In Oxford’s current landscape, reliable IT infrastructure is not just an option, it’s a necessity. From local SMEs trying to grow, to manufacturing firms across Oxfordshire, every business relies on systems that are secure, stable, and scalable with their businesses growth.
At Octopus Computers, we manage potential issues before they become major problems. As a trusted Oxford IT company, we’ll act as your long-term technology partner, helping you reduce system downtime, strengthen cyber resilience, and improve efficiency and profitability.
With over a decade of experience supporting businesses across the East Midlands, and nationwide, we understand that IT isn’t just about hardware and software, it’s about empowering people and performance. We aim to align your technology with your business.
Strategic IT Support:
Oxford’s economy has been anchored in life sciences, advanced manufacturing and publishing. Each industry faces its own challenges; some struggle with supply chain security, while others have trouble with data integration.
Through our system monitoring, system maintenance, and regular audits, we act before issues get too big.
A recent study found that businesses with proactive IT management experience fewer outages by 40–50% and even report higher productivity. Which means fewer interruptions and stronger client relationships for businesses in Oxford
Cyber Security:
Oxford has seen a rise in businesses using cloud services, but that growth brings risk, and that’s why our cyber security service is vital. A UK survey found 32% of UK businesses reported at least one cyber attack last year. For small firms, the average recovery cost exceeded £1,200 per incident.
At Octopus Computers, we take a layered, intelligence-driven approach to defence:
Our cyber security team helps Oxford businesses stay protected while meeting industry compliance standards, giving you confidence that your operations, customers, and reputation are secure.
Cloud & Hybrid Solutions:
From life sciences on Harwell Campus to advanced engineering in Cowley, Oxford’s businesses are turning to the cloud for agility, cost savings, and scalability.
In our 10+ years of experience, we’ve reduced clients’ IT costs by 20–30% per year; through our tailored cloud migrations that enhance security and collaboration. Our engineers will analyse your current system, and advise which infrastructure (public, private, or hybrid) is best suited to your business and growth goals.This ensures a digital environment that supports your business, remote collaboration, and growth.
Local Engineers, National Expertise:
Our engineers are based here in the East Midlands, meaning we are capable of responses throughout Oxford. When remote support isn’t enough, we’re just a short drive away, delivering the local accountability your business deserves, backed by national-level technical expertise.
We partner with leading technology providers; meaning that you benefit from advanced solutions used by major enterprises, scaled to fit your business.
Every partnership begins with an in-depth audit of your current system, diving into infrastructure, software, cyber resilience, and connectivity. From there, we tailor a strategy to improve your systems’ performance, strengthen security, and scale with your growth.
Our Core Services Include:
Each of our solutions are flexible and scalable, designed to grow alongside your business.
Our helpdesk isn’t a faceless call centre. It’s a team of friendly, qualified engineers who take every issue personally. Whether it’s a password reset or a critical system failure, you’ll always get a real human who listens, acts quickly, and follows up to make sure you’re satisfied.
We’re available when you need us, by phone, email, or remote access, and our average response times are among the fastest in the industry.
We don’t wait for things to go wrong. Our proactive monitoring tools keep an eye on your systems 24/7, identifying potential issues before they cause downtime. It’s IT support that prevents problems, not just reacts to them.
From server performance and security patches to software updates and network stability, we make sure everything runs as it should, quietly and efficiently in the background.
Some problems need a physical touch. That’s why our engineers are always ready to visit your office for hands-on support when it’s needed.
For everything else, our remote access tools mean we can jump onto your system and resolve issues instantly, no waiting around for someone to arrive.
Technology isn’t just about keeping the lights on, it’s about helping your business grow.
We offer IT consultancy that aligns your systems with your goals, ensuring every investment supports your success. Whether you’re migrating to the cloud, upgrading hardware, or planning your digital transformation, we guide you every step of the way.
Modern IT support goes hand-in-hand with strong cyber security. Octopus Computers integrates robust protection into everything we do, from endpoint monitoring and firewalls to backup and disaster recovery solutions.
Your data is your most valuable asset. We make sure it’s secure, compliant, and recoverable, always.
Our team is made up of seasoned IT professionals who live and breathe support, networks, cloud and infrastructure. We’ve been behind the scenes for everyone from lean start-ups to large national brands, keeping systems running smoothly and data locked down.
Yes, we’ve got the badges and certifications to prove our expertise. But clients stay with us for different reasons: we’re steady when things go wrong, we care about getting it right, and we’re genuinely happy to roll up our sleeves.
For many of the businesses we work with, we’re the IT department they don’t have to hire. Accessible, dependable and fully invested in their success.
We like to think of our approach as “support with purpose.” It’s not just about solving problems; it’s about making IT work for you.
Our team is proactive, transparent, and friendly. We communicate clearly, keep promises, and treat every challenge like it’s our own.
That’s why our clients stay with us for years — not because they have to, but because they want to.
Technology is changing faster than ever — AI, automation, hybrid work, and cloud computing are reshaping how we live and work.
Octopus Computers is right there at the forefront, helping businesses adapt with smarter, more flexible IT support. We’re investing in automation tools to predict faults before they happen, and expanding our training to keep our team ahead of every trend.
But one thing will never change: our human touch.
Because no matter how advanced technology gets, people will always need people they can rely on.
We speak your language and care about your success.
We stop problems before they start.
From cloud solutions to cyber security, everything under one roof.
We’re here for the long haul, not a quick fix.
Whether you’re fighting a recurring issue, planning an upgrade or just want a second opinion on your IT setup, our team is ready to help. Contact our team today!
Internet speeds are usually dependant on 2 factors; line speed and local router/modem performance.
Line speed is the actual performance you are getting from the exchange to your property. If this is the issue, the best bet is to call your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ask them to investigate.
Router performance is slightly harder to diagnose. If you get great speeds when you are cabled into the router but poor speeds over WiFi your router is most likely the problem. Similarly, if you are struggling with speeds throughout the premises or have “dead-zones” with no WiFi signal a good router will definitely help. There are also some fantastic re-broadcasters and mesh solutions which can help boost your WiFi.
We’ve found that most people have a “personal preference” for this. It does depend on how much you like to ‘hear’ from your antivirus software. Some of them are rather ‘noisy’ with lots of alerts and pop-ups while others silently work away in the background.
For businesses I would recommend ESET or Kaspersky. Kaspersky really is at the cutting edge of security software but ESET is also very strong.
For personal or home use I would recommend Bullgard or ESET. If you are in a pinch, a good free alternative is something like Avast.
This really depends what you use your machine for.
The user interface (ie: how it works) is very appealing on Apple machines, and they work very well together.
Not an easy question to answer; this depends a lot on your requirements. To know which laptop you need you should whittle down the options based on the following:
The ideal laptop for one person is, quite often, a terrible decision for another. One constant I would recommend however is getting something with a Solid State Drive (SSD). This adds enormous performance and speed to any laptop and will stop most of the annoying wait times!
In recent year lots of free email platforms have, sadly, been compromised. This includes @btinernet, @yahoo and @talktalk accounts. For personal use, we would recommend @gmail.com as the best option with an @outlook.com or even @icloud.com as alternatives.
For business email solutions you would need a proper hosted exchange. For the best solution, you should be using a cloud hosted exchange either with Microsoft or Google.
One final point; not all clouds are equal. There are lots of platforms out there which promise Office 365 email hosting (such as BT Business) but in reality this is a very stripped down version with limited functionality. For business email hosting, speak to an expert to check you have what you need.
When choosing a CRM you really need to invest the time in knowing your business processes. From there, you can build a very robust user requirement and find the solution you need.
Most businesses have a couple of unique aspects to them (such as an IT Support company) which will also help steer which platform is best for you. From there, separate those requirements into “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves”. This builds a scoring matrix against the platforms shortlist you will inevitably build.
Finally, early on you should distinguish between a contact management system and a customer management system. Contact management is build into most cloud hosted email solutions and, if you need something more complex, can usually be managed very well on free platforms. Customer management however often includes marketing communications, pipeline tracking and a level of process automation.
If you need to take things further than managing just the customers, you may want to look at an MRP or ERP solution which stand for Material Resource Planning and Enterprise Resourse Planning respectively.
