Softcat

Softcat
Company typePublic limited company
IndustryInformation technology
Founded1993
FounderPeter Kelly
Headquarters
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Number of locations
14
Key people

Graeme Watt (Chairman)
Graham Charlton (CEO),
Katy Mecklenburgh (CFO)
RevenueDecrease £985.3 million (2023)[1]
Increase £140.9 million (2023)[1]
Increase £112.0 million (2023)[1]
Number of employees
2,151 (2023)[1]
Websitesoftcat.com

Softcat is a Marlow-based IT infrastructure provider founded by Peter Kelly in 1993. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and it is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

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1993–2015: Softcat as a limited company

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Founded originally as Wardswift,[2] Softcat was founded by Peter Kelly on 30 March 1993 in High Wycombe, under its original business name 'Software Catalogue'.[3][4] In December 2005, Martin Hellawell became managing director (later CEO) of the company. In April 2006, the company moved its headquarters to Marlow.[5][6]

2015–present: Softcat as a public limited company

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The company was the subject of an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in November 2015.[4] In March 2016, the company was promoted to the FTSE 250 Index.[7] In March 2018, Hellawell stepped down as CEO and became chairman.[8][9][10] On 1 April 2018, Hellawell was replaced by Graeme Watt as CEO.[11][12]

In 2016, Softcat opened an office in Glasgow, Scotland making it the company's first office outside of England.[13] In 2018, it announced that it would be opening an office in Dublin, Ireland making it the company's first office outside of the United Kingdom.[1][14] In October 2019 Softcat opened its ninth office, in Birmingham.[15] Since then, Softcat has opened international offices in Washington DC, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Amsterdam.[16]

Explain IT Podcast

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Logo for the Explain IT podcast

On 14 March 2018, Softcat launched a podcast, Explain IT.[17][18][19][20] During its first season, Explain IT charted at Number 39 on the UK iTunes podcast chart.[21] In December 2018, Softcat announced on its podcast feed that it would be launching a second season in January 2019.[22] On 3 January 2019, Explain IT launched its second season.[23] On 4 July 2019, Explain IT won the award for 'Best Marketing Campaign' at the 2019 CRN Sales and Marketing Awards.[24]

Season 1

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# Title Date
S01E01"Ransomware"April 4, 2018 (2018-04-04)
What it is, why you should care about it and how an organisation might protect themselves against it.
S01E02"Social Engineering"April 18, 2018 (2018-04-18)
What exactly it is, who is behind it, how an organisation might protect themselves against it
S01E03"Moving to Windows 10"May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Preparing your organisation for the plunge into Microsoft Windows 10
S01E04"Hyper-converged infrastructure"May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
We talk about hyper-converged infrastructure and how it's worked for engineering company Laing O'Rourke.
S01E05"Digital Transformation"June 6, 2018 (2018-06-06)
All companies should be considering Digital Transformation, this podcast outlines four simple steps to follow.
S01E06"Dealing with an IT Security Incident"June 20, 2018 (2018-06-20)
Six steps to follow when you experience a security incident or breach on your network.
S01E07"GDPR"July 4, 2018 (2018-07-04)
We tackle the ins and outs of GDPR compliance.
S01E08"Cloud"July 25, 2018 (2018-07-25)
We provide a five-step process for a successful move to cloud.

Season 2

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# Title Date
S02E01"2019 Tech Predictions"January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)
Our Tech Predictions For 2019.
S02E02"AI and Machine Learning"January 16, 2019 (2019-01-16)
What is artificial intelligence and how can it help organisations today? Featuring Hewlett Packard Enterprise
S02E03"The Future of IT in Healthcare"January 30, 2019 (2019-01-30)
What is the future of IT in healthcare? Featuring Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
S02E04"Security Trends"February 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)
What is trending in the world of security, and how can your organisation protect itself? Featuring Check Point
S02E05"5G"March 13, 2019 (2019-03-13)
5G. What is it, how does it work and what's in it for organisations?
S02E06"Supply Chain Attacks"March 27, 2019 (2019-03-27)
Supply Chain Attacks. What is it, how did it come about and how can you stop them?
S02E07"Rise of the machines"April 10, 2019 (2019-04-10)
Are the machines taking over?
S02E08"Unstructured Data"May 8, 2019 (2019-05-08)
What is unstructured data?
S02E09"Quantum Computing"May 22, 2019 (2019-05-22)
What is quantum computing and what impacts will it have on the future?
S02E10"Multicloud"June 5, 2019 (2019-06-05)
What is multicloud and when is it going to get here?
S02E10"The future of work and the workplace"June 19, 2019 (2019-06-19)
Looking at the future of work and the workplace?

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Annual Results 2023" (PDF). Softcat. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  2. ^ "SOFTCAT PLC – Overview (free company information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  3. ^ "SOFTWARE CATALOGUE PLC – Overview (free company information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Tech IPO Softcat sizzles on debut". Interactive Investor. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  5. ^ "SOFTCAT PLC – Filing history (free information from Companies House)". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  6. ^ "IT Services in Oxfordshire | Softcat". Softcat. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. ^ Bambrough, Billy (2 March 2016). "Morrison's storms back into the FTSE 100". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Channel luvvie Martin Hellawell set to check out of Softcat. Sort of". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Martin Hellawell on growth hotspots, why the reseller model is not dead, and why it's not in Softcat's interest to clone him | CRN". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Martin Hellawell to step down as Softcat CEO, becoming chairman". BOLSAMANIA. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Softcat picks Graeme Watt as next CEO | CRN". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  12. ^ "What will £450k buy you? A new CEO at Softcat". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Softcat cuts ribbon on Glasgow office | CRN". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Softcat receives keys to Irish office | CRN". Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Where is Softcat opening its next office? | CRN". channelweb.co.uk. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Multinational IT Services". Softcat.
  17. ^ "Explain IT by Softcat on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Explain IT". podcast.softcat.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Explain IT". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  20. ^ Softcat. "Google Podcasts – Explain IT". Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  21. ^ "iTunesCharts.net: 'Explain IT' by Softcat (British Podcasts iTunes Chart)". itunescharts.net. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Explain IT by Softcat on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Explain IT Season 2, Episode 1 - 2019 Tech predictions". Softcat. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Sales & Marketing Awards 2019 winners". events.channelweb.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
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