Proact Netherlands celebrates 10th anniversary
January 2018 marks the 10th anniversary for the Dutch subsidiary of the leading data centre and cloud provider Proact. Proact Netherlands, which is part of the Swedish Proact Group, was founded on 4th January 2008 by Sander Dekker and Lucas den Os. Today, Dekker holds the position of Business Unit Director of Proact West (which covers business operations across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and United States of America) whilst Den Os left the company earlier in 2017 to become director at IT consultancy firm BAUHAUS ArtITech.
Proact Netherlands was initially started when the founders wanted to create an independent IT service provider. At the same time, the Swedish Proact Group wanted to expand its business across Europe. “Back then, independent infrastructure service providers were hard to find,” says Dekker. “With a small team, we created new concepts, including the so-called Google model for infrastructure, remote Managed Services and Premium Support.”
According to Dekker, Proact Group’s strong brand name, processes, procedures and references, combined with an experienced local team and an extensive partner ecosystem led to fast, yet sustainable growth. Dekker adds: “From the start, we created a strong, winning mentality, with our complete focus being centred around customer satisfaction. In 2008, we were a start-up and would do everything ourselves, from keeping the books to delivering spare-parts to customers at the weekends. This work ethic and proactive attitude has never left the company.”
In January 2011, Proact announced the acquisition of managed service provider Databasement, which had offices in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Databasement – which was three times bigger than Proact Netherlands – was quickly and successfully integrated into the expanding Proact Group. The acquisition added new customer faces and expertise in the field of managed services, which enabled Proact to grow further in the Netherlands and other European countries.
“Today, Proact Netherlands employs more than 110 people, generating a turnover of over €50 million. “Growth has been, and still is, key to the company. This year, we expect an organic growth of 10% in comparison to 2017.”
Dekker points out that despite many changes in the market, Proact has always focused on providing the services that customers need. This model has proven to be the right choice for building a sustainable and healthy business. “I am really proud of the team we have built over the years. Thanks to commitment, drive and teamwork of every individual, we have received excellent scores in Giarte’s annual Outsourcing Performance Survey with an Outsourcing Recommendation of 100%. We also entered the top 20 rankings of the best ICT Employers in the Netherlands.”
According to Dekker, Proact is excellently positioned to meet the needs of customers and will continue to grow. “Technology is moving fast and customers need a trusted partner with expertise and experience. We want to be that partner and help our customers on their journey to digital transformation.”
For further information, please contact:
Jason Clark, CEO and President, Proact, tel. +44 1246 266300
Peter Javestad, VP/IR, Proact, tel. +46 733 56 67 22, peter.javestad@proact.eu
Sander Dekker, Business Unit Director Europe West, tel: +31 30 30 33 200, sander.dekker@proact.eu
About Proact
Proact is Europe’s leading independent data centre and cloud services provider. By delivering flexible, accessible and secure IT solutions and services, we help companies and authorities reduce risk and costs, whilst increasing agility, productivity and efficiency. We’ve completed over 5,000 successful projects around the world, have more than 3,500 customers and currently manage in excess of 100 petabytes of information in the cloud. We employ over 800 people in 15 countries across Europe and North America. Founded in 1994, our parent company, Proact IT Group AB (publ), listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in 1999 (under the symbol PACT).
For further information about Proact’s activities please visit us at www.proact.eu
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