Comms entrepreneur Mike Harris has successfully built a number of multi-million pound companies including Total Network Solutions, now he's about to do it again with the launch of The Network Selector.
Harris is a serial comms channel entrepreneur who has built a number of multi-million pound companies including Total Network Solutions which was acquired by British Telecom in 2005. He is joint founder of SiFi Networks, a provider of fibre-to-the-home networks, and Chairman of Oswestry-based VoiceComms Warehouse, a distributor of Internet security and network technology. Harris is also Chairman of Welsh Premier League Champions The New Saints FC and he provided the funding for the team's Park Hall stadium which opened in Oswestry in 2007.
Last month Harris launched The Network Selector, a channel only organisation that addresses a number of reseller needs based on their size, capability and level of investment. This is provided through four channels called Talkativo, VCW Voice, Ocean Telecom and Planet Hippo. "Instead of simply acting as a sales agent for telcos where customers are at risk from policy changes, The Network Selector ensures that resellers are at the heart of the business and retain full contractual rights with customers," said Harris. "As well as offering competitive pricing, we enable resellers to solve the geographical reach issues that occur when tied to single network providers."
His career in comms began after leaving school at 16 when he joined BT in 1979. "I worked in local telephone exchanges before moving into data centres and became one of the country's first specialist voice and data engineers," said Harris. "With a background in exchange construction, telephone route planning, data centre layout, point-to-point links and Ethernet connectivity, I had a unique level of experience. I set up Total Network Solutions in 1988 and have not looked back since."
The Network Selector provides a full suite of pre and post sales technical support and a range of administration services including billing, credit checking and debt collection. "This enables resellers to concentrate on building their businesses while demonstrating they have the infrastructure to service even the largest corporate customer," noted Harris. "I also see the wider telecoms market developing along similar lines to the mobile market with bundles incorporating devices, applications and connectivity for a standard monthly charge."
Harris' objective is to become a significant player in the converged communications space and anyone looking back across his career achievements would not disagree with the likelihood of his ambition become reality. He won the Ernst & Young Technology and Communication Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001 and Total Network Solutions was named as one of the Financial Times' fastest growing companies on three separate occasions.
His on-pitch achievements are just as impressive. "As Chairman, I helped take Llansantfried FC, based in a village of 900 people, from being a mid-table team to Welsh Premier League champions for a record eight times," he added. "Along the way I saved Oswestry Town FC from bankruptcy in 2003 by merging the two teams. The New Saints FC, also known as Total Network Solutions FC until 2005, have dominated the Welsh Premier League and regularly appeared in the Champions League and Europa League group stages. I am particularly proud of the team representing Wales and helping raise the profile of our national league throughout the UK and Europe."
Harris' commitment to the local community in terms of creating employment in the Oswestry region for young people is also a source of pride. "I am proud of the fact that many of the people that started as trainees in my various businesses have gone on to become highly paid and respected employees, both sales and technical, within my own organisation as well as some of the world's leading technology companies," he added. "Some are also now running their own businesses."
Harris has not only influenced the look of Welsh football and the careers of local people, he has helped to shape the way that voice and data networks have evolved. "My current mission is to ensure that resellers remain in control of their customers rather than being sidelined by network providers as commissioned agents," he stated. "Putting resellers at the heart of the customer relationship will protect their businesses from being undermined by any changes in policies by network providers. But it is not just a one-way street. The Network Selector is also set up to help network providers by being easy to deal with, helping to reduce their support costs to the reseller community."