Profile: Fields Group Limited

Fields Group Limited operates various commercial ventures in the 'Digital Intelligence' and 'Digital Solutions' market sectors. The Group was formed in 2006 to consolidate the various inter-related commercial interests of the Board.

Since 2001 all Fields Group companies have led their respective industry sectors. In the Digital Intelligence market sector, Fields Associates Limited has continued to provide specialist computer forensic services including expert witness testimony, data recovery and pro-active network security. The Company boasts an impressive client list including Orange, Warner Brothers, Jaguar, Hewlett Packard, Reuters, Siemens, IBM and countless non-commercial organisations such as the US Department of Defense and major UK Law Enforcement agencies.

Similarly, in the Digital Solutions market sector, UK Digital Solutions Limited has successfully developed and marketed a number of commercial operations that command an impressive market share, and the company has launched new projects including Smart B2B Services Limited, SD Billing Services Limited, Fields Recruitment Limited and Fields Click and Protect Limited.

The success of Fields Group has allowed for a continued programme of expansion in terms of staff, business development and global reach. Today, the Company owns large offices in Bocam Park, Bridgend, and operates offices in London, New York, Texas, California, Ontario, Paris, Munich, Rome, Madrid and Dubai.

David Richards, Human Resource Manager at Fields Group told Sali Earls about the company.

What is the history of the company?
The first company to form part of Fields Group was UK Digital Solutions Limited, which was incorporated in October 2000 and started trading in June 2001. The company originally began life as a software and web development business, but soon recognised that its unique understanding of online buyer behaviour contributed more to its customers' fortunes than to its own. Consequently, in June 2003, the decision was taken to cease all contractual work for third party organisations and concentrate on the development of a portfolio of commercial websites for its own benefit.

Initially, two market sectors were targeted: the newly established 'computer intelligence' market (forensics, data recovery & network security) and the hitherto under-developed 'divorce-services' market.

The strategy proved highly successful. By October 2004 the rapidly growing 'computer intelligence' division of UKDS separated and began operating as a stand-alone company - Fields Associates Limited. At the same time the 'divorce-services' flagship product, Quickie-Divorce, established itself as the largest provider of family court paperwork in the UK.

By June 2006, the company had successfully launched a further 15 sites in the 'divorce', 'legal agreements' and 'document spooling' market sectors. In each case a fulfilment function was developed to service the day-to-day needs of the given operation. Alongside this development, Fields Associates Limited has now become one the UK's largest providers of data recovery, network security and computer forensic services.

What unique products/services does your company provide?
Underpinning all Fields Group operations are a series of bespoke client/server web based technologies that are used to facilitate the processing of large data sets for clients. From the administration of data fragment searches in forensic investigations to the processing and rapid spooling of legal documentation, these technologies have allowed Group members to stay ahead of the competition in their respective fields.

This has principally been achieved by delivering quick, high quality products into the marketplace that engage the competition head on.

What one piece of outside technology has benefited your company?
The one piece of outside technology that has benefited the company would be the development of Open Source Technology. This has provided us with cutting edge tools that have aided in the facilitation and development of our ICT infrastructure, drastically reducing project lead times. The technology has enabled the company to diversify into all aspects of software development; from customer relationship management (CRM) software and automatic document spooling programs, to the servers we operate our key systems on.

To quote opensource.org, "The open-source model allows software shops to outsource some of their work, paying for it in values less tangible than money. (But perhaps not less economically significant; the increased speed with which an outside co-developer can have a needed bug fix will often translate into a substantial opportunity gain for that customer.)"

What one piece of advice would you give to start-up companies in your field?
Develop a clear vision for the future of the company. Be careful to ensure that you articulate that vision to everyone associated with it, and above all be seen to own the vision passionately.

Where do you see your company in the future?
Fields Group Limited will continue to grow, pursuing the corporate vision of "Sector Domination through Unrelenting Growth".

Find out more about Fields Group Ltd. at http://www.fields-group.com.

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