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This spring Microsoft will turn 50. From modest starts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has actually ended up being one of the biggest companies on the planet, credited with changing the and, with it, our daily lives.

Microsoft innovation initially went on sale over here in the 1980s and, in 1982, Bytes Computer Supplies opened in Surrey, specialising in floppy disks and other accoutrements from the American group.

Today, Bytes Technology, as it is now known, is a ₤ 1.1 billion company with about 1,200 workers and 6,000 clients.

It drifted on the Stock Exchange in December 2020, a fortnight before Britain's first Covid Christmas. Shares were priced at ₤ 2.70, market response was enthusiastic and, by January 2024, they were trading at more than ₤ 6.50. The past year has been less productive, users.atw.hu and today shares are just ₤ 4.65. At this level they are undervalued and ought to rebound through 2025 and beyond.

Back in the 1980s, Bytes' variety was little. Early tech geeks used Microsoft to compose simple files and produce spreadsheets on their computers, and Bytes offered the package that made it possible.

Since then the computer system world has changed beyond acknowledgment, with Microsoft alone offering hundreds of services, from Outlook and Teams to design ware, cloud storage and, recently, Copilot, an expert system tool.

In safe hands: Bytes Technology has sales staff who know their items completely

Individuals can purchase much of these items straight, however services tend to go through representatives, known as resellers, who use lower prices, advice and assistance when things go awry.

Bytes is the top Microsoft reseller in the UK, kenpoguy.com with consumers varying from the police, fire service and local authorities to Harvey Nichols, Trainline and Findus food group.

Customers tend to employ in between 500 and 2,500 staff - big adequate to require a lot of IT however not so large that they can arrange whatever out themselves. That is where Bytes enters into its own.

Technology has become an essential tool for personal services and the public sector alike, but services have actually become so complex that even IT groups require experts to assist them exercise what to purchase, when to purchase and how to utilize what they have bought.

Bytes personnel are highly trained, typically starting there as graduates and spending years with the company.

To an outsider, conversations in between these salespeople and their clients can sound like PhD interactions - or gobbledegook. To those in the understand, such extensive settlements are a crucial part of company success.

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Bytes primary executive Sam Mudd prides herself available high-level service to new and existing customers and, although Microsoft is a major partner, she works with a range of suppliers, covering nearly every technology need, consisting of cyber security.

A long-time staffer, Mudd took the helm last spring after previous primary executive Neil Murphy resigned, having purchased shares in Bytes without informing the board.

Investors took shock, Bytes stock plummeted and, although Murphy was later cleared, the shares have actually remained depressed.

Mudd is undeterred, having spent current months drawing up a development strategy designed to drive sales and profits over the next five years.

Potential is clear. Despite its primary position, Bytes has simply a 4 per cent share of the market so there ought to be plenty of opportunities to broaden.

Despite wobbles on Wall Street, need for software is increasing too, with with forecasters suggesting annual growth of about 10 percent.

Brokers expect Bytes profits to increase 19 percent to ₤ 73 million in the year ending February 28, climbing to ₤ 87 million by 2027.

The group has a history of paying ordinary and unique dividends too, forking out 8.7 p in ordinaries and 8.7 p in a one-off unique last year, and expected to provide 19.6 p for 2025, increasing to 21.5 p next year.

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Midas verdict: Recent arise from Microsoft and other tech titans might have disappointed financiers, but the days when we handled completely well without IT are long gone.

Bytes helps business, charities and the public sector to browse the digital minefield.

With a strong performance history and a track record for providing on its guarantees, the company needs to show durable, even in today's uncertain times.

That makes the shares a buy, at ₤ 4.65.

Traded on: Main market Ticker: BYIT Contact: bytesplc.com