MEET THE ICT TEAM

STEPHEN REES

Stephen Rees
ICT Service Director

I started my career in technology at Axiom Business Computers in Glasgow as a PC Engineer. My interest in technology started early as I was always taking apart radios and teaching myself programming. By the time I left school, I’d built a solid foundation which led to a youth training scheme in basic computing. I’ve been with Redcentric for nearly 30 years, initially joining when it was Fastnet Systems, a Cisco Gold Partner.

Redcentric then acquired Redstone and later Expert Systems, another Cisco Gold Partner, which laid the foundations for Redcentric’s expertise in Cisco. We now hold the highest level of accreditation required for the Cisco Gold Partner status and have a long-standing relationship with Cisco. We are also accredited at the highest level with Fortinet.

Over time, I moved from engineering into management and relocated from Scotland to Hampshire to support the growing business. That shift paved the way for my current position, leading Redcentric’s ICT business area.

 

The ICT division focuses on designing, procuring, deploying, and supporting on-premises network infrastructure and security solutions. While Redcentric is widely recognised for its managed services and ongoing cloud support, ICT design and deploy local networks and on-premises connectivity solutions that underpin these services.

In my role as Services Director ICT, I work closely with Laurence Bichener, Head of ICT sales, and the wider team. The ICT division provides customers with bespoke, robust, on-premises services that enable secure and reliable connectivity to cloud services. We work with critical infrastructure in environments like hospitals, where reliable local networks are essential for everything from wireless access points to security firewalls.

We handle the core elements enabling cloud access and remote working, such as LAN, wireless, and firewalls. Our solutions are based on Cisco and Fortinet technologies, partners with whom we have extremely close relationships. This enables us to offer customers high quality, secure, high-performance infrastructure which is essential for their operations.

Our approach is very collaborative and tailored to each customer. We have a strong, loyal customer base with many partnerships spanning over 15 years. Typically, when a customer’s systems reach end-of-life, we engage in a consultative process to plan the next five years with them. We take the time to understand their strategic goals and design bespoke solutions that align with their operational needs. Our pre-sales team and consultants work directly with customers to understand their requirements, then partner with vendors to design and deploy an optimised solution. Each project is unique, from planning to the final installation, ensuring that every solution is as efficient and effective as possible.

We have recently completed a consultation and finalised the design for a large-scale deployment working with a global media organisation. We are mid-way through this complex project involving the replacement of core infrastructure, covering everything from TV to radio services delivered globally. Given the mission-critical nature of the customer’s services, it is essential to maintain seamless uptime and robust security. Our consultants have leveraged their in-depth knowledge of Cisco Systems to create a resilient solution that meets the customer’s needs, is robust, and offers the high levels of security needed.

A second project with a large hospital trust highlights how we work as a trusted partner and manage critical infrastructure on which lives depend. We replaced the core infrastructure across multiple wings of the hospital, connecting and securing everything from life-support systems to administrative devices. It’s not just about connecting equipment; it’s about designing an architecture that safeguards patient data and supports clinical care. Our team worked closely with the hospital’s IT specialists, ensuring the solution was designed to meet NHS requirements while aligning with Redcentric’s vendor best practices. We also provide 24/7 support, so if an issue arises at any time, day or night, our customers know we’re ready to assist.

Our customers often have very skilled IT teams, but they come to us for our specialised expertise. Because we work across multiple sectors and serve a wide range of customers with different needs and diverse technology environments, we bring a breadth and depth of experience that’s difficult to match in a single organisation.

For instance, our consultants are all highly accredited with Cisco and Fortinet, and their experience ranges from 12 to over 25 years. This expertise helps us to deliver innovative solutions that reflect best practices and emerging trends. Customersvalue our ability to adapt and design complex solutions that are stable, secure, and scalable and they trust and value our expertise.

Redcentric is a Cisco Gold Integrator Partner and an expert-level Fortinet partner. These accreditations and relationships enable us to offer best-in-class pricing and access to premier resources. These vendor relationships are crucial in industries where customers need high levels of security and uptime, such as a hospital, or for customers who have security considerations at the national level. Our customers rely on us to design, procure, implement, and support complex solutions, which only reinforces the importance of having those close vendor relationships that provide the expert support our customers need.

As our customers’ needs evolve, so do our services. We’re continually enhancing our support and deployment capabilities, ensuring we’re able to meet the demands of hybrid and remote working environments. Our goal is to be a long-term partner for our customers, helping them adapt to emerging technologies and new ways of working with the reliable, outcome-focused service Redcentric is known for.

Click into some of our key team members to find out more about them

Laurence Bichener

Head of ICT Sales

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Bob Mpagi

Solutions Consultant

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redcentric

Redcentric

0800 983 2522 sayhello@redcentricplc.com