The data experts keeping our technology systems running: An Overview of our Data Services team
Welcome to the October edition of the NOE CPC customer newsletter and the latest update in our #TeamTalk series, where we put a spotlight on the teams that make up NOE CPC.
This month, we’re spotlighting the Data Services team, who keep our hardware and software secure and operational, supporting both our organisation and our customers.
Joe Speed, Data Services Manager, gives us an overview of his team’s work.
“The Data Services Team's portfolio is incredibly varied. We are responsible for the organisation's core business systems, laptops and IT equipment, technical support services, cyber security, and digital compliance. Despite this variety, there is a common thread running through all these responsibilities: they are vital functions that enable our organisation to operate effectively every day.
“Despite the breadth of our responsibilities, we remain a relatively small team. The team consists of myself, two Systems Specialists and a Technical Support Officer. I am incredibly proud of what this talented group of individuals has achieved and how visible the impact of their work is in our colleagues' daily lives.
“Our Technical Support Officer, Sumaira Ahmad, is a great example of this impact. Sumaira manages our Technical Support Desk, dealing with support requests that can range from simple password resets to complete laptop catastrophes (orange juice and laptops definitely do not mix!). Her calm demeanour, excellent customer service skills and strong technical knowledge mean our staff can rely on her to resolve issues quickly and professionally. Sumaira works to a challenging service level target of resolving requests within two working days, and we are extremely proud that her success rate during 2026 currently stands at an impressive 99%.
“As our organisation continues to grow, providing technical support becomes increasingly challenging. To help meet this demand, Ryan Hopkinson, our resident database and bespoke applications expert, recently launched the TechServices Chatbot, designed to help staff resolve common technical issues independently.
“Ryan's responsibilities are almost as wide-ranging as the team's. He is our go-to expert for database maintenance, security and development, but he has also made a significant impact across the organisation through the business applications he has designed and delivered. Two of his most successful projects are our Onboarding and Offboarding applications, which help line managers navigate the complexities of managing starters and leavers while ensuring new colleagues have everything they need in place before their first day with us.
“Kiran Mahmood is our primary Dynamics 365 specialist, supporting the organisation in developing and enhancing our vital Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. Dynamics 365 sits at the heart of many of our key business processes, and Kiran plays a crucial role in ensuring that it continues to evolve alongside the needs of the organisation. Whether she is designing new functionality, improving existing processes or resolving complex technical issues, Kiran combines strong technical expertise with an excellent understanding of how our teams work. Her contributions help ensure our core systems remain reliable, efficient and continuously improving for colleagues across NOE CPC.
“While maintaining our day-to-day services remains our highest priority, the team is also heavily involved in delivering change across the organisation. We are currently managing many major projects and initiatives, each designed to improve the systems, services and digital capabilities available to our colleagues, members and suppliers.
“We have recently supported our CPC Drive team to launch the CPC Drive Managed Service Support Desk, which provides a dedicated platform for managing customer support requests and service delivery activities, whilst ensuring the data is captured directly within our core Dynamics 365 platform. Alongside this, we are working closely with colleagues and external partners on the integration of our new corporate website, ensuring it connects seamlessly with our business systems. We are also undertaking a major Azure Tenant migration, a large and complex project that is going to combine our two existing Azure Tenants into a single environment. This will allow us to simplify data access for our BI team, reduce administrative complexity and strengthen our cyber security posture by reducing the organisation’s attack surface.
“The Data Services Team plays a crucial role in ensuring NOE CPC can operate in a safe, efficient and effective way. I am immensely proud of what this team has achieved so far and, more importantly, the passion, expertise and commitment they continue to demonstrate every day. I am excited to see what we can deliver together for the organisation in the years ahead.”