GCD TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Digital Software Discovery

GCD assists in your journey shaping a digital vision, aligning to business and customer goals to deliver value.

Our software discovery process captures, researches, ideates, validates, and develops a strategic requirements roadmap and cloud-first technology strategy. We assess investment value, enabling business cases for future digital transformation, services and processes.

Features

• Discovery length can be adjusted to meet your needs.
• Stakeholder workshops aligning business strategy and creating digital strategy.
• User, technical and market research validating digital strategy & vision.
• Insight gathering and collation into key opportunities.
• Ideation and process mapping of key workflows and journeys.
• UX/UI design with varied fidelity depending on the requirements.
• Clickable, functional design and code-based prototyping services available.
• Technical assessment of your existing technology architecture.
• Prioritised requirements list and value assessment to your business.
• Validation to assist with business case creation.

Benefits

• Organisational alignment behind common goals and vision.
• Strategy for digital technologies, software and cloud.
• De-risking of future development against requirements.
• Identification of opportunities for innovation.
• Insights into efficiencies and innovations to your existing processes.
• Direct future investment towards digital technologies, software, and cloud.
• Validation of user, market and business goals.
• Discovery of the technical feasibility of your software project.
• A range budget for initial build and ongoing costs.
• Top class user experience aligned with your key user personas.

£400 to £1,200 a unit a day

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at agough@gcdtech.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

709804671599560

Contact

Andrew Gough
02838341205
agough@gcdtech.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: Our cloud software discovery process begins with a collaborative workshop to understand the project vision, map the problem and gain context into the current state people, processes and technology within your business. We plan an approach that encourages perspectives from all stakeholders and conduct lean and rapid research with these groups to learn more about their goals, behaviours and pain points. Insights are quickly generated to provide an in-depth understanding of the current state and improvement opportunities. We investigate specific processes where optimisation and innovation can deliver direct real value to your business. User experience is validated through design and prototyping of key journeys. We take time to establish a future state and vision for improvement, with outputs that are validated by research and explore the art of the possible. Our experienced team can help you develop a list of prioritised requirements to plan a development phase that can deliver real value in your organisation. In collaboration with the business we create a development roadmap that delivers value through the identified business metrics. Our technical advisors can plan a strategy for cloud architecture, reviewing existing technologies for their suitability against your future state requirements with scaled recommendations.
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Any organisation seeking to align behind a future technology strategy will need to develop the skills required to enable successful adoption of any cloud based solution.; ; We offer a structured onboarding process to new cloud based technologies that help your team adapt to change efficiently. Internal teams can build capability through the creation of subject matter experts and a 'train the trainer' approach.; ; This knowledge transfer can be delivered via playback workshops, recorded walkthroughs, training and online documentation. Any materials collated throughout the discovery process are available to your team throughout the process and are available after completion.
• Training is tied to specific services: Yes
• Services the training service works with:
  • Amazon Web Services / AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Migration forms an integral part of our thinking during the discovery phase. We have vast experience working with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. As an AWS select partner we provide a range of cloud based services that enable businesses to scale and achieve their goals.; ; During the discovery phase our experienced technical team will analyse your existing technology platform and will architect an appropriate cloud solution that can scale and grow with your ambition. As part of this strategy the team will outline a plan for the migration of your existing data and legacy applications, if required, onto a cloud hosting platform that meets the requirements outlined during the discovery phase.; ; Effective scaling, cost optimisation, security and compliance, data analytics, AI and machine learning are some examples of the advanced functionality that our team can help you consider as part of your architecture planning.
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: Yes
• List of supported services:
  • Amazon Web Services / AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: GCD insists on the highest quality software from our multi-disciplinary teams. Quality is not the sole responsibility of our quality assurance team or design teams but is a shared concern of the whole organisation. We have achieved this through the following pillars:; ; Training: Our teams document best practice in every kind of feature and integration. Our teams are trained regularly in the practice of making good software.; ; Strong QA: Our QA team rigorously test every feature and work with the developers to identify the most challenging test scenarios and data volumes for realistic testing.; ; Internal audits: Our technical director and head of design audit every project at regular intervals against a large matrix of quality and best practice checks. Projects are not released until all of these checks are resolved.; ; At GCD performance matters and we seek to make systems perform by design instead of demanding ever increasing running costs. We load test our software with worst case volumes of test data to ensure every part of the system will continue to make users happy many years down the line.

Security testing

• Security services: Yes
• Security services type:
  • Security strategy
  • Security design
  • Security testing
  • Other
• Other security services:
  • DevSecOps
  • Automated Tests
  • ISO 27001 - Information Security Management
• Certified security testers: No

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported:
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by your organisation
• How the support service works: We provide critical support and maintenance services for cloud software and hosting at first, second and third line support through our dedicated support and DevOps teams.; ; Throughout the discovery phase our team will identify key requirements for ongoing support and will recommend the most appropriate support package and SLA to support your future growth. ; ; Our support service includes critical out of hours support, a helpdesk ticketing system, telephone support, 24/7 sever monitoring, security audits and continuous monitoring of your cloud environment.

Service scope

• Service constraints: Each service will be tailored to meet the client’s briefed requirements and priced accordingly. Please see attached T&Cs.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: 24/7 system monitoring. ; Backup management.; 9-5 Monday to Friday operated support help desk.; ; Services can include the below based on client needs.; ; Support service level report & reviews.; Support response time SLA (hrs).; Support users (people who can raise tickets).; Support ticket fair use monthly allowance.; Telephone support.; Server Usage/Cost audit.; Security Audit.; 3rd party integration maintenance audit.; Data housekeeping.; Platform maintenance upgrades.; 24/7 critical support.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Support levels: All support is costed after delivery based on needs and investment levels. ; Our support team is lead by a a Service Manager and Client Success team working to agreed SLAs.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: NQA
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 31/12/2021
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Scope covered under this certification: Information security in relation to the design, development, testing and support of IT solutions delivered using distributed working practices in accordance with Statement of Applicability 6.1.3
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Standard)

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  GCD recognises our obligations towards our staff, clients, and the wider communities in which we operate to minimise the impact of our business operations on the environment. We therefore seek to continually improve our environmental performance by maintaining and growing our resilience to environmental risks and impacts.; Our commitment is to:; Minimise energy consumption.; Prevent pollution and reduce our impact on the environment.; Comply with relevant environmental legislation.; Minimise waste and encourage recycling.; Promote conservation of water.; Encourage sustainable procurement and use suppliers with high environmental standards.; Sustainable transport and commuting.; Encourage green office practices.; We are also aware that businesses cannot thrive in a world of poverty, inequality, unrest and environmental stress, and so we have a vital interest in the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We currently align with 7 of these.

  Tackling economic inequality

  GCD is registered with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and complies with the required monitoring returns.; GCD has also signed the Equality Commission’s STEM Charter to show that we are committed to ensuring that men and women have equality of opportunity in terms of accessing our jobs in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In particular we recognise the specific need to address the current underrepresentation of women in STEM jobs.

  Equal opportunity

  We are an Equal Opportunities Employer, and will not discriminate unfairly against any individual in matters of recruitment or selection for any position, promotion, development or training on the grounds of age, perceived religious or political affiliation, sex, marital status, disability, colour, sexual orientation, race or ethnic origins. GCD recognises its legal, moral and social obligations to promote equality of opportunity within the community in which it operates. Any employee who believes that they have been treated unfairly can seek remediation through a fair, empathetic and balanced grievance procedure.

  Wellbeing

  The wellbeing of our staff is paramount to our success. We offer all staff the option to be added to our company BUPA health plan. We facilitate the Cycle to Work scheme, have a free onsite gym, and always have free fresh fruit on offer for our staff in the office. We offer a generous occupational sick pay scheme, and encourage staff to engage in whatever practices and arrangements that will offer them maximum physical and mental wellbeing.

Pricing

• Price: £400 to £1,200 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at agough@gcdtech.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.