Navigating data challenges: How A2Z Cloud elevated ITV Studios with Zoho Creator

In this #JustLowcodeIt series, our UK-based partner, A2Z Cloud from Salisbury, delves into how they addressed their client's challenges using Zoho Creator. This piece is penned by Becky Cowlan, Marketing Manager at A2Z Cloud, in collaboration with Dash Bunyan, CTO at A2Z Cloud, as a contribution to the Creator Developers' Month campaign. Thank you for sharing your story with us!

About A2Z Cloud

A2Z Cloud, based in Salisbury and recognized as a Zoho Premium Partner, stands as one of the UK's leading integrators of Zoho apps. With a history that traces back to 2008 and achieving Premium Partner status in 2017, they've collaborated with esteemed clients like ITV, Cambridge Education Group, and Lifeways, highlighting their expertise in developing low-code applications using Zoho Creator.

Their holistic approach extends beyond just software provision; they believe in forging lasting partnerships, ensuring tailor-made systems that cater to unique organizational needs. With a cross-functional team deeply versed in Zoho's expansive product suite and other cloud services, they've consistently delivered customized solutions that drive sustained success.

About ITV Studios

ITV Studios is a renowned global content creator, producer, and distributor. Known for classic shows like "Coronation Street" and new hits like "Love Island," they have always been at the forefront of innovative and creative content.

This expertise and volume in content creation led to significant data management challenges for ITV. James Hirst, Vice President of Development at ITV Studios, stated, "Prior to using Creator we had data everywhere—thousands of spreadsheets and multiple potential points of failure." The lack of a unified system was a major hindrance to collaboration and understanding between departments.

The application breakdown

Problem statement

Scattered data across thousands of spreadsheets and the absence of a unified system made collaboration and understanding between departments challenging. ITV Studios needed a consolidated, scalable system that could be implemented swiftly without a massive budget or a large team of developers.

SPOT: A tailored risk management system

To address the challenges faced by ITV Studios, A2Z Cloud introduced SPOT, a bespoke risk management system. Within this system, producers from various companies can seamlessly submit their production details using dedicated forms. Each production is linked to specific risk area forms, enabling teams to document associated risks. Once these risks are entered, the system automatically calculates a pre-mitigation rating. Following this, risk advisors evaluate and provide mitigation ratings for every completed form. 

The system is designed with user roles in mind; each role has access to customized reports that display the relevant information. Meanwhile, administrators have the privilege to access more granular data, including creation and modification timestamps, form IDs, and detailed user information.

Components

HTML Pages: These pages are designed with ITV Studios's branding in mind, ensuring the data collection interface is both visually appealing and consistent with the company's identity. The card interface layout provides a modern and intuitive user experience, making data entry and access a breeze.

Widgets: Zoho Creator's tabular interface efficiently organizes extensive data sets. By categorizing information into clear tabs, users can swiftly access the details they require. This not only boosts the application's UX but also presents data in a coherent and accessible manner.

Forms: At the heart of any data-driven application are its forms. Zoho Creator's forms are designed to be both intuitive and comprehensive. They facilitate easy data entry, allowing users to input relevant details without hassle.

Reports: Zoho Creator's reporting feature is a powerful tool for data analysis and access. Depending on user roles and permissions, reports can be tailored to display specific datasets. This ensures every user gets a detailed view of the data relevant to their role, enhancing both security and efficiency.

Creator Pages: These are dynamic dashboards that combine the best of Zoho Creator's built-in components with custom HTML elements. The result is a highly customizable dashboard that provides users with a holistic view of their data, presented in a visually engaging manner.

From chaos to clarity

With the expertise of A2Z Cloud and the capabilities of Zoho Creator, ITV Studios achieved a consolidated data platform in just six weeks. James Hirst remarked, "The platform is now a one-stop-shop to find all the information you need." The new system brought together data from multiple departments and production labels, streamlining the development of new shows. The platform reduced time spent searching for information, and with the Zoho Analytics integration, automated reports were set up, reducing manual report generation. The unified system also fostered collaboration amongst their 60 different production labels worldwide.

The impact: Measurable gains and enhanced efficiency

The Zoho Creator platform has proven invaluable for ITV Studios. The efficiency gains, coupled with the powerful insights from Zoho Analytics, have significantly reduced manual efforts. James Hirst shared, "We chose Zoho because it's a low-code platform, and we can quickly build additional aspects in Creator." The system's adaptability has allowed ITV Studios to make minor changes independently, showcasing the platform's flexibility and user-friendliness.

Why Zoho Creator?

Zoho Creator empowers users to craft bespoke applications swiftly and intuitively. Its accessible interface, combined with a comprehensive feature set, makes it a prime choice for enterprises, regardless of their scale.
Deluge, Zoho's proprietary scripting language, enables the development of functionalities that go beyond the capabilities of standard web-based, drag-and-drop platforms. This means applications can be meticulously tailored to resonate with the distinct needs of an entity like ITV Studios. Zoho Creator emerges as the ideal solution for businesses seeking a customized application without the prolonged coding process.
In essence, Zoho Creator stands out as a versatile platform, offering extensive adaptability and personalization. Its scalability, coupled with the power of Deluge, positions it as the go-to for organizations necessitating intricate applications.

Advice for aspiring Zoho Creator developers

Innovation is your greatest asset. Every business has its unique challenges, and no two enterprises function identically. Your innovative approach will set you apart when addressing these challenges, and Creator is the ideal platform to channel that innovation. Zoho Creator's low-code environment not only accelerates your learning curve, but also streamlines the app development process. Seize the moment and embark on your low-code journey.

The future of development is here, and it's time to #JustLowcodeIt.

Throughout this month, we'll be bringing you more interesting stories, so keep checking back and help celebrate International Programmers' Day with us!