Case study · Facilities & Services

From single-server chaos to software the industry wants to buy.

How WikiTech transformed So Clean’s IT infrastructure, replaced a £3,000/month legacy platform with a custom-built app called SoAppy, and helped create software so good the cleaning industry wants it too.

IndustryContract Cleaning & Facilities
Staff supported28 core + 30 supervisors
In business30 years
Client sinceDay one, 3+ years
~£800/mosaved switching from previous MSP
3 AVD hostsup from a single, unredundant server
£3,000 → £0Templa licensing eliminated
SoAppylive, and the industry wants it
The challenge

A single point of failure, an eye-watering software bill, and operations run through WhatsApp.

So Clean came to WikiTech from the same IT provider that had let down several other businesses in the area. The problems were familiar: an overcharging MSP, under-resourced infrastructure, and no strategic direction. But So Clean had additional challenges that went well beyond the basics.

Their entire operation, 28 core staff and 30 supervisors, ran through a single server with no redundancy. When that server had a problem, everyone went offline simultaneously. There was no failover, no resilience, and no plan for when the inevitable happened. Performance was poor at the best of times; during peak usage it was worse.

Their field operations were managed through Templa, an industry-specific cleaning management platform that had not kept pace with modern software expectations. Templa required an on-site SQL server, was only accessible from within the business network or via AVD, and came with a licensing bill of close to £3,000 per month. Every user who needed access required both an Azure Virtual Desktop licence and a separate Templa licence: a cost structure that made adding users genuinely expensive.

And despite paying for Templa, operational communication with field operatives was happening over a shared WhatsApp group. Supervisors were manually compiling timesheets by hand. The software wasn’t delivering what it should have been.

Single server, no redundancy

All users on one server. Any issue meant a complete outage for the entire business, simultaneously.

Poor performance

Under-resourced infrastructure that struggled under load. Slow, frustrating, and unpredictable.

Templa: £3,000/month and falling short

Expensive legacy software that required SQL servers and AVD access. Double licensing cost per user. Not cloud-based.

Operations via WhatsApp

Jobs dispatched to field operatives through a group chat. No tracking, no confirmation, no audit trail.

Manual timesheets

Supervisors tracking operative hours and attendance by hand: time-consuming, error-prone, and unnecessary.

The journey

Step by step transformation.

WikiTech tackled the infrastructure first, then turned attention to the software that was holding the business back, and built something entirely new.

1

Azure Virtual Desktop: redundancy and performance

Replacing a single point of failure with a resilient, high-performance cloud platform

WikiTech’s first priority was eliminating the single server that the entire business depended on. The replacement was Azure Virtual Desktop, deployed across three session hosts, meaning load is distributed, and the failure of any one host does not bring down the business.

The performance improvement was immediate and significant. Staff who had grown accustomed to a slow, resource-limited environment now had a fast, responsive cloud desktop. And switching away from the previous MSP’s overpriced setup delivered savings of around £800 per month from day one.

The move to Azure also laid the groundwork for everything that followed: a modern, cloud-native platform that could support the more ambitious changes to come.

  • Migrated from a legacy single RDP server to Azure Virtual Desktop
  • 3 AVD session hosts: load balanced, no single point of failure
  • Dramatic performance improvement: faster, more responsive for all users
  • Full redundancy: one host down, business continues unaffected
  • ~£800/month saved: the previous MSP was significantly overcharging
2

SoAppy: replacing Templa with software So Clean owns

Building a next-generation cleaning operations platform from scratch

With the infrastructure stabilised, attention turned to the bigger opportunity: Templa. WikiTech proposed replacing it entirely with a custom-built application, one designed specifically for So Clean’s operations, free from per-user licensing, and owned outright by the business.

The result is SoAppy. Built by WikiTech and now live across the business, SoAppy handles everything Templa was supposed to, and much more. Operatives receive their jobs directly through the SoAppy mobile app, complete with all the information they need. They clock in and out through the app, providing automatic time and attendance data that feeds directly into timesheets: no supervisor manually tracking hours, no WhatsApp groups for job dispatch, no paper.

Because So Clean owns the software, there is no per-user licence. Adding a new user costs nothing in licensing terms, just the hosting infrastructure they already pay for. Templa is no longer used or licensed.

  • SoAppy built and live: Templa fully decommissioned
  • Mobile app for operatives: all jobs delivered directly to their device
  • Clock in, time and attendance: automated, replacing manual supervisor tracking
  • Operations booking and job management: end-to-end in one platform
  • Job sign-off with photos and digital confirmation
  • Zero per-user licensing: unlimited users at no additional licence cost
  • £3,000/month Templa licence eliminated
3

Intune, SharePoint & reducing AVD dependency

Next stage, in progress, following the same path as UK Pool Store

With SoAppy live and Templa gone, the same opportunity that presented itself at UK Pool Store is now appearing at So Clean: the need for Azure Virtual Desktop is reducing. As more of the business runs through cloud-native applications, the requirement to run everything through a cloud desktop diminishes.

WikiTech is currently migrating So Clean’s file storage to SharePoint, removing the server dependency for document access. Once that’s complete, all devices will be joined to Intune and secured with Conditional Access policies, giving every device the same security posture that blocked the phishing attack at UK Pool Store, while reducing the infrastructure overhead and associated costs.

  • SharePoint file migration: removing server dependency for document access
  • All devices to be enrolled in Microsoft Intune
  • Conditional Access: company-registered, compliant devices only
  • AVD requirement reducing as SoAppy and cloud tools replace server-dependent software
  • Lower Azure infrastructure costs: the same evolution as UK Pool Store
SoAppy

Next-generation cleaning management. Built by WikiTech. Owned by So Clean.

The cleaning industry has historically been underserved by software. Most platforms are expensive, outdated, and designed around the limitations of technology from a decade ago. SoAppy is different: it was designed around how So Clean actually operates today, built on a modern tech stack, and deployed on mobile devices that field operatives already carry.

The impact on day-to-day operations has been transformative. Supervisors who previously spent significant time manually managing timesheets, chasing job confirmations, and coordinating through WhatsApp now have a real-time view of all operations from a single dashboard. Operatives know exactly where they need to be, what they need to do, and can confirm completion with photos and digital sign-off from their phone.

SoAppy platform modules

One platform. Every part of the operation.

Operations & job managementBook, schedule, assign, and track every job
Operative mobile appJobs, instructions, and sign-off from any smartphone
Time & attendanceAutomated clock in/out replacing manual supervisor tracking
Timesheets & payrollAttendance data flows directly into payroll processing
Job completion & sign-offPhotos and digital signatures, a full audit trail per job
Reporting & dashboardsLive operational performance data for management
Cost comparison

£3,000/month for software that wasn’t doing the job.

The economics of replacing Templa with SoAppy are straightforward, and they improve every year.

Templa: previous platform

~£3,000
per month
Templa platform licences~£3,000
AVD licence required per userAdditional
Templa licence required per userAdditional
SQL server infrastructureAdditional
Source code ownershipNone

SoAppy: ongoing estimated cost

~£1,000
per month (from year 2 onwards)
Year 1–2: active development phaseHigher
Year 2–5: maintenance & hosting~£1,000
Per-user licensing£0, none
SQL server requirement£0, eliminated
Source code ownership100%

~£2,000/month saved from year 2. Every year. With software they own.

Over a five-year horizon, replacing Templa with SoAppy saves approximately £120,000 in licensing costs alone, while delivering a modern, purpose-built platform that no third-party vendor can discontinue, reprice, or restrict.

~£24k/yr
Additional improvements

Beyond the headline changes.

WikiTech’s involvement spans the full technology picture, not just the headline projects.

Service desk: from shared inbox to managed ticketing with Power BI reporting

So Clean’s internal service desk team of five were managing all requests through a single shared mailbox. There was no visibility of who was handling what, no priority system, no way to track progress, and no record of time spent. If a request got buried or missed, nobody would know until someone chased it.

WikiTech built a PowerApp service desk platform that replaced the shared inbox with a structured ticketing system. Every request is now logged, categorised, and assigned on arrival. The team can set priorities, track time spent per ticket, add notes and updates, and close tickets with a resolution record. Tickets are categorised by type (facilities, IT, HR, maintenance), making it easy to spot patterns.

Alongside the ticketing platform, WikiTech built a Power BI reporting dashboard for the service desk manager. Management can now see live workload distribution across the team, track average resolution times by category, monitor SLA performance, identify recurring issues, and produce reports for senior leadership, all automatically.

Mailbox → service desk + Power BITicket categorisation · Time tracking · Priority management · Live reporting, all in one platform

Mobile phones & SIMs: fully managed, no surprise bills

So Clean’s mobile estate was on a shared bulk data bundle: 300GB split across the fleet, with a low per-SIM cost that looked reasonable on paper. The problem: once the bundle was exhausted, data charges became eye-watering. No alerts, no controls, and no visibility, so when one employee burned through the remaining allowance in a single month, nobody knew until the bill arrived. That month’s overage came to £9,000.

WikiTech moved the entire fleet to all-inclusive unlimited data plans at £22 per SIM per month (ex VAT) and took on full management: provisioning, device setup, usage monitoring, replacements, and direct network liaison. Because WikiTech are the IT provider and not just a phone supplier, every device is enrolled in Microsoft Intune. New handsets are configured and ready to issue in minutes, remotely wiped when a staff member leaves, and locked to company management from day one.

How does £22 compare? O2’s best current business SIM promotion is £18.50/month ex VAT, rising to £20 ex VAT from April 2026, then increasing by £1.50 every year after that. That’s a promotional price, not their standard rate; O2’s standard unlimited business SIM is £25/month ex VAT. So compared to the promotional offer, WikiTech’s managed service costs £2 more per SIM per month, and WikiTech handle everything. Compared to the standard price, it’s a £3 saving and the management is essentially free.

£22/SIM/month (ex VAT), fully managed and controlledUnlimited data · Provisioning & setup · Overage monitoring · Direct network liaison, all included
What’s next

SoAppy is good enough to sell. And they plan to.

The cleaning industry is, in Nick’s own words, severely underserved by technology. The platforms that exist are expensive, outdated, and not built for the way modern cleaning businesses operate. SoAppy was built to solve So Clean’s specific problems, but in doing so, it has produced something that other businesses in the industry need too.

So Clean are planning to commercialise SoAppy, taking the platform they commissioned and turning it into a product for the wider cleaning industry. When the time is right to launch, WikiTech will be instrumental in that process: from structuring the new company to building the infrastructure that supports a multi-tenant deployment at scale.

Phase 3 in progress: Intune & SharePoint migration

Devices being joined to Intune. Files moving to SharePoint. AVD dependency reducing as SoAppy and cloud tools replace server-dependent software.

Continued SoAppy development

The platform continues to evolve. New modules, deeper integrations, and ongoing refinements based on how the operations team uses the system day-to-day.

SoAppy commercialisation: coming

So Clean plan to bring SoAppy to the wider cleaning industry. WikiTech will be central to setting up the new company and scaling the platform for external deployment.

“
WikiTech haven’t just fixed our IT, they’ve fundamentally changed how we run our business. SoAppy has transformed our operations. What used to take our supervisors hours of manual work is now handled automatically, and our operatives can’t imagine going back to a WhatsApp group. The technology WikiTech has built for us is genuinely ahead of anything else in our industry.
Nick GassonManaging Director, So Clean
Results

Three years of continuous improvement.

~£800saved per month switching from the previous overcharging MSP
£3,000 → £0Templa licensing eliminated, replaced by software So Clean owns outright
Zeromobile overage charges, from unpredictable bills to a fixed, lower monthly cost
3 hostsAVD session hosts, up from a single unredundant server that took everyone offline
Managed IT SupportMicrosoft 365 & AzureVoIP & TelephonyMobile Phones & SIMsCustom App DevelopmentIntune & Device ManagementPowerApp Service DeskBusiness Setup & Strategy
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