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What we learned from our most recent 50 Zoho CRM implementations

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:40:00 +0000

Every Zoho CRM implementation is different. Some businesses are replacing spreadsheets, while others are moving away from an established CRM that no longer suits them. Some need a relatively straightforward sales pipeline, while others need to manage complex customer relationships, operational processes, renewals, contracts and integrations.

Having reviewed our most recent 50 Zoho CRM implementations, however, we found that many of the same challenges and decisions appear repeatedly. The technology matters, but the success of an implementation usually depends on how well the CRM reflects the business using it.

Here are the most important lessons we have learned.

1. The best implementations begin with the process, not the software

It is tempting to start by creating fields, adding modules and building workflows. Before configuring anything, though, the business needs to understand what the CRM is supposed to support.

That means establishing how an enquiry becomes a customer, what information needs to be collected, who is responsible at each stage and what should happen next. It also means identifying exceptions, handovers and processes that currently depend on somebody remembering to do something.

Our strongest implementations have always started with discovery. Once the underlying process is understood, Zoho CRM can be designed around it. Without that work, businesses risk recreating their existing problems in a new system.

2. CRM structure matters more than the number of features

Zoho CRM provides a considerable amount of flexibility, but flexibility needs to be used carefully. One of the most important decisions is how different types of information should be represented and connected.

Contacts should normally represent people. Accounts should represent organisations. Deals should represent potential or confirmed business. Other records, such as properties, policies, memberships, sites, equipment or contracts, may require their own modules.

When fundamentally different things are combined within the same module, duplication and reporting problems quickly develop. It can also make integrations with applications such as Zoho Books considerably harder.

A well-designed data structure may not be the most visible part of an implementation, but it determines how reliable and adaptable the CRM will be in the future.

3. More fields do not necessarily create better data

Many CRM systems contain far more fields than their users actually need. Some were created for an old process, some duplicate information held elsewhere and others were added without considering how they would be used.

Every unnecessary field makes a layout harder to understand. It also increases the amount of information users must review and creates more opportunities for inconsistent data.

We have found that every field should have a clear purpose. It should support an operational process, reporting requirement, automation or customer interaction. If nobody can explain why a field is needed, it probably should not be there.

Conditional layouts, layout rules and different module designs can then be used to show the right information at the right time, instead of presenting every possible field to every user.

4. User experience directly affects data quality

A CRM can be technically correct and still fail if it is inconvenient to use.

When users have to search through long layouts, complete irrelevant fields or perform unnecessary steps, they begin finding ways around the system. Information is entered inconsistently, notes are stored elsewhere and important updates are delayed.

Successful CRM design therefore needs to consider the everyday experience of the people using it. Clear layouts, sensible field names, helpful descriptions and well-designed views can make a significant difference.

The objective is not simply to capture more information. It is to make the correct action the easiest action.

5. Automation should support a proven process

Automation is often one of the main reasons a business invests in Zoho CRM. Workflows, blueprints, scheduled functions and integrations can remove repetitive administration and help ensure that important actions are not missed.

However, automating an unclear or inconsistent process usually makes the problem harder to correct. Before building an automation, the trigger, required information, responsible person and expected outcome all need to be understood.

We generally prioritise automations that have a clear operational benefit, such as:

Assigning new enquiries to the correct person
Creating follow-up activities
Notifying users when action is required
Generating documents or related records
Updating information between connected applications
Identifying records that have stopped progressing

The most valuable automations are often not the most complicated. They are the ones that remove a frequent manual task or prevent a costly omission.

6. Data migration needs more attention than most businesses expect

Moving data into Zoho CRM is not simply a matter of uploading a spreadsheet. Existing data often contains duplicates, inconsistent formatting, incomplete records and values that no longer match the new CRM structure.

Migration also requires decisions about relationships. Contacts need to remain connected to the right companies, deals, activities and other records. Record ownership, notes, attachments and historic information may also need to be retained.

Cleaning the data before migration is usually more effective than importing everything and attempting to repair it afterwards. Test migrations are equally important because they allow relationships, field mappings and formatting to be checked before the final move.

A carefully configured CRM cannot compensate for unreliable source data.

7. Reports need to influence the design from the beginning

Businesses often wait until the end of an implementation before deciding what they want to report on. By that point, the information required to produce those reports may not have been captured consistently.

Reporting requirements should be discussed during discovery. If the business needs to measure conversion rates, sales by service, time spent at each stage or the source of new customers, the CRM must be designed to record the relevant information.

This does not mean creating every possible dashboard at the outset. It means understanding the decisions the business wants its data to support and ensuring the necessary information is collected reliably.

8. Integrations depend on clearly defined ownership of data

Zoho CRM rarely operates alone. It may be connected to Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, Zoho Projects, Zoho Analytics, marketing platforms, telephony services or external applications.

Before connecting systems, it is important to decide where each type of information should be maintained. For example, the CRM might own sales and relationship information, while Zoho Books remains responsible for invoices, payments and accounting records.

Without clear ownership, the same information can be edited in several places, creating conflicting values and confusing users. A good integration does more than move data. It establishes which system is authoritative and when information should be created, updated or synchronised.

9. Internal ownership is essential

The most successful customers have somebody internally who takes responsibility for the CRM. That person does not need to become a Zoho developer, but they should understand the business process, coordinate feedback and help maintain consistent use.

Without internal ownership, small decisions are delayed, training becomes fragmented and different teams may begin developing their own ways of working.

External consultancy can provide the architecture, configuration and specialist knowledge, but the system still needs an internal owner who can connect it to the day-to-day needs of the business.

10. A phased implementation is usually more effective

Trying to perfect every process before launch can make an implementation unnecessarily long and complicated. It can also mean designing around assumptions that have not yet been tested by real users.

A phased approach allows the essential structure and processes to be introduced first. The business can then gather feedback, refine how the CRM is used and add further automation or integrations once the foundations are working properly.

This does not mean launching an unfinished system. It means distinguishing between what is necessary for a successful first release and what can be developed responsibly afterwards.

What the 50 implementations taught us overall

The clearest lesson is that a successful Zoho CRM implementation is not defined by how many features have been configured. It is defined by whether the system helps people work more consistently, gives the business reliable information and remains manageable as requirements change.

Zoho CRM is flexible enough to support a wide range of businesses, but that flexibility makes good design particularly important. Clear processes, sensible data architecture, focused automation and genuine user involvement consistently produce better results than adding functionality without an overall plan.

At Ostratto, our implementation process begins with understanding how the business operates. We then design, configure and test the CRM around those requirements before helping users adopt it in practice. The result should not simply be a new system. It should be a better way of working.

If you are planning a new Zoho CRM implementation or want to improve an existing system, talk to Ostratto about your requirements.

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AI in 2026: Five Practical Predictions for Small Businesses

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:44:32 +0000

AI predictions have a habit of going one of two ways. Either they promise that everything is about to change overnight, or they are so vague that almost anything can count as being right.

The reality in 2026 is a little more useful.

A recent Wise article highlighted five major themes for the year: AI agents, businesses creating more tailored AI systems, measurable returns from specific types of work, AI becoming embedded into existing software, and the continued importance of human oversight. Six months into the year, there is already plenty of evidence to test those ideas against.

For small businesses, the important question is not whether every prediction comes true. It is where AI can genuinely save time, improve a process or remove repetitive work without creating a bigger problem somewhere else.

Here is our view.

1. AI agents will start doing jobs, not just answering questions

Most people first experienced generative AI as a chatbot: ask a question, get an answer.

Agents go a step further. Instead of simply telling you what to do, an agent can potentially complete a sequence of steps across different systems. That could mean reading a support request, checking the customer record, looking up an order, applying a company policy and preparing or carrying out an approved action.

That is no longer just a future concept. Google and OpenAI now offer enterprise systems specifically designed around agents that connect to company tools, follow permissions and operate across multi-step workflows. Gartner forecasts that up to 40% of enterprise applications will contain task-specific agents by the end of 2026, compared with less than 5% when it made the forecast in 2025.

But there is an important reality check. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index found that actual agent deployment was still in the single digits across nearly all business functions during 2025.

So yes, agents are coming. No, you probably do not need an army of digital employees next Tuesday.

For SMEs, the best starting point is one well-defined process with a clear outcome and clear limits.

AI agents can take on routine tasks across email, CRM, scheduling and documents, helping teams focus on higher-value work.

2. The most useful AI will disappear into the software you already use

The biggest AI change may be the one you notice least.

Deloitte predicts that daily use of generative AI inside search engines will be three times more common than use of standalone GenAI tools in 2026 and beyond. More broadly, it expects much of AI’s growth to come through features added to software people already use.

That makes sense for a business.

Opening another AI website, copying information into it and then copying the result back into your CRM is not much of an automation. The bigger opportunity is AI working directly inside your email, CRM, finance system, help desk or document workflow.

For an SME, that could look like an incoming enquiry being classified automatically, a CRM record being updated, a draft response being prepared and the right colleague being asked for approval.

The AI itself becomes less interesting. The workflow becomes more important.

Rather than living in separate tools, AI will become embedded across everyday workflows, quietly assisting with tasks, insights and communication.

3. AI value will be found in boring, measurable work

This might be the least exciting prediction, but probably the most useful.

Stanford’s review of productivity research found some of the largest gains in structured, measurable tasks, including customer support, software development and marketing output. OpenAI’s own enterprise research similarly reports substantial numbers of users seeing faster marketing execution and IT issue resolution.

That points SMEs towards a simple rule: look for work that happens frequently, consumes measurable time and has an output you can check.

Good candidates might include first drafts of routine content, customer-service triage, meeting or document summaries, data classification, recurring reports, information retrieval, invoice processing or preparing information before a human makes a decision.

That does not mean every process should use AI. If a conventional workflow or automation rule can do the job more reliably and cheaply, use that instead.

AI should solve a problem, not become the problem.

The most valuable AI will connect directly with the systems businesses already use, bringing together data from CRM, finance, support and operations.

4. You may need your own AI workflow, but not your own AI model

Wise suggests businesses should consider building their own AI tools rather than relying entirely on generic products. The underlying point is sound, but for an SME we would interpret it differently.

Building your own AI does not have to mean training a giant model.

In many cases, the more practical approach is to use an established model while building your own business logic around it: your data sources, CRM records, approval rules, permissions, integrations and processes.

Current enterprise AI platforms are moving in exactly this direction. Google, for example, now supports multiple first-party and third-party models inside one agent platform, alongside orchestration, identity, security and evaluation tools.

That is useful because the “best” model will keep changing. Stanford reports that leading models are increasingly close on headline performance, shifting more of the practical decision towards reliability, cost and performance for a particular domain.

For most SMEs, your competitive advantage is unlikely to be the underlying language model. It is much more likely to be how well AI understands and fits your business process.

Businesses will increasingly judge AI by the results it delivers, from time saved and lower costs to better productivity and decision-making.

5. Human oversight becomes more important as AI gets more capable

The more an AI system can do, the more important its boundaries become.

An AI writing a first draft presents a very different level of risk from an AI that can modify a customer account, trigger a payment, send an external message or access confidential business data.

The UK government’s voluntary AI cyber security code calls for defined business requirements, security risk assessment, staff training, audit trails, controlled permissions, testing and human responsibility. EU requirements also impose human-oversight duties in specified high-risk uses.

This is why “human in the loop” needs to mean more than somebody glancing at an answer.

A sensible AI workflow should make it clear what the AI can access, what it is allowed to do automatically, what requires approval, what gets logged and when a person must take over.

That becomes particularly important around money, personal information, contractual commitments, security and regulated decisions.

As AI becomes more autonomous, human review, approval and oversight will remain essential for important decisions and actions.

What should small businesses do now?

Start with the process, not the AI product.

Find a repetitive task that genuinely costs the business time. Decide what a successful outcome would look like and how you will measure it. Work out what information the AI needs, what systems it needs access to and where a human approval step belongs.

Then run a controlled pilot.

If the result saves meaningful time without introducing unacceptable errors, security problems or additional administration, expand it. If it does not, stop.

That may sound less exciting than announcing an “AI transformation programme”, but it is much more likely to produce something useful. The available evidence increasingly suggests that organisational readiness, integration and workflow design matter at least as much as having access to a capable model.

Final thoughts

Wise is right about the overall direction: AI is moving deeper into everyday business processes, agents are becoming more capable, and people will increasingly supervise AI rather than simply ask it questions.

But for small businesses, 2026 does not need to be about chasing every new AI launch.

The opportunity is simpler: identify work that should take less time, connect the right technology to the right process, and keep sensible controls around it.

After all, the smartest use of AI is the one that genuinely makes your work, less work.

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About

Learn who we are, what we stand for, and how Ostratto helps businesses make their work, less work through practical technology solutions.

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A Day in the Life of an Operations Director

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:40:00 +0000

Holding a Growing Business Together (Before)

At 7:42am, Sam opens the laptop as the office begins to stir. The systems wake up quietly. Dashboards load. Inboxes refresh. Notifications arrive in quick succession. Sam takes a sip of coffee while scanning the overnight updates, already aware that the day will move faster than the information does. There are processes in place. There are systems for nearly everything. Yet the picture they create together is incomplete.

The first decision arrives before the morning meeting. A client escalation has been flagged overnight. Sam opens the CRM, then the service desk, then a shared document linked in an email. Each tells part of the story. Timelines do not quite align. Notes are missing context. The business needs an answer now, not later, so Sam makes the call based on experience and judgement. It is not guesswork. It is simply the best decision possible with what is visible.

By mid-morning, questions begin flowing in from different teams. Has that approval gone through. Are we still on track for delivery. Who owns the next step. Sam opens tabs almost instinctively. CRM. Project management. Email. A spreadsheet maintained carefully by one team because it fills gaps nothing else quite covers. The answers are there, scattered across systems that were never designed to work together. Sam replies with confidence, even when that confidence is supported by cross-checking rather than clarity.

Meetings follow. Good ones. Productive ones. Yet they circle the same issues. Visibility. Ownership. Handovers. Everyone is working hard. No one doubts that. The problem is not effort. It is friction. Small delays compound into uncertainty. Decisions slow as people wait for confirmation that should already exist.

Lunch happens between conversations. Sam approves invoices while responding to messages. Tasks are forwarded with notes asking for updates. People do their best to interpret what is needed. The organisation runs on professionalism and goodwill, supported by systems that require constant interpretation.

In the early afternoon, a customer raises a concern. Nothing dramatic. Just confusion. They were told one thing last week and are seeing another today. Sam listens, reassures, and promises to investigate. When the call ends, Sam already knows what will be found. No single error. No clear fault. Just multiple systems, each accurate in isolation, failing to present a single truth.

As the day moves on, planned work gives way to operational maintenance. Reports are assembled manually. Numbers are reconciled. Access needs adjusting for a role change that happened days ago. Sam stays focused, but the mental load builds quietly. This is not strategic work. This is compensating work.

At 6:30pm, the laptop finally closes. Sam reflects briefly before heading home. The business is performing. Clients are served. Targets are met. But it feels heavier than it should. Too much knowledge lives in people’s heads. Too many decisions depend on memory rather than visibility. The organisation functions, but only because experienced people are constantly holding it together.

Where Systems Carry Their Weight (After)

At 7:42am, Sam opens the laptop as the office comes to life. Dashboards load cleanly. Notifications are fewer, more meaningful. The day’s priorities are already visible. Context sits alongside meetings, tasks, and alerts. Sam takes a sip of coffee without rushing. There is time.

The first issue of the day appears clearly rather than urgently. A client escalation is flagged, already linked to the relevant project, support history, and recent communications. Sam reviews the information in one place. The timeline makes sense. The next step is suggested, based on similar cases and current capacity. Sam approves it and moves on. The decision is still human, but it is no longer made in partial darkness.

By mid-morning, questions arrive from teams, just as before. The difference is speed. Sam checks a single view. Status is clear. Ownership is visible. Updates are shared automatically. Answers take seconds. There is no need to cross-check or interpret. Everyone is working from the same version of events.

Meetings feel different too. Less time is spent aligning understanding. More time is spent improving outcomes. Data is trusted. Discussions move forward rather than looping back. Sam notices it without consciously trying to. The organisation feels calmer, not slower.

Lunch still happens between tasks, but the interruptions are fewer. Invoices are queued automatically. Role changes trigger access updates without reminders. Tasks appear where they should, already prioritised. Sam no longer needs to ask people to pick things up. The system has already done the coordination.

When a customer calls in the afternoon, the conversation is straightforward. Sam sees the full context instantly. What was agreed. What has been delivered. What comes next. The response is confident because it is informed. When the call ends, there is no follow-up scramble. The system already reflects the outcome.

Later in the day, Sam works on what the role was meant to focus on. Improving processes. Anticipating future demand. Making changes that reduce friction rather than reacting to it. Admin still exists, but it arrives in order and leaves quietly. It no longer competes with strategic thinking.

At 5:45pm, the laptop closes. Earlier than it used to. Sam does not think about what might have been missed. The systems are visible. The information is shared. The business does not rely on individuals to compensate for gaps anymore. People still matter deeply, but they are supported rather than stretched.

It is the same organisation. The same teams. The same ambition. The difference is not effort or talent. It is that the systems now carry their share of the load.

Contact

Get in touch with the team to discuss how we support your business with practical, people-first technology and long-term solutions.

About

Learn who we are, what we stand for, and how Ostratto helps businesses make their work, less work through practical technology solutions.

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Our Approach

Discover how we partner with you - focusing on strategy, simplicity and long-term value to deliver technology that truly supports your business.

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Business Technology Trends That Matter in 2026

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In 2026, the organisations pulling ahead aren’t necessarily the ones buying the most technology - they’re the ones turning it into measurable outcomes: faster delivery, better customer experience, tighter security, and clearer decision-making.

That outcome gap is very real. PwC’s 2026 Global CEO Survey reports that only 12% of CEOs say AI has delivered both cost savings and revenue gains, while 56% say AI has delivered no significant cost or revenue benefit so far.

Below are the tech trends that matter most this year - with practical guidance throughout.

1. AI moves from “tooling” to operational decision support

Most businesses start with AI in a helpful-but-small way: content drafting, meeting summaries, basic assistance. Useful, but limited.

The organisations gaining advantage in 2026 are using AI for decision support inside workflows - where it influences prioritisation, next steps, and risk.

This trend is largely driven by a hard truth: many organisations invested in AI but haven’t seen returns yet. As noted above, PwC found 56% of CEOs report no significant cost or revenue benefit, and only 12% report both cost savings and revenue gains. PwC also reports CEO confidence about revenue growth is low: only three in ten (30%) CEOs are confident about revenue growth in 2026.

What this means in practice

AI creates the biggest impact where decisions are frequent and time-sensitive, for example:

Sales: next-best action, pipeline prioritisation, forecasting confidence
Support: ticket triage, suggested responses, escalation risk
Finance: anomaly detection, cashflow forecasting, spend pattern alerts
Ops: scheduling recommendations, capacity planning

The mistake many SMEs make is treating AI as a side tool. The win comes when AI is embedded into the systems teams already use (CRM, helpdesk, projects, finance) so that insight becomes action.

Actionable Takeaways

Start with one high-friction decision (e.g., “Which tickets should we handle first?” or “Which deals are most likely to close this month?”), then measure time saved and accuracy.
Create a simple ‘human-in-the-loop’ rule: AI suggests, humans approve (especially for customer-facing or financial outputs).
Treat data readiness as part of the AI project: if the CRM is inconsistent, AI outputs will be inconsistent too.
Use leading indicators (response time, backlog size, conversion rate) rather than vague success measures like “adoption”.

2. Automation becomes a margin-protection strategy, not just efficiency

In 2026, automation is less about being “faster” and more about being more consistent. SMEs are under pressure to deliver high service levels while controlling cost. Automation gives leverage when it removes:

Manual handovers
Duplicate data entry
Chasing updates
Inconsistent processes between staff members

This trend connects directly to the AI ROI story: businesses can’t get outcomes from AI if the underlying workflow is messy. Automation is often the bridge that turns “we know what to do” into “it actually happens every time”.

What this means in practice

The most valuable automations aren’t flashy - they’re the ones that eliminate repeatable admin work and reduce errors:

Sales won → create onboarding tasks + schedule implementation steps
Support ticket created → categorise + assign + set SLA + notify customer
Invoice overdue → trigger reminder sequence + internal alert
Offboarding → revoke access + archive data + confirm handover steps

Actionable Takeaways

Map one end-to-end journey (lead → sale → delivery → invoice → support). Most inefficiency sits in the gaps.
Automate the handoffs first (handoffs create delays and errors).
Automate “status movement” (changes in stage should trigger tasks, reminders, and checks).
Monitor outcomes, not just time saved: fewer escalations, faster cash collection, fewer missed steps.

3. Cybersecurity becomes business continuity, not an IT topic

Security incidents are now normal business risk. The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 reports that 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months.

What this means in practice

Among those that were breached/attacked, phishing was the most prevalent type by far - experienced by 85% of affected businesses (and also described as among the most disruptive).

But preparedness lags. A UK Government visual summary drawing on the same survey notes that only around 1 in 5 businesses (19%) provided staff cyber security training in the prior 12 months.

What this means in practice

The biggest risks for SMEs are often not advanced hacking - they’re:

Compromised email accounts
Weak identity controls
Staff clicking convincing phishing emails
Slow response when something goes wrong

This is why security is becoming a competitive advantage: customers increasingly choose vendors they trust to protect data and maintain continuity.

Actionable Takeaways

Make identity the perimeter: enforce MFA everywhere, remove shared accounts, review admin access.
Reduce your “blast radius”: least privilege access (people should only access what they genuinely need).
Practise incident response: define what happens in the first hour of an incident (who does what, how you contain, how you communicate).
Run short training regularly: 10 minutes monthly beats an annual checkbox session (and tackles the phishing reality in the survey).

4. Integration beats tool sprawl - complexity is the hidden productivity cost

Businesses are using more apps than ever - and that complexity is expensive. Okta’s 2025 Businesses at Work report states that the global average number of apps per customer has topped 100 for the first time, driven by 9% year-on-year growth.

More tools usually means more silos. Salesforce reports 81% of IT leaders say data silos are hindering digital transformation.

What this means in practice

Tool sprawl creates invisible drag:

People can’t find the latest information
Teams duplicate work across systems
Onboarding takes longer
Reporting becomes unreliable

Integration is not about having fewer tools - it’s about having clear systems of record and reliable flow of data between them.

Actionable Takeaways

Define your systems of record (one place that is “truth” for customers, billing, tickets, projects).
Eliminate manual copying: if staff copy/paste between tools, that’s a high-value integration target.
Build dashboards off live data (not exported spreadsheets).
Retire low-adoption apps: every extra system increases support burden and security exposure.

5. Data quality becomes the limiter for growth and AI

As organisations push more automation and AI into operations, data quality becomes non-negotiable. Gartner states that poor data quality costs organisations at least $12.9 million a year on average.

What this means in practice

Even if you’re not a giant enterprise, the pattern holds: poor data causes:

Wrong decisions (bad forecasting, misprioritisation)
Wasted time (cleanup, reconciliation, “which number is right?”)
Lost sales (duplicate or incomplete CRM records)
Weak AI outputs (because AI relies on the same underlying data)

If people don’t trust your dashboards, they’ll rebuild spreadsheets. Once that happens, you lose a shared reality - and scale gets harder.

Actionable Takeaways

Assign data ownership (CRM owner, finance owner, support owner - named people).
Standardise key fields that drive decisions (lifecycle stages, industry, renewal date, lead source).
Use controlled inputs: dropdowns and validation rules beat free text.
Schedule monthly hygiene (dedupe + incomplete records + incorrect statuses).

A simple 60-day plan most SMEs can actually execute

AI works best when it’s built on strong foundations, not dropped onto messy processes.

Weeks 1 – 2

Choose one measurable outcome (e.g., “reduce support backlog by 30%”) and audit the workflow + data feeding it.

Weeks 3 – 4

Implement automation at handoffs + tidy the key data fields.

Weeks 5 – 8

Add AI for decision support (triage, recommendations, summaries) with human review, then measure impact against your baseline.

Weeks 9 – 12

Expand to the next workflow only if the first one delivered measurable improvement.

The defining difference between businesses that thrive in 2026 and those that struggle won’t be how much technology they buy - it will be how deliberately they use it.

The data is clear:

AI only delivers value when it’s embedded into real workflows, not run as an experiment.
Automation protects margins when it removes friction between teams, not just speeds up tasks.
Cybersecurity is now a core business risk, driven largely by identity and human factors.
Too many disconnected tools quietly destroy productivity - integration matters more than ever.
Poor data quality undermines every investment that sits on top of it, from reporting to AI.

For most organisations, progress doesn’t come from wholesale transformation. It comes from small, well-chosen improvements that compound over time: fixing one workflow, tightening one dataset, or solving one recurring decision properly.

The most successful businesses in 2026 will be the ones that stop asking “What technology should we adopt next?” and start asking “What’s slowing us down - and how do we fix it for good?”

That shift in mindset is where technology stops being a cost centre and starts becoming a strategic advantage.

Contact

Get in touch with the team to discuss how we support your business with practical, people-first technology and long-term solutions.

About

Learn who we are, what we stand for, and how Ostratto helps businesses make their work, less work through practical technology solutions.

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Streamline Your Workflow with the 10 Best Zoho Apps

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:32:13 +0000

A useful guide that you can use to learn about Zoho, understand what software they have on offer, and find out how these products can be used to add value and streamline your workflow. We've made things simple for you with access to a free trial for each product in the list.

What is Zoho?

Zoho Corporation is a software company that offers a unique and powerful suite of tools that can help you transform the way you work. It was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas in Pleasanton, California, and now operates across the world with offices in London, Austin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Chennai. They have developed a wide range of tools to make an impact on every aspect of your business, with products designed to be user-friendly and applicable for all.

Here at Ostratto, we love to use Zoho One, as it encompasses all of the cloud software available with Zoho on one platform. It helps us to manage business operations across the company, and streamline the way that we work. I’m writing this blog to offer you some more information about different Zoho products and outline the ten best apps that we use every day at Ostratto, to help you understand how they can be a helpful addition to your software suite.

Featured Products

#1: Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and even has its own mobile app.

Learn More About Zoho CRM

#2: Zoho Books

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that is designed for growing businesses, and it’s recognised by HMRC for its VAT integration. It has an extensive feature set that allows you to create quotes, invoices, sales orders, and bills with ease, and an advanced set of reporting measures to help you make the most of your finances.

Learn More About Zoho Books

#3: Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which helps you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they comply with company policy.

Learn More About Zoho Expense

#4: Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory helps you to track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has many integrations to help you connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.

Learn More About Zoho Inventory

#5: Zoho People

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all your employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality at an affordable price.

Learn More About Zoho People

#6: Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set, helping you to manage and coordinate complex projects with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow. You can even manage projects on the go with its mobile app!

Learn More About Zoho Projects

#7: Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your portfolio. It has many comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, including social media, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.

Learn More About Zoho Desk

#8: Zoho Forms

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate forms to send notifications once they're completed, and automatically link info with contacts in your CRM, saving you time.

Learn More About Zoho Forms

#9: Zoho Voice

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates easily with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and great mobile capabilities.

Learn More About Zoho Voice

#10: Zoho Sign

Zoho Sign can transform your paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow.

Learn More About Zoho Sign

#1: Zoho CRM

What does Zoho CRM do?

Zoho CRM is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and a mobile app.

Why do we like Zoho CRM?

Zoho CRM is an ideal solution for small-to-medium businesses looking to get their hands on enterprise-level software at an affordable price. It’s highly customisable with an extensive feature set, meaning that you can choose from a wide range of features and make it work for you.

Why it's Great for Marketing

Why it's Great for Sales

Why it's Great for Managers

Why it's Great for Marketing

As with most Zoho products, its CRM integrates well with other software and this can be very advantageous. If you connect your mailbox to Zoho CRM it will collect all the information you have on each lead and add it to their profile. You can send emails directly from the CRM, and their data will be tracked for you to review. It makes it easy to see how effective your marketing is, and track which leads are engaging with your content.

Why it's Great for Sales

Streamlining your sales process has never been easier, with the ability to create workflow automations that start with lead creation and end with you closing the deal. You can set these up in any way you like, to ensure that you never leave a lead behind. It’s simple to import new leads, with a straightforward process and many integrations. You can also customise the way you view your sales process, with both list view and kanban options.

Why it's Great for Managers

Zoho’s enterprise-level data security can help you to stay compliant with data regulation without any extra work. You can create departments and set rules to configure the view for each team member, ensuring that they remain focused on their work and only access to relevant information. Zoho CRM also has extensive analytics and reporting to help you track the performance of your team, and see where you need to improve.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Highly Customisable Interface

✔ Omnichannel Communications In-App

✔ Comprehensive Workflow Automations

✔ Simple Lead Importing

✔ Enhanced Privacy Protections

How to get started with Zoho CRM

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

#2: Zoho Books

What does Zoho Books do?

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that has been designed for growing businesses, with extensive features and advanced reporting capabilities. It is a HMRC recognised accounting software that can help you be compliant with the MTD (Making Tax Digital) initiative and save time with the ability to pay your VAT directly through Zoho Books. Its features include workflow automation, time tracking for projects, and inventory management. You can report on anything to do with your company’s finances, with an extensive set of preset reports and the ability to make your own custom ones too.

Why do we like Zoho Books?

Zoho Books is an excellent platform for making new sales, with simple access to all the forms that you need throughout the customer journey. You can share access to these directly with customers through Zoho Books, saving time and simplifying the process. We love the amount of currencies available, offering support for international transactions, and the expansive number of languages supported too. It has an expansive set of integrations, with the ability to work with over 50 external applications, meaning that Zoho Books can work around you, and communicate with most software.

What are its Key Features?

✔ HMRC Recognised Software

✔ Comprehensive Feature Set

✔ Customizable Records and Forms

✔ Multi-Currency and Multi-Language

✔ Expansive Integrations (50+)

✔ Access via Mobile App

✔ Customer Portal Included

How to get started with Zoho Books

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Books Free Trial

#3: Zoho Expense

What does Zoho Expense do?

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go from iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which will help you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they are compliant with your organisation's policies.

Why do we like Zoho Expense?

Zoho anticipated that most employees looking to be reimbursed for expenses will be looking to do so on their mobile devices, recording their expense receipts on the go. We love the ability to capture receipts using the Zoho Expense app. It also has a useful Chrome Extension that allows you to capture receipts on your webpage with a couple of clicks, streamlining the process for when you make new bookings.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Integrations

✔ Modern Mobile Application

✔ Company Card Integration

✔ Great Customisation

✔ Advanced Reporting

How to get started with Zoho Expense

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Expense Free Trial

#4: Zoho Inventory

What does Zoho Inventory do?

Zoho Inventory helps you track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has integrations that help you to connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.

Why do we like Zoho Inventory?

We like Zoho Inventory as it enables you to manage your stock across multiple websites, easily transfer stock between those warehouses, and ship orders from multiple warehouses in the same order. It supports multiple currencies and dropshipping, making it an asset for any organisation looking for a better way to manage their inventory.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Shipping Functions

✔ Supports e-Commerce

✔ Tracks Across Multiple Warehouses

✔ Manage Sales & Purchase Orders In-App

✔ Great Reporting Options

How to get started with Zoho Inventory

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Inventory Free Trial

#5: Zoho People

What does Zoho People do?

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees more simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality to streamline your management processes.

Why do we like Zoho People?

We love Zoho People for its expansive feature set and easy user interface. Its functions cover every possible use-case for HRMs, with efficient time tracking and management systems. It’s ideal for small businesses looking to streamline their expansion, and medium businesses who want a more complete picture of their workforce.

Why it's Great for Managers

Why it's Great for Employees

Why it's Great for Managers

Managers who use Zoho People are able to set up the software to company specifications and then take a backseat on the HRM process, with easy-to-use self-service portals for employees doing most of the work for you. You can track attendance, time spent across projects, and annual leave seamlessly, allowing you to focus on reaching your business goals through the comprehensive performance management functions. You can schedule appraisals, create goals, and receive feedback easily.

Why it's Great for Employees

Employees have complete control over their attendance, leave, and time tracking with Zoho People. They can change any personal information with its self-service functions, manage their calendar and workload across multiple Zoho apps, and view everything they need to know about their employment in a handy branded portal. Most of these functions can be done in the Zoho People mobile app too, allowing employees to update their information on-the-go with ease.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Employee Self-Service Portal

✔ Timesheets & Time Tracking

✔ Efficient Performance Management

✔ HR Process Automation

✔ Extensive Reporting & Analytics

✔ Mobile App for Employees

How to get started with Zoho People

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho People Free Trial

#6: Zoho Projects

What does Zoho Projects do?

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set for an affordable price, helping you to manage and coordinate projects across your company with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours worked with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow.

Why do we like Zoho Projects?

We love Zoho Projects for its excellent feature set, such as Gantt charts, tasks, reporting, documents, and milestones. You’re able to track time against each task within a project, which can be attributed to your Zoho People & Books for time management and accurate project costing.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Gantt Chart / Kanban / Task List Views

✔ Task Allocation & Time Tracking

✔ Mobile Application (iOS & Android)

✔ Collaboration Functions

✔ Reporting & Analytics

How to get started with Zoho Projects

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Projects Free Trial

#7: Zoho Desk

What does Zoho Desk do?

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your organisation’s portfolio. It has comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.

Why do we like Zoho Desk?

We love Zoho Desk as it helps us to manage customer service tickets with ease, through convenient contextual support, AI assistance, and detailed analytics. It’s ideal for small businesses looking for enterprise-level customer service capabilities at an affordable price.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Customisable Performance Dashboards

✔ Self-Service Portal for Customers

✔ Knowledge Base for Customers

✔ Automatic Ticket Routing

✔ Mobile App Support

How to get started with Zoho Desk

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Desk Free Trial

#8: Zoho Forms

What does Zoho Forms do?

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate these forms to send notifications once completed, and automatically link information with contacts in your CRM.

Why do we like Zoho Forms?

We like Zoho Forms because it allows us to create highly functional branded forms with its easy to use no-code creator, with an array of fields to choose from, field validation to ensure accurate data is recorded, and full customizability to meet most business requirements.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Full Customisation & Branding

✔ No-Code Form Creation

✔ Secure Data Collection

✔ Comprehensive Integrations

✔ Reporting & Analytics

How to get started with Zoho Forms

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Forms Free Trial

#9: Zoho Voice

What does Zoho Voice do?

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates seamlessly with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and mobile capabilities.

Why do we like Zoho Voice?

We love Zoho Voice for its integration with other Zoho products. It can communicate with Zoho CRM to identify and recognise phone numbers, record voicemail messages and important conversations, and create notifications to bring your attention to new inbound leads.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Inbound & Outbound Calls

✔ Call Queueing, Forwarding, Transfers

✔ Personal & Departmental Extensions

✔ Customizable Phone Numbers

✔ Call Centre Capabilities

✔ Simple Dialling System

How to get started with Zoho Voice

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

#10: Zoho Sign

What does Zoho Sign do?

Zoho Sign can transform your company’s paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow. It's highly secure too, with comprehensive encryption technology.

Why do we like Zoho Sign?

We like Zoho Sign because it helps to streamline signature collection and document processing in a secure and reliable way. It helps you save time through template creation and workflow configuration, and you can track the progress for each document sent easily. It’s compliant with many e-signature laws across the world.

What are its Key Features?

✔ Leading Data Security

✔ Completely Custom Branding

✔ e-Signature Capabilities

✔ Bulk Document Sending

✔ Reusable Templates

✔ Tracking & Reporting

How to get started with Zoho Sign

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!

Start Your Zoho Sign Free Trial

Why Zoho?

Zoho is one of the most affordable software developers for small-to-medium sized businesses, with comprehensive features across all of their applications for a price that doesn’t break the bank. You won’t find another software suite that has the integrations, the features, and the price points that Zoho has to offer, and the great thing is that their pricing is flexible so you can start small and scale up to enterprise level with ease.

We use most Zoho applications for our daily tasks, and they have helped to streamline our business processes and workflow immensely. They integrate well with Google Workspace, communicate data across the company to improve efficiency, and keep our company data secure at all times. If you’re looking for any of the above products, we recommend that you take a look at starting a free trial and have a go! We’re here to help answer any questions if you have them.

Why Ostratto?

Ostratto is a team of technical professionals that are here to assist you and your business on a truly personal basis. We have the skills and expertise to deliver comprehensive, cost-effective solutions, and will work to integrate Zoho software into your business in a way that meets all of your needs. We’re here to help you to find the most suitable products, and provide you with ongoing support throughout your time with us.

We've been partnered with Zoho for over five years, and have worked with their teams to develop their products for the UK market. We work with businesses from a wide range of sectors from leisure through to manufacturing. We are proud to be a part of all of our customers' businesses, integrating ourselves as trusted advisors and measuring our success on theirs. Wherever your organisation is right now, and wherever it wants to be in the future, we can help you to streamline your workflows and make your work less work with the right software solution.

Case Study: Using Google Workspace to Support a Global B2B Marketing Business

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:57:27 +0000

Modern, an award-winning global media agency, sought to revolutionise its technical infrastructure to support its rapid growth and hybrid workforce. With a presence in multiple countries and a reputation as one of the fastest-growing agencies nationally, Modern faced challenges with outdated systems and limited scalability. By partnering with Ostratto to transition from a Microsoft-based environment to Google Workspace, Modern achieved a seamless transformation that empowered their team with flexible, secure, and reliable tools, enabling them to continue delivering exceptional results for their clients worldwide.

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The Task

As Modern experienced rapid growth in the B2B marketing space, the need for a robust technical solution became critical.

Expanding their team both nationally and internationally placed immense pressure on their existing support infrastructure, which could no longer meet demand. With the team outgrowing available office space, implementing a hybrid working model was essential.

The outdated systems were unable to support this shift, highlighting the need for a flexible and scalable solution like Google Workspace to streamline operations and enhance productivity.

Flexible

With all team members becoming hybrid, a flexible infrastructure was desperately needed. Systems needed to be accessible for all workers, regardless of their location. By implementing Google Workspace, Modern ensured seamless access to tools and resources, enabling hybrid teams to work productively. Desks in the offices needed to be readily accessible with minimal disruption.

Efficient

The requirements capturing process not only focused on what was wrong - it focused on what could be vastly improved. With increased productivity being a key objective, a thorough understanding of working practices and processes means that new systems could be designed to work for the users.

Secure

As the geographical spread of workers increased, so did the surface of potential cyber threats. Business systems needed to be secure, auditable and constantly monitored, with potential vulnerabilities identified before they became a threat.

Reliable

With the existing infrastructure and support function "bulging at the seams", user confidence was low which in turn impacted productivity. Implemented systems needed to be reliable and any required support needed to be high-quality in order to restore confidence and promote positive working behaviours. By adopting Google Workspace, Modern gained a dependable solution that not only enhanced reliability but also improved user satisfaction and overall efficiency.

Products Featured

Leveraging our wide range of products and services, we implemented the correct tools to achieve the objective.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace acting as the 'glue', was vital to ensuring communication across the business was efficient.

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Sophos: Intercept X

Advanced Endpoint Protection was implemented to ensure all endpoints are protected and centrally managed.

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SaaS Protection

A backup and disaster recovery system was an essential function in order to meet customers strict compliance requirements.

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Ostratto Support

Dedicated helpdesk support ensures users confidence in knowing they are technically supported at all times.

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Professional Services

Designing, implementing and maintaining the solution to meet requirements was all completed in-house by Ostratto.

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Implementation

The entire approach was then designed around these requirements, plus a few extras that would enhance the solution.

Flexible

By adopting a cloud-based and web-first productivity solution, Google Workspace, users were introduced to fast loading times, instant access and enhanced usability. Although comprehensive training was provided on the new tools, use was intuitive and within a short space of time, users were comfortable sharing files, setting up video calls and creating online calendar events.

Gone was the requirement to connect to an unreliable VPN. Team members - in the office and working remotely - were able to do their best work without hindrance.

With all devices enrolled in Google Workspace device management, not only were devices securely audited and managed centrally, but users could also sign into their Windows devices using their Google account, greatly enhancing accessibility and streamlining workflows.

Reliable

Thorough requirements capturing meant that Modern's needs were fully understood. This enabled us to implement a hybrid setup that worked just as well for those working remotely as it did in the office environment.

All desktop workstations in the business were swapped for portable laptop devices, with one-cable high-speed connectivity docks issued to all users as well as installed on every desk in the main office. This meant that team members visiting the office would be able to plug one cable in and seamlessly be provided with all peripherals on the desk including power, displays and input devices. This made the transition between remote environments and the office environment simple and reliable, which in turn encouraged users to work more collaboratively in the office.

Team members were provided with access to Ostratto's support service, which opened up communication with an approachable and knowledgeable team with scalable capacity to support, consult and implement.

Secure

All devices (Windows and MacOS) were enrolled into Sophos Intercept X's advanced protection. This provided enhanced monitoring which feeds back to Sophos Central for oversight and alert management.

Aging office network equipment was replaced with Sophos' network equipment - introducing intelligent synchronisation between network equipment and endpoint protection software which automatically protects users from threats across multiple layers.

By leveraging Google Workspace as the identity directory, all users were able to use their Google Workspace login to log into their devices and applications which improves the user experience whilst at the same time providing simpler and auditable user management.

SaaS Protection was implemented to complete backups of all company data three times a day to an alternative location - meeting the compliance requirement of more regulated customers whilst providing peace-of-mind and automated recovery capabilities.

Efficient

Whilst the initial brief of our journey with Modern was to help them migrate 42 users to Google Workspace as their core productivity platform, it quickly became obvious that there were inefficiencies and productivity-holes in the day-to-day operations which could be improved.

New processes were implemented, followed by interactive workshop sessions which enabled team members to have direct input on the design of systems such as how files should be shared, how departments should be connected and how other services should be integrated for improved usability.

By designing the systems around the users and their workflows rather than forcing new systems onto users, users were naturally empowered to fully adopt the new offering and benefit from effortless productivity.

"We have had a few technical consultants over the years and there are two types.

1) Those that try to support you but often do the minimum to fix issues without really thinking about your business.

2) Those that are really customer focused and will keep fixing technical issues until they are tested and fixed and make recommendations that with solve problems in your business.

Ostratto are a gold standard 5 star company, they are brilliant and so customer focused, they always work with us to solve problems making sure we are getting what we need."

Stuart Ray

Chief Commercial Officer at Modern

Result

After a successful migration of 42 users (and over 10 years of data) from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace, our attention was entirely retargeted toward ensuring Modern had the correct tools and adequate support to facilitate their continued growth.

The implementation of a simpler, more lightweight infrastructure meant that Modern saw a significant drop in support requirements. In the last three months prior to this writing, Modern are averaging a 64% drop in user-raised issues compared to the demand before Ostratto came on-board. Based on completed surveys, 94% of users reported that they are confident in their equipment and technology and 100% of users reported that they feel that they can get the support should they need it. This has resulted in a workforce able to focus on outputting their best work, instead of struggling through technical issues.

Our technology strategy approach has meant that Modern has been equipped to win several significant tenders with major customers - with all technical security compliance requirements passed with flying colours.

We have now worked with Modern for many years - with many continued improvements planned.

64% Support Ticket Reduction

Efficiency Improved

Contract Extended Indefinitely

At Ostratto, we're fundamentally customer-success focused. This means instead of designing solutions based on our expectations, we focus on customer requirements and needs to ensure their success. In turn, we find success in shared success as our customers' trusted technical consultancy partner whom they can rely upon.

We solve complex business problems with cutting-edge technology, whilst keeping everything simple for our customers. Be sure to check out other examples of how we have helped businesses make their work, less work.

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Case Study: Supporting High Quality Care with Website Design, Google Workspace, Zoho People and Vonage

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

BBcare10 is a care provider based in Gloucestershire, UK, specialising in bespoke support for young people and adults with complex care needs. With increasing demand for their sought-after care services, BBcare10 faced challenges due to aging technical systems and tools. These limitations hindered growth and restricted service capacity.

The initial engagement with BBcare10 focused on creating a modern, optimised website design to align with their planned marketing efforts. During the consultation, we uncovered other technical pain points, including unreliable email systems, the use of mobile numbers for business enquiries, manual paper-based shift rotas, and difficulties onboarding new staff.

At the time of the inquiry, BBcare10 had a team of 4. Today, they’ve grown to a team of 24 and are actively recruiting. Here’s how we supported their growth with professional services tailored to their needs.

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The Task

With the demand growing for BBcare10's high-quality care service, existing systems were causing instability and limiting growth.

To meet the demands of required service, BBcare10's systems needed an overhaul. Systems implemented needed to be simple to maintain, reliable and scalable to meet the onboarding expectation.

Simple

Systems must be intuitive to use, minimising training requirements.

Maintained

Solutions had to work seamlessly across a mobile, dispersed workforce without requiring heavy maintenance.

Reliable

With 24/7 care services, system downtime was not an option.

Scalable

Solutions needed to grow alongside BBcare10's expanding team and operations.

Secure by Design

It was also vital that systems were secure by design. With sensitive client records being involved - all data needed to be strictly access-controlled and on a 'zero-trust' basis. All solutions were implemented with this at the forefront of importance.

Products and Services Featured

Leveraging our wide range of products and services, we implemented the correct tools to achieve the objective.

Website Design

A professionally designed business website was developed to serve as a hub for staff and customer information.

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Google Workspace

Google Workspace became the backbone of BBcare10’s operations, facilitating seamless communication and collaboration across the organization.

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Zoho People

Zoho People streamlined HR operations, simplifying the onboarding process and managing employee information efficiently.

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Vonage

Vonage transformed business communications by introducing a local landline number, which diverted to mobile devices for accessibility and reliability.

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Professional Services

Our team provided end-to-end professional services, including design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance, tailored to BBcare10’s unique needs.

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Implementation

The entire approach was then designed around these requirements, plus a few extras that would enhance the solution.

Simple

Google Workspace unified communication and productivity tools, restoring confidence in email reliability with Gmail’s 99.99% uptime. A single Google account allowed quick and intuitive access to all BBcare10 systems.

Following initial workshop training, team members required minimal ongoing support thanks to Google Workspace’s user-friendly design.

Maintained

Chromebooks were deployed to mobile team members, enabling them to complete shift notes securely using digital forms on the company website.

Centralized management via Google Workspace ensured updates and security without manual intervention. With cloud-hosted systems like the website and Zoho People, improvements were implemented seamlessly with no downtime.

Reliable

Cloud-based solutions ensured consistent performance and communication reliability. Gone were the days of missed emails or team communication breakdowns.

BBcare10 now operates with dependable tools, vital for their 24/7 service schedule.

Scalable

With systems designed around Google Workspace, onboarding a new team member now takes minutes. Zoho People further streamlined the process, automating document requests and saving valuable time. Scalability is now embedded into BBcare10’s operations.

Secure

Data security is paramount for BBcare10. Sensitive patient information is stored in Google Drive, with strict access controls and audit tracking. Chromebooks ensure no local data remains after a user logs out, adhering to zero-trust principles and guaranteeing compliance.

Result

With 24 team members and growing, BBcare10 now serves over 30 regular clients and delivers more than 320 shifts monthly. Their investment in cutting-edge systems has significantly improved efficiency, expanded service capacity, and streamlined onboarding processes. These enhancements have directly contributed to their ability to meet increasing demand while maintaining exceptional care standards.

The implementation of the correct systems and tools has resulted in BBcare10 vastly improving efficiency, communication, service capacity and onboarding times, ultimately enabling business growth.

Although initially only contacted for website design services, BBcare10 and Ostratto now work together on an ongoing basis to constantly improve systems and processes across the business.

Efficiency Improved

Staff Onboarding Streamlined

Service Capacity Increased

Why Choose Ostratto?

At Ostratto, we specialise in solving complex business challenges with innovative solutions like Website Design, Google Workspace, Zoho People, and Vonage. Our customer-focused approach ensures we deliver scalable, secure, and reliable systems tailored to your needs.

Be sure to check out other examples of how we have helped businesses make their work, less work. Contact us today to learn more about our professional services and discover how we can help your business grow.

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The State of Ransomware 2023

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:05:42 +0000

Findings from an independent, vendor agnostic survey of 3000 IT/cyber-security leaders in mid-sized organisations across 14 countries conducted in January and early February 2023.

Contents

What is Ransomware?
The Prevalence of Attacks and Data Recovery after an attack
Ransom Payments
Business Impact
Takeaway Actions
We can help you

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that, if installed, can stop you from gaining access to your systems and will then demand that you pay the perpetrator to regain access – in other words, it will hold your systems to ransom.

Ransomware can come in many shapes and sizes - below are a few of the most common types to be aware of, but if you'd rather get straight to finding out how to protect yourself and your company, skip to the takeaway actions.

Crypto ransomware, also known as "encryptors", is one of the most common and dangerous types. This kind encrypts files and data, rendering the material useless without the decryption key. Unlike the other types below, crypto ransomware may infiltrate your systems in several different ways.
Phishing refers to one of the methods in which ransomware may make its way into your system. It occurs when a malicious email, which may appear at first to be authentic, is opened and the links within are clicked on. Unfortunately, opening these all but friendly emails will allow the ransomware to be downloaded onto your device. Once in, the ransomware can exploit the security flaws in your device and take control of your systems.
Scareware may often appear as a security software pop-up, warning you that malware has been identified and that the only way to remove it is to pay. However, despite the name, there is often nothing to be afraid of as attackers are merely bluffing to coerce you into paying, meanwhile your files remain secure.
Doxware or Leakware refers to when an attacker threatens to release sensitive data online. Although the threat may not always be legitimate, most individuals panic and pay the requested ransom.
Lockers refers to when a pop-up emerges, requesting for a ransom and totally locks the user out of their computer. Most pop-ups make the user feel like they are in the wrong and will often display timers to pressure you into paying quickly without having the opportunity to report or resolve the attack instead.

Ransomware Documentary

A gripping documentary, produced by Sophos, delves into the alarming realities of ransomware, revealing the far-reaching consequences that affect both business owners and society at large.

Episode 1: Origins of Cybercrime

Understand the history of cybercrime and ransomware as told by cybersecurity professionals, ransomware victims, and law enforcement officials.

Episode 2: Hunters and Hunted

Get a glimpse into the minds of current and former hackers as well as individuals who have been directly affected by ransomware attacks.

Episode 3: Weapons and Warriors

Explore the vulnerabilities of advanced digital infrastructure and the tools available to combat the growing threat of ransomware.

The Prevalence of Attacks and Data Recovery after an attack

The study revealed that today’s reality is a two-speed cybersecurity system with adversaries and defenders moving at different speeds. Through automation, cybercrime “as-a-service” models, stealthy impersonation, and adaptation, adversaries are accelerating and can now execute a wide range of sophisticated attacks at scale. With 94% of organisations experiencing a cyberattack of some form in the last year, all companies – regardless of size or revenue – should assume they will be a target in 2023.

94%

of organisations experienced a cyberattack of some form in the last year - a 16% increase over the previous year

46%

paid an excessive ransom to get data back

61%

of data was restored, after paying the ransom

4%

that paid the ransom got all their data back

#1

method used to restore data was backups

Ransom Payments

965 respondents whose organisation paid the ransom shared the exact amount, revealing that average ransom payments have increased considerably over the last year.

$812,360

average ransom payment (exluding outliers)

21%

paid ransoms less than $10,000

$2m

average ransom payment for Manufacturing sector

$197k

lowest average ransom payment for Healthcare

Business Impact

The urgent and unpredictable nature of cybersecurity also gets in the way of business-focused efforts: 64%, on average, wish the IT team could spend more time on strategic issues and less time on firefighting. Again, as revenue increases, so does the impact on wider program delivery.

64%

of attacks impacted their ability to operate

86%

of attacks caused loss of business/revenue

$1.4m

average cost to remediate an attack

1 month

average time to recover from attack

Takeaway Actions

Addressing the situation requires a straightforward three-step approach: implement a more scalable incident response process that accelerates response time; leverage adaptive defenses to slow down adversaries; and create a virtuous cycle that improves protection and lowers cost.

A “Shields Up” analogy is useful here. Stopping advanced, persistent adversaries requires organisations optimize the efficacy of their defenses (“shields”), including context-sensitive technologies that can elevate the level of protection in proportion to the situation. Crucially, they also need to use the time that their defenses buy them to apply human expertise to address the root cause requires.

Optimise Prevention

Stop attacks at the earliest possible point to minimise impact.

Reduce Exposure

Minimize opportunities for adversaries to exploit weaknesses in security.

Disrupt Attackers

Buy time to respond in the event of an advanced human-led attack.

We can help you

Ostratto provides the services and technologies that enable businesses to accelerate the defender flywheel and move ahead of adversaries. The products we implement defend over 550,000 organisations against the most advanced threats that exist for all organisations today.

Optimize prevention: Intercept X blocks 99.98% of threats automatically out of the gate, minimising risk and enabling defenders to focus on fewer incidents that require human intervention.
Reduce exposure: Optimal protection settings are deployed automatically from day one, eliminating security gaps. Built-in Account Health Checks highlight missing software and configuration issues that can lead to avoidable infections.
Disrupt adversaries: Adaptive Active Adversary Protection immediately activates heightened defenses when a “hands-on-keyboard” endpoint intrusion is detected, frustrating attackers and buying defenders time to respond.

Wherever your organisation is right now, and where it wants to be in the future, we can help you accelerate your defender flywheel and move ahead of today’s advanced adversaries. For more information, view our security products or speak with a security advisor today.

Security Products

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Case Study: Smarter Auditing with Google Workspace, iAuditor, and Vonage

Sat, 16 Jul 2022 09:49:41 +0000

Mistral Technical Services Ltd is a multi-discipline consultancy and management company based in Gloucestershire, UK. They provide tailored solutions to clients across sectors including manufacturing, retail, and care.

For a national supermarket chain, a poorly serviced retail estate can lead to operational downtime, health and safety issues, fines, and—most critically—damage to the national brand. After decades of mergers, acquisitions, and rapid estate growth, one of Mistral's retail clients needed a comprehensive store audit covering over 400 locations.

This ambitious audit aimed to provide actionable data to identify problem areas, improve servicing efforts, and align all stores with operational standards. Mistral played a pivotal role in delivering this essential information over a two-year period, ensuring the data was live, actionable, and prioritised by urgency.

The Task

To enhance servicing standards, the supermarket chain needed detailed insights into current processes, identifying problem areas requiring frequent, costly interventions.

Mistral was tasked with implementing a comprehensive auditing solution, involving site visits to over 400 stores to assess technical components such as air conditioning, lighting, and refrigeration. The gathered data needed to be accessible in real time, presented in an actionable format, and accurate enough to drive meaningful decisions.

Live

Data needed to be live and dynamic, allowing critical issues like safety hazards to be addressed immediately.

Accessible

Data had to be easily available to stakeholders nationwide in a user-friendly, informative format.

Actionable

Insights from the audits needed to prioritise pressing issues and provide a clear roadmap for improvements.

Accurate

The auditing process had to deliver precise, relevant data while being straightforward for field auditors to execute.

Products Featured

Leveraging our wide range of products and services, we implemented the correct tools to achieve the objective.

Managed Devices

iOS devices were issued to auditors across the country, ensuring secure and manageable mobile access to the auditing system.

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Google Workspace

Google Workspace acted as the backbone of communication and data access, providing secure and seamless integration with auditing tools.

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iAuditor

The cloud-based iAuditor app enabled auditors to conduct inspections efficiently, capturing data in real time.

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Vonage

Vonage allowed auditors to contact stores using a landline number, maintaining professionalism and protecting personal contact details.

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Ostratto Support

Auditors had access to technical support at all times, ensuring confidence and uninterrupted operations in the field.

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Professional Services

From design to implementation and ongoing maintenance, all solutions were delivered by Ostratto's in-house team.

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Implementation

The entire approach was then designed around these requirements, plus a few extras that would enhance the solution.

Live

By adopting a cloud-based auditing solution, iAuditor, auditors utilised pre-defined templates within an intuitive mobile app to conduct audits. The system enabled the capture of notes, photos, and multiple-choice responses, with live data instantly uploaded to the cloud. Automations flagged critical risks immediately, allowing swift action.

Actionable

With over 2,100 audits completed to date and more than 17,400 issues flagged, Mistral used customised dashboards to distil raw data into meaningful insights. Each audit automatically generated a detailed report for the relevant teams, saving significant time and ensuring informed decision-making.

Secure

Given the sensitive nature of data collected, security was paramount. Using Google Workspace, all data access was authenticated at every endpoint. Auditors’ issued devices were secured with strong passwords, geographic tracking, and remote management, ensuring a safe yet seamless user experience.

Accessible

Stakeholders received their own secure logins and managed mobile devices, enabling them to view live data and reports at any time.

Automated graphs highlighted key issues, such as recurring faults with specific refrigeration suppliers in certain regions, facilitating targeted solutions.

I.e. Stores in the South West using a common refridgeration supplier were experiencing more fault call-outs than stores using a different supplier.

Accurate

Mistral developed bespoke audit templates with straightforward response options, such as “yes/no + photo.” This approach ensured auditors could complete inspections efficiently while producing reliable, weighted data for actionable reporting.

Manageable

Building on top of the secure user management offered by Google Workspace, all auditors are also issued a managed mobile device.

The managed devices are geographically tracked, apps and features are managed and restricted centrally, and security measures such as strong passwords are enforced. The devices are consistently monitored for non-compliance with automatic alerts being sent to Ostratto Support for investigation.

By managing the devices centrally, all stakeholders can be confident using them in the field so that more time and resource can be spent on achieving the overarching objective(s).

Result

At the time of writing, 2,694 audits have been completed with 20,171 items flagged for review across 421 stores. A confirmed value of over £500,000 has already been recognised as a cost saving due to proactive identification of failing refrigeration systems resulting in minimal stock loss. The information provided by this cutting-edge auditing solution has resulted in massive service overhauls within the end client's operations, improving efficiency and reducing costs significantly by taking a proactive approach to service issues.

Although initially only contracted for two years, the auditing service is now into it's fourth year of operation due to it's incredible success. The service is now deemed a vital part of the end client's service plan with no intention of ceasing Mistral's input or the solution implemented by Ostratto.

End-Client Cost Reduction

Efficiency Improved

Contract Extended Indefinitely

Ostratto specialises in delivering innovative, scalable solutions like Google Workspace, iAuditor, and Vonage. By combining cutting-edge technology with a customer-first approach, we help businesses streamline operations, improve efficiency, and achieve measurable results. Contact us today to learn how we can help your business thrive.

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Ostratto - Blog | Ostratto #customer success

What we learned from our most recent 50 Zoho CRM implementations

1. The best implementations begin with the process, not the software

2. CRM structure matters more than the number of features

3. More fields do not necessarily create better data

4. User experience directly affects data quality

5. Automation should support a proven process

6. Data migration needs more attention than most businesses expect

7. Reports need to influence the design from the beginning

8. Integrations depend on clearly defined ownership of data

9. Internal ownership is essential

10. A phased implementation is usually more effective

What the 50 implementations taught us overall

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AI in 2026: Five Practical Predictions for Small Businesses

1. AI agents will start doing jobs, not just answering questions

2. The most useful AI will disappear into the software you already use

3. AI value will be found in boring, measurable work

4. You may need your own AI workflow, but not your own AI model

5. Human oversight becomes more important as AI gets more capable

What should small businesses do now?

Final thoughts

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A Day in the Life of an Operations Director

Holding a Growing Business Together (Before)

Where Systems Carry Their Weight (After)

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Business Technology Trends That Matter in 2026

1. AI moves from “tooling” to operational decision support

What this means in practice

Actionable Takeaways

2. Automation becomes a margin-protection strategy, not just efficiency

What this means in practice

Actionable Takeaways

3. Cybersecurity becomes business continuity, not an IT topic

What this means in practice

What this means in practice

Actionable Takeaways

4. Integration beats tool sprawl - complexity is the hidden productivity cost

What this means in practice

Actionable Takeaways

5. Data quality becomes the limiter for growth and AI

What this means in practice

Actionable Takeaways

A simple 60-day plan most SMEs can actually execute

Weeks 1 – 2

Weeks 3 – 4

Weeks 5 – 8

Weeks 9 – 12

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Streamline Your Workflow with the 10 Best Zoho Apps

​​What is Zoho?

​​Featured Products

#1: Zoho CRM

#2: Zoho Books

#3: Zoho Expense

#4: Zoho Inventory

#5: Zoho People

#6: Zoho Projects

#7: Zoho Desk

#8: Zoho Forms

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#10: Zoho Sign

​​#1: Zoho CRM

What does Zoho CRM do?

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What are its Key Features?

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How to get started with Zoho CRM

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What does Zoho Books do?

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#1: Zoho CRM

#2: Zoho Books

#3: Zoho Expense

#4: Zoho Inventory

#5: Zoho People

#6: Zoho Projects

#7: Zoho Desk

#8: Zoho Forms

#9: Zoho Voice

#10: Zoho Sign

Why Zoho?

Why Ostratto?