More Than IT: Denis Zoi, CEO of Techi

“Mathematics has fascinated me since first grade, and physics came next. That led me to study Physical Engineering, which also included information technology. That is where my interest in technology began,” says Denis.

After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Tirana, he joined an internet service provider in Durrës and soon became its technical director. He then spent a year at the maritime administration. That is where the idea of a company built on IT services took shape.

In October 2017 he founded Techi with his partner Mario Lika, now the company’s CTO. Like most new founders, they had their doubts at the start. Three years later they had a team of professionals and a base of happy clients.

We support about 70 clients every day, in hospitality, retail, industry and services. We started small, with hotels and other businesses in Durrës, then grew to Tirana, Fier, Gjirokastër, Saranda and other cities. Today we can work anywhere in Albania, and maybe beyond.

Techi works as an external IT department for any kind of business. The aim of our managed service is simple: less downtime caused by IT problems. We work in five steps: consultation, design, implementation, documentation and, most important, support, which is available 24/7 by online chat and email.

Support covers what is in the contract, not one-off requests. Because we look after a client’s IT all the time, we can stop many problems before they get in the way of work. We start from what each business needs, so every client gets a setup that fits.

Information security matters too, on the network and among staff. We set security rules and write an IT security plan that fits each business’s goals.

It was a hard year for everyone, and we were only in our third year. With our staff, we decided to help the partner businesses hit hardest: we kept supporting them free of charge until the government eased the restrictions.

We helped many clients set up their staff to work from home, and that built trust in Techi as an external IT department. People were worried and did not know which way to take their business. For us, the period also brought many new clients who moved their work online, with new platforms, video calls and similar tools.

A company that runs on the right systems is more stable. Staff work in a more organised way, and managers find the information they need in one place. Today almost everything runs on systems, computers and printers, so IT support is essential.

A problem left unsolved slows down the whole team. With 24/7 online support, our clients get answers quickly and keep working. We are also close to launching an online shop to help anyone with everyday IT needs, from buying and installing a program to setting up a computer.

We want to grow, maybe beyond Albania. Anyone can also become part of Techi through our affiliate programme: you promote Techi’s services, full-time or part-time, alongside your own job, and earn a commission.

Since this interview, Techi has grown to more than 300 clients in 11 countries, all looked after from its office in Durrës. The affiliate idea became our Referral Program: anyone who refers a business earns 10% of the project value, or one month’s fee for monthly support.

To see what Techi can do for your business, book a free IT assessment.