Unlocking success with Alan Stephenson-Brown: the driving force behind Evolve Business Group

In a landscape where technology is evolving at breakneck speed, Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO of Evolve Business Group combines innovative IT solutions with a commitment to simplicity and security.

Since 2005, Evolve has been on a mission to transform the connectivity of multi-site businesses across various sectors, offering bespoke end-to-end IT and managed network solutions that are as reliable as they are user-friendly.

Under Stephenson-Brown’s leadership, Evolve continues to set the standard for enterprise-grade IT services, empowering businesses to stay compliant, connected, and ahead of the curve in an increasingly digital world.

They are known for leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide enterprise-grade solutions that are reliable, secure, and user-friendly, with a strong focus on security. Their PCI DSS compliant solution is Level 1 certified, and they are part of the Cyber Essentials Scheme. Additionally, they hold ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications.

In November 2022, they acquired the Preston-based IT firm GB3 from EG Group, creating an IT services powerhouse in Lancashire. GB3, now rebranded as EvolveIT, has a team of over 60 talented professionals working across the organisation. This acquisition was followed in January 2023 by the formal acquisition and incorporation of the Sheffield-based mobile telecoms provider, 4G Voice and Data (4G VD), which specialises in offering the latest 4G and 5G mobile SIM cards and devices to meet the growing demand for faster and more reliable mobile connectivity.

By offering a comprehensive range of end-to-end services, they simplify the operations of their customers’ businesses, saving them money by providing a seamless experience and a single bill, alleviating the complexities of connectivity. In essence, they keep the networks of retail, hospitality, fast food, and petroleum franchises compliant, protected, and connected.

What is the main problem you solve for your customers?

Evolve was created to serve multi-site brands who were being neglected by incumbent technologies. We’ve branched out over the years and found that all sectors have certain problems in common.

For example, data management and protection from evolving cybersecurity threats, and network and infrastructure issues. These include interruptions to internet service, ensuring IT infrastructure can scale with the business, and keeping physical IT infrastructure up-to-date and functional.

We also solve integration problems; integrating legacy systems, ensuring different software solutions work seamlessly together, and migrating to and managing cloud services.

Additionally, many of our customers struggle with compliance. Achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance can involve enormous operational and technical investments, especially for businesses that don’t have payment infrastructures as part of their core operations. For a business operating in multiple sites, like Fuel Forecourts or Retailers, it can be a logistical nightmare to assess every POS terminal or gateway and the processes that accept card payments.

We help in two ways. Firstly, because Mako’s SD-WAN technology is PCI DSS Level 1-certified PCI-compliant SD-WAN, and we are a Mako platinum partner, Evolve can provide customised SD-WAN solutions with PCI Level 1 certification for payment security.

Secondly, instead of slogging through the 240-question assessment document, for every location, IP address and terminal to get PCI-certified, Evolve’s team can answer them for our customers. Of those 240 questions, 210 of them – or 90% – are answered by Evolve’s PCI compliance capabilities. The team can also guide businesses on the journey to achieving complete PCI audit compliance – something no other provider can offer.

What made you start your business – did you want to rock the status quo, or was it a gap in the marketplace that you could fill?

It was both really. Initially we identified a gap in the market in how legacy infrastructure was failing multi-site brands. Evolve Business Group was formed with the aim of providing these customers with a comprehensive, fully managed network solution under one roof. We recognised that businesses often struggle to find a single provider who can manage all aspects of their network, from design and implementation to maintenance and support.

But in developing our own suite of innovative solutions, I think we’ve also managed to rock the status quo. For example, our latest deployment, Evolve Vision, is a ground-breaking product that gives businesses complete visibility of all their third-party suppliers in a single, easy-to-use portal, so connection problems can be detected before they impact business operations.

The dashboard, which has been designed with usability in mind, allows customers to view the status of on or off-site suppliers, such as payment solutions, gift cards and ePOS system. This means all connections to data centres and every connected device can be monitored 24/7/365. In fact, Vision is updated every 30 seconds so issues can be spotted, reported and resolved, often before the customer, supplier or end user are even aware of it. This level of visibility is unrivalled in the industry.

What are your brand values?

At Evolve, our foundation is built on three core values: Curiosity, Pace, and Dedication.

We believe in the power of curiosity to fuel innovation, and our team is constantly exploring new ideas and seeking out fresh perspectives to stay ahead in a dynamic world.

But in today’s fast-paced environment, agility is also key. We therefore thrive on maintaining a swift pace, ensuring we do more than keep up, we lead the way in our industry while maintaining quality and doing things right the first time.

Finally, our commitment to our mission is unwavering. We’re dedicated to delivering exceptional results and providing unparalleled value to our clients and partners.

These principles guide everything we do and constantly drive us towards excellence.

Do your values define your decision-making process?

Absolutely. Company values are more than a box-ticking exercise. They provide a common framework that align decisions across all levels of the organisation, ensuring consistency in actions and strategies. I also firmly believe that teams are more motivated and engaged when they feel their work is underpinned by strong company’s values. When we make decisions that align with core values, they tend to be more sustainable, balancing short-term gains with long-term goals, and therefore play a significant role in my decision-making process.

Is team culture integral to your business?

Yes, and I think this goes back to having strong company values that everyone can get behind. Team culture is a fundamental component of any successful business, impacting everything from productivity and innovation and customer satisfaction. It’s always been important to me to create a positive and inclusive team culture; I believe it’s the best way to achieve greater cohesiveness, resilience, and long-term success.

What do you do to go the extra mile to show your team you appreciate them?

We have an Employee of the Month initiative to recognise team members who excel themselves, but I think showing appreciation means consistently making people feel seen and heard. As such, I make sure the senior leadership team, myself included, is always visible and available, and together we have nurtured a culture where everyone knows their voices are heard. I believe if a company gives, its people give back; give people something to aspire to and a bit of autonomy and they’ll rise to it.

In terms of your messaging do you think you talk directly to your consumers in a clear fashion?

In terms of tone-of-voice, we aim to balance no-nonsense with professional; relatable, but confident enough in our expertise to be straight-talking. We know not all our customers are tech experts – but don’t want to talk down to them either. It’s a fine line, but I think we do a good job of walking it in all our communications, from the website to our 24/7/265, multi-lingual customer service team.

What’s your take on inflation and interest rates – are you going to pass that on to your customers or let your margins take a hit and reward customer loyalty in these tougher times?

Unfortunately, rising inflation and interest rates are hitting businesses hard across all sectors, and it’s inevitable that some of the increased cost to business will sometimes be felt by the customer. At Evolve we have always strived to offer exceptional value for money, and will continue to do so by only increasing prices when absolutely necessary as a result of increased supplier costs.

How often do you assess the data you pull in and address your KPIs and why?

We assess on a quarterly basis, when the data is analysed during our board meetings.

Is tech playing a much larger part in your day-to-day running of your company?

Tech is at the heart of Evolve, so it’s always played an integral part of day-to-day business.

But as customer needs change, we have had to look at how to leverage that tech to best meet their expectations. To that end, we’ve developed and built several of our solutions – including the latest; Evolve Vision – entirely in-house. By dedicating 240hrs+ per week to development time, we can build tech to solve the problems we know face our customers every day, and create solutions that really do take the pain out of connectivity. It also allows it to observe the progress of the project, introduce changes to projects faster, and speed up implementation.

What is your attitude to your competitors?

I think it’s important to use competition as motivation to continuously improve and innovate, so I keep an eye on what other MSPs are doing, but I think Evolve has such a unique offering that it’s not really my focus. The team’s focus is on innovation, customer satisfaction, and maintaining our position as industry leaders. It’s vital to prioritise understanding and meeting customer needs over trying to outdo competitors; delivering exceptional value should be the goal.

Do you have any advice for anyone starting out in business?

I can’t overstate the importance of doing your research. Starting out in any business without adequate research increases the chances of encountering obstacles that could derail your plans. Investing time and effort into doing your homework is the best way to lay a strong foundation for making informed decisions and achieving business success. Once you get off the ground, my advice would be to trust your instincts and go with what feels right occasionally.

It can be a lonely and pressured place to be as the lead decision maker of the business. What do you do to relax, recharge and hone your focus?

In another life I think I would have been a chef – I’ve always really enjoyed cooking and it’s still something I do to unwind. I also think the skills you use in cooking translate to other areas of life and work; it requires attention to detail, balancing different tasks and managing time effectively.

Do you believe in the 12 week work method or do you make much longer planning strategies?

So, this is a system that approaches goals as short-term sprints, the theory being that it forces you to act with urgency and focus on what matters most to avoid the pitfalls that come with more ‘annualised thinking’.

I believe this is an effective method, and at Evolve our planning strategies are reviewed very frequently. We have development sprints every two weeks, referencing the businesses KPI’s, which then feed into traditional yearly business goals, with quarterly interventions to ensure we can adjust strategies as needed.

What is your company’s eco strategy?

At Evolve, we recognise that our operations impact the environment. As such, we’re committed to the improvement of the environment and recognise our responsibility to manage and minimise the environmental impacts of our activities, products and services. We strive to lead the industry with new levels of environmental awareness, and have collectively pledged a commitment to continual improvement.

As well as identifying the environmental impacts of our activities and complying with relevant legislation, regulation and other requirements, we have developed objectives, targets and management programmes, and applied appropriate operational procedures, to minimise our environmental impacts. We also ensure all employees understand the environmental impacts associated with their responsibilities by providing training, guidance and up-to-date information.

What three things do you hope to have in place within the next 12 months?

It’s been a really exciting few months for Evolve. We’ve made several high-profile hires to the executive team as part of our growth strategy, which will bear fruit over the coming year. Our aim is to be the leading managed network provider, and we will continue to work towards this goal by delivering the innovative solutions, exceptional customer service, and robust network security we’re known for.