From Excel to Digital Forms Excellence

Government agencies must meet increasing digital experience expectations from citizens, staff, and inter-agency communications. Citizens demand the ability to securely complete, sign, and submit government forms on any device, with immediate responses. Staff require streamlined data collection, automated transmission, and the capacity to assist citizens throughout the form completion process, whether digitally, via systems, or in person, all while minimizing administrative burdens. Inter-agency communications desire both. However, navigating the complexities of planning, implementing, and managing these technological advancements poses significant challenges.

Enter Blue Crystal Solutions (Blue Crystal). As a trusted partner, Blue Crystal worked with a government procurement ICT team to enhance their reporting capability and operational efficiency with a robust, secure, and efficient Government IT Infrastructure capable of supporting their 3rd party application, Nimblex, while providing ongoing cloud-managed services.

About the Government Client

Serving as trusted advisors in government procurement and strategy, this government branch is the central intra-department engagement entity established within the Department of Treasury and Finance. They are the chief advisor on all procurement, delivering value for money and better outcomes to the community.

The Critical Challenge: A Need for Support and Security

The team faced significant challenges in creating a transparent, cross-government reporting platform. With an outdated, manual, Excel-based system previously capturing intra-agency data, the associated risks were clear: poor version control, data loss, human error, and compromised data integrity. Additionally, they lacked the in-house expertise to manage complex IT infrastructure and meet strict security requirements. To overcome these obstacles, they sought a Managed Services Provider (MSP) capable of quickly and securely realizing their vision.

Moving from outdated manual systems to a modern, cloud-hosted platform was a major hurdle. To avoid the risk of data breaches and loss, they required a secure, accessible, and well-supported IT infrastructure. Their vision was to create a sophisticated, inclusive reporting platform supported by cloud infrastructure. This ambitious undertaking called for a leader skilled in cloud technology to build an infrastructure that could support the government’s needs and their implementation of a third-party application, Nimblex.

The Blue Crystal Solution: Government IT Infrastructure with Vision

Leveraging their multi-cloud expertise, Blue Crystal worked within the client’s requirements to implement a Microsoft Azure solution, recommending an Azure infrastructure tailored to meet reporting requirements. Blue Crystal designed a secure network gateway for seamless access across government branches, a proactive approach that mitigated potential security threats and set the government team up for success with a reliable and adaptable partner.

“The solution was implemented in time, and three years later, the platform remains stable, proving the long-term reliability of Blue Crystal Solutions’ work. Their proactive approach to securing the infrastructure helped mitigate risks and allowed us to avoid significant security challenges.” – said the Manager of Procurement Systems and Analytics.

Blue Crystal exceeded basic requirements by implementing an interconnected, secure environment within the government’s Azure tenancy.

The Outcome: Efficiency Meets Infrastructure Security

With Blue Crystal Solutions, the procurement team tapped into its potential through seamless communication, precise deployments, and enduring stability. Entrusting Blue Crystal with IT intricacies, such as managing SSL certificates, enabled the team to focus on strategy and governance. The partnership fortified the team’s cybersecurity stance, while Blue Crystal’s prompt infrastructure setup allowed the team to prioritize core objectives.

“Blue Crystal Solutions took full ownership of the infrastructure setup and ongoing support. Their willingness to engage directly with third-party stakeholders allowed us to focus on our core objectives, knowing that the platform’s performance and security were in good hands.” – emphazised the Manager of Procurement Systems and Analytics.

The Resounding Impact: Secure Government Solutions with an Effective Reporting System

This collaboration resulted in a successful outcome, meeting governmental objectives. The deployment of the reporting platform was timely and resilient. Serving both internal and external bodies, the platform has remained robust and outage-free. Through ongoing managed services and expert consultation, Blue Crystal ensured a smooth, uninterrupted experience that met and exceeded expectations.

Our Ongoing Mission: A Future of Enhanced Security

This journey continues with new initiatives to strengthen security protocols further. Blue Crystal doesn’t just set up and leave a solution; they continually seek ways to improve implementations, particularly around security. Recently, Blue Crystal implemented enhanced authentication and user management as part of an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.

“What truly set Blue Crystal Solutions apart was their responsiveness and people. Having local management here in South Australia and technical experts that could engage with us directly made all the difference. Unlike larger multinational providers, where projects can feel impersonal, Blue Crystal’s approach was hands-on and tailored to our specific needs, which ensured the project’s success.” – reflected the Manager of Procurement Systems and Analytics.

Learn more about the services that enabled this Government Branch to transform its operations with a Digital Forms Solution.

• IT Infrastructure Services
• Application Support Services
• Database Management Services
• Security Services

Read the full case study here: https://www.bluecrystal.com.au/client-stories/from-excel-to-digital-forms-solution/