Tested and true
Tested and true WRITTEN BY
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DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY
STUART IRVING
NOVEMBER 2019
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REVOLUTION IT
How Revolution IT offers independence from systems integrators and developers to make sure each client gets a quality assured outcome
R
evolution IT was born in 2003 when the company’s trio of directors were working
in London as IT consultants on major projects, including the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and
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SmithKline Beecham. They noticed that the UK were ahead on project delivery, quality assurance and governance around IT projects. Inspired, they hatched a plan to start an IT business founded on the sole purpose of helping its clients deliver successful projects while ensuring that the software was high quality, secure, and reliable. “There was a real need for independent governance and testing services in Australia at that time,” recalls Jamie Duffield, Director and CEO of Revolution IT. “We felt that it was the right time to revolutionise project delivery.” Revolution’s current offering spans three business units: Assure – testing, performance, automation, and crowdsourced testing; Secure – application security and cyber security; and Transform – experience design, DevOps, PPM,
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Does balancing speed, quality and scale feel like rocket science? LEARN MORE
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Enterprise DevOps – Build and deliver better software faster Hybrid IT Management – Operate with agility Security, Risk & Governance – Secure what matters most Predictive Analytics – Analyse in time to act Application Security– Secure applications by embedding strong security and best practices into DevOps processes
Revolution IT is a Platinum Micro Focus partner in Australia. Please contact Revolution IT for more information on Micro Focus software solutions coupled with Revolution IT services.
microfocus.com/devops 61 1300 275 738 info@revolutionit.com.au revolutionit.com.au
REVOLUTION IT
“ We mix and match services, tools, training and IP to give our clients innovative solutions to deliver their projects and leave them with long lasting improvements” 08
— Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT
delivered both onsite and offsite at our labs.” Quality is paramount for Revolution. “You get what you pay for in this industry,” he says of the company’s cheap offshore competitors. He believes they can’t match Revolution’s creativity. “We mix and match services, tools, training and IP to give our clients innovative solutions to deliver their projects and leave them with long lasting improvements.” Duffield adds that Revolution’s independence from the systems integrator and developer means it is entirely focused on making sure the client gets a quality outcome. “This independence allows us to call
Data Engineering and Data Analytics.
out the quality concerns and repre-
Successfully delivering projects to
sent the client with their best interests
over 700 clients, Duffield believes
at heart.”
Revolution has earned a reputation
Revolution IT has a Test
as a trusted partner because of its
Management Office (TMO) solu-
exceptional offering and unshakeable
tion that establishes a commercially
ability to navigate the complexities in
unbiased central independent model
project delivery. “We are extremely
to ensure consistent quality, testing
adaptable and responsive, with 650
and governance across all develop-
staff and the ability to move quickly
ment activities for an organisation. It
on immediate project demands,”
provides a consistent and repeatable
confirms Duffield. “The engagement
risk-based approach to quality and
models are flexible, including T&M,
testing. Any changes either internally
fixed price, and managed services
or from external vendors go through
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘GARRY WHATLEY, CIO, CORPORATE EXPRESS ON CROWDSOURCED TESTING’ 09
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REVOLUTION IT
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the TMO which can itself define the
provides a central point of contact
amount of testing required to adhere
and a conduit between the vendor,
to the organisation’s quality policy.
business and PMO for reporting
“The purpose of the TMO is to
purposes. TMO quality policy can be
provide quality assurance across all
referenced in vendor negotiations,
development activities to allow the
SLAs, milestone payments and ongo-
organisation to accept and deploy
ing vendor management.”
quality solutions into production,”
Innovation around testing has been
explains Duffield. “The TMO manages,
a key component in Revolution’s
approves and assists vendors with
journey over the past 15 years. “We
documentation, testing and quality
developed Crowdsprint as a crowd-
artefacts required during the plan-
sourced testing platform that allows
ning, design and execution phases of
us to test web and mobile applica-
major and minor projects. The TMO
tions using the power of the crowd,”
“ We developed Crowdsprint as a crowdsourced testing platform that allows us to test web and mobile applications using the power of the crowd” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT
consistently been the best performing reseller, winning the top award from Micro Focus for the past eight years. “We’re very happy with their technology,” confirms Duffield. “It allows us to be competitive, because we bundle up a best of breed software and use it to help deliver solutions that are flexible, on demand and deliver real value Our strong relationship with Micro Focus allows us to cut through all the red tape you normally encounter with large vendor organisations that have so many different business units
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Jamie Duffield Mr Duffield has over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry and is the CEO of Revolution IT, a leading quality assurance consulting firm which he co-founded with Mike Quill and Hamish Leighton in 2004. He has strong risk, governance and commercial experience with expertise in driving growth through sales, marketing, mergers and acquisitions. Jamie is also a non-executive Director of IntelliHR (ASX:IHR) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Ignite Enterprise Productivity with Micro Focus Robotic Process Automation LEARN MORE
Micro Focus enterprise software helps you innovate faster, with less risk, in the race to digital transformation. Please contact Revolution IT to find out how RPA can drive productivity efficiencies in your organisation. Revolution IT is a Platinum Micro Focus partner in Australia.
microfocus.com/rpa 61 1300 275 738 info@revolutionit.com.au revolutionit.com.au
y Business users spend far too much time on mundane, repetitive, error-prone tasks. Why not save robotic tasks for robots and liberate human brainpower? Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software robots that mimic UI-based human actions to automate everyday tasks.
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Save robotic work for the robots. Robots can mimic human actions to perform everyday tasks. They save time. They cut costs. And they free human employees to focus on more important things.
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REVOLUTION IT
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A B O U T MI CRO FO CU S
Micro Focus helps organisations run and transform their business through four core areas of digital transformation: Enterprise DevOps, Hybrid IT Management, Predictive Analytic and Security, Risk & Governance. Driven by customer-centric innovation, its software provides the critical tools needed to build, operate, secure, and analyse the enterprise. By design, these tools bridge the gap between existing and emerging technologies — enabling faster innovation, with less risk, in the race to digital transformation. Micro Focus maintains a leading position in the Magic Quadrant for Applica ion Security Testing for its Fortify portfolio based on their completeness of vision and ability to execute.
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“ Micro Focus RPA (Robotic Process Automation) delivers on key capabilities such as scalability, resiliency and security that our customers and partners demanded” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT
explains Duffield. “It’s an amazing solution which allows us to ramp up 1,500 professional testers (from a network of 20,000) who use their own devices to perform the testing in a matter of hours. This achieves quick results and allows clients to test across multiple devices and operating systems for better test coverage.” The solution has been used by major companies such as the airline Qantas. “We are big in automation, and in Australia this is really kicking off with most of our clients looking at w w w.revo l ut i o ni t . com . a u
REVOLUTION IT
DevOps and striving for continuous delivery,” continues Duffield, who adds that Revolution is also gaining more traction with RPA (Robotic Process Automation). “It’s an exciting proposition and one we’re starting to get more traction in through our work partnering with Micro Focus.” Micro Focus RPA automates repetitive, error-prone UI-based human actions on legacy apps and integrates them with modern IT process automation in a single product. “The solution 16
delivers on key capabilities such as scalability, resiliency and security that our customers and partners demand,” says Tom Goguen, Micro Focus Chief Product Officer. “It adapts to UI changes, automates UI and API-based applications, and includes real-time auditing and traceability, giving our customers the confidence to deploy RPA across the enterprise while providing for centralised governance and compliance for their digital workforce.” In May 2019, Micro Focus achieved market leader status for Application Security Testing in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for the sixth time. As a Platinum Partner, Revolution IT has
behind the scenes. It enables us to work quickly for our customers.” Many of Revolution’s clients are looking to move away from perpetual on premise licensing to a SaaS model where they can get flexibility around ramping up and down licences based on project demand. “Micro Focus has worked with us on many occasions to help with transitions and has been extremely flexible in supporting clients evolving to new delivery models,” reveals Duffield, who believes cloud offers the best ultimate outcome. “That’s where the market is revolutionising and where we’re helping our clients find the right operating model for them.” Duffield notes that Revolution partners with many technology vendors such as Tricentis and Broadcom to provide an agnostic approach to tools and help delivers the most appropriate technology to their situation. “We like to trial new technology, because we’ve got to stay relevant for our clients and go to market with an open mind,” he adds. “We’re lucky that testing is required across all industries and technologies in that we get to w w w.revo l ut i o ni t . com . a u
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REVOLUTION IT
play with the latest tech. This helps, but the challenge is making sure we know what’s coming and what will be useful for our clients who are all on different maturity curves. The Australian market is typically a year or 18 months behind. We’re fortunate because we can keep an eye on what’s happening in the UK and US and are constantly looking internally, and externally, at
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“ To get involved in a project that means something and has a tangible effect on people’s lives was really exciting for us” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT
how we deliver solutions to our clients to stay competitive.” Staying on top of the latest trends and being able to react to them to meet the changing demands of customers is all in a day’s work at Revolution. “In our client base we’re seeing a big uptake in automation, security (cyber and app) and data (engineering and insights),” says Duffield. “With automation, we’re looking at how we can accelerate our project delivery in both the
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development lifecycle and business
Crafting this winning formula has
process. Security has always been
helped add the likes of TAL, NAB
a bit of a sleeper but we’re seeing
and Sunsuper to a burgeoning roster
tighter controls with new legislation
of satisfied customers which also
making this a really hot topic now with
includes Australia’s Triple Zero emer-
how it relates to data, privacy and the
gency services. “To get involved in a
encryption required. With that data,
project that means something and
gaining insight is a big part of the work
has a tangible effect on people’s lives
we’re doing with specialty practices
was really exciting for us,” comments
directly aligned to these trends. We
Duffield. Looking to 2020 and beyond,
use the latest tools and approaches
his team aim to strengthen the com-
to craft solutions that directly address
pany’s market position and further
our clients’ needs.”
cement Revolution’s reputation as w w w.revo l ut i o ni t . com . a u
REVOLUTION IT
2004
Year founded
700+ Clients
650
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Approximate number of employees
“the trusted partner you come to if you need to deliver a successful project without sacrificing quality.” Planned M&A activity will focus on expanding security and automation capabilities, while attracting the right talent to drive growth remains key. What is Duffield’s advice for businesses nervous about their ongoing transformations? “If you’re a business owner, vendor manager, CIO or programme manager then consider independent testing in your next big software implementation. Keep testing separate from the software vendor and systems integrator in order to build quality KPIs and metrics into the commercial contracts. Protect your investment, keep the vendor honest and mitigate the risk of unwanted brand damage.” It’s a smart mantra that could help your business in its own revolution.
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Revolution IT Level 5, 171 La Trobe Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia T +61 3 9600 2566 www.revolutionit.com.au