Digital transformations

Businesses continue to transform how they operate, and how they provide services to their customers, using technology to create new processes, products and customer experiences. This drive for innovation, and to keep pace with technological advances, presents huge opportunities for those businesses that embrace the digital world. Key accelerators for change include increased connectivity (between people and devices and "machine-to-machine"), fast and scalable infrastructure (SaaS, IaaS etc.), data (in large volumes), and new disruptive technologies (such as AI and machine learning).

However, new technology needs to be considered in the context of wider business, legal and regulatory pressures and requirements, and large-scale digital transformations need to be managed effectively.

We work with clients to understand their objectives, the risks that matter to them, and the wider business context to their digitalisation strategy.

Our expertise

Our services cover the full spectrum of digitalisation and transformation projects, large and small, across all industry sectors. Our expertise includes:

  • New digital businesses: advising on the set up of new standalone business to exploit new tech products and service offerings, including advice on intra-group IP ownership, services and data protection, customer contracting and vendor management.
  • Technology refresh projects: supporting clients on end-to-end tech refresh projects, including devise replacements and integrations.
  • IT outsourcings: advising on material outsourcings (including regulated arrangements for example FCA/EBA outsourcings), such as IT helpdesks, IT estate management and IT procurement. 
  • New digital products: supporting clients on product development and bringing digital products to the market, including advising on regulatory requirements against example use cases. 
  • Software development: advising on key software development projects, including delivery models, IP ownership and licensing, open source software, and source code management. 
  • Software licensing: advising clients on software licensing models, and moving traditional delivery to the cloud – including advising on service levels, acceptable use and data processing. 
  • Platform implementations: supporting client on business-critical enterprise resource planning implementations, including platform licensing and implementation contracts offering end-to-end support from procurement to delivery. 
  • e-commerce: advising B2B and B2C e-commerce platform operators on the launch of promotional campaigns and new product types to the marketplace, including advising on the relevant licensing or regulatory issues that could arise.
  • Online advertising and media: advising regulated businesses, such as securities brokers, fund distributors and money lenders, on how its products and services should be marketed to the general public in compliance with the relevant regulatory standards, including issues related to authorisation and the content of any such advertisements. 

We have the legal expertise and market insights to support clients on their digital transformation projects. 

Experience

Cloud delivery

Advising a global consultancy on its transformation project to provide its core on-premises software solutions as cloud-based services. This included auditing underlying licence arrangements and drafting the framework of standard legal terms for its cloud delivery model.

Platform development

Advising one of the world's largest outsourced asset manager firms in relation to its pensions and finance portal, that enables the provision of single sign-on view across different platforms, benefits systems and certain Open Banking services.  

Platform implementations 

Advising one of the leading neural machine translation service providers on the implementation of an on-demand financial and people management platform.

SaaS platforms

Advising an investment trust company in relation to the contractual framework for a SaaS platform in relation to its equity order management system, including a trade settlement interface with its custodian banks and an investment accounting platform.

Data and AI licensing 

Advising a global offshore services provider on the use and licensing of data and AI powered technology to provide predictive insights for the maintenance of oil and gas extraction infrastructure.

© Stephenson Harwood LLP 2023. Information contained on this page is current as at the date of first publication and is for general information only. It is not intended to provide legal advice.