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.”
