PHIL Burgess joined IT business Inoapps two years ago and has helped it expand across Europe and into the Middle East. Inoapps now employs more than 150 people in offices across the UK and has also expanded into the US.
WHAT’S THE BUSINESS CALLED?
Inoapps
WHERE IS IT BASED?
Aberdeen
WHY WAS THE BUSINESS SET UP?
ANDY Bird, who is now Inoapps US-based global CEO, spotted a gap in the market for high quality Oracle IT service provision within the energy sector when he founded the business in Aberdeen. Soon afterwards, the company began targeting other international markets where our services are very much in demand across many other industry sectors.
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I’ve had a 30 year career in the global IT sector working in all aspects of project delivery and sales positions, including more than five years at Oracle just prior to taking on the role at Inoapps.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
INOAPPS are systems integrators. We utilise Oracle’s technology and applications to deliver value and solutions for our clients, both within their premises and via the cloud. Our focus is on ensuring we achieve operational excellence for our clients and maximise the benefits of their Oracle technology investment.
We cover the whole range of Oracle solutions and services including consultancy, implementations, change management, support, and training. Because of the dynamic nature of our clients’ needs, our aim is to build strong, long term relationships by providing an excellent service.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak our project work has continued although less of this is done on site. As a business, we embraced remote working long ago and our people are now well-placed to continue to provide excellent, hands-on support to clients.
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?
WE support clients across a wide range of sectors, predominantly those in energy, construction and engineering, higher education and the public sector. Our clients are companies and organisations looking to leverage the power of digital technology to help grow their operations, manage complexity and drive efficiency.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
ALTHOUGH we will often work in partnership with larger IT solutions providers, we are unusual for a business of our size in that we are also able to cover the full range of solutions and services, delivered exclusively through Oracle apps and technology.
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Our flexible and innovative approach has enabled Inoapps to forge a unique market position where we build close client relationships but can also compete with bigger entities in terms of our service offering.
IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?
Absolutely. We’re proud of our Scottish heritage and we continue to invest in the business as well as the wider technology sector, working with Scottish agencies such as CodeClan, Scotland’s Digital Skills Academy, to ensure that we attract the best talent.
Our first client from way back in 2006 is still with us to this day and, like Inoapps, it too is a globally-facing business. While our Scottish roots remain important, we have always sought to be an outward facing business and have expanded across the UK and into overseas markets. We now work in more than 85 countries and have international offices in Houston and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
ALTHOUGH we work with state of the art Oracle technology, we are essentially a people business. It’s working with our fantastic team and witnessing their creativity and expertise that gives me the most enjoyment in my role.
It’s also great to be part of a company with a bright future and significant growth plans.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
ADDRESSING the digital skills gap is critical – it’s not only important to have a constant pipeline of talent coming through to help grow a business like ours, it’s also essential for the long term growth of the Scottish economy.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?
INOAPPS was identified as a potential Scottish "unicorn" company a few years back so I aim to help drive the business so we can make this a reality.
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