DOUG More worked in the IT industry for more than 40 years and was involved in setting up one of the world’s first IT networks at Edinburgh University. Four years ago he came out of retirement to set up IT security business Assure APM. Doug wants the business to expand into Europe but believes the No vote in the independence referendum, and Brexit, creates uncertainty and causes delays.
Name: Doug More
Age: 68
Position: Founder
WHAT’S YOUR BUSINESS CALLED?
Assure APM
WHERE IS IT BASED?
Edinburgh
WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?
I GOT together with some business associates and thought we could make a difference by employing new technology. I wanted to make something unique in IT and saw an opportunity that looked exciting.
Security is the biggest thing in IT at the moment. Cyber attacks are a big threat to any organisation but roughly 80% of global cyber attacks are targeted at financial services. Even people not in IT are aware of the threat of hackers and when they target governments and financial services it becomes a threat to the economy.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT we do is security in IT and performance management. The two join together which makes us different. Security is a matter of providing user-licensed softwares so our clients can use systems using their own computers in their own premises and also in the cloud. This gives users a level of security and control.
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?
WHEN we first set up we wanted to make sure we got everything right to create a product that we could confidently take to customers and not oversell, which would see our reputation fall flat. We soon realised the government and financial services would benefit most from the product.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
THERE are major global players that provide security systems and it is very hard for the buyer to establish what’s good and what’s not. There are some that work well but are hard to use and some are good but not effective in every area. No security system can be 100% secure because hackers can find other ways to do things. We automate a lot of security processes – this takes away human error which is the biggest reason for security breaches. Our technology uses innovative processes that make it much harder for hackers to break into.
I was at an exhibition in England recently with more than 200 exhibitors claiming to be the near-perfect solution but many of them are unlikely to deliver on that promise. I feel for the buyer because it is so hard for them to fully understand where they should invest and which one to go for. I would like to see legislation that stops overselling and make it difficult for people to do that.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
I ENJOY working with colleagues and trying to inspire them in creating a business capable of delivering what it promises.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?
IT is very difficult to determine where we will be in 10 years as that’s a long time in IT. Our business has to evolve at the pace of and in line with the larger global market in terms of security. We will still be a specialist player with unique, ahead-of-the-field services in 10 years’ time.
We would like to expand into Europe but this of course depends on what Brexit will look like. We also plan on expanding to the US at some point but, again, the timing depends on political issues. The political climate is very volatile at the moment and it is impossible to predict the future whether you are in business or in politics. Europe and the US in that order are of great interest to me.
I wasn’t comfortable with a No vote in the independence referendum. Nor was I happy about the EU referendum outcome. To me both work against the development of our business. I have confidence that the business can function in an independent Scotland within the EU of 27 other nations rather than being trapped on this little island. My philosophy in the business is doing what is best for the client first, then considering shareholders and stakeholders. This way in my view everybody wins in the long term. This is the same for Scotland’s independence in the EU: it might be tough at the beginning but in the long term we all win.
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