Regional resellers: Newcastle

Tri Benedict: Erik Kwon, founder

In 1992, I established Tri-Benedict as a software developer, which we subsequently sold off to focus on IT services. 

It has since grown to 10 staff, serving Hunter area customers with their networks and hardware as well as break-fix and managed services. We also have a team to help our Apple customers. Our customers tend to be small to medium-sized businesses, but we also serve larger organisations, including government and engineering companies, and schools.

Newcastle is a big country town and everyone knows everyone else; we’ve done a lot of business here and know a lot of people. And although about 20 percent of our business is consumer, we never say no to business – our focus is B2B. Although, these days, even a household with two or three kids has four or five devices including printers on the network, so you’re really talking about a small business needs.

We practise ethics in selling; we don’t just sell products for the sake of it. And we don’t prefer certain brands because we want to make sure that what we sell will work for the customer. And we’re so well known in Newcastle that we get purchase orders with no balance on them. 

SOS Technology Group: Andrew Sturt, managing director

I cut my teeth in SOS – starting here with my father in 1996 – certifying as a Microsoft systems engineer two years later and working up through the ranks to general manager in 2006, before buying the business three years ago. 

Our 16 staff deliver managed services, networks and Microsoft servers, and website development. And we write bespoke software for our customers. We’re a Microsoft partner and resell HP, Toshiba, Seagate, Viewsonic and Trend Micro. A big Newcastle-based transport services company recently engaged us to provide an outsourced managed IT support solution as an alternative to replacing their retiring IT systems administrator.

We audited their IT systems and upgraded their Windows XP and Server 2003 infrastructure to the latest Microsoft offerings. They have since seen a dramatic improvement in network stability, interoperability and speed, and a notable boost to their staff productivity and mobility. Our managed IT business is growing rapidly, contributing to revenue growth of 30 percent in the past two years.

Newcastle Computer Wizards: Scott Jones

We’ve just merged the businesses of Newcastle Computer Wizards (established 2000) and Ashfab IT (1997). 

Together, we now serve SMEs from Sydney to the Upper Hunter Valley, involved in all IT aspects of our clients’ businesses, including helpdesk support, project management and software development. The merger opens new challenges and opportunities to provide support from a larger team and its combined knowledge. This also means we’re busier than ever but can still provide the timely and personal support that our clients appreciate.

We involve ourselves in our clients’ businesses and become part of their team and management. I find that building a close and communicative relationship is one of the most rewarding aspects of the business. We were recently engaged in web and mobile application development and are growing this area as demand increases.

The advantages of being located in Newcastle include being able to spend more time with customers and forming lasting relationships, but the downside is that it’s more difficult to attend industry functions that are held in capital cities.