Blacklight Software are veterans of Microsoft software development. “We’re a software development house,” says Managing Director Mike McGrady. “We go right back to the early Microsoft stack – mostly .net development, and a bit of CRM 3.1, before it became Dynamics.“

Blacklight’s strength still lies in non-trivial Microsoft software development. “We’re really good software integrators”, says Mike. “Back when we started, it wasn’t trivial to get different systems to talk with each other. Now, however, you have to get really creative. Although it’s become easier, with decent APIs, we still go far beyond basic out-of-the-box configurations. We still do a lot of .net work, along with SharePoint and Dynamics, but we also take it to the edge cases, and beyond.”

The company is heading for its 14th birthday, and currently employs 37 people. With many more organisations seeking support with their digital transformation journey in recent months, Blacklight is growing fast and is expecting to have a team of 50 people in the next year or so. There are no external contractors: the company proudly states that all staff are in-house and onshore, providing a personal approach for every project – from development to delivery.

“We’ve really been impressed with the way Bramble Hub works. In particular, you added so much value at the contract negotiation stage. Like expert plumbers, you guys know where to hit the pipes... You’ve given us value for money.. It’s a good partnership.”

Blacklight is co-owned by Mike and Ian Heuston. The pair worked together at a software house, before founding the company. Ian is from a software background, and Mike from an electronic engineering one. “Ian is the technical one, I’m probably the least technical in the business and we’re both face to face with customers – in fact, most our consultants are. We also have a great project management team. They’re very strong on delivery and like our consultants, they focus on strengthening the customer relationship.”

To Blacklight, a customer relationship is a partnership, says Ian. “Because we employ all our consultants, the customer gets stability. Regardless of any changes or challenges along the way, we always stay in the room.”

Strength in Housing

For a company of its size, Blacklight’s customer list, across several sectors, is impressive. The company is especially strong in housing. In partnership with Bramble Hub, the company is delivering a large project for Wandle, a south London housing association with over 7,000 properties. Wandle’s core requirements focused on improving customer service but required change throughout the business.

Blacklight’s solution for Wandle is based on Dynamics 365, SharePoint and Power BI, and has required extensive integration with existing systems. By integrating Dynamics 365 with other systems, Blacklight has provided Wandle with a single customer view, and created processes including anti-social behaviour (ASB); complaints; fraud; repairs; estate management; income, and more.

Document management processes have been updated using SharePoint, and Blacklight has built a bespoke customer self-serve portal using .net, which is hosted in Microsoft Azure.

Ian suggests that the Housing Management Systems (HMS) traditionally used by housing providers have failed to keep up with changing times. “A lot of the HMS companies have peaked, and as their licenses come up to renewal, that’s where we come in. They can’t match the power and flexibility of Dynamics 365.”

Working with Bramble Hub

How has the partnership with Bramble Hub worked out for Blacklight? “We’ve really been impressed with the way Bramble Hub works. In particular, you added so much value at the contract negotiation stage. Like expert plumbers, you guys know where to hit the pipes. Getting on frameworks would require a full-time department – not a job, a whole department! You’ve given us value for money – you’re pragmatic. It’s a good partnership.”

Key Team Members

Over the course of the past 14 years, Mike and Ian have built a team of industry experts that bring true value and insight to customers.

Dylan Hayes is a Senior Microsoft 365 Consultant with an extensive software development and consulting background across a wide range of organisations. His focus at Blacklight is to support social housing providers to improve their customer satisfaction, business processes and efficiency via Microsoft technology.

James Walker has worked at Blacklight for over a decade and is a Senior Consultant and plays an integral part to the delivery of projects. He had extensive experience of Microsoft CRM and has watched it evolve from its inception into the latest version of Dynamics; he also specializes in SharePoint and 365 Stack.

Steven Wilson is Blacklight’s Head Technical Lead Developer and has worked for the company for almost a decade. He leads a large development team and works with clients to provide technical solutions for complex projects. He regularly attends Microsoft events to ensure Blacklight is at the forefront of the latest developments.