Forward thinking has lifted Integralis

Survival of the long game in such a hard market is tough, but forward thinking will help, writes Sara Driscoll

Playing the long game is hard. Firms, without the aid of Mystic Meg or a crystal ball, have to be able to predict what will happen 10 years or so into the future; whether the worldwide economic markets will be bullish or bearish; what state their own sector will be in, and what new technologies will have evolved. Not only that, but companies must stay in business long enough to survive the journey and have enough faith in their strategy to stand by it for the long haul.

Like many of the Super VARs, Integralis has been through a plethora of changes over the past several years, a strategy that, if its latest financial results are anything to go by, seems to be paying dividends. The firm reported last week that for its fourth quarter it is in the black for the first time since it went public in 1998.

Being public obviously has its pros and cons. Reporting to the City is, let’s face it, a pain. Many firms find the pressure of this alone is enough to drive them back to operating privately. But Integralis has stuck it out.

After flogging itself to the City, Integralis, quite rightly, simply put its head down and concentrated on building up its security portfolio. This gave comfort to the jittery folks in EC1. Then in 2003 the firm sold off Allasso, its security distribution arm to InTechnology. This allowed Integralis to recoup some cash and set its sights on building up its reseller business. But a failed merger with Harrier Group in 2004 meant the firm’s foray into world domination hit a setback.

Another development in strategy, into managed security services in 2005 proved the right step to make, along with a tweak to its internal strategy at the end of 2006 to focus more vertically.

This year, nine years after it first went public, Integralis is feeling bullish. The firm has said it could acquire within the next month, go head to head with the might of BT and AT&T, and it has predicted it will turn over ¤500m.

Its journey so far, while far from smooth, has been fruitful, hopefully ensuring that the firm doesn’t play the end game for a while to come.