UKEF UK Export Finance. Transformation with the Microsoft Cloud

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Georgina Gilbert
5 years ago
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1 UKEF UK Export Finance Transformation with the Microsoft Cloud

the customer overview Customer UKEF Website www.gov.uk/uk-export-finance Number of employees UKEF s fixed deadline had major financial implications, so missing the target was not an option.

2 the customer overview Customer UKEF Website Number of employees UKEF s fixed deadline had major financial implications, so missing the target was not an option. Working flexibly and collaboratively with UKEF and their partners was vital to the success of this project. Mark Wilson, Enterprise Architect, risual <300 Region London, United Kingdom Industry Public Sector Customer profile UK Export Finance (UKEF) is the UK s export credit agency and a government department. UKEF s mission is to ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, while operating at no net cost to the taxpayer. It supports UK exporters to win and fulfil contracts, as well as helping them get paid. We re confident in the support we rely on risual for. When it came to deploying a virtual machine, we even had to slow your people down. It took about three hours to deploy whereas other suppliers would have taken about three weeks. It makes you more confident about what s going on. Lawrence Nichols, Head of IT, UKEF

3 the problem UKEF s existing outsourced IT services contract was inflexible and incapable of meeting their rapidly changing business needs. UKEF had some difficulties with the support on their old systems and they strived for the services of a company that could provide proactive monitoring. This was impacted by the growing costs of maintaining a partnership with their chosen vendor which culminated in UKEF looking to switch to a costefficient alternative, while minimising disruption to their current systems. There was a substantial risk that changing service providers could potentially threaten the delivery of key business tasks. However, UKEF understood that if the right partner was selected to ensure the project s success, the switch could drive internal efficiencies and enable further growth. the solution Government Digital Service (GDS) compliance sat at the very top of the list of UKEF s priorities, meaning they were searching for a cloud-hosted and infrastructure free environment. UKEF wanted to standardise their current system, citing that they wanted something both modern and mature. Engaging with risual limited allowed the provider to understand the priorities, critical points and goals of the project. With this embeded, risual worked with UKEF to develop a solution to transition all UKEF s back office systems from their existing datacenters to the Microsoft Azure Cloud and Office 365. This involved a complete refresh of the infrastructure, which included establishing new communication links that would support datacenter services in Azure. A new disaggregated service would make use of the cloud, supported by specialist service providers which would replace the previously centralized model. This would be followed by the migration of key services to the virtual datacenter in Azure, establishing new management and monitoring tools and aligning with the Government Digital Service s cloud-based strategy. The list of changes included: Upgrading existing directory services Implementing a new virtual datacenter in Azure with secure networking capabilities Migrating file and application servers to new virtual machines Moving to Exchange Online.

4 working with risual UKEF procured risual s services via the Digital Marketplace. Being a framework supplier since 2013, risual could boast a track record within G-Cloud, which in the end proved crucial to meet UKEF s requirements. UKEF needed a company with capabilities across the technology spectrum and with broad experience of successful cloud migrations. risual could provide a decorated portfolio detailing previous successful deployments (which includes Camden Council and Staffordshire County Council) giving UKEF greater peace of mind that they were in safe hands. risual s extensive portfolio includes work with other public sector organisations, including Derby City Council. Derby City Council had a similar story where they were exiting a long-term IT outsourcing contract, and they then worked with risual to migrate their systems to the cloud, allowing greater flexibility and cost savings. The project is a major success and a case study of which is featured on the UK government s website, with risual demonstrating their expertise along with a host of Microsoft Gold competencies in Cloud development. Due to their estate already being hosted on Microsoft servers, UKEF wished to work with a partner that could deliver certified success. That led them to risual Microsoft Partner of the Year 2015 and Public Sector: Public Safety and National Security Award finalists 2016 who could deliver the project while minimising disruption and change for their users. If I had to do it again, would I do the same thing? Why wouldn t I? I can t think of a single reason why I wouldn t want to go with risual. Everything worked and I am confident that we made the right choices. You employ experts who really do know what they re talking about. Across the period of engagement the planning was good. We needed the right person to come in and we had the confidence that with risual this would happen. Lawrence Nichols, Head of IT, UKEF

5 deployment Whilst every undertaking of this size is sure to have its share of challenges, risual worked proactively with UKEF to ensure the project was a success. Migrating from a single IT service provider to a disaggregated operating model was always going to be a big challenge, with collaboration and honesty from both sides proving key to its accomplishment. risual supported the project by utilizing engagement management and architectural support from their Business Group to define UKEF s work packages. The solution was crafted around the business and technical requirements within each package. This involved each aspect of the project being designed and planned individually before implementation. Furthermore, risual also assisted UKEF s technical architect by providing advice and guidance on the system as they moved forward. UKEF wanted to ensure nothing was left behind as they exited their legacy service, a requirement that was made much more challenging due to the age of some of the organisation s applications. This prompted risual to take a phased approach, involving a lift and shift migration on UKEF s legacy environment where possible. risual managed the project from end-to-end and gave UKEF the confidence that they wouldn t just deploy the solution, but would also continue to manage and proactively monitor, support and optimise the environment through their Managed Services expertise. benefits UKEF were delighted with the outcome of the project, which above all else, helped them achieve significant cost savings as well as providing them with a much more flexible system. Benefits included: UKEF achieved a 20% cost saving compared to their old partnership. A dynamic system which allows UKEF to work with much more flexibility, something that wasn t always possible on their previous systems. UKEF now have confidence with the support of their systems, which includes risual Managed Services proactive and reactive management of the virtual datacenter and Office 365. There was minimal disruption for end-users, with the systems experiencing no downtime during regular working hours. UKEF are now equipped to deal with any future changes on their system, which has helped push away the idea that their systems are monolithic. Future-proofing their systems ensures they can continue to carry out key tasks in the future. UKEF s move into the Microsoft Cloud was seamless for end users, with the migration of their services into Azure and Office 365 going virtually unnoticed.

The project with UKEF was fuelled by great collaboration which saw risual work with not only UKEF but their previous service provider to ensure a smooth transition.

6 The project with UKEF was fuelled by great collaboration which saw risual work with not only UKEF but their previous service provider to ensure a smooth transition. The complete digital transformation of UKEF s systems has provided them with significant cost savings whilst giving them the flexibility they needed for the future. Our team recognised UKEF s requirements and created a timeline which we followed stringently throughout the project and I m delighted that they re already reaping the benefits of moving to the Microsoft Cloud. Alun Rogers, Director and CoFounder, risual Contact w: e: sales@risual.com t: f:

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