In the year marking its 20th anniversary, Create IT, a Portuguese company specializing in the development of business-critical multiplatform systems, achieved a turnover of 3.5 million euros, signifying a growth of over 30%. Projections for 2022 indicate a similar growth rate and the recruitment of two dozen new specialized talents.
"The year 2021 went very well for Create IT, especially in the areas of e-commerce, e-banking, application modernization, and integration, and digital transformation. These scenarios are increasingly executed through strategic and long-term collaboration models with customers, involving the creation of dedicated teams focused on technological solutions for core areas of companies such as Sonae, Worten, BPI Bank, Luz Saúde, among many others", reveals Nuno Miguel Guerra, CEO of Create IT.
The company's flagship products, CloudCockpit (a management platform for Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers) and Diggspace (a ready-to-use digital workplace platform), also experienced substantial growth. CloudCockpit's turnover increased by 38%, tripling the value obtained just three years ago. Currently, around 85% of revenue comes from cross-border business, already serving end customers in 23 geographies.
These growth levels extended beyond national clients to international ones. For instance, Create IT initiated a partnership with the globally recognized insurance group Axa, forming a dedicated team providing high-quality added-value services globally.
Nuno Miguel Guerra emphasizes, "It was also interesting that all this work took place in parallel with challenges inherent to the pandemic, focusing on three main dimensions: prioritizing people's safety, community support (with the Mais Próximo Movement and the Aconchegar Initiative), and maintaining the effectiveness of teams with customers. We managed to help reinvent and boost companies' businesses while contributing to society in the most ambitious way we have ever done. There is no better way to celebrate Create's 20 years."
Expectations for 2022 include achieving growth at the same level, both in services and products. In service areas, with strong involvement in digital transformation initiatives for major customers in the financial, retail, and health sectors, Create IT plans to bolster its teams and increase market presence. In SaaS products, Create IT aims to expand the international presence of CloudCockpit and further penetrate the business market with Diggspace, facilitating collaboration and internal communication in any working model.
In its 20th-anniversary year, Create IT remains committed to maintaining the familial atmosphere, unity, and sense of belonging it had with 10 employees when it is close to reaching 100. Nuno Miguel Guerra states, "The spirit of keeping people first, as the most precious part of our existence, respecting their values, rhythms, and needs, has been present since the creation of the company."
Fortunately, in the year of celebrating 20 years, the entire team had the opportunity to come together in the largest Create meeting ever held, spending four days together in the Azores. Nuno Miguel Guerra adds, "It was excellent to meet some people physically again almost two years after the pandemic started."
Over its 20-year existence, Create IT has spearheaded emblematic and innovative projects, including the social network of the World Economic Forum, the post-sales service platform of Worten Mobile, the International Trade Portal of Sonae, the BPI Risk Management System, and various E-Commerce Portals such as Grupo Pestana, Continente Online, Wells Online, Worten Online, and BPI Net and BPI Net Corporate.
Create IT stands out as the only company in Europe recognized three times by the community as a winner of the European SharePoint Community Awards. It has also been honored as "Partner Ambassador of the Year" by Microsoft Portugal and twice as partner of the year in the "Solution Partner of the Year" category in Portugal.
Regarding team evolution, Nuno Miguel Guerra states, "Similar to what happened in 2021, where over 40% of the people we hired were over 30 years old, this year we will also focus on strengthening the team with both young talent and individuals with high levels of seniority who want to be in a company focused on excellence and continuous learning."
Social responsibility has been a major focus of Create IT over the years. Nuno Miguel Guerra explains, "Our claim 'Innovating Life' refers to the lives of all the people we touch every day through products and projects we develop with clients. Social responsibility is the natural extension of this purpose, helping the community in the best way."
This commitment involves various initiatives, such as mobilizing more than 1 ton of rice for the Food Bank, aiding reforestation in the Vale de Marvila in Lisbon, supporting the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital during the fires of 2017, and contributing to nursing homes with the donation of oximeters and a free application to monitor symptoms.
Create IT is also personally involved in community initiatives, such as Aconchegar, which, with the support of Fundação São João de Deus and IAMCP Portugal, mobilized civil society in the 4th wave of Covid in Portugal, ensuring the delivery of around three hundred beds in hospitals and institutions in 19 districts. Currently, the commitment extends to collaborating with initiatives such as Solidarybed, WeHelpUkrain, and several others at a national and international level supporting Ukraine and refugees resulting from the ongoing war.