Digital First in a Digital World: Interview With Paul Stapley of Logicalis

Logicalis helps organisations succeed in a digital-first world. They harness their collective technology expertise to help clients build a blueprint for success, so they can deliver sustainable outcomes that matter.

Their lifecycle services across cloud, connectivity, collaboration and security are designed to help optimise operations, reduce risk and empower employees.

As a global technology service provider, Logicalis delivers next-generation digital managed services, providing clients with real-time visibility and actionable insights across the performance of their digital ecosystem, including reliability, user experience, security, economic performance and sustainability.

Logicalis has annualised revenues of $1.8 billion from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $5.5 billion.

Paul Stapley joined Logicalis in 2020 to lead the Hybrid Multi-Cloud Practice in the UK. From 2022, he then became the Practices and Portfolio Director for UK&I, and from 2023 became the Solutions Units Director. Prior to joining Logicalis, in 2014, Paul became the founder employee and Managing Director of the UK business for a European Public Cloud MSP where he was responsible for sales, delivery and partner management.

Prior to that Paul spent almost 20 years working for BT, Tandberg Television and Ericsson, holding a number of business development and sales roles in the UK and Western Europe, predominantly in the media and broadcast industry focusing on video and data transmission infrastructure services.

 

Most Businesses Have A Digital Presence, But Is It Imperative For All Industries?

 

Absolutely yes – I can’t think of any business in any industry that doesn’t want buyers to know anything about it or the products and services it can offer. The best way to do that is with a digital presence.

If you think about the personal purchases we make, it’s highly likely we will have searched online, compared similar products and read reviews before making a purchase decision. It’s no different for B2B buyers.

Millennials and Gen Z make up a significant portion of B2B buyers, and they are used to engaging across multiple digital channels. So, you have to be there otherwise they won’t be engaging with you.

A digital presence means you can always be present throughout the buyer’s journey, reach new customers and markets and provide new and easier ways to do business. You can use the data from your website analytics and social media insights to understand your customer base better in order to provide more targeted marketing and maintain long-lasting customer relationships.

 

The Phrase ‘Digital Transformation’ Is Used As A Catch-All Term – What Does It Mean To You And Logicalis?

 

To me, ‘digital transformation’ is about making my life easier. For example, paying for things with mobile banking, hailing an Uber, or purchasing and loading train tickets on my phone. These are all examples of services provided by businesses that have either transformed their services into digital services or have started out as a digital native business.

At Logicalis, our customers are seeking to use technology to remain competitive. That often means they are reimagining their products or services for their own customers. As an example, we are working with a number of organisations that want to provide enhanced experiences when on campus or in their office buildings.

Solutions such as wayfinding, occupancy monitoring to ensure optimum temperature control and lighting, and seamless connectivity are transforming buildings into smart spaces. All of this is underpinned by sensors and devices connected to an intelligent network, and networking is one of our core solutions.

What Has Been The Biggest Success To Date For Logicalis When It Comes To All Things Digital? Either For The Business Or Your Customers.

 

I am particularly proud of the work we have been doing with one of the UK’s largest port operators. If you can imagine the size of these shipping ports, and then imagine the challenge they have in providing connectivity to the machinery that moves the containers. Wi-Fi was not robust enough, and another solution was needed.

We proved, during a Proof of Concept, that our Private 5G solution could provide the robust connectivity necessary for smooth and seamless port operations, as well as providing additional data capture, security and control. All things essential for safe and efficient operations of heavy machinery, such as the cranes and gantry carriers moving around the site.

The Logicalis team worked very closely with a number of partners and has now developed a proposition that we can take to market.

 

Many Large Companies And Organisations Move Slowly. How Much Does This Affect Digital Transformation? And Do You Have Any Advice That Might Help To Speed Up The Process?

 

Large companies by default are multi-layered with a complex set of objectives which should, but do not always, align. Inherently, getting people from different departments to all agree is time-consuming and subject to compromise, especially if ‘digital transformation’ is perceived as a threat to jobs and the ways things have always been done.

To speed up the process, the leadership must provide the environment for success. This means prioritising digital transformation initiatives, empowering the teams selected to work on these initiatives and adopting agile approaches to delivering outcomes that demonstrate regular progress to the rest of the organisation.

These successes must be backed up by the acceptance and willingness to invest in upskilling employees and legacy systems to give the digital transformation the best chance of success.

Once the course is set, it’s very important that the leadership team maintains their focus on the prize.

 

Is Using AI In IT Like Asking AI To Mark Its Own Homework?

 

That depends on how AI is implemented. Governance frameworks, trusted data sources and human oversight are all needed to avoid errors or unproven outputs.

What Are The Biggest Digital Problems That Scale-Up Businesses And Entrepreneurs Are Not Fully Aware Of?

 

Typically, scale-up businesses will start out using Public Cloud services, which makes complete sense. However, entrepreneurs will need to be sure that there are sufficient controls in place to avoid cloud overspend, as well as the need to build development frameworks and governance structures. This will ensure cybersecurity and data compliance requirements are built into their environments.

They may also overlook the importance of seamless customer experiences, underestimating the complexities of aligning technology with evolving business processes.

Well-thought-through adoption of appropriate, adaptable, secure and scalable systems is key to avoiding these pitfalls. Working with an experienced partner to advise customers on their technology adoption is always a good investment.

How Does An Effective IT Strategy Lead To Business Growth?

 

Technology has become the source of competitive advantage. Successful businesses are going to be digital businesses, and by implication, the business strategy and IT strategy have to be closely aligned.

An effective IT strategy aligns technology investments with business goals. Every department and business process, from marketing, customer acquisition and retention to order processing, delivery and after-sales requires cost-effective, frictionless technology solutions to provide great customer satisfaction and great brand identity. This will ultimately deliver business growth.

By leveraging data analytics, automation and modern infrastructure, businesses can speed up decision making, increase productivity, reduce operational costs, and scale effectively.

 

Do You Believe More Or Less Regulation Is Needed When It Comes To AI?

 

Regulation is absolutely essential. There has to be protection for issues such as ethical use, fairness and accountability. Regulation is needed to address risks like bias, privacy violations and misuse, while promoting transparency and confidence.

Policymakers and technology companies need to work together to develop regulations that protect society while encouraging innovation and responsible development.

 

With Recent Cyber Incidents Involving Marks & Spencer And The Co-Op, Could AI Have Helped? If So, How?

 

I don’t know about the specific issues that M&S and Co-op are facing but I do believe that the developments in Agentic AI and automation will undoubtedly help businesses in reducing time and increasing accuracy to hunt for threats and provide appropriate responses.

The sheer volume of security tools and alerts makes the job of Security Analysts very time-consuming and challenging. In many cases, businesses have tens of security solutions from many different vendors.  The ability to knit together data analysis and autonomously orchestrate coordinated response processes is going to be a fascinating use case for Agentic AI.

 

What Is Next For Logicalis? Provide An Outlook For The Next 12 Months.

 

We will continue to develop and mature our offerings within our five go-to-market motions: Legacy and Digital Transformation, Operational Efficiency, Cybersecurity, Flex Resourcing and Sustainability.

I am particularly excited by some of our newer solutions that are really beginning to take off, such as our Private 5G managed service, our Cisco Managed XDR solution and High Performance Computing. I look forward to seeing success with these during our FY26.