Oracle technology: from cloud strategy to tangible outcomes (Guest blog from Sopra Steria)
This blog was written by Sharon Castle, Oracle Practice Lead, Sopra Steria
As technology accelerates and expectations rise, organisations across sectors are under pressure to modernise legacy estates while delivering greater value, agility, and resilience.
At Sopra Steria, we’re helping policing, defence, health and other private sector clients transform by leveraging Oracle cloud technologies - not just to replace the old, but to reimagine what’s possible.
Some of the issues our engineers and solutioners encounter are:
- Legacy dependencies: older systems with integrations or outdated architectures that are difficult to replicate in the cloud.
- Data migration and ensuring data integrity and security.
- Custom applications that don’t map easily to Oracle cloud services.
By undertaking cloud readiness assessments, we advise clients on the steps to take to ensure optimised benefits. Our aim is always to deliver efficient new cloud technologies where regular upgrades and the options to use emerging tech are built-in, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and improved user outcomes.
Best practice
For many organisations, core systems sit on decades-old platforms, carrying the weight of high maintenance costs, technical debt, and scalability limits. Modernising such estates requires more than a lift-and-shift approach; a well-architected strategy grounded in best practice is crucial.
We’ve developed a tried-and-tested modernisation framework that includes:
- Assessment and planning where our teams understand business objectives, system dependencies, and compliance requirements.
- Prioritised decomposition by breaking monolithic applications into modular, cloud-native components where feasible.
- Data-centric transformation to protect data integrity, quality, and governance.
- Adoption acceleration using automation, Development and Operations (DevOps) pipelines, and training to drive early user adoption and long-term success.
This approach not only reduces risk but accelerates time to value.
Our teams are actively using Oracle autonomous database, integration cloud, digital assistant, and Oracle Application Express (APEX) low-code platforms to help clients develop new digital capabilities quickly and securely.
For example, in the healthcare sector, we’re modernising financial systems and integrating workflows using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure-native services (OCI), providing secure, scalable, and cost-effective platforms to support future operational growth and improve user outcomes.
We’re also working with UK policing clients to modernise command and control systems by integrating Oracle cloud solutions with AI and analytics, enabling real-time decision support and improving frontline service outcomes.
Cost accountability
Modernising with cloud is as much about financial optimisation as it is about technology.
FinOps, our cloud financial management approach, ensures that clients gain visibility and control over cloud spend while maximising return on investment.
We’ve developed custom dashboards that provide real-time insights into consumption trends, cost drivers, and potential optimisation. This transparency is especially critical in public sector and defence environments, where cost accountability is paramount.
For defence clients, our secure-by-design approach ensures that mission-critical systems can evolve without compromising on security or performance.
From deploying Oracle cloud infrastructure in restricted environments to modernising logistics and personnel systems, we’re enabling defence clients to stay ahead in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
We bring together deep Oracle expertise, sector-specific knowledge, and a strong delivery record to help our clients transform and thrive in the cloud era.
Whether it’s a legacy Enterprise Resource Planning upgrade, application re-platforming, or greenfield cloud deployment, our teams are partnering to deliver the cloud technology agility and intelligence organisations need to meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s challenges.
Sopra Steria - the world is how we shape it
For more information please contact:
Chris Hazell
Sue Daley OBE
Sue Daley OBE
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.
This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy.
In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List.
She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK, Sue was co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum until July 2024. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2055
- Twitter:
- @ChannelSwimSue,@ChannelSwimSue
Laura Foster
Laura Foster
Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.
She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology
Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.
Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalicefoster
