Case Study: Strategic IT Review and Digital Transformation
Sector: Games Development and Publishing
Client: Under NDA
Model: Direct Engagement
Headquarters: North West, East Midlands, Yorkshire, England
Operations: Three production studios
Headcount: Employed 200+
Background
A long establish games developer and publisher had obtained inward private equity investment in order to grow the business commercially. The organisation had grown from 50 people to nearly 300 within 9 months and the IT function was struggling to keep pace with this growth. We were engaged to stabilise the function, develop an IT strategy aligned to the business and product development plans, restructure the IT function and look for areas to commercialise areas of IT that were previously absorbed costs.
What We Did
We undertook a review of business requirements and developed an IT strategy and roadmap, going on to deliver the roadmap as a series of programmes.
What We Delivered
The team was immediately restructured from a flat structure to a functional team structure with appropriate ITSM controls and tools in place. A target organisational structure, led by a CIO was proposed and selected and key roles in the management of the team was then appointed, up to IT Director level.
To ensure appropriate data and technology capacity for at least one business plan cycle, a complete refit of corporate headquarters saw new cabling, routers, switches and firewalls be put in place to ensure the volume of data produced could be safely and appropriately carried.
Management and reporting of cloud hosting of games (live and archive) were improved, leading to the ability to commercialise these functional areas, a long with data converters (translating data and assets into commercial software product) being commercialised as a function offered to smaller software development house.
What Happened
The IT Function was put on a strategic path that would enable the business to grow against plan and areas of the IT function were commercialised to increase revenues.