Nick Ioannou

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2024.

Nick is an IS & IT professional, blogger, author and public speaker on cloud and security issues. As an early adopter of cloud systems, he has been paying for the privilege of bug testing them ever since, reporting troublesome bugs until they get fixed or become magazine articles. He also shares free IT & security resources via his website.

How did you get into IT?

Back in the 90s while at art college, I was the one sorting out everyone's IT issues, I could naturally work out what needed to be done and didn't get fazed when asked the same question again and again. My first dev role quickly became unofficial IT support.

What do you consider your greatest IT achievement of the last 12 months?

Finally getting BT to install my London HQ office connection. That and the fact that two of us look after 350 people and their systems and are still sane.

How do you ensure diversity is taken into account in your IT recruitment?

Baked into company culture, everyone has an additional 'values' interview held by people from other departments as part of a robust interview process.

Which technology are you currently most excited by, and why?

Carbon nanotube tech in batteries, so I can have a phone that lasts a week again (like I did 20 years ago).

What would an outsider find the most surprising part of your job?

The staggering amount of IT invoices the finance department asks me to approve

What's your secret talent?

I can hold my own against the teenagers in Fortnite - that, and I can sit in the lotus position after a few drinks.

What makes you laugh?

The Police Squad and Naked Gun films.