Spotlight Session: Richard Lee, Seriun

Building the Right Technology Foundation for Growth: How Seriun Helps Businesses Scale Securely

In this edition of Around the Chair Spotlight Sessions, Jonathan Barnes, Vice Chair of the CORE International Ecosystem, speaks with Richard Lee of Seriun about getting the right technology foundations in place, protecting businesses from cyber risks and making sure technology can support growth as a business scales.

With more than 20 years of experience in technology, Richard has grown Seriun from a two person computer support business into a full service managed IT provider. Today, the team supports businesses with IT infrastructure, cyber security, connectivity, voice, strategic planning and AI adoption.

“Get the platform right. The platform needs to be right before they start to grow.”

Richard Lee, Seriun

From Fixing Computers to Building a Technology Business

Jonathan: Richard, tell me a little about yourself and your background.

Richard: “I’ve been doing this for 20 plus years, something like that. I went to university, studied computer science at Durham and worked, in the holidays, at a small computer shop which had a consultancy arm in Clitheroe.”

Richard’s interest in technology started much earlier. From a young age, he enjoyed computers and became the person family and friends called when something needed fixing.

Richard: “All the way through from being about six or seven, I enjoyed playing with technology and computers. I would always be called upon to fix people’s computers, family, friends and things like that.”

While working at the computer shop, Richard met his original business partner. After university, he worked for six months as a Perl programmer before the pair decided to start their own business.

Richard: “For quite a while, we were just the two of us going around in cars, fixing computers. Then we started taking on employees.”

The business evolved over time. There were early attempts to build a software business, but it was the move into managed IT services that gave Seriun a clear and sustainable direction.

Richard: “Over time, we started to get into the managed services space and actually started to run a proper business.”

Over the past six or seven years, Seriun has accelerated its growth, building a team with expertise across managed IT support, cyber security, voice, connectivity and AI. Throughout that journey, the core purpose has remained consistent.

Richard: “The bread and butter of the business has always been service and outsourced IT support for business.”

Supporting the Full IT Platform

Jonathan: For somebody hearing about Seriun for the first time, how would you describe exactly what you do and the type of support you provide to clients?

Richard: “Managed services. We look after companies’ IT platforms, from service desk where we look after end user support, to project work setting up new networking or doing cloud migrations.”

Seriun provides outsourced IT support for businesses, helping clients manage the day to day technology that keeps their organisation operating. This can include user support, devices, networks, servers, cloud systems, voice and connectivity.

Cyber security sits at the centre of Seriun’s approach. Rather than treating it as a separate service, the team builds security into every area of a client’s technology platform.

Richard: “We put cyber security at the centre of our business and provide an overarching wrapper over all of the services we provide.”

That support can include in person cyber security training, security software and consultancy, all designed to help clients understand their risks and strengthen their overall security position.

Seriun also works with leadership teams on the bigger strategic questions around technology, helping them make the right decisions for the business as it develops. More recently, this has included helping clients understand and implement AI responsibly.

Richard: “We start to wrap AI into the equation as people don’t understand it, and don’t know how to implement it in their business. So we’ve AI consultancy services to help people navigate their AI journey.”

Building Secure IT Foundations for Growth, Compliance and Sector Specific Needs

Jonathan: With all those things you can do to support the customer, where do you see you can add the greatest value?

Richard: “It’s a whole lot, from getting the platform right, making their infrastructure, laptops, desktops, internet connections, networking and servers sensible, stable and cost effective.”

For Richard, it begins with getting the core IT platform right. Businesses need technology that is practical, secure and capable of growing with them, without creating unnecessary complexity or cost.

Richard: “We then put that security blanket and wrapper over all of that infrastructure and the users.”

Once that stable, secure foundation is in place, Seriun can help clients use technology more strategically, whether that means supporting a software project, selecting an ERP system or exploring how AI can improve everyday processes.

Richard: “Once you’ve got that secure and stable platform, it’s then looking at what we can do with their business. Let’s drive them forward.”

Jonathan: Are there any particular types of businesses that you typically work with?

Richard: “We’ve got some sectors that we’re particularly strong in where we have plenty of customers.”

Seriun has particular experience supporting businesses in defence, nuclear, manufacturing, engineering, professional services and hospitality, where security, compliance and dependable systems can be critical.

Manufacturing and engineering businesses may need robust security controls, certifications and reliable infrastructure to meet customer and supply chain expectations. For solicitors and accountants, stable and compliant IT is essential because time directly affects revenue. Hotel chains, pub groups and other hospitality businesses also need dependable support across multiple locations.

Richard: “We can however support any customers with IT requirements.”

Although Seriun has deep experience in these sectors, its approach is consistent for every client, creating a secure, well supported and cost effective IT platform that gives the business confidence to grow.

Jonathan: Are there any certain stages of a company’s growth where your support becomes especially important?

Seriun typically begins supporting businesses from around 10 users, when IT is harder to manage informally and a more joined up approach to systems, cyber security and support becomes important. For some clients, that means fully outsourced IT support. As a business grows, Seriun can also work alongside an internal IT person or manager, providing first, second or third line support where it is most useful.

Growth can bring more formal technology requirements too. A larger customer may require specific cyber security measures before awarding a contract, while insurance providers may expect certain standards to be met before providing cover.

Richard: “When they get compliance requirements, for example, maybe their big customer is BAE and they say, actually, we need to have Cyber Essentials Plus and an EDR solution, or their insurance says that you need to have certain milestones hit before they’ll be insured, then our team can help.”

Avoiding Piecemeal Cyber Security and AI Decisions

Jonathan: What are some of the most common mistakes or challenges that you see businesses facing?

Richard: “Certainly in the cyber security world, people know they need to do something with cyber security, but don’t necessarily know what.”

One of the most common challenges is taking a piecemeal approach to cyber security. A business may buy a security product or arrange staff training, but without a wider plan these measures can remain disconnected.

Richard: “They’ll go and pick piecemeal, so they’ll say, we’ll get a bit of training, or we might buy an EDR product, but they don’t really join them up.”

Seriun helps clients understand where they are today and develop a joined up cyber security posture, moving towards a more compliant and cyber aware organisation.

AI is another major area where business leaders can feel uncertain. Many recognise the opportunity, but do not know which tools are right for their business, how to protect sensitive information or how to prevent employees using unapproved tools without clear guidance.

Richard: “Getting to understand what AI can do for the businesses, what products to use, how to stop shadow AI, and how to put security around the AI products they’re using.”

Sometimes, the most important work is more fundamental. A business may have simply outgrown its existing setup or received poor IT support in the past. Before it can scale with confidence, its core platform needs attention.

Supporting International Growth

Jonathan: When businesses start scaling internationally, how does your role become more important?

Richard: “There’s a few things that we have to deal with.”

When a business expands internationally, its IT needs to be reliable, secure and consistent across every location. Time zones are an important consideration, particularly where users may need access to support outside UK working hours.

Richard: “We need to make sure our service desk is available, it has extended hours, and we’ve also got routes into other businesses if we need to get that full 24 hour coverage.”

Consistency is equally important. Rather than allowing each country or site to use different suppliers, equipment, security controls and ways of working, Seriun helps clients create a standardised platform across the organisation.

Richard: “Rather than different things for each country, different vendors, different security posture, different ways of delivering service, we make sure it’s the same all across the world.”

This can involve arranging global vendor agreements, ensuring employees receive consistent equipment and setting up systems such as Intune and Autopilot for simpler deployment anywhere in the world.

Seriun also considers practical details that can make a meaningful difference to employees in overseas locations, including language appropriate onboarding information and clear guidance on how to contact the service desk.

International expansion also requires local knowledge. Working with technology vendors in China, for example, can be very different from working with providers in France. Knowing how to identify the right local partners and manage those relationships is vital.

Richard: “Working in China is a lot different to working in France. So it’s knowing the local nuances of how you deal with vendors and how you identify good vendors to work with to get that help on the ground.”

For businesses entering a new region for the first time, even basic questions around connectivity, hardware procurement and access to systems in the UK or US can be unfamiliar. Seriun’s experience and local partner network help clients avoid common pitfalls.

A Technically Led, Full Service Approach

Jonathan: There are many firms that offer your type of services in your sector. What would you say makes your approach different or differentiates you from the competition?

Richard: “I think a lot of it is around service, and that’s just reputational over time.”

For Richard, the difference begins with service, but it extends to the depth of Seriun’s involvement in each client’s business. The team does not simply provide IT support in isolation. It takes time to understand how the business works and where technology can add genuine value.

Richard: “We’ll get engaged with the business and we’ll actually start to spend time with them and understand how their business works and plug our services in where sensible.”

Seriun also has capabilities that are not always available through a typical managed service provider. This includes a software specialist who acts as a bridge between clients and third party software vendors, as well as providing SQL database administration support.

The team also includes technical account managers, who connect the client, sales team and service desk. This helps make sure solutions are correctly specified and handed over smoothly to the delivery team.

Richard: “We have that technical support all the way through and we’re a technically led business rather than being a sales led business.”

This means technical suitability comes before sales targets or product margins. If a product is not right for the customer, Seriun will not recommend it.

Richard: “Whether the margin is better on some product versus another, if it’s technically wrong for the customer we won’t sell it.”

The Value of Joined-Up Support

Jonathan: How important do you think joined up advisory support is when businesses are growing?

Richard: “We have this relationship with other businesses.”

Technology rarely exists in isolation. A growing business may need support from accountants, lawyers, software providers, CCTV specialists, cabling companies and other trusted suppliers alongside its IT partner.

Seriun has built a network of businesses it knows and trusts, enabling the team to recommend the right people when clients need specialist support outside its own core services.

Richard: “If we know that they need a good accounts firm, or we know they need a good lawyer, we will recommend.”

At a technical level, that can also mean bringing in trusted CCTV, cabling or software providers who have worked successfully with Seriun before. This creates a smoother experience for the customer and removes some of the uncertainty involved in finding and managing unfamiliar suppliers.

Richard: “We’ve done the hard work for them already.”

This collaborative approach was a key reason Richard wanted Seriun to become part of the Director’s Chair. As a growth focused business, Seriun wants to contribute to ambitious projects and help businesses expand internationally.

Richard: “It ultimately is a good opportunity for us to get involved in helping growing businesses internationally.”

One Piece of Advice for Growing Businesses

Jonathan: If you could give one piece of advice to business leaders trying to scale or grow from your perspective, what would it be?

Richard: “Get the platform right. So the platform needs to be right before they start to grow.”

Trying to scale on top of disconnected, poorly supported or incorrectly implemented IT can create significant problems later. What may feel manageable at a small scale can quickly become complicated as more employees, locations, systems and compliance requirements are introduced.

Richard: “If you have piecemeal IT that’s not supported correctly or not implemented correctly, you’ll end up with a ball of wool that you’ve got to untangle. Get it right first, early.”

Leadership also needs to evolve as the business grows. Whether expansion happens in the UK or internationally, leaders need to move from managing every detail themselves to building and leading a capable management team.

Richard: “You evolve as a leader and you then start to put your management team together and then you lead the management team who then lead their team. You’ve got to change as a leader as your business grows.”

Life Outside Seriun

Jonathan: Outside of work, what keeps you motivated and passionate about what you do?

Richard: “I spend quite a lot of time caravanning and out on the boat and do a bit of water skiing. I also enjoy travel.”

Away from work, Richard enjoys caravanning, being out on the boat and water skiing. Travel also gives him an opportunity to step back, experience different places and bring fresh ideas back into the business.

Richard: “Some of the travel helps broaden the mind and you bring some new ideas back to the business.”

Connect with Seriun

Seriun provides managed IT services, cyber security, voice, connectivity, strategic technology support and AI consultancy for growing businesses. By helping clients create stable, secure and scalable technology platforms, Richard and the team enable them to focus on growth with greater confidence.

As part of the Director’s Chair, Seriun contributes practical technology expertise to a wider ecosystem of trusted specialists, helping businesses build the right foundations for sustainable UK and international growth.