As 2022 draws to a close, Vapour’s CEO Tim Mercer reflects on a notable year for the business…
It’s the time of year when I often pen a few words about the last 12 months. It’s a process I relish, to be honest – an opportunity to compare our performance versus the targets we set ourselves, less in terms of revenue but more in relation to SLAs, customer satisfaction scores, and the consultancy projects I look forward to our team delivering, to show just what intuitive cloud tech can do.
It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the small ‘wins’ as well as the big ones, from snippets of positive customer feedback – and even constructive suggestions for improvement – through to the good we’ve done throughout the year, particularly when it comes to charity fundraising and our knowledge-sharing events. Even the quickest scroll back through the company’s social media channels and CRM log, is something I’d recommend to other business leaders before the year is out.
But this time, in addition to looking back on all of that, I think it’s also important to take stock of just what a tricky year it’s been. There have been times where it’s been pretty tough for everyone, including those of us running companies.
Beyond Vapour’s own ‘four walls’, we’ve witnessed organisations grappling with rushed cloud adoption strategies which, in hindsight, they are struggling to realise the benefits of. This isn’t always the case of course – some businesses have absolutely nailed it. But there are certainly others facing unexpected costs and usability constraints because things haven’t quite gone to plan. These are projects we are more than happy to support on, naturally, but attitudes towards the cloud have certainly evolved as a result. The industry needs to maintain its educative – and helpful – stance now, so that businesses don’t just revert to what feels familiar, regardless of whether or not it’s what they truly need.
At a recent industry event I was really struck by how ‘flat’ the room was, no doubt because of the uncertainty that lies ahead. I know I’d be stating the obvious if I pointed to the sheer economic chaos which ensued following Kwasi Kwarteng’s infamous mini budget, and its contribution to what we now know will represent a difficult time for many public and private sector organisations moving forward. But the financial fears many are now facing means 2023 will almost certainly be a year that companies strive to do more with less – or push for greater value from their suppliers at least, which they would be right to do. I’ve said before that vendors keen to secure a quick win and a fast buck will get left behind, and I think this sentiment will become even more acute next year.
From a positive point of view, I’m confident this puts Vapour in a strong position, as we simply don’t ever settle for ‘standard’. There are some fantastic engineers within our consultative business who love solving complex challenges and really care about customer retention – as shown with our story earlier in the year surrounding one client nearing their ten-year anniversary with us! It has to be business as usual from that point of view, particularly when it comes to pressing ahead with innovation. There’s little point our company values simply existing because they look nice on our website!
I’m extremely proud of the reputation we’ve carved for ourselves in industry, particularly when it comes to the personality and authenticity of our brand, and this will be integral to our story – and where Vapour goes next – in 2023.
In the wider space I think we’ll see more automation project deliveries in SMEs, network security by design will become an even bigger topic, and the public versus private cloud debate will remain in sharp focus. All music to our ears of course – we just need to keep talking with businesses, and thinking of different ways to engage with the market, to continually push for better, for all concerned.
Here's to 2023!
Did you know..? Vapour is a 24/7 business so it’s our goal to support you as best we can over the Christmas period. Please call us on 0333 200 1142 should you need emergency support while the festivities are underway.
