'Some market forces are being accentuated': WWT's former Europe boss on launching a channel partner during a pandemic

Ben Boswell says opportunity around DevOps start-ups GitLab and HashiCorp is rocketing as he returns to the market with D|OPS Digital

The former European boss of WWT has told CRN that trends "accentuated" by the global pandemic will fuel demand for his newly launched DevOps consultancy.

Together with NP Group founder Chris Cooke, Ben Boswell has launched on D|OPS DIGITAL, a start-up providing services around software tools GitLab and HashiCorp that initially has around 20 staff.

Talking to CRN, Boswell said some market forces had been "accentuated" by the pandemic, which he claimed would play into D|OPS DIGITAL's hands.

"GitLab and HashiCorp are two of the hottest IPO organisations in a really challenging market, with annual recurring revenue of over $100m and market valuations of $2.5bn and $5bn [respectively]. Organisations are beginning to see that that technology can help them build applications for the cloud quickly and be able to maintain them in an automated environment.

"Our goal is to provide services behind GitLab as it looks to roll out and expand its enterprise footprint. That's a massively high growth market."

With a main office in London and satellite office in New York, D|OPS DIGITAL has an aim of providing a "conveyer belt of talent" of seasoned CI/CD DevOps resources for projects in sectors such as banking and pharma.

Cooke, whose firm NP Group helped place 150 staff at WWT during Boswell's stint there, claimed D|OPS DIGITAL could offer a home for contractors concerned about the impending IR35 changes.

"Contractors are looking at an alternative to the contracting market moving forward, and one of the things we want D|OPS to become is a destination employer for those high-quality resources that can provide learning and development, career roadmapping, certifications etc - in a way the contractor market cannot do."