The route to becoming an entrepreneur is not always a predictable one. After Paul Harkins qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he didn't go on to found a financial services firm but is now owner and managing director at Aspen Solutions, an IT services and document-management company helping organisations to work more securely and efficiently.
For Harkins, that means focusing on turning technology into practical business advantage with clear strategy, disciplined execution and solutions that deliver measurable outcomes. Not, he stresses, merely complexity for its own sake.
The company, recently related to Cambuslang, provides services that range from IT support and cyber security to print and business communications and it now has a staff of 60, with some now working as far afield as India and South Africa.
The company, he explains, began in 1998 as a predominantly print business, selling photocopiers and which then moved into the IT space.
One of its strengths in recent years has been providing print rentals across major events such as COP26 and the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championship in Scotland.
Aspen was recently awarded a contract for the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July, an event that has returned to the city after 12 years.
"We tend to supply photocopiers and printers to support such events but now also provide cloud infrastructure to support that," he says. "In effect, that means a fully managed solution in which we host all the print infrastructure in the cloud so that contractors, employees and guests at the Commonwealth Games will be able to securely print and scan their documents across all venues.”
There will be, he says, some 55,000 people to be accredited over the games. "That's from the caterers up to the top athletes who all need accreditation to get into the venue, effectively meaning a physical document as opposed to a digital pass."
However, in today's digital landscape, Aspen is acutely aware that cyber threats are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated, targeting business of all sizes and industries.
"We're one of a very small group of independent Microsoft accredited partners and on that basis can build a secure wrap for basically any business. There are areas of vulnerability: the photocopier or printer in the office is still part of the office network.
"That must also be protected and because we have the full overview, we can provide everything from connectivity, leased lines and broadband through to the physical Hardware.
"We believe that we're uniquely placed because we don't have any gaps in the portfolio in terms of what's on your network - but also we believe that we can be much more agile than our larger competitors and more competent than our smaller competitors, because we have a bit more scale,” he says.
Harkins’ ambitions have seen the company actively expand its business beyond Scotland and the UK. "We now serve companies such as like Hilton, Best Western, Crowne Plaza, Mercure, Marriott and Holiday Inn plus boutique hotels, independent restaurants and leisure venues as the UK and Channel Islands," he says.
"Last year we won a £3million, multi-year contract with the Marriott Hotel group in the UK which led to a management company asking us to tender for some work for Hilton in Amsterdam and we had the expertise to extend that initial work," says Harkins.
"That involves fully managed IT support which encompasses cyber security and print management- the whole range of services which include cloud infrastructure and physical infrastructure, a full turnkey solution."
While delivering flexible event hire print and IT services for clients such as the Edinburgh Fringe, the filming of Spiderman in Glasgow, the production of Outlander and the Oasis concerts last year in Edinburgh, most of Aspen's business is with SME, owner-managed business in Scotland.
"They may not want to deal with a big conglomerate but need someone with the competency to meet their needs. As a Microsoft accredited partner, we also run events across Scotland to keep our customers informed and up to date with the latest developments in areas such as AT," he explains
Having bought WM Solutions in January this year, he adds that Aspen plans further growth through acquisitions and natural expansion, with a focus on local market understanding and entrepreneurial problem-solving.
The company has worked with Entrepreneurial Scotland through summer placements, some of whom have progressed to full time and pivotal roles.
"We've another two students joining us this month, one to work on an Al enablement project and another to work on our ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) compliance, so the talent we've accessed through Entrepreneurial Scotland has been fantastic," he says.
"We want to create meaningful employment for people - and those who do well in this business are ones that are the problem solvers and those who demonstrate entrepreneurial flair". www.aspensolutions.co.uk
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