Guest articles

1. How long have you been in Dubai?

A number of our UK clients had satellite offices in Dubai, and since 2010 I would visit them every 6 months spending 2-3 weeks to provide consultancy services on a number of specific issues. During this time I was amazed at how inadequately systems had been set up and how ineffectively clients were serviced or more to the point the lack of customer service. Countless companies were left exposed to security risks due to unacceptable implementations of systems or non-existent preventative maintenance. In late 2014 I decided that it was a good time to see if I could provide the same high level IT Support Services we have had in the UK for over a decade to businesses in Dubai. As soon as I arrived, I started to look at the different networking groups as I knew this would be fundamental to getting to know fellow business owners. I joined the BBG within my first few months here, and am now coming up to my 6-year anniversary. It’s an excellent source of information and a great way to meet fellow Brits through all the events and mixers. The team were always happy to point me in the right direction and after a couple of months Kew Solutions took over the IT for the BBG and the British Centre of Businesses at the same time, we have enjoyed the relationship ever since.

2. Did you see a change in pace in your business during the lockdown?

We adopted a work from home strategy fairly early on, everyone took home two computers and extra monitors, it was a rather seamless transition. We begin each day with a Microsoft Teams video call which allows the team time to discuss any issues they are experiencing and allows us to analyse our ticketing portal and work flow. We find the morning meetings really beneficial and keep communication open within the team. Our productivity and response times have been unaffected by working from home which is great news and means we have been able to provide a seamless high quality service to our clients throughout the pandemic. We are continuing to provide the same services and carrying out our scheduled onsite visits whilst keeping our employee and clients safety in mind.
A lot of our clients were previously setup with cloud based services which allowed them the flexibility to work anywhere and still enjoy access to their data. Initially a lot of clients wanted to upgrade their home setups with better Wi-Fi, second screens and better conferencing facilities to enable them to work more comfortably. We are seeing people go back to the office but with more flexibility around working from home part-time. The pandemic has allowed businesses to analyse the remote working options for staff and by using applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google hangouts people can still collaborate on projects efficiently and even work on documents simultaneously. How your employees work, how they engage together, and how they interact with your customers and partners using cloud computing can deliver a powerful competitive edge. One concern clients had was about the security of their data when devices were out of the office but again with the correct setup such as multi-factor authentication, sensitivity labelling, correctly applied folder permissions, antivirus and USB blocking this isn’t a concern. When we initially onboard a client we execute a full systems and security audit which is often an eye-opener for the client and at that point we implement new IT policies and security measures to ensure the data stays where it should.

3. Who is your ideal client

We have a client base of 74 businesses, for whom we manage and maintain around 1700 computers and servers. Our clients cover a broad spectrum of industries including legal, pharmaceutical, executive search, construction, private equity, architecture, accounting, automotive, PR, F&B and retail companies to name a few. We gain a deep insight into so many diverse industries and help each unique businesses achieve more by using tailor made technology solutions to increase productivity and profitability.
Our ideal client would be a business with 5 to 70 employees, looking for a trusted technology partner who can improve, manage and maintain their systems. Thus, allowing them time to focus on running and moving the business forward while safe in the knowledge they have a team of experts looking after their technology.

4. What do you look to achieve through your BBG Membership

Through the BBG I am looking to expand the business and connect with fellow Brits to provide them with the kind of service they would expect to receive in the UK. We work with our clients to identify, plan and implement a solution that, not only reduces the cost and complexity associated with IT systems, but also reduces failure rates and increases security.

Kew Solutions are currently running a promotion with the BBG where we will match or in most cases provide a cheaper more comprehensive annual maintenance contract with better service level agreements and response times than their businesses currently have in place.
Along with our business services Kew Solutions also provide home automation (lighting, sound, AC, curtain/blind control), home security, home networking/Wi-Fi, home cinema and home audio design, setup and maintenance services.

Please feel free to contact Robert Kew on his mobile +971 56 360 3264 or the office on +971 4 557 2353 robert@kewsolutions.com www.kewsolutionsme.com