From modernising legacy comms systems to looming Windows 10 deadline, this edition is about making the right moves now – not when it’s too late.
Here’s what’s inside this month’s edition:
- Monthly Spotlight – Why Zoom is more than meetings and now a UCaaS leader
- Clevr Customer Story – How Distinctive Americas went from reactive to proactive cyber security
- Clevr Coverage – Windows 10 end of life: why waiting until Q4 could cost you big
- On-Demand Webinars – Catch up on our Zoom and Clevr360 webinars you may have missed
- Upcoming Events – Zoomtopia, Windows 10 webinar and Smoothwall roundtable on digital safeguarding
- Clevr Updates – We’re Triple Finalists at the Comms National Awards 2025!
- Industry Intel – Microsoft licensing updates, VodafoneThree’s £11bn network push, ransomware thriving in messy estates, and IBM’s warning on unsecured AI
Monthly Spotlight: Zoom – More Than Meetings
For some businesses still using legacy phone systems, the perception of Zoom hasn’t quite caught up with its transformation.
Often misunderstood as “just a video platform” popularised during the pandemic, Zoom has quietly evolved into one of the most powerful UCaaS and CCaaS platforms on the market – used by enterprises, SMEs and public sector organisations globally, for far more than meetings.
With a full suite of capabilities – including Zoom Phone, Contact Centre, Team Chat, Workspaces, and AI Companion – Zoom has positioned itself as a serious contender for organisations seeking simplicity, scalability and long-term value in their communications stack.
This is not just us saying; Zoom has been recognised as a ‘Leader’ in the UCaaS space in the latest Forrester Wave Q3 2025 report, outperforming Cisco, Microsoft, Google, RingCentral, and 8×8.
What sets Zoom apart? AI-driven innovation. Seamless integration. Reliability. Speed. Support. In fact, Zoom was the only one recognised for above-average customer feedback, proving that businesses aren’t just adopting it, they’re thriving with it.
Here’s what you get from Zoom:
- Unified communications across phone, meetings, and chat, on any device, desktop or mobile.
- Full voice feature set (hold, transfer, voicemail, call recording, queues)
- One-click escalation from voice to video
- Native CRM integration with platforms like Salesforce, Teams and more
- Real-time analytics for admins and supervisors
- Zoom AI Companion, built-in at no extra cost
- Zoom-Mitel hybrid solution for those who don’t want to rip-and-replace
If you’re on legacy platforms and are exploring modern comms solutions, but Zoom hasn’t been on your radar, now is the time to see what it’s really capable of.
Want to know how Zoom is more than just a meeting platform?
Watch our on-demand webinar where Dave Harrison from CloudClevr and Rob Wiles from Zoom get real about the future of comms. You’ll see:- Live Zoom Phone demo – Including powerful Zoom AI features in action
- Customer story – Hear directly from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on why they moved to the Zoom + Mitel hybrid solution
- Planning ahead – What to consider even if you’re not ready to switch yet
Clevr Customer Story: Distinctive Americas
From reactive to proactive cybersecurity with CloudClevr
Distinctive Americas, a specialist holiday services provider, had IT & cyber security that was “good enough” – until remote working made security a top priority. With just a standard anti-virus solution and one shared OneDrive login across the whole business, sensitive data was wide open.
The fix? A smarter, more secure setup with CloudClevr.
We rolled out SharePoint with role-based access control, Bitdefender for proactive cyber protection, and Microsoft Intune to keep every device compliant. The switch was seamless – with no disruption and maximum impact.
The results:
- Security alerts reduced from hundreds to just 1–2 per month
- Faster, more organised access to data
- Secure working from anywhere, on any device
- Friendly, professional support throughout
“Before, IT was reactive. Now, we’re secure, compliant, and confident. CloudClevr made the whole transition painless.”
Daniel Benians – Managing Director
Distinctive Americas
One business, one secure solution, zero disruption.
That’s Clevr.
Clevr Coverage: No Gaps.
Only 53 days left before Windows 10 goes end of life – Are you still waiting to act?
Many businesses are waiting until Q4 to act on their Windows 10 migration. You might think you have time to deal with it later.
But here’s the problem: Rushed upgrades = higher costs.
By Q4, we’re expecting:
✅ 10–20% price hikes on laptops and chips due to new US import tariffs
✅ Extended lead times as suppliers struggle to meet demand
✅ Migration bottlenecks – support, licenses, and devices will be in short supply
By the time everyone else moves, you’ll be stuck in the queue or paying more to skip it.
Now’s your window. Migrate early, avoid the rush, and lock in better pricing. That’s Clevr.
Are you ready to respond before a cyberattack hits?
Too many organisations scramble to respond, wasting precious hours that make the difference between a minor disruption and a business-stopping incident. That’s why you need our Cyber Incident Response Playbook – a practical guide to getting your team ready before a breach.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Clear roles and responsibilities so everyone knows what to do
- Step-by-step actions to respond, contain and recover from an incident
- Best practices to reduce downtime
- Strategies to communicate effectively in the event of a crisis
Download your copy today and make sure your next cyber incident is a controlled response, not a crisis. That’s Clevr.
On-Demand Webinars
ON DEMAND WEBINAR
Windows 10 End of Life – What’s Next?
With less than 40 days left before Windows 10 reaches end of life, businesses can’t afford to wait. Many organisations plan to leave their migration until Q4, but that risks higher costs, limited device availability, and stretched support.
In this on-demand webinar, you’ll learn how to:
- Upgrade confidently with Windows 11 – check device eligibility and plan your migration path
- Keep your options flexible using Cloud PCs or Azure Virtual Desktop instead of traditional upgrades
- Reduce costs with Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) solutions
- Avoid Q4 chaos by planning budgets and resources to dodge price hikes and bottlenecks
- Ensure a smooth transition with real-world tips and best practices
Whether you’re planning a full migration or exploring alternative modern desktop options, this webinar will give you the clarity and guidance you need to act confidently.
Don’t leave your Windows 10 migration till the last minute. Learn how to upgrade, modernise, and stay productive without the Q4 rush.
ON DEMAND WEBINAR
The 3 Blind Spots in your Microsoft 365 Estate - and the roadmap to fix them
On demand webinar - presented by CloudClevr
You’re investing heavily in Microsoft 365, but are you really in control?
Hidden overspend, unseen security risks, and lost productivity could be silently costing your business thousands each year. Most IT leaders don’t realise the scale until it’s too late.
In this 30-minute webinar, we reveal the hidden threats and inefficiencies costing your business more than you realise – and how to take control with Clevr360.
- The top 3 blind spots in most Microsoft 365 estates
- Why these issues persist – even in “well-managed” environments
- How Clevr360 gives you the visibility and tools to fix them, fast
- How to build a tailored IT roadmap that cuts waste, reduces risk and boosts performance.
Watch the on-demand webinar and take back control. That’s Clevr.
Upcoming Events
VIRTUAL ROUND TABLE
Digital Safeguarding in Education with Smoothwall and CloudClevr
- 15th October 2025 | 2 PM BST
- 45 mins
Keeping students safe online is tougher than ever. With growing class sizes, stretched workloads, and new digital risks emerging daily, safeguarding can feel like an impossible task.
Join Katherine Howard, Head of Education & Wellbeing at Smoothwall, and CloudClevr for an interactive virtual roundtable where you’ll interact with education leaders to share experiences, challenges, discuss what’s working (and what isn’t), and leave with practical steps to strengthen safeguarding in your own school.
It’s not a sales pitch or a technical webinar.
It’s an open, collaborative conversation.
ZOOMTOPIA
Zoomtopia 2025 is here!
- 18th September 2025 | 9 AM BST
- 3 hours
Register for a firsthand look at how Zoom’s latest innovations are helping teams thrive, customer experiences evolve, and unlock untapped potential.
Join Zoom, Khan Academy, Upwork, Talkspace and others for expert insights, practical tips, and inspiring stories on how AI, productivity tools, and custom workflows are transforming the way teams collaborate.
Learn from real-world customer success stories and explore how Zoom AI Companion, agentic workflows and smart integrations are transforming industries.
Don’t miss out on a day of insights, innovation, and inspiration.
We’re Triple Finalists at the Comms National Awards 2025!
We’re thrilled to be recognised in three categories at this year’s Comms Dealer Comms National Awards:
- Best SME Managed Service Solution
- Best SME Contact Centre Customer Solution
- Reseller Business Transformation Award
This is special, as our achievements are being recognised by the industry just two years after we started – uniting four companies under one bold brand, building a high-performing team, and delivering exceptional service.
A huge thank you to our customers, partners, and the CloudClevr team – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Industry Intel: What’s the latest?
Microsoft scraps volume licensing discounts
In a move expected to impact enterprise customers, Microsoft has announced it will remove all volume licensing discounts for Online Services, including Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Defender, and GitHub, from 1 November 2025.
From this date, Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) customers will all pay the standard Level A list price, regardless of user count.
VodafoneThree activates network auto-switching on more than 600 sites
VodafoneThree has activated its Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) across 600 sites. MOCN automatically connects devices to the strongest available signal, regardless of the original provider. Customers will be able to enjoy faster and more resilient connectivity as the integration progresses, closing 4G coverage gaps, easing congestion, and improving reliability for business-critical apps.
Ransomware thrives in messy IT estates
Barracuda’s latest report confirms what we see every day: complexity is the enemy of security. 74% of repeat ransomware victims say they’re running too many tools, and 61% admit those tools don’t integrate – leaving blind spots attackers love. The takeaway? You don’t need more tools; you need the right ones that filter out noise and give you true visibility before attackers can slip in.
AI adoption races ahead, but security is lagging
IBM’s latest Cost of a Data Breach Report has put a spotlight on the dark side of rapid AI adoption. While businesses rush to deploy AI, most are leaving security, governance, and access controls behind, making AI systems an easy, high-value target.
13% of organisations reported breaches of AI models or apps, and 97% of those that were hit didn’t have basic AI access controls in place. Shadow AI (unsanctioned AI use) is driving breach costs up by an average of $670K.
The warning is clear: skipping AI governance to chase quick wins comes with a heavy price.
That’s all from us in this edition.
Clevr Bytes is for you — so what would you like to see in the next edition? New tech? Planning expertise? Customer stories? More events? Your feedback helps us make this newsletter genuinely Clevr.
Tell us what matters by emailing marketing@cloudclevr.com, and we’ll make it happen.