The Importance of Innovation in Education

Steve has been a part of the team at Advanced Secure Technologies since 2016. We are thrilled to announce that Steve has recently been promoted to Director of Product Development and Customer Experience.

Steve joined us as a business analyst, moving into project management and product development. His analytical mindset and focus on process engineering have been instrumental in shaping our approach to delivering innovative solutions and our customer1^st approach.

We spoke to Steve about his new role and his journey before and since joining Advanced Secure. Keep reading to learn more about Steve, his insights into the challenges faced by the education sector and the importance of innovation in education to overcome common certification challenges.

Steve’s professional journey

Can you tell us about your journey at Advanced Secure Technologies over the past eight years?

“I joined Advanced Secure 8 years ago, coming from a background in law and then legal systems implementation. Education as a sector was new to me, so it was exciting to learn about a new vertical, and I enjoyed throwing myself into that. I am excited about continually learning and growing, and that was a big attraction. Equally, I was inspired by the ambition of our business, and that has been evidenced by our growth.

Before I joined, the company was around 10 people. Today we are a business of 45, with further growth planned.”

What initially drew you to the world of product and customer experience, and how has your perspective evolved over time?

“I have always been interested in how technology can improve processes and drive organisational improvement. As a junior lawyer it quickly became apparent to me that significant efficiency gains were possible if routine tasks could be systemised. As a result, I transitioned away from legal practice and into legal technology implementation to drive organisational change via technology products.

Of course, technology is not an end in itself – it’s all about how it helps people to do their jobs better and more efficiently, and that’s where the customer experience aspect comes to the fore. As much as I enjoy technology, it’s really where the “product hits the road” that matters; and that’s with real people using products, finding the frustrations and working them to provide a first-class experience. I am truly passionate about making a difference by providing great products that customers love.”

What excites you most about your new role as Director of Product & Customer Experience?

“I think it’s the holistic, end-to-end view that I will have, which is necessary to the role. I’m keen to get stuck into all aspects of our customers’ experience of our products, from initial after-sales, through delivery, and then on to support and customer care. And then to discover how we can improve what we do, both in changes to the product, such as new modules and features, but also the “small” improvements that make a big difference to the everyday experience of end users. And also, how we can improve our engagement with our customers to ensure they get the right information on which to take decisions to run their organisations.”

Industry Insights

The industry is constantly changing. What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the education sector today?

Qualification fraud

Qualification fraud is a massive problem. In our technological world, it’s so easy for a fraudster to create a fake university or awarding organisation and purport to issue illegitimate qualifications. As fraudsters become more and more sophisticated, the risks to real universities, awarding organisations and professional bodies are considerable. Protecting brand and reputation by implementing robust security measures has never been more important. And that includes ensuring that certification documents are protected as well as possible.

Financial constraints

A second challenge is financial. It is no secret that education providers grapple with budget squeezes and are faced with difficult financial decisions. Underpinning an organisation with sound processes, which includes innovative technologies, such as Digital Certificates®, is an effective way to protect against the financial challenge by maximising efficiency and future-proofing certification.

The main opportunity I see in the certification space is providing high-quality access points to certification documents for students, graduates, alumni, learners, and also to centres/partner institutes in a way which adds value. This is important not only for the end users but also for organisations themselves, with opportunities for revenue generation, so that certification is no longer seen as a “necessary cost” but as a revenue-generating function of the organisation. There are great opportunities for organisations that take this bold, transformative step.

How do you envision our technologies, like Digital Certificates®, transforming the customer experience in the next 5–10 years?

Well, I don’t think it will take 5-10 years! Right now, we are launching Biometric Identity as a means of verifying the identity of recipients of qualification documents. This will enable us to extend our offering into both digital and printed ID. Our secure documents are already blockchain enabled, and we have Digital Badges within our product suite, enabling organisations to issue micro-credentials.

Where will the future take us? I can see three areas in which we will see significant development over the next 5 years:

Stackable credentials that protect brand image

The appetite for Digital Badges / micro-credentials will grow. Advanced Secure Technologies will be at the forefront of secure badging technologies by developing truly stackable credentials, which crucially remain in the control of the issuing organisation, rather than being devolved to a 3^rd party technology provider. The power of our solution will enable issuing organisations to decide how they want to design their badges and structure pathways, whilst strengthening and protecting their brand.

Secure award verification that creates a global impact

We see a very real need for consolidated award verification, both in the higher and further education sectors. The natural corollary of fraudulent qualifications is that employers and other interested parties will naturally want to check the validity of awards and having a consolidated method of doing so will be highly advantageous. We see an opportunity which is cross-sector and international.

Meaningful innovation in education

There is no doubt that AI will impact all industries. Organisations are currently scratching the surface in terms of what’s possible. Whilst it wouldn’t be right to share details at this stage, there is no doubt that we will utilise AI in our product offerings into the future. That being said, there is no point in introducing technology for its own sake; it has to provide meaningful organisational improvement. Our plans for AI will be more than a gimmick – we’ll be embedding this technology into our products to drive genuine advances for our customers.

In your view, what differentiates Advanced Secure Technologies from others in the market?

In 3 words. We Stop Fraud.

We are passionate about document security; the brand and reputation of our customers is absolutely paramount. We are proud to work with the very best organisations in both the higher and further education sectors, and this is at the heart of all we do.

Plus, we are nice! We intend to remain a very personal business, building relationships with our customers and maintaining that individual communication that makes business a pleasure.

Leadership & Vision

What does “customer experience” mean to you, and how do you plan to enhance it in your new role?

It starts with listening to our customers, which I think we are good at doing. But to effect meaningful change, the feedback we gather needs to be analysed and organised to channel into internal business change that is then reflected back out to our customers.

This sort of process change might sound a bit “impersonal”, but in fact it’s the opposite. As we grow as an organisation, strong processes for clearly understanding and tracking the satisfaction of our customers across a range of factors will be essential so that we don’t miss the important trends and messages. That’s a big part of what I want to do in the first year. I want us to have a clear view of where we are providing excellent service … and where we aren’t, so that we can focus effort and attention of improving our products and service.

How do you approach innovation while staying aligned with customer needs and expectations?

This is the big question! And it’s what makes the product element of my job challenging and very good fun! Essentially my role as Head of Product entails balancing the following, competing priorities:

Developing new modules / features  – New, exciting modules which provide a step-change to the product offering, which in turn drive additional benefit for customers. This is the “sexy” product work, and it’s easy to feel like this is where all the time should be spent. Innovative product development is essential to growth but needs to be kept in balance.

Enhancing existing features / functions – In my experience, this is usually where customers focus, as they are looking to solve their immediate problems. And that’s really important. My job is to balance this essential, value-add work with the other priorities.

Maintaining systems and security – This is the “boring”, unseen work, but it is absolutely essential. The bodywork may be flashy, but if the engine doesn’t run, the car is pointless. It’s my job to ensure that penetration testing, accessibility, component upgrades, performance improvements and reliability testing form part of the basic “diet” of product development.

I guess that’s how I’d describe product development: like a diet. A varied diet of new modules, enhancements to existing features and essential maintenance and security provides a healthy diet which ensures a strong, developing product.

Can you share a recent project or initiative that you’re particularly proud of and why?

I think the development of Biometric Identity into Digital Certificates® has to be right up there. This required oversight through all stages of product development: initial concept and initiation of the project, to high level, then detailed requirements, liaising with customers about the scope and shape of the development and then onto design and managing developer activity. The development was a partnership between internal and external resource; working with partners is always refreshing and enlightening. In this instance, we identified an industry-leading partner perfectly suited to our requirements.

Developments of this nature require a high degree of teamwork, with colleagues from all disciplines being deeply involved. The challenge as Head of Product, as previously described, was to balance this with other priorities, effectively managing the product roadmap to deliver real value in each iteration, whilst maintaining a clear vision of the ultimate goal. Working closely with talented colleagues enabled us to remain focused on delivering an evolving solution which we are very excited to deliver to customers.

Getting to Know Steve

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone aspiring to grow into a leadership role like yours?

I’m a big believer in maximising your own talents, style and approach. There are leaders of all types; extrovert and introvert, big picture thinkers and detail-focused strategists.

Find out what you do well, then learn to do it better, with your own style and approach. Leaders, like singers, need to find their own “voice”, rather than being a clone of someone else. Learn from others, but in doing so, be yourself. Keep learning, keep growing, keep developing.

Then work out how to transfer that knowledge and experience to others. Leadership is essentially about releasing others to do what you do, perhaps better than you can. I’m keen to surround myself with talented people, so that together we can achieve more. Don’t be protective about your knowledge or your position – we achieve more together.

Outside of work, what passions or hobbies keep you energised and inspired?

I’m a lay preacher at a new start-up church, and I play keyboard in the church band. I’ve recently taken up classical singing, for which I’ve had to learn to pronounce Italian (although I can’t understand a word!).

I love to ski, work out, and as a proud Welshman I love watching rugby (and also American Football). At 51 years old it’s hard to believe that I have four grandchildren, and they are an absolute joy.

If you could have dinner with any innovator or leader (past or present), who would it be and why?

There are so many options! I was tempted to say Napoleon Bonaparte(!), but I’m going to say Barack Obama. His clarity of vision, clear communication, focus on impactful change, and servant leadership are inspirational. I would love to hear how he approached leading the most powerful nation on Earth, with grace and dignity, and how he overcame the challenges of what is still a politically polarised country to bring about lasting reform.

Closing Reflections

What’s one thing you hope to achieve in your first year as Director of Product & Customer Experience?

As I mentioned previously, I want to get a clear view of current customer satisfaction, based on the end-to-end journey of engaging with us as a business. And to have sufficient, categorised information that will enable us to drive the right initiatives to improve the experience for all our customers.

Finally, what message would you like to share with our customers and industry partners as you step into this role?

Please speak to me about your experience of Advanced Secure Technologies. I’m really keen to hear about all aspects: products, service, communication etc., so that together we can provide you with a first-class service.