Horizone

Company History and Evolution

Horizone started in the 90s as ‘Ideal Fones’, operating eight mobile phone shops across East Anglia. With networks opening stores in the High Street and the evolution of online shopping, the company rebranded as Horizone in the early 2000s and focused on a B2B business model.

Becoming Horizone created the opportunity to expand its service offerings beyond mobile phones and into providing a wide range of technological services designed to meet the evolving needs of local businesses. Today, Horizone's portfolio includes fixed-line and mobile telecommunications, full-fibre broadband, IT support, hardware installations, office cabling, cybersecurity, vehicle safety solutions, and utility cost reduction.

“These days small and medium sized businesses are under attack from cyber criminals all of the time, and they are often ill-equipped to repel the attacks, which can be catastrophic. As a business we work closely with our customers, gain a real understanding of the challenges they face and their objectives and then make a series of recommendations to ensure all of their tech and communications needs are fulfilled, ensuring smooth operations and data safety.”
Steve Rowley, Sales Manager

Horizone’s ideal customers are small to medium-sized businesses who recognise the importance of technology in their operations. These businesses may already be using technology or understand they need to integrate it more effectively but lack the time or expertise to do so on their own. Horizone seeks customers who value long-term relationships and are looking for ongoing support across various technology needs, from communications to cybersecurity.

What Horizone has to offer

Horizone has developed an all-encompassing service offering, designed to meet the comprehensive needs of SMEs:

Telecommunications and internet connectivity: Horizone maintains relationships with the major UK mobile networks plus best fixed line providers. They also manage internet access, offering full-fibre broadband and lease line options.

IT Support and Infrastructure: The company offers IT hardware, cabling, Wi-Fi network installation, and communications systems setup, ensuring clients have reliable and efficient office infrastructure.

Cybersecurity: With cybersecurity threats increasing, Horizone assists businesses in protecting their data and operations. The company offers tailored advice and systems to shield businesses from cyber-attacks that could jeopardise their future.

Vehicle Safety Solutions: Horizone partners with Fonix to offer safety equipment for HGVs and vans, including cameras, sensors, tracking systems, and dashcams.

Utility Bill Reduction: Through their partnership with Fidelity Energy, Horizone helps businesses cut costs on gas, electricity, and water by negotiating better rates.

Customer-Centric, Consultative Approach

Horizone places a strong emphasis on building long-lasting relationships with its clients. Rather than focusing purely on sales, the company adopts a consultative approach to fully understand its customers' needs and provide customised technology solutions. This involves a thorough assessment of the business's operational challenges and objectives, followed by tailored recommendations that improve both profitability and productivity.

According to Steve Rowley, Sales Manager at Horizone, “There's lots of technological solutions that are a huge benefit to businesses, but they don't have the time or necessarily the background knowledge to know what works best for them, which is where we come in. A key thing we try to get across to our customers is that customer experience is very important. People base their buying decisions not just on the product itself and the price, but also the experience that they get from the vendor. We seek to provide our customers the tools to ensure they can provide an experience that keeps customers returning time and time again.”

Commitment to Local Businesses and Community

Horizone has a strong local focus, with the majority of its employees living in Maldon or nearby. The company is deeply committed to contributing to the local economy, preferring to buy from and support other Maldon-based businesses. They seek to work collaboratively with not only their clients but with other local businesses too to create a network of support for businesses across the area.

"We think there's far more that Maldon businesses can be doing to network with each other and make sure that the money that's generated within Maldon stays within Maldon," says Steve Rowley.

Communicating with the future

Horizone has successfully transformed itself from a small mobile phone retailer into a leading provider of integrated technology solutions for businesses in Maldon and beyond. By staying on top of the latest technological trends, prioritising customer experience, and focusing on long-term relationships, Horizone has built a loyal customer base and continues to help businesses thrive.

As they look to the future, Horizone plans to continue to expand its services, particularly focusing on cybersecurity and the latest telecommunications technologies. With the rise of cyber threats, businesses need robust protection, and Horizone is positioning itself as a trusted expert in this space. Their goal is to be the "local tech superhero" for Maldon and Essex-based businesses and they seem well positioned to remain a key player in this tech landscape.

To find out more about Horizone visit https://www.horizone.co.uk/

“We have been a Horizone customer for a number of years having begun our relationship when they installed a shared lease line to our site. Horizone also provides Algarve Removals with IT support. As well as responding to ad hoc issues Horizone’s team have helped us upgrade our PCs, migrated data to new servers, installed meshed Wi-Fi solutions and improved the cabling around our office. Crucially Horizone also help safeguard us against the ever increasing threat of cybercrime.

Like most businesses these days, we rely on our IT systems and rely on the Horizone team to be professional and quick to respond.“

John of Algarve Removals