Celebrating a great year for Sure Isle of Man

Mike Phillips Sure Isle of Man Chief Executive shares why 2021 has been a great success.

 It has been one of our busiest and most successful years yet, one defined by significant Government contract wins, an expansion of our business portfolio, and the continuation of our goal to connect our community towards a better future. The timing of this success is auspicious, as Sure in the Isle of Man will shortly celebrate is fifteenth anniversary. I’m proud to both look back on a successful year and look forward to how we’re continuing to evolve to offer the communities and businesses of the Isle of Man the best service possible.  

As we began the year, we quickly entered our second, and soon after third lockdown of the pandemic, which proved challenging for individuals and businesses. Our services were more important than ever as islanders were forced to work and study from home. Streaming services and gaming devices became essential vessels for entertainment, and our network ensured friends and families stayed in contact and supported each other through that challenging time. Sure staff worked tirelessly to ensure that our services supported the island’s needs, helping both the local community and businesses stay connected at a time where we needed it most.

Undoubtedly a huge positive for Sure this year came as we won two significant contracts with the Isle of Man Government, both of which will help us to connect and support our community like never before. First, we successfully won the exclusive contract to partner with the Government as its sole internet provider. I don’t need to tell you how important it is in our digital age for governments to have quick network speeds and reliable connections, and we’ve proved that Sure is the right provider to offer this. Secondly, we were awarded another Government contract, to provide a WAN (Wide Area Network) to around 120 Government locations, directly supporting key services such as healthcare, emergency services, and schools. Our solution and service, designed by our local Professional Services team, delivers new levels of scalability and agility to the government while ensuring stability, resilience, and increasing speed.

However, this activity was just one exciting milestone for Sure in 2021. This year also saw us support our community and the beautiful environment around us, through the provision of services and solutions to a local charity. Our partnership with Manx BirdLife was formalised as we signed on as the charity’s telecommunications partner for the next three years. This sponsorship includes providing innovative technology at the Point of Ayre to allow islanders to watch local birds in their natural habitat via a high-quality video stream, wherever they are and whenever they please.

We also sponsored the Leader of the Year category at the 2021 Awards for Excellence. I’m proud that Sure has developed into a staple of the island’s business community, and an authority on excellence in enterprise and individual achievement. This sponsorship demonstrated our prominence in the island’s business community and our role in connecting our various industries.  

Sure has been a presence in the Isle of Man for nearly fifteen years, and in that time, we have cemented ourselves as a pillar of not just the business environment, but the wider community. Part of my ongoing commitment towards connecting our island for a better future involves the provision of jobs for local residents. I’m pleased to say that this year we expanded our engineering, customer facing, and professional services teams, demonstrating our continued investment into nurturing local talent.

Throughout our history in the island, we’ve significantly diversified our business offering. Though we remain best-known for our mobile and broadband services, our evolution has seen us develop a powerful portfolio of business clients as we expand into the world of private cloud and cybersecurity. I am happy with the development of the business this year in this respect, as 2021 saw us take on a number of significant new clients eager to protect themselves in a digital world that is diversifying as quickly as we are and also move onto Sure cloud services.

Indeed, our consumer market share also continues to grow, thanks in part to our development of innovative new products and offers such as our unlimited data and sharer plans. I’m pleased that these great deals have been welcomed by our customers, as they’re essential facets that allow us to connect the community and streamline their mobile and broadband services to make them more efficient.  

2021 was another busy year for our Sure Community Foundation, which once again made some vital charitable contributions. Some specific achievements that I’m particularly proud of include our support of the Jamie Haslett football memorial tournament and the aid we provided to the Relay for Life in the fight against cancer. The Foundation continues to support local good causes and all the work that the voluntary committee continue to put in is a huge source of pride for everyone at Sure.  

Though it hasn’t been without its challenges, I’m immensely proud of everything we’ve achieved this year. Our investment and expansion of our local fibre network and services has created a solid foundation on which to continue to grow and expand, and we’re always looking for how we can improve our customers’ digital lives. 

I’m excited for what 2022 holds, but for now I’d like to thank every member of our fantastic team, connecting the island would be impossible without you. And to our customers, thank you for supporting Sure through another unprecedented year and we look forward to seeing you in 2022, connected and ready to make our island better, together.