An experienced online travel executive has launched a company to offer affordable web and database solutions, using UK project management and teams of software developers based in Eastern Europe.

Cloud Street Ltd, founded by Paul Midgley - previously a senior manager with leading travel website cheapflights.co.uk, and with the Opodo group - is using developers in Poland to create interactive and searchable sites, backed up by powerful data management systems.

“Unless a company has an in-house software development team, its options are to work with a UK agency or to outsource to lower-cost programmers in Asia or Eastern Europe,” says Midgley, 38.

” UK developer costs are rising, but small and mid-size businesses can find it difficult to access and manage the low-cost option. After all, dealing with a development team hundreds of miles away, who may speak little English and are in a different time zone can be a nightmare for non-specialists.”

Midgley however, has spent many years working with overseas development teams and has wide experience of coping with the pitfalls.

“You can find fantastic programmers in Eastern Europe”, he says, “but I’ve seen organisations fail to get value from them as they underestimate the time and experience needed to manage an outsourced development team”.

Cloud Street offer a ‘best of both worlds’ combination of UK project management and a development centre in Wroclaw, Poland.

“With our ‘managed outsourcing service’, we’re providing a full package of internet expertise, project management experience and low programming costs. It’s an ideal option for travel agents and operators that want greater online impact from their budget”

It’s often marketing staff who want to make more of their website - but they can find it daunting to approach the nuts and bolts end of a new system. Part of Cloud Street’s role is to be the bridge between the business and the technical teams. “We can work with clients with any level of technical expertise - from IT Director to Marketing Manager via Chief Exec” explains Midgley. “Companies get better results when they can tap in to both business and technical expertise.”
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