Bolton-based IDNS, the UK’s leading supplier of IT and audiovisual equipment to the education and business sectors, has launched its new brand identity – and the firm is marking the occasion with a free-to-enter competition, with £25,000 worth of education technology up for grabs.
IDNS started life from a small managed office in Bolton back in 1988, selling printer and typewriter ribbons to local businesses, with a Portakabin for a warehouse. A first-year turnover of £217,000, however, indicated that the company had set out on the right track, and the next three decades have seen consistent impressive growth, streams of happy customers and a string of awards. The latter include HP for Education’s Top Acquisition Partner 2019, and ‘Bolton Business of the Decade’ from the Bolton and Bury Business Awards 2016.
The company’s customer base spans government, business, NHS and, most notably, education. IDNS (mission statement: to ‘inspire new ways of connecting people through technology’) has frequently demonstrated its commitment to education – most recently by donating £25,000 to local children’s charities during the COVID pandemic. The company is also donating to the food charity Fareshare, ensuring that more children get the meals that they need.
Major projects along the road have included, back in 2011, the design and installation of the audiovisual package for the new Bolton College, including more than 100 interactive teaching environments. The college’s AV kit included a 20-screen Samsung magicinfo videowall, alongside 100 digital signage screens, 36 touchscreen LCD screens, 94 interactive whiteboards, 26 standard LCD screens and a performance studio with bespoke cinema projection and audio. The project constituted the largest educational rollout of Samsung digital signage in the UK – and also featured the nation’s first glasses-free 3D LCD screen education install.
That was just one example of how IDNS has pioneered technological change in education; others include the introduction of short-throw projectors and lampless LED projectors. The company was also an early adopter of large-format touchscreens. More recently, the firm was designated HP’s Education Partner of the Year for 2019-20. It also holds places on nationwide frameworks such as NHS Shared Business Services and Crown Commercial Services RM6103, and is proud to feature on the university procurement frameworks NEUPC, NWUPC, LUPC, SUPC, HEPCW and CPC.
“Technology has changed over the years, but the way we do business hasn’t,” reflects managing director David Shuttleworth. “We still believe in true account management and in building relationships. We put the same attention to detail into all our orders, be they large or small.”
On the rebrand, David explains, “We decided to rebrand in order to better understand our business, and to make it clear who we are and why we do what we do. We are not a corporate machine; we are a people business, and we care about who we work with. We are driven by a passion for the tech we provide and the customers we serve.”
Central to the company’s relaunch is the new logo, a cute little droid. The competition is simple – and a lot of fun. You need to search for different coloured variants of the new robot on the websites of IDNS’ partners Clevertouch, HP, Epson, Acronis, Inventry, Quadra AV Furniture, Acer, Exertis and Lenovo.
Visit www.idns.co.uk to find out more.