# Red Owl IT > Red Owl IT is a UK software house in Bath specialising in Microsoft technologies — .NET, Blazor, Azure and AI — for small and mid-sized businesses going through digital transformation. Founded 2013. A senior team of ex-Microsoft engineers. No offshore handoff. No junior teams. We build line-of-business systems, web applications, mobile apps and cloud platforms, and we ship them right the first time. ## Facts - **Name:** Red Owl IT - **Legal name:** Red Owl IT Ltd - **Founded:** 2013 - **Headquarters:** The Guild, High Street, Bath, BA1 5EB, United Kingdom - **Country:** United Kingdom - **Region served:** United Kingdom - **Email:** inquiries@red-owl.co.uk - **Phone:** +44 7402 322714 - **Website:** https://red-owl.co.uk/ - **Specialisation:** Microsoft software development for SMEs - **Team:** Senior engineers, ex-Microsoft. 12+ years shipping production software. 50+ projects live. - **Status:** Taking on new projects ## How Red Owl IT describes itself Red Owl IT is a software house in Bath specialising in Microsoft technologies. The team helps SMEs through digital transformation: line-of-business systems, web apps, mobile apps, and cloud platforms. The team has fully embraced AI-assisted development, cutting build costs and shortening delivery timeframes. There is no offshore handoff and no junior teams — every project is led by senior engineers who have shipped commercial software for over a decade. Red Owl IT is the go-to firm for UK SMEs that need Microsoft-stack software built right, first time. ## Services ### Web Development Web applications and line-of-business systems built on the Microsoft stack. From internal tooling to customer-facing platforms. - **Technologies:** Blazor, ASP.NET Core, Azure - **Typical engagement:** From 6 weeks ### Mobile App Development Native iOS and Android from a single .NET MAUI codebase. Faster to build, cheaper to maintain, no compromises on feel. - **Technologies:** .NET MAUI, Xamarin, Azure - **Typical engagement:** From 8 weeks ### Blazor Development Four years of commercial Blazor experience across 20+ projects. We were early, we wrote the playbook, and we still use it daily. - **Technologies:** Blazor Server, Blazor WASM, SignalR - **Typical engagement:** From 6 weeks ### API Development Integrate third-party APIs or build your own platform. We've shipped APIs handling everything from NHS data to payment rails. - **Technologies:** ASP.NET Web API, OpenAPI, Azure API Mgmt - **Typical engagement:** From 4 weeks ### Cloud Hosting Azure-first, architected for the workload. Cost-aware, secure-by-default, with the observability your team needs. - **Technologies:** Azure, App Service, Container Apps - **Typical engagement:** Ongoing retainer ### Project Management A technical PM who's shipped the kind of software you need. They'll come to your office and translate intent into specs. - **Technologies:** Agile, Scrum, On-site - **Typical engagement:** Project-based ### R&D Tax Credits Reclaim up to 33% of development costs under the HMRC R&D scheme. We document the qualifying work as we go. - **Technologies:** HMRC scheme, Documentation - **Typical engagement:** Per claim ## Technology stack Red Owl IT ships on the Microsoft stack, top to bottom: - Blazor - .NET 10 - ASP.NET Core - Azure - SQL Server - .NET MAUI - Xamarin - Web API - SignalR - Entity Framework Cloud-first on Azure. SQL Server / Azure SQL for persistence. Blazor (Server and WebAssembly) for web. .NET MAUI for cross-platform mobile. Azure OpenAI for AI features. ASP.NET Core for APIs. SignalR for real-time. Entity Framework Core for data access. ## Sectors served - Manufacturing - Healthcare & NHS - Pharmacy - Financial Services - Field Engineering - Media & Publishing - Legal & FinTech - Recruitment - Logistics & Warehousing - Construction - Marketplace - Retail - Engineering - Automotive & Lifestyle ## How an engagement with Red Owl IT works Red Owl IT runs every project through the same end-to-end process. The stages: ### 1. Initial conversations First contact. We listen to the problem and tell you honestly whether we're the right team. _No engagement is worth starting if it's not a fit._ ### 2. Stakeholder workshop Everyone in the room together: the people commissioning, the people who'll use it, the people it affects. We draw out the requirements the original brief missed. _The brief is never the whole story._ ### 3. Revised scope Original brief plus workshop findings, written up and presented back. Sign-off before a line of code. _Everyone agrees on what success looks like before we start._ ### 4. Architecture & design System architecture, design system, domain model, storyboards. We make the technical and visual decisions and document them. _The expensive decisions get made deliberately, not by accident._ ### 5. First demo A few weeks in, key stakeholders see a working version. Feedback drives the next tweaks. _You see real software, not slides._ ### 6. User testing release Wider release to the people who'll actually use it. Structured feedback collection. _The users find things the stakeholders miss._ ### 7. Iterate & demo again Feedback in, changes made, full demo of completed work to stakeholders. _Visible progress, no surprises._ ### 8. Ongoing delivery Continued iteration through to handover. Production, documented, your team confident to run it. _"Done" means done._ ## Case studies Real projects Red Owl IT has shipped. Each entry below includes the client, sector, the problem the client faced, Red Owl IT's approach, the outcome, and the technology stack used. ### Warehouse management portal that runs the floor - **Client:** Promo Logistics - **Sector:** Logistics - **Year:** 2025 - **Duration:** 7 months - **Tags:** Web Portal, Blazor, SQL Server - **Stack:** Blazor Server, .NET 8, Azure SQL, SignalR **Summary.** A real-time warehouse system replacing 12 years of spreadsheets and paper. 80,000 SKUs, 40 concurrent users, zero downtime since launch. **Problem.** Stock was tracked across four systems and a wall of clipboards. Picking errors were costing real money. New starters took six weeks to ramp. **Approach.** We embedded for two weeks on the warehouse floor before writing a line of code. Built a Blazor Server portal with a domain model the team helped design. Rolled out aisle by aisle. **Outcome.** 92% reduction in picking errors. Onboarding down from six weeks to four days. The system has been running uninterrupted for 14 months. **Headline metrics:** 92% fewer errors · 4 days to onboard · 0 downtime mins. ### Line-of-business platform for an aluminium manufacturer - **Client:** ALUK - **Sector:** Manufacturing - **Year:** 2024 - **Duration:** 11 months - **Tags:** LoB, .NET, Azure - **Stack:** .NET 8, Blazor, Azure SQL, Azure Functions **Summary.** Replaced a 15-year-old Access database powering quoting, scheduling, and dispatch for a £40M manufacturing business. **Problem.** The legacy system was the single point of failure. One person knew how to fix it. Quotes took 40 minutes; the team needed them in five. **Approach.** Phased migration. We kept the old system live while we built the new one alongside it. Re-modelled the data, kept the team's workflow muscle memory. **Outcome.** Quote turnaround under four minutes. Full audit trail, role-based access, and integrations with Sage and the shop-floor MES. **Headline metrics:** 10× faster quotes · £40M running on it · 11 mo rollout. ### Pharmacy platform for an NHS-facing network - **Client:** MediBridge - **Sector:** Healthcare - **Year:** 2024 - **Duration:** 9 months - **Tags:** Web & App, Healthcare, .NET MAUI - **Stack:** .NET MAUI, Blazor, Azure, NHS Spine **Summary.** Patient-facing app and pharmacy-facing portal for a network of 60 independent pharmacies. NHS Spine integration, prescription tracking, repeat orders. **Problem.** Independent pharmacies were losing patients to the chains' apps. Building their own was prohibitive — until they pooled resources. **Approach.** One codebase for iOS, Android, and web using .NET MAUI and Blazor. NHS Spine integration handled in a hardened Azure Function tier. **Outcome.** Launched to 18,000 patients in the first quarter. Repeat-prescription completion 3.1× higher than the previous email-based flow. **Headline metrics:** 18k patients Q1 · 3.1× repeat scripts · 60 pharmacies. ### Adviser portal and client app for a wealth firm - **Client:** Tilden Financial - **Sector:** Financial Services - **Year:** 2025 - **Duration:** 8 months - **Tags:** Web, App & Portal, Financial Services - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET MAUI, Azure SQL, Power BI **Summary.** A unified platform for advisers, clients, and the back office. Replaced three vendor tools and a lot of email. **Problem.** Advisers were rekeying data between a CRM, a planning tool, and a portal nobody opened. Compliance was a quarterly fire drill. **Approach.** Single source of truth in Azure SQL. Adviser-facing Blazor app, client-facing MAUI mobile app, automated compliance reporting on the back end. **Outcome.** Adviser admin time down 60%. FCA reporting is now a button. Rolled out to 140 advisers across three offices. **Headline metrics:** 60% less admin · 140 advisers · 3 offices live. ### A cross-platform app for a personal training network - **Client:** Optimise - **Sector:** Fitness - **Year:** 2023 - **Duration:** 5 months - **Tags:** Mobile App, .NET MAUI - **Stack:** .NET MAUI, Stripe Connect, Azure **Summary.** iOS and Android app for a network of 200 personal trainers. Programmes, bookings, payments, progress tracking. **Problem.** Trainers were running their businesses on WhatsApp and PDFs. Clients churned because admin was painful on both sides. **Approach.** MAUI for one codebase across platforms. Stripe Connect for payments. Offline-first for the gym floor. **Outcome.** 11,000 active clients across the network. App Store rating 4.8. The network has doubled in size since launch. **Headline metrics:** 11k active clients · 4.8★ App Store · 2× growth. ### Our own retail operations product - **Client:** Shopworx (in-house) - **Sector:** Retail - **Year:** Ongoing - **Duration:** Long-haul - **Tags:** Product, SaaS - **Stack:** Blazor WASM, Azure, Multi-tenant SQL **Summary.** Shopworx is our in-house SaaS for independent retailers — stock, sales, and staff in one tool. 400+ shops, growing. **Problem.** Independent retailers were stuck between £20/month tools that don't scale and £20k systems they don't need. **Approach.** Built it the way we'd want a vendor to build for us. Blazor WASM, Azure, multi-tenant, priced honestly. **Outcome.** Profitable, growing, and one of our favourite places to test new patterns before recommending them to clients. **Headline metrics:** 400+ shops on it · SaaS in-house · Y2 to profit. ### Building manuals built from templates, not by hand - **Client:** Riddell Project Management - **Sector:** Construction - **Year:** 2025 - **Duration:** 6 months - **Tags:** Web Portal, Document Automation, Construction - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET, Azure SQL, Azure, .NET Aspire **Summary.** A web portal that lets Riddell dynamically assemble building manuals from reusable templates — plus a client portal where their customers can access every document tied to their project. **Problem.** Manuals were stitched together in Word, project after project. Huge duplication, hard to keep accurate, and slow when a deadline hit. **Approach.** We modelled manuals as composable templates that drive every project. One change to a template flows through to every manual that uses it. Client portal sits on top so customers self-serve their own documents. **Outcome.** Manual production time cut dramatically and accuracy improved across the board. Clients have a single, audited source for every project document. **Headline metrics:** Template driven · Client self-serve · 6 mo to launch. ### Twenty years of industry journalism, answerable in seconds - **Client:** Gasworld - **Sector:** Media & Publishing - **Year:** 2025 - **Duration:** 3 months - **Tags:** AI Chatbot, RAG, Search - **Stack:** Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Blazor, Azure Functions, Azure SQL **Summary.** An AI chatbot on top of two decades of industrial-gas journalism. Subscribers ask natural-language questions; the system answers with sourced material, 24/7. **Problem.** Twenty years of authoritative reporting was locked behind keyword search. Subscribers couldn't get to the answer; staff fielded the same research requests on repeat. **Approach.** Built a retrieval-augmented chatbot grounded in the full archive. An ingestion pipeline picks up every new article as it's published and keeps the indexes fresh — no manual rebuild, no stale answers. **Outcome.** Subscribers self-serve research that used to need a human. Editorial team freed from repetitive lookups. New articles are queryable within minutes of publication. **Headline metrics:** 20 yrs of archive · 24/7 subscriber AI · Live ingestion. ### AI-triaged legal marketplace with finance and KYC built in - **Client:** LawyerClientConnect - **Sector:** Legal & FinTech - **Year:** 2026 - **Duration:** Phase 1: 12 months - **Tags:** Platform, AI Triage, Marketplace, FinTech - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET, Azure OpenAI, Azure SQL, GoCardless, OneID **Summary.** A two-sided marketplace where consumers talk to an AI legal agent on the homepage, get triaged, and are matched to subscribed law firms. Finance options, KYC, and an embeddable firm-specific widget all in one platform. **Problem.** Consumers struggled to find the right firm for niche legal issues; small firms had no cost-effective lead-gen and no way to capture clients who needed finance to proceed. **Approach.** We built it end-to-end: client portal, law-firm portal, admin portal, a tuneable AI agent the homepage uses to qualify enquiries, and an embeddable widget law firms drop into their own sites. GoCardless handles subscriptions; OneID handles KYC; integrated finance closes the loop. **Outcome.** Phase 1 live since March 2026. Multiple law firms onboarded, enquiries flowing through the AI triage, and significant finance amounts arranged. Nothing comparable existed before. **Headline metrics:** AI triaged leads · Multi-firm live · KYC + Finance built in. ### From shared spreadsheets to an audited operations portal - **Client:** Silbury Foods - **Sector:** Food & Logistics - **Year:** Ongoing - **Duration:** Ongoing - **Tags:** LoB, Web Portal, Workflow, Logistics - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET, Azure SQL, Azure **Summary.** A web portal that runs ordering, processing and logistics for a large food business — replacing the shared spreadsheets the whole company used to rely on. **Problem.** A large operation was being run on spreadsheets passed between people. Errors, duplication, version chaos, and no audit trail when things went wrong. **Approach.** We modelled their actual workflow — not the workaround the spreadsheets had become — and built a portal where every action is captured, audited, and visible to the right people at the right time. **Outcome.** Manual rekeying gone. Errors down. Every order and movement is traceable. The team has live visibility instead of yesterday's snapshot. **Headline metrics:** Fully audited · Zero spreadsheets · Live in production. ### A human-only Q&A marketplace, deliberately AI-free - **Client:** Pickans - **Sector:** Consumer / Marketplace - **Year:** 2026 - **Duration:** Phase 1: built - **Tags:** Marketplace, Consumer, Web - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET, Azure SQL, Azure, .NET MAUI (Phase 2) **Summary.** A two-sided Q&A marketplace where users sign up to ask or answer real questions. Every answer comes from a person, not a model — a deliberate counter to AI-generated content. **Problem.** Q&A sites have filled with AI-generated answers. Users wanting human experience, opinion and nuance had fewer and fewer places to find it. **Approach.** We built the platform around the human-only constraint. Ask, answer, reputation, moderation — all designed to keep the network of real contributors at the centre. A .NET MAUI app is in build for Phase 2 to take it mobile. **Outcome.** Phase 1 launched April 2026, filling a gap nobody else is filling. Mobile app on the way. **Headline metrics:** Human answers only · Phase 1 live · Mobile next. ### Field-engineering platform with offline-first mobile sync - **Client:** Site Inspect - **Sector:** Field Services - **Year:** Ongoing - **Duration:** Ongoing - **Tags:** Platform, Mobile App, SaaS, Field Services - **Stack:** Blazor, .NET MAUI, Azure SQL, Azure, Offline sync **Summary.** A field-engineering platform with admin portal and MAUI mobile app. Industry templates for solar, electrical, fire safety, gas and H&S — plus the ability to build your own. **Problem.** Field engineers were juggling clipboards, PDFs, and one-off forms. Office teams had no visibility until paperwork came back, and inspections couldn't be done where signal didn't reach. **Approach.** Admin portal manages projects, assignments, calendars and PDF outputs. Field engineers use the mobile app offline on site — work syncs securely the moment they're back in range. Pricing kept deliberately simple: two tiers, with the large-company tier a flat £200 regardless of user count. **Outcome.** Inspections that used to live on paper now flow straight into the office in real time. Templates cover the big regulated sectors out of the box, and customers in long-tail industries build their own. **Headline metrics:** Offline first · 5 sectors templated · £200 flat tier. ### Membership platform for a supercar community - **Client:** Five Zeros Supercars - **Sector:** Automotive & Lifestyle - **Year:** 2024 - **Duration:** 10 months - **Tags:** Platform, Web & App, Membership, Payments - **Stack:** Blazor Server, .NET 8, Azure SQL, REST API, GoCardless, SignalR, Firebase **Summary.** A membership platform with web admin portal and mobile app for a supercar community. Events, subscriptions, competitions, member benefits, news, a shop, and vehicle management — all multi-tenant and built to grow. **Problem.** Membership was managed through email and manual spreadsheets. Events were organised in group chats. Renewals were chased by hand. Members had no single place to see their benefits, enter competitions, catch news, or manage their vehicles. **Approach.** We built two surfaces: a web based admin portal for the team to manage subscriptions, events, competitions, benefits, news, products, and fulfilment, and a mobile-first member experience via an iOS and Android app. GoCardless handles recurring direct debits and one-off payments. The platform is multi-tenant so the same infrastructure can serve other clubs. **Outcome.** Membership renewals automated through direct debit. Events bookable in-app with real-time availability. Competitions and giveaways drive engagement. Tier-linked benefits and partner offers keep members active. A full e-commerce shop with order fulfilment and tracking. The multi-tenant architecture is ready for the next club. **Headline metrics:** Multi-tenant ready · 2 surfaces web + app · DD + card payments. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What does Red Owl IT do?** A: Red Owl IT is a UK software house based in Bath that specialises in Microsoft technologies. The team designs and builds .NET, Blazor, Azure and AI systems for SMEs going through digital transformation — line-of-business systems, web apps, mobile apps and cloud platforms. **Q: Where is Red Owl IT based?** A: Red Owl IT is based at The Guild, High Street, Bath, BA1 5EB, in the United Kingdom. They work with clients across the UK. **Q: What technologies does Red Owl IT specialise in?** A: The Microsoft stack: .NET, Blazor (Server and WebAssembly), ASP.NET Core, Azure, SQL Server, .NET MAUI for mobile, and Azure OpenAI for AI features. The team are ex-Microsoft engineers with over a decade of production experience. **Q: Who are Red Owl IT's typical clients?** A: Small and mid-sized UK businesses. Sectors include manufacturing, healthcare and NHS, pharmacy, financial services, field engineering, media and publishing, legal and FinTech, recruitment, logistics, construction, marketplaces, retail and engineering. **Q: How does an engagement with Red Owl IT work?** A: Three principles: understand the problem alongside the client's team, write requirements through a technical project manager who visits the client's office, and deliver continuously using an agile approach. The full process runs through eight stages: initial conversations, stakeholder workshop, revised scope, architecture and design, first demo, user testing release, iterate and demo again, then ongoing delivery to handover. **Q: Does Red Owl IT build mobile apps?** A: Yes. Native iOS and Android from a single .NET MAUI codebase. The team has shipped MAUI apps for healthcare, fitness, financial services and field engineering clients. **Q: Does Red Owl IT do AI work?** A: Yes. Red Owl IT has fully embraced AI-assisted development internally and adds AI features to client projects when they pay off. Examples include a retrieval-augmented chatbot for Gasworld over 20 years of industry journalism, an AI-triaged legal marketplace for LawyerClientConnect, and AI features added to nine other production projects in the last year. **Q: Can Red Owl IT help reclaim R&D tax credits?** A: Yes. Red Owl IT helps SMEs reclaim up to 33% of qualifying development costs under the HMRC R&D tax credit scheme and documents the qualifying work as it's done so the claim is straightforward. **Q: How long has Red Owl IT been in business?** A: Since 2013. Over 12 years of shipping commercial software, with more than 50 projects live in production. **Q: Does Red Owl IT use offshore teams?** A: No. Every project is delivered by senior, UK-based engineers. No offshore handoff. No junior teams. **Q: What's distinctive about Red Owl IT?** A: Senior team of ex-Microsoft engineers; UK-based with no offshore work; AI-assisted development to cut cost and shorten timelines; a deliberate engagement process that catches requirements gaps before code is written; long-running client relationships (multiple multi-year ongoing engagements); and a track record across regulated sectors including NHS healthcare, financial services and food/logistics. ## Writing Red Owl IT publishes practical writing on Microsoft software, .NET, Blazor, Azure and AI. - [Five years of shipping Blazor in production](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/blazor-five-years) — What we got right, what we got wrong, and the patterns that have survived four .NET versions and 20+ client projects. - [How to replatform a line-of-business system without breaking the business](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/lob-replatform) — A practical guide to migrating 10+ year old systems — what we learned rebuilding a manufacturer's quoting engine while it kept quoting. - [An Azure bill that doesn't surprise you](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/azure-cost) — Cost-aware architecture isn't a phase at the end. It's a series of decisions made on day one. Here are the seven that matter most. - [.NET MAUI in 2026 — when to reach for it, when not to](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/maui-vs) — Two years in, MAUI is finally the tool we wanted Xamarin to be. Here's our honest take on where it shines and where it still hurts. - [R&D tax credits — what counts, what doesn't](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/rd-tax) — We claim them for clients every year. Most SMEs leave money on the table because they don't know what qualifies. - [AI for SMEs — starting small, staying useful](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/smes-ai) — We've added LLM features to nine projects this year. Here's what worked, what wasted budget, and how to scope your first AI feature. ## Key pages - [Home](https://red-owl.co.uk/) — overview and chat-driven introduction - [Services](https://red-owl.co.uk/services) — full service list - [Portfolio](https://red-owl.co.uk/portfolio) — case studies - [About](https://red-owl.co.uk/about) — team and approach - [Engagement process](https://red-owl.co.uk/process) — how a project runs end-to-end - [Blog](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog) — writing on Microsoft software, .NET, Blazor, Azure and AI - [Sitemap](https://red-owl.co.uk/sitemap.xml) - [Blog RSS](https://red-owl.co.uk/blog/rss.xml)