The Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC) wanted to overhaul their registration form in order to simplify and accelerate the registration process for charities.
After defining the project, they sought submissions, and Data#3 was chosen for their ability to meet criteria at a competitive cost.
Looking back and then seeing the results in our service standards, we ticked the boxes of what we wanted to achieve in service improvements.
Rob Jackson – Director of Digital Services, ACNC.
Established in 2012, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC) is the national regulator of charities. It plays a vital role in ensuring that Australians can trust and have confidence in the not-for-profit sector.
New charity registrations demanded significant administrative overhead and an increase of new form submissions was expected, so ACNC wanted to streamline the process.
From household names to niche organisations, the charities and not-for-profit sector is prominent in a nation that is known for helping others: Australia’s charities generate $190 billion in revenue and employ more than 10% of the workforce. Registering a charity or not-for-profit requires providing a wealth of information to ensure each applicant meets stringent standards. ACNC Director of Digital Services, Rob Jackson, said this important step was challenging.
“As a regulator, we’re responsible for registering charities. An entity applies online through a form, making a submission to us, then our team does what is needed to make sure it complies. They identify any risks to consider and perform a series of checks.
“We needed some help with our turnaround time. We have service standards for the public that we are required to meet. During registration, there was a lot of backward and forward and we saw we could be collecting information more efficiently. It is complex, requiring a lot of governing documents, financial statements and other information.”
This “backward and forward” happened when information submitted in the online form was incomplete, or additional details were needed, so the ACNC registrations team would need to contact the applicant and guide them through each step. It meant that registrations took longer and involved considerable manual processing which had the potential to increase the workload, and impact service standards.
Some help was needed to navigate complex form processing rules, and there was imperative to increase documentation of business process to match it to technical implementation. As is standard in government organisations, ACNC abide by stringent guidelines, so the internal team sought an experienced partner, to bring the back-end Microsoft Dynamics 365 foundations to align with the organisation’s needs, working with their chosen hosted custom forms provider. The two providers would need the capacity to work well in a multi-vendor project.
“Data#3 had the expertise needed for the back-end requirements] and we knew they could deliver. They are a trusted partner who are familiar with our systems. We put our requirements together internally and put a lot of thought into our requirements, then presented them to Data#3. This allowed us to start at a reasonable position,” said Jackson.
The in-house preparations performed the ACNC team were essential groundwork, paving the way for agreed responsibilities and outcomes for the project Ensuring roles were understood up-front served to “de-risk” the process, explained Jackson, and gave a clarity that served in-house and external teams well.
“We knew we needed to be closely involved, with our team internally running it, our registration team as subject experts, our vendor experts needed to get an understanding of our processes, so together we knew where efficiencies could be found.”
Starting with an extensive presales process, Data#3 specialists worked closely with ACNC to assist with form design and assess changes needed to update their system to support the new design. Together, the teams established a project management plan following a hybrid Agile methodology that enabled conclusion in time for the upcoming legislative changes. Jackson said that communication was key.
“It was the responsibility of the project manager on our side to make sure that the communication strategy worked. Data#3 provided a project manager to help. Data#3 knew our systems very well, as a managed services provider, so they could translate our needs into features on the platform.”
“Sometimes, things were really complex. People in the business might ask for something, but it was not actually the best way to solve the problem. A good partner can see where it could be more efficient when done a different way, and we had that with Data#3.”
While working with multiple internal and external teams can sometimes be challenging, Jackson noted that both Data#3 and the vendor that hosted the custom forms platform interacted well, and were professional in the way they worked together, along with the ACNC team, to focus on what was needed to achieve an outcome.
“They made sure to know what charities need from us, and what we were trying to do. It was the first time that Data#3 had worked with our registrations team, and they had a rapid introduction to get their heads around what the clients of the registration team looked like.
“That is a really good skill, to understand us and pick up quickly what is needed. Without that context, they can’t understand the risks for the client.”
Once development was complete, Data#3 used the UAT environment to test and validate the user experience and data accuracy before embarking on a custom deployment plan devised together by ACNC and both vendors before going live.
“The cutover was complex, we had to switch off and on, migrate to the new form, and we had to get the complex data migration completed to be successful. It was a team effort.”
When you’re going live, if you find any issues, what’s important is being able to solve them effectively.
Rob Jackson – Director of Digital Services, ACNC.
While technology underpins the outcome, the true measure of success lies in the experience of ACNC clients and staff using the new registration forms, and the quality of data gathered and analysed.
“It was a change for charities, they were using something unfamiliar, so our work on change management was important, and we had Data#3’s help with that where needed. We have an audience so large – 60,000 charities, plus advisors, lawyers, consultants and experts – some inevitably took longer but most users found it more intuitive. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.”
The project was completed on time, with the skills of the project managers involved put to the test in a short timescale for so complex a project.
“It makes projects more complex when working with multiple suppliers, and the outcome is down to the skill of the project managers.”
For customers, the registration process is completed more efficiently, and the more intuitive forms help them to understand more readily what information is needed. This makes the experience less stressful. For the registrations team, meanwhile, there is less need to repeatedly contact clients with additional questions, giving them more time for those needing extra guidance, and allowing them to reduce wait times.
“We have seen significant benefits to our service standards as the process is more streamlined. Completing the form is more like a conversation, using smart questioning to help get the right data up-front, without that back-and-forth.”
“Different sized charities have different regulatory requirements, for example, and so each will be asked the right questions, and we can make decisions more effectively.”
With any significant change such as this, Jackson said it is to be expected that there will be some fine-tuning as users begin to engage with the new system.
“When you’re going live, if you find any issues, what’s important is being able to solve them effectively. This is common after system changes, and how you respond matters. Data#3 was very helpful. Users can make user requests, and where needed we can do some finetuning.”
“It really helps to document reasons for requirements, so that when someone makes a request, we can understand the reasoning behind earlier decisions.”
The improved accuracy and reporting of data has been helpful in an organisation that, like most government organisations, must be transparent in its operations.
“We publish data on the sector, and it is an enormous part of our activities. We are seeing the service standard dividends in that data, we are seeing the benefits now, four to five months later.”
When planning a complex project, Jackson said that choosing the right partners is vital, and that it isn’t enough to simply take instructions.
“Key to being a good partner is that they can challenge us. I wouldn’t want to create a solution based on just what I say, I want you to help me find the best way forward.”
“It was comforting that Data#3 knew what they were doing, we had an in-built trust. We already knew their capabilities and strengths and we were able to get into a good working cadence. They had a deep product knowledge, an understanding of our environment from working on bespoke elements.”
Ultimately, ACNC is now in a position where clients can register more efficiently, thanks to the combined efforts of in-house and multi-vendor teams. Even an increase in registrations has not caused a backlog for registration staff. “It is more intuitive, feedback is that it flows better, is easier to navigate, and requires less rework. Looking back and then seeing the results in our service standards, we ticked the boxes of what we wanted to achieve in service improvements,” concluded Jackson.
Download Customer Story Maximise efficiency with Microsoft Business Applications
As customers increasingly adopt AI, their cloud infrastructure needs to do more than just support traditional workloads. It must enable rapid innovation, seamless data management, robust security, cost efficiency, and multi-cloud compatibility. Microsoft Azure has responded to these demands by transitioning from traditional Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to a holistic, AI-ready infrastructure. This new model expands beyond conventional landing zones, integrating data, security, financial operations (FinOps), and multi-cloud management, all while enabling the modernisation of applications and the development of AI solutions.
Traditional IaaS was foundational in bringing agility and scalability to the cloud, enabling users to:
This technology transformed the way organisations operated, providing a cloud-based environment to manage and host applications, and here at Data#3 we supported many of our customers to achieve that. However, the increasing demand for AI and data-driven solutions has exposed the limitations of traditional IaaS:
AI-ready infrastructure is the next evolution, addressing these challenges head-on.
The Data#3 Azure AI-ready infrastructure model is more than an upgrade; it’s a paradigm shift designed to accommodate both traditional workloads and AI solutions. This infrastructure encompasses data, security, FinOps, and multi-cloud tooling, forming a comprehensive foundation that not only modernises applications but also facilitates the creation of AI solutions.
1. Data-frst approach
AI-ready infrastructure treats data as a core asset, ensuring that data pipelines, storage, and analytics are deeply integrated into the cloud architecture:
2. Enhanced security for AI workloads
AI introduces specific security needs whether it’s protecting sensitive datasets during training or ensuring model integrity in deployment. AI-ready infrastructure is built to secure AI applications at every layer:
3. Optimising AI costs with FinOps
The adoption of AI can lead to unexpected costs, especially with compute-intensive model training. Azure’s AI-ready infrastructure integrates FinOps tools to manage and optimise these costs:
4. Multi-cloud management
AI-ready infrastructure acknowledges that organisations often use multiple cloud providers. Azure’s approach ensures consistent AI deployment and management across different environments:
Azure’s AI-ready landing zones build upon traditional ones, adapting to support modern workloads and AI-centric applications. They offer a pre-configured environment that integrates:
These AI-ready landing zones allow organisations to modernise their applications more effectively, ensuring compatibility with AI workloads and data-driven solutions.
The transition to AI-ready infrastructure isn’t only about supporting new AI models, it’s a comprehensive strategy for modernising existing applications. Here’s how Azure’s AI-ready infrastructure helps:
Azure’s transition from traditional IaaS to AI-ready infrastructure reflects the evolving needs of modern enterprises. By focusing on data, security, FinOps, and multi-cloud management, this new infrastructure foundation enables organisations to modernise applications and create AI solutions more effectively. Whether it’s real-time analytics, predictive AI models, or cross-cloud integrations, Azure’s AI-ready infrastructure is designed to power the next wave of innovation.
Organisations looking to gain a competitive edge should consider transitioning to Azure’s AI-ready infrastructure not merely as a technical upgrade, but as a strategic enabler for AI-driven digital transformation.
Data#3’s validated maturity journey for cloud adoption has been proven to successfully guide and support customers throughout their Azure journey. The three steps ensure readiness to adopt AI services by having an AI Ready Infrastructure, Applications are modernised using Azure services and AI Solutions built to enhance customer services and the drive efficiency.
At every stage, we draw on our deep expertise and advanced Azure certifications. Aligned to Microsoft’s Well Architected Framework and the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) methodologies, we are able to offer proven, consistent and repeatable services at all stages a predictable price model.
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When it comes to hybrid cloud innovation, Microsoft has consistently pushed the boundaries, delivering solutions that bring the power of Microsoft Azure (Azure) closer to businesses everywhere. The latest chapter in this evolution is Azure Local, a new product and reimagination of what was formerly known as Azure Stack HCI. To truly appreciate the transformative capabilities of Azure Local, it helps to take a step back and trace its lineage, from Azure Pack to Azure Stack Hub, then Azure Stack HCI, and now Azure Local.
It all started with Azure Pack, a precursor that allowed organisations to bring limited Azure-like capabilities to their on-premises data centres. While it laid the groundwork for hybrid cloud adoption, Azure Pack was a standalone solution that lacked seamless integration with Azure itself. Customers could simply install 2012R2 on a system and then use the Web Platform Installer to download and configure each component.
Once setup and integration with SCVMM, SQL Server and Active Directory was completed, you were presented with two web portals.
From the Admin Portal below, you could define the plans and services that would be published to users.
From there, users within the organisation that were granted self service provisioning rights could deploy their own services, including traditional virtual machines (VMs) and staggeringly, Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings. Standalone databases and web services could be provisioned from shared service infrastructure.
This was absolutely game changing at the time, as there was no real alternative to this approach from an on-premises perspective, unless you invested in expensive and complex orchestration software to achieve this level of self-service capability. Speaking of cost, Azure Pack was free!
What surprised me when writing this, was that Azure Pack continued to be supported all the way up to 2022.
Next came Azure Stack Hub (which was originally launched as Azure Stack, but rebranded to Hub after the launch of HCI), a significant leap forward. This enabled organisations to run a subset of Azure services in their own data centres, bridging the gap between on-premises and public cloud environments. Azure Stack Hub was particularly suited for edge scenarios and industries with strict regulatory requirements.
Under the hood, Azure Stack expanded on the capability of pack by including more Azure services that could run on-premises. Microsoft also worked very closely with hardware vendors to provide validated hardware. This validation process went all the way down the stack for each component. Hardware, driver, and even firmware levels were tested thoroughly and locked in with each Stack software release. This ensured consistency for every single deployment.
Just like pack, stack provided two web portals for tenant administration and user self-service.
The tenant portal below allowed for fine grained management of plans and quotas for all users. One thing that you would notice is the look and feel is just like it was in Azure at the time (well in fairness an end user of Azure would not see these settings).
From the end user perspective however, the portal experience was exactly as per Azure and if you knew how to navigate one portal then you knew how to use the other portal. The interesting capability of Stack was the inclusion of the marketplace. Users could select third-party services that existed in the Azure portal that IT admins had approved for provisioning. This unlocked an incredible level of technical functionality.
The unfortunate consequence of this level of capability and flexibility was cost. Generally Azure Stack was roughly one third more expensive than competitor hyper-converged systems. At a minimum, 13 infrastructure VMs was included as part of the Azure stack ‘fabric’. These VMs performed all of the orchestration, management and maintenance of the stack software. Unfortunately, this reduced the end user compute and storage capacity. Meaning customers had to buy larger physical footprints to account for this.
Azure Stack Hub is still supported at the time of writing this blog, however you cannot purchase a new system unless you have a very specific approved requirement.
This was the year when everything got ‘messy’, Azure Stack HCI introduced hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) to the mix, allowing businesses to deploy Azure-integrated virtualisation and storage solutions. With Azure Stack HCI, organisations could modernise their data centres while enjoying enhanced scalability, cost-efficiency, and hybrid cloud connectivity.
But this caused a great deal of confusion in the market. Azure Stack was renamed Azure Stack Hub, Azure DataBox was renamed Azure Stack Edge. The outcome was confusing for everybody. Which Stack are you talking about? Was a common question for us.
In saying that, looking at the product as a whole and we could see the vision. The monolithic requirement for management VMs was removed, customers got more bang for their buck. Management and provisioning of workloads was provided by Windows Admin Center. HCI could be integrated with Azure by deploying the ARC resource bridge and data controller services. These allowed users to provision PaaS and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) workloads onto HCI from the Azure portal. ARC was the true game changer here and started the convergence between on-premises and cloud. Microsoft expanded on this with the 23h2 release of HCI by including these components by default.
This is when things get very interesting, a lesser known fact and a bit of an insight into how Azure operates. A majority of Azure PaaS services run as Kubernetes containers. The ARC components on HCI are Azure Kubernetes services. You put these two pieces of knowledge together and you can envision more and more PaaS services extending from Cloud to on-premises.
Even better, this convergence goes both ways. Azure Stack HCI can be completely managed from the Azure Portal and customers can connect Azure services to HCI. All of those protection and management VMs that you have today could be replaced with Azure’s native services. Think monitoring, security, patching, compliance services. These options could be enabled via Azure Policy for not just the HCI infrastructure but automatically for all hosted workloads. This allowed for a reduction of server footprint, savings on hosting costs, reduction of carbon footprint, and the ability to leverage the same services in Azure to protect and manage VMs both on-premises and in cloud.
Azure Local isn’t just a rebranding—it’s a paradigm shift in hybrid infrastructure. Azure Local builds upon Azure Stack HCI 23H2, delivering a comprehensive solution that unifies Azure’s cloud capabilities with on-premises infrastructure in an unprecedented way. For organisations running Azure Stack HCI, the transition to Azure Local represents a natural progression, but it’s so much more than a name change.
New features and capabilities:
Cluster enhancements:
Local AI
Integrated AI capabilities: With the inclusion of Local AI, organisations can leverage on-premises AI processing using Azure Machine Learning. This is particularly useful for scenarios requiring low-latency data analysis or strict compliance with data residency regulations.
Azure Local in action
The Azure Local Advantage
Azure Local redefines hybrid cloud by blending Azure’s scalability, security, and operational consistency with the performance and control of on-premises systems. It simplifies the management of hybrid workloads through Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, and Azure Policy, ensuring governance across both local and cloud environments. Moreover, with integrations like Azure Site Recovery, businesses can achieve robust disaster recovery and business continuity.
Data#3 is the only partner in Australia that has the full capability to service every aspect of a successful Azure Local implementation, migration and managed services.
Our validated maturity journey for cloud adoption has been proven to successfully guide and support customers throughout their Azure journey. The three steps ensure readiness to adopt AI services by having an AI Ready Infrastructure, Applications are modernised using Azure services and AI Solutions built to enhance customer services and the drive efficiency.
At every stage, we draw on our deep expertise and advanced Azure certifications. Aligned to Microsoft’s Well Architected Framework and the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) methodologies, we are able to offer proven, consistent and repeatable services at all stages a predictable price model.
Speak to one of our Azure specliasts today.
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What began as a means of helping myself, has turned into something much bigger!
When I first created the Azure Periodic Table, it was a simple idea not only scale my own expertise, but also give my colleagues, customers, and partners an easy-to-navigate, self-service tool for understanding Azure services. It saved countless hours of explaining the same concepts, empowered non-technical users to get familiar with Azure, and reinforced Data#3’s standing as trusted advisors in the Azure space.
However, as Azure grew, so did the challenge of keeping the Azure Periodic Table accurate, relevant, and consistent.
Service names changed. Features evolved. Entire products retired. New products were launched. With multiple contributors adding content over time, the site became a patchwork of writing styles, technical depth, and formats.
It became clear that the very resource designed to make life easier was becoming hard to maintain.
Keeping up with Azure’s rapid pace was creating bottlenecks:
The result? Slow updates that proved costly, and were prone to human error.
That’s when I had the idea: What if the Azure Periodic Table could manage itself?
In just six days, the Azure Periodic Table evolved from a manually curated website to an autonomous, AI-driven, self-updating knowledge platform.
It now operates with zero web development effort required. All content lives in SharePoint. When updates are made, automation takes over:
The results have been staggering.
| Metric | Previous Version | Current Version |
| Total word count | 68,243 | 224,747 |
| Content workflow duration | – | 180 seconds |
| Refinement workflow duration | – | 60 seconds |
| Audio workflow duration | – | 40 seconds |
| Manual effort required | Hundreds of hours | Near zero |
AI doesn’t just create—it evolves and enhances content dramatically. Through these iterations, content becomes significantly more insightful, authoritative, and valuable.
Example – Before AI: 468 words
Example – After Eve Trigger: 954 words
Example – After Refinement: 1380 words
Related Azure service links
For the first time, the Azure Periodic Table automatically creates meaningful, contextual links between services. Readers are guided through natural pathways of related technologies, encouraging deeper exploration and engagement.
Dynamic external Microsoft links
Manually hunting down Microsoft documentation links is over. The system now verifies and corrects external URLs on the fly, ensuring that every link remains current, accurate and functional, even as Microsoft renames services or moves pages.
Audio narration for every service
Accessibility is now a core feature. Each service page includes a high-quality, conversational audio narration, complete with metadata announcing its presence to screen readers. Whether users are commuting, multitasking, or require auditory support, the Azure Periodic Table is ready.
Custom prompt controls
Need more detail on a service? A richer explanation? A licensing graphic? No problem. Content authors can add specific instructions directly into SharePoint, telling the AI exactly how to shape the content during generation and refinement.
Intelligent, Automated Content Generation
Eve Trigger – Precision automation at scale
Imagine having a tireless assistant dedicated to keeping your service descriptions current and comprehensive. Our Eve Trigger workflow harnesses Azure AI’s power to automatically:
The result? Continuously updated, meticulously accurate content, reviewed and seamlessly deployed through SharePoint approval workflows.
Average Completion: Just 8 minutes per update cycle!
Eve Refinement – Professional quality, AI efficiency
Quality content demands an expert touch. Enter Eve Refinement, our advanced AI copywriting workflow:
Average Completion: Only 2 minutes per refinement!
Eve Audio – Accessibility redefined
Understanding Azure has never been easier—literally. The Eve Audio workflow transforms written descriptions into succinct, engaging audio summaries:
Average Completion: 20 seconds per audio clip!
The site itself is built for performance, scalability, and security:
This is more than just a content refresh. It’s the creation of a living, breathing knowledge platform that:
It’s hard to think that we’re only just getting started. Future enhancements are already on the roadmap, including:
And we’re already exploring ways to bring this model to our customers—helping you build your own AI-driven, self-sustaining knowledge hubs using Azure technologies.
Visit the new Azure Periodic Table and see the future of Azure learning.
Whether you’re just getting started with Azure or looking to deepen your expertise, there’s never been a better way to explore.
Data#3 is a member of Microsoft’s AI Cloud Partner Program, holding the Azure Expert Managed Solution Provider (AEMSP) accreditation. Our validated maturity journey for cloud adoption has been proven to successfully guide and support customers throughout their Azure journey.
At every stage, we draw on our deep expertise and advanced Azure certifications. Aligned to Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) methodologies. Contact our team to find out how we can help you on your Azure journey.
Cisco’s Nexus Hyperfabric may be a relatively recent innovation, but if you are a data centre manager, you should take a serious look, as it could make your life immeasurably easier. Don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t just another update to Cisco’s ever-reliable Nexus series. It’s a completely new way to design, deploy, and manage data centre networks that solve some of the most time-consuming challenges, such as cabling complexity and the configuration of advanced network architectures.
Much of the conversation has been about preparing data centres for AI, and the soon-to-be-released Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric AI, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, is geared up for this. However, I think the immediate opportunity to simplify the data centre is just as compelling, as Hyperfabric’s cloud-based controller is much quicker to design and deploy and is easier to manage.
To achieve this, Hyperfabric introduces a user-friendly, point-and-click interface for designing switch fabric, completely transforming data centre management. This intuitive platform automatically generates precise cabling plans and bill of materials, highlighting errors during the connection process. Making it easier to identify and rectify misconfigurations quickly.
Once all components are correctly connected, Hyperfabric autonomously configures switches into optimised stacks, enhancing connectivity and streamlining operations. The auto-generated cable diagrams simplify patching processes, significantly reducing cable troubleshooting time and effort.
Beyond these immediate operational efficiencies, Hyperfabric integrates Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) fabric design and deployment. It will use this for the near-future AI pod so that Data Centre Managers will benefit from easier deployment and design. Engineers will continue to assign traditional overlay VLANs through an intuitive graphical interface, while Hyperfabric operates behind the scenes to build a robust VXLAN fabric-switching architecture.
At Cisco Live in Melbourne, Data#3’s Chief Technology Officer, Graham Robinson, shared his experience with Hyperfabric:
“I recently had the opportunity to meet with Cisco’s product lead and experience the end-to-end process of designing and deploying switches with Hyperfabric. I can confidently say this platform would have saved me countless weeks, if not months, of stress back in my engineering days!”
Cisco has outlined several key use cases illustrated in the diagram below. While all of them are compelling, I think Hyperfabric delivers the biggest wins for the following scenarios:
There are a few limitations you need to be aware of, but I anticipate that this will change rapidly as Cisco is investing heavily in Hyperfabric development.
At Data#3, we’re dedicated to bringing the latest and greatest technologies to Australian organisations. As a Cisco Gold Partner, we’re proud to be at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions like Cisco Hyperfabric. We’re committed to helping our clients modernise their data centre infrastructure and make their operations more efficient.
To learn more about Hyperfabric, you can contact us using the form below or through your account manager. Our team can help you determine whether Hyperfabric is suitable for your specific environment and answer any questions you may have.
Speak to one of Data#3’s Data Centre experts today.
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Introducing the ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 Aura Edition!
Unveiled at CES 2025, the ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 Aura Edition is Lenovo’s latest innovation, designed in collaboration with Intel. This ultra-thin, lightweight laptop integrates cutting-edge AI and advanced cooling technology, making it a serious competitor to Apple’s MacBook Air.
Powered by the Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 processor, the ThinkPad X9-14 delivers exceptional multitasking capabilities, leveraging over 100 TOPS of combined NPU, CPU, and GPU power. With Copilot+ PC and Lenovo AI Now, users can enjoy seamless, AI-enhanced productivity. Its slim design, long battery life, and renowned ThinkPad durability make it an ideal choice for professionals on the go.
The 14-inch 2.8K OLED display offers vibrant clarity, featuring 500 nits brightness and a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, ensuring true-to-life visuals. The EyeSafe technology reduces harmful blue light emissions while maintaining colour fidelity during extended periods of use.
Whether watching movies, playing games, or participating in video calls, Dolby Atmos audio provides a multidimensional, unparalleled listening experience. while Elevoc noise suppression ensures crystal-clear communication by minimising background noise during calls.
The ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 Aura Edition is built with sustainability in mind, featuring a CRU battery with 100% recycled cobalt cells. It also boasts ENERGY STAR® 8.0 certification and EPEAT Gold registration, reflecting Lenovo’s commitment to reducing power consumption and environmental impact.
At a glance – ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1
Product specifications – ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1
Video Link – ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1
As a Lenovo Platinum partner, Data#3 can help you configure and implement a Lenovo solution that’s right for your business. Our significant breadth of capability means we can deliver solutions across both Lenovo’s Data Centre Group and Personal Computer Group, backed by flexible support and servicing options.
Data#3 has been a trusted Lenovo partner since 2005. As the highest partnership tier, our platinum status allows us to unlock access to the highest levels of services and benefits to pass on to customers.
Want to experience the ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 Aura Edition first-hand? Visit the Lenovo stand at JuiceIT to see this cutting-edge device in action. Speak with our experts, explore its AI-powered capabilities, and discover how it can transform your business.
Discover how the ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 Aura Edition can transform your workplace. Contact a Data#3 Lenovo specialist today to book a demo.
Let’s face it, data centres are the heart of today’s digital economy, powering everything from critical business applications to sensitive data storage. But as their importance grows, so do the challenges of keeping them secure. One of the oldest problems we’ve faced is network segmentation—a strategy designed to stop cyber attackers from moving freely within a network once they’re inside. Despite being a long-standing cornerstone of security, segmentation is still plagued by inefficiencies, leaving many organisations struggling to bridge the gap between security and agility.
For decades, segmentation has been a go-to solution to restrict access within networks, but traditional tools often fall short. Configuring rules for a single application can take weeks—sometimes up to 40 days! Worse, these tools often lack the intelligence to truly “understand” how applications behave, leaving businesses vulnerable to outdated policies and misconfigurations.
Imagine you’re running a factory, and an application responsible for orchestrating material delivery starts behaving differently due to an unexpected business event. Traditional tools might flag this as a threat, triggering unnecessary disruptions and frustrating downtime. It’s a headache that feels all too familiar.
Cisco Hypershield completely redefines segmentation, addressing these challenges with an innovative, AI-driven approach. Here’s why it stands out:
1. Autonomous segmentation: With Hypershield’s AI-powered model, policies adapt continuously to evolving application behaviours. It leverages real-time threat intelligence to test recommendations against live traffic, ensuring security policies are accurate and actionable—without the manual slog.
2. Dynamic adjustments: Applications change, and so does their place in the network. Hypershield dynamically adjusts segmentation policies as needed, keeping security seamless and business operations uninterrupted.
3. Better visibility, stronger control: Hypershield doesn’t just monitor traditional network parameters—it dives deep into application-based characteristics, giving admins the flexibility to create precise, behaviour-informed policies that detect and stop sophisticated threats.
4. Trust through continuous learning: While it operates autonomously, Hypershield earns your trust by learning from your environment and presenting clear, actionable recommendations. You’re always in control, deciding what’s deployed, ensuring that security remains aligned with your business priorities.
Segmentation doesn’t have to be a slow, cumbersome process anymore. With Cisco Hypershield, businesses can finally address the challenges of securing AI-scale data centres with speed, precision, and intelligence. As digital transformation accelerates, it’s solutions like these that enable businesses to safeguard their most critical assets while staying agile in a fast-changing world.
In today’s cyber security landscape, where the stakes are higher than ever, having a tool that not only secures your environment but also evolves with it is nothing short of revolutionary. Cisco Hypershield isn’t just tackling segmentation, —it’s transforming it.
Join Cisco at JuiceIT 2025 as we dive deeper into what’s important and how to reduce the time to value on your data centre investments. Discover how to simplify operations, connect seamlessly across environments, and protect your critical assets. While you’re there, be sure to visit the Cisco booth for exclusive 1:1 consultations and hands-on demonstrations with our experts in security, data centre, and collaboration.
There are two disruptions that are top of mind for IT leaders of almost every enterprise organisation today. Firstly, organisations are being challenged to address the disruption created by Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and the subsequent licensing changes that have been introduced. Secondly, IT leaders are being driven by their business leader counterparts to develop a strategy around AI and deliver on AI business initiatives.
Gartner has described the Broadcom acquisition of VMware as the “most significant disruption in over a decade” to the server virtualisation market.1 The subsequent changes to the licensing model and go to market mean that many customers are potentially facing significantly higher renewal costs. Opinions about the merits of these changes are irrelevant, while – the fact is that every organisation will be required to make decisions about their data centre environment based on them. It is worth stating explicitly that this does not mean that every organisation will (or even should) move off VMware to an alternative hypervisor; but it does mean that every organisation will need to consider their options and make conscious decisions about how to proceed.
Organisations should think about this in a similar way to how they think of cyber risks – they need to make an active decision to avoid, mitigate, transfer or accept the risk. In the VMware/Broadcom context they need to decide whether to eliminate the issue (migrate to alternative solutions), mitigate the issue (optimise their environment to minimise the licensing renewal costs in the new licensing models) or accept it (decide that the costs associated with eliminating/mitigating the disruption are not worth it). There is no single correct answer to this dilemma as it will depend on each organisation’s current situation and overall strategy.
For organisations today, large or small, the question isn’t whether they should tap into AI – it’s how. For this reason, IT leaders are challenged to develop AI strategies that not only enable the AI initiatives that their business leaders are requesting but do that while achieving a return on the investment. This is a critical point as Gartner has predicted that 30% of GenAI projects will be scrapped by the end of 2025 due to lack of ROI2.
It can seem like these two disruptions are pulling IT organisations in opposite directions but when you step back and look at them, IT leaders should think of both these disruptions as driving them towards data centre modernisation. The key realisation should be that AI applications are inherently modern applications that are almost always containerised, and that one of the key strategies to reduce VMware reliance is to modernise applications as much as possible. IT leaders should therefore use this as an opportunity to modernise their data centre and invest in solutions that enable modern applications, have automation as a key tenet and are ready for AI workloads.
The data centre modernisation phrase is thrown around a lot these days, so it worth being clear about what we mean in this context. From our perspective, a modernised data centre is one that
Cisco is a market leader in helping customers on their data centre modernisation journey. Along with our partner Data#3, Cisco can provide a broad range of scalable and secure data centre solutions leveraging a consistent cloud based operating platform to support all workload types needed for now and in the future.
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Penrith City Council wanted to ensure it was ready to seize the opportunity of Microsoft 365 (M365) Copilot while avoiding unnecessary risk.
The council wanted to plan effectively for adoption of a key emerging technology and partnered with Data#3 as a trusted partner with direct experience using M365 Copilot.
We have gathered insightful information about the potential benefits of AI, which will help us enhance the services we provide to the local community.
Jane Howard – Chief Information Officer, Penrith City Council.
Nestled between Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Penrith City Council is responsible for an area characterised by spectacular natural beauty and a buzzing arts, culture, and entertainment scene. The council supports a diverse community, providing a range of services that makes Penrith a great place to live and visit.
The council wanted to assess the potential of Microsoft 365 (M365) Copilot as a key emerging new technology to enable greater efficiency and service delivery. It was important to understand potential value as well as any risk involved.
The arrival of the highly anticipated M365 Copilot technology is set to revolutionise workplaces, putting enterprise-level artificial intelligence (AI) in the hands of employees. For Penrith City Council, Chief Information Officer, Jane Howard, it was important to understand how best council could leverage the advantages while ensuring proper data governance in this evolving landscape.
“Since this is a new and evolving technology, it’s still quite immature. As local government, we need to see tangible benefits from purchasing licenses by having the software demonstrate clear advantages.”
“There has been a lot of media around generative AI, and people have questioned how will it fit from an organisational perspective? Will it replace me in my role? Where does it fit into day-to-day operations and how it fits in the organisation and adding value means we need to understand the overall business case.”
In an organisation that provides such a broad range of services, ranging from libraries and recreation to waste management and building permits, it is unsurprising that staff roles are diverse. It made sense to Howard that approaching the introduction of Copilot would require a deep dive into the different ways employees’ roles could benefit.
“There are many types of workers in local government, and not everyone sits in front of a PC all day. We have children’s services, waste management, and people hard at work maintaining our outdoor areas. We have to know where it is showing value, because it might not be useful for everyone, and we need to invest where people will make use of this and benefit.”
M365 Copilot uses the Semantic index, which indexes every file that a user has access to in M365 the results available for Copilot to query. If a user unknowingly has access to sensitive information, Copilot may return a result that leverages that information, inadvertently raising risk.
If users are unaware of the implications of the sensitive nature of their results, they may inadvertently share further. It is, then, essential that organisations review their data governance situation to ensure permissions are correct and to prevent over-sharing.
“In local government, while some of our information is available publicly, we do have much data, like any organisation, that we must keep safe. We also need to keep our employees safe and not expose them to a situation where they have access to information that they shouldn’t.”
While managing risks is vital, the potential for boosted efficiency is significant. Any technology that enables staff to stretch the budget further represents the chance to enhance services and do more for the local population.
“Our other challenge is taking full advantage of the opportunity. We want to make use of new tools and technologies that could help us be more efficient, and focus on adding value for customers without spending that does not add value. We have to make sure the decision is right.”
One challenge of a very new technology is finding help from a partner with first-hand experience. Penrith City Council chose to seek guidance from Data#3, who have hands-on proficiency thanks to being one of the rare few organisations in Australia to take part in the Copilot for M365 Early Access Program (EAP).
“We were looking at our data and making sure we understood its location and accessibility, and wanted to engage with an organisation that could help. Data#3 have had experience with Copilot themselves, so they can share their own experiences with us.”
Focusing on the areas of information governance, organisational change management, and platform, Data#3’s M365 Copilot Readiness Assessment helps businesses understand their current situation and prepare their people and data to get the most from Copilot.
The Data#3 team conducted analysis of Penrith City Council’s M365 tenant, giving the council valuable insights into their data-sharing practices, and recommending best-practice steps to mitigate risk. Experts connected directly to the council’s M365 tenant to perform a technical analysis and led a series of six workshops, then created a readiness report, roadmap, and recommended next steps.
“The Project team is a collaboration between the ICT and the Information Management teams who are leading this initiative; and participated in the Data#3 Readiness Assessment. They thought it was really well structured. The flow from where we started at introduction to where we ended up; with a final report – took us on a journey that gave us a good grounding and an understanding of what Copilot is, what we could do in the organisation, and how to prepare for our pilot program. We’re very happy with how the workshops were presented and we gained valuable knowledge throughout.”
“Each workshop covered different aspects, an introduction, the technology architecture, our data assessment and a key workshop ensuring we understood any potential issues around sensitive data. We looked at the results around data accessibility permissions, then the users themselves, assigning different ‘personas’ around the potential way Copilot could be used. Other workshops also covered how the tool operates, opportunities around use cases, how this technology would be implemented in our environment and the configuration we would need to do.”
While the council runs a tight ship in terms of data governance, they said that due diligence is especially important when introducing generative AI. While they were pleased that the workshops did not uncover any major surprises, it was good to go into the pilot program with greater certainty.
“Our Information Management team is very astute at protecting our data assets, and we are mindful of how data is stored and structured. The workshop was useful in making us even more aware of what data we should mark sensitive.”
“Because ICT are new to the technology ourselves, working with an experienced team was helpful. We have used free tools like ChatGPT but we were interested to see how Copilot would work in our organisation with our data to give the most value. We also purchased a few licences in advance of our pilot, so the Project Team can see how it could work.”
It has been a fascinating experience for the Project Team, who have been keen to put Copilot through its paces. They said it has been “very interesting” to see how people respond when getting a glimpse of this future.
“We had a large meeting of around 30 people in a hybrid format, and there was an executive assistant in the room taking minutes. After the meeting, I demonstrated to her the minutes and action items Copilot had produced. Her feedback was literally ‘Wow’. This new technology will definitely provide some real advantages for some of our personas!”
“Years ago, we used to take shorthand, then secretaries typed minutes, then we had dictation machines, then PCs, so roles will change, this is just another evolution of the way we work – as Microsoft calls it, a modern workplace.”
They said that the value of effective change management cannot be underestimated. The workshop approach helped with practical recommendations that aligned well with the council’s way of working. The group went out to ask Heads of Department to nominate team members to be involved in the pilot and said that they were “very excited” at the opportunity.
“One of the suggestions of the Readiness Assessment is to set up a Centre of Excellence, with the pilot group engaged in identifying opportunities, sharing ideas, and reporting back on things that didn’t work or worked well. They will become Copilot champions throughout the organisation if and when we decide to move this forward in the organisation.”
“Data#3 will play a part in that team, in that when we need something escalated, they can assist us with advice. We can also channel new M365 functionality around modern workplaces into that group.”
Do the Readiness Assessment and look at the underlying architecture: this will help you to understand what it means to your organisation.
Jane Howard – Chief Information Officer, Penrith City Council.
The introduction of Copilot represents an extraordinary opportunity to work more efficiently and, in the case of Penrith City Council, to enable employee focus on providing the exceptional services the community needs.
“Penrith is a growing council, with a population expected to grow 31% by 2036. Therefore we have to look at the ways we work and make ourselves more efficient.”
“It is not just about growth of resident numbers; we have the new Nancy Bird Airport in construction close by, and the Penrith area is a great destination to visit, we’re on the river and close to the mountains, so we will be welcoming more guests, too. We’re looking at ways to work smarter and more efficiently to give everyone the best we have to offer.”
After working through this initial phase, Howard’s advice is that organisations seek experienced help to embark on structured planning.
“Do the Readiness Assessment and look at the underlying architecture: this will help you to understand what it means to your organisation. If you just deployed the licences, it would be quite lacking. You need to build the hype internally, balance what is in the media, too, and set a perspective for your organisation. People will be innovative when they have the tools available.”
“Also to mention that we have been supported by Microsoft, and we were able to use our Technology Innovation Fund via Data#3. Between our vendor partner Data#3, Microsoft, and our own internal learnings, the Readiness Assessment has been a success.”
Is your organisation ready to deploy Copilot for M365? Do you fully understand how turning on AI technology like this will impact your M365 environment? We’re here to help you prepare for Copilot for M365 deployment through interactive workshops and data-driven insights.
Contact our team of specialists to get your team ready for Copilot.
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RSM Australia wanted to make better use of their Microsoft Dynamics 365 investment by aligning it more closely with their business strategy and increasing overall adoption across the organisation.
The relationship between Data#3 and RSM Australia spans more than 15 years, so when they needed additional expertise and trusted advice, it made sense to turn to their preferred Microsoft provider.
We knew we needed additional support to continue delivering the project to the standards we expected but were nervous about finding the right fit. It’s easy to work with Data#3. They aren’t just our provider, they are an extension of our team, and we know we can count on them when we need it.
Helen Carvosso – Director of Marketing, RSM Australia.
Established in 1922, RSM Australia has grown to become a leading player in Australia’s professional services industry. With more than 1,900 staff in 32 offices, RSM Australia provides financial and advisory accounting services, acting as a trusted partner to a wide range of business, government and individual clients.
Having introduced Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) previously, RSM Australia was finding underlying structural issues and limited technical resources were creating challenges in adopting its full potential.
Unsurprisingly, much has changed during RSM Australia’s century in business. While the values of friendly expertise and exceptional service have remained the same, the business’s remarkable longevity owes much to a willingness to embrace new opportunities. Director of Marketing Helen Carvosso said that staying ahead in a competitive sector requires an ability to look forward.
“We are currently busy working on our growth plans to 2030 and a strategic focus for us is our digital transformation, where using analytics and automation will be very important moving forward. We have invested heavily in learning about AI and leveraging data for our growth strategy.”
A significant investment to date has centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365), a portfolio of intelligent business applications that streamlines operational processes and drives greater efficiency. While the capabilities of D365 were thoroughly researched and matched the business’s needs, the roll-out had been problematic.
“We rolled out the D365 instance in January 2023. It wasn’t quite perfect and we knew that at the time, but we wanted people to start using it. The more people that started to use it, the more requests we were expecting and received for improvements, changes or additional features. We also knew there were some structural issues we would need to address down the line.
“Our CRM team didn’t have the technical capability we needed to begin addressing those structural issues – so we were looking for a partner who could act as an advisor, understand what we were trying to achieve, provide options, and help us find the best way forward.”
For RSM Australia, it was especially important that the chosen partner could identify potential implications of each course of action and minimise any impact on users and the wider IT environment.
“Our previous advisors had added fields as we requested, without providing the strategic advice on the impacts of some of these requests. We needed partners who weren’t just ‘yes’ people but could advise, guide, and challenge us to ensure we used best practices to build a future-proof system that would take us forward. We needed to add that additional technical competence and depth to our team.”
With user requests coming in thick and fast, it was clear that the RSM Australia team needed the right processes in place and guidance from a trusted partner. After considering multiple partner options, it seemed to Carvosso there was a logical choice.
“There were downstream implications to any changes, and we needed to understand these. We had a long relationship with Data#3 in other areas of RSM and ‘Microsoft-Land’. That relationship spanned 15 years. The main driver to work with Data#3 on our Dynamics environment was their position as our Microsoft licence provider – they already provided our D365 subscription.
“What I like about the Data#3 team we work with is their empathy and non-judgemental approach. We’re working with an external provider as we don’t have all the answers – and sometimes we don’t know the right questions to ask. They encourage those questions, which helps them understand where I’m coming from too.”
The Data#3 team worked with a proven methodology, and this gave the structure that Carvosso knew was needed. They set about learning in greater depth about RSM’s business and technology eco-system, and understanding what a great outcome would look like.
“It was really very smooth. We set up regular meetings at the start to understand where we were and to roadmap our immediate priorities. We were easily set up on the ticketing system, which was all totally transparent, so we had visibility of where things were at. Now, we have established a regular cadence of meetings to suit business as usual, but when things pop up, the team is there to answer our calls and emails very quickly.”
In that early phase, more than 100 enhancements and changes were scoped out and implemented, positioning RSM to achieve greater benefits from their D365 environment.
“There are a lot of automation pieces here that help us to get work done. We can create workflows and understand the potential implications.”
By digging deeper, Data#3 was able to help RSM better align D365 with the activities of the business, so that staff time could be saved on repetitive tasks and refocused on the customer service they are known for.
“We applied some automation based on principal clients. It used to be extra work for a partner to go in and check a box to say a client now needs tax updates. Now, when a contact changes to client status, that checked box can happen automatically. We have been able to add functionality to apply different rules for clients and contacts with changes triggered automatically, saving manual effort.”
The challenges that RSM faced in the initial D365 rollout had hampered enthusiasm for the product – but this is something Carvosso said had been turned around, with positive results encouraging greater engagement.
“Rolling out new technology and getting people to adopt it can be scary, if not outright off-putting. Now we have support to make it fit for purpose, so it helps people with what they are trying to do in their day-to-day jobs.
“Before we didn’t have the technical expertise to be able to make it work for them. We can now go to the stakeholders and understand their business priorities and make the system work for them, not the other way around,” explained Carvosso.
That expertise doesn’t only come from the Data#3 team. Carvosso’s group was keen to gain skills and confidence in working with D365, so they could handle the more straightforward requests while still calling on Data#3 for more complex changes.
“We learned a lot very quickly from the team. They shared best practices and how they prefer to be briefed – it was a different realm to what we were used to. We learned a lot about best practices for change requests from them,” Carvosso said.
“That has been great as it does help us too, to get a better brief, we know the right questions to ask. The Data#3 team has been helping us upskill, so we can use them for their technical expertise rather than day-to-day actions. It has been an opportunity for us to learn and develop as we continue the relationship.”
With early difficulties unravelled and a faster time from request to completion, the RSM team has observed a change in the way they are perceived by the users they support.
“We have been given the confidence and credibility to go back to our team when they have questions or development requests, and we have a hundred percent certainty that we have a process in place. We pitch it to our change advisory group and come back with solutions. The refined process means we have a hundred percent confidence when we report back to the business.
“Like any new relationship it took time to get to know one another – but when we started to report small wins back to the business, we could see the confidence building among end-users, in the platform and in us,” said Carvosso.
It is not only users who are able to work more effectively now. Carvosso’s team has also had a weight lifted from their shoulders.
“We are spending time better, not stressed about the time we are spending and worrying about having to fix problems. If we are notified of an issue, we put it on the list and know it is being taken care of. We’re able instead to spend our time educating and upskilling people on how to use D365 better rather than having to apologise for what it can’t do. “We have learned from Data#3 how to prioritise requests from inside the business and have a better idea of how much time and effort it will take. We have the confidence to think outside the box now, and before we go to Data#3 we consider if we can fix something internally.”
We have learned from Data#3 how to prioritise requests from inside the business and have a better idea of how much time and effort it will take. We have the confidence to think outside the box now, and before we go to Data#3 we consider if we can fix something internally.
Helen Carvosso – Director of Marketing, RSM Australia.
Part of RSM’s longevity is down to the business focusing on its strengths and understanding where it pays to seek expert help. Working with a partner that complemented RSM’s strengths and shared the same long-term view has been a game-changer for Carvosso.
“Data#3 showed that they very much see it as a long-term partnership, so when they scope something out, they are not creating a rod for their own back by making changes without question. They take time to make sure the outcome will really be what the business needs, even if it is not what we originally asked for – they push back if it is not the right thing.”
For someone that does not come from a technology background, Carvosso found the process unexpectedly enjoyable.
“Their biggest strengths were their patience and expertise. They will invest the time to understand where we are coming from and the challenges we face, they have empathy around that and offered solutions based on their technical expertise. “They had an understanding of us as a professional services firm, an understanding of our language and the nuances. They built a rapport, had a real sense of humour, and made it fun, not scary. It’s easy, they are like an extension of our team, and we know we can count on them.”
