Project: Accelerating Digital Innovation

Challenge

Our client, a leading Defence and Security systems integrator, was looking to accelerate its platform development program. To do this they were looking for partners that had off-the shelf security and software development tooling, and a track record of delivering to high assurance customers. The challenge was to identify start-ups or SME’s with relevant capability that was not immediately visible in the public domain. This included knowledge of government contracts and existing relationships, a developed service with existing customers, and relevant certifications.

Solution

WA proposed a staged approach based on an initial screening of all possible providers based on a wide set of criteria before applying filters to prioritise organisations that appeared to fit the main requirement – track record with government, relevant tooling, and presence within country which included sovereign services. Following the initial screening stage and a workshop with the customer, WA interviewed ~30 prospects to uncover more about their services and willingness to partner with a Systems Integrator. This stage further helped to prioritise a smaller set of organisations that had the relevant capability and were open to initial discussions with our client. WA initiated the resulting discovery meetings. 

Outcome

The project helped our client to identify partners that were not previously on their radar, and to reject other organisations that they previously thought would be a good fit. It removed the internal time burden on our client to identify and qualify partners, allowing them to focus on development of the platform. The targeted list of ‘warm’ partners helped to accelerate partnership discussions and cut time to market.