Delivering a simpler, more secure technology environment

How Rodgers & Co laid modern tech foundations with minimal downtime and successful staff adoption.

Like many businesses who've gone through the process of obtaining cyber insurance, it became clear to Tim and the team at Rodgers & Co that their technology environment presented some risks (as well as opportunities) that needed to be addressed.

On top of this, their server was nearing its end of life and would need to be replaced sooner, rather than later.

So, with real actionable opportunities in front of them, one of Computer Culture's team, Tushka Schapel, presented to the Rodgers & Co board. Stepping them through their current tech environment and what this meant for the business, the opportunity to improve, why this was important and what the project would look like from a staff impact perspective.

Importantly, all of this was done using plain English so that everyone in the room was confident that they knew what the stakes were and they clearly understood the options in front of them.

With the current setup being largely on-premise, the plan Computer Culture proposed was to lay modern foundations for a shift to cloud-based management. However, before launching a full cloud transformation project, we recognised that (as with many businesses), consideration needed to account for legacy software which had dependencies on an on-site server, as well as applications that required on-site installation and direct database communication.

Reflecting on this and with the goals of making Rodgers & Co's environment more secure and delivering a better tech experience for their team, Tushka landed on a plan for a hybrid modernisation project.

The hybrid nature of the project would deliver immediate returns through more modern, efficient and secure technology. Plus, there were obvious long-term benefits in smoothing the way for easier and faster full transformation to the cloud when the time was right. The solution recognised current constraints the business had to work with but still delivered strong ROI.

Tushka, Computer Culture's lead for this project, spent a lot of time on-site at Rodgers & Co's offices throughout the project. This was a real highlight for both Tushka and the Rodgers & Co team. Tushka became a regular and welcome face around the Rodgers & Co offices. He got know the team well, their systems, the quirks, what's important to them, their level of tech knowledge and their preferences.

For the Rodgers & Co team, having that one consistent point of contact was a key element in how well the project ran and how successful the outcomes have been.

But what fun's a project if you don't face a curveball or two. While the work to modernise Rodgers & Co's tech foundations ran relatively smoothly, there were of course some bumps and opportunities that presented themselves along the way.

Global Ram Shortage

The first curveball was the global ram shortage and its impact on device availability and pricing. To minimise their exposure to the uncertainty this shortage was creating, Rodgers & Co chose to accelerate their maintenance programme and refresh all devices that were going off warranty in the next 12 months in one programme. The happy (but unplanned) outcome from this decision was that with a refreshed fleet of devices, a standardisation programme was able to be implemented during the project. The result - greater efficiencies across the business (think less downtime for staff, increased security for the business).

Legacy Software

The global RAM shortage and subsequent supply issues however was not the final curve ball. The project met a sticking point when a legacy piece of software didn't quite work in with the project plans. As Tim said,

Thankfully, Tushka and the team were able to provide a solution quickly and keep the project moving.

Change management was a key success factor.

Reflecting on this project with Tim, one of the key themes that came up in our conversation was just how important change management is when it comes to technology transformation. In fact, change management was identified as one of the biggest success factors of this project. Change can be hard, and rolling out changes to technology across a team is never one-size-fits-all.

A significant element of this project meant a lot of change for staff involving:

• New login processes
• Mobile device management
• Workspace separation on personal mobile phones.

Tim credited Computer Culture's presence during the rollout as a key reason for the smooth transition, with an on-site presence making adoption far easier.

The best technology projects are almost invisible.

Music to our ears was Tim highlighting that, from an end-user perspective, the change felt largely seamless.

A major success measure for Rodgers & Co was maintaining productivity and avoiding disruption. Success wasn't just the outcomes of the project, it was also:

• Minimal downtime
• Minimal complaints
• Successful staff adoption.

Don't delay modernisation projects.

When asked what advice he would give another business, Tim's response was clear:

He said Rodgers & Co had discussed the project for years and, in hindsight, should have started sooner. We loved hearing this as it's a position many of us find ourselves in. It's nice to know that we're not alone and to get that reminder that sometimes, the best way forward is to just take that first step.

Even if your business isn't ready to go all in, you can still complete readiness work that lays modern foundations and delivers immediate efficiencies while setting you up for faster, easier and more secure transformation in the future.

So, where did things land when this project wrapped up?

Operational efficiencies achieved.

IT at Rodgers & Co has shifted from a reactive and heavily manual position to a controlled, scalable and policy driven process.

The cherry on top - device setup time has halved from approximately 4-5 hours, down to just 1-2 hours.

A simpler, but more secure environment.

The new environment reduced the burden on staff by simplifying authentication and credential management while maintaining stronger security controls. For the directors who travel frequently, they now have more confidence when accessing  their devices and tools from overseas as everything is fully secured and fully encrypted.

Better readiness for cybersecurity standards and certification.

Looking at Rodgers & Co's current cyber security standards, a recent assessment showed that approximately 90% of required controls were already in place because of the work completed during this project. Cyber security certification and even more confidence in their technology environment is now just around the corner.

Long-term strategic foundations laid.

The project did not complete the full cloud migration, but it successfully created the platform for future phases of work and the gradual removal of legacy infrastructure. Rodgers & Co are well-positioned for next stage transformation and growth.

The Rodgers & Co team welcomed Computer Culture not only into their technology environment, but into their team and offices. From our perspective, that was the true gold of this project - the strengthening of the relationship. Our team have enjoyed working closely with their team members, getting a deeper understanding of how their business works and what they truly need from their technology.

We're looking forward to continuing ripping off the band-aid with Tim and the Rodgers & Co team as they keep raising the bar.