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18 business focus


Accumuli Security: Building success


CEO Gavin Lyons talks to Mike Thorne, head of private markets for Deloitte Reading and Southampton about IT security, Accumuli’s phenomenal growth as a company and the experience of winning the Deloitte Dynamic Business of the Year award


Accumuli is a UK-based independent specialist in IT security and risk management. With its HQ in Basingstoke and over 175 staff, it helps companies manage an ever- increasing IT risk landscape and leverage IT assets for business value.


Since joining the company as CEO, Gavin Lyons has seen significant changes to his industry, from the unprecedented increase in the number and sophistication of security attacks to the new risks associated with innovations such as the consumerisation of IT and Big Data.


With people now working across multiple locations, using multiple devices and all wanting more and more data, “breaches are inevitable,” says Lyons. This has necessitated a risk-based approach towards security. “Whereas once companies built proverbial ‘walls’ around their infrastructure to protect everything; companies are now identifying their critical assets and making sure that they are secure.”


It is this pace of change that continues to excite Lyons as a CEO. “The rate of change in this industry is phenomenal, so the ability to offer our customers an end-to-end value proposition is critical. We want to be seen as the capability partner. Hence we have a buy- and-build strategy, so that we can acquire niche capabilities that we don’t have in-house or can’t grow organically.”


Milestones of success


Since floating on AIM in 2010, Accumuli has more than shown its tenacity. Its market capitalisation is presently valued at just under £50 million, following four years of phenomenal growth, including a series of ambitious acquisitions and an expanded solution and service portfolio. Lyons credits this success to a number of factors:


• Clear strategy and ambition to succeed: From the outset, Accumuli investors and management team have had a very clear strategy for the company and this vision has continued with a unrelenting focus on continuous improvement and KPI-monitored performance;


• Cornering the market: Following the sale of the two largest players servicing enterprise- sized companies in 2010, Accumuli took advantage of this market gap, “building an


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excursion platform to take advantage of the opportunity”;


• Growth appetite: Accumuli has acquired nine businesses in the past four and a half years demonstrating a deft ability “to identify, execute, and then to integrate those acquisitions”;


• Customer focus: Its focus on existing customers has resulted in its status as an annuity-based business with over 60% of its profit generated through reoccurring revenue;


• Investment: Its real appetite to invest in standards such as BSI Assurance Mark for ISO/IEC 27001, ISO9001, ISO31001 and ITIL aligned services along with a mandate of increasing staff training budgets every year to ensure they are motivated and retained.


Investing in people


Reporting 95% staff retention this financial year, Accumuli pays more than lip service to good people management. As a company, it always looks to promote from within, invests in training, and is committed to the individual – both technical accreditation and personal development.


Such thinking has resulted in initiatives like its CEO mentoring programme. Over 18 months, top talent is coached on all aspects of this role from strategy, raising money, and dealing with shareholders. There is also a staff strategy and innovation board that makes recommendations to the management team on how they think the business can grow.


More recently, Accumuli has entered into an agreement with Basingstoke College of Technology to fund its computer science degree with all future interns to come from the college. Lyons sees this as not only an opportunity to invest in future talent but to contribute to the Thames Valley as “a fantastic technology hub”.


Deloitte Dynamic Business of the Year Award


As for winning this award, Lyons is enthusiastic. From the original interview to being shortlisted, it created a “buzz for everyone”. As he shares: “To be reviewed, analysed and recognised by Deloitte is well received by many stakeholders. For me as


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2015


a business leader, you try everything in your power to provide an environment that maximises shareholder return, customer value and employee satisfaction. To then be compared to other companies and be recognised for what you are doing is very satisfying.“


Gavin Lyons will be speaking at the Deloitte Business and Technology dinner on Monday May 18. For all queries regarding this event, contact Fiona Symington.


Details: fsymington@deloitte.co.uk


'What has made us successful as a business is having a clear strategy, measuring performance and a desire to continually improve. We know where we want to go but most importantly we know that we can only get there through execution. We are very proud of our staff. They are the real assets of our business who consistently demonstrate their skills, passion and incredible attitudes.'


Gavin Lyons


BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS 2015


THAMES VALLEY


Gavin Lyons collects the award from Nick Hewer


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