(Aug 14/2012) After more than a dozen years as an IT consultant, much of it helping big businesses keep their software up to date, Alex Topitsch decided to build a better mousetrap.
In 2010 he started Futurestate IT, which helps corporate customers keep desktop applications current and curb the proliferation of software versions.
Today, Mr. Topitsch is managing the growth of his Toronto start-up through an economic downturn, international expansion and all the challenges facing an emerging technology company.
He thinks his firm’s timing is right because many Microsoft Windows users are facing a deadline. In April of 2014, Microsoft will end support for Windows XP, which was introduced in 2001. Windows Vista, XP’s official successor, was never popular among businesses, meaning many companies waited for the next release, Windows 7. But operating system upgrades in large organizations take time. Mr. Topitsch says about 250 million corporate desktop computers are still running XP worldwide.