Who is Teal Software?
Teal Software is a New Zealand‑based consultancy that helps small and medium businesses build practical systems using Microsoft’s Power Platform.
It was founded by Sarah Bennett, who has over 25 years’ experience in the IT industry and specialises in building custom business applications that replace spreadsheets, manual processes, and “workarounds” that no longer scale.
Teal Software focuses on real‑world outcomes — helping businesses get better visibility of their data, reduce admin, and put automation and AI to work in ways that actually make sense day‑to‑day.
What is Power Apps?
Power Apps is how you build simple, practical business apps on top of your own data — without building software from scratch.
Instead of trying to force your business to fit an off‑the‑shelf system, Power Apps lets you create apps that match the way you actually work. Things like job tracking, customer management, inspections, approvals, or internal tools that don’t quite exist as a ready‑made product.
Power Apps is often described as “low‑code” because much of the work is done through configuration rather than programming. That means apps can be built and changed quickly — adding new fields, forms, or processes as your business evolves, without long development cycles.
For small and medium businesses, the real advantage is flexibility:
You can adapt the app as your processes change
You’re not locked into someone else’s idea of how your business should run
Your apps can connect directly to your data (often stored in Dataverse)
The same apps work on the web, tablet, and mobile
In short, Power Apps fills the gap between spreadsheets and expensive custom software — and provides the foundation for automation and AI to actually be useful.
What is Dataverse?
Microsoft Dataverse is the place where your business data lives when you build modern apps and AI tools on Microsoft.
Instead of information being scattered across spreadsheets, email inboxes, accounting systems, and job management tools, Dataverse brings it together into one secure, structured system. That means your data is consistent, trustworthy, and actually usable — by people, apps, and AI.
For small and medium Kiwi businesses, Dataverse makes it easier to:
Keep a single source of truth for customers, jobs, assets, and documents
Track customer interactions like emails, phone calls, meetings, and notes, so everyone can see what’s happened and what needs to happen next
Build custom apps and automations without needing a big IT team
Connect data from Microsoft 365 and other systems in a safe, controlled way
Use AI on top of real business data — not just generic prompts
Dataverse runs on Microsoft’s cloud, so security, backups, compliance, and scaling are handled for you. You focus on running the business; Microsoft looks after the plumbing.
How do I know Microsoft will continue to support it?
Power Apps and Dataverse are part of Microsoft’s core business platform, used by organisations around the world — from small businesses through to large enterprises.
Microsoft actively invests in the Power Platform, releasing regular updates and new features each year. Many of Microsoft’s own products are built on the same technology, which means it’s not experimental or niche.
For customers, this provides confidence that:
The platform is well supported long‑term
Security, compliance, and reliability are continuously improved
Your solution won’t be built on something that disappears in a few years
In short, you’re building on a platform Microsoft is committed to — not a one‑off tool or short‑lived product.
Am I locked in to using Teal Software indefinitely?
No. Your solution is built on Microsoft’s Power Platform using standard, widely‑used technology — not a proprietary system owned by Teal Software.
That means:
Your data lives in your Microsoft environment
Another Power Platform partner could support or extend the solution if needed
The system can be changed and adapted over time as your business evolves
In short, you’re not locked into Teal Software for the life of the system. You’re choosing a platform that gives you flexibility, not dependency.