One of the themes at Microsoft’s Ignite conference in 2020 was empowerment. Out of all the products in the Microsoft stack, personally I do not think there is one that deserves this title more than Power BI.

The public release of Power BI five years ago shook the world of data analytics. It made business intelligence affordable and approachable for all, no matter size from one person operations to fortune 500 companies.

It has been great watching Power BI develop from not much more than an excel skin to a fully featured cloud data analytics tool and the journey doesn’t stop there. Every month Microsoft release an update and without fail, there’s always something new to empower decision making through using data intelligently.

Empowering individuals

Power BI empowers individuals by allowing them to take back control of their data. No longer do users have to contact IT professionals to make changes. Basing decisions on incomplete information can be as bad as basing it on information that is wrong, and Power BI helps to stop this from happening.

Here are some of the features that allow individuals to be more agile and empower their decision making:

• Self-Service Analytics: Power BI desktop’s intuitive user interface lets users with little experience build their own dashboards and add missing pieces in minutes to suit their own needs.

• Data Flows: Data Flows is one of the relatively new features. It allows users to mashup multiple data sets to compare and contrast then develop an integrated report.

• Question and Answer: Question and Answer uses Microsoft cognitive services. It is able to understand the English language. All you need to do is ask it a question and it will show you what you’ve asked for, building the element into the report for you.

Empowering teams

The big difference between Power BI and other data analytics tools is that it encourages collaboration between team members; much like the other Microsoft applications and tools. Once a report and published to a workspace, anyone in that workspace can view, modify, and transform the report and can build their own report based the data presented.

This allows a team to all piece together their own insights and, therefore, empowering the team to make smarter decisions.

Empowering organisations

Traditionally business intelligence wasn’t readily available to SME’s due to the high cost of the software and the need for IT professionals to configure, maintain and manage the reporting infrastructure. This led to large amounts of time and money being invested before getting a single report. With Power BI, the entire estate is managed in the cloud.  There’s no costly infrastructure to be maintained by IT professionals as it’s per user licence, so you can buy as many or as few as you’d like and only roll out Power BI fully once you know it’s right for you.    

Are you ready to empower your teams using data? Watch the recording from the Lunch and Learn on YouTube here.

The post Power BI: Does your data empower your team? appeared first on Flyte.

The way we work has changed. From being in a physical workspace with colleagues to working remotely, creating home offices. It is not without its issues. The speed at which we moved to home working was sure to throw some curve balls – collaboration, reporting and informing staff.

Keeping up with project management, tracking data and analysis had, for many, become chaotic and scattered. At Cloud Cover we recognised some, if not all our clients had been affected by this. So, we are accelerating the shift to a data driven culture and hope to inspire and assist our clients to do the same.

Utilising Power BI, we have migrated our data to the platform which allows up to build tailored dashboards to keep up to date and make informed decisions based on real time data and insights. With this insight, our team can collaborate on reports and identify key areas of improvement, working together to get the job done.

Traditionally, businesses reported data on Excel and many still do but without that physical presence to get fully involved with the spreadsheet, it can throw a spanner in the works. Power BI eliminates this. It is easy to set up, user friendly and you can personalise it to fit your needs to get those meaningful insights without digging.

So Why Choose Power BI over spreadsheets?

1. Visualise your data

One of the standout features of Power BI is the ability to transform data into visually pleasing and consumable graphics. Charts, images, and graphs can tell you in real time how the data is performing. The dashboards are completely customisable to the needs of the organisation, team, or department, helping to inform the decision-making process.

2. Collaboration

Power Bi allows users to share reports with anyone in the organisation and allow multiple users to work on the same report or create new reports off the existing data sets while ensuring the data is secure. You can add Power BI reports to Teams. The integration into everyone’s workflow means teams can start discussions about the data no matter where they are working.

3. Mobile

Whether you are in the office, home or even the coffee shop you can securely access and view your reports and dashboards with applications for Windows, Android and IOS devices. This enables the user to annotate, comment, and share reports on the move.

4. Automation

 The automation ability within Power BI can transform your data and help the user to build the report once. After this, a schedule can be set for the report to refresh and get the latest data. Allowing hours of time to be saved each week as you no longer need to search for this month’s data or wait for someone else to finish what they are working on to put data from a single source.

5. Self Service

Power BI follows the same principals as the rest of the Power platform with no-code to low-code. This allows anyone of any skill level to jump straight in and build or modify reports. Eliminating the need for specialised staff or resources compared to traditional BI reporting tools.

Do you want to know more about how Power BI can transform your business? Watch the recording from the Lunch and Learn on YouTube here.

If you’d like to know more information regarding the webinar or any service, please contact Caitlyn Gillespie or call us on 0141 280 2882.

The post Power BI: So much data, so little insight? appeared first on Flyte.

Looking for help with Microsoft Teams? Then look no further than our new series of Teams webinar videos, available now on the Cloud Cover IT YouTube channel.

Aimed at all ability levels, this series of webinars will help you to realise the full potential of Microsoft Teams and the wider Microsoft suite – and learn how these innovative, accessible, and user-friendly platforms can tangibly improve your workflow, as well as improve your ability to communicate and collaborate.

Read on for a description of the key topics covered in each webinar and a link to the corresponding video.

1) Getting started with Microsoft Teams

This webinar explains how to:

• Log on to Teams
• Navigate all the menus in Teams
• Create a team
• Add users
• Add a channel
• Set up a video meeting

2) How to collaborate In Teams

This tutorial explains how to:

• Share documents in a Team channel and a private chat
• Collaborate on documents
• Use Microsoft OneDrive
• Integrate Teams with SharePoint sites

3) Integration with Teams

This tutorial explains how to:

• Integrate Teams with Microsoft Power Automate (previously known as Microsoft Flow) and other standard applications
• Report on your data with Microsoft Power BI
• Set up a workflow with Power Automate
• Add Zoom into Teams

Take your learning to the next level

If you would prefer a more bespoke tutorial, our Cloud Development team can conduct a private webinar to walk you and your team through your platform of choice at your own pace, in line with your specific needs and goals. This will showcase how the solution can directly relate to your day-to-day workflow and deliver real value for your organisation.

Keep an eye on our social channels for updates on future free webinars.

For more information or to set up private tutorials for your team, please contact Alasdair Gauld or call us on 0141 280 2882.

The post Microsoft Teams webinars now LIVE on YouTube appeared first on Flyte.

With many of us now working from home, digital solutions which enable remote working are becoming increasingly fundamental in keeping us connected and productive. As Microsoft Gold Partners, we have a wealth of knowledge in Teams, SharePoint and Power BI, utilising them within our own workforce as well as integrating them into our clients’ operations. Now, we are keen to share that expertise with businesses that need it.

Platform Immersion Webinars on Microsoft Teams, Office 365, Power BI and more

Whether your team has been using Microsoft solutions for a while but need a refresher, or they are completely new to you – we can help! To share our expertise and help you to realise the full potential of these products, our Head of Cloud Development Alasdair and his team will be leading a series of Platform Immersion Webinars, accessible online for FREE.

Each webinar will focus on a single platform within the Microsoft stack, with participants invited to explore a demo-version of the application in action. Populated with data, documents and personas, these demo-versions represent a virtual ‘sandbox’ – an open, interactive environment in which participants can explore and discover the strengths of the platform. The Seminar leader will prompt discussion and offer tutorials throughout each session, allowing participants to learn hands-on how the platform can offer tangible benefits to communication, collaboration and productivity.

Personalised training

If a more bespoke tutorial would be preferred, Alasdair and the team can conduct a private Webinar to walk you and your team through the relevant platform at your own pace, in line with your specific needs and goals. This will showcase how the solution can directly relate to your day-to-day workflow and deliver real value for your organisation.

Keep an eye on our social channels for updates. For more information or to set up private tutorials for your team, please contact Alasdair Gauld or call us on 0141 280 2882.

Our free webinar sessions:

Below is a description of each of the scheduled Platform Immersion Webinars. You can sign up to one or more of these sessions using the form at the bottom of this page.

1. Getting Started with Microsoft Teams

Time: 12:00 (noon)
Date: Tuesday 7 April
Duration: 15 mins

• The right licence for you
• Back to basics: How to set up a meeting
• Q&A session

2. Teams and Office 365: the bigger picture

Time: 12:00 (noon)
Date: Wednesday 8 April
Duration: 30 mins

• A brief overview of the Office 365 ecosystem
• OneDrive – You personal storage on the Cloud
• SharePoint – Migrating your data
• Planner – Keeping track of your project & Agile Methodology
• Teams – Promote and manage collaboration
• Q&A session

3. How to collaborate on Teams

Time: 12:00 (noon)
Date: Thursday 9 April
Duration: 30 mins

• Sharing documents in a Team channel
• Sharing documents in a chat
• What happens when I create a new Team – SharePoint Sites
• Collaborating on documents
• Q&A session

4. Integration with Teams

Time: 12:00 (noon)
Date: Friday 10 April
Duration: 30 mins

• Standard applications that integrate with Teams
• Power Automate – setting up workflows
• PowerBi – Reporting on your data
• Integrating Zoom with Teams
• Q&A session

Missed our webinars?

No problem – you can catch up here.

The post Free webinars for Microsoft Teams, Office 365 and more appeared first on Flyte.