Ultima, a leading provider of on-premise and cloud IT infrastructure and managed service solutions, has today announced it has invested £18 million to create a state-of- the-art HQ in Reading. The company will also be creating 50 new jobs in its Reading office, and doubling the number of apprentices it takes on each year from 20 to 40.
The firm’s new headquarters is part of a larger technology park that the founder of Ultima, Max McNeill has created in Reading to ensure the town becomes a new hub for technology excellence. Max started the firm in 1990 with three employees and an initial £12k investment. Now, through organic growth, it employs 430 people and has a £100m turnover.
McNeill comments, ‘With Crossrail coming to Reading I believe it’s a great opportunity for us to become a centre of technology excellence. Manor Park and over the past two years we have invested £18m in restoring the building from a shell into a 21st Century, state-of-the-art headquarters for Ultima in the heart of south Reading.
‘We have rented out some of the 40,000sq ft to other technology companies, including Fortinet and Veeam who previously weren’t based in the town. It goes without saying that our investment in the business park has created further employment opportunities in south Reading, and will continue to do so. I’ve lived in the Reading area for 34 years, so being able to contribute to local employment is very important to me and demonstrates our long-term commitment to the community,’ says McNeill.
Scott Dodds, CEO, Ultima says, ‘We are entering a period of rapid growth and our watchword for both our customers and staff is ‘modernisation.’ Our new service offerings, and indeed our new office, are designed to deliver a range of refreshed IT solutions that address the latest business needs of IT users. From workspaces to data centres, whether on-premise or cloud, companies are responding to the consumer-led demands for innovation, and the IT industry needs new models to support these modern trends. Our new propositions – Modern Workspace, Modern Data Centre and Modern Assurance and Compliance solutions – respond to these current IT challenges, including cyber security risks, GDPR and cloud, allowing us to differentiate from our competition.’
The new offices come equipped with the latest technology to help staff improve ways of working and productivity, and their enjoyment of work. They are designed to the latest office specifications using Ultima’s own Modern WorkSpace, Modern Data Centre, and Assurance and Compliance offerings, helping to show clients how these products work in real life. The offices include breakout areas and the latest mod cons to enable staff to relax and be creative.
