Twenty-five years is a long time in any industry. In tech, it’s an eternity.
The tools have changed. The threats have changed. The way organizations work has changed completely. And yet, the thing clients tell us they value most about Interplay — after 25 years — is surprisingly simple: we pick up the phone. We show up in person. We know their names.
It turns out that never goes out of style.
Back in 2001, Brian Place launched a small IT firm called BDPNetworks with a hunch that there had to be a better way to support growing organizations. Not a flashier way. Not a cheaper way. Just a more human one.
No offshore help desks. No rotating cast of anonymous technicians. No fine print. Just local experts who genuinely cared about the organizations they served — and showed up like it.
Over the years, the company grew, the services evolved, and eventually the brand did too. BDPNetworks became Interplay — a name that captures something we’ve always believed: that the magic isn’t in the technology itself. It’s in the interplay between technology and the people who depend on it.
The brand promise — hands-on IT — hasn’t changed once in 25 years. Neither has the commitment behind it.
We’re not big on bragging. But 25 years feels like a good time to take stock.
These numbers don’t come from a marketing strategy. They come from a team that takes its work seriously and treats every client’s problem like it’s worth solving — because it is.
If you’ve spent any time with us, you probably know we have a soft spot for mission-driven organizations. Nonprofits make up over 40% of our client base, and that’s not an accident.
There’s something that clicks when you work with organizations that are genuinely trying to make the world better — affordable housing, youth services, community health. They don’t have time for IT drama. They need a partner who gets their mission, respects their budget, and treats their staff with patience and care.
We get that. We’ve built our entire service model around it. And honestly? Working alongside Seattle’s nonprofit community for 25 years has made us better at everything we do.
Here’s the thing about Interplay: it’s never been about any one person. The reason we’re still here — still growing, still earning five-star reviews — is because of the team.
Our engineers aren’t contractors. They aren’t offshore. They’re local people who know our clients’ environments inside and out, who remember that Janet in accounting prefers a call over an email, and who show up on-site every month not because the contract says so, but because that’s how trust gets built.
“We like that we have someone come to the office once a month. They strive to solve all our issues on a daily basis.” That’s a real client. And honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes all of this worthwhile.
In an industry that keeps moving toward automation, offshore staffing, and impersonal help desks, we’ve made a different bet: that the most valuable thing a Seattle MSP can offer isn’t just technical expertise. It’s humanity. Responsiveness. The feeling that someone genuinely cares.
Twenty-five years in, we still believe that. More than ever.
We’re heading into year 26 with a lot to be excited about — deeper roots in Seattle’s nonprofit and professional services communities, expanded security and IT leadership services, and the same team that’s been showing up, day in and day out, for a quarter century.
To celebrate 25 years of hands-on IT, Interplay is rolling out a year-long series of content. So make sure and stay tuned for exciting new updates that you aren’t going to want to miss.
Thank you to every client, partner, and team member who’s been part of this. We don’t take any of it for granted.
Here’s to 25 more!
“Your IT shouldn’t just work. It should feel like it’s being handled by people you actually like.”
-Brian Place, Founder and CEO
Ready to work with a Seattle MSP that’s been doing this — the right way — for 25 years? Get in touch.