18 01732 759725 INTERVIEW TR: What recent wins are you most proud of? SA: There are some major wins that sadly we can’t talk about as the clients work in very sensitive sectors. However, two businesses we are very proud to work with are Claritas Tax, supporting their rapid growth and the opening of new offices across the UK by identifying, installing and managing all their IT systems and infrastructure; and Fielding Porter Solicitors, for which we have implemented a full IT transformation project, moving them from on-premises IT to being truly cloud-based, which has enabled them to realise significant cost savings and efficiency improvements and strengthen their security posture. TR: Where is business proving most difficult? SA: We are very much a people-first employer, by which I mean everyone who works here must be a very good fit with the culture of the business. Attracting the best talent on this basis has proved harder than we thought. There is no shortage of technology whizz-kids, but we need staff who are totally dedicated to helping our clients, who are friendly and approachable and who, above all, care. Without that, we wouldn’t work as a business. We take time ensuring we recruit people to our teams who are looking for a great (i.e. happy, supportive, rewarding) place to work and grow rather than just wanting to take their next career step. This in turn helps us to find people who really want to help our clients. TR: How have you changed/are you changing business operations to exploit new opportunities? SA: We continuously try to improve what we do by looking at all the services we provide and updating them to be current. Technology moves quickly and our clients rightly demand that we help them stay on top of industry trends so that we can advise them when to change, to what and for what purpose. For example, we are frequently asked about AI. Or, more accurately, we are contacted by clients that think they are somehow missing out on the future. Often this is simply FOMO. of organised cybercrime that demands ever-better cybersecurity.” Here, he shares his view from the channel. Technology Reseller (TR): How’s business? Better or worse than 12 months ago? And how confident are you about the future? Steven Allan (SA): Business is definitely better than 12 months ago. We have signed up new clients, moved to fully refurbished offices and invested in staff in key areas to help take the company forward. The future feels bright. We have a strong team who are passionate about helping our customers, giving them complete peace of mind that their IT systems, networks and software are up to date, working optimally and, most importantly, keeping them safe from cyberattacks. Ultimately, we give customers everything they need from an IT perspective, allowing them to focus on their business. TR: In what areas are you experiencing strongest demand? SA: The recurring theme across all the sectors in which we operate is security. The volume and nature of the cybersecurity threat is such that we are always being asked to help protect networks, systems and data. In particular, we have seen increased demand from solicitors and finance companies that want to make sure they are secure and compliant. Due to the nature of their business, they need to have total confidence that the data they hold, which is often highly sensitive, is protected. Most importantly, we have seen a huge increase in demand for staff training to make everyone in the business aware of the threat, how to prevent it, and how to cope should it turn into a breach. The old saying ‘you are only as strong as your weakest link’ could not be more apt. In terms of technology, we have seen a surge in demand for access to higher speed internet connectivity, specifically to make best use of the cloud. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and a move to larger premises to accommodate future growth, Linten Technologies is an IT services and cybersecurity specialist headquartered in Manchester, with a second office in Newcastle under Lyme. The Microsoft Certified Partner was formed in October 1999 and opened its first Manchester city centre office in 2016. In the same year, it became a sponsor of Village Manchester Football Club (VMFC), one of the UK’s best known inclusive gay, bi, trans and straight-friendly teams, which it continues to sponsor to this day. Linten provides IT solutions, consultancy and support to clients, from SMEs to major corporations, in multiple sectors, with a strong focus on legal, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services businesses. Commenting on the company’s first 25 years, CEO Steven Allan said: “When we started out, and still today, businesses wanted reliable IT systems and good support. The big differences between then and now are the large-scale movement of data and applications to the cloud, which has had a massive impact on data security, IT support and costs, and the rise With Steven Allan, CEO, Linten Technologies View from the channel Steven Allan
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