Sumir Karayi founded 1E in 1998 after leaving a technical consulting position at Microsoft in order to develop a "leading-edge systems management consultancy for large organizations." 1E has led the Green IT movement since the introduction of NightWatchman 8 years ago and the software is now deployed on 3 million "seats" worldwide – reducing CO2 emissions by 250,000 tons per year. Prior to founding 1E and his position at Microsoft, Sumir managed PC-based networks for the BBC, Reuters and Lombard (RBS Group). Sumir first realized the significance of automation in cost reduction at Lombard, where he developed various networking and system tools to automate system administration processes.

He moved to Microsoft as part of a team of industry experts to provide the highest level of technical support for Microsoft’s premier customers. 1E has grown into a global organization with offices in London and New York, and the company remains privately owned with no external investors. 1E solutions are currently being used by more than twelve million users in over 1,000 organizations across 42 countries world-wide. In 2008, 1E featured for the 5th year in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 chart in recognition as one of Britain’s fastest-growing private technology companies and was recently awarded Best Green IT Supplier at the Green IT Expo in November 2008. Sumir gained BEng and MSc degrees from Warwick University, specializing in Electronic Engineering and IT for Manufacturing. He is happily married with an eight-year-old-son.