Leading Oxford tech company, OWA Digital, rebrands

OWA enters its third decade delivering innovation in digital communications

OWA Digital is the new name for Oxford Web Applications. The company, with headquarters in Oxford and offices in central London, was started by Mark Hall and his co-founder in 1995 as the digital and internet era began. The original name was The Big Oxford Computer Company Ltd, known for many years as BOCC. This reflected the entrepreneurial spirit of the founders who were intent on building a business to transform the latest digital innovations and technology into usable solutions for everyone.

In 2012, after many years of sustained growth, the trading name changed to Oxford Web Applications, reflecting the way in which digital had become an integral part of our lives. Working with many national and international organisations such as Bupa UK, London Councils, Oxford Innovations, Parkinson’s UK, TUC and Investerge, the company ethos of working ethically and providing a complete solution to customers continues to prove successful.

Collaborating with long-standing clients and winning new contracts each year, regionally and further afield, has led to further growth. In 2019 a new office was opened in London and others are planned to provide regional hubs, which will serve OWA’s client base into the future. The new name and brand have been developed to reflect this growing scope and expanded coverage.

Mark Hall, Founder and Managing Director, said,

“OWA has been my passion for the largest part of my working life. We have been exceptionally fortunate in having such dedicated and focused people in the team who all share the same goals. We work hard but have wholeheartedly embraced the idea of flexible working. This has enabled us to thrive as an organisation, adopting a working style that suits our clients and our team. Writing code, building systems and supporting our customers all require very different skill sets and we encourage a varied approach. Flexibility and remote working all fit with the OWA identity. We encourage everyone, including our clients, to get inventive and this has now become our by-line.”

He added:

“Our strategy is to offer a ‘lifetime’ solution to customers This approach means we always look at the data and digital needs of the organisation as a whole and ensure that any new development is integrated across all functions. This avoids security issues, such as data breaches and server capacity challenges, and also enables technical, marketing and sales teams to be part of any new digital tool, which may change the way audiences interact with new products or services. The lines continue to merge between technical and marketing communication functions and customers require digital businesses like OWA to address these issues from the start.”

OWA Background

Innovative bespoke solutions

OWA provides a complete range of digital services. From design and development of code to drive web applications, mobile apps and websites, through to data security, support, hosting and proactive 24/7 management of client digital services. OWA’s focus is on creating inventive and bespoke solutions, working closely with marketing, technical and management teams to ensure these neatly integrate into existing systems whilst adding value. With multiple secure hosting sites across the UK, all aspects of a client’s needs are managed and data responsibility rests with the OWA technical team, highly prized many of the company’s clients.

A focus on applications and data security

The rapid growth in cloud computing and the need to offer services online and on mobile present opportunities and some challenges for most organisations’ intent on digital innovation. The requirement to migrate old systems into new experiences whilst managing the data correctly and securely is a key value that OWA provides.

OWA clients include:

• Bupa UK
• Parkinson’s UK
• TUC
• London Councils
• Nobia
• Young Enterprise
• Investerge
• Oxford Innovations
• CHS Alliance
• London Borough of Camden Council