a policy of vigorous support for open-source software. Funds were also received from Microsoft towards a software evaluations centre. Contracts were won to support the uptake of IT particularly amongst SMEs including open source software and the Open Source Academy, and the development of an accreditation standard for IT services which became operational in 2009. There was a re-branding exercise in which NCC re-branded as Principia, a brand that was quickly dropped and the NCC brand resumed, a move that seemed to echo a similarly named and disastrous re-branding of the UK Royal Mail to Consignia. These survival strategies failed and the National Computing Centre diminished rapidly in size and turnover. NCC continued to make unsustainable losses but there was no change in strategic direction. To stem the losses NCC was forced to rapidly close or dispose of many of the acquisitions at a loss to the organisation. Michael Gough left the business in February 2008. In March 2008, Steve Markwell was appointed as Chief Executive but there was no improvement in the company's fortunes or significant change in strategic direction. One significant asset remaining, Filetab, was transferred in 2009 to a new company called NCC Filetab whose managing director was also managing director of NCC. With losses and the size of the pension fund deficit increasing, the company was unable to meet its obligations and was placed into administration by its management. Administration, liquidation and pre-pack In February 2010, NCC went into administration and ultimately liquidation. The few remaining assets and intellectual property rights were transferred in a "pre-pack" administration arrangement to Redholt Ltd a new private company, thus distancing the new company from the NCC creditors, which included a substantial pension fund liability resulting in the insolvency of the pension fund later that year. Redholt Ltd was owned by a group of six shareholders, including former managers and two Directors of the insolvent National Computing Centre. Redholt Ltd, was renamed as The National Computing Centre Limited (NCC Ltd) in Feb 2011. In 2011 NCC Ltd extended its portfolio of services to include IT consulting, mainly as a virtual organisation through the use of independent associate consultants. The 'new' NCC Ltd was not a mutual not-for-profit organisation, but retained some of the member organisations of the liquidated company and initially it delivered some of the same products and services. By the end of 2011, the 'new' NCC Ltd once