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Business HOW DID IT MOVE FROM THE BASEMENT TO THE BOARDROOM? BY OLLY DUQUEMIN, CEO RESOLUTION IT When Resolution IT started 12 years ago, it was with a mission to do things differently. It was 2007, the global financial recession had started, so possibly not the best time to start a business. However, we felt there was a definite gap in the market for doing things differently, offering affordable, customer-centric IT support and advice. Launching with two full-time members of staff (myself and Managing Director Steve Brehaut), our aim was to ‘design, install and support server-based networks using Microsoft Windows, workstations and server platforms’. Looking back, that was a very specific aim. We knew IT had the power to change businesses but neither of us could have foreseen the rapidity with which technology has transformed not only business processes but also the people who work in them, including us and our own business at Resolution IT. From historically being viewed as a ‘break-fix’ department, shut away in an inaccessible corner of the office, IT has and continues to impact all areas; from customer service, to sales, to informing real-time business strategies. It is increasingly seen as the driving force of the company and the prime innovator of new ideas and processes. Released from its basement shackles, its power is permeating throughout businesses, culminating in a seat on the Board for the CTO – Chief Technology Officer. Who could have predicted that someone from the IT department would reach those levels? With the insurmountable rise in cyber risk, increasing digitisation of business and technological innovations appearing almost weekly, it’s clear to see why. On our own journey, we’ve transformed both our services and what our people are doing. We continue to offer managed IT services but as the business has grown, both in knowledge and technical capability, we‘ve taken on increasingly larger and more complex projects. We’ve expanded the cyber security side of the business to combat increasingly frequent and more sophisticated threats. As we continue to reap the benefits of digitalisation, so are cyber criminals, with cyber crime becoming a full-scale industry worth hundreds of billions of pounds. New buzzwords are appearing all the time; spearphishing and watering hole attacks weren’t even IT terms when we started Resolution IT. And let’s not forget as the IoT (Internet of Things) continues to connect our daily activities, so will cyber attacks. With the increase in cyber crime has come an increase in awareness by businesses and as the first Guernsey IT provider to offer Cyber Essentials certification, we’ve noticed a rise in businesses becoming certified. Digital transformation continues to impact the way we do business and we’ve seen firsthand through ourselves and our clients how, by using the right solutions, we’ve all been able to become more competitive, agile and collaborative. Cloud technology is breaking down physical borders, allowing us all to compete on the world stage with much bigger players. However, we know you can’t just digitally transform a company with the right solutions, you have to take your people along with you. Many businesses are still operating with cumbersome legacy IT systems, as old as some of their loyal staff. It’s those companies that have bought into the realisation that it’s as much a cultural shift as it is a technological one, that are reaping the most benefits from it. So we’re also starting to offer change management as a service. Through our own experience of understanding how important it is to reskill your staff, we know you can only have a successful marriage of technology and people with a training pre-nup! IT IS INCREASINGLY SEEN AS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE COMPANY AND THE PRIME INNOVATOR OF NEW IDEAS AND PROCESSES And with a move into over 10,000 sq ft of new purposedesigned office space for our 30-strong team, we’re able to put what we preach into practice with an amazing space showcasing what the modern way of working looks like, including over 90 desks, as part of our business continuity and training suites. Spread out across the expansive top floor, it’s a physical testament, if one were needed, of how far traditional basement-based IT has come. 73
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