IT
Slogan – MD John Agar , left , and technical director Tristen Coad with new company strapline ‘ For business , for enterprise , for support ’.
TEN YEARS
AND COUNTING
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
IT support firm marks 10th anniversary by attracting education AND business clients
From dreaming up a business plan in a Sainsbury ’ s café to becoming an IT specialist with nearly 80 clients on its books – it ’ s been quite a 10-year journey for IT Systems and Support .
And after initially focusing on the education sector , the thriving Darlingtonbased firm now aims to further expand its client base by getting more businesses on its books .
The brainchild of MD John Agar and technical director Tristen Coad , the firm – based in the North Point building on Faverdale Road , Darlington – currently boasts a mix of 78 schools and business clients .
Many of its schools have been customers from the very start – a testament to the service IT Systems has provided since it began in business on June 2 , 2014 .
John and Tristen were experienced colleagues within the local authority but felt they could offer something different working independently .
Friday afternoons after 4.30pm would find them both in the local Sainsbury ’ s cafe , where they would set about developing what they wanted IT Systems to look like
- their vision , ethos and values and , most importantly , how they would make it work .
John recalls : “ We felt there were many opportunities , so at first we went with schools we ’ d initially looked after because they wanted technical support .
“ But as word spread , by September it was 12 . It doubled again within 18 months and as we started to offer more services , it just kept increasing .
“ Now we look after , with various services , 78 schools and private businesses – and that can be anything from providing annual ID cards to a full IT service .”
They started out in a small business unit near Morrisons with a table , a laptop and a mobile phone .
Within two years , they ’ d moved to more modern and spacious premises at North Point – although they brought that initial table with them , and you can still find it in the company ’ s smart training room !
Its clients are based as far afield as Northumberland in the north down to East Cleveland and North Yorkshire . And all receive the same level of skilled but personal service IT Systems prides itself on .
IT Systems holds ISO 27001 accreditation
– the international standard to manage information security – and is a member of the Internet Watch Foundation , ensuring school pupils ’ online safety .
Tristen said : “ We do care and make sure that what people use our services for is right , and that everyone ’ s protected from the nastier side of the internet .”
An ISP ( Internet Service Provider ), the firm ’ s broadband offer includes voice telephony and skilled , responsive technical support , remote or on site .
It is also working with a local business to develop a wireless IT system , while one of its crowning glories is to design , implement and support a virtual private cloud for around 30 customers .
Tristen says : “ We do all the things a school or business would need – and a quick response is crucial for schools and businesses .
“ For example , we look after a print company and if something goes down , they ’ d lose money immediately , so every second does count .
“ We developed our cloud platform for our education customers but it ’ s scaleable for businesses too .”
92 | Tees Business