Exa Networks

What they do

Exa Networks has been providing internet services since 2003, when Thomas Mangin founded the company in Halifax. Michael Syree joined shortly afterwards. The business moved to Bradford — first to Cottingley, then to the current city centre offices at 100 Bolton Road — as it grew through the 2000s and 2010s.

Their core offer is connectivity: FTTP (fibre to the premises), leased lines, FTTC/SoGEA broadband, and 4G/5G failover via SmartConnect. Beyond those standard products, they operate two proprietary networks. ExaMetro is their own metro network serving organisations in the region. DarkLight, launched in 2016, provides dark fibre for organisations that want scalable, dedicated capacity.

The education market is where Exa has built its deepest footprint. Schools and multi-academy trusts are the primary audience for SurfProtect, their web filtering platform first launched in 2005. SurfProtect has gone through several iterations: the Quantum release in 2017 moved it to a cloud-based architecture, and Quantum+ followed in 2022 to extend filtering to school-supplied devices used off-site. The current Evolution and Evolution+ tiers add Active Directory, Google Workspace and Microsoft Entra ID integration, per-user and per-group filtering profiles, real-time analytics, safeguarding alerts and cross-site roaming.

In 2022 Exa introduced Protect & Connect, a bundled package that combines connectivity, antivirus, firewall and content filtering on a single invoice. The ExaCube device, which sits at the centre of that bundle, combines router, firewall, content filtering and failover in one unit. It is DfE-compliant and fully managed by Exa with no capital outlay required from the customer.

Business customers get access to the same connectivity products alongside VoIP telephony, colocation, email and website hosting, and bespoke networking. The company also runs The Exa Foundation, launched in 2015, which provides digital communications training in schools.

Support runs Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and weekends 10am–4pm, with UK-based staff handling calls. Exa cite their average call wait time and retention rate as headline metrics on the site, though the specific figures are loaded dynamically and not available in the page source.

What sets them apart

Exa has accumulated 11 ISPA (Internet Service Providers Association) awards since 2019, including Best Business ISP, Best Partnership, Best Customer Service, Social Impact and Best Cyber Security. The 2020 Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards also gave them the Social Mobility Award that year.

The JSPC Computer Services testimonial on their site notes a partnership dating back to 2013 supplying and supporting more than 250 schools. The David Ross Education Trust uses Exa's VM firewall for trust-wide network protection across multiple schools. These are named, verifiable customers rather than anonymous case studies.

The SurfProtect platform is the product with the longest track record — twenty years of iteration since its 2005 launch. That longevity in a specialist market, combined with DfE compliance requirements that create a reasonably high barrier to switching, gives Exa a stable base in the education sector. The ExaCube device, which pairs with any existing internet connection rather than requiring an Exa line, extends that reach beyond their own connectivity customers.

Their registered company number is 04922037, placing incorporation in 2003, consistent with the founding story. The Bradford city centre address has been their base since 2015.

What they offer

• SurfProtect (Evolution / Evolution+ / Quantum / Quantum+) — DfE-compliant web filtering for schools, with AD, Google Workspace and Entra ID integration, per-user profiles, safeguarding alerts and off-site device filtering.
• ExaCube — all-in-one router, firewall, content filter and failover device; fully managed by Exa, no capital outlay, pairs with any internet connection.
• Connectivity (FTTP, Leased Line, ExaMetro, DarkLight, SmartConnect, FTTC/SoGEA) — range of wired and wireless internet services from standard broadband to dedicated dark fibre.
• Protect & Connect — bundled package combining connectivity, antivirus, firewall and content filtering on a single invoice, aimed at schools and MATs.
• Additional services — VoIP telephony, colocation, email and website hosting, and bespoke networking for business customers.