Waterman Aspen: From behind on IT to AI-ready
How a 900-strong specialist resourcing firm moved from a weak security position to a stable, secure platform, and laid the foundations to transform with automation and AI.
A people business, built over 37 years
Waterman Aspen started from very modest beginnings – a small garage in Kent – and has grown steadily over those years to around 900 staff today. Rather than delivering work remotely, the firm has its own pool of technical staff that it embeds directly into client offices.
Every major UK infrastructure project since the Channel Tunnel has had Waterman Aspen people working on it; from HS2 to the other big-name schemes, the firm has grown organically over that time, but some of its systems and processes hadn’t kept pace with that growth.
The challenge
Strengthening security and modernising legacy systems
Decades of organic growth had left Waterman Aspen with systems and processes that no longer matched the scale of the business and, critically, a security position that needed to improve to protect the data it holds.
A weak security position
When Waterman Aspen first began its journey with Utilize, the firm knew it was in a weak position. As a people business holding significant client and colleague data, it recognised it needed to improve in order to protect that data properly.
Systems that hadn't kept up with growth
Having grown organically over 37 years, Waterman Aspen found that some of its systems and processes hadn’t kept up. The firm was notably behind on IT, which made it difficult to even consider the kinds of innovation it wanted to pursue until that foundation was put right.
The solution
A trusted partner and a foundation to build on
Utilize first helped Waterman Aspen get into a good, secure position, then worked with the firm to build the foundations to really kick on. Throughout, the relationship has felt less like an external supplier and more like an extension of the business.
Securing the foundations
Utilize helped Waterman Aspen move from a weak position to a strong, secure one, putting in place the foundations needed to protect client data. With that base established, the firm shifted from simply catching up to actively getting ahead, freeing up time spent on admin to focus more on supporting clients and winning work.
An IT partner that feels like an internal team
A defining feature of the partnership is how integrated it feels. Waterman Aspen knows the individuals, the people, and their personalities, it feels like an internal IT team rather than an outside provider. That matters all the more given the person who looks after IT at Waterman Aspen describes themselves as the business’s biggest technophobe, and relies on Utilize to turn complexity into plain English.
Results
From a weak position to secure foundations
Utilize helped Waterman Aspen move from a weak security position into a good one, building the stable foundations needed to protect the client and colleague data the business holds.
Less time on admin, more time winning work
With IT in a stronger place, the firm now spends less time on admin and more time supporting clients and out winning work.
Ready to innovate with automation and AI
Where Waterman Aspen was once notably behind on IT, it is now getting ahead – positioned to maximise innovations such as automation and AI to transform the way it operates.
An IT partner that feels in-house
The partnership feels like an extension of the business, with a team Waterman Aspen knows by name and who consistently translates technical complexity into plain English.
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