Welcome to the first in a new series of The Digital Marketplace Contenders – where ThinkDigitalPartners.com meets some of the interesting new firms coming on to G-Cloud 8, and which could be worth the public sector ICT buyer tracking.
Our first Contender is Odin Technology, a Berkhamsted-headquartered provider of test automation solutions, where we spoke to its Managing Director, David Tracey.
Welcome to the Digital Marketplace Contenders, Mr Tracey. Let’s start by you telling us about your company; what is your value proposition?
We’re an IT company specialising in Test Automation. Our flagship product, Axe [http://www.odintech.com/products.html], allows software testing to be automated by business users and manual testers on a continuous basis, working with both traditional Waterfall and Agile software development approaches. Our 100-strong client base includes Microsoft and National Grid.
Axe works with proprietary and established commercial test automation solutions, as well as embracing newer Open Source test automation solutions. It allows a mix of test tools to be deployed, and works by generating scripts and reflective documentation – ensuring a low-code solution to automation resulting in a highly cost effective solution.
The value proposition to our clients is based on the ability to simplify testing to the point where it is able to be carried out by your existing team, significantly reducing testing time and cost, as well as giving you the ability to scale and run test packs on a constant, automated basis.
Sounds interesting. What is its relevance for the public sector? Do you have any examples of organisations in the sector that have used you successfully?
In the public sector, our product has been used by large SIs like Atos and Capgemini. We ourselves have worked directly with bodies like Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise (since 2005, part of HMRC) and The Bank of England. Our solution can be applied in any industry sector, but is becoming increasingly relevant to the challenges faced by public sector organisations.
Why are you on The Digital Marketplace now, and what do you hope to achieve?
We are starting to understand the relevance and challenges the public sector faces with respect to the continuous change faced with organisations involved with delivering critical systems to the public. We believe Axe tackles a large number of the problems faced, especially those relating to risk, time, resource and cost.
We’re on G8, then, to spread the gospel of Axe, especially its messages about simplicity, scalability, cost-effectiveness and longevity as a solution to test automation. Really, Axe provides a simplified way to scale testing for use primarily by manual testers and business users, which should help public sector IT teams rapidly deploy new software functionality to their users with the highest quality possible and with the lowest level of risk.
How did you find the process of on-boarding onto the Marketplace, and do you have any guidance or others on the basis of that experience?
Another world! It is like entering a foreign country and not knowing the language.
If ThinkDigitalPartners.com came back to talk to you in a year, what would you like to be able to say you’d achieved in the public sector IT space?
New clients, new references – and a pipeline being developed based on our professionalism, value proposition and reputation.
Thanks – and hope you do!