Our Case Studies
Discover more about some real-world challenges and our approach to deliver successful outcomes for our clients.
Water Service Reform: Ara Digital’s Impact on a High-Stakes, National Procurement
Case Study
The Challenge
One of the most ambitious public sector transformations in New Zealand, the Water Services Reform Programme demanded rapid procurement and establishment of core systems of record and ancillary systems of engagement.The data and digital stream of the Programme played a critical role in the modernising of water management and driving regional growth. Time was short, the scale was unprecedented, and seamless coordination across stakeholders was essential.
The Approach
Ara Digital played a leadership role in the , design and execution of procurement strategies for the large, critical systems that underpinned the Reform. From defining requirements to delivering on-time procurement outcomes, Ara Digital leveraged our specialist expertise and capability in technology strategic sourcing and programme governance to bear, ensuring every aspect of the market engagements were optimised for success.
The Results
Our approach enabled meeting of stringent deadlines, reduced reliance on internal resources, and supported a running start to the implementation programme. With Ara Digital’s leadership, the Water Services Reform Programme was on track to hit its “Day One” objectives, empowered by flexible contracts and optimal solutions and relationships.
“Ara Digital’s leadership ensured the Water Services Reform Programme was on track to hit its ‘Day One’ objectives, empowered by flexible contracts and optimal solutions and relationships.”
Case Study
Enabling Government Transformation: Strategic Leadership in Delivering National Cloud Platforms
The Challenge
Ara Digital was engaged by New Zealand’s largest government department to establish a program to deliver two public cloud national platforms on AWS and Microsoft Azure.
The Approach
Ara led the project initiation, providing expert advisory and consultancy services to set up the project, encompassing project and governance structure, cloud maturity assessment, delivery strategy, and delivery team establishment. The Ara team provided project management to successfully implement the two national platforms and the associated design of a national operating model. Additional project deliverables included a detailed current state review, implementing a national data collection capability across the 20 associated organisations and a migration strategy and prioritisation process.
The Results
The Azure and AWS platforms are now fully operational and supporting critical national services, including the new national data platform, enhancing the connectivity, resilience, and security of IT services across the sector. Additionally, the development of cloud reference architectures has established a robust foundation for future scalability and innovation, ensuring the program continues to deliver high-quality outcomes in an evolving digital landscape.
“Establishing a robust foundation for future scalability and innovation”
Empowering a Small Tech Team to Meet Big Digital Demands
Case Study
The Challenge
The Town of Caledon's (Canadian Municipality / Local Council) technology team, consisting of fewer than 20 members, needed to assess its ability to deliver digital services to a population of 66,000. The team is faced with the continuing challenge of meeting the demands of cloud migration, digitisation, and cybersecurity. To ensure they had the right skills for the job, the team sought to understand their current capabilities, identify gaps, and plan for future needs.
The Approach
The team at Caledon used Ara Digital’s online curated self-assessment tool to identify their skills based on the SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age). This globally recognised framework provides an objective, independently endorsed skills profile for each team member. Using SFIA, the team were able to clarify the team’s true capabilities, which stretched well beyond their role titles and certifications.
The Results
Clear Skills Insight
The assessment provided a comprehensive understanding of the team’s strengths and development areas, helping to define core skills and identify opportunities for growth.
Professional Development Plans
The team is now creating personalised development plans to build on their skills and open up career pathways within the organisation.
Strategic Planning
The skills data has been integrated into WG Advisory’s ‘encasedIT portal’, allowing the Town of Caledon to map skills to their IT Strategic Plan, identify gaps and better plan for future initiatives.
“I gained a huge appreciation of the breadth of my skills, way beyond that suggested by my role title”
From Monolithic Black Box to Modular, Business-Aligned Insurance Solutions
Case Study
The Challenge
Our client’s monolithic, black box core insurance platform limited their ability to adapt to changing market conditions and required a significant overhead to maintain availability of the platform. The ability to adapt key business processes such as claims processing, pricing, and policy administration was essential for improving their agility and staying competitive. However, our client faced the dual challenge of managing long-term vendor contracts and working within a constrained market engagement window. They needed a strategic partner to help navigate a multi-stream engagement with an international supply market, while maintaining their incumbent relationship.
Our Approach
Ara Digital was engaged to lead the end-to-end sourcing process. Beginning with a comprehensive market scan to identify solutions that would align with our clients desired outcomes, followed by a closed tender process, Ara provided the expertise and support to enable a targeted evaluation of the best-fit options within tight timelines. Our team conducted detailed assessments of vendor capabilities, system functionalities, and contract terms to ensure the new solutions would deliver immediate value while supporting future growth and flexibility.
The Results
Tailored Contracts for Growth: The resulting new supplier contracts were designed to facilitate the shift to a more agile, modular system, positioning our client for long-term success.
Increased Agility and Efficiency: The transition to a flexible, modern system empowered Ara’s client to respond more quickly to market changes, improving both operational efficiency and customer responsiveness.
Future-Proofed Agreements: The new contracts offered greater flexibility, reducing the risk of vendor lock-in and enabling them to adapt as their needs evolved.
Enhanced Supplier Partnerships: Throughout the sourcing process, Ara Digital ensured strong supplier relationships were maintained, fostering long-term collaboration and shared success.
“Modular, business-aligned systems now underpin the business’s strategic objectives and operating model.”
Strengthening Local Council with Data-Driven Supplier Management and Spend Optimisation
Case Study
The Challenge
Our local government client recognised the need for a structured approach to managing their key digital services providers. Without a formal supplier management framework and supporting expertise in supplier management, maintaining strong relationships and gaining visibility into supplier performance was challenging, risking suboptimal relationships and missed opportunities.
Our Approach
Ara Digital implemented our Supplier Performance Management (SPM) framework, tailoring our proven processes, tools, and templates to meet the council’s unique requirements.
Central to the solution was the YäRKEN Cost Transparency solution technology , providing real-time spend analysis and actionable insights.
Our managed service model allowed TCC to focus on their core initiatives while maintaining control of supplier relationships through a robust data-driven approach.
The Results
The SPM framework, backed by the YäRKEN solution supported improved supplier relationships and operational efficiency. Through the Ara Digital managed service, the council was able to access clear, actionable insights that enhanced value, decision-making and enabled accountability.
Active stakeholder engagement fostered collaboration and strengthened long-term supplier relationships.
“A Strategic, Data-Driven Supplier Management Approach”
Case Study
Restructuring IT for Government: Strategic Leadership in Organisational Change
The Challenge
Ara Digital was engaged by a New Zealand Ministerial department to prepare its IT infrastructure for a complex organisational restructuring. This involved transferring existing services and accountability to other government agencies.
Our Approach
Ara Digital provided advisory and consultancy services to develop a set of options for the IT department to migrate currently delivered services to two other government agencies.
These options were formulated through a thorough analysis of the services in place, the development of a high-level transition plan, and the identification of risks and constraints. These insights informed the creation of a new IT operating model, resourcing structure, and sourcing strategy.
The Results
The deliverables provided the Ministry’s IT department with a well-considered, informed transition plan that served as the foundation for transferring services to the respective government agencies.
“Providing a strategic roadmap for transferring IT services during a complex organisational restructure.”
Empowering a Leading Utility Provider: Independent Sourcing for ITSM and Cyber Security Success
Case Study
The Challenge
A leading utility services provider, responsible for managing millions of smart meters across Australia and New Zealand, needed to establish its own IT operations and cybersecurity capabilities, as part of the process of separating from its parent company. The challenge was clear: they needed independent, future-proof IT service management (ITSM) and cybersecurity solutions that could support ongoing operations and ambitious growth plans—all within tight deadlines and without disruption to existing services.
Our Approach
The utility provider chose Ara Digital to take lead the end-to-end sourcing process for four key capabilities: ITSM tools, IT security services, and managed services (including service desk) for infrastructure & network services.
Using a best-practice approach, Ara Digital helped the client define its requirements, engage leading vendors, and facilitate rigorous evaluation and negotiation processes. Through structured moderation sessions and due diligence, Ara Digital enabled the client to make informed decisions on the best-fit solutions for their needs. For managed services, Ara Digital leveraged an existing vendor relationship, securing a value-driven, sustainable deal via direct sourcing, while benchmarking service levels and costs to meet the client’s value for money objectives.
The Results
Ara Digital’s market knowledge and previous supplier engagements helped identify potential IT and cybersecurity service providers to partner with the client into the future. Key outcomes included;
Optimised ITSM platform
Implemented a fully supported, cost-effective ITSM solution, driving down licensing costs compared with legacy systems. Seamless transition: Transferred IT service desk, network, and infrastructure services, ensuring business continuity.
Market-validated pricing
Secured competitive, market-tested pricing for both ITSM, managed services and cybersecurity services, delivering sustainable value.
Scalable future
Established flexible contract terms with renewal options and optional services. With modernised IT and cybersecurity foundations in place, the company is now set to accelerate its growth and performance, confidently navigating the demands of an evolving industry.
“Seamless IT transformation, cost-effective cybersecurity, and future-proofed systems for a growing, trans-Tasman utility service provider. ”
Streamlining Government Networks: Ara Digital’s Programme Governance for National Connectivity
Case Study
The Challenge
Ara Digital was engaged by New Zealand’s largest government department to establish a programme aimed at modernising and simplifying connectivity across hundreds of locations throughout the country.
Our Approach
Ara led the project initiation by providing expert advisory and consultancy services, including the development of the project and governance structure, a network maturity assessment, delivery strategy, reference architectures, and the establishment of the delivery team. The Ara team also managed the project to design a national network capability and prepared the organisation to go to market for a partner to handle the detailed design, capability, and ongoing services.
The Results
Ara delivered a comprehensive set of deliverables, including the network's current state assessment, strategy, reference architecture, conceptual design, procurement structure, and all associated documentation. Given the size, scale, and complexity of the potential implementation, the project outcomes position the organisation to partner with either a national or international provider to build, implement, and deliver the required national services.
“Driving national network modernisation through expert programme governance and strategic design.”
Future-Proofing ERP, Strategic SAP Migration and Options Analysis
Case Study
The Challenge
With an SAP platform approaching end of life, and executive interest in a new ERP solution, our client needed a robust technical, commercial, delivery and SAP specialist team to help them identify the options available to migrate away from SAP ECC and to compare those options with alternative ERP solutions from a number of dimensions including value, risk and total cost of ownership.
Our Approach
Together with our partner Libertas, Ara Digital undertook a rapid technical analysis of the current state SAP environment to determine the feasible migration options available to move away from SAP ECC (upgrade, bluefields or greenfields). In parallel to that work, a market scan was used to identify a longlist of alternative ERP solutions, which was then tested against our client’s key success criteria to create a shortlist. The SAP options analysis and shortlisted alternative ERP options were then evaluated against cost (licensing and services), risk, value and timeline dimensions, resulting in a final recommendation and plan to execution on that recommended option. Workshops were critical to ensure a diverse range of stakeholder interests and sentiment were considered, together with business strategy, to identify the market scan criteria and support option analysis.
The Results
Robust SAP current state technical analysis
Following a lengthy attempt to analyse current state using a vendor tool, the Ara-Libertas team used an independent solution to rapidly and robustly understand the level of customisation and usage in the current SAP landscape. The outcome provided all stakeholders with a sound basis on which to consider options, with confidence.
Market scan aligned to organisational success criteria
Identification and consideration of alternative ERP solutions was driven by stakeholder clarity as to “what good looks like”. The resulting key success criteria then provided an objective basis on which to shortlist the many options available in the market.
Future-Proofed Agreements
The new contracts offered greater flexibility, reducing the risk of vendor lock-in and enabling them to adapt as their needs evolved. Multi-dimensional option analysis: By considering SAP options alongside alternative ERP solutions, through the lens of cost, risk, value and timeline, our client was able to weigh up the options from a business outcomes perspective.
“Robust, data-driven ERP options analysis enables stakeholder and strategic alignment. ”
Case Study
Streamlining IT Costs: How Ara Digital Enhanced Financial Visibility and Efficiency for a Major NZ non-profit
The Challenge
A major New Zealand not-for-profit organisation with a substantial IT budget was looking to improve its IT service costing and enhance operational efficiency. The CIO sought to optimise IT reporting and identify areas where spend could be better controlled. With multiple stakeholders involved and a large, complex budget, gaining a clear financial picture was critical.
Our Approach
Ara Digital was brought in to spearhead a targeted initiative, launching a programme to implement the Technology Business Management (TBM) framework. Partnering closely with key decision-makers, Ara Digital deployed the YäRKEN IT financial management tool to transform how IT costs were tracked and reported. By thoroughly analysing spending data, validating findings, and developing tailored use cases, the project uncovered instances of vendor duplication and overlapping application costs. This detailed assessment allowed for clear rationalisation opportunities, positioning the organisation to achieve significant cost savings.
The Results
The programme exceeded expectations, demonstrating the tangible value of the TBM framework by identifying optimisation opportunities. Ara Digital integrated diverse data sources into a single, trusted financial baseline, enabling the organisation to seamlessly track expenditure against budget and reduce data analysis complexity. Reporting processes were streamlined, improving financial transparency and control while freeing up valuable resources for more strategic activities. The insights from the TBM approach empowered the organisation to make informed decisions, driving both immediate and long-term operational efficiency.
“Driving Cost Efficiency and Financial Clarity with TBM ”