LAN3 attributes business boom to education sector

Reseller puts 85 per cent growth down to the need for BYOD in schools

Secondary schools are the new corporate customers according to networking reseller LAN3, which attributes its 85 per cent growth to a strong focus on the education sector.

The Oxfordshire-based VAR, which was set up in 2008, almost doubled its revenue from £2.9m to £5.1m in its last financial year, ending on 30 June, as well as doubling its staff headcount from 11 to 22 over the same period.

Steve Thompson, LAN3 founder and sales director for UK and Ireland, believes that the company's education focus has proved more fruitful than big corporate contracts.

He said: "We saw that it was all about BYOD in the future, and, because of that, we decided to focus on education.

"Some secondary schools have so many students that they have more users than big corporates, and there is more security with education payments too."

The reseller has achieved Platinum status with its main vendor Extreme Networks, as well as working with vendors HP and Juniper Networks and distributors Westcon and Exclusive Networks.

Thompson added that despite being set up at the start of the recession, business has continued to grow.

He said: "We launched in May 2008, and the recession hit in September, so we had no idea when we first opened.

"We have not yet experienced business during a boom, but, if the last four years have been bad, we cannot wait until the good years come! There is a lot of business still out there to get."

The VAR has recently been awarded three contracts with the NHS, and aims to progress further in this sector as well as continuing in the education space.