MEET THE CONNECTIVITY TEAM

MARC ROBERTS

Marc Roberts
Director of Product & Solutions – Connectivity

I’m the Product and Solutions Director for connectivity at Redcentric. I have over 18 years of experience in the IT sector, with a strong focus on Telecommunications and Managed Services. My career started with installing networks at a travel agent, where I worked for ten years. I was later involved in Level 3 support and technical presales, then became a senior architect, specialising in Cisco and Microsoft. I moved into the Head of Network Solutions role, and now manage the products and technical presales division at Redcentric.

I’ve worked across a variety of sectors, including corporate, government, public health, global, and carrier networks, designing and managing complex solutions. This blend of commercial and technical expertise has allowed me to develop a solid understanding of how to build effective, scalable network solutions that meet business needs.

My role now involves understanding the market and customer needs to develop managed services that align with their business goals.

Different industries face different challenges.

For example, large commercial enterprises like Howdens rely on uptime to ensure smooth operations – their systems need to be functional at all times to keep trading. In healthcare, however, it’s about maintaining services to treat patients and, ultimately, save lives. Uptime and security are crucial.

Our team works closely with customers, particularly on the technical side, to identify these challenges and ensure our services meet their business objectives. Technical sales teams are at the frontline, feeding back customer requirements, while I focus on selecting the right vendors and creating a seamless service experience.

Customers are demanding more bandwidth, quicker setup times, and uninterrupted connectivity. More businesses, including smaller ones, are migrating to the cloud, meaning traditional copper broadband is no longer sufficient. Fibre optics is the future, and we’re also seeing the rise of wireless technologies like 4G, 5G, and Starlink’s LEO satellite connections, which don’t require physical cables.

There’s also a shift away from private networks. In the past, companies might have one entry point to the internet, but now every branch or depot is connected, which introduces security risks. We use solutions like Fortinet to deliver enterprise-grade security, with SDWAN layered on top to secure connections from end to end.

Our goal is to offer customers building blocks that are adaptable. As their needs change, we evolve too and aim to provide the right products and services to support them.

We’re constantly updating our product portfolio to keep up with market changes. A key focus is introducing more automation, so customers can manage their services more easily from a centralised location. We’re also pushing fibre upgrades, next-gen firewalls, and moving towards SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) and EMS (Endpoint Management Systems).

Another initiative is co-managed services, where customers have more control over their network, but we’re still there in the background to offer support when needed. It’s about transparency and improving the overall customer experience.

A healthcare client in northeast London wanted to simplify their network while cutting costs. We helped them move to fibre circuits and implemented a Fortinet firewall as a CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), reducing complexity while enhancing security.

Another great example is a nationwide pharmacy group who we helped with mobile connectivity, giving their vans cellular connections so they could operate from car parks, enabling them to offer crucial services to the community on the move.

To enable this customer we used Starlink which is a low-orbit satellite solution that allows businesses to set up connectivity quickly. For example, if you’re opening a branch or setting up a temporary shop at an event, Starlink lets you get up and running in a day. We’ve also used this solution for rapid deployment when a client’s primary connection has been cut due to construction work. This flexibility is invaluable in today’s fast-paced business environment.