The BCN Podcast

Pete Filitz is joined by Steve Byrne and Mark Rotherham to discuss BCN's Full Stack development services. 

BCN offers a wide range of services, including full stack development, low-cost solutions like Power BI and SharePoint development, and AI integration. Full stack development involves designing, creating, testing, and deploying entire applications using various technologies and tools.

Pete, Steve and Mark dig into some BCN case studies - from developing an information sharing platform for maritime security and creating a back-office system for a window cleaning business -  and provide practical of examples of how businesses can use these services,. 

They also highlight BCN's comprehensive approach to cybersecurity and discuss future trends in full stack development, including the incorporation of AI and the use of low code platforms.

Harry Busby and Andy James join Pete Filitz to talk through everything you need to know about BCN's AI kickstarters, which are designed to introduce businesses to AI services and provide practical use cases.

The Kickstarters include Copilot Studio Chat, Copilot Power App, and AI Builder; which cover everything from chatbots, automation, and generative AI, providing businesses with a starting point for their AI journey.

Each Kickstarter is a time-bound "taster" program, providing hands-on experience with AI capabilities and practical benefits for businesses.

For more information head to AI Kickstarters - BCN

In this conversation, Peter Filitz interviews Connor Morrison, one of BCN’s Señor Cloud Services Architects who explains his work, predominantly with Azure cloud resources and collaborating with developers to build solutions. 

As Connor explains, infrastructure as code refers to the provisioning of infrastructure through code, allowing businesses to apply this concept practically. The pair discuss the benefits of infrastructure as code and how it brings value to businesses, by allowing developers to configure the resources they need to run on a server, eliminating the need for manual deployment. 

Conor highlights the use of templates to standardise the deployment process and ensure consistency and explains how this approach increases efficiency, reduces human error, and improves security, a genuine game-changer for businesses, allowing them to deploy infrastructure quickly and control versions and compliance. 

BCN capacity to manage and deploy entire estates and environments in a matter of hours rather than weeks can save business time, stress and money.

Find out more at https://bcn.co.uk/

Key Takeaways

The Benefits of Infrastructure as Code: 

Infrastructure as Code enables the provisioning of infrastructure through code. This approach streamlines processes, making them more efficient and less prone to error compared to manual deployment methods.

Collaboration Between Developers and Cloud Architects: 

Synergy between cloud architects and developers in leveraging cloud resources effectively is essential

Standardisation through Templates: 

Templates standardise the deployment process, ensuring consistency across deployments and making it easier to manage infrastructure and reducing the risk of errors.

Efficiency and Time Savings: 

Adopting Infrastructure as Code increases efficiency, reduces human error, and saves time. This aligns with the broader theme of leveraging technology to optimise business processes and save resources.

Improved Security:

By automating deployment and configuration processes, businesses can better manage security measures, reducing vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance.

Rapid Deployment and Cost Savings:

BCN’s capability to deploy entire estates and environments in a matter of hours rather than weeks underscores the speed and cost-effectiveness of Infrastructure as Code. This rapid deployment capability translates into tangible time, stress, and cost savings for businesses.

Peter Filitz, Neil Halliday and Eirini Katsampa discuss all things Business Central, the cloud accounting and enterprise resource planning application used by small and medium-sized businesses. 

They cover  the advantages of Business Central, such as its integration with other Microsoft applications and the availability of third-party apps on Microsoft's AppSource as well as it's is suitability for businesses of various all sizes and sectors, adapting to the specific needs of each business

Neil also highlights the value of BCN's unique offerings, including their Evo Supply suite of products, and explain how BCN can help businesses with implementation, integration and ongoing support. 

Takeaways

• Business Central is a cloud accounting and enterprise resource planning application.
• Business Central is suitable for businesses of various sizes, and is adaptable to  their specific needs.
• Business Central offers integration with other Microsoft applications and access to third-party apps on Microsoft's AppSource.
• BCN provides unique offerings, including their Evo Supply suite of products, and can assist businesses with implementation and support.

In this conversation, the BCN team discusses their experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot and its impact on their day-to-day work.  They dig deeper into it's benefits, such as improved productivity, increased focus during meetings and time savings especially when used in conjunction with Microsoft Teams.

The team emphasises the importance of training  to ensure success with Copilot and its regular new features, while providing advice for businesses embarking on the Copilot journey. Advice which includes starting with a pilot group and leveraging prompt engineering techniques. 

Takeaways

• Microsoft 365 Copilot offers numerous benefits, including improved productivity, streamlined communication, and time savings.
• Use cases for Copilot include transcribing meeting notes, generating follow-up emails, and analysing customer feedback.
• Training and adoption management are crucial for successful implementation of Copilot.
• Continuous improvement and new features are regularly introduced to enhance the capabilities of Copilot.
• Businesses should start with a pilot group and leverage prompt engineering techniques to maximise the value of Copilot.

Peter Filitz, Mark Rotherham and Andy James discuss Microsoft Copilot Studio and how businesses can leverage this new AI technology. 

We cover:

• A broad overview of Copilot Studio and its functionality.
• Integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Getting started with Copilot Studio.
• How BCN can add value and help businesses.
• Licensing and cost considerations and integration with third-party applications.
• Case studies to help illustrate the value of Copilot Studio.

In Part 3 of our series on Power BI CTO Mark Rotherham and Head of the Data Services Michael Gleeson return to talk to Peter Filitz about about preparing your business for Power BI. 

After recapping value of Power BI FORSMEs and SMBs, from speed to value, to ROI, to the accessibility of data Mark and Mike break down the preparatory steps your business needs to get the most out of your data, highlighting the importance of understanding your business problems first, in order to create effective data strategies.

This emphasis on business strategy allows Power BI to function as a business tool, one that not only streamlines data but also allows for data-based problem-solving across the organisation.

In Part 2 of our series looking at Power BI, Peter Filitz, CTO Mark Rotherham and Head of the Data Services Michael Gleeson explore the versatile applications of Power BI for businesses of all sizes. 

We cover the significance of tailoring Power BI services to meet different customer needs, the impact of shifting from outdated Excel reports to dynamic, real-time Power BI dashboards and discuss come case study that show how this journey can lead to a more effective business and substantial cost savings.

Pete, Mike and Mark also touch on how BCN projects integrate Microsoft Fabric, use innovative data visualisation pipelines, and how AI comes into the picture with large language models. 

An important listen for any business professional looking to leverage the power of their data.

We kick off our three-part series exploring the intricacies and advantages of Power BI managed services with host Peter Filitz and guests Mike Gleeson and Mark Rotherham. 

In this episode, we unravel the essentials of Microsoft Power BI and its critical role in modern business analytics. 

Mark (CTO at BCN) sheds light on how Power BI serves as a transformative tool for data collection, analysis, and visualisation, turning raw data into actionable insights and Mike, (Head of the Data Services Team) outlines the journey towards creating a Power BI managed service tailored to a diverse client base, from large enterprises to SMEs.

Pete Filitz and Johan Vennables discusses Microsoft Copilot and its impact on businesses. 

Copilot is an AI-driven digital assistant that assists staff with various tasks and activities, like generating content drafts and creating presentations. Johan explains how Copilot integrates with Microsoft Office to make business tasks simpler and less time intensive.

Pete and Johan highlight the importance of the BCN Copilot Readiness Assessment service and Johan shares his personal experience using Copilot.

Takeaways

• Microsoft Copilot is an AI-driven digital assistant that helps staff with various tasks and activities.
• Copilot integrates with Microsoft Office apps and uses Microsoft Graph to provide relevant responses.
• Data organization and protection are crucial before deploying Copilot.
• The Copilot Readiness Assessment service helps businesses identify use cases and explore automation opportunities.
• Copilot is still in the early stages with some potential issues.