Jason Reading, a dynamic and understated entrepreneur who has catapulted his IT solutions company to win many of the IT industry’s most coveted awards, has built a company culture that plays by one rule: clients are king. 

 

Jason Reading relishes in a challenge and works best when under pressure, delivering to deadlines and improving the status quo amongst an ever-changing IT services market. With more than 18 years' experience in the industry, Reading likes the fact that no day is the same and that every business is different. The company that he started in 2000, Comcity, is known as much for its technology solutions as it is for hiring the best people in the industry. Following on from six years' experience in the UK, Reading established the company in Melbourne to further his booming track record. With a team of 35 employees, Comcity is a diverse bunch with unparalleled combined IT knowledge.

"There are a lot of one-man and two-man bands out there, but when you engage with those people, you engage with one or two person knowledge. No one person knows everything," says Reading.

So far Reading has aimed high: recognition by Microsoft in 2008, 2009 and 2011 is a major accomplishment for Comcity, as one of Microsoft's leading partners. Three years ago he expanded the company to Sydney, building upon a strong history of commitment to clients by pioneering high quality IT maintenance and solutions.

"I grew up in Sydney, so opening an office there after nearly a decade in Melbourne seemed like a natural progression. I've got two young kids who are four and three so this way they can spend time with their grandparents," explains Reading.

But with today's society so heavily dependent on IT management services, what do companies really want? According to Reading it's clear - clients just want simple and flexible solutions. They want their data to be protected, secure and preferably in a location that's close to them so they can focus on their core business, rather than the unknown world of IT.

"We don't lock clients in for 50 years; we basically have a base and a cost per user," says Reading. "The base is small and the cost changes as each individual company expands or contracts, so our services are specific to each company."

However, for some companies, the commitment of a long term partnership with a managed service can be daunting. What if they don't do what they promised?
What about the cost? What if an antivirus program and a simple hardware backup sufficient? According to Reading, it's not. This is where Comcity comes to the forefront. They manage all of the IT components and have dedicated account managers send daily status reports to clients, so they know the status of their own data too.

“What we find is that there are a lot of companies out there who do maintenance once a month. They look at the network once a month and that’s all they do. But we don’t; we’re constant,” explains Reading.

For Reading, the focus for Comcity for clients with 10 to 100 users is increased productivity and reducing risk through a hybrid mix of cloud and on-premise solutions. He sees great benefit in cloud computing but admits that it’s not for every company. According to Comcity’s blog, Reading expresses the importance of IT services and businesses working together to fully optimise the multiple benefits that the cloud can offer a company. There is concern from businesses regarding the implementation of this new development, but Reading ensures it is as much an IT decision as a business decision. Most small companies require secure email access from anywhere and secure access and version control of documents, which Reading believes will help empower sales people to work out on the field by utilising technologies such as tablets. To assist with meeting customer requirements and revolutionising ways in which they can improve, Comcity also developed a core package called Simplified IT, where clients are given a 90 day cooling off period benefiting from “an easy entry and exit, if they choose to move on.” A recent survey found that more than half of Comcity’s clients found that their services delivered real business value and a competitive edge.

"There are a lot of one-man and two-man bands out there, but when you engage with those people, you engage with one or two person knowledge. No one person knows everything."

In comparison to their competitors, Reading believes Comcity do what they say. With a manageable sized team, their breadth of knowledge is unparalleled, yet still offers personalised, focused and thoughtfulservice. By accepting the risk and burden of client’s operating environments, the company offers a total package complete with antivirus and filtering services, which Reading believes gives them that extra oomph and makes Comcity stand out from the crowd. Operating within the competitive IT environment, many organisations offer similar services, however it is the personal touch that adds to an overall premium service.

“Even if we don’t do it, we can advise our clients on the sort of path to head on that we believe would work for them. In essence I feel that the quality of what we do is everything. We care about our clients and we deliver high quality solutions,” says Reading.

So what’s in store for Comcity for 2013? The future definitely looks bright for Reading and his team, with three new employees, the development of cloud and constant improvements in technology and IT. The road ahead is busy and fast paced; luckily for Reading, he’s an avid, quick learner.

“I try to educate myself more and more. I love to learn that’s for sure, I can pick things up really easily and I like going to new seminars. I got into Tony Robbins
recently which is funny. He’s actually an amazing guy.”

If you are interested in Comcity's updates, follow them on Twitter @Comcity, LinkedIn or visit their website at http://www.comcity.com.au/