Few saw the 2008 crash coming and few realised that the way business leaders reacted would come to define them. Comms365 CEO Mike van Bunnens is among these steadfast entrepreneurs, bolstered by a belief in the power of cellular.
When a crisis hits an organisation in the face its response is critical to survival and in Comms365’s case that meant taking determination and resiliency to the next level. The company began life in 2008 just as the global economic meltdown erupted and battening down the hatches quickly became the order of the day. “Our plans took a bashing but we didn’t give in,” stated van Bunnens. “I’d thrown my life savings, and more, into setting up the business. I had to give it a go.”
Comms365 was established when van Bunnens and his business partner Shaun Nicholls, who at the time worked together at Pipex, saw an emerging market opportunity within the comms and mobile data sector. “Armed with little more than savings and ideas we started the business determined to create a wireless ISP selling managed remote cellular connectivity,” explained van Bunnens. “With no 4G and only patchy 3G available it was risky.”
The company’s first large scale proof of concept was a private 3G network for a global lighting company, but the project was shelved as the economy spiralled downwards. “A few months later we were contacted by a potential partner needing a 3G connection to get a transport project over the line,” added van Bunnens. “That ended up being 50 connections, routers, a private APN and NNIs all delivered within four weeks. Word got around that we could deliver under pressure and more opportunities started to appear.”
Another turning point came when van Bunnens was approached by a consultant working on behalf of a large retailer that needed pop-up shop connectivity. “We are now in our 14th year of working with them,” he commented. “The third watershed moment was when a partner asked us to help them with a huge global eCommerce customer that needed rapid connectivity to open their distribution warehouses. Our services were particularly useful during the Covid years.
The great thing about cellular services is that they are finally, after 16 years, becoming more mainstream
Nowadays, noted van Bunnens, there is so much noise it is challenging to see the developments that are really going to make a difference. “But you have to keep innovating,” he added. “We’re concentrating our efforts on a number of strategic products and services and preparing the right level of technical investment. For example, we have a couple of product launches in the new year that will help our partners win more long-term business. We’re also innovating the next version of our portal, streamlining our operations, evaluating sales processes and the team, introducing more detailed training and ensuring the structure of the business is ready for growth in a way that makes working with us easy.”
Comms365 remains a cellular specialist, but most people are not aware that it also has a full ISP core network including fixed line services. “We still own tin in real DCs,” added van Bunnens. “Of course, we also take advantage of cloud-based networks like IBM and AWS for distributed services, but we’re an engineering firm at heart and those customers who have worked closely with us know that because we own our network assets, we have a lot of flexibility about how we deliver services. This is particularly useful for complex solutions that just won’t work with a standard off-the-peg service.”
Growing demand
Comms365’s partners operate in many verticals, including CCTV, security, retail, distribution, construction, government and education. “The great thing about cellular services is that they are finally, after 16 years, becoming more mainstream,” stated van Bunnens. “Everyone wants to get involved with cellular (or IoT), but it will be interesting to see who the long-termers will be. We’ve been doing this for 16 years, learning our trade, and there are lots of new players who haven’t had that experience. We’re interested in their longevity given the vast numbers having a go. Therefore our biggest opportunity is to use our experience and help others benefit from that.”
Van Bunnens’ industry experience stretches back a long way. Although he studied law and marketing at university his first job was in sales for a software company specialising in payroll and HR. “That role introduced me to technology and I saw first-hand how quickly the industry would evolve having also worked with mainframes and then PCs,” he commented. “I then left software for the Internet and joined an exciting venture that created four page websites for £19.99 per month in 1999. I ran the channel team who door knocked day in, day out, trying to convince business owners that if they didn’t have a website they would lose business. We were very early to the market but the experience gave me the technical knowledge I needed to move to Cable&Wireless. At that point I became fully immersed in everything Internet. The rest is history.”
Just a minute with Mike van Bunnens
Your main strength and what could you work on?
Multi-tasking is a strong point. On the flip side I could work at not having so much on the go at the same time.
Three ideal dinner guests:
Eddie Van Halen, my music idol; Ryan Reynolds, such a funny guy; and Jack Reacher (even though he’s not real and a man of few words).
If you weren’t in ICT what would you be doing?
A career in music, playing or producing.
Your favourite comedians and comediennes?
Sean Lock was a genius, Katherine Ryan and Richard Prior.
One thing that motivates you?
Fear of failure.
Tell us something about yourself we don’t know:
I always wanted to be a famous drummer in a rock band.
Your biggest career achievement:
Building a successful company and keeping on going at the beginning when it looked like we had bitten off more than we could chew.
What couldn’t you do without in your job?
The Internet.
One example of something you have overcome:
Setting up a business when the financial markets went into meltdown.
In hindsight:
I would have made certain decisions faster and followed my gut more. I would have also probably taken a few more risks.
How do you relax when not working?
Playing the drums, walking my dogs and seeing friends.
Best piece of advice you’ve been given:
Know when to walk away. Not all deals are good deals.
Industry bugbear:
Racing to the bottom too quickly to win business leads to a rapid under valuation of the actual work being done. This conditions the market to expect everything at low cost.
What are today’s leadership priorities?
Leaders have to listen to their teams, lead from the front, be firm but fair and approachable. They have to be visible and also show they care about the business and their customers or partners.
If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
A travel guide, and I’d have to go out and do a lot of research for it.
What are you most looking forward to?
More time with my family.
If you were to be reincarnated, what in living nature would you like to come back as?
A dog – they have the best life.
Top tip for resellers:
There is room for more than one vendor or supplier. Having choice enables you to build more robust solutions as each supplier brings a set of skills and services which combined can put you in a position of strength.