Dan Strange

In the software development process, cloud infrastructure is a vital piece of the architecture but something that’s frequently treated as a secondary consideration, often created manually and very rarely documented. This can leave you in real trouble if for any reason you need to rebuild or duplicate your infrastructure. At Honest Burgers Ltd we’ve recently completed the task of scripting our Microsoft #Azure infrastructure using #Bicep, a domain specific language which has allowed us to automate the deployment process and makes future changes simple and fully trackable through version control. The whole process was a lot more straightforward than I initially expected and is something I would strongly recommend for anyone who builds cloud hosted systems. https://lnkd.in/exVKZ2Yy

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#HappyLittleCloud challenge Day25 Sometimes life just gets in the way had to push all my exams back a couple of weeks to get all the stuff sorted for London and then some family stuff that is planned. I will try and do a little cloudy stuff everyday but nothing major by the looks of it. Will write a summary of this little cloud journey early next week before I take a well deserved rest 😊 #AAI #cloud

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The old ways are not dead. Today, a conversation with a colleague reminded me of the missing standards in modern business and why some people stand out. I reflected on my time as a consultant for a small IT firm in Milton Keynes, visiting clients from London to Leicester and seeing up to six clients a day. Three clients, in particular, left a lasting impression. The first was a managing director of a medium-sized enterprise. I called him when I was seven minutes away to ensure reception was ready to receive me. As I arrived, the MD greeted me in the lobby stating, "7 minutes exactly." After quickly conducting my business, he handed me his card and said, "If you ever want a job or need anything, call me." The second client had flown in from Sweden for a security assessment of his newly acquired company’s IT infrastructure in Northampton. I completed the assessment quickly, provided a verbal summary on-site, and emailed a detailed report that night. He requested my presence twice more for additional security assessments with his bespoke software. During my third visit, he asked if I was employed by the consultancy or freelancing. When I said I was a freelancer, he offered me a job and asked me to come up with a figure for a retainer. I declined to respect the consultancy-client relationship, but he gave me his card, urging me to call when the time was right. The third memorable client was a hedge fund manager who asked me to visit his home, a common request in the early 2000s when many smaller companies had backup servers at the directors' homes. After setting up a VPN and MS SQL replication, he had me visit his office and perform several trivial tasks, such as moving Outlook mailboxes. From then on, I was his sole consultant that visited his office. What I didn’t realise then was that every interaction was an interview, and it was the small things that made a difference. Always calling ahead, following up with emails to confirm my understanding of conversations, sending detailed reports for any work done, standing and presenting myself when someone entered the room, and silently closing doors behind me were all gestures clients appreciated. While none of these things are unusual, and would have been considered basic 20 years ago. They are often overlooked in the name of speed or cultural change. However, those who maintain these standards in today's fast-paced environment, stand head and shoulders above the rest.

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So, when does 'Managing expectations' become pure shoddy customer services? A recent experience as a customer has re-affirmed to me the value of CX when selecting suppliers and partners. Below is an automated reply I've received in response to a very generic invoicing query I needed an answer to. 5 Working days - so a week. A WEEK! Oh and btw, I called them after receiving this and it took about 45m to reach an agent. This is also not the first time both of these things have been an issue. This was not 'just a bad day / week'. Given the plethora of tech that's available in the CX space, surely this is a conscious decision to disregard customer satisfaction? ARVAL UK LIMITED - do better. I have plenty of CX professionals in my network that I'll happily introduce you to 😉 (not a pitch, I'm just nice like that).

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So, the BT Group report was released yesterday, and it had some rather interesting insights. But the big stand out one for me is…. The big ole "Switch Off" formally gets pushed back till January 2027. And... Openreache's build rate currently sits at 78,000 new properties per WEEK! Add in the Altnet build to this and it’s fair to say the UK move to full fibre is building pace. News of the switch-off, has been and was always coming, the big positive is that the switch off is front and centre for everyone now… in both B2C and the B2B space…… There is a demand for growth specialist company to help drive potentially the biggest switch that will ever be done in the Broadband sector….. Want to know how Intelling can support in growing/servicing/ retaining your customer base please reach out….. it could be your competitive advantage…. #BPO #growth #switchoff #fullfibre Gareth Edwards Min Bonugli Sanya Ilyas

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One thing I've never really understood is multiple CIO's working for the same business but in different countries. Surely each country will have their own market nuances, which will in turn alter the objectives, which will then make it really difficult to pull it all together at a 'Group' level. Surely the Group has common objectives but CIO's in different countries will have different motivations. I'm not saying it's wrong by the way... just never understood it. How does it work in reality? #cio #CTO

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5:30am start today so I can hop a train over to Wakefield to meet Becky Lendrum as she joins me as a Data Governance Officer today🎉 The week before going on leave is always a busy one so here is to: 🎯Setting daily goals 1️⃣Prioritising workload 📧Making those unnecessary meetings an email instead 👬Maximising collaboration time 💚Being kind to myself (I’m not gonna get everything finished) #data #datagovernance #collaboration #train

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Great teach in on Microsoft Co-Pilot today. So pleased to be part of the first HMRC generative AI pilot, really enjoying using it so far. So many efficiencies to be gotten from it on a daily basis, it’s like having your own PA! Microsoft HM Revenue & Customs #microsoftcopilot #artificialintelligence #generativeAI #humanresources #AIprompter #technology #machinelearning #innovation #AI

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A great use of teamwork and the right technology

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It is really important, in my opinion, for everyone to register to vote. Democracy is a big part of British Values and should be important to Apprentices and Apprenticeships. There will be a General Election in just over six weeks' time. The Prime Minister sprung a surprise on just about everyone last week, but the student movement has proved that we are ready for this challenge. We want Apprentices and Students to pledge to vote - can your SU get the most pledges? 4th July is a complicated date for students for many reasons. Students won't be on campuses. Many of them will have just moved. They might be on holiday. If we are to get students voting en masse, clear communication of the facts around registration, voter ID, postal and proxy votes, and their voting rights, will be key. So we have launched a Vote Pledge for students and Apprentices. If a student or Apprentice signs the pledge, NUS will send them all the information they need ahead of election day to be able to Turn Up. The one thing we want our members to do as part of our national campaign is to send the Vote Pledge far and wide. Here's the SU's unique link: https://lnkd.in/eeBRGJ_6

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New Job Role: Senior Scrum Masters. Working with a large Insurance company on an exciting Transformation Programme. Outside IR35, Hybrid 1 or 2 days in London Office - £650 / £700 a day. Looking to speak with experienced Scrum Masters for 6 to 12 month contracts. Outline Below. 1. Compelling Storyteller 2. Worked on some big transformations across both Tech and Business – has the ‘war stories’ to tell 3. Gives examples of deeper concepts than just running ceremonies and daily standups. 4. Empiricism advocate 5. Metrics mindset - how can we meaningfully measure progress? 6. Can communicate at all levels #Scrum #Scrum Master #Agile #Tranformation #Insurance

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This is such a necessary part of society nowadays. Well done Experian

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩? 🤔 Incredible to have Amanda Philpott on Talking with Tech Leaders, previously CEO of the NHS and now CEO of eargym to talk to us about Investment, Talent, Culture, and knowing when to hire the right person... Entrepreneurs face lots of challenges, from securing investments to building the right team and instilling a positive culture. Building a tech-savvy team is essential. Amanda talks us through the challenges of finding and retaining top talent in today's market and how a strong company culture is vital along with the benefits of becoming a B Corp early on. It is a great episode where you can gain practical advice on overcoming common entrepreneurial challenges while understanding the significance of building a values-driven team. Check out the full episode on Apple Podcasts & Spotify, search for: 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔 #InnovationInHealth #HealthTech #TalkinWithTechLeaders Be-IT

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Well last week was certainly a busy one! Whilst it was great having the Monday Bank Holiday it left quite a lot to squeeze in to the remaining four days! To make matters worse I had a couple of outstanding items from the previous week. I had sent a query to a team outside of my Trust. One out of office, followed by another, followed by another. It transpired the whole team (there were five) were either not working on a Friday (as they worked compressed hours) or the fifth had taken a day’s leave (presumably due to extending the Bank Holiday weekend). Either way I reflected on the pretty poor service in terms of a lack of customer support / service, the frustration / stress I was now experiencing and the overall approach to flexible working. Perhaps the implementation of flexible working needs to be more measured or perhaps even more flexible to enable changes to be made on the fly to ensure continuity of service to a customer….. just a thought! Our DMA work continued last week. Our peer review session with another Mental Health trust was most informative. Fascinating to hear some of the great work they had done but also some of the consistent issues they continued to face as we did. There are some huge challenges around Empowering Patients under the WDLL framework. But that appears system wide! We finalised a slide deck for presentation to the Board and reviewed some of the insight from last year’s return. The presentation on Friday went really well and I’m hoping that will be the catalyst for some real ownership for digital across all areas of the organisation. To continue the cycling analogy from last week there is definitely some recognition we need to not only pedal harder, but also a little smarter. Looking forward to not talking about DMA for a while after this week. Hope you all have a great week.

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Did Labour win or did the Tories lose? A landslide victory for Labour. A humiliating defeat for the Tories. But I'm always looking for what is driving people. This morning's UK election result perfectly shows something I've been talking to leaders about for years: Not all visions are moving towards something. Many are moving away from something. And just because you write a vision statement doesn't mean you have a vision. A vision is what really motivated people to action not a bland statement on the boardroom wall. So what enabled Labour to win a landslide victory? A third of the people who turned out voted for them. Far less than the 40% who stayed home presumably because no one represented them. What are people really motivated by in your business? Because the most meaningful change happens when humans come together to achieve something extraordinary!

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Do you think staff work better from home or an office? Is that because you are over 50? A Future Forum survey found that leader over 50 were more sceptical about Working From Home and younger leaders instead looked for ways to make it work. I’ve seen the push in business to “increase face time.” It’s not just the companies I work with, there are a constant stream of news articles about remote working. The language is telling: “Staff stage their last stand against bosses’ war on working from home Employers prepare crackdown as office perks fail to tempt workers back” - Telegraph (https://lnkd.in/eNqvT8Y6) “What Aussie workers really think about being forced back into the office - as bosses begin enforcing stricter work from home rules” – Daily Mail “Work from home clampdown falters with rise in ‘coffee badging’” https://lnkd.in/ehpvZTsC This last one was particularly interesting. People who are forced back into office spaces are then turning up and using any excuse, such as popping out for a coffee, to leave the office. So if you are over OR under 50, is your opinion based on data or on a feeling? And can your feeling be questioned and discussed or are staff feeling “forced”, “clamped down” or at war? Because people act out what they can’t speak out. The last thing you need is an employee war.

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Check out Mark Joyce Diary of a CIO podcast talking about all things tech, leadership and his journey 💫

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Have a read at our most recent blog, ‘NHS data effectiveness planning in the real world’ https://lnkd.in/eMJDT98J it sheds light on the intricacies of implementing data initiatives within the NHS environment. We explore the challenges, successes, and key factors crucial for achieving meaningful outcomes. 💡📊 #NHS #NHSdata #DataTransformation #NHSInsights #DataInsights

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