David Griffin - Forfusion's Chief Operating Officer
Did you always envisage a career in technology?
Growing up, I always believed I would become an Architect due to being fascinated with aesthetics and understanding how things were manufactured or constructed. This led to a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design, which provided a halfway house between studying design for manufacturing and materials engineering.
Following graduation, I started my career in the design office of a Telecommunications company, having taught myself AutoCAD at university. Over the next ten years, I started to appreciate my desire for process and decision-making, which led me on a journey through the Project Office and ultimately to the role of National Programme Manager. At this point, I was introduced to the world of Cisco and started the journey I am currently on!
What attracted you to your current role?
I left Telecoms to create an online platform to assist Cisco integrators in combining resources and stock provisions to service larger contracts. This required me to start and run a small, limited company and own the operations and finance functions to ensure stability and responsible growth. This was an education, and I was hooked.
A couple of years later, I met Steve Forrest (Forfusion’s CEO) through a friend on a snowboarding trip, and following many discussions, Forfusion was born. At its core, Forfusion is a people business, which is a differentiator from my previous endeavours, and this was a significant draw for me.
Tell us about the business.
The concept of Forfusion is simple; a trusted company of Cisco experts that assist the Corporate/ Enterprise sector in operational efficiency through technology lifecycle services. We leverage our ADIO methodology to elegantly guide our customers through the complex set of activities that surround our approach, in turn reducing project risk whilst supporting innovation.
We’re proud to have built Forfusion without external investment, resulting in a highly agile entity which is continuously honed to retain its original objectives and core values. This allows us to provide unwavering support to our customers to become trusted advisors to their IT teams, with embedded people relationships and collaborative Managed Services.
The challenge in running Forfusion is remaining laser focussed on our mission whilst ensuring that we have the skills, processes, and investment to support responsibly scaling in line with our strategies.
What tips would you give someone starting a career in the IT industry?
The world of IT is constantly evolving, paving the way for a multitude of careers within IT from more diverse backgrounds of education or experience. The path can seem quite daunting for someone looking for a career in the technical aspects of our industry. As a business, our CSR and STEM strategy hopes to demystify careers within IT. Our staff members bring their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm to a range of programmes to support our local community and educators, hopefully making such career paths more accessible to all.
A tip for anyone starting a career in the IT industry would be to visit local IT Integrator websites, research their CSR offerings and reach out directly. There are many work experience placements, apprenticeship schemes and other engagements on offer that are looking to support your path into this sector.
What are you currently working on?
I am engaged in amazing efforts from the Forfusion team to bolster our growth strategies, to name a few; we hope to enhance our ISO 27001 by renewing our ISO 9001 and achieving ISO 14001 within the same authority. Having recently achieved Cisco Gold Integrator, we hope to follow up with Cisco Gold Provider over the coming months, becoming the first in the North of England to have achieved both. This unlocks the potential for some innovative Managed Service offerings we have been constructing in the background.
We have invested in a Tech Lab in our head office, which we hope will result in a North East based centre of excellence supported by Cisco. We’re also adding functionality to our 40 application-wide eco-system to allow for tighter integrations with our customer base and their environments.
What is the best piece of business advice you have received?
Be willing to be wrong and focus on the learning that you take from all outcomes.
What item of technology would you be lost without?
As a bit of an Applephile, I’m torn between a Macbook and an iPhone. The latter is awesome but can also serve as a distraction; I’m probably most at home on my Mac.
How do you like to unwind?
Outside of spending time with family and playing sports, I like to build and fix things. From cars to DIY projects, novelty cakes to restoring bikes. Always busy.
What does the future hold?
This last year saw big investments from Forfusion in terms of accreditations, bigger office space, team resilience, staff wellbeing measures and Tech Lab equipment. We felt this was necessary as a foundation for growth over the coming financial periods.
Our best ever half-year results, alongside reaction from both Cisco and our customer-base alike, suggests that the coming period is now our time to scale.
forfusion.com