Insight

At Northdoor, we take pride in being a strategic IT partner to our clients. Read our latest insights and discover how you can achieve your business objectives through technology.

Data Migration - It's all about the data

May 2013

Organisations should not underestimate the size and complexity of the data migration challenge in an application replacement project. David Ballard, CEO, Rob Stavrou, Commercial Director of Integrated Solutions and Huw Parry, Data Migration Specialist of Integrated Solutions at Northdoor examine the key issues involved in data migration and also outline the six steps necessary for success. Read more.

Data in 2013: Store IT. Protect IT. Use IT

February 2013

Data is the new asset for the CFO – David Ballard, CEO and AJ Thompson, Director of Enterprise Solutions, shared their perspective on the IT lessons learnt during the past 12 months and consider which key themes will capture the attention of CFOs and other business leaders this year. Read more

How Secure is Your Organisation?

January 2013

Security solutions are often implemented in a piecemeal approach with point solutions addressing specific types of threats. While this may solve acute security problems, gaps can soon appear. Northdoor recommends a business-focused, comprehensive approach to security, starting from a scenario-based analysis… Read more

Big Data - Moving Beyond the Hype

December 2012 

Big Data is an evolution, not a revolution, and compels organisations to re-examine what they traditionally consider as business information. In this article, Northdoor directors David Ballard and AJ Thompson recommend a pragmatic approach to Big Data and give real world examples of Big Data analytics in action. Read more

Harnessing the power of Big Data

December 2012

What approach should financial service firms use to get the most from Big Data? In this article on Global Banking & Financial Review, AJ Thompson, Commerical Director of Enterprise Solutions, explains the challenges associated with Big Data and what three key areas firms should consider when trying to achieve a robust IT strategy. Read more

Why insurers need to keep ahead of Solvency II

October 2012

Northdoor's Rob Stavrou, Commercial Director - Integrated Solutions, explains the need for insurers to keep up to date with the latest Technical Provisions requirements.

Sharing his views on the myriad of Technical Provisions challenges currently facing insurance companies, Rob advises how enhancing the scalability and robustness of actuarial modelling tools can address inherent IT shortcomings and bolster systems reliability ahead of the Solvency II end state. Read more

Microsoft: an enterprise-class player

July 2012

Jon Milward, Operations Director - Integrated Solutions on the misconceptions surrounding cloud and the various hybrid options available.

The initial challenge for most businesses when assessing their cloud computing options is overcoming the confusion surrounding cloud terminology. With so many labels and technical jargon, there are many varied interpretations with terms meaning different things to different people. The labelling of cloud solutions as being either ‘public’ or ‘private’ is one such example of loosely-defined terms that have led to a lot of confusion for many businesses. Read More

Insurance Technology: Shared Intellectual Property Model Will Help Firms Gain Greater Control Over Their IT Strategy

Dec 2011

The insurance market is facing a number of important challenges at the moment: a steady flow of new regulations, the need to manage a wide variety of risks effectively, and a weak economy that’s causing budgets to be tightened across the board.

When deciding on your IT strategy, you’ll need to consider where you’d like your firm to be in several years’ time, so that you can identify what resources you’ll need to achieve these goals and then plan accordingly. Rob Stavrou, Northdoor’s Director of Consultancy, discussed how the innovative shared IP model will help firms gain greater control over their IT strategy. Read more

IT Services are an Essential Part of a Successful Cloud Computing Strategy

Dec 2011

Cloud computing has democratised technologies which used to be the preserve of large enterprises, and made them more accessible for SMEs. However, in order to gain the greatest benefits from the cloud model, IT services need to be at the centre of any cloud computing strategy. Jon Milward, Director of Managed and Support Services, discusses why IT ‘services’ are an essential part of a successful cloud computing strategy. Read more
 

Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Cloud

Sept 2011

Without a doubt, there are a number of compelling benefits associated with cloud computing, especially in terms of the agility and scalability that it can provide. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that cloud computing is the cheapest, fastest or simplest option for your IT delivery. Jon Milward, Director of Managed and Support Services, discusses a number of potential costs that senior executives need to consider before moving to cloud. Read more
 

Insurance Technology: Effective globalisation will depend on the ‘IT’ Factor

Sept 2011

As global markets become more and more interdependent, insurance companies will increasingly need to change the way that they operate. In the autumn issue of Insider Quarterly, Rob Stavrou, Director of Consultancy, discussed how a modern, flexible IT architecture can help insurers address the varied local requirements, such as languages, tax and technical ledgers, on a global scale. Read more

Are Your IT Costs Out of Control?

July 2011

This point-of-view article from Northdoor outlines how IT departments can evaluate opportunities to eliminate waste in IT expenditure while maintaining or even increasing service levels, thereby freeing up budget to invest in future capabilities. By re-examining the cost and quality of day-to-day operations, IT departments can realign their activities to deliver the business requirements in a more efficient manner. Read more

Insurance Technology: Maximising Your Solvency II Investment

July 2011

Solvency II is not all about capital. In the summer issue of Insider Quarterly, Rob Stavrou, Director of Consultancy at Northdoor, urged insurers to look beyond the regulations, and start to think about how the implementation of Solvency II requirements can help to improve the organisation’s business processes and data governance. Read more

Managing Legacy Systems

May 2011

When it comes to managing your company’s IT systems, it’s vital to consider the legacy technologies you have in house as part of the IT strategy and management plan. Legacy systems pose potential risks to the IT operation and business continuity for a number of reasons. Jon Milward, Director of Managed and Support Services of Northdoor, discussed the options for managing the legacy systems. Read more

Outsourcing your IT Infrastructure: The Top Three Myths Debunked

May 2011

Many companies still believe that they are ‘too small’ to consider outsourcing their IT infrastructure. In fact, outsourcing the provision and management of IT infrastructure can help small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) reduce costs, gain greater control and increase the flexibility of their IT operations. Jon Milward, Director of Managed and Support Services of Northdoor, discussed three common myths of infrastructure outsourcing. Read more

Adding the Human Touch to Your Outsourcing Governance

April 2011

Outsourcing should not be viewed as a mere contractual arrangement. The ability to build real partnership with your supplier will help to maximise the return on your investment considerably. Jon Milward, Director of Managed and Support Services of Northdoor, offers useful tips on managing outsourcing relationships on SourcingFocus.com, a leading outsourcing website in the U.K. Read more

Plan for IT Success

March 2011

Putting the appropriate time and effort into developing a sound IT strategy will make sure that any investment made in the area is money well spent. David Ballard, CEO of Northdoor, gives away top IT tips for start-up and spin-off businesses in the Accountancy Age magazine, a leading finance and accountancy publication in the U.K. Read more

Don’t Outsource a Problem – Four Critical Steps
to Determine the Right IT Sourcing Strategy

March 2011

Determining whether you’ve sourced your IT correctly is an ongoing process that requires a clear understanding of the business goals, accurate measurements of performance and costs and a structured decision-making cycle. In Northdoor’s opinion, there are four critical steps involved in assessing your existing sourcing arrangement and building a new strategy. Read more 

Don't Let IT Hype Cloud Your Judgement

December 2010

Cloud computing is clearly the latest hot topic for the IT industry. Northdoor sees cloud as a new option, not a new imperative. As with any other service delivery method, you will need to carefully consider whether cloud is a valid option for your own particular business and IT applications. If you are interested in cloud’s potential to deliver capital and operational cost-savings, you need to think about four critical areas: business requirements, system interoperability, security and regulatory compliance and service level agreements. Read more 

Solvency II - An Essential Directory

November 2010

Solvency II is a serious issue that has rightly captured the attention of the entire insurance industry. While Solvency II requires considerable support from IT, business teams within the same organisation often collate and evaluate comparable sets of data differently. Northdoor believes that centralised data directories should form an integral part of implementing Solvency II, not only to fulfil regulatory requirements but to make business operations easier too. Read more