BCC IT August 2026 Monthly Insight

Looking Up

August at BCC IT started with the title Looking Up. Originally that was meant quite literally.

The month brought a rare solar eclipse, followed by the Perseid meteor shower, giving us a particularly good reason to step outside and look towards the night sky. Here in West Wales, where we’re fortunate to enjoy relatively dark skies, it was quite a memorable sight.

But August also brought tragic news that stopped us in our tracks and changed the direction of this month’s insight completely.

Remembering Finlay Tarling

On 14 August, we were devastated to learn that Finlay Tarling, aged just 19, had been involved in a fatal incident while competing in Stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal.

Fin was an exceptionally talented young Welsh cyclist. BCC IT had been proud to sponsor him earlier in his career and to watch his progress from the roads of West Wales to representing Great Britain and competing internationally.

His achievements were remarkable, particularly for someone so young, and the many tributes shared since his death have spoken just as strongly about the person behind them – a much-loved son, brother, friend and teammate whose smile and enthusiasm made an impression on the people around him.

For those of us who had followed his journey, the news has been incredibly difficult to comprehend. His loss has been felt throughout an entire community, and we remember him as a bright, talented young man whose journey we were fortunate enough to follow and support.

Our thoughts are first and foremost with Fin’s family, friends, teammates and everyone who knew and loved him.

A Different Perspective

There are months when the things we intended to write about suddenly feel rather less important. Nevertheless, perhaps the original idea still has a place. Watching the eclipse and later looking up at the Perseids was one of those rare occasions when everyday activity stops for a moment. Looking at the sky also made something else surprisingly noticeable: the number of satellites steadily moving amongst the stars.

It was a reminder of just how much technology now exists around us – some of it visible – much of it not – and how quickly something extraordinary can become part of everyday life.

This is also true in business.

Technology sits behind almost everything organisations do, yet most of the time the people using it shouldn’t have to think about what is happening underneath. They simply need it to work.

The Technology we Barely Notice

Consider the beginning of an ordinary working day.

Before someone has finished their first coffee, they may have already relied upon an internet connection, device security, login credentials, multi-factor authentication, email, cloud storage, business applications, telephone systems and perhaps several third-party services.

Behind those are updates, backups, cyber security controls, networks and support processes that employees may rarely see. When everything is working properly, the technology becomes almost invisible. And most of the time, that’s exactly as it should be.

For organisations, good IT support isn’t about noticing the technology. It’s about helping people communicate, access the information they need, serve their customers and get on with their work without unnecessary interruption. The systems may operate in the background, but knowing what your organisation depends on is still important.

Those things we barely notice while they are working are often the things we notice very quickly if they stop.

What Would You Notice First?

There’s one very simple question that’s worth considering:

If one everyday piece of technology became unavailable tomorrow morning, what

would your organisation notice first?

Could people still communicate with each other?

Could customers reach you?

Could your team work from another location if necessary?

And if information or systems were lost, how quickly could they be recovered?

You don’t necessarily need a complicated technical exercise to begin answering those questions. Sometimes a short conversation is enough to identify the systems that are essential to the way your organisation works.

August Customer Feedback

Each month we reflect on our customers experience and it was encouraging to see so much positive feedback. In August 223 reviews were collected, 99.1% of them positive. We are very grateful to every customer who took the time to share their feedback. Thank you!

Looking Ahead

August has been an unusually reflective month. It began with reasons to look towards the sky and marvel at just how much is happening beyond our everyday view.

It has also, very sadly, reminded us of something much closer to home.

As we move into September, our thoughts remain with Finlay’s family and everyone affected by his loss. His journey ended far too soon.

We hope Fin’s legacy will help other young people in Wales experience some of the freedom, opportunity and sheer enjoyment he found through cycling.

For Fin.