I . T .
Ambition - Ben Upton , product and solutions director at Aspire Technology Solutions .
“ It ’ s a fantastic time to be based on Teesside and creating new jobs here . Our investment , combined with new and growing Teesside businesses , means it ’ s a really exciting time for the region !”
And with an eye to the future , Aspire is helping to boost school connectivity .
Ben said : “ We ’ re currently delivering UDC to around 200 schools on Teesside , ensuring children have fantastic tech and internet speeds that aren ’ t holding them back .
“ The flexibility UDC gives them , the ultrafast speeds compared to what they had before , has had a huge impact .
“ They ’ ve been able to move to cloud applications and cheaper telephony systems – previously they were constrained by poor connectivity .”
Ben , who joined Aspire from Virgin Media three years ago , says the best piece of advice he ever received was “ always review what you ’ re offering and never rest on your laurels .”
He explained : “ Technology develops at such a pace that if you take your eyes off what you ’ re doing or become complacent , you ’ ll not deliver the best service .
“ You need to constantly check and reinvent what you ’ re offering and check how your customers and staff are feeling .”
And he said the “ huge move ” of customers to the public and private cloud has seen Aspire react accordingly , with its new private cloud platform , Aspire Cloud Services , allowing customers to bring down operating costs and have much better services and applications .
As the tech scene expands , more recruitment will be needed .
He said : “ We ’ re working closely with partners in the education sector and other tech companies around how we grow more talent in the North-East .”
Aspire also plans to keep investing in its network , said Ben . “ We need to make sure it ’ s always cutting edge because the requirements for bandwidth are only going to increase .”
And he says Aspire is relishing being part of the Tees Valley revolution .
He added : “ It ’ s a fantastic time to be based on Teesside and creating jobs here . “ Our investment , combined with new and growing Teesside businesses , means it ’ s a really exciting time for the region !”
For more about Aspire Technology Solutions , visit aspirets . com .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 69