Forerunner Digital Services
We help organisations transform their digital workplaces with the Microsoft stack, delivering solutions that boost productivity. Our services span cloud migration, custom apps, workflow automation, document management, Power BI reporting, bespoke applications and data unification. Partner with Forerunner Digital to move faster and stay secure in a modern digital world.
Forerunner Digital emerged from the Headforwards Cornwall Council team, which was cited by the Financial Times and Microsoft as a leader in importing large public bodies into the Microsoft ecosystem.
Since 2020, the Headforwards (now Forerunner) team has worked with Cornwall Council's in-house team to unify resident data and establish a single customer view. The Council chose Microsoft Dataverse to gradually migrate its processes, and together we delivered a contact centre solution with a Razor-driven customer portal (Azure-fed data to Dynamics) supporting services such as waste management, community protection, noise and nuisance, and an omnichannel virtual agent.
We have also been instrumental in building and delivering council employee-focused data unification and processes such as occupational health (including booking system and resource scheduling), decision wheel, workforce helpdesk, and more.
Microsoft meets most business needs, but sometimes you require tools it doesn't offer, or you may want to integrate existing software your business already uses. Fortunately, most modern applications provide access points for seamless workflow integration.
We come from a background where we have integrated a wide variety of software into the Microsoft workflow. It could be as simple as calling an API to POST or GET information, or as complex as integrating intricate payment systems. We have the experience to tie in your chosen software according to your requirements.
We have been transforming digital workspaces for many years and understand how tricky it can be to replace the old with the new. Sometimes it's as easy as lifting and shifting data, but often it's not. The transition can feel like a game of chess, with many moving parts and interrelated dependencies. Regardless of your business's size, this is where a partner with proven experience in large organisations and their long history of (sometimes disjointed) software acquisitions becomes indispensable.
We can assist you with strategic planning, creating and managing a roadmap for when and how to reduce reliance on legacy systems. We have the expertise to integrate legacy systems into your modern workflow in the short term to achieve your long-term goals, and we have experience safely migrating legacy data so that nothing critical is lost.
Maybe you only need us to provide a clean, out-of-the-box field services solution setup for your business. Or perhaps you require a full contact centre solution with bespoke process management, numerous model-driven apps, and a customer portal. Forerunner Digital has a proven track record delivering Microsoft solutions of every level of complexity.
We follow agile methodology, collaborating with you from the start and maintaining open dialogue to ensure goals remain aligned with your needs. As solutions evolve, new business needs are addressed, outdated requirements are dropped, and the result is a solution you're happy with and that we're both proud of.
We are firmly grounded in the Microsoft tech stack; there is no business requirement that can't be well met by their suite. Whether you need Azure's raw processing power scalable on demand, Azure AD & B2C security capabilities, or simply a database to underpin a refined React UI, we can build a bespoke application tailored to your business needs.
Before you ask, we aren't limited to the .NET framework. At Forerunner Digital, we have many decades of experience in software development across numerous technologies. We have UX and accessibility specialists, back-end and front-end developers experienced in a variety of frameworks. We'll provide the right solution for your business.
For years, the Headforwards team (now Forerunner Digital) has implemented Microsoft's security, Azure AD, and B2C identity models, designing custom B2C policies and securing systems both within and beyond Microsoft's offerings. As Microsoft's landscape evolves (e.g. the transition to Entra and External ID), we ensure your users stay protected with Microsoft's advanced, enterprise-grade security.
You aren't limited to B2C or External ID for your external identity providers. Your business may require a mix of Google, Facebook, or other identity providers to secure your application, whatever best suits your customer base can be implemented.
With our expertise in identity management, custom integrations, and robust authentication, you can deliver safe and secure access to employees, partners, and customers alike.
We created our first Power Pages site (formerly Dynamics Portals) in 2021. They are a secure and remarkably fast way to deliver websites that connect directly with your business data. Whether it's a public-facing website or a partner portal, Power Pages is a great solution to helping you get what you need out there. They engage directly with Microsoft's Dataverse, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Apps, which means no middleware is needed if you're aiming to stay fully on the Microsoft stack.
Another advantage is the range of ready-made templates to get you started quickly. If you prefer, our UI/UX team can design a fully custom site to match your brand. Power Pages can be low-code for simple management or as powerful and flexible as your developers need them to be, it's really up to you.
Microsoft's AI tools can transform how you work. If you're new to the AI space, this can truly revolutionise your business. These tools can automate repetitive tasks and surface actionable insights from your data, enabling smarter decision-making across your organisation.
They can interact with your customers as virtual agents, answering questions, collecting data, or performing the actions a customer requests. For example, imagine your company sells lighting. A customer logs onto your website. Copilot can access their orders and order history. They previously bought a bedside lamp and now want a matching one. Do they want to pay with their stored card or another? No problem.
Azure Cognitive Services are poised to be a game changer. While we have extensive experience with Copilot, we are currently upskilling in Azure's Cognitive Services, so we can't yet advertise it as an official service… but soon.
