A passion for managed service provision has fanned the flames of Storm Internet's growth ambitions, according to founder and Managing Director Salim Benadel.
It is perhaps an irony that Benadel's main preoccupation today has its roots in what was no more than a sideline to his primary work as a website builder. But when he spotted a gap in the market it should come as no surprise that he embarked on a different course. "I bought and sold hosting while working as a freelance web designer," he recalled. "There was a lack of good Windows-based hosting and I felt that I could do better myself, so Storm Internet was born. The market was relatively unsaturated at the time giving us the opportunity to provide businesses with affordable hosting.
"Being a developer by trade, I learnt what is expected by customers and this has given me standards to work towards. More recently we've focused on getting the infrastructure and service right. Now we need to let people know about Storm Internet and what we do."
The company has shifted towards managed services and this is where Benadel's ambition ultimately lies. "We have a big focus on SMEs and when we can help them save money or make a process more efficient it feels great," said Benadel. "Our priorities are to expand our business and the main challenge is cloud being a competitive market, but there are opportunities and demand is huge for a good managed service. Cloud is now a vital business service and we are expanding out of web hosting into general business services. We want to sell a whole solution as opposed to just a commodity service. We like to understand the business problem and build a solution to fix it. Our background is in development and system design so our passion is in the managed service and problem solving. In a nutshell, looking at ways we can help businesses run better."
Storm Internet currently has a headcount of 14 with £1 million revenues and is aiming for 50 per cent growth over the coming year. Important channel partners include Dell, OnApp, VMWare, CloudFlare and Security Metrics; and target markets are software developers, retail/e-commerce and companies focusing on Big Data analysis. "We are committed to helping SMEs improve their business by adopting cloud technologies, helping them to achieve savings, resilience and increase revenue," added Benadel. "Our aim is to on-board more customers, bringing them into managed services, in particular our private cloud initiative called StormCloud."
Benadel has seen growing demand from organisations that prefer to outsource their IT. "Many companies don't want a server in-house due to the cost savings and peace of mind that can be achieved through outsourcing," he said. "We're also seeing a demand for managed cloud services, but there is confusion among SMEs about how they can adopt this technology. They've often heard of the cloud but they are not sure how to put this change into action. We want to help them understand how it can help their business so we hold seminars to educate SMEs on the benefits of cloud technology."
The most significant areas of Storm Internet's growth policy are located in service territory combined with clever recruitment. "We provide a solid service and infrastructure to our customers, that's at the core of what we do," added Benadel. "Getting this right means everything to us and that will not change. We've also built a great team around us, people who are experts in their fields to help propel the business forward. All of the teams - sales, marketing and support - will be expanded and where necessary we'll bring in specialists in key areas.
"People don't want to move around in this industry. If you look after people and treat them well they stay with you and recommend you to their business contacts. We feel we're contributing to something big and we'll all grow together. All of our employees will be rewarded as Storm Internet expands. We're like a family, we look after one another."
With IT evolving so quickly, updating the Storm Internet product portfolio is an ongoing task that Benadel enjoys. "Innovation and a drive to make things better are what we're passionate about and we're always looking for new ways that will enable us to bring more benefits to our customers," he said. "We want to be seen as a champion for helping SMEs grow while helping those who are confused about this technology."
Benadel rates his biggest career achievement to date as turning an idea into a company that has served over 5,000 customers. "Getting that first customer and knowing that someone else believes in what you're offering is also a milestone," he said. "I'm happy with the way my career has developed. I've done what I've felt to be right, been true to myself and have no regrets. Life is a learning process. It's the person you become on the journey that matters the most."•