Tech specialists show resilience to keep business systems operating

A Darlington-based IT consultancy has plugged in to new, larger premises, as it looks to help the region’s business community build resilience and recover from the pandemic.

Resilient Business Systems has expanded its footprint at Business Central Darlington after playing a key role in helping firms adjust to the shift to remote working during the crisis.

Staff at the company worked around the clock during the early stages of the pandemic to help hundreds of its clients’ employees adjust to working from home, providing vital support, from remote network management to cyber security advice and remote IT assistance.

The move will see the company – which provides strategic IT consultancy to organisations ranging from SMEs to large nationals – increase storage capacity and, in turn, improve its service offering to clients, as well as providing it with the means to continue growing its headcount.

Andy Read, founder and managing director of Resilient Business Systems, said: “The pandemic has been an incredibly challenging period for businesses, with entire workplaces forced to close their doors and adjust to working from home almost overnight.

“While some sectors – such as the tech industry – have been quick to embrace remote working in recent years, many businesses were left completely in the dark, with little or no idea how to switch to a remote business model. For the majority of organisations, such a move would never have even crossed their minds prior to this crisis.

“Fortunately, for those businesses that were able to set up from home, collaborative platforms such as Microsoft365 and Microsoft Teams have been able to ensure business continuity and keep the economy moving, and we are extremely proud to have played a part in this.

“Since lockdown measures were introduced on March 23rd, our team has worked around the clock to support our clients, ensuring they had everything required to continue functioning. It’s been challenging, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t be any prouder of the efforts of everyone involved.”

Resilient Business Systems first moved to Business Central Darlington in 2018 after securing a contract to provide IT support to the site and Andy is confident that its latest move will not only help unlock further growth, but also allow staff to continue working in as safe and as comfortable an environment as possible, as they continue to adjust to operating during the pandemic.

He added: “Just like all businesses, we have had to adjust operations to ensure the safety of our staff and customers during this crisis, which was one of the key motivators behind our decision to expand our presence at Business Central and invest in larger office space.

“Vanessa [Wood] and the team at Business Central have been absolutely fantastic in ensuring the centre is as safe as possible for businesses returning to site and – despite everything going on around them – have shown incredible flexibility by helping facilitate this move amidst a global pandemic.

“Not only will this ensure those staff who decide to return to the office can do so in a safe, socially distanced environment, but it will also ensure we have the storage capacity required to invest in more hardware for our clients and increase our headcount as we continue growing.

“Having taken on our first apprentice last year, Sam, we’ve been very impressed with his contribution and the knowledge he has gained while studying at Darlington College and the plan is that we will work with them to take on another apprentice next year, which wouldn’t have been possible without this extra space and the continued support we’ve received from the team at Business Central.”

Vanessa Wood, Centre Manager at Business Central, said: “It’s been fantastic having Andy and the team working out of Business Central for the past two years and we’re delighted that they’ve committed their future to Business Central, as they look to the future.

“Despite what has been an extremely challenging time for businesses, Resilient have gone above and beyond not just to support their clients – such as ourselves – but also some of the other smaller businesses on site who have asked them for advice, and we can’t thank them enough for all of their support and hard work during this period.”