Computacenter
 | |
| Formerly | Computacenter Services Group plc (1995–1998)[1] |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people |
|
| Revenue |  £6,964.8 million (2024)[2] |
 £237.9 million (2024)[2] | |
| £171.9 million (2024)[2] | |
Number of employees | 20,000 (2025)[3] |
| Website | www |
Computacenter plc is a British multinational that provides information technology services to public- and private-sector customers. It is a UK company based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
[edit]Computacenter was founded in the UK in 1981 by Philip Hulme and Peter Ogden.[4] In 1990, it opened Europe's largest PC outlet; in 1991, it was listed by The Independent newspaper as one of the fastest growing independent companies in the UK and, by 1994, it had grown to become the largest privately owned IT company in the UK.[5] Computacenter was floated on the London Stock Exchange in May 1998.[6]
In 2006 the company extended its service facilities to include a new International Service Centre in Barcelona, Spain, and a customer help desk and remote management facility in Cape Town, South Africa. The services in Spain and Cape Town were enhanced when the company acquired Digica, which provides outsourcing and managed IT services to the corporate mid-market and the public sector, in January 2007,[7] and Allnet, which specialises in network integration and structured cabling services, in April 2007.[8]
The company bought the UK-based consulting firm TeamUltra in April 2017,[9] and Misco Solutions in Amstelveen in September 2018.[10] It expanded in North America with the acquisition of the California-based business Fusion Storm in October 2018,[11] and went to buy RD Trading (RDC), which specialises in IT disposal, in August 2019,[12] and the Canadian business Pivot Technology Solutions in September 2020.[13]
In March 2021, in a highly unusual procurement process, the company won contracts worth £241.5 million to supply laptops to disadvantaged children without an open tender. The satirical magazine Private Eye noted that Hulme, who remained a significant shareholder in the company, was also a major donor to the Conservative Party.[14][15]
A "significant security breach" took place in March 2023 when a Computacenter employee allowed his girlfriend, who was a Chinese citizen, into a server room at Deutsche Bank's headquarters in New York. The girlfriend was seen "physically touching" the servers. However, the manager who reported the issue was dismissed by the company in July 2023.[16][17][18]
Operations
[edit]The company is engaged in the supply, implementation, support and management of information technology systems.[19]
Sponsorships
[edit]Computacenter was a sponsor of the Renault Sport F1 Team.[20]
Social responsibility
[edit]Computacenter has committed itself to the 10 core principles of United Nations Global Compact.[21] Computacenter also helped Marks & Spencer to meet its WEEE requirements and its 'Plan A' environmental objectives, sending zero IT waste from M&S head office to landfill by 2008.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "Computacenter PLC overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. 2 October 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Annual Results 2024". Computacenter. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Who we are". Computacenter. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Philip Hulme net worth". Evening Standard Tech Rich List. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Peter Ogden net worth". Evening Standard Tech Rich List. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter shows results of services shift". The Channel Web. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter buys services company Digica". The Register. 4 January 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Computacenter reels in Allnet". The Register. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Computacenter Acquires ServiceNow Consulting Firm TeamUltra". Channel e2e. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter goes Dutch, picks up Misco's Netherlands biz". The Register. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Global Game Changer: Computacenter Acquires FusionStorm". CRN. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Arrow? More like Boomerang, amirite? Computacenter buys back tech disposal biz it disposed of". The Register. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter Acquires Pivot Technology for US IT Sector Push". Channel e2e. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Conservative Donor's Firm Surpasses £200 Million in COVID-19 Contracts". Byline Times. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ "£96m laptop contracts went to Tory donor's firm". Schools Week. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter employee let girlfriend into Deutsche Bank's server room, says ex-manager". Datacenter Dynamics. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Computacenter Employee Breaches Security by Allowing Girlfriend Access to Restricted Deutsche Tech Rooms". Cyberpress. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "IT Guy Let Girlfriend Enter into Highly Restricted Server Rooms". Cyber Security News. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Computercentre Fact Sheet". Morning Star. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Formula 1: Computacentre join Renault Sport F1". JW Grand Prix. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Computacenter". UN Global Compact. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "M&S ties up managed services deal with Computacenter". The Register. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
