Paul Jones

Career so far: Dodgem attendant at Wicksteed Park. ‘One-way round only, please – no deliberate bumping!’ Then I progressed to stirring paint at Campbells Plastics for two years, after various character-building agency jobs that mum and dad forced me to undertake, much to my displeasure. I had had enough of factory work and picking the green bits off tomatoes before popping them into a bucket and decided I needed an office job. So I joined Misco as a temp in telemarketing, then went into inbound and finally into key accounts. I was a Misco lad for five years until I left and joined ISC Networks for two years. Then I set up Total Computer Networks in November 2003.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? If I could be anyone for a week I’d be my wife Michelle, and I wouldn’t do a lot! (Some marital benefits may be temporarily or permanently suspended due to that comment). What would you have as your last meal? Anything not cooked by my wife Michelle. I know it’s a cliché that the missus is a terrible cook, but I popped home for lunch yesterday and she’d made chicken and vegetable soup that tasted like fish concentrate! Soz Mich, but I’m feeling brave.

What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? The World Cup 1998 – England v Tunisia in Marseille.

Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? For us, I see it as an opportunity. I recently read an article entitled, The cloud: A threat to incumbents, an opportunity for start-ups, which identifies the opportunities the cloud presents to younger companies and the threats created for larger vendors.

Have any of your predictions come true this year? Personally, I’ve had an unexpected yet amazing year. From a work perspective, I predicted that our worst offending timekeeper would continue to be late. My prediction was correct.

What do you see as the channel’s biggest challenge in 2011? Emerging from the recession and the problems related to this is still the biggest challenge the channel faces as a whole.

What is the best part of your day? I have got four boys all under 10, so it’s got to be when they’ve all gone to bed! Only kidding boys.