In The Spotlight with Lance Willliams from Distology
At Manchester Digital, we like to interview our members to find out a bit more about what they do and their work in the Greater Manchester digital and technology sphere. This week we're speaking with Lance Williams, Chief Product Officer at Distology.
What does your organisation do?
Distology represents cutting edge, disruptive cybersecurity technology companies, bridging the gap between them and IT resellers, solutions and service providers across the UK and Europe.
Our carefully curated team of like-minded people display our values in their everyday lives and as a result we offer unparalleled support to both our tech partners and resellers as well as winning the odd award!
What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry?
Without a doubt, the biggest issue the industry is currently facing is what is popularly known as the “consumption gap”, or the gap between new technology’s capabilities and how it’s used in everyday life. As those in the tech industry know, many projects fail because there isn’t enough focus on allowing users enough time to adapt to and embrace new technology.
More often than not, a focused project team research, select, buy and install the technology, and then expect everyday users to adopt the tech instantly.
In reality, the majority of effort needs to be poured into supporting the people who use the tech every day to actually use it, accept it and see new ways of working. This does mean time needs to be taken to train and fully immerse them in the new technology and processes.
What is your organisation’s biggest achievement?
The biggest achievement has to be the work we’ve done to build the Distology brand. The UK tech and IT industry is evolving at a rapid pace, so it’s been crucial to ensure Distology has a place in the industry.
Since the business was founded, there has been a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes to build trust among our technology and channel (reseller) partners. In the beginning, Hayley spent a lot of time networking to ultimately get in front of decision makers and it has clearly paid off!
Over the last 18 months, the business has gone from strength to strength and, given the cybersecurity sector is constantly evolving, we’re proud to say that Distology is evolving with it. There are new threats appearing regularly, while new software and solutions are entering the market, so agility and empathy with our partners and their customers are the keys to the future of our success.
What would you consider to be your organisation’s biggest challenge?
As the business continues to grow, we have a responsibility to ensure the work we’re doing strikes the right balance between setting us up for financial success but also staying true to the business’ mission in supporting people into and in a career in the IT industry. I believe this is something we have been able to achieve over recent years, however it is something to be mindful of as our growth continues.
What do you think the future looks like for Manchester’s digital and tech sector?
Manchester has been growing as a hub for digital and tech organisations for the best part of a decade now and this is only going to continue. There is still work to be done to really cement Manchester’s place as a leading tech city, however the future is incredibly bright and I’m enjoying seeing Manchester flourish.
Tell us something we might not know about your company.
We’ve got offices across Europe! In addition to our UK HQ, we have a Distology office in the Benelux, and recently acquired the German tech company, Squareball, who specialise in identity consultancy, product design and management. Our teams are actively encouraged to collaborate with one another, as we now have a wealth of knowledge and experience across different countries. This also gives our team members an exciting opportunity to apply for internal positions in a country different to their own!
Thank you, Lance!
To find out more about Distology, click here.
