I . T .
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
GAME CHANGER
Firm ’ s ultrafast connectivity offering proves a solution to aspire to
“ We want to be the number one connectivity provider for businesses in the Tees Valley .”
It sounds quite an aim . But given Aspire Technology Solutions ’ rapid growth , and the way its ultrafast full-fibre network is transforming digital connectivity , it looks eminently achievable .
Aspire was launched in Gateshead in 2006 , offering fairly traditional IT services .
It grew steadily , reaching an £ 8m turnover by 2015 – but then came the game changer .
In partnership with Virgin Media , and backed with a £ 10m investment , it launched Ultrafast Dedicated Connectivity ( UDC ) – a cost-effective , 100 gigabit per second , full-fibre network which has revolutionised connectivity speeds and reliability for the North-East .
In 2020 , UDC was extended to Teesside where , last year , Aspire set up an office at Fusion Hive in Stockton , on the north side of the river . It also has a plush new Gateshead HQ , next to the Swing Bridge , and an office in London
And in the past year , Aspire ’ s fortunes have continued to rise . It ’ s now a multi award-winning , £ 30m turnover company , with 240 staff – 70 of whom joined within the last year . The aim now is a £ 55m turnover within the next four years .
And as product and solutions director Ben Upton says , there ’ s more to come during an “ amazingly exciting time for the Tees Valley .”
He told Tees Business : “ The region is going through a fantastic period , with huge investment and service improvement . We ’ ve seen lots of businesses move here and established ones expand , so we were keen to invest in the Tees Valley and support that fantastic growth .
“ We ’ re really proud to have an office on Teesside . We thought it was very important for local businesses that we have people from the region working from that office .”
And he says Aspire ’ s expanding UDC network is proving transformational .
“ It ’ s up to 100 gigabits per second – the fastest speed you can get in the UK , and with extremely low latency ,” he said .
“ That ’ s important because if you ’ ve got businesses wanting to move their infrastructure into the cloud , having low latency is vital or it will cause issues when you try to back up your data .
“ In the past two years , we ’ ve expanded the network across the region covering Hartlepool , Stockton , Middlesbrough , Redcar and Cleveland , Darlington , the whole area . We want to be the number one connectivity provider for businesses in the Tees region .”
Reflecting on Aspire ’ s growth , Ben says there ’ s been constant evolution .
“ We started out offering traditional IT type services but have developed into a company that offers fully outsourced services for customers , private and public cloud products and cyber security ,” he said .
“ What we ’ re here to do – to revolutionise customers ’ IT infrastructures – still exists as it did in day one , but the tech and products we use have changed so much and will continue to do so .”
Growing up in Stockton , former Our Lady and St Bede ’ s pupil Ben admits it ’ s particularly satisfying to see Aspire playing a key role in major Teesside projects such as Teesworks and Teesside International Airport .
He said : “ Teesworks is a fantastic development and we ’ re continuing to work with the Tees Valley Combined Authority as that site expands .
“ We have also recently delivered UDC to the airport – supporting its growth and helping it get back to the airport I remember as a child !”
In an age where systems can be vulnerable , cyber security is a key part of Aspire ’ s business .
Ben said : “ The increase in cyber attacks is a huge concern to people , so we want to ensure we have products that keep customers and North-East businesses safe .
“ We have brought new , industry-leading security products to the market and have invested in our own , best-in-class security operations centre , which monitors customer networks for malicious traffic and vulnerabilities .”
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