Shaping The Future, Learning From The Past

Fujitsu’s mission is to deliver tangible business outcomes for public sector customers in Northern Ireland by using creative, innovative and integrated technology solutions.

Throughout 2022, the company continued to combine its partners’ technologies, those of niche providers and their services to deliver integrated systems which realise digital transformation. Ambition caught up with Fujitsu team members and customers to find out more.

Top Of The Class

Last June, the company achieved global recognition for excellence in innovation and implementation of Microsoft technology, winning the 2022 Microsoft ‘Education Partner of the Year’ award.

“Fujitsu is thrilled to be recognised by Microsoft for our contribution to working with clients and partners by supporting over a million students across North America. This helped improve learning environments for students from different backgrounds to reduce the disruption in education caused by COVID,” explains Cathy McCann, Derry/Londonderry-based vice president at Fujitsu.

“This initiative underlines the important role we believe technology and global companies, such as Fujitsu and Microsoft, play by working together to support educators worldwide as they strive to improve education equity and access for everyone,” Cathy adds.

As one of a select number of Microsoft Global System Integrators (GSI) and an accredited Microsoft Global Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP), Fujitsu has multiple Microsoft Advance Specialisations, 18 Microsoft Gold competencies and 18 Microsoft Silver competencies globally, including Application Integration and Development.

At a local level its world-class Microsoft Centre of Excellence offices in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry are testament to the skills and capabilities the company has developed amongst its teams over the last 20 years.

Partnering For Longer Term Success

As the trusted IT managed services partner for Libraries NI, Fujitsu is excited about delivering the next phase of innovative IT services. It will support the organisation and its network of 98 libraries to create a seamless service transition for users and stakeholders. Fujitsu and Libraries NI’s long-standing relationship builds upon the successful replacement and management of the entire ICT infrastructure in every public library across Northern Ireland.

Desi Curry, head of ICU and ICT for Libraries NI, explains that the benefit of the partnership goes beyond creating a technology infrastructure which has helped to modernise Libraries NI’s external services and internal corporate systems; it has also been an opportunity for staff to get to know their library user.

“By using the library management system and Fujitsu’s specially designed analytics solution, staff can determine which books or learning resources are in high demand and how customers are using the broad spectrum of services. This creates a holistic picture of our customers’ requirements,” says Desi.

Supporting communities

Speaking about the role of libraries in communities, Jim O’Hagan, chief executive of Libraries NI, says developing tech infrastructure creates further learning opportunities. He adds, “Libraries are a valued and trusted resource at the heart of communities. Our partnership with Fujitsu will deliver a range of social inclusion initiatives including digital skills and career development workshops. We will continue to advance our technology platforms which help us remain at the cutting edge of library services, providing opportunities for people to learn and to connect.”

Fujitsu also supports local community development through its partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building (CDPB) and its Fellowship programme. The Fellowship is designed for leaders from politics, business, public and civic society backgrounds working across Northern Ireland. Through a series of curated sessions participants have the chance to develop their leadership skills by learning from renowned speakers from across academia, public sector and business.

Empowering Future Leaders

Fujitsu says developing future leaders is integral to its success. As an organisation it focuses on empowering young people into roles within the ever-evolving IT sector in Northern Ireland through various talent development and community engagement programmes. Key to getting its message into schools is mentoring future leaders in Northern Ireland through programmes such as the young female leadership initiative, SistersIN.

Every year Fujitsu also welcomes a cohort of apprentices to its Northern Ireland teams. The organisation’s highly successful apprenticeship programme delivered in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College and Northwest Regional College nurtures young IT professionals and role models of the future.

As part of the apprenticeship programme, students receive extensive mentorship and hands-on, practical learning experiences in key digital areas such as cloud application development, cyber security and networking infrastructure. Students also benefit from a two-year development programme that offers courses such as leadership and business awareness.

Sponsoring the recent Young IT Professional of the Year category at the Belfast Telegraph’s IT Awards was part of Fujitsu’s ongoing commitment to supporting young people new to the technology sector. The judges were looking for an individual who demonstrated commitment and initiative within their IT role and makes a significant contribution to their team or organisation. Ellen Marks from ubloquity – a leading blockchain company – was a worthy winner.

Fujitsu’s success is down to its collaborative human-centric approach to solution design. By co-creating systems with customers, it anticipates citizens’ needs whilst refining processes and protecting data. In 2023, Fujitsu says it looks forward to rising to new challenges and leveraging technology in a way that makes a difference to how we live our lives every day.

For more information visit Fujitsu at www.fujitsu.com/uk.