Case Study: HM Revenue & Customs achieves mobile, secure field inspections and improved productivity with Microsoft Azure

UK tax authority underpins organizational transformation with modern, mobile technologies

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the UK tax, payments, and customs authority with 56,000 employees, set out to become the world’s most digitally advanced tax authority. Facing the need to boost productivity, reduce costs, enable flexible working across a geographically dispersed workforce, and protect large volumes of confidential data, HMRC tackled entrenched paper processes—most notably in its Road Fuel Testing Unit (RFTU)—and sought a modern, secure platform to change how staff work and collaborate.

HMRC standardized on Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365 and Microsoft Surface Pro devices (25,000 rolled out) and worked with Capgemini to deliver ORCA, a Universal Windows app for 300 RFTU inspectors that replaces paperwork, captures signatures and photos, works offline, and stores data in UK Azure with TPM/BitLocker protections. The solution cut administration, accelerated start-up times, increased inspector throughput and real-time reporting, enabled more flexible and resilient working across HMRC, and created a secure, scalable platform for further innovation.

HM Revenue & Customs

Steven Walters

Chief Technology Officer