News Archives - Flyte

Introducing Ping: Your New Reminder App Inside Microsoft Teams

Flyte Team — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:02:24 +0000

At Flyte, we believe the best productivity tools are the ones that fit naturally into your day. That thinking shaped the creation of Ping, a Microsoft Teams app that helps you stay on top of follow-ups, reminders and without disrupting your workflow.

Why We Built Ping

Most workdays involve juggling chats, channels and threads in Microsoft Teams, each carrying different requests and action points. Even with the best intentions, it is easy for something important to be missed or forgotten about into the flow of messages.

Ping was created to solve that problem in a simple and reliable way. Instead of trying to remember which message needs attention later, you can turn it into a reminder directly from Teams. Ping handles the follow-up so you can focus on the work in front of you.

What Ping Can Do

One click reminders

Set a reminder on any Teams message in seconds using quick preset options.

Custom scheduling

Choose a specific date and time when you need something to resurface.

A clear tasklist

All reminders appear in Ping’s built-in tasklist, giving you a single place to view and organise your follow-ups.

Works across devices

Ping supports Teams on both desktop and mobile, so your reminders stay with you wherever you work.

Reduced mental load

Ping removes the pressure of trying to recall everything you need to do. It is a simple system you can trust to keep track of tasks.

Who Will Benefit Most

Teams who rely heavily on chat and need an easy way to keep track of action points.

Project managers who want confidence that nothing has been missed.

Hybrid workers who switch between devices and need consistency.

Anyone who feels overloaded by message volume in Teams and wants a calmer, more structured workflow.

Ping is free to download today

We are excited to make Ping available today. Whether you want to try it for yourself or introduce it to your whole team, you can get started right away.

Download Ping for Microsoft Teams:

Download Ping on AppSource

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Bridging the Hybrid Divide with Gauge it: Why Connected Managers are Key to UK Business Success

Flyte Team — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:05:16 +0000

The UK workplace has undergone a seismic shift. Hybrid working, once a pandemic necessity, is now a firmly entrenched reality. The latest ONS data for early 2025 reveals that over a quarter of workers (28%) in Great Britain are now hybrid workers, with a significant proportion of managers, directors, and senior officials leading this trend (StandOut CV, June 2025). While offering unparalleled flexibility and improved work-life balance for employees (78% of hybrid workers report this, StandOut CV), this new landscape presents a crucial challenge for businesses: maintaining strong team connections and engagement.

The Cost of Disconnected Teams

Disconnected teams can carry a significant cost and research highlights that a disengaged workforce leads to:

Decreased Productivity: Disconnected employees lack motivation, resulting in slower work, missed deadlines, and reduced efficiency (Ten Space, April 2025). The UK economy is already losing £28 billion annually due to work-related stress, much of which can be linked to burnout from disconnected operations (Corporate Modelling, May 2025).

Higher Employee Turnover: Employees who feel disconnected are more likely to seek opportunities elsewhere, increasing costly recruitment and training expenses (Ten Space, April 2025). Indeed, 79% of employees cite a “lack of appreciation” as a reason for quitting their job (People Insight, 2025).

Poor Customer Experience: A disengaged workforce often provides lower-quality service, directly impacting customer satisfaction and potentially leading to lost business (Ten Space, April 2025).

Increased Absenteeism and Conflict: Disconnected teams can lead to communication breakdowns, misunderstandings, and a rise in unplanned absences (Ten Space, April 2025).

Why Communication Is the Core Issue

The core of this issue often lies in communication. While platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom facilitate virtual meetings, they can sometimes foster a transactional environment, diminishing the “human touch” that builds genuine connection (Start Within, February 2025). Managers, in particular, face the challenge of providing clear goals, regular feedback, and fostering an inclusive environment when their team members are spread across different locations and working patterns. In fact, 41% of managers struggle to manage remote teams as effectively as those in an office (StandOut CV, June 2025).

The Manager’s Role in Bridging the Hybrid Divide

This is where proactive managerial connection becomes paramount. Managers are the linchpin in ensuring hybrid teams remain cohesive, motivated, and productive. They need to:

Prioritise Communication & Collaboration: Beyond formal meetings, managers need to create channels for informal interaction, knowledge sharing, and consistent feedback.

Foster a Sense of Belonging: Ensuring all team members, regardless of their location, feel valued, heard, and part of the wider company vision is vital. Only 37% of employees feel they can bring their authentic selves to work (Business Reporter, February 2024).

Focus on Outcomes, Not Just Presence: Trusting employees to deliver results, rather than micromanaging their hours, is a key indicator of supportive hybrid management.

Gauge it: A Tool for Connected Leadership

Enter Gauge it, a Teams application which is empowering Managers to bridge the divide and navigate the hybrid landscape. Seamlessly integrating with Microsoft Teams, Gauge it provides managers with the tools to maintain a consistent feedback loop and understand the pulse of their team.

Here’s how Gauge.it can transform manager-team connection:

Pulse Checks and Sentiment Analysis: Gauge it offers tools to regularly capture and analyse employee sentiment anonymously. This encourages honest feedback without fear of repercussions, providing managers with invaluable, actionable insights into team morale, workload, and potential issues before they escalate.

De-stigmatised Review Process: By offering an anonymous channel, Gauge it helps to normalise and de-stigmatise the feedback process, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Data Visualisation for Actionable Insights: The app provides a dashboard view for managers, allowing them to visualise feedback data and track trends over time. This empowers them to identify patterns, address concerns proactively, and tailor their support to individual and team needs.

Improved Employee Wellbeing: By enabling regular, anonymous feedback, Gauge it helps managers to monitor employee wellbeing, a critical factor given that nearly two-thirds of UK employees are showing signs of burnout (Corporate Modelling, May 2025).

Seamless Integration: As a Microsoft Teams App, Gauge it fits directly into existing workflows, making it easy for both managers and employees to adopt and use.

Why Connected Managers Are the Future of UK Business Success

In a hybrid working world where flexibility is a must-have for attracting and retaining talent (70% of respondents in a recent UK survey indicated hybrid working as the most important factor when considering a new job, Pratap Partnership), investing in tools that empower managers to stay deeply connected to their teams is no longer optional. It’s a strategic imperative for productivity, retention, and overall business success in the UK. Apps like Gauge it provide the technological backbone for managers to build bridges, not just across physical distances, but across the vital human connections that drive a thriving workforce.

Download Gauge it for free and grow connections with your team today- Business Apps – Microsoft AppSource

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How Microsoft’s Power Platform Can Drive Workflow Automation

Flyte Team — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:26:30 +0000

In today’s fast-paced business environment, organisations are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. One powerful tool that can help achieve these goals is the Microsoft Power Platform – a unified platform of low-code tools that spans across Microsoft 365.

By adopting the Power Platform, companies can automate workflows, enhance process efficiency, and ultimately drive better business outcomes through the suite of applications, connectors, and data platforms (Dataverse / SharePoint) that provides a comprehensive solution for business automation. It includes Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages and CoPilot Studio, each designed to address specific needs within an organisation.

The Power of Low-Code Solutions

Digital transformation is a critical initiative for many organisations, but it often comes with significant challenges. The Power Platform offers a powerful solution to address these challenges and drive successful digital transformation.

1. Budget Constraints

Budget constraints can be a significant roadblock for businesses when it comes to digital transformation. Limited financial resources can restrict the ability to invest in advanced technology, software, and infrastructure. The Power Platform provides a cost-effective solution by enabling user to build applications and automate processes without the need for extensive coding skills. This reduces development costs and improves return on investment (ROI).

2. Time and Resource Constraints

Businesses often have competing priorities and limited staff, making it difficult to allocate dedicated resources for digital initiatives. The Power Platform enables rapid application development, allowing organisations to quickly build and deploy solutions. With pre-built templates, drag-and-drop interfaces, and reusable components, the Power Platform significantly reduces development time. This agility is crucial for organisations looking to stay competitive and respond swiftly to changing market demands.

3. Security and Compliance

Digital transformation often involves adopting new technologies, which can introduce new vulnerabilities and increase the attack surface. The Power Platform integrates seamlessly with Microsoft’s security and compliance frameworks, ensuring that your applications and data are protected. This integration helps organisations meet regulatory requirements and mitigate security risks, providing peace of mind as they embark on their digital transformation journey.

4. Paper Processes

Paper processes slow down business growth and make data less accessible. The Power Platform enables organisations to digitise paper-based systems and automate repetitive tasks. For example, Power Automate can be used to create workflows that replace manual, paper-based approval processes with automated digital workflows. This not only speeds up processes but also improves data accessibility and reduces the risk of errors.

5. Complex Processes

Complexity within existing business processes can be a significant hurdle when implementing digital solutions. These complexities may arise from outdated legacy systems, intricate workflows, or non-standardised processes. The Power Platform provides tools like Power Apps and Power Automate to simplify and streamline these processes. By creating custom applications and automated workflows, organisations can reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and enhance overall process management.

How could this benefit your organisation

Replacing Excel Workflows

The Power Platform can significantly enhance and replace outdated Excel workflows by offering more robust, scalable, and efficient solutions.

While Excel is versatile, it often becomes cumbersome with large datasets or complex workflows. Power BI provides advanced data visualisation and real-time dashboards, offering deeper insights than static spreadsheets.

Power Apps allows for the creation of custom applications tailored to specific business needs, eliminating Excel’s limitations and integrating seamlessly with other systems for consistent and accessible data. Power Automate automates repetitive tasks, reducing manual effort and errors, and freeing up time for strategic activities. Overall, the Power Platform modernises workflows, driving greater efficiency and productivity.

Power Apps for capturing and inputting data, Power Automate for streamlining and automating workflows and data, and Power BI for visualising data in a clear and insightful way.

Moving Away from Legacy Access Databases

Similarly, Power Apps can be used to create custom applications that replace legacy systems like Access databases. With Power Apps, you can build tailored solutions that meet your specific business needs, without the limitations of traditional database applications. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances the user experience.

For instance, a company might use an Access database to manage customer information. By migrating this data to a Power App, the company can create a more user-friendly interface, integrate with other systems, and enable mobile access. This transition can streamline operations, reduce maintenance costs, and improve data accessibility.

Automating Workflows with Power Automate

One of the most significant benefits of the Power Platform is its ability to automate workflows. Power Automate allows you to create automated processes that can handle repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for your employees to focus on more strategic activities. Whether it’s automating approval processes, data entry, or notifications, Power Automate can significantly reduce manual effort and minimise errors.

For example, an organisation might use Power Automate to streamline its invoice approval process. Instead of manually routing invoices for approval, Power Automate can automatically send invoices to the appropriate approvers, track the status of each invoice, and send reminders for pending approvals. This automation not only speeds up the process but also ensures that no invoices are overlooked.

Enhancing Customer Engagement with Copilot Studio

Customer engagement is another area where the Power Platform can make a substantial impact. Copilot Studio enables you to create intelligent chatbots that can handle customer inquiries, provide support, and even assist with sales. These chatbots can be integrated into your existing systems, ensuring a seamless experience for your customers and improving overall satisfaction.

For instance, a company might use Copilot Studio to create a chatbot that answers frequently asked questions, schedules appointments, or provides product recommendations. This not only enhances the customer experience but also reduces the workload on customer service representatives.

Getting Started with the Power Platform

Adopting the Power Platform can transform the way your organisation operates. Here are some steps to get started:

Identify Key Areas for Improvement: Begin by identifying the areas within your organisation where automation and process efficiency can have the most significant impact. This could be anything from data management to customer engagement.
Engage Stakeholders: Involve key stakeholders in the decision-making process to ensure that the solutions you implement align with your organisation’s goals and objectives.
Start Small: Begin with a pilot project to test the capabilities of the Power Platform and demonstrate its value to your organisation. This could be as simple as automating a single workflow or creating a basic app.
Scale Up: Once you have successfully implemented your pilot project, you can scale up your efforts and explore additional use cases for the Power Platform.

Conclusion

Adopting the Power Platform can transform the way your organisation operates. By replacing outdated tools like Excel and Access, automating workflows, and enhancing customer engagement, you can drive significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. The Power Platform is not just a set of tools; it’s a strategic investment that can help your organisation stay competitive in an ever-evolving business landscape.

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Unlock the Power of Third-Party Apps in Microsoft Teams

Flyte Team — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:59:32 +0000

Are you looking to supercharge your team’s productivity and collaboration?

Microsoft Teams offers a vast ecosystem of third-party apps that can streamline your workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and enhance your team’s capabilities.

In this “Getting Started” campaign, we’ll guide you through the process of discovering, installing, and leveraging these powerful apps.

Step 1: Explore AppSource within Microsoft Teams

To access AppSource, click on the “Apps” icon in the left sidebar of your Teams interface. Here, you’ll find a curated list of popular apps as well as the option to search for specific apps or categories.

Step 2: Find the Right Apps for Your Team

Take some time to explore AppSource and identify apps that align with your team’s needs and workflows. Read the app descriptions, reviews, and ratings to get a better understanding of their functionality and compatibility with your team’s processes.

Step 3: Install and Configure Apps

Once you’ve identified the apps you want to use, installing them is a breeze. Simply click on the app listing, and follow the prompts to add it to your Teams environment. Some apps may require additional configuration or permissions, but Teams will guide you through the process.

Step 4: Integrate Apps into Your Channels and Workflows

After installing the apps, you can integrate them into your team channels, chats, and workflows. Many apps offer commands, bots, or tabs that can be added directly to your channels, enabling seamless collaboration and access to their features.

Conclusion: By embracing third-party apps in Microsoft Teams, you’ll unlock a world of possibilities for streamlining your workflows, automating tasks, and fostering better collaboration within your team.

View our latest app whisper it on AppSource.

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Check.it is now Available on Microsoft AppSource and Teams Store

Alasdair Gauld — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:59:01 +0000

Flyte, today announced the availability of Check.it on Microsoft AppSource, an online cloud marketplace providing tailored line-of-business solutions as well as directly through Microsoft Teams.

Flyte are here to guide customers on their digital journey, empowering people and elevating organisations through innovative technology-based solutions.

Check.it is a solution developed to enhance collaboration, consistency, and productivity within organisations. By enabling users to create templated checklists for Business Processes such as onboarding and training, Check.it ensures process is followed consistently and progress is visible to all. As an app developed for Microsoft Teams, Check.it checklists can be shared with users through chats, groups and channels.

Check.it is the latest of Flyte’s Microsoft Teams apps and joins:

Gauge.it – An Employee Wellbeing app, enabling employees to share critical, anonymous feedback about their day and overall morale with Team leadership. Gauge.it creates a safe platform for staff to communicate and an opportunity for leaders to gather and act upon critical insights to help their employees thrive.

And,

Ask.it – A Teams meeting app enabling meeting organizers to ask attendees structured questions throughout a meeting, capturing anonymous responses in their Ask.it dashboard. Ask.it enables meeting organisers to gain actionable insights into questions and topics and is perfect for meetings of all sizes.

Alasdair Gauld, Chief Executive Officer, Flyte said, “We are really excited to be releasing our Check.it solution on Microsoft AppSource and Teams Store. The solution is the third in our suite of SaaS products after Gauge.it and Ask.it, all aimed at providing innovative and effective tools for organisations using Microsoft Teams.”

Giovanni Mezgec, Vice President, Modern Work + Business Applications Field & Partner Marketing, Microsoft Corp. said, “We’re happy to welcome Check.it to Microsoft AppSource and the Teams Store, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Microsoft AppSource offers partner solutions such as Check.it from Flyte to help customers meet their needs faster.”

Flyte are a Microsoft 365 specialist and Software Development company focused on delivering creative and effective technology-based solutions to a global customer base, across a breadth of industries and sectors.

The journey to Flyte started in 2012 as Cloud Cover IT, an IT Managed Services provider, with a mission to empower organisations through technology across the central belt of Scotland, UK. In 2016 we became a Microsoft Gold Partner with the strategic ambition to become the leading Microsoft Consultancy practice in Scotland, known for leveraging the Microsoft technology stack to empower business.

Alongside our Microsoft Solution Partner status, we leverage additional key vendor and channel partnerships which all contribute to our mission of empowering business through technology.

Our growth has been, and continues to be, driven by our values:

We act with integrity, always.

We treat people with respect in all dealings.

We inspire curiosity and harness innovation.

We seek continuous improvement.

We strive for excellence.

We are proud to support customers across Private, Public and Third Sectors through various industry verticals and across many geographical borders. Our teams operate with customers front of mind, and strive to add maximum value as a trusted technology partner.

Flyte. Empowering people, Elevating organisations.

For more information, press only:

Alasdair Gauld, Flyte, +44 (0)141 280 2882, sales@flyte.cloud

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Cloud Cover IT is now Flyte

Flyte Team — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 15:28:59 +0000

The last few months have been full of exciting news and developments for us. As you may recall, in May, Cloud Clover IT became part of the Microsoft ISV Success Program, strengthening our commitment to bringing people and technology together to drive business efficiencies.

For those who don’t know, the Cloud Cover IT journey started in 2012 as an IT Managed Services provider, with a mission to empower organisations through technology across the central belt of Scotland, UK. In 2016 we became a Microsoft Gold Partner with the strategic ambition to become the leading Microsoft Consultancy practice in Scotland, known for leveraging the Microsoft technology stack to empower business.

As opportunities with Microsoft and the Modern Workspace have continued to grow, we wanted to create a brand which would be recognisable on a global platform to continue our journey as a market leader in cloud technology solutions, M365 consultancy and Support. As the next chapter in our journey unfolds, our products and developments will now be managed under our new brand identity, Flyte.

You’ll start to notice our new name and logos throughout our apps and communications. Our solution websites will soon change over to include our new Flyte logo:

gaugeitteams.com
checkitteams.com
askitteams.com
spteams365.com

The URL of our products will remain the same, and you will see no significant changes in our process and management. Our products and services will only get better from here, starting with a simple aesthetic evolution to Flyte as we aim to build awareness for the brand across the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace and more.

Our Managed Service side of the business has its own exciting news, it’s been acquired by Aspire Technology Solutions, a leading technology company headquartered in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. Aspire is among the UK’s largest and fastest-growing Managed Service and Cyber Security Providers, with a dedicated team of over 250 experts, serving more than 1,700 customers.

For us, that being investment through our joint venture with the Aspire Group, brings a wealth of resources and expertise that will play a pivotal role in shaping our future growth

We thank you for your commitment and we are so excited to have you onboard for the Flyte journey.

Thanks,
The Flyte Team

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How to Improve Employee Wellbeing with gauge.it

Flyte — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Employee wellbeing has become a hot topic in recent years, with staff members increasingly prioritising their own wellbeing. A recent study confirmed that 77% of employees would consider leaving a company that doesn’t focus on wellbeing, and 83% of employees believe that their wellbeing is just as important as their salary. To avoid high staff turnover, it is essential that leadership also prioritise employee wellbeing.

However, many organisations are struggling to implement employee wellbeing initiatives, particularly when employees are based in different locations. When employees are working remotely, it can be difficult to remain connected and monitor the morale within the team. Failing to take action can result in serious consequences, including disengaged employees, widespread low morale, and increased absence rates.

Our app gauge.it was created to overcome this challenge and offer organisations a simple, user-friendly solution. Available on Microsoft Teams, gauge.it helps foster employee wellbeing by helping leaders stay connected to their employees, regardless of location. It empowers employees by giving them the ability to share how they are feeling openly and honestly on a daily basis, providing leaders with valuable insight into team morale and wellbeing.

Our Head of Technology, Alasdair Gauld, recently hosted a webinar discussing the importance of employee wellbeing and demonstrating how gauge.it can help improve it. You can watch the full video below:

If you have any questions regarding any of the topics discussed during the webinar, please feel free to email sales@cloudcoverit.co.uk .

We are currently offering a 30-day free trial of gauge.it. Simply visit www.gaugeitteams.com to get started!

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A New Focus on Employee Wellbeing; Cloud Cover IT Announces the Launch of gauge.it for Microsoft Teams

Flyte — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 12:01:44 +0000

Scottish Digital Transformation company Cloud Cover IT has announced the official launch of their gauge.it application for Microsoft Teams.

gauge.it creates a safe space for employees to communicate important aspects of their wellbeing safely and anonymously, giving leadership critical insights into employee morale – all within Microsoft Teams, the most used business communication platform with over 270 million users. gauge.it allows business leaders to automatically send a daily card to their team allowing them to rate their day by selecting the emoji that best represents their mood and adding an optional, anonymous comment. The power of the system is in providing leadership with a simple breakdown of the team’s input, allowing changes and trends in morale to be identified within localised and remote teams.

“The concept of gauge.it was created in 2021 as we were finding it increasingly difficult to monitor the wellbeing of the team, who had moved from office-based working to working from home.” Cloud Cover IT’s Head of Digital Transformation Alasdair Gauld explains. “We recognised the consequences that can result from employees feeling isolated and wanted to create a simple solution that would allow us to remain connected to our team, regardless of their location. Since the launch of an early version of gauge.it, we have received excellent feedback from leadership teams who report feeling more connected to their employees and see real value from daily reporting revealing trends in wellbeing across their team. With this full version release, we are excited that gauge.it now has more powerful reporting and new tools to assess employee morale.”

“Through Microsoft AppSource, customers around the world can easily find tailored line-of-business partner solutions that work with the products they already use,” said Toby Bowers, General Manager, Business Applications Group, Microsoft Corp. “We’re happy to welcome Cloud Cover IT’s solution to the growing AppSource ecosystem.”

Established in Glasgow in 2012, Cloud Cover IT empowers clients worldwide with innovative IT solutions that allow them to improve productivity, efficiency, and collaboration through technology. The company has two apps available within the Microsoft Teams App Store and Microsoft AppSource: gauge.it and check.it. To learn more about gauge.it, visit www.gaugeit.co.uk .

Watch the short video below to see gauge.it in action:

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Celebrating 10 Years of Cloud Cover IT: an Interview with Lance Gauld

Flyte — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:07:52 +0000

Cloud Cover IT is celebrating it’s 10^th birthday in April 2022. To mark the occasion, Marketing Coordinator Emma Peters caught up with Founder and Managing Director Lance Gauld.

Congratulations on Cloud Cover IT’s 10^th birthday! How do you feel about reaching a decade of Cloud Cover IT?

Distinctly older! I never considered when we started up 10 years ago that we would be sitting with over 35 staff now. I still get up in the morning excited to go to work because there are always interesting things going on. Of course, with everything, there can still be bad days, but most of the time it’s still very interesting and I can see that we are still growing. I didn’t expect it to be like this 10 years ago if I’m honest I’m still a bit surprised!

Has it been a quick 10 years?

It has rocketed by! There have been so many adventures, work and personal. So much has happened in the last 10 years, so I can’t complain, it has gone in a blink of an eye.

In 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped off a balloon 13 miles above the earth , Tim Cook was taking the reins at Apple and, we were excited about the iPhone 5 (Actually the best iPhone ever) and, Microsoft launched Windows8.Tech moves quickly, how would you say Cloud Cover IT has evolved through the 10 years and how have you adapted to changes?

As with everything we have had to adapt very quickly to change. It is interesting though, when you go back and look at 2012, 2002, or 1992, the actual way of doing things hasn’t changed as much as it has changed in the last two years. The last 10 years have of course been very important, but the last two years have been extremely important.

One thing we like to say here at CCIT is that we are the best at the ‘human part of IT’. What does this mean to you?

That means that we try to talk in plain English to our customers. I wasn’t brought up with IT, I got into it at 22/23 and had to learn it in plain English, ergo I find it easier to talk to people about the benefits of what IT does, rather than talking about RAMs, Chips etc. That has really helped us, the ethos of talk in plain English to people, don’t hide behind the scientific talk. Don’t try to bamboozle clients, speak to them in a way everyone will understand.

What are your proudest achievements from the last 10 years?

Bringing my son Alasdair into the business has been fantastic. The pride and fear of being responsible for 35 people’s livelihoods. I feel proud that we help people provide for their families, as family is very important to me. The achievements of March 2020, the challenge of helping 3000 – 4000 people work from home was immense, as was the amount of work we put in. We helped companies across many of the key industries during the pandemic.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learnt?

It’s not what you know, it is who you know and how you make use of your contacts. It’s also employing the right people, I don’t get involved in the tech anymore, I am reliant on my team. It’s building teams and getting people to work together that’s the biggest lesson. Probably before 10 years passed, everything used to just be me, but now I’ve realized I have to share – and I’m not good at sharing my toys!

Even after 10 years, you still always say that you are excited to come to work everyday. Why do you think this is/what motivates you?

My passions are adrenaline sports – motor racing, racing mountain bikes. I classify managing the business as another adrenaline support. I’ve always got goals, I’ve always got achievements, I am quite ambitious. These three areas mean it’s an extension of leisure for me.

We’ve discussed how the tech industry has changed; how do you think it will continue to change?

The six-million-dollar question! Will it carry on with its concentration on home working? I think for better or worse, there will be more telemetry based on how well people are working, both from office or home-based solutions. It does concern me that a ‘big brother is watching you element’ may be coming into it, which has to be pushed back against, but other than that I think it will be more of the same. More hybrid working, more making systems integrated. One day you will be able to send your car to the shops and get your messages for you – we can’t be far from that! I think there will be a lot more integration between our IT and the rest of our living.

Are there any exciting projects that CCIT is working on right now (that you can tell us about)?

Yes, there are various projects. We are working hard on ISO27001 to enable us to get into more government-related projects. We’re also being asked to do things that are going to be very exciting for the future, our clientele is getting bigger and bigger. We love having the personal touch with our smaller clients, but the reality is there are a lot of bigger clients coming along the road. We are looking at other developments, especially into 2023, that will allow the company to grow.

Where would you like CCIT to be in 10 years’ time?

Barbados!

I second that.

It seems reasonable! I think we will evolve into two separate organisations, with the software side of things and the infrastructure side of things. We will grow those two sides of the businesses together and separately.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to join the tech industry today?

There are so many different areas in tech that you can try to specialize in. You’ve got to be forward-thinking about what area you would like to specialize in – communications is always going to be very important, software development is important. In our industry, we need more and more people to come from schools. We would love to be more closely connected to schools and universities to show people what real life is like as people come out of university using software that is 3 – 4 years old, rather than being more cutting edge. It would be great to see more young people coming into the industry with cutting edge experience.

Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your clients?

Thank you for everything and all the support you have given us. Without the clients, we would not be here. Mostly we’ve had good times, but there have been some tough times and clients have had some tough problems to solve. It’s great that they’ve stuck with us through the good and bad times. We have a lot of clients that were with us 10 years ago, and it’s great to see them still there. Personally, some of the clients have worked with me for over 30 years and are into the third generation of the family business. I started working with the grandfather and it’s now the grandchild I’m working with! That’s exciting and interesting. We are a family business and it’s nice to see other family businesses do well. We’ve been lucky enough to grow alongside our clients.

View Lance’s message to clients and colleagues below:

Cloud Cover IT is on LinkedIn, follow us here.

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Cloud Cover IT Announces the Appointment of Owen Smith as Sales & Marketing Director

Flyte — Tue, 03 May 2022 12:10:19 +0000

Cloud Cover IT are delighted to appoint Owen Smith to the newly created role of Sales & Marketing Director. Owen joined Cloud Cover IT as Sales Manager 18 months ago, having previously worked in the IT & Digital Apprenticeships space. Owen will work alongside the Cloud Cover IT leadership team including Lance Gauld, Managing Director, and Steven Turner, Group Commercial Director.

Commenting on the new role appointment, Steven said: “I am delighted to see Owen take on this new role heading up the Sales and Marketing activity of Cloud Cover IT. In the time since he joined us, the company has seen record growth, and clients are seeing the value of having a partner for their own digital journey. Owen has been central to crafting and leading that message and there is no one better suited to accelerate our future growth.”

Owen added “I feel privileged to be part of one of Scotland’s most exciting IT companies, where I get to work with great customers and hugely talented colleagues every day. My new role represents another growth opportunity for me personally, and I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to ensure we continue to strengthen our service offering and empower more organisations with technology solutions.”

Cloud Cover IT is a Glasgow based Digital solutions business. They have been a Microsoft Gold Partner since 2016 and have previously been recognised as Scottish Scale up of the year.

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