Cisco UK & Ireland Blog > Partners

Partners

Cisco Partner Hot Seat – Colin Brown, Softcat

Suzannah Darlow
May 11, 2016

In light of Softcat’s recent success winning the top spot in the UK Great Places to Work ‘Best Large Workspace’ category, we spoke to Colin Brown, Managing Director. He gave us some cracking answers to some of our burning questions. 

How many years have you been working in the industry?

Around 27 years, which is a frightening thought! I started my first IT job the month the Berlin Wall came down!

What’s the first thing you do each morning?

Check that no other film star/pop star/TV personality from my youth has died overnight! Not been a good year so far…

Tell us five things you do every day in your role:

Coach, advise, have and encourage ideas, ask ‘why’, and – when I remember – eat.

What’s your number one tip when it comes to dealing with customers?

Listen more than you talk, and never commit to anything you aren’t sure you can deliver.

Name one thing businesses tend to forget when implementing or upgrading their technology

The people element: impact on their job, getting support for change and ‘selling’ the benefits…

What’s the number one pain point or concern your customers have?

Working out how to spend more of their budget with Softcat!

What’s you favourite thing about your job?

Softcat’s amazing staff, 100%

What’s the best thing about partnering with Cisco?

The people, and the breadth of opportunity

If you weren’t working in tech, what would you be doing?

Something in the music business

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Be grateful for what you have

What helps you relax at the end of the day?

My dog – always takes my mind off things

What’s your ultimate comfort food?

Jelly beans

Which actor would play you in a biopic of your life?

David Hasselhoff (the Baywatch years)

If you could possess one superhero power, what would it be?

Teleportation – most travelling is so dull and I’d fit more into my day!

First music single you bought?

Genuine answer – David Bowie (very cool), Laughing Gnome (not so cool).

Apple or Android?

Apple iPhone

Who would you least like to be stuck on a desert island with?

John Chambers 🙂 – might be a little intense with just the two of us!

What’s your most-used smartphone app?

Twitter – more consumption than tweeting

In your opinion, what’s the best tech innovation of the last 100 years?

The BBC – bringing news, sport, education, drama and comedy to the masses via a magic box in the corner of your living room. Now that really was innovative, and still around today!