Your Data in the Safest Hands

ITPS works with global brands and has been a key player in the technology solutions field for more than ten years. But with continued investment in services such as cloud and its new offering, Symmetri, the Tyneside-based firm is certainly not resting on its laurels, as North East Times dicsovered.

Technology is the biggest ally an organisation can have in the battle to drive business strategy and innovation.  That’s the principle behind more than a decade of success in a highly competitive sector for Gateshead-based technology solutions experts ITPS. 

The firm employs 90 people and intends to double its £12m turnover over the next few years, through its policy of developing strategic partnerships with clients and ‘best of breed’ vendors.

Managing director Garry Sheriff explains more about the business model:    “We have just had our best performing year and it’s because we deliver business solutions, not IT solutions.  We don’t apply technology to existing processes, we look at a business from the inside out.  We help clients make better use of resources, improve productivity and client satisfaction, tighten management reporting and control costs.  And who wouldn’t want some of that?

“Our clients see us as a safe pair of hands and a trusted partner, and they use value as the yardstick, not price.  But you can only prove value if you have a track record.  For instance, providing support and managed services to One North East achieved a 99.7% satisfaction score across seven years of external audits.  But we are never complacent.  As the incumbent partner for the National Renewable Energy Centre, we are happy to be put through an annual exhaustive tendering and qualifying process, and continually win the contract by proving best value.

“Clients want a technology partner with not just the vendor certifications and the sales pitch, but also the experience to match.  Take cloud services and virtualisation for example.  There is so much hype and many new companies springing up to exploit people’s lack of real understanding. 

“Cloud has its place and its benefits, and can form part of every solution, particularly in a cost-cutting climate.  But I worry that when faced with what looks like a very cheap, plausible deal for cloud services, managers do not really understand it, and therefore the big risk they are taking with their business. “We have been applying cloud and virtualised solutions to our clients’ advantage for nearly a decade – they are not new to us and even our competitors know they can call us when they need help.  We prefer to be honest about the fact that cloud solutions are not for absolutely everyone, and that like all technology tools, they should be used strategically. 

“We refuse to jump on bandwagons such as presenting cloud as a panacea, and we don’t hide anything - informed clients make informed choices. 

“You don’t need a huge and costly IT empire if you get the underpinning infrastructure right.  Our review for CAV Aerospace involved virtualising its server estate, creating more storage through de-duplication, and strengthening backup and recovery.   It resulted in a physically smaller, but much more powerful platform that delivered better value at lower cost.“

See full NE Times coverage here