The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) depended on disparate data sources and wanted to integrate aircraft, patient, and crew data to provide a clear picture of availability. This integration was particularly essential for day-to-day operations to ensure they could provide the ‘finest care to the furthest corner.’
“The work we’re doing ensures that pilots, nurses, and doctors have the right information. Rather than a 000-dispatcher calling multiple places to find the right aircraft, we can tell them straight away. For example, we had a critically ill patient who needed to travel to Brisbane, and we could see that the closest crew was not the best match for the patient’s needs and could immediately locate the best option,” said Nick Warwick, Data Integration and Analytics Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section).
In this video, discover how RFDS utilised the power of Microsoft Power BI, Azure Functions, Power Apps, and Flow workflows to deliver digital transformation that helps save lives.
With more apps, devices and data than ever to navigate, you need a business partner that can guide and support you throughout your IT modernisation journey. Data#3 holds the highest level of partner accreditations across the Microsoft ecosystem. With expertise that extends from the network and the cloud, to the datacentre and workplace, you can rely on our expert team to guide and advise on the best technologies to meet the demands of the changing workplace.
Contact our team of specialist today to discover how you can transform your organisation with Data#3.
Morgans needed to enhance its IT services to better support its people 24/7, by progressing to a hybrid working environment, and improving its procurement and management services.
The in-house team evaluated multiple providers and performed reviews in line with their policies to deliver a series of projects for digital transformation. Morgans selected Data#3 due to its previous relationship, demonstrable experience and shared culture.
We wanted the way we were interacting to feel like our partner was just an extension of our internal resources, and for it to feel organic as we moved to a partnership model for managed services, so Data#3 was a natural fit.
Matt Neubauer – CIO, Morgans Financial Limited
Morgans is a full-service stockbroking and wealth management network, with over 500 authorised representatives and 950+ staff servicing more than 240,000 clients across Australia.
With technology playing an ever-growing role in the organisation, Morgans needed a true partner that would help them to harness their full potential. They wanted to work with someone they could trust to handle the day-to-day, while they focused on business growth activities.
From modernising and improving efficiency to providing new services, the IT team at Morgans is on a continuous quest to fulfil its role as a business enabler. For CIO, Matt Neubauer, it is important that while overcoming the everyday challenges of managing IT, that they could also see the big picture and recognise progress.
“When we first worked with Data#3 some five years ago, we were running Lotus Notes, we were developing systems in-house, we had a data centre four times the size we see today. It was very much an internal cloud environment, and cloud wasn’t a thing then.”
Rather than source technology partners for every individual project, something that would lack continuity and potentially drain time and attention, Neubauer was keen to develop a more enduring relationship. Although the right technical capability was a given, it was clear that an IT provider needed to be a strong cultural match, and to mesh well with Morgans.
“We were reliant on the skills, expertise and advice of our IT partner, and we needed them to play a role in guiding our direction from a technology perspective. Technology is a never-ending story: by the time you have finished one thing, you are already looking at something else, so it is a fast-moving space. You need to have access to trusted advice.”
As the role of IT grew and evolved in the business, and users’ needs went beyond the traditional 9-5 workday, the role of the in-house IT team adjusted to match. Rather than simply add out of hours support, Neubauer evaluated how to best use the strengths of his own team, while ensuring that the day-to-day operations were covered.
“When we were looking at our capability at that point, we decided as a business what was our strategic direction and where to invest our time, funds and resources. We decided that our internal focus should be where we can differentiate, and looked at the things we could do very well that were unique to Morgans.
“When it came to managing our data, network and servers, we looked at using a partner we could trust that not only had the capability, but also the flexibility to scale when needed.”
The IT skills shortage added weight to the decision to seek a managed services solution to fit the Morgans business environment. While 76 percent of Australian businesses are looking to hire skilled IT staff in 2024, half are finding themselves having to outsource overseas, with cyber security leading the hard-to-fill areas of expertise.
“We looked at the times we needed to cover, and we would have had to double our team to facilitate it, because we can’t cover both out of hours and business hours. We were not willing to compromise on keeping it onshore.
“We wanted all of the capabilities and resources to fit, we needed data sovereignty to remain in Australia, and we wanted company culture that matched ours. We wanted the way we were interacting to feel like our partner was just an extension of our internal resources, and for it to feel organic as we moved to a partnership model for managed services, so Data#3 was a natural fit,” explained Neubauer.
Morgans has significantly benefited from Data#3’s expertise across several business transformation projects, incorporating a suite of technology from Cisco, Microsoft, and Veritas to better support the hybrid workplace.
Leveraging the depth of knowledge and experience within this partnership, the strength and value of their relationship have become evidently invaluable. From migrating to Microsoft 365 and implementing Windows 10 to deployment of a Cisco Meraki SD-WAN and adoption of Microsoft Surface devices, the in-house IT team and Data#3 teams have worked shoulder to shoulder towards common goals.
“This gave us confidence when we were proposing a managed services partnership. We have similar values, and we are both Queensland based, so there is a lot of alignment there. The board felt very comfortable using Data#3 as a partner because they had already shown we would be in safe hands,” recalled Neubauer.
The transition to a managed services model was a process that Neubauer felt required experience and a well-designed process. As it was, the collaborative approach and tested Data#3 methodology meant that for most of the business, the managed services handover was a non-event.
“With each new development in our technology journey, it was as if the business didn’t know anything had changed. Someone working in one of the branches would be none the wiser. That was exactly what we hoped for – it is like when you turn on the tap and there is no hot water, you might curse the plumber, but you don’t thank them for every day it works perfectly. It is the same with IT, it is when something is wrong that you hear about it, so when it is quiet, we are happy.”
For the in-house IT team, though, Neubauer noted there were some more noticeable outcomes, including reduced stress and more time to focus on high value business enhancement activities.
“The biggest measurable difference was a reduction in incidents, especially those caused by patching limitations. These often crop up out of hours, and with the size of our team, we didn’t have people looking at patching on weekends and early mornings. Data#3 flags those things as they occur and by the time we walk in, most are already remediated.”
“It is great to avoid that Monday morning firefighting, because that sets the tone and used to consume time. Which also meant our people sometimes had to wait to access systems they needed to do their jobs.”
Amidst an increasingly complex cyber security landscape and facing ever more sophisticated threats, this important security measure was among the improvements that Neubauer was clear should not be underestimated. Central to the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Essential Eight measures, prompt patching greatly reduces vulnerabilities and cuts the window of opportunity for cyber criminals.
“It is becoming critical really in terms of the breaches we are seeing in different vertices, and once again we are very comfortable with Data#3’s security posture and the investment they are making to protect their customers’ data.”
Procurement, too, is an area where the Morgans team has welcomed Data#3’s expertise. Having access to a wealth of specialists has helped to make sure that investments are well planned and that the financial business can get the best return for its technology spend.
“We do our own research and keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the market, but it is so fast moving that we can’t be across it all. Another value that Data#3 has given is that they are a large business with specialists in different vertices, so we can engage and get them to do a market scan, or to do research on our behalf. We have done this a number of times when we have not known the solution but can articulate what we need to achieve,” said Neubauer.
“Then, when we have worked out the right outcome, they work with a range of vendors, and can negotiate to get us the best return on investment and manage our assets efficiently.”
For me, Data#3 is the epitome of the concept of a trusted partner. They are always someone we can call when we are looking at the next stage of growth, or when facing an emerging challenge. They will put Morgans first, give us sound advice, and recommend the appropriate path for us.
Matt Neubauer – CIO, Morgans Financial Limited
To get the optimal outcome from an ongoing relationship, especially in a managed services scenario, Neubauer said that a true partnership is necessary. That, to him, means feeling that they want Morgans to achieve a successful outcome just as much as he does, and will place that above their short-term goals.
“For me, Data#3 is the epitome of the concept of a trusted partner. They are always someone we can call when we are looking at the next stage of growth, or when facing an emerging challenge. They will put Morgans first, give us sound advice, and recommend the appropriate path for us.”
On occasion, that approach has meant that Data#3 has sometimes chosen not to take on a project, instead connecting Morgans with their extensive network of technology partners.
“There have been some instances where we haven’t used them based on the advice they have given. For example, when we have been working on a technical solution that isn’t one of their strengths or in their wheelhouse, our account manager will call out that it isn’t one of their specialities and will recommend a partner with the right specialised skills for the project. There are a lot of vendors who are keen to get whatever business they can, even if outside their skillset, which leads to subpar results.
“If Data#3 is engaging on a project, they won’t accept anything below an excellent outcome, what they commit to achieving, they will make good on that commitment.”
The true test of a partnership, concluded Neubauer, is knowing that you have an extended team of resources that are every bit as much there for you in difficult moments as they are to share in your successes.
“Data#3’s strength boils down to the definition of a solid partner, someone that you can call when things don’t go well and they’ll pick up the phone, they’ll be in your corner to make things right with a mutually agreeable outcome. They will go to bat for you.”
“Our Data#3 Account Manager has been on some internal calls for Morgans looking out for Morgans’ interests even if they are not necessarily of benefit to Data#3. They are collaborative, transparent, and they tell things as they are,” concluded Neubauer.
Download Customer Story Explore our range of Managed Services
At Data#3, our core purpose is to enable customer success through a company-wide strategic approach to customer experience. By aligning with world-leading vendor partners like Cisco, we enhance our ability to guide customers confidently through their technology journey, establishing a solid foundation to future-proof their digital transformation.
In this video, John Tan (Data#3 Chief Customer Officer), David Impellizzeri (Data#3 Customer Success Team Lead), and Emma Crome (Cisco Success Programs Manager) sit down to discuss how our partnership with Cisco helps drive successful outcomes for our customers.
At Data#3, our partnership with Cisco is built on a strong foundation, allowing us to deliver top-notch connectivity and security platforms that enhance user experiences. Cisco’s focus on forming enduring partnerships aligns seamlessly with our approach, enabling us to understand our customers’ needs and offer solutions that lead to their success.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) was dependent on disparate data sources and wanted to integrate aircraft, patient, and crew data to give a clear picture of availability.
Having worked together previously, the RFDS (Queensland Section) identified that Data#3 had the capability to tackle a highly complex data integration project, working through rigorous proof of concept stages to completion.
When we could say we had the systems and processes in place that were trustworthy and reliable enough to get our operations centre up and running, it was a huge milestone.
Nick Warwick – Data Integration and Analytics Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is a charitable organisation that delivers primary healthcare and 24-hour emergency services to rural and remote Australians. Supported by a vast number of volunteers and supporters for more than 90 years, the RFDS holds a special place in the heart of the nation.
As one of the largest aeromedical organisations in the world, the RFDS faces unique operational hurdles. The crews and aircraft at the frontline work beyond the reaches of consistent data connectivity, so providing service involved considerable manual effort.
Before the RFDS was founded in Cloncurry in 1928, Australians living in remote locations had to travel by horseback, cart, or even camel to reach medical help in an emergency. Since then, the fleet has grown to 79 aircraft that operate from 23 bases across Australia.
The RFDS has expanded its services to include primary health care clinics, patient transfers, research, and a host of other essential care. Data Integration and Analytics Manager (Queensland Section), Nick Warwick, said that modernising the mainly manual RFDS systems was essential to ensure the Service could continue to provide the finest care to the furthest corner.
“One of the biggest challenges is that we operate off-grid, where there is no phone data or internet. If we can get data at all, it is usually slow, with very high latency, low bandwidth, and poor connectivity.”
“In the sky, there is limited connectivity – we have satellite phones and tracking, but we’re not about to be streaming Netflix, and the cost of streaming data is prohibitive. As a result, we operated with a lot of paper-based processes, with many standalone apps operating offline,” explained Warwick.
As well as receiving much-appreciated donations from the public, the RFDS also accepts funding from both state and federal governments. Both levels of government supported the RFDS quest to modernise and innovate, and Warwick said moving away from paper-based systems represented an opportunity to improve care.
“It is all about how we can look after the patient better. Queensland Health has been moving all hospitals to electronic records, and we looked at how we provide information to the receiving hospital, and how the information we add works into that process.”
In addition to integrating patient data from multiple sources, the RFDS (Queensland Section) wanted an Operations Control Centre for the fleet that would have accurate, near-real time data about its fleet and crews. The potential for increased efficiency and faster response times was an important driving force.
“If, for example, a hospital needed a patient transferred, they would ring Retrieval Services Queensland, a service attached to the 000 centre, who would then ring around to find pilots and nurses who were available and had the right skills for the specific job,” explained Warwick.
“We wanted better situational awareness of available flight crews and availability so we could respond to calls faster. In Queensland we have 22 aircraft and 11 crews, and we’re operating 24/7 ready to do medical retrievals. Different aircraft have different capabilities; all nurses are intensive care specialists, most are midwives, and all aeromedical doctors are anaesthetists or intensive care experts. We always need to make sure we send the right combination of specialists when responding to calls.”
There are many considerations for dispatchers. Some aircraft have cargo doors, necessary for certain situations, or have capacity of multiple stretchers, while others may be better suited to landing on outback dirt strips. The dispatcher must rapidly assess and make decisions based on patient needs, location, pilot, and crew skills and even the aircraft itself.
“We had a duty tasking officer whose job it was to advise Queensland Health from the moment of the request, organising everything that was needed for the best patient outcome from assigning the right aircraft and crew, through to making sure that the receiving hospital was ready for them and had a bed reserved.”
Much of the needed information that documented aircraft capabilities and crew skills was held offline, so the tasking officer would have to manually look through hard copy information in multiple locations before an aircraft and crew could be sourced. A task that required manual checking of every piece of information, often with several phone calls.
“We were depending on paper-based processes and stand-alone systems, with someone figuring out what aircraft had what capabilities, and remembering it all in their head. We asked ourselves, how do we get our records all available electronically, and get our systems talking? The goal was to get the right information to the right person at the right time,” outlined Warwick.
“We couldn’t find anything commercial off-the-shelf that would do the job of emergency and flight planning for an airline where we have no advance knowledge of where we’ll being flying to on any given day.”
The RFDS (Queensland Section) began to automate some processes, extract simpler data, and load it into their data warehouse. They gained the ability to run some reports however they were not in real time. They still needed to integrate patient and aircraft data, and to find a way to display the information. All this needed to be managed within a strict budget, as the RFDS team was very conscious of their responsibility to get the most from every dollar of funding.
“We had to find all the bits of information and get them into a spot we could use. Prior to coming on board, Data#3 had done some work with the RFDS around data processing strategy to produce reports. We were initially looking at Azure Data Factory and had done discovery work, and we chose to work with Data#3 and their partner Lynkz for a proof of concept to show if it would work and prove beneficial,” explained Warwick.
“As we evaluated the cost, we realised that Azure Data Factory would not be the right tool, and the team identified that Azure Functions applications would be better suited. We rebuilt the prototype, and it exceeded performance and costing expectations.”
Azure Functions is a serverless solution that allows you to write less code, cut infrastructure requirements, and reduce costs. With the needed resources residing in the cloud, and streamlined development, the affordability factor soared.
Part of the limited proof of concept, for a single view of aircraft information, was the build of a simple dashboard displaying real time details. Even then, Warwick said that getting the go-ahead was “by no means a given”, and the project was put through a strict approval process to ensure that it offered significant value to patients and staff.
“Azure Functions was a much better cost of operations model for us, and we continued to build out the model and started hooking up new systems and looking at the quality of data. It was a real collaborative effort between RFDS, Data#3 and Lynkz,” said Warwick.
As more systems were integrated, some were determined to be no longer fit for purpose, and alternatives were considered for functions such as flight manifests and tracking.
“Data#3 helped us to design and build a new manifest system, and we chose a new partner for a flight tracking system that sends API calls. The capability of our system is now far more advanced than we had previously.”
A key moment was the launch of the RFDS (Queensland Section) Operations Control Centre. This was made possible when key systems were integrated successfully and marked a milestone on RFDS’ commitment to growth in innovation.
“We can now see exactly where we are, whether any of the crew has limitations we need to be aware of, we can see their location, and no longer have to make calls to know where people are, the information is just there. When we look at the board, we can see information about aircraft maintenance needs, and understand the current situation.
“At a glance, we know which aircraft is loaded with NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) equipment, or which staff are available with the right specialist skills. If we’re asked a question, we can just look up and see it on a big display board that shows real time information,” Warwick said.
Display boards are also installed in each of the RFDS locations around Queensland, so that wherever they are, crews, support staff and engineers can access accurate information at a glance.
“The work we’re doing ensures that pilots, nurses, and doctors have the right information. Rather than a 000-dispatcher calling multiple places to find the right aircraft, we can tell them straight away. For example, we had a critically ill patient who needed to travel to Brisbane, and we could see that the closest crew was not the best match for the patient’s needs and could immediately locate the best option.
“At the Operations Control Centre, we have integrated flight systems, manifests, and tasking systems plus the first of our clinical systems, so instructions can be preloaded onto the clinician’s iPad, used offline during flight and the data uploaded at the other end. We can be saving five to ten minutes per patient by passing data over, and the process can remove up to half an hour in tasking communications.”
It’s not only in the Operations Control Centre that efficiencies have been realised. Warwick noted a reduction in effort when aircraft come in for servicing. Engineers can quickly notice when an aircraft will be waiting for a few hours for a patient’s return journey or a hospital handover, thanks to the screens in each location.
“We can now show clearly which aircraft are on call, and which aircraft our engineers can work on. When an aircraft is on the tarmac, engineers can know whether they have time for routine maintenance. Now we have visibility of information, we can improve our operations and work more efficiently.”
For Warwick’s IT team at RFDS (Queensland Section), one of the key success factors was knowledge transfer, with Data#3 specialists providing documentation and helping internal resources to gain confidence in working with Azure Functions.
“We knew at the end of phase one there would be a disengagement process, and if we were successful, we would have produced what was needed and have the skills to maintain it, and this was absolutely achieved.”
We have connectivity options at every site we operate. We’re looking for ways we can improve telehealth, and how we can put equipment like cardiac monitors and diagnostic equipment where they’re of most use.
Nick Warwick – Data Integration and Analytics Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)
With real time information available on screens at each of the RFDS (Queensland Section) locations, the project has been highly visible within the organisation. This has led to demand for additional data to be integrated as the possibilities are considered. Warwick said that the project has highlighted the core RFDS spirit.
“As an organisation, innovation is at the core of what we do. In 1928, nobody had used planes to transport sick people. We’re always looking for the best ideas. Our aircraft now have stretcher loading systems to go straight from the aircraft to ambulance. We have connectivity options at every site we operate. We’re looking for ways we can improve telehealth, and how we can put equipment like cardiac monitors and diagnostic equipment where they’re of most use.”
As an organisation, the RFDS is ever conscious of spending funding wisely, and this impacts the way that technology projects are approached. This makes proof of concepts especially important, and Warwick said that “we’ll give it a go but stop if it doesn’t work”, something that requires a supportive technology partner.
“Data#3’s biggest strength was their attitude. The account manager saw us as a relationship, and had a professional, constructive approach based on mutual respect. They could see what we were trying to do, and their attitude was that we will find a way together to make it work,” praised Warwick.
“If we had more work, there was always give and take, and they were able to find another person.”
Looking to the future, the RFDS has plans to roll out additional services that are much needed by the remote and rural Australians they serve. Warwick said that as well as increasing demand for primary care and dental clinics, the health practice now offers youth mental health care, maternity health, and operates a system of medicinal chests that he hopes will be integrated, so that status can display for the operations centre staff.
“We’re considering projects around geospatial technology, so that when someone calls needing help, we can get lifesaving medications to them from the medicinal chests faster than an aircraft can arrive.”
Given the RFDS spirit of innovation, it is unsurprising that Warwick sees modernisation efforts less as a project with a start and finish and more as an ongoing progression where there will always be opportunities to improve services as new technologies emerge. There’s “no endpoint” when striving for the best patient outcomes. Still, he said it’s also important to reflect on the advances already made.
“When we could say we had the systems and processes in place that were trustworthy and reliable enough to get our Operations Control Centre up and running, it was a huge milestone.”
An organisation in the energy industry wanted to create a modern network infrastructure that would support its increasingly mobile workforce.
Managing a network at more than a hundred sites meant that the in-house IT team was used to working on very large, complex projects. Data#3, also a trusted Cisco partner, had demonstrated capabilities in managing large, multi-site network modernisation projects, and this made them a reliable choice.
The highlight is that our technology is more secure, and the mobility for our users has improved dramatically.
As an organisation in the energy industry performing the essential role of delivering energy to the general population in homes, businesses and communities, having the right technology to better support business objectives is essential.
Although the organisation’s existing Cisco network infrastructure had performed reliably, the changes in work practices as well as the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was a greater demand for secure, mobile capabilities for users. With this in mind, the organisation identified an opportunity to modernise its networks and create a better user experience while further supporting a highly agile workforce.
Having a vital role in providing power to local communities means there are rigorous processes are in place to ensure that best practice. In the IT team, this means building and maintaining a secure, efficient environment that enables the large workforce to perform at their best. When it came to renewing the organisation’s network, the energy organisations The Manager for Cyber Security said that considerable planning was involved. It was also standard practice to prepare well ahead for the end of each technology cycle.
“The project was started by the previous manager to modernise our environment and technology, and it was determined we should move to Cisco Meraki as the older technology was getting towards its end of life.”
“If we didn’t consider modernising our environment, we would have run the risk of not having the right support and maintenance we needed. Subsequent security threats in our wireless network would have been unacceptable.”
Changing work practices were factored into the decision. Enabling a more seamless mobile experience was a priority, whether for staff moving between the 100-plus sites, or working from home.
“Previously, people mostly worked with a desktop or laptop at a workstation, but we planned a move to a more mobile, wireless environment. We worked on another project rolling out Windows 10, and we wanted to build on this to take advantage of the wireless environment, so that people could pick up their devices and walk around the building, or any site throughout our multiple companies.”
The few staff travelling between sites previously were accustomed to connecting manually to different networks, but this could be challenging, with different systems in place at different locations. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in additional support calls, and there was clear room to improve on the user experience.
Support was not made any easier for the team by the lack of visibility in the complex network environment, so a better view of network traffic was needed. Consolidation of the wireless environment would bring greater consistency, making management simpler and more effective.
The Data#3 project team consisted of a senior project manager, project administrative support, six consultants, and a network of regional electrical partners who worked closely with the in-house IT group and Cisco to develop and implement a detailed plan to modernise the network. The solution included deployment of 1,089 wireless access points, 632 switches, and more than a hundred routers. Using a combination of Cisco Meraki switches and indoor and outdoor access points, as well as Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series switches and Cisco Integrated Service routers, the infrastructure was designed to give maximum performance and visibility.
“It was a big project, definitely large and complex, but not the biggest we’ve done. The project took around 18 months in all, and we now have all sites upgraded, which is no small undertaking,” described the Manager for Cyber Security.
“We took a collaborative approach. Data#3 did the running up of the equipment, but didn’t have to go to all the locations, we shared the responsibility, so sometimes it would be just Data#3 and sometimes it would be just us.”
The approach varied according to location. While some smaller sites could be cut over during business hours, in the larger offices, it was necessary to work outside 9-5 in order to minimise disruption to staff. While the Manager for Cyber Security said that Data#3, as a Cisco Gold Partner, had a “very high rating” for technical expertise, they maintained that skilled, experienced project managers are equally vital in large, multi-site undertakings.
“My advice is to get a good project manager who understands logistics, that is the most important thing. For example, working with Data#3, we pre-staged and tested equipment before it was sent anywhere, which meant there was less need for senior people onsite – an experienced project manager understands these logistics are critical,” explained the Manager for Cyber Security.
“Everything has to be staged, packaged, shipped, and unboxed, the site has to be ready for it, plan where the boxes will go, and what happens with the boxes that are removed – it is the logistics that will kill you.”
The IT team is appreciative of the simpler management and increased visibility of the modernised network environment. The clearer view of network traffic allows the organisation’s team to better understand and predict organisational needs, and to anticipate issues, so that they can act more proactively in providing capacity and in preventing problems. The visibility, and the ability to define access based on client, identity, and intent, are especially a benefit in terms of meeting stringent security requirements. Importantly, access control is seamless and consistent between the many locations.
“The Cisco Meraki technology enables us to provide a more robust security process for wireless and roaming.”
While the project was planned before the world was faced with a global pandemic, the increased capacity for staff to work from home quickly showed its worth. The combination of the network modernisation and a remote work project proved essential.
“We had 4,000+ employees, and previously fewer had asked to work from home,” said the Manager for Cyber Security.
For users traveling between locations, the ease of getting onto the network at each new location meant they could simply pick up their work without wrestling with separate sign-on process, and without calling the helpdesk. Whether working on a laptop or corporate mobile phone, at each new site, the network recognised their device and assigned the correct access levels, even when they had moved from one location to another. The users have access to their familiar corporate applications wherever they go.
“I regularly travel for work, and since the deployment I’ve been able to connect to the wireless seamlessly wherever I am. It doesn’t matter which company network we now use; they are consistent. Our executives can travel around the state and connect at any spot easily and securely.”
“The two large projects we completed took the pain of logins away. This was originally a pain point going between different companies because cabling and networks were structured differently,” said the Manager for Cyber Security.
While the choice of the modern Cisco network technology was relatively simple due to its combination of reliability, manageability, and performance, there were other considerations that were important in selecting the best solution. Data#3 procurement specialists were able to help make the project happen within the right budget. “We have a strong cost management focus. Cisco offered an Enterprise Agreement and a bundle package that made it financially palatable for our current management to support.”
I regularly travel for work, and since the deployment I’ve been able to connect to the wireless seamlessly wherever I am. It doesn’t matter which company network we now use; they are consistent. Our executives can travel around the state and connect at any spot easily and securely.
– Manager for Cyber Security, Organisation in the energy industry
For the wider organisation, much of the success of the project is down to communication, and a strong project manager that their in-house team worked with well.
“We met with the senior project manager weekly, and had a monthly account meeting with Data#3. There were ad-hoc meetings as well. It was a luxury to pick up the phone to call people if I had a problem, and they would respond positively,” said the Manager for Cyber Security.
“We have such a collaborative partnership with Data#3, and they do multiple activities for us, not just on Cisco technology but also Microsoft, and some security pieces. They are able to focus on what we need, they have good quality quoting and processes, and strong expertise.”
The greatest icing on the cake, has been the improvement to user experience while also improving security.
“Our highlight is that the technology is more secure, and the mobility for users has improved dramatically. They can pick up their laptop or phone and head into another room, go home, come back into the office, and voilà! They are connected.”
“With this project, they can use any device, anywhere,” concluded Manager for Cyber Security.
Download Customer Story Explore Data#3 and Cisco Meraki network solutions
The Department for Education wanted to achieve a smooth transition to a new managed service provider that would offer greater transparency and a true partnership.
The Department for Education chose Data#3 as their managed service provider (MSP) through a competitive tender program. Established systems and customer references played a key role in the decision.
The highlight was the proactiveness of Data#3, the way they went about the engagement was positive and professional, and the process they used was highly effective.
Simon Chapman – Assistant Director, Digital Architecture and Operations, Department for Education South Australia
The South Australian Department for Education (The Department) provides education, training and child development services to support children, young people and families as they reach their learning goals.
The Department was nearing the end of its contract with an existing Managed Services Provider (MSP) and sought a future partnership that would serve it well through an exciting phase of transformation in education services.
In a state that spans vibrant cities as well as rural and remote communities, striving for excellence in education is both challenging and rewarding. Innovative use of technology is seen as a tremendous opportunity by the Department. The busy in-house team is passionate about raising the bar of technology in the education sector, something Assistant Director, Digital Architecture and Operations, Simon Chapman said he could “talk about all day.”
To dedicate efforts into providing the best services within the Department and to schools, the team depended on a managed service provider. When that contract neared its conclusion, it was seen as an opportunity for progress.
“We were looking for someone we could have a long-term strategic relationship with. We were keen to find value-adds that a service provider could bring to education to support modern learning,” said Chapman.
“Government is complex, and every agency is different, with unique processes around each area. There is a phase of building up knowledge and understanding the environment of the customer for a managed service provider. We needed those dedicated resources who would understand us and the way we work.”
Any change to existing managed service arrangements needed to be handled with care, in order to avoid any disruption to the Department’s vital work. With this in mind, Chapman scrutinised the approach to transition in each tender response.
“We were on a previous whole of government arrangement with a different provider and we needed to know that there was a plan in place that could make that happen smoothly,” said Chapman.
To verify suitability and experience, the Department for Education team did its homework, diligently following up references to get a sense of how well potential partners would mesh with the in-house team. Chapman was keenly aware that there could be no loss of focus on the important work of supporting South Australia’s school communities.
“Our approach was that we needed this to be a partnership to truly achieve a successful transition. We knew we needed dedicated resources and a proven process.”
Beyond the immediate challenge of transitioning between providers, the Department saw any managed services agreement as an opportunity to access a broader knowledge base, with an opportunity to free the busy in-house team from day-to-day activities. Overall efficiency gains, increased insight, and improved resolution times were also high on the wish list.
“We identified that there was room to streamline the support process and get a clearer view.”
After careful consideration against each required criteria, the South Australia Department for Education selected Data#3 as its new managed services partner. This signalled the start of an in-depth planning phase to ensure a smooth transition.
“We had weekly meetings and then, as we got closer, daily stand-up meetings between Education and Data#3’s specialised team. Each week we had progress reports from the project manager, so we knew what activities had been completed and what was coming up. This all followed our overarching plan and agreed milestones,” described Chapman.
Some aspects of the transition merited a more in-depth look, with the Department for Education team keen to make the most of a wealth of enhanced systems and services available to them. Chapman said that this proactive approach served the Department well as it strove to get maximum return on its managed services investment.
“We conducted workshops focused on discovery and explored various value-added services. One example of added value was the integration of our service desk tool, ‘ServiceNow’, with the systems of Data#3. Any requests logged in our tool became accessible to the Data#3 team through their own ServiceNow system, which saved our teams a significant amount of time as we were able to manage everything without leaving our own systems.”
The integration was about more than saving on administration effort. It also gave the Department real-time visibility of every ticket in progress or completed. Every action and comment from Data#3 engineers can be seen b y the Department’s team, who can also add their own updates. This gives a better sense of teamwork between the organisations as they collaborate towards shared goals.
“Having that visibility really improved the efficiency, and reduced resolution times to get incidents resolved,” explained Chapman.
“We get monthly reports from our Data#3 customer success manager, and that tracks the number of tickets, what’s outstanding, and whether any SLAs have been breached depending on the severity of the ticket. We’re seeing trends and we’re not seeing a spike in any type of tickets, there’s a consistent downward trend with improvement on how long each takes to resolve.”
In any transition of this magnitude and complexity, Chapman said that it is realistic to expect a few technical challenges to work through but thanks to experienced project managers both in-house and with Data#3, the project progressed smoothly.
“Anything that cropped up was dealt with on a case-by-case basis. There were some issues with discovering all assets in discovery, but we were able to mitigate that; we had an issues register to track issues and were able to put an action plan in place. Meaning there were no showstoppers, and that was incredibly important to us.”
Chapman credited staffing and processes with helping to make the transition and ongoing management a success. He pointed out that, given every government agency operates differently, consistency of resources makes all the difference.
“We all have different processes around each area, so it takes time building up knowledge to understand the environment of each customer. We like that Data#3 brings subject matter experts to each account, rather than just a pool of Data#3 resources, so we get specialised engineers who are familiar with the education sector and environment. We’re not just getting generic resources and having that first level dedicated resourcing to our account has helped familiarise them with our environment, they are not having to relearn for every request,” stated Chapman.
“There’s a learning curve and rather than having to refer to the documentation every time, we have those dedicated resources who know education, with backups when they are not available. It improves our resolution times when they don’t have to relearn our environment.”
They understand our business and help us be more adaptive to change. They are service delivery focused and have the experience as a managed service partner for a large, complex environment. The local staff are very good at building relationships and communicating to keep us in the loop.
Simon Chapman – Assistant Director, Digital Architecture and Operations, Department for Education South Australia
While there are certainly many managed services options on the market, they are far from all the same. In particular, the people, processes, and systems can vary considerably. For the Department, finding the right fit has had a clear effect on reducing resolution times, but the impact goes beyond that simple measurement.
“We’ve got someone who is a genuine close partner rather than a general managed services provider, they want to see us succeed and set about making that happen. We have a partner at a strategic level.”
“They understand our business and help us be more adaptive to change. They are service delivery focused and have the experience as a managed service partner for a large, complex environment. The local staff are very good at building relationships and communicating to keep us in the loop.”
The integration between Department for Education and Data#3 systems has served to give Chapman greater insight into his environment, and his team has been quick to put that intelligence to good use.
“We have more transparency around ticketing systems and a level of visibility we have never had before due to the monitoring tools used. We can see a greater level of improved service overall. We are also more forward looking. We can make continuous improvements and use the information for road-mapping; it helps us see what the future looks like and where we can save costs or improve efficiency,” outlined Chapman.
“In terms of ongoing costs, we’re in a much better position. They’re quite flexible about onboarding new services, around billing and invoicing.”
For other organisations looking at transitioning to a new managed services provider smoothly, Chapman’s advice is that it pays to allocate the right resources, who can focus fully on the task.
“As a project, don’t try to do it on top of the day job. Dedicate resourcing both internally and within the provider so that you get all the prerequisites and planning done and nothing is left to chance. Work with somebody who has experience and has done multiple transitions before, so you have the comfort that they know what they are doing and have the right expertise. Do talk to their other customers – we did reference checks, who reflected positive experiences of their transitions.”
Ultimately, given the importance of technology within most organisations, the role of the managed service provider is key to progress. Along with expertise, finding a strong cultural fit is worth the effort. “I think the highlight was the proactiveness of Data#3, the way they went about the engagement was positive and professional, and the process they used was highly effective. They had a collaborative approach. I was really impressed by the partnership between the Department and Data#3 to get a positive outcome: we don’t see them as a simple managed services provider, but as a strategic partner, and that is the key that has set them apart,” concluded Chapman.
Download Customer Story Enhance productivity with Data#3 Managed Services
Westminster School counts cyber security among the most critical responsibilities of its IT department. The school wanted to minimise risk exposure by strengthening protection around legacy applications and systems.
The school’s IT leaders attended a cyber security session at Data#3’s annual JuiceIT event, and realised they had found the ‘missing piece’ to secure their environment.
When you get the best of both worlds, with a great product and great people, hands down it’s a winner. Data#3 and Silverfort have become trusted advisors on this matter.
Simon Matthews – Infrastructure lead, Westminster School
Nestled between the beaches and the vibrant city of Adelaide, Westminster School is a leading co-ed day and boarding school with around 1,300 students from early learning to year 12. The school is affiliated with the Uniting Church, and is known for nurturing students as they pursue their academic, sporting and artistic dreams.
Technology plays a key role in school life, both in administration and in the classroom. A period of modernisation meant that much of the school’s IT environment has shifted to the cloud, with some legacy and on-premises infrastructure remaining, presenting some security challenges.
In any organisation, protecting users and assets against cyber attacks is of high importance. The Australian Cyber Security Council (ACSC) reported a doubling of reported cyber attacks in a two-year period to June 2022, with more than two in every ten organisations impacted each year. Breaches can have a significant financial and reputational effect on organisations, but Westminster School Infrastructure lead, Simon Matthews, said that the impact on individuals is, for educators, the greatest concern.
“Breaches can affect people very deeply. The vast majority of our stakeholders are under 18, so we need to do everything we can to protect our students. We have a lot of confidential information to protect, often medical details, and information around staff, and we take that seriously.”
Much of the school’s environment had been transitioned into the cloud, but the IT team was especially conscious that the remaining on-premises environment was limited in terms of identity protection, and this could have represented a risk. Finding an answer had proven problematic.
“It was the legacy on-premises infrastructure we were looking to secure, and we were not aware of a solution on the market that would cover not only the desktop, but also the whole range of common tools that threat actors use. They will target just about any service related to Windows.”
A cyber security truism is that ‘you can’t secure what you can’t see’, and here, too, there were obstacles to overcome. Visibility was limited in the legacy environment.
“We had a lack of awareness around what accounts we had that could be compromised, and service accounts were mostly where we saw problems. A lot had built up over years, staff would create a service, and over time, wouldn’t realise that the associated service accounts existed.”
While these service accounts in themselves were typically not related to sensitive data, hackers often exploit such accounts to find their way into an environment, spending months casing out an organisation and finding opportunities for lateral movement into other systems for months before they strike.
“Back in the day, we would measure threat using our firewall’s data to measure how many attempts were made. The landscape has since changed, with client devices in many places, and a completely decentralised environment. Threat actors work every device, every app, not just what is physically here.”
“As the threat landscape changes, we have to assume a breach and mitigate risk, by stopping lateral movement at that point to protect our people.”
When the Westminster School’s IT team attended Data#3’s annual JuiceIT event, one of the partner presentations especially resonated with them. Security specialists from Data#3 and partner, Silverfort, spoke about addressing the security gap that can emerge in the area of identity protection when dealing with legacy environments designed for a more centralised landscape.
“We saw the cyber security presentation, and it was a real lightbulb moment. We looked at each other and went ‘yes!’. This speaks volumes about JuiceIT and the vendors that Data#3 brings into the space; the events ensure that Data#3 customers are exposed to the best emerging security solutions available through their partners, and that is part of why the partnership with Data#3 is so critical to us.”
After discussions with their Data#3, Westminster School elected to conduct a brief proof of concept to make sure that the solution lived up to its promise.
“We wanted to run it in house to see what it would do, and how it would function, and we ran some stats. We then fast tracked it because we knew we needed to close any gap in security around our on-premises infrastructure and legacy apps,” recounted Matthews.
The Data#3 and Silverfort team addressed a blind spot that was not protected well by existing identity and access management products. The proposed solution solves the technology challenge of enforcing secure authentication on all users, resources and protocols, both in on-premises and multi-cloud environments, thwarting efforts at lateral movement by malicious actors. To do this, it uses a unified identity protection platform that gives real-time protection against attacks that use compromised privileged or unprivileged credentials. It extends Microsoft Azure multi-factor authentication (MFA) to any sensitive resources, even to legacy environments that lacked the option for MFA previously.
The discovery capabilities of this technology were among the aspects that most impressed Matthews.
“It gave us exposure to service accounts, or accounts acting as service accounts, that we were unaware of. It also lets us enforce MFA that is policy based. The service account module has been critical to see the accounts we weren’t aware of and introduce controls around them, and we can do this by a granular process to make sure we aren’t breaking things elsewhere. Where there were gaps, we knew that the Data#3 and Silverfort teams could help us realise the issue to resolve it,” stated Matthews.
“It is very simple. The additional scope we get through insights gives us really useful information and helps us to troubleshoot daily.”
For the majority of Westminster School users, there was no difference in their experience of logging on. Outside the IT department and leadership, none were aware that their security had been raised.
“There is nothing to put on our devices, no additional software on the servers, no integration pieces with SaaS or legacy applications. It just ties back into the simple all-in-one system, where we set policy to enable a type of traffic and block everything else,” explained Matthews.
“There was no user interaction, no apps deployed, no testing on client devices – just a few people may get prompted for higher access at times. No change management was needed.”
Matthews described a leadership culture at the school that is wholly supportive of cyber security measures, something he said is a “necessity” when facing a complex and sophisticated range of threats. This was helpful when proposing introduction of the new security solution, and the faith has been repaid.
“When we implemented the solution, we could instantaneously sleep better because we had that peace of mind. This is a last layer of protection to stop anything that gets past other layers – when it hits a server, for example, that stops the lateral movement.”
The level of discovery that the solution introduced, and the visibility that resulted, has given the IT team another vital tool as it strives to offer the school community the best possible protection.
“We use the Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architecture (MCRA) as our cyber security reference, where we go to help order our next steps. Microsoft suggests Silverfort as a method of closing gaps, which speaks volumes about their confidence. Everyone should be looking at consolidating their security stack, and given Microsoft invests $3 billion a year in security, we are confident in their recommendation,” explained Matthews.
“Our position now is that we are very comfortable with our progress. We have gone from seeking a solution for gaps to being one of the most secure school IT departments around, and that is a testament to the work the team has done.”
When we implemented the solution, we could instantaneously sleep better because we had that peace of mind. This is a last layer of protection to stop anything that gets past other layers – when it hits a server, for example, that stops the lateral movement.
Simon Matthews – Infrastructure lead, Westminster School
As a very security aware educator, Westminster School had wrestled with the common challenge of identity protection around legacy and on-premises resources, so the security solution from Data#3 and Silverfort, caused a stir among the IT team. Matthews recalls a buzz of excitement at the end of the JuiceIT event session.
“We rely on partners like Data#3 to show us the best solutions available and introduce us to emerging vendors, and they did exactly that. They are a great company to have in Australia. We walked away saying that we didn’t realise there was a solution to this problem, and that we are grateful they have JuiceIT to bring the best technology to the industry.”
While Matthews gathers information from partner activities such as Microsoft webinars and Data#3 events, he recommends that other schools facing similar challenges make sure they talk to others within the sector to share experiences.
“Talk to other schools to get recommendations and reviews. Anyone can say how good their product is, but we can give real-life experience of working with Data#3 and Silverfort. If it is not in your security stack in the next six to twelve months, or not in your budget for next year, you’ve probably still got a big gap in security.”
The final piece of the picture, said Matthews, is working with knowledgeable partners who take time to understand your environment and the outcome you’re aiming for, and have their fingers on the pulse of emerging technologies.
“When we first learned about the new solution, there was a great buzz in our office, and we were all talking about it. When you get the best of both worlds, with a great product and great people, hands down it’s a winner. Data#3 and Silverfort have become and will continue to be trusted advisors on the matter of cyber security.”
Download Customer Story Learn more about Data#3 Security solutions
Download Customer Story Contact Us
This organisation’s Microsoft enterprise agreement was approaching renewal and they wanted clearer understanding of the software in use to prevent overpayment.
As this organisation’s chosen Microsoft licensing partner, Data#3 was known to have the expertise needed to gain visibility of their software usage. A three-year agreement was signed to ensure optimal license agreements could be put in place as needed.
Data#3 recommended a good product and the way they manage it is very good. They provide recommendations around non-financial items such as a value-adds including security and hygiene measures, which we greatly appreciate.
Spokesperson
With extensive experience in providing essential infrastructure services, the organisation operates across many sites, including in regional areas, so it places high value on technology that supports modern communication and collaboration needs.
Microsoft 365 is a key tool for more than 10,000 of the organisation’s employees and is used by all its staff. With little visibility of licensing usage, it was imperative that the organisation had a clearer understanding of its software landscape to avoid unnecessary cost when renewing its Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.
Its large workforce meant the organisation’s Microsoft 365 licensing commitment was the largest financial component of its Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. Microsoft 365 was highly valued as an essential business tool – however, the organisation’s spokesperson said a clearer picture of usage was needed for the business to avoid overspend.
“We were essentially staring in the face of our Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal, with indicative volumes and pricing significantly higher than we had budgeted for. We spoke to Data#3 about what we could do to rationalise and bring it back closer to our budget number. They were the logical people to ask because they are our Microsoft partner and we transact all our Microsoft 365 licensing through them, as well as using them for other software licensing.”
The spokesperson described a “budget hole of about $2 million” if the issue wasn’t addressed, and none of the alternatives were palatable to the business.
“Our options would be to find additional dollars, or slash and burn by taking licenses away from people. We wanted a cleaner way to do this, with the knowledge to slash and burn idle licenses so that users would be unaffected.”
The challenge had been complicated by significant changes in the organisation. The lack of visibility meant that the organisation could not readily identify licenses actively being used. As users came and went, or took extended leave, the business was still covering Microsoft 365 licenses and there was no clear picture to support the IT department in its licensing negotiations.
Data#3 ran a series of workshops with key IT staff in the organisation to determine the approach that would work best. They recommended a solution that combined Data#3’s Microsoft 365 Optimiser managed service with Microsoft Licensing Optimisation (MLO) consulting services. This would give the organisation intelligence they needed about their license usage, as well as expertise to interpret resulting information and make recommendations for the best licensing cover. Their spokesperson said implementation was straightforward.
“For us it was simple. We didn’t really need to do very much at all, just login and authorise servers for Data#3 to access our Microsoft 365 system. Outside of that, Data#3 managed the rest. The Optimiser service runs entirely in the background, and it is cloud based, so there are no agents to install – just a five-minute job to authorise it.”
With the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal looming closely, the speed of results was well-received. The first priority was to identify and eliminate wasted licenses, and results exceeded those expected from a proof of concept.
“We corroborated that we had about 1,500 users who had full licenses, but minimal usage. We allowed them to drop down to an E3, saving 20% of the cost. We identified one-to-two thousand users who were not using any Microsoft products at all.”
“We put some criteria around what would classify users as inactive and settled on 90 days of no use. This could be detected for us automatically.”
The increased visibility has given the organisation greater insight, and the spokesperson said the additional intelligence is driving greater efficiency through tightening processes.
“For example, we are planning changes to the way we onboard people. Users may have been automatically allocated full Microsoft 365 licenses when they only use email or need to access the timesheet system. Another thing that was beneficial was that people may have been using non-standard products like Microsoft Visio or Microsoft Power BI, then changed roles and stopped using them. We can now clear up that software.”
While the Microsoft 365 Optimiser service from Data#3 enables automation of licensing changes, the organisation has not yet followed that path while it gains further understanding of the platform and its potential. The initial focus is on considering where additional process changes in the business can further increase efficiency. This may include determining which idle Microsoft 365 accounts may indicate that other software may also be licensed unnecessarily.
“If we identify 200 idle Microsoft accounts, for example, we may also learn that 50 of these were also Adobe users. There may be potential for additional savings not in our original business case,” said the spokesperson.
“We continue to find opportunities to reduce our licensing costs month-on-month, as well as highlighting areas we can improve ongoing management.”
This process is facilitated by the ongoing service in the organisation’s three-year contract, which includes regular meetings with Data#3’s Microsoft 365 Optimiser experts who are experienced in hunting down further opportunities for cost avoidance. While not the primary objective, recommendations on security have also been well received.
“Data#3 recommended a good product and the way they manage it is very good. They provide recommendations around non-financial items such as a value-adds including security and hygiene measures, which we greatly appreciate.”
“They hit the ground running very quickly – we initiated the conversation with them in mid-January and our Microsoft renewal was due in May, so we were on a tight timeframe to identify savings. They were fast and agile in getting it up and running.”
The Data#3 Microsoft 365 Optimiser service gave the organisation vastly improved visibility and understanding of its IT environment – but its spokesperson said it is important to translate that awareness into improved processes.
“The way we onboarded people meant that by default, everyone got a full Microsoft license, where in many cases, this is not needed. We are now able to address where processes can be adjusted to prevent over-allocation. I think the important thing is to try and keep track of actual usage, and to categorise what people require when we are onboarding them, so we can attack the issue at the onset.
“That said, a service like this is still beneficial as people’s roles change, and this makes it easy to tell where there are potential savings.”
While several products can pull together some elements of the data now at the organisation’s fingertips, they were clear that the advantages lie in the way it is pulled together into actionable insights.
“Where the service makes the biggest difference is the way it aggregates the data and finds all the information in such a way that we don’t need to combine different extracts to get to the information we need.”
“Before we finalised the decision to go forward, we had Data#3 run a proof of concept where they ran their reporting tools across our system for a couple of weeks and gave indicative numbers of what they thought we could save. They were quietly confident that the savings would pay for the product twice over, and it was important we had that comfort level that we would get payback for our investment. It paid for itself.”
Download Customer Story Regain control with M365 Optimiser
Information provided within this form will be handled in accordance with our privacy statement.
After a rapid introduction of new collaboration and productivity technology, VTAC sought to maximise their return on investment and to further bolster their collaboration and governance processes.
VTAC researched suitable providers that could assist, and Business Aspect, a wholly owned subsidiary within the Data#3 group, proved competitive and possessed a strong understanding of what was needed.
The highlight was the improved engagement with the wider organisation; I knew we couldn’t just keep this within our IT team and working with Business Aspect was like having an extra pair of hands to help.
Steve Hansen – Director for IT Services, Victoria Tertiary Admissions Centre
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is an independent shared admissions service facilitating access to tertiary education and further study opportunities and pathways for learners in Victoria and beyond.
During the global pandemic, VTAC had rapidly rolled out collaboration technologies such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Zoom to enable hybrid collaboration. As the organisation’s independence from Monash continued to grow, it was determined that there was a greater need for consistency and improved governance around the way such technologies should be used.
After any time of rapid, unexpected change, it is valuable to pause and take stock. This methodical approach had served VTAC Director for IT Services, Steve Hansen, well through his career. After navigating the rigours of pandemic-driven lockdowns and restrictions, he recognised the need to review how they were using key technologies.
“In our organisation, everything had been within the Microsoft landscape, including Teams, SharePoint and so on. As Covid hit, everyone jumped into these toolsets and started using them without our usual governance and training, so our use was inconsistent. As a result, we knew we needed a clear roadmap outlining appropriate rules and governance across our Microsoft landscape,” explained Hansen.
While the immediate need to switch to a work from home model had prevented the usually consistent, planned approach of VTAC, it was a growing necessity to support the many students and tertiary organisations reliant on VTAC’s services. The needs of customers feeling the impact of wide-scale disruption had to take priority. Without consistent use of key collaboration tools, and with limited training, productivity was hampered. The staff who had embraced the technology as a means to better serve customers and the community during a time of crisis had become frustrated.
“The issue we ended up with was that there wasn’t the usual planning to make sure people were using the right technology the right way for the right purposes. There was the potential for security rules to be broken, people to share documents externally, and we wanted to make sure we weren’t increasing our security risk.”
“We wanted to look at things like classification of information and how to better manage that,” said Hansen.
While the ease of using the Microsoft suite for collaboration is among the technology’s greatest attributes, Hansen identified that it needed to come with consistency and access management rules that suited VTAC’s unique role.
“A lot of people started to use the tools, and we started spawning Microsoft Teams sites without clarity over who owns them, what they are used for, who is governing access and who has access – a whole plethora of things fell into the project remit. It was clear we lacked sufficient clarity.”
Furthermore, major changes were underway at VTAC, which served to drive the need to work towards a more effective and consistent model even more.
“As we continued to grow, we knew it was important to demonstrate that we were not carrying unnecessary risk,” outlined Hansen.
VTAC sought proposals from potential technology consulting partners, and after working together on previous projects, Business Aspect was top of the list.
“We knew where to go to get the help we needed, and that we could get it done right, and at a reasonable price. We got quotes and recommendations around the scope of the project, and it was Business Aspect who demonstrated the most capability and knowledge,” commented Hansen.
From the start, the engagement was a highly collaborative process. After preparation with Hansen’s team, in which Business Aspect confirmed objectives and reviewed materials, input was sought from stakeholders across the organisation.
“We went through a process of understanding the landscape, where we interviewed individuals and small groups. Then, we ran a series of workshops in both smaller and wider groups where we were able to validate our findings and elaborate further.
“What we found in those workshops was that the process had a great output, it was received really well by the business, and gave us a great quality of insights,” said Hansen.
The findings from these group sessions were reviewed by specialist Business Aspect consultants, who then workshopped with several VTAC groups to determine the best path ahead. Business Aspect then presented a roadmap that detailed prioritised actions to be taken in order to standardise use of Microsoft tools and create robust governance of this environment in a modern workplace.
“Even in the workshops, we found that our teams felt they were being heard and that they were getting clarity around what they needed to do. Our teams took a lot of what they learned from the program and applied it right away, which is a great outcome.”
Among early priorities was addressing the physical environment to better suit hybrid working, something that has “become the norm” for much of the VTAC workforce. This included equipping meeting rooms with technology to enable staff to join both in-person and online – whether in smaller groups or those large webinars – and get a more rewarding experience.
Hansen said that it helped that the experienced Business Aspect team understood VTAC’s situation was flexible in the timing of activities, and was capable of leading the project.
“They understood we had a lot going on and wrote the plan down into manageable chunks that we were able to work with in a very busy time. They staggered things so that we could ensure we had good foundations in place as the priority.”
They understood we had a lot going on and wrote the plan down into manageable chunks that we were able to work with in a very busy time. They staggered things so that we could ensure we had good foundations in place as the priority.
Steven Hansen – Director for IT Services, Victoria Tertiary Admissions Centre
While the project provided a roadmap to the training and governance required to uplift VTAC’s day to day practices, it went beyond that to design a modern workplace for its dedicated workforce. After working through a process Hansen described as “hugely helpful”, Hansen said that the expert advice had paid dividends in unifying the way VTAC’s hybrid workforce uses key technologies.
“If you want to adopt Microsoft technology toolsets for collaboration, knowledge management and communications, start with getting an expert to come in and help you to define what that’s going to look like. Discuss how you will use all the tools, what are your needs, and what collaboration and knowledge management issues you are solving.”
“You need to understand the problems and then how these tools can address them, rather than just jumping in. There may be a lot of preconceived ideas and it is about stripping these away and building a solid foundation,” advised Hansen.
As VTAC works through the actions outlined on the roadmap, Hansen said that progress has been helped by support and engagement throughout the organisation.
“Business Aspect presented the recommendations to the VTAC management team and people were receptive, absolutely. The feedback was that everything makes sense now and we know that will continue as we grow.”
“The highlight of this project was the engagement with the wider organisation; I knew we couldn’t just keep this within our IT team and working with Business Aspect was like having an extra pair of hands to help,” concluded Hansen.
Managing and procuring hardware is an essential aspect of IT operations. In saying that, I’m sure you’ll agree that acquiring, organising, and maintaining hardware requires significant resources and expertise. There are few businesses so self-sufficient that they have everything available internally to get the job done. Without the necessary in-house expertise and experience, IT teams may find themselves making suboptimal purchasing decisions, increasing costs, disrupting productivity, and wasting time that would be better spent on higher-value strategic activities.
This is why so many businesses turn to procurement partners who have the specialised resources to purchase and ship hardware from multiple vendors, and bring additional value to the process. A good partner should optimise the procurement lifecycle and integrate it seamlessly with strategy and management, so that the right devices and hardware are put in the right hands at the right time.
Not all procurement partners are created equal though. Here at Data#3, we should know – we’ve been honing our services and solutions for more than two decades. In this blog, I’ll explore the capabilities you should have on your procurement partner wish list, and how Data#3’s flexible and comprehensive service delivers what many can’t.
I’ll start with the least offered but arguably most valuable benefit that a good procurement partner should bring – distribution and integration centres.
Data#3 operates four centres around Australia – in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. All up, they cover 6,349m2 of warehouse space with the ability to store 4,142 pallets. Each centre is state-of-the-art and kitted out with everything needed to manage, store, design, assemble, configure, test and ship IT-related hardware, including devices, network and server appliances, storage and racks.
Our centres offer everything from design and procurement, to assembly, customisation, delivery, warranty and repair services, and have been the secret sauce behind some pretty impressive feats – for example, organisation-wide roll-outs with hundreds of devices ready to go right on day one, or overnight deliveries that have devices ready and waiting for staff by the next morning, just to name a few.
Let’s look at what exactly goes on behind our centres’ doors.
Let’s be honest – managing multiple vendors and coordinating orders from different suppliers can be messy. Negotiating prices, coordinating deliveries and tracking expenses across different procurement activities requires careful planning and expertise. These multiple dealings increase the risk of miscommunication, create unnecessary delays, and often results in fragmented shipments.
We eliminate the need to place multiple orders with different vendors. Instead, our cross-docking method for order management gives a seamless IT purchasing experience. With our approach, you can purchase a wide range of IT products and brands under a single purchase order. From our facilities, we consolidate your entire order into one tidy shipment (or can arrange partial shipments if you’d prefer).
Timely delivery of hardware is non-negotiable when it comes to meeting project deadlines, maintaining operational continuity, and keeping staff productive. We understand this and have used our vendor and customer insights to perfect our forecasting and stock holding processes to ensure that we have the necessary hardware readily available when you need it.
As a customer, the improved lead times from our vendors and swift centre turnaround times means most stock is on-hand when you need it. We then ensure stock is ready to go just-in-time for your specific delivery requirements, across Australia and internationally. For shipping, we can leverage our own logistics network, or work with yours if you’d prefer.
You don’t need to order and have your products shipped immediately either. Sometimes, you may need to reserve inventory for consignment if your site, or users, are not yet ready for delivery. We offer the flexibility to purchase, pay, insure, and store goods for up to 90 days (with extensions available) – giving you full control over your inventory until you’re ready to dispatch.
Our purpose-built integration centres have the capability to preload images, ensuring that your equipment is ready to go right out-of-the-box with all the necessary apps, configurations, and security policies. In fact, we already pre-image over 10,000 hardware items each month! You can also choose from a staff-initiated onsite cloud deployment that can be triggered once your team member receives their device. Or, if you prefer a little more control, we can offer a hosted image solution that acts just like an onsite deployment server so devices can be imaged within your own virtual environment. There’s also support for operating system installation, software configuration, and firmware updates.
From all our centres, we can also facilitate server builds, including component, server blade, and chassis installation, along with burn-in testing services to ensure flawless performance. When it comes to communications equipment, we can manage module installation and configuration for uninterruptible power supply devices.
IT hardware and software have finite lifecycles, and managing their lifecycle stages is essential. This includes activities such as asset tracking, maintenance, upgrades, and eventual disposal. Without proper lifecycle management, staff may be working with outdated technology and security vulnerabilities risk going unchecked.
From our integration centres, we can manage the entire service call process, ensuring that faulty devices are repaired or replaced before delivery. And when it’s time to sunset your hardware, we offer a secure and environmentally friendly disposal service, that safeguards your business data and adheres to strict environmental regulations. To learn everything and more about our commitment to a better future for our customers and planet, check out our latest ESG report.
By considering a procurement partner with dedicated warehouse and integration centres, you can lean on your partner to take your IT procurement process from unwieldy to seamless. You get efficient consolidation, stock availability, flexible inventory management, and value-added imaging services. These services come together to address the complete logistics chain from placing orders, to delivery, and end-of-life support. With Data#3, you not only save time and effort, you also free up your IT team to focus on higher-value strategic activities, ultimately helping your people work better and drive meaningful digital change.
Get in touch with our team to discover how Data#3 can be the perfect partner for you, for procurement and beyond.