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be extremely expensive. “Whereas we can come
into a business and take that [IT] headache away from customers, by helping them stay as up to date with IT and cybersecurity as possible, while really strengthening their business security online.”
From hardware to soft skills But it’s not just their local customers that have benefitted from the pair’s transition into a Vodafone Business IT Hub. The development has allowed Ollie to follow Laurie’s lead in becoming a Vodafone franchisee himself. And, for both of them, it’s been a welcome education. “In the short term, it’s given us
a real insight into the IT world,” admits Laurie. “We’ve gained so many more skills, as well as a really good understanding of what is quite a complex business in just six months or so, which is a credit to the training that Vodafone has given us. “What we have learnt from
those at Vodafone who have worked in this industry before is the importance of the relationship you build with the customer, and how that can be our differentiator in the marketplace,” says Laurie. “If you can build that level of trust with the customer, then it opens a lot more doors to you. Because, at the end of the day, you are holding the key to their business.”
The right tools for the job Of course, the tools at their disposal make a difference too. These are corporate-grade products that the pair have access to since they have behind them the scale, expertise and international recognition that comes with the Vodafone brand name. This includes a cybersecurity auditing tool that Vodafone Business IT Hubs can use to assess their customers’ businesses, generating a range of reports that show any
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potential issues and highlight those that are of highest priority. From there, a Vodafone Business IT Hub can provide customers with an IT security score, before sitting down to create a longer- term plan together. “We ran our cyber audit for
a potential customer recently,” explains Ollie, “and found that they had a device with 10 terabytes of unprotected data on it, which they were completely unaware of. “For a relatively small fee, we
can protect their data. Whereas, if a hacker gets a hold of this information, it could put the business under, given the amount it would cost them to rectify plus the fines they may receive.” Research from the British
Chambers of Commerce reports that a quarter of SMEs feel their current tools are not resilient enough to protect them from hacking making this kind of intervention invaluable. “[IT security] really is something
that every business should have as a priority,” concludes Ollie, “thankfully, Vodafone Business IT Hub lets us provide much better tools at a much more competitive price.”
Want to run an essential business within the local community like Ollie and Laurie? To find out more, visit vodafone.
co.uk/business/it-hubs or email a request for further information to ithubs.
onboarding@vodafone.com
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