PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
Circle Cloud sales and marketing director Andrew Ballantyne ( left ) and technical director Tom Roberton ( right ) with BTS Facades and Fabrications directors Phil and Marcia Atkinson .
ON CLOUD NINE
Aycliffe firm delighted with IT firm ’ s service
BY DAVE ROBSON
First-class service and security as standard – that ’ s what IT specialist Circle Cloud has pledged to keep giving an Aycliffe Business Park client .
Stockton-based Circle Cloud may be 15 miles from the park but for the past year , it has looked after the IT and phone requirements of BTS Facades and Fabrications .
And for both parties , that 15-mile distance isn ’ t an issue because robust systems are in place and even if something needs attention , most things can be quickly resolved remotely .
Founded in 2013 , Microsoft Cloud expert Circle Cloud specialises in cyber security focused IT support for SMEs .
From its base in Stockton ’ s Fusion Hive – coincidentally , a building BTS installed the window pods on – Circle Cloud works with medium to large SMEs to provide general IT support , a comprehensive cyber security programme and excellent customer service . For BTS , Circle Cloud manages its IT and security needs , and recently installed a Microsoft Teams-based phone system .
The Aycliffe firm benefits from the quarterly account management reviews , as they make space to allow everything is working as it should be .
And that arrangement , says BTS MD Phil Atkinson , is perfect for his firm , which now employs around 50 people and is turning over nearly £ 10m a year .
Phil explained how his business teamed up with Circle Cloud after a referral from Nicky
Jolley of HR2day .
Having dabbled with employing someone to look after their IT , they instead opted to outsource and use Circle Cloud – and , says Phil , it ’ s proved the right decision .
He told Aycliffe Business : “ Nicky recommended the guys , they came over and we were impressed straight away .
“ We asked some questions about service level agreements , we talked about how quick response times were going to be and we had a little trial as well .
“ I ’ m old school and if I can ’ t get the screen to work , I want someone from IT to help me quickly – and that ’ s what we get .
“ We ’ re a busy and growing company – if we take someone in , I know for a fact these guys will set them up , sort their hardware , give them an email address so when they start at their desk on the Monday , they will have all the kit , ready to start their jobs .
“ This also goes into other areas of the business where we have specialist softwares such as the barrier system , or someone who can come in and help with development work .
“ I have already recommended them on Linkedin several times . I wouldn ’ t do that if I didn ’ t have confidence in them .”
Phil ’ s wife Marcia , the company ’ s finance director , agrees . She said : “ I don ’ t want to have to take a ticket and wait for someone to ring me back .
“ They resolve any issue without taking ages and really know what they ’ re talking about , too .”
Circle Cloud technical director Tom Roberton , who co-founded the business with commercial director Michael Povey , says it ’ s all about getting the basics right .
“ We want businesses with under 100 employees to recognise Circle Cloud as the company that has packages specifically designed for organisations of this size .
“ We solve two core issues for these companies - we fix their issues quickly and we have a standardised cyber security offering that requires no decision making or knowledge from the customer .”
Sales and marketing director Andy Ballantyne said customers like BTS are a perfect ‘ fit ’ for Circle Cloud .
He added : “ BTS are investors in quality – you can see from their building . So as part of that commitment to investment in quality and improvement , we were brought in because we offer a dedicated service to SMEs , focusing on cyber security and service quality .”
And with eight employees at Circle Cloud and ambitions to grow , it ’ s hoped more business park clients could follow .
Andy added : “ BTS is a big brand in the area and the perfect customer for us in terms of medium-large business . It ’ s just the right profile in terms of what we offer .”
Visit circlecloud . co . uk
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 17