FEATURE
Partnership – Circle Cloud director Tomas Roberton, second left, and business development manager James Whitehead, far right, with members of the Rounton Coffee Roasters team.
THE PERFECT BLEND
Coffee firm thrilled with Circle Cloud’ s IT service
WORDS: DAVE ROBSON PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
When well-known North Yorkshire firm Rounton Coffee Roasters wanted to strengthen its cybersecurity, Teesside expert Circle Cloud offered exactly what it needed.
In the words of Rounton founder and director, Teessider David Beattie:“ We roast coffee; we don’ t specialise in cyber defence.”
And in Circle Cloud, Rounton has found a managed IT partner whose security package, designed specifically for SMEs, has proved the perfect fit.
From its base in Stockton’ s Fusion Hive, Circle Cloud works closely with growing businesses to provide IT support, a comprehensive cybersecurity package and excellent customer service.
A trusted Microsoft specialist, Circle Cloud is currently supporting more than 100 SMEs with their IT needs – and the number keeps growing.
And teaming up with Rounton is another sign that SMEs are happy to put their trust in Circle Cloud – two growing North-East brands working closely together.
Explaining the decision to choose Circle Cloud, David told Tees Business:“ They
Smell the coffee – Tom and James inside the Rounton operation. stood out because they understood the seriousness of what we were trying to solve.
“ They didn’ t try to frighten us with technical jargon or sell us tools we didn’ t need. They listened, they reassured and gave us a clear, practical plan for improving our security posture.
“ What I appreciated most was how down to earth they were. It felt like talking to people, not consultants. They were honest about where we were vulnerable and equally honest about how they could help. That built a lot of trust early on.”
Circle Cloud now handles the cybersecurity side of Rounton’ s IT, as well as offering day-to-day support and Microsoft 365 management.
David said:“ They’ ve put in place proper security measures – things we simply didn’ t have the knowledge or time to set up ourselves – and they monitor everything in the background to spot issues before they become problems. The relationship works really well.
“ They’ re responsive, easy to talk to and explain things in a way that makes sense. It genuinely feels like they’ ve taken a weight off our shoulders.”
Circle Cloud MD Tomas Roberton said the Rounton connection came after a referral from another satisfied customer, accountant AbacusBean.
And he says working with Rounton felt a good fit from the start – a coffee firm that was very much Circle Cloud’ s cup of tea!
Tomas said:“ Because our package contains all the cybersecurity an SME needs, plus our responsive help desk support, they’ ve seen our‘ offer’ and not had to make many decisions.
“ Our package caters for all their security and IT support needs – it’ s specifically for a business their size. They go into Circle Cloud’ s efficient onboarding process and come out the other end fully secure and with someone providing a high level of customer service.
“ That’ s what sets us apart – we don’ t sit down and say,‘ Here’ s 20 things you can have’. We follow UK government standards to package together all the things our clients need.
“ From their point of view, it’ s one decision – deciding to go with us – and then everything is taken care of. We’ re secure, reliable and responsive.”
It’ s a view endorsed by David Beattie who, in a message to other SMEs, said:“ If cybersecurity keeps you awake at night – and it probably should – then working with a partner like Circle Cloud is one of the smartest decisions you can make.
“ They’ re knowledgeable, approachable and genuinely care about doing things properly. For any business that wants to protect itself without drowning in technical complexity, I’ d recommend them without hesitation.
“ We’ re far more secure now. Our data is better protected and the team feels supported whenever something crops up. Even simple things, like troubleshooting or onboarding someone new, are handled smoothly.
“ Most importantly, I feel like we’ ve reduced one of the biggest risks to the business, something that’ s hard to put a price on.”
Visit circlecloud. co. uk
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