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Devon Partnership NHS Trust was facing challenges with their existing SharePoint portal and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) which were used for reporting. The SharePoint portal was becoming overpopulated with Excel and SSRS reports, leading to difficulties in locating specific reports and slower operation speeds. The reports also appeared outdated, leading to low adoption rates and challenges in implementing a performance management culture. The reports were also difficult to develop and maintain, making it challenging for the Informatics team to deliver valuable data to the consumers in a meaningful way and in a timely fashion. The Trust needed to streamline reporting processes, increase user adoption, and reduce the number of requests to the Informatics team.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health was facing challenges in providing health data to the public in an accessible and understandable format. The data was previously served via static PDF files and reports with limited self-service capabilities, mostly showing data in tables. This made it difficult for citizens to consume the data, as it was hard to understand via tabular displays rather than visuals that highlight trends and patterns. The user experience was not engaging, and the data was static, preventing further exploration by users. The Directorate itself was also limited in its ability to publish new datasets and ensure that publications were up-to-date due to the technical nature of the process. The Directorate needed a modern solution to provide a better way for its users to explore, author new content, and consume data with less IT involvement.

Tria Metis, a software solution company, was experiencing rapid growth in its client base and needed a Business Intelligence (BI) solution that could handle the diverse needs of its customers. They required a powerful yet easy-to-navigate platform to build out dashboards for various users, from technical support to upper management. Many of their customers had unique requests that required equally unique solutions. The complexity of a BI Solution for insurance led them to form a business intelligence team with extensive experience in insurance, sales, and finance. This team had to provide solutions based on the complex requirements demanded by the customers they served in this industry. As they quickly acquired clients outside of the insurance industry, their team was gaining additional expertise in the retail, distribution, and banking industries.

Kellogg Company, a multinational food manufacturing organization with 33,000 employees, faced a significant challenge in managing its extensive supply chain. The company produces 1,600 foods in 20 countries and markets them in 180 countries, making transparency and sustainability crucial. Alistair Hirst, SVP Global Supply Chains at Kellogg Company, emphasized the need for a stable base to build a sustainable supply chain. The company's supply chain extends to multiple tiers, making it a complex task to understand and manage the entire process. The challenge was not only to reduce greenhouse emissions or energy footprint but to ensure sustainability throughout the end-to-end supply chain. The company also had to meet the expectations of its customers, particularly millennials, who demand transparency about the origin of their food and prefer companies that align with their moral compass.

BT, the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider, recognized the need for a security-driven approach to networking services due to the increasing scale, pace, and variety of cyber threats. The network transformation enabled by SD-WAN, while beneficial, also expanded the attack surface, making traditional perimeter-based security insufficient. Overlaying security as an afterthought introduced unnecessary cost, complexity, and cyber risk into the network. BT needed a solution that would fully integrate security and connectivity in a single appliance, while also providing support for customers at every stage of deployment and operation.

Yottaa, a SaaS platform designed to optimize enterprise online retail websites, was seeking to deliver faster, better online shopping experiences for brands like Carter’s, Ralph Lauren, Lenovo, and GNC. The platform needed to manage the loading of 3rd party services, improve the way websites serve dynamic content, and collect a massive amount of performance, traffic, and site error data. However, Yottaa faced challenges in maintaining target metrics during peak times, preventing bottlenecks and errors, and providing consistent, smooth experiences regardless of traffic demands. Additionally, Yottaa needed to monitor its own infrastructure performance, including request throughput, bandwidth, and cache hit ratio, to better control costs and leverage partner services.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), an executive agency of the UK government, was facing challenges in its digital transformation journey. The agency was transitioning away from long-term contracts, minimizing vendor lock-in, and moving to open source and cloud where possible. However, the agency was connecting to the cloud via virtual private networks (VPNs), and their VPN firewall ran out of capacity. This situation necessitated a new solution that could provide fast, reliable connectivity. The goal was to improve efficiency, add flexibility, and gain value for money, while bringing services and controls closer to customers, employees, partners, and ecosystems worldwide.

Superology, a Croatian tech company, was faced with the challenge of developing a social network for betting fans that could handle high performance, scalability, observability, and authentication. The company, which was acquired by Superbet group in 2017, had to accommodate millions of users demanding and consuming sports content constantly. The nature of live sports meant that users had zero tolerance for time lags and blackouts. The company also had to manage a large volume of content requests, which could peak at 15,000 per second. Additionally, Superology needed to monitor all services and act instantly in case of trouble, especially when introducing new features.

Chef, a leading automation software company, was facing a significant challenge in securing their DevOps practices and business operations. The engineering and operations teams at Chef were seeking a security solution that could provide greater visibility into the changing vulnerabilities and attack vectors across their applications. They needed a security solution that could enable them to identify and solve security issues in the same way they were already able to respond to operational issues, without negatively impacting performance. The challenge was to find a security solution that could scale with their DevOps practices and business needs, and help their customers be more secure.

Remitly, an online remittance service, was faced with the challenge of securing its proprietary global transfer network. The company needed a security solution that could meet PCI requirements and protect customers' sensitive transactions through its mobile application. The solution had to be capable of defending against new and emerging attack types without impacting performance. Remitly also had to deal with irregular traffic patterns, such as a sudden spike in account transfers from a small network segment on the Pacific coastline of South America. The company needed to determine in real time whether such traffic indicated an attack or valid requests. A traditional web application firewall (WAF) would not be able to distinguish this traffic, potentially leading to customer frustration if the IP was blacklisted.

OpenStreetMap (OSM), an open-source global map built by 6.4 million volunteers, faced significant challenges with their content delivery. Their data, used worldwide for various applications, is updated frequently, sometimes every minute, and a new complete export of their data is published weekly. However, their initial solution of building their own content delivery network (CDN) with donated resources was fraught with difficulties. They struggled to obtain servers in certain regions, and map editors often complained about slow loading times. Their ability to detect and correct server issues was minimal. In 2019, a traffic spike caused by the London Marathon's new app led to the meltdown of OSM's custom-built CDN, forcing them to reroute traffic and seek a different solution.

Ikeda architectural design, led by architect Yoichiro Ikeda, was tasked with the renovation of 'Itoya', one of the largest stationary stores in Japan. The challenge was to simultaneously renovate multiple stores, including two main stores in Ginza, Tokyo, and another in Yokohama. The renovation involved swapping different floors between the two Tokyo stores while refurbishing all the floors at the same time. The renovation mainly consisted of designing new shelving and display islands, with the floor, wall, ceiling, and lighting remaining as they were. The schedule for the renovation was extremely tight, adding to the complexity of the project. The firm was uncertain if they could meet the deadline, and there was a need for a solution that would ensure timely completion and client satisfaction.

The customer, a leading American multinational software firm, was facing significant challenges with their existing Big Data platform. They had initially created a solution using the Hadoop Map Reduce engine and Hive Queries (HQL), but this setup was proving to be inefficient. The main issues were slower code execution speed, higher storage requirements, and difficulty in maintaining workflows. These issues were impacting their business performance and slowing down their digital innovation. As part of a multiyear initiative, the company was planning to move their Big Data platform from Cloudera Hadoop On-Prem instance to Cloudera Data Platform (CDP) on Azure. The first step in this process was to explore the prioritized MapReduce jobs in the current state and consider migrating them to Spark to reduce execution and processing time.

Hoodoo Digital, an agency specializing in delivering customer experiences using the Adobe Experience Cloud, faced a challenge in providing its clients with both content security and performance at scale. One of Hoodoo's clients, Pacific Dental Services, which manages 1,200 websites for dental offices, was not delivering all of its websites through HTTPS. The sites were hosted on an Apache server, and a few dozen certificates were causing performance issues. Furthermore, Google was about to change its algorithm to downgrade insecure sites. Pacific Dental Services needed to add TLS certificates across its portfolio as soon as possible, and also automatically generate certificates for every new website going forward. It was crucial that all sites maintained a high standard of performance.

PayPal, a global payment solutions giant with a user base of 300 million, faced challenges in maintaining security, optimal performance, and scalability. The company's ambitious vision to democratize financial services and empower people and businesses globally required a strong focus on security and fast, reliable user experiences. However, the company faced everyday threats such as website spying, DDoS attacks, and exploits, which necessitated robust security measures. Additionally, with a global footprint as expansive as PayPal’s, latency was a significant challenge. Data sometimes had to make long round trips, which could negatively impact user experience and repeat business.

Mediaset España, Spain’s audiovisual market leader, faced a significant challenge in making on-demand video available to its users across all platforms. The company's architecture, which placed the origin of videos in the public cloud (Azure), was complex and only worked with a single content delivery network (CDN). Mediaset España wanted to adopt a multi-CDN infrastructure to ensure quality service and enhanced availability for premium users and customers. However, the company needed a CDN that could easily integrate with its existing architecture and adapt to a preexisting ecosystem without requiring major development steps. Additionally, the cost of extracting data from the public cloud (egress) was a concern due to the volume of data generated by Mediaset España.

LeanTaaS, a provider of software solutions for healthcare systems, faced a significant challenge in securing their cloud-based APIs and web services. As a company serving leading hospitals and healthcare providers across the country, LeanTaaS needed a security solution that could provide real-time visibility and defense. Their lean approach, coupled with data analytics, aimed to create more efficient medical facilities, but the security of their cloud-based services was paramount. Additionally, they needed to meet the stringent HIPAA compliance requirements, which further complicated the situation. The challenge was to find a solution that could not only secure their web services and APIs but also ensure compliance with healthcare regulations.

The Magoda Project was born out of a meeting between a Danish architect and a German doctor, both passionate about combating malaria, a disease that is particularly prevalent in Africa. The World Health Organization reported that in 2015, over 200 million cases of malaria were responsible for more than 400,000 malaria-related deaths. The challenge was to develop malaria-free housing in a local community in Tanzania. Traditional housing in the region often resulted in poor indoor climates due to lack of ventilation, leading to high indoor temperatures. This made it unbearable for residents to use mosquito nets, thus increasing the risk of malaria transmission. The goal was to create a solution that would not only reduce the risk of malaria but also improve the overall living conditions of the residents.

A German manufacturer of commercial electric cars was faced with the challenge of ensuring that critical automotive software updates are delivered in a timely and secure manner using over-the-air (OTA) updates. The importance of prompt delivery of these updates was paramount, even in situations where Wi-Fi was not available. Given that a large fleet of these vehicles is often located in urban areas, there was a need for a solution that would not overload cellular networks. The manufacturer also needed to ensure that the software update installation would not fail under any conditions, as there was no personnel available to fix it.

The Faith Lutheran College Secondary School, located in the suburb of Plainland, Queensland, Australia, was in the process of constructing a new library building. The project, worth $1.5M(Aust), was a single storey steel framed building. Fulton Trotter Architects (FTA) were engaged as managing architects to design, document, and administer the contract during the construction. The project was chosen as a pilot for Building Information Modelling (BIM) collaboration with a full consultant team consisting of a Land Surveyor, Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, Hydraulic Consultant, Mechanical Engineer, and Electrical Engineer. The challenge was to trial the capabilities of FTA and the consultant team to create a fully coordinated BIM. The intention of documenting in this 3D format was to resolve details and coordinate structure and services, with the aim of reducing clashes on site and time and money spent in coming up with alternative solutions to problems that could have been prevented in the design phase.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was faced with the challenge of providing temporary shelters for Syrian refugees. The traditional construction methods were not only expensive but also time-consuming and required skilled labor. Furthermore, the concept of using earth-bag houses as transitional shelters was not widely accepted due to the perceived quality of the end product. The team, mostly comprised of unskilled workers, also needed significant management and training to understand the construction process. The challenge was to design and construct cost-effective, durable, and user-friendly shelters within a short period of time, using mostly unskilled labor.

Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) and Tietoevry were faced with the challenge of building a certified trusted Research Environment that is compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Findata legislation on the secondary use of national social and health data. The goal was to accelerate medical research with a modern, high-security digital environment with the latest analytics capabilities. The challenge was particularly significant in the context of diagnosing and treating rare diseases, which are often difficult to diagnose due to their rarity and the extensive research data required. The cost for the public healthcare sector can be as much as 40 times greater before the diagnosis is found, making the need for a more efficient diagnostic process crucial.

BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, a large, international, conceptual architectural firm based in Copenhagen and New York, was facing challenges with their existing Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. The firm, known for its innovative and conceptual architectural designs, was struggling with the limitations of their chosen BIM software, Revit. The architects found Revit to be too restrictive and incompatible with their sketching process. They also encountered difficulties in establishing a smooth workflow between Rhino, a 3D modeling software, and Revit. The firm was seeking a solution that would allow them to leverage the benefits of BIM without compromising their creative freedom and ability to produce new proposals and visualizations quickly.

In 2008, Bradford College embarked on a comprehensive redevelopment strategy, which was initially funded by the Learning and Skills Council. However, in 2009, the funding was withdrawn, forcing the College to reconsider their strategy and self-fund the project in a volatile and challenging marketplace. The College, with assistance from Bond Bryan Architects, devised a reduced scale development that retained the original aims of embracing educational transformation within a flexible environment, while realizing efficiencies in space utilization and providing flexible-use spaces to accommodate changing learning methods. The development, approximately 24,000 sqm with a construction cost of approximately £38m, was challenged to save £2m of Value Engineering. The project was further complicated by the need to maintain quality and vision, while also achieving exceptional workmanship.

Magnolia, a leading Digital Experience Platform (DXP) provider, faced a significant challenge in meeting the evolving needs of its enterprise customers. For over 20 years, Magnolia had been providing its application for customers to host on-premises and later as a managed service in the cloud. However, customers increasingly demanded a platform that simplified infrastructure deployments and experience delivery, including an embedded Content Delivery Network (CDN) to handle domain certificates, DDoS mitigation, scaling, stability, caching, and Web Application Firewalls (WAFs). The challenge was to find a CDN vendor that could meet these demands and integrate seamlessly with Magnolia's service model. The CDN needed to be API-first for easy integrations and configurations, handle 100 terabytes (TB) of traffic per month, and complement Magnolia's business model. Additionally, Magnolia aimed to provide a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that would satisfy an increasingly security-conscious clientele, particularly in sectors like banking and finance.

Dunelm, one of the largest home furnishings and accessory retailers in the U.K., was facing challenges with its ecommerce platform. The company, which offers hundreds of thousands of products online and operates over 170 brick-and-mortar superstores, was looking to support a major digital transformation initiative. The goal was to increase speed for their shoppers across web and mobile storefronts, enhance security, deliver site updates faster at scale, and augment an infrastructure-as-code strategy. In early 2017, Dunelm undertook a major re-platforming initiative that would allow engineering teams to leverage the many advantages of cloud technologies. However, during the new stack rollout, a major incident occurred which affected their Google Product Listings Advertisements, impacting the team’s ability to sell products on their new platform.

Bell Media, Canada's leading content creation company, was facing a significant challenge in managing traffic spikes and maintaining the quality of their content delivery. The company delivers media to over 22 million customer connections within more than 8 million Canadian households. As their customer base continued to expand, they began to experience very high traffic spikes for video delivery. These traffic spikes posed a risk of causing slowdowns and server failures, which could compromise the quality of the content delivered to Bell Media customers. The video delivery pipeline team, responsible for sourcing, transcoding, and delivering content to all Canadians, needed a solution that could handle their growing capacity needs and ensure a flawless experience for customers under any circumstances.

The client, a major European airline, was grappling with a cumbersome document verification process. Their ground handling office was processing over 10,000 invoices a month, delivered by nearly 600 independent companies and contractors. These invoices came in different formats and languages, making the process time-consuming and requiring the involvement of multiple people and teams. This not only delayed data analysis and subsequent actions but also made the entire process prone to errors. The client sought to optimize this process and engaged Objectivity to develop a solution for automated verification of documents and easier error detection. The team was tasked with building a Proof of Concept (PoC) using Microsoft’s technology stack to validate documents from different sources and formats.

Regit, formerly known as Motoring.co.uk, is the UK’s leading online service for drivers. The company faced a significant challenge in predicting which of their 2.5 million users were likely to change their vehicle and when. This information was crucial for the company to serve their customers in a more personalized and targeted way. The company operates by generating leads for companies in the automotive industry by providing a platform for people to book test drives, buy and sell cars, and request brochures, among other services. However, they were unable to predict which of their users were likely to change their vehicle, or even know who had changed their vehicle until after it had happened. This lack of predictive capability was a significant barrier to increasing their call center revenues.

The customer, a global multilateral financial advisory firm, was facing a multitude of challenges. They were looking to secure business growth, protect margins, and align operations across countries to rapidly changing market needs. Business agility was critical to increase operational efficiency. However, the performance of their existing hardware and applications, along with a clunky collaboration environment, were major hindrances to employee productivity and end-user experience. The business aimed at reducing the cost of managing incidents, eventually reducing the number of incidents, and minimizing false alarms. Additionally, the customer was operating with geographically distributed localized service desks that were using non-standard processes. This was leading to redundancies, operational inefficiencies, and sub-optimal IT service delivery.