The Customer Design Authority (CDA) function is responsible for working with our customers to ensure that the solutions proposed and implemented within an organisation align with the overall enterprise architecture, meet business requirements, and comply with relevant standards, policies, and regulations.
Find out more about our recent CDA work with customers.
A Travel Company
We undertook a discovery session with stakeholders within a travel organisation’s contact centre to gain insights into their responsibilities, challenges, and needs. These then informed the design and presentation of a tailored cloud-based contact centre as a service (CCaaS) solution. This solution, which the customer adopted, eliminates the costs of maintaining on-premises hardware and support while offering a global platform. It enhances both agent and caller experiences by integrating digital communication channels alongside traditional voice support.
A Local Government Organisation
We conducted a technical consultancy and discovery session for a local government customer to support their unified communications (UC) and digital strategy. We delivered a comprehensive document outlining the pros and cons of recommended solutions for both contact centre and back-office users, including commercial details and a five-year ROI analysis. This document enabled the customer to present recommendations and set budgets to the executive board. Ongoing discussions and strategic guidance continue to ensure the selection of the most appropriate and cost-effective solution, considering the organisation’s budgetary constraints.
A Building Society
Having worked with the customer since 2017, we have undertaken multiple projects including the migration of their core on-premises IT infrastructure and services to a Daisy managed service hosted on the Daisy Flex Private Cloud Platform and more recently have worked with the customer to improve their cyber security posture. This included the deployment of Defender for Endpoint P2 to the end user device estate with ongoing management, monthly reporting and support being provided by the Daisy Security Operations Centre. We are also supporting the customer on an ongoing basis with a Windows 11 upgrade across their end user device estate and working with their IT team and 3rd parties to assist with elements of the migration of their core back-end banking solution to a new cloud platform.
An Investment Firm
Over the last 12 months, we’ve proposed and completed several projects including the deployment of Defender for Endpoint P2 to the end user device estate with ongoing management and monthly reporting being provided by the Daisy Security Operations Centre. We’ve also conducted a review of the options available for providing offshore third party secure access to the required Microsoft 365 services and data and subsequent deployment of a Windows 365 Cloud PC solution. Furthermore, we’ve enhanced our monitoring solution to provide the customer with a real time view of network services and utilisation across their extended corporate network in the UK and Europe. We’re currently in the process of defining the next steps in their IT roadmap to native Azure public cloud following our previous cloud first IT transformation.
A Financial Services Provider
Following our previous migration of the customer’s IT infrastructure to Azure public cloud, we’ve continued to work closely with them across several elements of their IT infrastructure with a focus on performance, resource utilisation and security. Projects we’ve completed include reviewing and optimising Azure Reserved Instances to provide significant cost savings, migrating from legacy AV to Defender P2 across the customers Azure VM server estate and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution, enhancing the customers Palo Alto firewall managed service with IPS policy management and improving processes for the management of local administrator accounts across end user devices and servers with the deployment of Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). We’re currently working on a VDI roadmap options paper which will provide the customer with a review of the VDI options available to them when defining the next steps in their journey to native cloud.
A Hospitality Company
A hospitality customer aimed to reduce costs while adopting a zero-trust network architecture. As part of their fully managed service over five years, we had conducted a detailed audit of their existing infrastructure, focusing on end-of-life systems and analysing user patterns across both on-site and remote workers.
By identifying underutilised devices and streamlining their network, we developed a plan to consolidate hardware, reduce unnecessary licenses, and optimise resource allocation. This approach aligned with their zero-trust goals, delivered significant cost savings and enhanced security and efficiency while meeting budgetary targets.
A Retail Company
A retail customer approached us to address gaps in their security infrastructure and to achieve full compliance with Cyber Essentials while adhering to a limited budget. The goal was to enhance their security posture, protect against common cyber threats, and ensure regulatory compliance.
We conducted an in-depth audit of their existing systems, identifying vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. Based on these findings, we supported the customer to deploy tailored solutions that balanced compliance requirements with cost-effective strategies, presenting a clear roadmap of achievable goals within their budget. This approach enabled the client to strengthen their security without overspending, while also laying the foundation for future enhancements.
A Government Organisation
We partnered with a government customer to help them transition away from on-site hardware while maintaining strong network security. After conducting a comprehensive review of their infrastructure, we introduced new solutions that enhanced both wired and wireless security. This approach improved their security posture, reduced operational costs, and laid the foundation for a future hardware-free environment. The roadmap we developed aligned with their long-term goals, creating a more scalable and efficient network, while also deepening our partnership as their trusted managed service provider (MSP).
A Local Government Organisation
A long-standing local government customer engaged us to conduct a discovery session aimed at defining key personas across their organisation, gaining a deeper understanding of users’ roles, responsibilities, requirements, and the daily challenges they face in supporting residents. This led to the creation of a requirements document, which was then used then run a tender process. We then progressed to the design and presentation of a tailored cloud-based contact centre as a service (CCaaS) solution, along with a proposal to migrate their back-office estate from a private cloud PBX to a public cloud solution, which was adopted and delivered. The new solution eliminates the costs associated with maintaining on-premises and private cloud hosted solutions. The CcaaS solution has enhanced the experience for both agents and residents by providing digital communication channels alongside traditional voice services. We continue to be their go to trusted advisor for all unified communications related needs and beyond.
A Transport Management and Leasing Company
For a leading transport management and leasing company, we conducted a technical consultancy to support their unified communications (UC) and digital strategy. We provided a comprehensive document outlining recommended solutions for their large contact centre. We collaborated with the vendor to facilitate the customers goal of moving from a private hosting solution to a public cloud model, with a preference for an Azure-hosted Mitel platform. The engagement included commercial details and a ROI analysis, enabling the customer to confidently present recommendations to the executive board. The solution was delivered quickly, and ongoing discussions have provided strategic guidance as their business continues to grow and evolve, with UC at the forefront of the services they provide to their broad customer base of transport providers, keeping vehicles critical to the UK economy moving 24/7.
A Leading Pub Chain
A leading pub chain had a legacy WAN that lacked the resilience, capacity and flexibility to meet the business’s daily needs. Working closely with their lead architect, we conducted a series of interactive workshops to develop a roadmap and design for the pub network of the future. Our team then implemented a multi-site proof of concept (POC), which resulted in a 1,600 site Fortinet SD-WAN solution. This solution not only meets the business’s current requirements but also provides capacity for future growth.
An NHS Trust
The Trust had limited visibility of their wireless estate, with a significant number of access points nearing end-of-life. We collaborated with the customer to understand their requirements and produced a wireless roadmap, which was presented to the Trust’s CTO. The solution utilises Cisco DNA Centre to provide enhanced visibility, including real time application flow metrics and real time health information for the entire wireless estate. As part of the project, over 800 legacy wireless access points were upgraded to WiFi 6 standard.
A Logistics Company
The logistics customer has a large WAN/LAN and WiFi estate. We worked with their lead architect to produce current and roadmap documentation, holding numerous vendor workshops to identify the best-fit solution. The legacy LAN and WiFi systems are being upgraded, with Cisco DNA Centre providing visibility and detailed reporting. Cisco 9,200 and 9,300 switches deliver SD-Access ready LAN switching, while Cisco 9800 wireless controllers and WiFi 6E capable access points ensure a resilient, high-capacity wireless solution.
How can we help?
We provide CDA services on an ongoing basis to enhance our customers internal IT strategy and help meet their business objectives strategically and tactically. Our CDAs work closely with internal IT teams to understand design and provide a holistic view, providing tailored recommendations for a robust reliable IT environment and long-term planning.
To find out more about our CDA services call us on 0344 863 3000 or email us.