Technology that can adapt to the ever-changing needs of ESco. Technology = people, processes and tools
Programme summary

A programme of work to understand explore and ultimately decide the future technology direction for ESco.

This site documents the journey: the hypotheses tested the evidence gathered the decisions made and the path chosen.

About ESco and this programme

ESco is a publishing services bureau offering subscription management, customer service, and eCommerce solutions. By 2022, Myriad (the business's core subscription management database) had become an overwhelming risk. Deeply embedded bespoke integrations, accumulated technical debt, and an ageing interface made it fragile as a foundation for the next decade. Rather than simply procuring a replacement, the decision was made to untangle ESco from its dependency on any single system and find a more sustainable path forward.

That question (do we build, do we buy, can we afford it) has run through every phase of this programme. The landscape shifted along the way with a leadership change with Sue moving into a chairwoman role and Louise taking over as MD, and the publishing market evolved. In 2025, Intermedia's acquisition of Gordon and Gotch (the company behind Myriad) validated what the programme had been working toward from the start: ESco had already spent three years trying to reduce that dependency before the external pressure made it urgent.

May 2022
May 2022
Architecture review commissioned
ESco commissioned Ivan (Harmonic Action Technologies) to carry out an external review of the technology architecture and recommend how to evolve it for the next decade. This review was the starting point for the whole programme.
1
Mid-2022 to Early 2023
Phase 1 Not viable
Build on Azure
Replicate infrastructure on the Microsoft cloud
Costs too high, Myriad database incompatible with Azure SQL.
Early 2023
Early 2023
Decision: Reject "all-in with Microsoft" cloud migration
Options considered Move entirely to Azure / Dynamics vs. stay on-premise / hybrid
Reasoning The move was too expensive and required massive disruption to BAU. Legacy Myriad databases lacked the required primary keys for Azure SQL, creating data integrity issues that made the migration technically unsound.
2
May 2023 to June 2024
Phase 2 Not affordable
Buy off-the-shelf
Replace Myriad with an off-the-shelf product
Alternatives more expensive, bespoke systems too coupled to Myriad.
June 2024
June 2024
Decision: Delay buying a replacement for Myriad
Options considered Buy Affino, Pelcro, AdvantageCS etc. vs. detangle bespoke systems first
Reasoning Alternative software was more expensive, and ESco's bespoke systems were too tightly coupled to Myriad for a clean migration. Detangling was a prerequisite, not just a preference.
3
Late 2023 to July 2025
Phase 3 Pivoted
Hybrid build and buy
Build the Harbour and Crane for Single Customer View
GCP and MongoDB environments stood up; full SCV POC not completed. Phase 3 ran until July 2025, when SCV was paused following news of the Intermedia acquisition of Gordon and Gotch (Myriad), and a broader proof of concept began.
July 2025
July 2025
Decision: Pause SCV and run a broader proof of concept
Options considered Continue focused on SCV vs. prove the middle layer architecture works for the wider business
Reasoning SCV commercial demand was weak, and the Intermedia acquisition made broader CRM agnosticism urgent. Rather than continue narrowly, the team paused SCV and spent the summer and autumn of 2025 proving the Harbour and Crane pattern could support other use cases — using Books/Backs and Comm Docs as the two test cases.
September 2025
September 2025
Intermedia acquires Gordon and Gotch (Myriad)
Intermedia acquired Gordon and Gotch, the company behind Myriad, ESco's core subscription management platform. This materially changed the landscape, making CRM agnosticism an urgent priority across the whole business.
October 2025
October 2025
Developers restructured into Solutions Team
Greg and Darren were moved out of developer roles and into a newly defined Solutions Team, shifting their mandate from bespoke software development to finding and configuring the right tools and systems to solve business problems. See the People section for full context.
November / December 2025
November / December 2025
Decision: Apply the architecture to promo code creation
Options considered Continue broader POC work vs. focus on one specific, high-value user need
Reasoning The summer POC had validated the middle layer approach. Rather than continue proving the concept in the abstract, the team chose promo code creation as the concrete vehicle for Phase 4, brought in Aimee, and began building with agentic AI capabilities.
4
December 2025 to April 2026
Phase 4 Paused
Promo code creation on the new architecture
Build one high-value user need on the Phase 3 architecture with agentic AI
Demoed to Anthem in April 2026. The response was ambivalent,not enough excitement to justify continued investment. Louise paused the programme.
April 2026
April 2026
Decision: Pause Phase 4 after underwhelming Anthem demo
Options considered Continue building vs. pause and reassess
Reasoning The promo code feature was demoed to Anthem but received an ambivalent reaction,no clear enthusiasm or commercial pull. Louise decided to pause rather than continue investing without a validated demand signal.
Now
Current state RFP underway
Back to Phase 2: RFP for a Myriad replacement
Returning to the off-the-shelf path
With the 3-year Myriad contract ending and licence costs rising, ESco has initiated an RFP for new subscription management software.