A regulator needed clarity on the future of its company registration and renewal platform. The existing Microsoft Dynamics solution had become over-engineered, misaligned with design principles and costly to maintain. Broadgate, part of Ortecha, ran a structured architecture assessment, identified where complexity was adding risk, and provided a clear, evidence-based recommendation to migrate to a cloud-based solution, supported by a costed and risk-assessed delivery plan.
Scope:
Impact:
The regulator’s company registration system sat at the centre of its digital services. It needed to be stable, compliant and easy to evolve.
Over time, the platform had become harder to manage. Custom code had grown beyond what was necessary. Configuration was underused. The data model no longer aligned cleanly with the organisation’s own design principles.
This created a familiar problem. The system still worked, but confidence in it was slipping. Changes were harder to make. Costs were rising. And no one had a clear view of whether to fix what was there or replace it entirely.
At that point, the risk is not just technical. It is making the wrong decision and locking in years of additional cost and complexity.
The regulator needed an independent, evidence-based view of the platform. Not another delivery partner pushing a rebuild. Not a theoretical assessment disconnected from reality.
They needed practitioners who could get into the detail, understand how the system actually worked, and provide a clear recommendation they could stand behind.
We were brought in to do exactly that. Provide clarity. Prove where the issues were. And define what should happen next.
We deployed a small team of Dynamics architects and developers to work alongside the client team.
The focus was simple. Understand the system properly before recommending anything.
We analysed the platform across three areas:
We used our IVEAR methodology. Identify. Verify. Review. Assess. Recommend.
This allowed us to move beyond opinion and build a weighted, evidence-based view of the platform.
Crucially, we did not treat this as a theoretical exercise. The work was done in collaboration with the client team, grounding every finding in how the system was actually being used.
The assessment made one thing clear. The platform had become over-engineered.
There were significant areas where configuration could replace custom code. Complexity had been introduced unnecessarily. And this was driving both cost and risk.
Rather than continuing to patch and optimise the existing solution, the regulator chose to move to a modern, cloud-based platform. One that would reduce maintenance overhead, simplify future changes and better align with design principles.
We provided a costed and risk-assessed delivery plan to support that decision. This gave leadership confidence not just in the direction, but in how it would be executed.
Our client moved forward with a clear, defensible platform strategy.
They reduced reliance on custom code and unnecessary complexity. They set a path toward a more maintainable, scalable solution. And they avoided the ongoing cost of continuing to invest in a platform that no longer fit its purpose.
The programme was delivered on time and to budget.
More importantly, our client now has a platform foundation that supports its long-term digital service goals, rather than working against them.
In regulated environments, platform decisions carry long-term consequences. It is easy to keep investing in systems that no longer fit, simply because replacing them feels too risky.
The real risk is not acting early enough.
This case shows the value of stepping back, assessing the reality of the platform, and making a clear, evidence-based decision.
That is how you avoid years of unnecessary cost and complexity and make the right call.
A national regulator responsible for company registration and renewal. Operating in a highly regulated environment, with significant public responsibility and pressure to maintain reliable, accessible digital services.
Partner, Technology Transformation
Partner, Technology Transformation
