If anything, it’s hard to believe that Atom has already been in business for three years. The last 36 months have whizzed by in a blur of new opportunities, key decisions and, yes, the odd challenge along the way. There’s no doubt it’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and (to a much lesser extent) tears to grow the business to where we have in 2025 but the result is one that my fellow directors and I are exceptionally proud of.
Having achieved just over £2m revenue, £400k net profit and 70% contracted revenues in year three, we find ourselves way ahead of schedule. Year four has already seen some huge successes with a strong pipeline to follow.
But we’re not ones for being complacent. There is still much to do to meet our longer term goal of becoming a nationally renowned brand.
Achieving these numbers while also investing heavily in our people and office environment, positions us to further strengthen our offering earlier than anticipated. Later this Spring we will be opening the doors to our new purpose fitted offices on Newcastle’s Quayside and creating space for a raft of new arrivals along with several surprises.
With a headcount of 20 staff as of March 2025, our goal is to grow the team by another 10 before the end of 2025. But it’s not just quantity; we’re determined to only take on staff who share the same values and qualities that Atom has become known for since 2022.
I genuinely feel blessed to be working with some of the best people in the industry. Our collective experience has allowed us to build something really special. Thanks must go to the whole team from top to bottom, but especially my fellow directors Dean Cowens and Andrew Marsh.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Although the customer is the heart of everything we do here are Atom, I’d like to think that one reason for our success has been our approach to staff wellbeing and support. From the very first new recruit we took on board, we’ve made a point of listening to everyone’s point of view, acting quickly wherever change is needed and ensuring that every team member buys in to what we are trying to achieve.
A business is only ever as good as the team driving it, so we are committed to creating an environment where people enjoy what they do. It sounds so simple but, honestly, I’ve seen time and again in business where this trick is missed by employers.
People that work here genuinely love coming to work. Don’t take my word for it, ask any of them.
Technical expertise trumps simply “selling the dream” every time
In my experience, the key to growing a successful tech business is building a strong reputation . . . and that only comes from demonstrating expertise, hard work and delivering a superior service time and again.
From the very start our business model has been to ensure we are top heavy on technical staff over every other function in the business. For every service we deliver and every product we recommend to clients, we have team members who know our solutions inside and out.
I’ve always hated the idea of selling products we know nothing about. I’ve been involved with businesses before that concentrated on selling first and worrying about delivery later. That might be the way to earning a quick buck but it certainly isn’t the way to build long-term business relationships and a sustainable client pipeline.
Although we’re a ‘talk first’ organisation, we spent a considerable length of time from the outset to ensure that we had systems to match the level of service we wanted for our clients.
Our collective experience has helped us decide what products we should sell and mould how we should sell them. When a customer comes to us, understanding the individual needs of their business is paramount. There is no “one-solution-fits-all” that works in the best interests of all customers.
Some may have differing needs from an integration standpoint. Some may have specific compliance needs. Some may have ageing equipment that requires migration and often transformation (usually to Cloud based services). Yes – we’ll often sell certain products as a wraparound for our service by default, but selling a customer what they actually need rather than what we can bolt on is hugely important. What is key is the way solutions are delivered and then supported. Project management is something we take very seriously. Something demonstrated by the fact we have a dedicated project management department within the business – a rare thing for a company of our size.
Looking after customers and nurturing them rather than just chasing new business is so important to Atom. This comes from our experience of seeing less reputable practices from other providers over the last 20 years or more.
One of the best things about launching a technology business from scratch is that we were able to get our foundations right and apply what we had learned from working in other organisations over recent decades.
This means making good appointments and creating a positive company culture, as I’ve mentioned already, but it also means developing a helpdesk where people actually answer the phone and, more often than not, are able to solve issues right there and then.
As we’ve grown, so has our expertise. The IT industry never stands still and our investment in vendor relationships and training means we are able to offer some advanced capabilities as well as the run-of-the-mill solutions. It also means that our approach to everyday technology allows us to deploy it in a more secure manner using automation tools. This allows customer configurations to be consistent and enables us to detect issues before they become a problem.
Staying ahead of the curve
The industry has seen constant changes, particularly in the last few years. At one time customers all had complex physical equipment on-site. Most customers today run all of their services from the cloud, but there is a distinct lack of knowledge out there for supporting these cloud services properly.
We often encounter systems deployed by other providers that have not been configured correctly. Sometimes customers have been left extremely vulnerable and our immediate role is to rectify issues and improve security. Often systems are not deployed optimally, running up excessive costs with suppliers.
Most people know what a server is and understand conceptually what they set out to achieve. But 10 years ago, servers were mostly physical devices located out on customer sites. In the era of “Cloud Computing” it is often harder for businesses to understand the nature of their digital overheads, where value lies and what constitutes a secure, efficient cloud infrastructure.
That is an area we are adept at helping organisations. We know however that best practice and recommendations change over time – so we must stay ahead of the curve in order to ensure we continue to provide solid advice and enable our clients to future proof their technologies.
One example would be containerisation – a newer technology that is starting to take shape where the concept of a server from the customer point of view no longer exists. This technology can reduce cost, make scalability much easier, improve security and reliability. In another 10 years servers could well disappear altogether, however few managed service providers seem to be investing in learning about the newer technology. It requires effort and investment in staff.
Similarly, AI is the buzzword of the moment, but few companies out there seem to have the knowledge necessary to advise their clients on how to use it effectively. More worryingly, many try using it without deploying it correctly or securely. This can in itself lead to data breaches and company data being exposed to the internet.
At Atom, we spend a great deal of time evolving what we do to include new technologies where appropriate. We do this by upskilling staff and employing the brightest minds in the industry. AI is certainly a technology that should be taken seriously, but having the correct security controls in place is often overlooked and paramount in a business setting.
The next three years
As I reflect on an incredible three years, it makes me proud of what we have achieved so far at Atom. I’m really excited to see what the next three years bring. No doubt, we’ll welcome new faces into the business, take on new clients, encounter new technologies and have lots of fun along the way in our Quayside based home.
One thing that I’m determined won’t change, however, is the customer-centric approach and the commitment to doing things right that has been our secret recipe for success.
Looking to work with the best in the technology solutions business? Get in touch with Atom today.
