Originally employed in a sales role after leaving his position at B2B news publishers, C&M publications, John quickly found himself involved in many other aspects of the business including design and project management.

 John commented, “Coming from a farming background, I’ve always had the opinion that if there is a job to be done, you have to get your hands dirty and get involved. This allows me to find out more about how a business works, and brings a lot of variety to my day!”

 He added, “It was a big move for me to come to HCS. It wasn’t an industry that I had a lot of experience in, and I did wonder if it was too big a move at this point of my career. However, I shouldn’t have worried. I find all aspects of technology fascinating and getting up to speed was a pleasure.

 Working closely with Paul Haigh has impressed upon me the importance of keeping things simple and elegant. Whether it be an application, a design, a specification or a written communication, his approach to work in general is now core to both my work ethic, and the company’s.

 The 10 years I have spent here have seen some huge challenges, both for me and for the company. From these challenges we have shown others that we can punch well above our weight in this market and I am proud to be here in this respected, and incredibly able, organisation.”

In 2009, HCS sister company, UKRData took on a student, Dmitriy Chernenko, for the part time role of Analyst Programmer in the Nikolayev office.

4 years of hard work later, and we are very proud to announce that Dmitriy, now an invaluable member of staff, has graduated with a Master’s Degree in Engineering.

Paul Haigh, Managing Director, commented, “This is a remarkable achievement considering that Dima combined both his job and his degree each day and still managed to receive this excellent qualification. He has proved himself to be an incredibly capable member of staff who is always positive and I am delighted that he has received his degree."

Based at the Black Sea State University of Petro Mohyla, Dima was awarded the qualification based on his specialty, Medical Devices and Systems.

Using a device based on Arduino, an open-source electronics prototyping platform, Dmitriy created a gas sensor that interacts, via Bluetooth, with an Android Phone.

The Android device was then able to warn users regarding potential danger, including explosive gas leakage, via SMS or audio alerts.

The educational body marking his work appreciated the practical nature of the advice, and awarded him a score of 95%.

Chernenko commented, “I want to say that this was a long and very exciting journey and I would like to give a very big thank you to all the team at HCS that gave me support, knowledge and inspiration to get here, especially Mr. Paul Haigh. I still don't believe that you took me aboard and gave me this great opportunity when I was 4 years away from this day. Thank you.”

Haigh Consultancy Services (HCS) are delighted to announce the successful integration of the Deutscher Sparkassenverlag (DSV Gruppe) smart card solution into their eBilling suite.

Smart cards are an essential part of an eDelivery solution, as they are the only permissible method of hosting a Qualified Digital Signature which is used to sign electronic documents.

A document that has been electronically signed (e.g. an invoice PDF) cannot be changed without invalidating the digital signature. This both makes the document admissible in law, and reassures the recipient that it is genuine.

The qualified digital signature is critical in this process, as it is the only legally admissible method for signing electronic documents that carries the same weight as a physical signature.

HCS initially developed a solution to sign with smart cards some 8 years ago, however constant changes in the technological landscape mean that regularly refreshing this processes is essential.

The DSV Gruppe, based in Germany, were chosen as a supplier due to their highly respected credentials as a provider of smart cards and qualified digital certificates.

The company has worked closely with HCS over the last 8 weeks to ensure that their solution operates well within the HCS eDelivery framework, provided through the company’s Aurora and Data Workflow Manager products.

These products are used by HCS’s clients such as the Avis Budget Group who deliver electronic invoices to their clients across the globe.


The Company

Haigh Consultancy Services (HCS) is a leading IT consultancy firm providing IT services and products. Its clients include some of the largest mailing houses and postal operators in the UK as well as major companies from the Financial Services, Utility and Leisure Industry sectors such as Close Brothers Group,  Avis Budget Group and HomeLet Insurance

The company was formed by  Managing Director, Paul Haigh,  in 1998 and specialises in Hosted Billiing Solutions, ebilling, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Archive & Retrieval, Data Workflows and Processing and Hybrid Mail. HCS is based in Leicester, with two satellite offices in the Ukraine.

HCS is an ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accredited software house, maintaining rigorous software development quality systems and has vast experience in developing and maintaining data solutions for transactional print and direct mail.

The Products - Aurora

Aurora is a combined electronic billing and document archive and retrieval system. Originally developed for the transactional print market the application offers an integrated ebilling and document storage solution for inbound and outbound communications.
Archive and Retrievals facilities allow documents to be indexed, stored and accessed quickly and securely. Thin client technology allows access from anywhere on the internet.

Aurora can utilise existing print data to create an electronic version of the physical document. Your customers can instantly view a true document copy of the printed correspondence on a screen - from any location.

There are secure facilities for users to view, print, download, email or eFax a document from any location with multiple user access levels, audit logging and secure data transfer.

Through the use of pre-determined business rules documents are archived swiftly and securely with comprehensive document indexing for fast document retrieval

The Products – Data Workflow Manager

Data Workflow Manager is used by major UK mailing houses to automate their data processing operations and reduce data processing times. Initially developed for the transactional and direct mail print industries, Data Workflow Manager is now available to all organisations.

Bespoke programs and scripts, third party software and even external equipment data can all be integrated under a single management system.

Through a simple to use GUI, customised workflows can be created for a specific customer, application or document type.

Implementers can create and link their own workflow components while Operators can control and monitor job progress while managers can produce system reports and monitor system security and usage.

The products – Unity Hybrid Mail

Unity offers a simple, cost effective solution to consolidate traditional mail from any desktop application.

Unity Integrates seamlessly with your network to create a virtual printer, enabling users to create documents at their desktop before selecting the Unity printer to securely transfer the files to our head office for printing, enclosing and posting.

The service is ISO27001 Information Security compliant, with data encrypted from point of dispatch to offer you peach of mind.

Documents are enclosed in a C5 envelope with up to eight A4 full colour duplex pages. Mail is securely delivered by either DSA 2 day service, or by Royal Mail first class and we offer a full online track and trace system with proof of delivery to Royal Mail.

The service will consolidate print output into a single mailing across networks, locations and geographies, benefitting organisations with several branches and/or sites.

The DSV Group (Deutscher Sparkassenverlag)

The DSV Group, consisting of Deutscher Sparkassenverlag and its subsidiaries and associated companies, is among the ten media groups in Germany gener-ating the highest sales (with annual sales of EUR 880.3 – preliminary figure 2012). As a specialized solution provider, the DSV Group provides the institutions and associations of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (Savings Banks Finance Group) with both analog and digital media content. The Group’s products include social media solutions and other solutions for mobile devices along with content for online periodicals and conventional published media such as books, guide series, and industry and customer publications, as well as educational media and training materials. Electronic forms and advisory systems, technical equipment, and bank cards round out this product range. The spectrum of products and services is enhanced by IT-supported services, payment solutions, Web sites, and all-around agency services, including communications plans and PR events. The company has approximately 1,800 employees, and its headquarters are located in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. The DSV Group also operates a large number of offices in other cities across Germany.

DSV's Core Competence: Card Management

As the center of excellence for bank cards of the Sparkassen-Finan¬zgruppe, the DSV Group offers end-to-end card, application and se¬curity solutions. DSV, Germany's leading smart card provider, holds a national market share of approximately 60% in the bank card segment, with 45 million cards issued. Under the S-TRUST brand, the DSV Group is a leader in issuing digital signature cards, which enable legally binding communication over the Internet in accordance with the German Digital Signature Act. In the DSV Group's card network, DSV's own card pro¬duction operations at EPC Electronic Payment Cards ensure that the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe maintains its competitive edge in card technologies. As a leading provider of card payment services in Ger-many, DSV's associated company B+S Card Service is a partner to local savings banks and retailers. The DSV subsidiary S-CARD Service manages cross-regional card projects.

At HCS, we are proud to announce that Kevin Pagett, Project Manager, has achieved Practioner Status under the PRINCE2 framework.

PRINCE2 is a de facto standard developed and used extensively by the UK government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. It embodies established and proven best practice in project management.

Pagett commented, “I passed the Foundation level back in 2006 whilst with Centrica and it was always one of my ambitions to get to the next level and pass the Practitioner exam.”
 
The purpose of the practitioner qualification is to confirm you have achieved sufficient understanding of how to apply and tailor PRINCE2 in a scenario situation.  

“I am pleased to say I have passed which means I keep this qualification until I need to renew it in 2018”, he added.

This qualification will further add to HCS’ commitment to managing projects effectively and professionally.

About PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (Projects in a Controlled Environment) is a structured project management method based on experience drawn from thousands of projects - and from the contributions of countless project sponsors, Project Managers, project teams, academics, trainers and consultants.

PRINCE2 is a non-proprietary method and has emerged worldwide as one of the most widely accepted methods for managing projects. This is largely due to the fact that PRINCE2 is truly generic, and truly global: it can be applied to any project regardless of project scale, type, organisation, geography or culture.

PRINCE2 achieves this by isolating the management aspects of project work from the specialist contributions, such as design, construction etc. The specialist aspects of any type of project are easily integrated with the PRINCE2 method and, used alongside PRINCE2, provide a secure overall framework for the project work.

Because PRINCE2 is generic and based on proven principles, organisations adopting the method as a standard can substantially improve their organisational capability and maturity across multiple areas of business activity - business change, construction, IT, mergers and acquisitions, research, product development and so on.

About HCS

The Company

Haigh Consultancy Services (HCS) is a leading IT consultancy firm providing IT services and products. Its clients include some of the largest mailing houses and postal operators in the UK as well as major companies from the Financial Services, Utility and Leisure Industry sectors such as Close Brothers Group,  Avis Budget Group and HomeLet Insurance

The company was formed by  Managing Director, Paul Haigh,  in 1998 and specialises in Hosted Billiing Solutions, ebilling, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Archive & Retrieval, Data Workflows and Processing and Hybrid Mail. HCS is based in Leicester, with two satellite offices in the Ukraine.

HCS is an ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accredited software house, maintaining rigorous software development quality systems and has vast experience in developing and maintaining data solutions for transactional print and direct mail.

The Products - Aurora

Aurora is a combined electronic billing and document archive and retrieval system. Originally developed for the transactional print market the application offers an integrated ebilling and document storage solution for inbound and outbound communications.
Archive and Retrievals facilities allow documents to be indexed, stored and accessed quickly and securely. Thin client technology allows access from anywhere on the internet.

Aurora can utilise existing print data to create an electronic version of the physical document. Your customers can instantly view a true document copy of the printed correspondence on a screen - from any location.

There are secure facilities for users to view, print, download, email or eFax a document from any location with multiple user access levels, audit logging and secure data transfer.

Through the use of pre-determined business rules documents are archived swiftly and securely with comprehensive document indexing for fast document retrieval

The Products – Data Workflow Manager

Data Workflow Manager is used by major UK mailing houses to automate their data processing operations and reduce data processing times. Initially developed for the transactional and direct mail print industries, Data Workflow Manager is now available to all organisations.

Bespoke programs and scripts, third party software and even external equipment data can all be integrated under a single management system.

Through a simple to use GUI, customised workflows can be created for a specific customer, application or document type.

Implementers can create and link their own workflow components while Operators can control and monitor job progress while managers can produce system reports and monitor system security and usage.

The Products – Unity Hybrid Mail

Unity offers a simple, cost effective solution to consolidate traditional mail from any desktop application.

Unity Integrates seamlessly with your network to create a virtual printer, enabling users to create documents at their desktop before selecting the Unity printer to securely transfer the files to our head office for printing, enclosing and posting.

The service is ISO27001 Information Security compliant, with data encrypted from point of dispatch to offer you peach of mind.

Documents are enclosed in a C5 envelope with up to eight A4 full colour duplex pages. Mail is securely delivered by either DSA 2 day service, or by Royal Mail first class and we offer a full online track and trace system with proof of delivery to Royal Mail.

The service will consolidate print output into a single mailing across networks, locations and geographies, benefitting organisations with several branches and/or sites.

HCS is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Hing to the position of IT Support Analyst.

Paul joins the company after 22 years working for Cecil Jacobs Ltd in an IT support role and brings expertise of networking, Windows systems and problem analysis and resolution.

His role will be split between providing in-house technical support, and billing data analysis for customers such as Avis Budget Group.

Paul is well known to all Leicester City football fans as he plays the Post Horn at the start of each home game.

Paul Haigh, Managing Director, commented, “I am delighted to be able to welcome Paul to the organisation. He brings invaluable expertise and will become a key member of our technical support team.”