Microsoft Application Development and Data Services Framework

Description

CnaM has chosen the Microsoft ecosystem as its strategic core technology foundation for both application development and its data platform and related services. The existing Microsoft technology and services components at CnaM as set out in 3.3 form the backbone of CnaM’s current digital environment, helping to streamline day-to-day operations, enhance collaboration among teams, and ensure timely and accurate communication both internally and with external stakeholders. The use of these integrated Microsoft solutions has allowed CnaM to maintain operational continuity and responsiveness in a complex regulatory landscape. Looking ahead, CnaM recognises the need to evolve and expand its technology landscape to better meet the increasing demands of enforcement of the online safety regulatory framework, Regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services, Development of the media sector and public engagement. To achieve this, CnaM is actively seeking to onboard specialised Microsoft delivery partners with proven expertise in development, deployment, and support of Microsoft-based enterprise applications; as well as proven expertise in developing and deploying Microsoft Fabric’s unified data platform capabilities—including data ingestion, integration, data lakes, data warehouses, data engineering, data science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence—to drive data-driven decision-making and innovation. Delivery partners will be expected to work collaboratively with CnaM’s internal ICT, Data and business teams to understand detailed requirements, ensure compliance with relevant regulatory frameworks, and deliver customised solutions that improve operational efficiency and user experience. This includes providing expert guidance on best practices, change management, user training, and ongoing technical support to ensure successful adoption and sustained value from the Microsoft technologies deployed. Furthermore, the partners will play a critical role in integrating Microsoft applications with other existing and future systems within CnaM’s technology ecosystem, ensuring seamless data flow, interoperability, and security across platforms. This integration is essential to provide a unified view of regulatory activities, stakeholder interactions, and operational metrics, thereby enabling CnaM to respond more effectively to emerging challenges in the media environment. CnaM aims to accelerate its digital transformation journey, harness the power of Microsoft’s cloud and productivity solutions, and build a robust, scalable, secure, and auditable technology foundation that supports its mission to regulate and promote a safe, diverse, and pluralistic media landscape in Ireland. As set out in 4.2, it is proposed to bring partners in across two lots further detailed below. Lot 1: Microsoft Application Development Services CnaM relies on a range of Microsoft applications to support its core operational activities. These include Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which facilitates effective management of stakeholder relationships and case management processes; Power Automate, which enables automation of routine workflows and business processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort; and Microsoft Outlook, which serves as the primary communication and scheduling platform across the organisation. The requirement for Microsoft Application Development Services partners is to leverage the full capabilities of the Microsoft ecosystem to build a future-ready, scalable, and secure digital platform that aligns with CnaM’s strategic goals. This includes enhancing the existing Dynamics CRM system to support more sophisticated case management and regulatory workflows, expanding automation capabilities through Power Platform tools such as Power Automate and Power Apps, and integrating advanced analytics and reporting functionalities using Power BI to enable data-driven decision-making. A key consideration for CnaM is scalability: the solutions delivered must be capable of growing and adapting in response to evolving regulatory requirements, increasing volumes of cases and stakeholder interactions, and future technological advancements. The developing architecture should support seamless scaling without compromising performance or user experience, ensuring that CnaM can continue to operate efficiently as demands increase. Security is paramount given the sensitive nature of regulatory data and the need to protect personal and organisational information. Ongoing application development must ensure that all Microsoft applications and integrations adhere to the highest standards of cybersecurity, including data encryption, access controls, identity management, and compliance with relevant data protection regulations such as GDPR. Robust security measures will safeguard CnaM’s systems against threats and vulnerabilities, maintaining trust with stakeholders and the public. In addition, auditability is critical for regulatory transparency and accountability. Applications must provide comprehensive audit trails and logging capabilities that record all relevant activities, changes, and user actions that are reportable without compromising security or privacy. This will enable CnaM to demonstrate compliance with regulatory obligations, support internal and external audits, and facilitate investigations where necessary. Lot 2: Microsoft Data Storage and Management Services A key focus for the Microsoft Data Storage and Management Services partners is to support CnaM to leverage the full capabilities of the Microsoft Fabric ecosystem to build a future-ready, scalable, and secure analytics platform that aligns with CnaM’s strategic goals. This includes establishment of an overall data governance framework (including but not limited to data ownership and stewardship assignments, classification, data quality standards, metadata management, data retention, etc.), core data infrastructure deployment (including Microsoft Fabric deployment providing data lake and data warehouse capabilities, Azure infrastructure including compute, storage, security, and networking services, data integration platform enabling API-based connectivity between systems, and separate and secure storage for investigations), Master Data Management (including creation of a centralised master data repository, and implementation of API-based integration across systems), enterprise business intelligence deployment, self-service and advanced analytics. The Microsoft ecosystem offers CnaM a clear upgrade path as organisational requirements evolve. CnaM is expecting to prioritise initial deployments that concentrate on core functions such as data warehousing within Fabric, basic Power BI dashboards, and workflow automation using Power Automate. As the organisation’s maturity increases, it is expected that developments will incorporate more sophisticated features like predictive analytics, AI integration, and real-time data streaming. This approach enables the organisation to grow into the platform without needing full technical expertise from the outset. CnaM aims to culminate this data transformation journey, with divisional teams empowered to interrogate data, generate insights, and make evidence-based decisions independently thereby transforming the central data governance team's role from reactive support to proactive product development, informed by usage data and continuous user feedback CnaM has chosen the Microsoft ecosystem as its strategic core technology foundation for both application development and its data platform and related services. The existing Microsoft technology and services components at CnaM as set out in 3.3 form the backbone of CnaM’s current digital environment, helping to streamline day-to-day operations, enhance collaboration among teams, and ensure timely and accurate communication both internally and with external stakeholders. The use of these integrated Microsoft solutions has allowed CnaM to maintain operational continuity and responsiveness in a complex regulatory landscape. Looking ahead, CnaM recognises the need to evolve and expand its technology landscape to better meet the increasing demands of enforcement of the online safety regulatory framework, Regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services, Development of the media sector and public engagement. To achieve this, CnaM is actively seeking to onboard specialised Microsoft delivery partners with proven expertise in development, deployment, and support of Microsoft-based enterprise applications; as well as proven expertise in developing and deploying Microsoft Fabric’s unified data platform capabilities—including data ingestion, integration, data lakes, data warehouses, data engineering, data science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence—to drive data-driven decision-making and innovation. Delivery partners will be expected to work collaboratively with CnaM’s internal ICT, Data and business teams to understand detailed requirements, ensure compliance with relevant regulatory frameworks, and deliver customised solutions that improve operational efficiency and user experience. This includes providing expert guidance on best practices, change management, user training, and ongoing technical support to ensure successful adoption and sustained value from the Microsoft technologies deployed. Furthermore, the partners will play a critical role in integrating Microsoft applications with other existing and future systems within CnaM’s technology ecosystem, ensuring seamless data flow, interoperability, and security across platforms. This integration is essential to provide a unified view of regulatory activities, stakeholder interactions, and operational metrics, thereby enabling CnaM to respond more effectively to emerging challenges in the media environment. CnaM aims to accelerate its digital transformation journey, harness the power of Microsoft’s cloud and productivity solutions, and build a robust, scalable, secure, and auditable technology foundation that supports its mission to regulate and promote a safe, diverse, and pluralistic media landscape in Ireland. As set out in 4.2, it is proposed to bring partners in across two lots further detailed below. Lot 1: Microsoft Application Development Services CnaM relies on a range of Microsoft applications to support its core operational activities. These include Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which facilitates effective management of stakeholder relationships and case management processes; Power Automate, which enables automation of routine workflows and business processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort; and Microsoft Outlook, which serves as the primary communication and scheduling platform across the organisation. The requirement for Microsoft Application Development Services partners is to leverage the full capabilities of the Microsoft ecosystem to build a future-ready, scalable, and secure digital platform that aligns with CnaM’s strategic goals. This includes enhancing the existing Dynamics CRM system to support more sophisticated case management and regulatory workflows, expanding automation capabilities through Power Platform tools such as Power Automate and Power Apps, and integrating advanced analytics and reporting functionalities using Power BI to enable data-driven decision-making. A key consideration for CnaM is scalability: the solutions delivered must be capable of growing and adapting in response to evolving regulatory requirements, increasing volumes of cases and stakeholder interactions, and future technological advancements. The developing architecture should support seamless scaling without compromising performance or user experience, ensuring that CnaM can continue to operate efficiently as demands increase. Security is paramount given the sensitive nature of regulatory data and the need to protect personal and organisational information. Ongoing application development must ensure that all Microsoft applications and integrations adhere to the highest standards of cybersecurity, including data encryption, access controls, identity management, and compliance with relevant data protection regulations such as GDPR. Robust security measures will safeguard CnaM’s systems against threats and vulnerabilities, maintaining trust with stakeholders and the public. In addition, auditability is critical for regulatory transparency and accountability. Applications must provide comprehensive audit trails and logging capabilities that record all relevant activities, changes, and user actions that are reportable without compromising security or privacy. This will enable CnaM to demonstrate compliance with regulatory obligations, support internal and external audits, and facilitate investigations where necessary. Lot 2: Microsoft Data Storage and Management Services A key focus for the Microsoft Data Storage and Management Services partners is to support CnaM to leverage the full capabilities of the Microsoft Fabric ecosystem to build a future-ready, scalable, and secure analytics platform that aligns with CnaM’s strategic goals. This includes establishment of an overall data governance framework (including but not limited to data ownership and stewardship assignments, classification, data quality standards, metadata management, data retention, etc.), core data infrastructure deployment (including Microsoft Fabric deployment providing data lake and data warehouse capabilities, Azure infrastructure including compute, storage, security, and networking services, data integration platform enabling API-based connectivity between systems, and separate and secure storage for investigations), Master Data Management (including creation of a centralised master data repository, and implementation of API-based integration across systems), enterprise business intelligence deployment, self-service and advanced analytics. The Microsoft ecosystem offers CnaM a clear upgrade path as organisational requirements evolve. CnaM is expecting to prioritise initial deployments that concentrate on core functions such as data warehousing within Fabric, basic Power BI dashboards, and workflow automation using Power Automate. As the organisation’s maturity increases, it is expected that developments will incorporate more sophisticated features like predictive analytics, AI integration, and real-time data streaming. This approach enables the organisation to grow into the platform without needing full technical expertise from the outset. CnaM aims to culminate this data transformation journey, with divisional teams empowered to interrogate data, generate insights, and make evidence-based decisions independently thereby transforming the central data governance team's role from reactive support to proactive product development, informed by usage data and continuous user feedback