Member Article

DCS director retires after 34 years’ service

After almost 34 years of service which has seen him progress from YTS trainee to managing director, Andrew Tones has retired from his position at Boston Spa-based Deans Computer Services (DCS).

The company marked the occasion with a specially commissioned cake in the shape of one of the early Commodore computers which DCS used to sell when Andrew joined back in 1983 as a 17-year-old self-taught electronics hobbyist with a passion for programming some of the earliest PCs, including the Sinclair ZX81 and BBC Model B. Andrew started out as an engineer before being promoted to head his own department and progressing to the board of directors. In the last few years he reduced his day-to-day involvement but remained on the board as a mentor to the current management team.

Andrew said: “When I joined DCS it was a new venture operating from a couple of rooms in a warehouse near the centre of Leeds, selling some of the first Commodore personal and business computers. Our initial customer base was largely retail and wholesale newsagents before we took on Pegasus accounts software to expand into the SME market. At the same time, word processing, spreadsheet and database software was also starting to emerge.”

“Since then I’ve been at DCS during some major industry developments, from the use of modems with PCs, which facilitated the beginning of the internet, to advances in operating systems like Windows 95, the date rollover of Y2K and the arrival of ADSL and broadband. I’m pleased to say that company’s growth has kept pace, requiring several relocations to larger premises including a move in 1997 to our current HQ at Boston Spa. The industry has changed beyond recognition in the past four decades, but DCS has successfully adapted and stayed at the forefront to become an authority on a broad range of IT issues.”

“One of these issues is the next major challenge for the industry: tackling the global increase of computer viruses and cyber security threats to networks, data storage and services accessed in that space. It’s an area of expertise which DCS are well positioned to provide and this is already driving the company’s next phase of growth. For me, it’s time to sign off after 33 years and six months!”

Current DCS managing director, Patrick Clayton, said: “Right from the start, Andrew has been such an integral part of the DCS story that his departure feels like the end of an era. We hugely appreciate Andrew’s absolutely vital contribution to the company’s success and wish him a very happy retirement.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Jones .