A digital-first organisation places technology at the heart of how it operates, delivers services and engages with customers, employees or citizens. It doesn’t simply support the business, it is the business. Every interaction depends on technology working exactly as it should. When systems fail, trust suffers. But when they perform well, the technology should be seamless, almost invisible.
That’s particularly true at Nest. As one of the UK’s largest workplace pension schemes, serving more than 14 million UK savers, every technology decision we make has one simple objective: delivering better outcomes for the people who trust us. Technology isn’t something we invest in for its own sake. We are 100% digital by default and design so that philosophy fundamentally is at the core of all our technology decisions to extract maximum value for our members.
Looking beyond traditional managed services
Like many organisations, we work with outsourced IT providers. As a recent contract came to its natural end, we took the opportunity to consider the role technology should play across the organisation and how we wanted this to evolve.
Too often, conversations around managed services focus on operational metrics – ticket volumes, service levels, or infrastructure availability. But what is key is a partner that works in pace with innovation and the technology enabling your team to work efficiently.
For us, success wasn’t about replacing one service desk with another. It was about creating a technology ecosystem capable of supporting an organisation in a rapid state of growth that continues to evolve. That meant radical changes to the infrastructure. Following a competitive tendering process, Exponential-e were successful in their bid to help us on our journey, starting with a move from a legacy environment to a modern cloud. This would allow us to introduce new capabilities without relying on large capital investment programmes and respond more quickly to changing business priorities.
Cyber resilience is now a business priority
Perhaps the biggest shift over recent years has been the evolution of cybersecurity requirements. As an online-first scheme, it’s always been at the forefront of our minds.
Managing sensitive information in an increased risk environment, means that cyber resilience is no longer an IT issue delegated to specialists. It has become a board-level responsibility as the consequences of failure extend far beyond simply technology.
For Nest, protecting member data and maintaining secure access to pension services is critical. That’s why further strengthening our security capabilities has become one of the most important aspects of our wider technology strategy and the biggest step up.
Over the past 18 months, we’ve significantly enhanced our cyber capabilities with Exponential-e, by implementing new strategies including vulnerability monitoring, modernised device management, disaster recovery and data loss protection. Continually developing the tools and processes needed to respond to an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.
At the same time, we’ve recognised that technology alone isn’t enough. Building cyber resilience also means helping our people understand their role in protecting Nest and our members through better awareness, education and security practices so training courses have been central to this.
Measuring success differently
One lesson I’ve learned throughout this transformation is that sometimes we can focus too heavily on technical measures of success. Service Level Agreements matter. Operational dashboards matter. Performance metrics matter. But they rarely tell you anecdotally how people actually feel about the service they’re receiving.
One of the most encouraging moments during our transition came when colleagues asked when migration to the new provider was going to happen without realising it had already taken place. For an IT team, that’s about the highest compliment you can receive.
Behind the scenes there had been significant change. From the user’s perspective, however, the experience remained seamless. Combined with consistently high satisfaction scores, it reinforced something we often overlook: the best technology experiences are usually the least visible.
Partnership creates resilience
Modern IT environments have become too broad and too complex for organisations to tackle every challenge alone. That doesn’t mean outsourcing responsibility. It means finding partners that complement your own capabilities and bring specialist expertise where it’s really needed.
As part of our transformation, we’ve worked closely with Exponential-e to develop a managed service model that supports everything from end-user services and infrastructure management to cybersecurity operations and strategic technology planning. More importantly, they’ve worked alongside our own teams to help us navigate complex decisions as our technology landscape continues to evolve.
The most valuable technology partnerships aren’t transactional. They create space for internal teams to focus on strategic priorities while providing the expertise needed to continually improve.
Technology should always serve a purpose
Artificial intelligence, automation and advanced analytics will all play a role in the years ahead. We’re already utilising these technologies to strengthen business intelligence, improve operational resilience and support better decision-making.
But regardless of how quickly technology changes, one principle will remain constant. The challenge isn’t deciding which technology to adopt next. It’s ensuring every investment contributes to better outcomes for customers, colleagues and the organisation as a whole.
When we remember that, digital transformation stops being about systems and starts being about the people those systems exist to serve.
To learn more visit: Nest
