Our Story

After 30 years in business, I’ve learned that it was never really about the kit. The journey has been shaped by the relationships forged over time and the commitment to our clients’ needs.

Throughout our 30 years in business, we have consistently focused on innovation and excellence.

It’s about trust, responsibility, and doing the right thing with the systems and data people place in your care. This principle has guided every decision, ensuring we prioritise integrity and excellence in service delivery.

These partnerships have been crucial to our 30-year journey in business, showcasing our resilience and adaptability.

Our experience over 30 years in business has enabled us to create effective solutions tailored to our clients’ needs.

The journey began in the mid-1990s, working in demanding environments where standards mattered — delivering secure data destruction, WEEE recycling services, and IT brokerage for organisations such as American Express and the NHS. We have also partnered with local governments, providing essential services that have improved operational efficiencies. Along the way, we refurbished and redeployed technology into over 100 charities across Sussex, aiding their missions. We even prepared pallets of computers shipped to the University of Baghdad, where Microsoft assisted in bringing these resources to life. It’s been a wild ride, full of experiences that have taught us invaluable lessons.

The lessons learned in our 30 years in business have shaped our approach to challenges.

One example of our adaptability was the transition to remote working solutions during the pandemic. We quickly developed tailored packages for businesses, ensuring they could operate effectively while their teams worked from home. This not only showcased our technical capabilities but also reinforced our commitment to supporting our clients during challenging times.

As we celebrate 30 years in business, we reflect on the progress we’ve made and the relationships we’ve developed.

Client feedback over our 30 years in business has been instrumental in refining our services.

Our commitment to sustainability has evolved over our 30 years in business, reflecting our dedication to responsibility.

Our journey as a managed IT partner has been enriched by our 30+ years in business.

Reflecting on Our Journey: Celebrating 30 Years in Business

After 30 years in business, I’ve learned that it was never really about IT. The journey has been shaped by all the relationships we forged over time and our ongoing commitment to serving our clients’ needs.

Throughout our 30 years we have consistently striven for innovation and excellence, for our customers and for ourselves.

It’s about trust, responsibility, and doing the right thing with the systems and data people place in your care. This principle has guided every decision, ensuring we prioritise integrity and excellence in service delivery. We are ever evolving, and one year is never the same, with new innovations coming along at breakneck speed.

The journey began in the mid-1990s, working in demanding environments where standards mattered — delivering secure data destruction, WEEE recycling services, and IT brokerage for organisations such as American Express and the NHS. We have also partnered with local governments, providing essential services that have improved operational efficiencies. Along the way, we refurbished and redeployed technology into over 100 charities across Sussex, aiding their missions. We even prepared pallets of computers shipped to the University of Baghdad, where Microsoft assisted in bringing these resources to life. It’s been a wild ride, full of experiences that have taught us invaluable lessons.

One example of our adaptability was the transition to remote working solutions during the pandemic. We quickly developed tailored packages for businesses, ensuring they could operate effectively while their teams worked from home. This not only showcased our technical capabilities but also reinforced our commitment to supporting our clients during challenging times.

Client feedback over 30 years has been instrumental in refining our services. We are proud to maintain long-term relationships with our clients.

Reflecting on Our Journey: Celebrating our 30 Years

Looking  back, it’s essential to acknowledge the rapid evolution of our industry and our necessary agility to adapt and change with new trends and innovations. We have faced numerous challenges, including the dot-com bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, and the pandemic. Each event tested our resilience (and nerve!) but also pushed us to innovate for ourselves and our customers.

Mixed in among the events above, we’ve confronted hackers and ransomware attacks, rolled out massive wireless deployments for care homes and other charities across the country, used a magnetic hard drive eraser (degausser), more recently we moved to disk erasure software – endorsed by the US DoD (…if it’s good enough for them…).

We also invested in our team’s development, offering training in new technologies and methodologies. This commitment to continuous learning has helped us remain at the forefront of our industry, being better equipped to provide the best solutions for our clients. Speaking of the team, we are proud to have such a great group of techies. Talented, trained, and experienced, and as a bonus, kind and thoughtful.

The relationships we’ve built over the years are invaluable. Our clients often share their experiences and feedback, enabling us to continuously refine our services. We host regular forums and workshops to keep the dialogue open and ensure we understand their evolving needs.

We are committed to helping clients navigate the challenges of AI, but please, allow us to navigate it first!

Closer to home, supporting Albion in the Community (BHAFC’s charitable arm) became a turning point — installing wireless networks, hardware, and providing ongoing support across learning centres throughout Sussex. This work marked the beginning of our transition into a Managed Services Provider (MSP).

The future holds exciting possibilities. We plan to expand our service offerings, delving deeper into AI-driven solutions that promise to revolutionise how we manage IT and cybersecurity. We are on a path to help deliver compliance and trust systems for our clients. By staying ahead of industry trends, we aim to provide our clients with cutting-edge tools and strategies that enhance their business operations.

None of this has been a solo effort. From the very beginning, Trevor Henry, my Co-Director, has been a constant and remained rocksteady through the ups, downs, and bumps that inevitably come with building a business over three decades. Our collaborative and relentless work ethic has been vital, allowing us to navigate challenges more effectively, and I’m hugely grateful for that partnership. (Trevor nods, sagely.)

Over the years, technology has changed beyond recognition — from on-premise servers to cloud solutions, from data backups run on tape(!) now going to data centres, from simple antivirus to multifaceted cybersecurity, and now AI. The evolution of technology has demanded adaptability and innovation. Through every shift, we’ve focused on being better than we were yesterday, not chasing trends but striving to be the best we can be for the customers who trust us. Many of those customers have been with us for years — some for decades — and that loyalty helps drive us to exceed their expectations.

Today, ABCOM is a managed IT and cybersecurity partner for SMEs, and we’re proud to announce that we are now an NCSC Assured Service Provider (ASP). NCSC, part of the Government’s security department, GCHQ, sets high standards for security and compliance. That status reflects how seriously we take security, compliance, and responsibility — not as a tick-box exercise, but as part of our everyday commitment to protecting our customers and their data, ensuring peace of mind in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

AI is one of the most thrilling shifts we’ve seen in 30 years. Like every major change before it, it brings opportunity alongside responsibility. Our role is to help organisations adopt it securely, ethically, and with clear governance, just as we’ve done with every generation of technology. We offer training and support to ensure our clients harness AI effectively while mitigating risks associated with its use.

It hasn’t been a straight line — but every day still feels fresh, full of new opportunities and challenges. As we look to the future, we are committed to maintaining our innovative spirit and dedication to our clients, ensuring that we remain relevant and responsive in a fast-paced world.

— Yann Davies
Founder & Managing Director, ABCOM IT Solutions