The Growth Company Builds a Future‑Ready Azure Platform

Background

The Growth Company is a leading social enterprise committed to enabling economic growth, creating jobs and improving lives throughout the United Kingdom. In the past year, it has supported more than 30,000 businesses and 100,000 people, generating £435.3 million in value for local economies. With a clear ambition to double this reach by 2023 and extend support to over 200,000 individuals and 60,000 businesses, the organisation knew it needed a strong foundation to scale its work effectively and sustainably.

Challenge

As The Growth Company expanded, its data landscape grew increasingly complex. Teams across the organisation were relying on disconnected systems that made it difficult to produce timely, accurate insights. Meeting compliance requirements while managing risk at scale became more challenging, and it was clear that a more modern and unified approach to data would be essential. To continue achieving its mission and future growth ambitions, the organisation needed complete visibility and governance across its entire data estate.

Solution

Makutu, part of ANS, worked closely with The Growth Company to design a solution that would support both immediate needs and long-term strategic goals. The engagement began with a comprehensive data assessment that included an initial workshop with the project sponsor, followed by a series of in-depth sessions with stakeholders from all major areas of the business. These conversations provided a clear understanding of existing challenges, data interactions and opportunities for improvement.

Using these insights, Makutu produced a detailed roadmap for implementing a cloud based managed data service. The recommended solution combined Power BI with Azure Analytic Services, including Synapse Analytics and Data Lake Storage, to create a secure and centralised platform for analytics. The new environment also introduced advanced data science capabilities such as automated anomaly detection, predictive modelling, forecasting and sophisticated customer analytics. This enabled the organisation to make better decisions supported by richer and more reliable insight.

Outcome

The data strategy and technical solution delivered by Makutu has had a transformative impact on The Growth Company. It has unlocked significant nine-figure additional funding and provided a resilient, secure platform for compliant and risk-managed growth. With its modern data estate in place, the organisation can now gather, analyse and share insights with greater accuracy and speed while significantly reducing the cost of delivering business intelligence. This stronger and more scalable approach equips The Growth Company to extend its reach and continue making a positive economic and social impact across the United Kingdom.