The enterprise technology landscape is one filled with challenges and opportunities
For today’s CTO, there’s plenty to think about. Cyber security, for 33% of business leaders, is seen as their top tech priority in 2025. But that’s just the very tip of the proverbial iceberg – like we said, a landscape with challenges and opportunities.
It’s exactly what David Macfarlane, CEO of Gamma Enterprise, and Colin Lees, Gamma’s CTO, discussed in one of our exclusive off-stage sessions at GX Summit 2025. The pair, armed with their knowledge and insights, sought to cover all the key points behind this evolving landscape.
When businesses have a better understanding of the circumstances, then the right technological moves can be made. Both customers and employees will be thankful for that.
Splitting focus
How easy is it to balance the needs of customers and employees? It’s a common conundrum for today’s CTO, especially when you’re part of an ever-expanding company with an ever-evolving product portfolio. There’s a need to help employees do their jobs, while also taking all those services to customers themselves.
For Colin, you need to think of “how you structure the technology organisation.” Partnership is a major factor, and Colin has tried to match that organisational structure with Gamma’s own structures and challenges. That way, it’s much easier to devise a plan that’s “holistic for the whole business.”
One CTO can manage support functions, while another oversees the core products that make a difference for customers. Others can focus on Europe and the channel business, meaning that all bases are covered. Suddenly, there’s a complete view on what needs to be done right across the business.
Upcoming delivery
This year, over 200 enterprises attended GX Summit 2025, and there’s plenty for them to look forward to. One thing that Colin loves about Dave’s business is that it’s a “solutions business.” The deals made in enterprise, on average, are made up of around 70-80% of core products developed by Gamma Labs.
Additionally, Solutions Director Richard McPhee works concurrently with the Gamma Labs team to “augment [them] with additional solutions.” That’s always the case when there’s a need to “put something together end to end.” It all comes back to that idea of partnership and the holistic business overview.
Colin’s goal for the next few years is clear – “extend that core portfolio.” Enterprise customers will be able to adopt services that are “even more relevant” to their needs. Those customers have a varying set of challenges to address, and they need the product portfolio to support them.
“120,000 of these lines left”
Enterprises often still need a landline replacement service as the PSTN Switch-Off draws ever closer. With the age of fibre now upon us, businesses must look to services that offer a whole new way to connect.
This is where Gamma’s strength in portfolio depth applies. PhoneLine+ can act as simple replacement landline that “[makes] the phone ring”, with an additional app that can modernise that process. Gamma’s ongoing partnership with Cisco means greater automation can be introduced and allow a higher level of seamless delivery.
Colin, as a “massive believer in fibre”, is keen for Gamma to develop its abilities to give enterprises the best fibre network. There are talks around a new mobile operator (very hush hush, for now), but for now, focus remains on that product perspective. Evolve that core portfolio and make it “more relevant” to these enterprise deals.
AI – exciting and frustrating
Dave is right when he says that you can’t get through a technology debate without talking AI. As a software engineer by trade, Colin sees AI as a “topic that excites and frustrates me in equal measures.” The labels applied to AI, in Colin’s eyes, are just software engineering.
Don’t worry – Colin can “get over that.”
AI is already making a difference within Gamma, as seen by the rollout of Copilot. Cisco’s own equivalent AI solution has also been deployed, and both solutions have been beneficial in summarising meetings and suggesting actions. In our daily working lives, these AI assistants are becoming valuable tools.
Aside from that, the implementation of Snowflake will also change the way data is processed. All that raw data can be brought together and queried via natural language processing. That data can answer vital questions, including the “assets of any particular business that you’re working with.”
Ai will also start to be built into products themselves. Cisco’s own AI roadmap is an exciting one and has already been used to tidy up both sound and video, plus provide those meeting synopses.
For Colin, these are the “angles” where Gamma will see AI play its part in products, and the business itself.
Rise of the altnets
Over 85% of UK broadband customers get their service from one of the four big providers (BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk). Their dominance is clear, yet these ‘altnets’ are still putting up a challenge. These alternate providers focus heavily on excellent customer care, while also providing faster, more consistent connections at a comparably cheaper price.
Colin wants us to take a big picture take on fibre, reminding us that, at some point in the next 10 years, every business will move from copper to fibre. Gamma’s customers need to be “on the front end of that” to enjoy higher broadband speeds with amazing reliability as well. There’s a strong argument for moving to fibre, for sure.
However, there’s less than 20% take-up in areas where fibre is available. There’s a “big opportunity figure” to move to a better product and will influence the future of the fibre market.
Gamma can “manage that problem” on behalf of customers. Much like in the cable industry, Colin believes that “a lot of that will come together” and give Gamma the opportunity to built relationships with altnets directly, or with the aggregators. That way, customers gain access to these networks and, in case the dynamics behind a company’s structure changes, they’re ready to adapt.
Five years’ time
David describes Colin’s role as CTO as “somewhat visionary.” CTOs must be fully aware of how the technological landscape develops, so that businesses can stay ahead of the curve. For now, we’ll stick to developments over the next five years.
The fibre revolution is ongoing but will continue to dominate proceedings. The take-up will certainly exceed 20%, and soon we’ll be in a world where the copper network has disappeared. Again, worth the time for businesses to look at moving away from those traditional copper connections.
AI, obviously, will play its part, yet won’t be in the position that it’s replacing humans. Rather, it will be “more sophisticated” in how it helps. Colin predicts that we’ll soon struggle to tell the difference between a human agent or an AI assistant when we ring up for support.
That’s just a “personal prediction”, so there’s no need to panic.
Then, of course, there’s the issue of security. It will remain an important topic, meaning that product portfolios will certainly add cyber security elements to that set. Recent attacks on M&S and the Co-op, likely caused by “kids in the back bedroom”, means that need to protect customers has never been more prevalent.
What about the hyperscalers?
There will come a time when on-premises data centres will disappear. Even Gamma still operates such a centre, but Colin thinks that the move to a hyperscaler is drawing close. On-premises hosting will be reduced, yet it’s a transition that needs to be managed carefully and on a “cost-economic basis.”
Businesses will need to think about when leases run out, or when it’s cheaper to leverage hyperscalers rather than manage their own infrastructure. Colin doesn’t see this as “a race to the cloud” – it should be a “why” and “how” on getting the right balance of economics. It shouldn’t be about rushing; it should be about finding reasons and cost economics before embracing the capabilities hyperscalers offer.
CX improvements
Colin and Dave have covered plenty of ground about the product roadmap, but one should never forget about the employees. It’s “just as important” to enable them to do their job brilliantly, which is why it’s important to “keep things simple”. Make sure you’re using “the right tools for the right thing” while operating an architecture with “as few moving parts as possible.”
Using Salesforce on the front end means customer conversations can be managed consistently. ServiceNow will be deployed as the platform to consolidate service tooling and create a “more consistent experience.” As already mentioned, the implementation of Snowflake will act as the “big data and AI platform”, while work continues automating quoting via a partnership with CSG.
Quite frankly, there’s plenty of change to keep an eye on.
Engaging with customers when they want to engage
That’s Dave’s goal when looking to streamline Gamma’s future delivery. CTOs do find themselves under pressure to improve internal employee experiences, while supporting customer’s own needs and wants.
Finding the right balance is just what these technological visionaries need to achieve.
Gamma’s own product roadmap is shaping the future of enterprise customers, while work is being done behind the scenes to give employees the right tools for the job. The ongoing shift to fibre will change the game when it comes to connectivity, while the gradual transition towards hyperscalers must be carefully managed.
But thanks to events like GX Summit 2025, these are the conversations taking place and being developed. The insights on and off the stage shape how businesses conduct their future operations. They now have the time to prepare for what’s to come.
Again, your customers and your employees will be thankful for that.