A Closer Look at IceWarp with CEO Adam Paclt

With its origins stretching back as far as 2003, it’s safe to say lots has happened since the initial “IceWarp lightbulb” went off. To better understand its past, present, and future, we sat down with IceWarp mastermind and CEO, Adam Paclt. It’s time to pull back the curtain and see how a single idea grew to become one of today’s industry leaders.

Humble Beginnings

Before one dreams up the idea for an online business that services 50,000+ businesses all over the world, a bit of experience is required. When asked about his background in this field, Adam had the following to say.

Adam: “I really didn’t have all that much experience. I had worked as an administrator, but more than anything, I was (and still am) a tech enthusiast who wasn’t afraid to jump in head first. Looking back now, if I had known the number of challenges we’d face one day with IceWarp, I might not have even tried to build it. But luckily, I did. And I did it with loads of enthusiasm for the space and energy for the work. And maybe a bit of naivety, too…”

It’s no secret that drive and determination will take you places, but successful companies aren’t launched with the heart alone. The first and most valuable piece of any venture is the initial concept. So, what spark lit the fire in Adam’s mind that would later become IceWarp?

Adam: “I had a friend who was tasked with administering Exchange for his father. But the program wasn’t working, so he created his own. It was then that I noticed others, in fact, many others, who had the exact same problem. I got the feeling that with Microsoft, it was their way or the highway, and this is far too rigid a system for loads of diverse companies that require a custom solution. And if nobody else was going to provide it, then why not me?”

Back from the Brink

And IceWarp was born. But that didn’t mean Adam was out of the woods yet. Every new company has its ups and downs, its obstacles and fallbacks. One of these times came when Adam left IceWarp, choosing to focus on other ventures instead. But the story doesn’t end there, of course. He was asked to come back when IceWarp was “near its end”. Here’s how Adam remembers those days.

Adam: “I returned to IceWarp in 2014 when I heard about its troubles. The team members at the time were working out of a small apartment, contemplating whether they should sell the company, let it go bankrupt, or try something else. I was shocked. And even though it wasn’t a rational decision, I chose to return and do whatever I could to get IceWarp back on its feet. We basically started everything again from scratch. I really saw this as a restart point. In fact, if you asked me today when we founded IceWarp, I’d say pretty much everything began back in 2014.”

With Adam back at the helm, IceWarp did a full 180. Talks of closing shop and bankruptcy were gone, replaced with new clients, improved systems, and expansions into new, faraway countries. But there’s still ground to be made. Even with its success, Adam hopes IceWarp can take things a step further, despite its current challenges.

Adam: “IceWarp is never a finished piece of art; we’re always trying to progress in every aspect we can. To this day, we still have meetings about new directions and functions we could explore, and we also discuss client feedback. We learn a lot from this feedback and often find ourselves returning to it again and again.

Our current goal is to move as many clients as possible from the on-prem option to the cloud solution. It’s something that Microsoft also started working on, so more people, in general, are willing to make this move. Although it’ll take us some time, I’m sure we’ll be able to get the message across that the cloud solution is the future at IceWarp, and that future has nothing to do with Microsoft.”

IceWarp’s 5-Year Plan

Speaking of the future, what exactly can users expect from IceWarp going forward? Adam had this to say when asked what he’d like to see IceWarp achieve in the next five years.

Adam: “Currently, I feel like IceWarp is exactly where it’s supposed to be. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to move with the times. The greatest advancement I believe we’ll be able to implement in the future at IceWarp is the creation of a single app that handles everything IceWarp provides. A handheld version featuring UI that is indistinguishable from the desktop option.

And it’s only a matter of time before we get there. Creating something new that works exactly as it’s supposed to takes time and a small, focused team of developers. Ant that’s precisely what IceWarp has. So I see a bright future for the company, with loads of innovations in the works.”

You heard it here and straight from the horse’s (or the CEO’s) mouth: IceWarp is going places. From a simple idea that dates back 20 years, IceWarp has grown into one of the leading alternatives to the corporate giants. And Adam Paclt is dedicated to seeing it maintain that position and maybe even knocking some of those big wigs down a peg or two.

Like it? Share it!