Centex Technologies is a computer consulting company that was founded in 2006. It is based in Killeen, TX, with additional offices in Austin, Dallas, and Atlanta. The company assists businesses and government institutions by providing technical support such as IT consulting, network planning & maintenance, web design & web application development, and software design and development. It also provides internet marketing services to business, along with digital forensics analysis to law enforcement agencies and district attorneys.
Leadership that Inspires Others
Abdul B. Subhani was born in Multan, Pakistan and raised in Islamabad, Pakistan. He came to the United States in 1998 to begin his education at Central Texas College. After graduation, Abdul began working as Director of IT Audit for the Clements Boys and Girls Club where he oversaw its technology program. In 2006, he founded his own company, Centex Technologies and manages the company as its President and CEO. Additionally, Abdul has been a speaker and writer on IT security issues for the past 10 years and a member of the FBI InfraGard for the past two years.
In addition to his academic achievements, Abdul has been and continues to be actively involved in the community in both academic and civic activities. Currently, he is a member of the Killeen Exchange Club.
Delivering Innovative Approach to Serve Clients
Abdul feels that it’s important to contribute to the industry in any way that you can. For him, it’s through spreading knowledge that he has gained through his years working in the industry and running a business. Abdul has written two books, “Intro to WWW Marketing”, published in 2014, is a primer on how to do internet marketing, and “Stay Safe!”, published in 2016, is a basic guide to information technology security. He is currently working on a third book about the Internet of Things, which will drastically change the IT industry in the coming years and it’s important for industry professionals to know about it.
Centex Technologies benefits its clients by providing IT solutions to them as quickly as possible. The company makes it a priority to have its technicians do same-day work for its clients instead of scheduling work two or three days later. This allows the clients to get back to running their businesses efficiently instead of being hampered by or worrying about some IT problems.
Making of a Leadership
Having a mentor greatly helped Abdul in preparing himself to be a leader. Mr. Wallace Vernon has been a mentor and eventual business partner to him. His guidance and support have helped him grow into the leader that he is today. Also, being involved in several non-profit organizations and learning how they work has allowed Abdul to work with and interact with a diverse set of people. “These experiences were greatly beneficial in developing skills that I need as a business leader,” he said.
Achievements Throughout the Success Journey
This year, Centex Technologies has been included in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private businesses in the country. Inclusion on the list is based on an increase in revenue over a three-year period. The company was ranked as number 2811 with an increase in revenue of 134%.
In 2018, Abdul was an official member of the Forbes Technology Council. Also, in the same year, he was awarded the Young AFCEA 40 Under 40 Award for his contributions to technology. He was also awarded as CEO of The Year by the Best of Small Business Awards in 2018. Additionally, the company was listed as one of the 20 most promising web development and design solution providers by CIO Review in the year.
Feedback from Clients Drive Innovation
In order to innovate solutions that it provides, Centex Technologies has to know what customers want and what is affecting them. Abdul said, “After our company does work for any of our clients, we ask for feedback from them so we can analyze how we are performing. Once we have that feedback, we can determine ways in which to improve our services for future clients. Another way we innovate our solutions is by staying knowledgeable about current technology. Once we know that our clients can benefit from upgrading or switching to another version or type of technology, we inform them and help to facilitate the transfer.
Challenging Times Along the Way
For Abdul, a major challenge occurred in 2008 due to the worldwide financial and economic crisis. At that time, Centex Technologies was on the verge of closing down. “We were able to avoid that by innovation. Prior to 2008, we only worked on networking and security. During the financial crisis, we started offering new services. We created a new division to handle website development and another division to handle internet marketing,” he added.
Moreover, Abdul said a general challenge in running an IT business is that the field is constantly changing. He and his team strive to stay ahead of the vastly changing industry, this means that he and his staff must constantly keep up with technological advances and implement them internally as well as into the client’s organizations.
IoT-Driven Future
Abdul believes that cybersecurity issues/problems will become more prevalent and challenging. This is in large part due to the expanding scope of the Internet of Things (IoT). In the coming years, we’ll have many more devices connected to the Internet including cars and household appliances. The number of new devices will probably be in the billions. Each of those devices could pose security and privacy threats so there will need to be work done to prevent those threats.
Advice That Guides Business Leaders
According to Abdul, three things are important: having a good mentor, having a good team, and giving back to the community. Having a good mentor is important because it allows you to learn from someone who has experienced situations that you might eventually experience. This would allow your mentor to help you navigate those situations. Having a good team is important because you almost always need help to run a successful business. Giving back to the community is important not only because it is a moral obligation on all of us, but because a business’ customers are usually from its local community. If the community is suffering, then it’s unlikely that local businesses are thriving.
