16
BUSINESS connect MAGAZINE
February/March 2022
IT
Taking a Nybble Business Connect Magazine were very keen to meet with Ram Gupta, Managing Director of Nybble, which has seen successful growth over the years in the IT and AV sectors. Ram – your business name is very memorable – does it have a specific meaning? “Nybble is actually half a byte, which is a basic unit of information in computer storage and processing. “It fits really well with our branding and people certainly remember us.” When did you start Nybble, and how was your business journey? “We started the company just over 20 years ago. Our intention was to change the perception of IT providers, which at that time weren’t very good. “We adopted a very strong customer-centric philosophy, and with the Richer Sounds brand as our aspiration, we opened a number of retail stores in the North West. “After 8 – 10 years, with a great set of customers, we moved away from Ram Gupta, Managing Director, Nybble
retail and became a managed service provider (MSP).
You mentioned writing software as part of your business?
“The growth continued, and today we have three distinct but related parts to the business. We’re a managed service provider, we’re also a software house, and thirdly an audio-visual company.”
“A couple of years after moving away from retail we were asked to develop some software, and this became a service that we felt comfortable offering to other customers. Since then, that side of our business has grown considerably – now we have 16 people in the UK writing for us, and a team of 30plus abroad.
What do you provide as a managed service provider? “This part of our business covers all things cloud, all things cyber – essentially from an IT perspective we look after your business, so you can look after your business! “A good MSP should also ensure you’re not vulnerable to external forces or attacks. We cover all elements safeguarding including firewalls and cyber security for example. “We also provide 24/7 helpdesk support, and if there’s a problem we offer a comprehensive range of support measures both in and out of office hours. We have a mantra – we’re your ‘In-house IT department’.”
“We write software for the automotive sector, steel manufacturing industry, corporate clients and e-commerce. We develop single lines of code right through to millions of lines of code. Areas covered can be simple, from API integrations to front end portals. We saw a lot of that in lockdown, with businesses bringing their back offices to customer facing. “Also, since the pandemic appeared, there have been a lot of new business start-ups with very specific e-commerce needs. We developed software around existing e-commerce platforms to make those platforms more intelligent. Things like WooCommerce, Magento, etc. “The combination of the MSP part of the business and our software development teams pretty soon established ourselves as a ‘Onestop shop’ for businesses to rely on. The fact we are one company helps enormously in saving time and expense in any problem solving for a business.” Where did the Audio-Visual part of your business develop from? “One of our core sectors is Education. This sector has a strong appetite for AV equipment, and we have always acted as a re-seller in this area. In 2017 we had the opportunity to buy the business we were acting on behalf of as a re-seller, and from then we have enjoyed fantastic growth in this area of business.” What do you provide in terms of AV? “Blackburn Rovers are a great
IT bu example of one of our customers. We’ve installed, and maintain, all their digital signage pitch-side at the club. “AV is a massive opportunity for many businesses to promote their brand. I think this is especially the case across the hospitality and retail sectors. For the hospitality sector, good function rooms, good boardrooms, all rely on good AV equipment and the ease of use that any prospective business customer needs (and expects) to enjoy a seamless user experience. “For the retail sector, in particular the high street and retail parks, the ability to rotate messages in terms of visual signage as part of their shop window displays is a massive promotional tool attracting passing footfall. Also, interactive touchscreens are commonplace now, and add the flexibility of messaging that we can help develop, support and maintain across any retail environment. “Also, visitor entry systems have become very popular with businesses across all sectors. From a greetings and visitor tracking functionality to another opportunity to promote your brand and services, we can support you with both the hardware and software needs.” The automotive sector features strongly as a specialist area for you, can you tell us more? “My background before starting Nybble was at a Mercedes Benz dealership, and one stand-out I recall was the lack of support from our external IT company. I left the job to actually study my MSc at Lancaster, but the dealership asked me to help one day a week. “During that time we started Nybble as both a consultancy and also a retail business, and it was the working relationship I had with the dealership that resulted in Nybble being awarded the position of official Mercedes Benz App developers which is operated from their headquarters in Stuttgart.
