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This spring Microsoft will turn 50. From modest beginnings in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has turned into one of the largest business worldwide, credited with changing the computing industry and, with it, our daily lives.

Microsoft technology first went on sale over here in the 1980s and, in 1982, Bytes Computer Supplies opened in Surrey, specialising in floppies and other accoutrements from the American group.

Today, Bytes Technology, as it is now known, is a ₤ 1.1 billion business with about 1,200 staff members and 6,000 customers.

It floated on the in December 2020, a fortnight before Britain's very first Covid Christmas. Shares were priced at ₤ 2.70, market reaction was enthusiastic and, by January 2024, they were trading at more than ₤ 6.50. The past year has actually been less fruitful, and today shares are simply ₤ 4.65. At this level they are undervalued and should rebound through 2025 and beyond.

Back in the 1980s, Bytes' variety was little. Early tech geeks used Microsoft to compose basic files and ura.cc develop spreadsheets on their computer systems, and Bytes sold the package that made it possible.

Since then the computer world has actually changed beyond acknowledgment, with Microsoft alone using numerous services, from Outlook and Teams to design ware, cloud storage and, recently, Copilot, an artificial intelligence tool.

In safe hands: Bytes Technology has sales staff who understand their items completely

Individuals can purchase a number of these items straight, however businesses tend to go through agents, known as resellers, who offer lower prices, suggestions and support when things go awry.

Bytes is the number one Microsoft reseller in the UK, with customers ranging from the cops, fire service and local authorities to Harvey Nichols, Trainline and Findus food group.

Customers tend to utilize between 500 and 2,500 staff - big enough to need lots of IT however not so large that they can arrange everything out themselves. That is where Bytes enters its own.

Technology has ended up being an essential tool for personal services and the public sector alike, however services have ended up being so intricate that even IT groups need professionals to assist them exercise what to buy, when to purchase and how to utilize what they have purchased.

Bytes staff are highly trained, often beginning there as graduates and spending years with the company.

To an outsider, conversations between these salespeople and their clients can seem like PhD interactions - or gobbledegook. To those in the know, such extensive settlements are an important part of service success.

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Bytes president Sam Mudd prides herself available top-level service to brand-new and existing customers and, asteroidsathome.net although Microsoft is a significant partner, she works with a variety of suppliers, covering nearly every technology need, including cyber security.

A long-time staffer, Mudd took the helm last spring after former president Neil Murphy resigned, having bought shares in Bytes without telling the board.

Investors took scare, Bytes stock plunged and, although Murphy was later cleared, wiki.vst.hs-furtwangen.de the shares have actually remained depressed.

Mudd is undeterred, having actually invested current months drawing up a development strategy created to drive sales and revenues over the next five years.

Potential is clear. Despite its top position, Bytes has simply a 4 per cent share of the market so there must be plenty of chances to broaden.

Despite wobbles on Wall Street, need for software application is rising too, with with forecasters recommending yearly growth of about 10 per cent.

Brokers anticipate Bytes earnings to increase 19 per cent to ₤ 73 million in the year ending February 28, climbing up to ₤ 87 million by 2027.

The group has a history of paying regular and special dividends too, handing over 8.7 p in ordinaries and 8.7 p in a one-off unique in 2015, and anticipated to deliver 19.6 p for 2025, increasing to 21.5 p next year.

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Midas decision: Recent results from Microsoft and other tech titans may have disappointed investors, but the days when we managed completely well without IT are long gone.

Bytes helps business, charities and the general public sector to navigate the digital minefield.

With a strong performance history and a credibility for providing on its guarantees, the company needs to show resistant, even in today's uncertain times.

That makes the shares a buy, at ₤ 4.65.

Traded on: Main market Ticker: BYIT Contact: bytesplc.com