How did Extech Cloud become the home of hybrid working?

The adjustment to remote working during the height of the pandemic was an about-turn for many businesses who found themselves unprepared for the required IT and network changes. 

Now, almost two years later, we are seeing the dawn of permanent hybrid working, and Extech Cloud, also known as the ‘Home of Hybrid Working’, looks back on lessons learned about running a successful business.

“The most successful businesses are the three per cent that innovate change, and the second most successful are usually the 15 per cent who are early adopters of the change,” Director of Sussex-based Extech Cloud, Andrew Hookway, explains. “The rest are the ‘also-rans’ who either adopt too late to profit from the change, or who are resistant to change.”

A big change for businesses around the world, and across every industry sector, is adapting to hybrid working as a new way forward, and ensuring that IT Systems can support day-to-day operations, enabling collaborative working, and appropriate levels of security. 

“The latest development in IT, Windows 365, is going to affect all businesses, whether we like it or not. You then have a choice. You can choose to join the 18%, or remain with the 82%,” Andrew adds. “Change is the only constant, and it is important to coach your team to accept and implement that change.”

Rather than waiting for change to happen, Extech Cloud took the bold move three years ago to fully migrate to the Cloud and only offer cloud solutions to clients. To many, this may have seemed like a financially bad idea. It took some reengineering of the business as well as facing a dip in profits, nevertheless, for Extech Cloud as an early adopter and implementer it has paid off in the long run, benefitting the company and its customers.  

“We made this transition three years ago and it’s taken that long to settle and succeed,” Andrew explains. “We took a risk in order to futureproof our business, as well as the businesses of our clients.”

Extech Cloud has led the field in developing a successful and unique process in-house, which allows the positioning of all of its Clients’ IT needs within the Microsoft environment, which is not currently matched by any other local company. Extech Cloud continues to work closely with Microsoft to ensure clients’ systems provide the efficiency and competitive edge they need to grow their businesses. 

Keeping abreast of what was starting to happen in the marketplace in 2018, Extech Cloud was aware that the traditional IT services model of kit and servers onsite was changing to a totally cloud-based model. 

“Our early research revealed that the Cloud model was considerably less profitable for IT support businesses,” Andrew reveals. “However, we knew that Extech Cloud needed to get on that journey to remain competitive and survive the process of the market change.”

The timely release of Windows 365 (not to be confused with the Microsoft 365 or Office 365) earlier this year is what most Sussex and southern based businesses should now be looking for. Whether businesses like it or not, operating fully in the Cloud is the way the world is moving.

Windows 365 is Microsoft’s complete software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, that streams a personalised Windows experience, including apps, content, and settings, to any device. It is built for remote and hybrid working, enabling the user ‘anywhere access’ to their personalised Windows desktop, or Cloud PC, across multiple devices, for seamless hybrid working, whatever the size and type of file the user is working on.

Operating fully in the Cloud enables collaboration in real time with colleagues and clients, and Cloud IT Systems tend to rely on more robust cybersecurity measures, continually developing to keep a step ahead of ever-evolving cybercrime methods. Because the entire IT System is hosted in the Cloud, there is little to no cost outlay when it comes to hardware. 

In the everchanging IT industry, with rapidly evolving technology, some IT providers don’t keep as up to speed with up-to-date knowledge and expertise as they should. Extech Cloud focuses on personal staff development and training, working hard to keep ahead of the trends, and to know what clients need and how to deliver that. The company also recently achieved ISO27001 recertification for Information Security Management. 

“We are proud to be at the forefront of this new era of hybrid working, and work hard to help our clients succeed,” Andrew adds.  Email Extech Cloud on info@extech.co.uk or fill out the contact form at www.extechcloud.com for a call back.