 years ago, and how has the journey been so far?
I have always been interested in technology. The fact that a bit of tech can make your life easier seems a clear and obvious solution to me, so when the opportunity arose for myself Steve and Phil to get involved in this industry, it was a decision we made without hesitation. The Journey so far has been a roller coaster ride for sure, rapidly changing technology, family dynamics, managing people plus success and failure by the bucket load.
When you start a business, you have no idea of the challenges you are going to face but one thing technology teaches you is to not rest on your laurels. Just at the point when you think you’re getting comfortable something will hit you right between the eyes.
The journey has been amazing – highs and lows are the norm but all of this makes you resilient and give you the tools to deal with any scenario in business.
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the IT industry since you started, and how has your business adapted to those changes?
When we first started out things were very different! No internet (which means no remote connection), unreliable hardware, limited security concerns and basic software. Now there are multiple external threats, complex applications and software, as well as demands for instant solutions. Any IT business must be agile, so the emphasis for us has been the ability to cope with change. So the type of people we need, software we use and processes we follow must be highly responsive. With the adoption of AI becoming the norm, this means we must react to the threats it can pose such as advanced malware attacks but also utilise the amazing opportunity for efficiency it can offer the organisation.
Can you share a particularly challenging project your team has tackled and what made it successful?
There’s nothing like a bit of ambition but in the IT world we love a challenge however big that challenge might be… A client of ours decided they were not only going to relocate they were also going to upgrade their core systems at the same time. On their own these tasks were a challenge, but together, well that was always going to be tough.
Twin were engaged to assist with the move and ensure, where possible, staff were up and running on the Monday following the move weekend. What could go wrong ?!
The move went as planned and all the user equipment was placed in situ and local function was restored. The only issue was that some of the systems that had been upgraded over the move period had some issues which proved to be rather persistent.
To cut a long story short we were asked to sort this out and, it took six weeks to get every system back to full functionality which led to us securing some large projects from the client who we still work with today!
How do you ensure that your IT security solutions stay ahead of emerging threats?
This is always a hot topic. We are a service provider, so that means we have a big responsibility in choosing the right partners that in themselves, provide the products and services that we utilise to protect our clients.
Our clients rely on us to bridge the gap between the coalface they are at and the marketplace vendors of which there are many. The key is a comprehensive selection process that majors on the ability of a vendor to stay as far ahead of the threat landscape as possible.
The responsibility of Twin is to ensure endpoint and email security, for example, is updated regularly (as new threats are sprung on our clients everyday), then rolled out effectively on time and every time. What is also extremely important is user awareness and education. Most threats are the socially engineered invited in type so assisting clients with processes and procedures and educational campaigns has become intrinsic in what we do.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for the next few years, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Having read more business books and listened to more podcasts than I can count, you tend to pick up some useful tools that help you formulate a roadmap for the future. The technology industry changes almost daily, so planning isn’t that easy from an offering point of view.
Stability is the key. We don’t change products and services on a whim, we do it on a regular basis and will only change if the current offering is becoming not fit for purpose. So, as a business, we look for steady growth providing rock solid products and services to our clients. Pretty boring but in an extremely unpredictable climate maybe a steady hand on the tiller is not so boring after all. As a client do you want an exponential growth orientated support partner that has to satisfy outside investors or maybe a privately owned service focused partner is an excellent option.
Thanks so much Paul for your really honest and thought provoking insights!