Putting Public Sector Front and Centre

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a big increase of organisations in both the public and private sectors adopting Cloud technologies. Codec has been helping public sector bodies to take advantage of the many benefits of digital transformation and they have now established of a dedicated Public Sector team. eolas speaks to technology veteran, Larry Tobin, about the challenges faced by Public Sector today and why now was the right time for Codec to set out their stall with this new team.

Codec is a local Irish Software company (now in its 37th year) with a fantastic reputation amongst many public sector organisations (over 40 in fact) that use a variety of Microsoft technologies for their day to day operations (e.g. Dynamics 365, Azure, SharePoint, Teams and Power Platform).

Larry (who has 40 years’ experience in the ICT sector) joined Codec in 2010 to set up a new Dynamics CRM practice and over the past 10 years, has been instrumental in helping Codec to build the largest Dynamics practice in Ireland, one that was chosen as Dynamics Partner of Year for five years running.

In late 2020, Codec decided it was time to create a new team that would focus solely on the public sector and Larry was appointed to head up the team in January 2021.

Having previously worked for the LGMA (LGCSB) for 10 years Larry has always had a particular grá for the public sector. “It’s a great privilege to be asked to head up a team that will be dedicated to helping our public sector to deliver on their digital transformation objectives. We feel that it is so important that the Irish public sector are aware there is an indigenous (and Microsoft full suite) ICT specialist on their doorstep. With offices in Dublin, Galway and Belfast, Codec has an all-Ireland presence,” he comments.

Codec have seen huge growth over the recent past and FTE staff numbers are currently at 240 and this number is forecasted to increase to 300 by the end of 2021.

Codec are probably best known for helping public sector bodies with their implementations of Dynamics 365, but Larry’s ambition is to build on their current reputation by helping their customers to take full advantage of the benefits the cloud can offer especially in the areas of Intelligent Automation (RPA, AI, Chatbot) and Azure (Application Modernisation, Windows Virtual Desktop and Data Centre Migration).

As a Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing solutions across the full suite of technologies, Larry suggests that their certifications set them apart from the competition. “We were the first Microsoft Partner in Ireland to achieve the Azure Expert MSP certification. The Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP) program is a new global initiative from Microsoft to highlight and promote only the most capable partners (only 80 partners worldwide have achieved Azure Expert MSP). We have also completed the Windows Virtual Desktop and Cloud Business Application specialisations says Tobin. “This makes us unique and fantastic proof that we are playing ‘senior hurling’ when it comes to the Cloud.”

Delivering Successful Projects in Public Sector

“We are the largest Irish Microsoft partner and we are very proud of our reputation for delivering solutions around Microsoft technologies but now is the time to bring a new focus and energy by creating this dedicated public sector team,” says Larry.

Codec has a fantastic reputation and track record in delivering Dynamics solutions to over 35 public sector bodies (or 15,000 users across public sector bodies) but Codec also has extensive experience in delivering many successful projects using other Microsoft technologies such as Azure, Teams and Power Platform. “With a wealth of experience under our belt, we have been lucky enough to work on some very exciting recent projects within the education and semi-state sectors.”

Windows Virtual Desktop for Queen’s University

“Working with Queen’s University in Belfast, we successfully implemented Windows Virtual Desktop for over 1,500 students and staff. Through Windows Virtual Desktop, students can use any device to have access to the full processing power of the university’s systems remotely.”

The net result for the university’s IT department is that instead of having to provide technical support to a potentially enormous range of platforms and devices, it can work with a vastly simplified system. According to Tobin “Over 130 specialised apps are supported through the system which has also greatly enhanced security because the applications are served remotely from the cloud and data is stored in the cloud. In addition, multi-factor authentication has increased security by ensuring that only those that are allowed can access the data,” he adds.

Power Apps in Fáilte Ireland

Many organisations are discovering the value of Power Apps and the ability to automate previously manual and time-consuming tasks. One such organisation we worked with recently was Fáilte Ireland where, following their migration to the cloud they identified the need that legacy solutions on older platforms be re-designed and optimised to maximise the range of applications available.

Using Power Apps for the HR department, Fáilte Ireland have enabled an auditable digital sign-off process for existing paper-based processes. This has allowed Human Resources to continue to process and manage applications for a range of services such as:

• Maternity Leave
• Parental Leave
• Paternity Leave and their Shorter Working Year option

Power Apps has optimised and automated elements of the process to enable quicker turnaround times for applicants and a streamlined approval process, whilst saving the need to print, post, scan and repeat.

Following on from the success of this Power App project, Fáilte’s next step in their Digital Workplace initiative is to empower users to deliver Power Apps solutions directly. Codec have empowered users to develop Power Apps within the organisation by providing them with the necessary tools and training.

Digital Transformation and the Public Sector

Larry comments: “Digital transformation for public sector organisations can be challenging. Having worked on many such projects, Codec know and understand the complexities involved better than most. In establishing this dedicated Public Sector team, it demonstrates our commitment to helping our public sector to deliver transformational solutions.”

Larry Tobin, Head of Public Sector
Email: ltobin@codec.ie
Phone: 086 774 9881
Web: www.codec.ie