Steve Dickinson
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
1K followers
500+ connections
1K followers
500+ connections
About
Unknown dependencies and incorrect assumptions about how things connect have been a…
Services
Articles by Steve
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Why hand drawing how your current IT system works is not a good idea
Why hand drawing how your current IT system works is not a good idea
Do you know how your IT systems fit together? Do you know what might be affected if something gets removed or suddenly…
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1K followers
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted thisData ownership is an issue that has been banded around for years and is the subject of many a LinkedIn post. We have a parallel issue within our business transformation projects. Can our successful and proven approach provide you with any crossover inspiration?
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted thisWhen Insurance Platform Growth Is Constrained by Migration Insurance platform providers are always in a state of change. New carriers come on board. Core systems are replaced. MGAs expand. Acquisitions lead to consolidations. Product models are updated across various states. Each of these events relies on one key factor: Data migration. Not the demo. Not the roadmap. Not even pricing. If the policy, claims, billing, and underwriting data do not transfer smoothly, revenue does not appear. In insurance, each carrier is different. They have different policy structures. Different rating logic. Different historical gaps. Different regulatory edge cases. This makes migration highly customized. Engineering gets involved in implementation cycles. Professional services use custom scripts. Validation takes place in spreadsheets. Go-lives require special rooms. Margins shrink with every unique customer. Eventually, the pattern becomes clear. Insurance complexity is expected. Operational friction during migration is not. The real issues arise when migration is treated as an ongoing custom task rather than a built-in capability. When mappings can be reused. When validation fits into the workflow. When professional services can work independently from core engineering. When timelines are predictable. That's when onboarding stops conflicting with the product roadmap. For insurance ISVs that are replacing old systems or combining multiple books of business, the question is: Is migration still an implementation burden, or is it built into the system that supports growth? #InsuranceTechnology #Insurtech #PolicyAdministration #DataMigration #InsurancePlatforms #ProfessionalServices #ISV
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted thisTom Sawyer Data Streams 1.0 is now generally available, marking the first public release of the platform. Data Streams is a schema-driven platform to ETL your structured and unstructured data into a single, governed, query-ready knowledge graph. Subscribe to Apache Kafka (or Confluent) topics sourced from databases, files, and APIs; apply precise transformations and filters; then run flows continuously to normalize, enrich, and link changing streams in real time. Persist the knowledge graph in a graph database for scalable sharing and downstream analysis. Integrate with existing pipelines and catalogs, and use the graph as a high-quality context layer for AI, including RAG and reasoning. Built for production use, Tom Sawyer Data Streams 1.0 reduces integration effort and delivers a complete, accurate picture for lineage, impact analysis, and operational decisions. To learn more, see our press release here: https://bit.ly/3MBRDfs #TomSawyerSoftware #TomSawyerDataStreams #AI #Kafka #Confluent #KnowledgeGraphs #ETL
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted this𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. Audit and reconciliation are critical to ensure accuracy and compliance, especially when transformations make simple checks impossible. At Hopp, we take a d͟i͟f͟f͟e͟r͟e͟n͟t͟ a͟p͟p͟r͟o͟a͟c͟h: • No duplication of transformation logic • Built-in audit data collection • Clear visibility through our Audit Results Interface Check out our 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 on Audit and Reconciliation in Data Migration and see how Hopp makes complex migrations transparent and reliable. Here it is: https://lnkd.in/gsJPi-jZ #datamigration #datamigrationsoftware #hopp #reconciliationAudit and Reconciliation in Data Migration: Hopp’s ApproachAudit and Reconciliation in Data Migration: Hopp’s Approach
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted thisWhat 2025 taught us about data, systems, and blind spots Over the New Zealand summer break we’ve taken a moment to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, what we learned along the way and how all this informs our approach in 2026. Starting with what worked We helped a number of NZ Councils and Responsible Authories to better understand their current state complexity to inform Data Strategies and Transformation project sequencing. We also delivered two successful Data Migration projects: - One from MS Dynamics on Prem to an AWS Cloud Service, see our NZ Police Association customer story https://lnkd.in/emx6X9Jg . - The other from a legacy MSSQL custom database to Salesforce, see our NZ Teaching Council customer story https://lnkd.in/ekDVy_Qp . These join our Justice and Transpower customer stories https://lnkd.in/erhzM-Tp . We worked closely with data from the following endpoints, either pulling data from or pushing data to, adding to our library of IP: OpenText, SharePoint, Salesforce, MS Dynamics, Sage Accounting, VIAssets, MSSQL Bespoke Tables (including seemingly impossible to fathem auto-generated SQL tables and columns) and Microsoft Business Central. What didn't work, and how we fixed it We've struggled for some time with the use of excessive SQL scripting and leaning on inadequate integration platforms for migrations. In 2025 we partnered with Hopp as a Data Migration technology platform provider to increase our effectiency, scalability and the value we can add. We are delighted to say we also kicked off two new projects using Hopp in 2025 which will go live Q2 2026. 2025 reinforced something we’ve seen repeatedly across organisations of all sizes: Most transformation programmes start with assumptions, not understanding. We saw this repeatedly across SMB and public-sector environments: - Asset registers scattered across spreadsheets - Legacy systems still running “because something depends on them” - Risk understood emotionally, not structurally - Change planned in isolation rather than as a system - Systems were still in use long after they were assumed retired - Integrations existed that nobody could explain or confidently change - “current state” documentation was either outdated or aspirational - Operational risk was invisible until something broke None of this is due to poor people or poor intent. It’s the natural outcome of years of incremental change, staff turnover, vendor churn, and well-meaning workarounds. The biggest lesson from 2025? You can’t safely decide where to go next if you don’t truly understand where you are. That realisation has been quietly reshaping how we approach discovery, change, and execution. Most organisations don’t fail because of bad technology choices. They struggle because decisions are made without shared context. So for us 2026 is about clarity before change.
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Steve Dickinson shared thisCongratulations on the new partnershipSteve Dickinson shared thisScalepoint partners with Hopp Tech to support scalable insurer onboarding. Scalepoint is collaborating with Hopp Tech to further support efficient, secure, and high-quality onboarding of insurers across Scalepoint’s cloud-based policy and claims platforms. Hopp Tech’s data migration capabilities complement Scalepoint’s established implementation framework and support onboarding activities by contributing to: - Faster time-to-value for new insurer deployments - A consistent and transparent onboarding experience - High data quality and compliance throughout migration processes With Hopp Tech as a solution supporting data migration tasks within implementations, Scalepoint remains fully focused on delivering a best-in-class cloud platform that simplifies and automates policy and claims workflows for insurers and their customers. #InsurTech #DataMigration #Scalability #Onboarding
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Steve Dickinson shared thisHopp Academy - I've just completed my Hopp Data Migration Training 🎉
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Steve Dickinson shared thisWe're exciting to be working with our new Data Migration partner Hopp, read all about why we chose Hopp in my 5-part post. Part 1 available today, the rest over the coming weeks.Steve Dickinson shared thisWhy We Chose Hopp - Part 1 of 5: Rethinking Data Migration for the AI Era A 5-part-post by Steve Dickinson, CEO HubScope After 20+ years in data migration, I've learned one fundamental truth: the technical challenge isn't moving data it's managing the conversation around it. Most organisations approach data migration as a one-off technical exercise. They assemble a team, write thousands of lines of SQL, work in isolation for months, then cross their fingers on go-live day. I've been that stressed developer and I've felt the isolation this approach. Technical teams can grow to fulfil the demand but I’ve also I've seen the mess that gets left behind when technical teams make business decisions without business input. The core problem, technical people talk a different language to business experts and neither side knows where to start bringing the gap. That's why at Hubscope, we've partnered with Hopp not because we needed another integration platform, but because we needed a framework that separates technical execution from business ownership while combining both into a single, transparent workflow. From Data Migration to Data Movement Here's the shift I'm seeing, data migration isn't just about moving from System A to System B anymore. It's about data readiness preparing your most valuable asset (your data) for whatever comes next, whether that's a new system, an AI initiative, or a data warehouse project. The challenge is identical across all these scenarios: discovering where your data lives, understanding its quality, and transforming it into something usable. Legacy systems don't document themselves. Data that's accumulated over decades doesn't follow neat patterns. And the people who built these systems? They've long since moved on. Data Readiness and Enablement Data Migrations and Data Pipeline project are challenging given the uncertainlty that might exists around your current state. We are announcing an limited, NZ specific offer to help. Warch our for similar offers in other regions. The new year is right around the corner and for many NZ Organisations, December and January offer a rare moment of breathing space. We’re using this window to support a very limited number of prospects with a free Data Landscape Assessment Report designed to help you get ahead of 2026’s digital and data priorities including data migration and AI related projects. Read our offer below: https://lnkd.in/eD8s4Fv9 Interested in learning more about our approach to data migration and AI readiness? Let's talk about how Hubscope and Hopp can help you build data movement capability within your organisation. #DataMigration #DataStrategy #AIReadiness #DataDiscovery #DataQuality
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Steve Dickinson reposted thisSteve Dickinson reposted thisTom Sawyer Software is beginning to rollout its new Tom Sawyer Data Streams. It’s a high-throughput Kafka data streaming product that integrates data from numerous data sources. It has a dataflow modeling environment that helps you transform and enrich your data and create new knowledge graphs. Graph database support will be expanded over several software releases. We’ll have a beta release next month in November 2025 and rollout officially in January 2026. Then we’re going to quickly iterate every few months and expand upon the technology. Take a first look: https://lnkd.in/gqk3AgAp
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Steve Dickinson liked thisSteve Dickinson liked thisDelighted to have delivered two workshops to the Wellington law community recently. At “Cyber Security for Legal Practice: Beyond Technology - The Human Factor”, we covered: 🔐 Why cyber security is a practice management issue (not just IT!) 🎭 The psychology behind social engineering (and why smart people fall for it) ⚠️ How to recognise red flags before they become incidents 💸 Trust account and payment fraud — a very real threat for legal practices 🛠️ Practical steps you can take right now The conversations afterwards were great; lots of people shared experiences and asked sharp questions. If your firm or professional association would benefit from a session like this, I'd love to chat. Thanks to the New Zealand Law Society for hosting the sessions. #CyberSecurity #LegalTech #Secure23 #HumanFactor #NewZealand New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa
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Steve Dickinson liked thisSteve Dickinson liked this𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 When a migration project starts, many ISVs make the same decision. “We already have an ETL tool. Let’s just use that.” Platforms like Talend or Informatica PowerCenter are already part of the stack. They move data and transform it. So using them for migrations feels like the logical choice. No new tooling. No procurement process. No additional budget. But the real cost of migration is rarely the software. It’s the engineering time. Once the project begins, reality sets in. Each customer migration needs new transformation logic. Mappings need to be adjusted. Validation rules get added. Edge cases require custom scripts. Engineering ends up supporting every migration. Professional services cannot run the process independently. Developers keep getting pulled back into implementation work. Product development slows down. The ETL tool itself wasn’t expensive. But the engineering time tied to it was. And when migrations happen repeatedly across new customers, replacements, and upgrades, that cost quietly compounds. The teams that scale migrations eventually realize something important. Migration is not just about moving data. It’s about creating a repeatable operational process that doesn’t depend on engineering every time. #DataMigration #DataEngineering #SoftwareEngineering #ISV #SaaSArchitecture #TechLeadership #EnterpriseSoftware
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Steve Dickinson liked thisSteve Dickinson liked thisData ownership is an issue that has been banded around for years and is the subject of many a LinkedIn post. We have a parallel issue within our business transformation projects. Can our successful and proven approach provide you with any crossover inspiration?
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Steve Dickinson liked thisSteve Dickinson liked thisWhen Insurance Platform Growth Is Constrained by Migration Insurance platform providers are always in a state of change. New carriers come on board. Core systems are replaced. MGAs expand. Acquisitions lead to consolidations. Product models are updated across various states. Each of these events relies on one key factor: Data migration. Not the demo. Not the roadmap. Not even pricing. If the policy, claims, billing, and underwriting data do not transfer smoothly, revenue does not appear. In insurance, each carrier is different. They have different policy structures. Different rating logic. Different historical gaps. Different regulatory edge cases. This makes migration highly customized. Engineering gets involved in implementation cycles. Professional services use custom scripts. Validation takes place in spreadsheets. Go-lives require special rooms. Margins shrink with every unique customer. Eventually, the pattern becomes clear. Insurance complexity is expected. Operational friction during migration is not. The real issues arise when migration is treated as an ongoing custom task rather than a built-in capability. When mappings can be reused. When validation fits into the workflow. When professional services can work independently from core engineering. When timelines are predictable. That's when onboarding stops conflicting with the product roadmap. For insurance ISVs that are replacing old systems or combining multiple books of business, the question is: Is migration still an implementation burden, or is it built into the system that supports growth? #InsuranceTechnology #Insurtech #PolicyAdministration #DataMigration #InsurancePlatforms #ProfessionalServices #ISV
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Steve Dickinson liked thisAll data migration practitioners existing or aspiring :-) Johny is back! Please follow and engage with Johny and his newsletter - we need his voice of reason out there.Steve Dickinson liked thisThis is a new venture for us, and it's a while since I've published blogs regularly. I can promise that everything on here will be from my own hand, warts and all (as Cromwell said). No AI. Given we are coming up to the 20th Anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Practical Data Migration, I thought I'd start with a look at why I got attracted to DM in the first place and some reflections on why the heck an IT book series can have such longevity in the market place, given the hectic pace of change in our industry.
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Steve Dickinson liked thisSteve Dickinson liked thisTom Sawyer Data Streams 1.0 is now generally available, marking the first public release of the platform. Data Streams is a schema-driven platform to ETL your structured and unstructured data into a single, governed, query-ready knowledge graph. Subscribe to Apache Kafka (or Confluent) topics sourced from databases, files, and APIs; apply precise transformations and filters; then run flows continuously to normalize, enrich, and link changing streams in real time. Persist the knowledge graph in a graph database for scalable sharing and downstream analysis. Integrate with existing pipelines and catalogs, and use the graph as a high-quality context layer for AI, including RAG and reasoning. Built for production use, Tom Sawyer Data Streams 1.0 reduces integration effort and delivers a complete, accurate picture for lineage, impact analysis, and operational decisions. To learn more, see our press release here: https://bit.ly/3MBRDfs #TomSawyerSoftware #TomSawyerDataStreams #AI #Kafka #Confluent #KnowledgeGraphs #ETL
Patents
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Graphical visualisation of information by way of displaying a plurality of linked nodes that form a polycentric map
Issued NZ 537183
See patentDisclosed is a system for storing, accessing and managing information in a networked computer system of component means, referred to as modules. The system includes an information storage means configured and arranged to store information in a database, where such information is accessed via an information access means. The information access means is configured to mange the information being requested and accessed by a user, whereby the information is viewable by an information visualisation…
Disclosed is a system for storing, accessing and managing information in a networked computer system of component means, referred to as modules. The system includes an information storage means configured and arranged to store information in a database, where such information is accessed via an information access means. The information access means is configured to mange the information being requested and accessed by a user, whereby the information is viewable by an information visualisation means. The information visualisation means is configured to provide a graphical visualisation of information by way of displaying a plurality of linked nodes that form a polycentric map. The nodes represent the information as stored in the information storage means, and the information is linked by links between each related node of information. A user will obtain access to the information as visualised via a system interface which includes a contextual perspective means that determines the extent of access to the system by a user. The contextual perspective means is configured to allow a user to navigate the information presented at a point of time, and with applied filters, to limit the information being accessed to relevant information from a user’s perspective. A collaborative perspective means is configured to allow a user to create new links and nodes of information, and suggest changes and updates to the information as stored and retrieved.
Honors & Awards
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OTAA : IBM Outstanding Achievement Award
IBM
For the Architecture and Design of IBM's Interactive TV (iTV) Offerings
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