Independent Technology Consultancy

Enterprise technology
delivered with precision.

StarCode Software delivers cloud architecture, enterprise integration, custom software solutions, and AI readiness consulting to public and private sector organisations. Built on deep programme experience across UK government, we bring rigorous technical expertise to complex, high-stakes engagements.

Trusted for
Cloud Architecture
AWS cloud-native and hybrid design for mission-critical environments
Government Delivery
Sustained architecture engagement across major UK government programmes
Enterprise Integration
Complex system integration across cloud, legacy, and third-party platforms
Cúram / SPM
Two decades of Social Programme Management architecture and benefit delivery expertise
What we do

Four core
service lines.

We deliver focused, high-value engagements — from structured architecture reviews through to hands-on cloud migration and AI readiness programmes. Each service is backed by deep public sector delivery experience and real-world architectural judgement.

☁️
Cloud Architecture & Migration

Design and delivery of cloud-native and hybrid architectures on AWS, with cross-platform advisory for Azure environments. We work from initial target state design through to hands-on migration support, security alignment, and operational handover — ensuring architecture decisions hold up in production.

  • Cloud-native target architecture design
  • AWS infrastructure design (EC2, ECS, RDS, VPC, IAM)
  • Hybrid and multi-cloud strategy
  • Migration planning and technical oversight
  • Security and compliance alignment
AWS IaaS PaaS Cloud-Native DevSecOps
🔗
Enterprise Integration

Design and implementation of robust integration architectures connecting modern cloud platforms to legacy and third-party systems. We specialise in asynchronous, event-driven patterns and high-throughput interface design for mission-critical environments where reliability and traceability are non-negotiable.

  • Integration architecture design and review
  • Asynchronous & event-driven interface patterns
  • REST, SOAP, JMS, and messaging integration
  • Interface / technical contract definition
  • Legacy modernisation and API-first transformation
REST/SOAP Event-Driven JMS ESB API Design
🔍
Architecture Reviews

Independent, structured assessments of existing solution and cloud architectures. We identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities — and deliver clear, prioritised recommendations grounded in an experienced practitioner's perspective. Engagements are scoped to your context, not applied from a generic checklist.

  • Current-state architecture assessment
  • Risk and gap identification
  • Security posture and accreditation readiness
  • Scalability and performance analysis
  • Prioritised remediation roadmap
Due Diligence Risk Assessment Security Review
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AI / AI Readiness Consulting

Practical, grounded advice on integrating AI capabilities into your architecture and workflows — without the hype. We assess your organisation's data and technical readiness, identify high-value use cases, and design the integration and governance frameworks needed to deliver AI safely, responsibly, and at scale.

  • AI readiness assessment and gap analysis
  • Use case identification and prioritisation
  • AI integration architecture design
  • Data governance and quality assessment
  • EU AI Act and responsible AI alignment
LLM Integration AI Governance Data Readiness
Why StarCode

Senior expertise.
Practical outcomes.

01
Practitioner-led, not process-led

Every engagement is led by an experienced architect with decades of hands-on delivery — not delegated to a junior team working from a methodology template. You get direct access to hard-won, programme-tested judgement.

02
Grounded in public sector reality

Our track record spans the UK's most complex government digital programmes — DWP, Social Security Scotland, Cúram / Social Programme Management benefit delivery. We understand the constraints, compliance requirements, and stakeholder dynamics that commercial-only consultancies miss.

03
Integration is our specialism

The hardest problems in enterprise architecture are rarely the greenfield ones — they are the joins: legacy to cloud, system to system, team to team. We have spent years operating at those boundaries and know how to make them work.

04
Honest about what AI can and can't do

We will not oversell AI capabilities or understate the risks. Our AI advisory is built on architectural rigour — data quality, integration design, governance, and realistic use case assessment — not vendor demos.

05
Communication across all levels

We are equally comfortable producing architecture diagrams and designs for a delivery team and briefing a CTO on strategic risk. The ability to translate technical complexity into clear organisational language is as important as the architecture itself.

06
Vendor-independent and conflict-free

StarCode Software operates as a genuinely independent consultancy — with no obligation to any vendor, platform, or framework beyond what is right for the client. Our recommendations are driven by what works, not by what we resell.

Our expertise

Deep technical capability
across every layer.

Paul Cartmell
Principal Architect & Founder
Experience 25+ years
Cloud platform AWS
Specialism Cúram / SPM
Languages Java, JavaScript, Python
Delivery Agile, Scrum, CI/CD
Location Preston, Lancashire, UK
Architecture & Design 20 yrs
Solution Architecture Cloud Architecture Microservices OO Analysis & Design UML / C4 Design Patterns TOGAF concepts
AWS Cloud Platform 10 yrs
EC2S3 ECSRDS VPCIAMAPI Gateway LambdaStep FunctionsEventBridgeSQS / SNS
Cúram / Social Programme Management 20 yrs
Data Architecture Interface Design Workflow Case Management Product Rules Benefit Delivery
Java Platform 25 yrs
SpringSpring BootSpring MVC EJBJSFJMS JAX-WSJAX-RSCamel REST/SOAPHibernate / JPAMaven / Gradle
Data & Databases 25 yrs
OracleDB2 PostgreSQLMySQL MongoDB Amazon RDSAmazon AuroraDynamoDB
Security & Accreditation 10 yrs
Security Architecture Secure Design Principles Authentication & Authorisation Data Encryption Compliance Alignment Vulnerability Assessment
Track record

Delivered at the heart of
government programmes.

Scottish Gov
Social Security Scotland
Cloud & Solutions Architecture

Sustained multi-year architecture engagement across Social Security Scotland's benefit delivery programme. Responsibilities have spanned cloud architecture, solutions architecture, Cúram / Social Programme Management advisory, integration design, and programme-wide technical leadership across both CDO Division and Programme teams.

UK Gov
Department for Work & Pensions
Technical Architecture & Digital Transformation

A series of successive architecture engagements across DWP's digital transformation programme, spanning Cúram consultancy, microservice architecture design, Technical Design Authority, and security-accredited delivery. Contributed to establishing DWP's in-house Agile development capability and operating model.

Cúram / SPM
Benefit Delivery Programmes
Cúram / Social Programme Management

Two decades of Cúram / Social Programme Management expertise spanning data architecture, interface design, workflow, case management, and benefit delivery integration. Client engagements have included DWP, Social Security Scotland, WorkSafe British Columbia, and the Ministry of Social Development New Zealand — across design, build, and subject matter advisory roles.

Cloud & AWS
Public & Private Sector Clients
Cloud Architecture & Integration

Over a decade of cloud architecture delivery, from early AWS deployments through to complex public sector cloud-native design and hybrid integration. Work has encompassed infrastructure design, security-accredited environments, serverless patterns, asynchronous integration, and throughput optimisation across mission-critical government platforms.

Get in touch

Let's discuss
your challenge.

✉️
Email
info@starcode.co.uk
🌐
Website
starcode.co.uk
📍
Location
Preston, Lancashire, UK

Start a conversation

We work with a focused portfolio of clients, which means every engagement gets our full attention. If you have an architecture challenge, an upcoming programme, or simply want to explore how we can help — we would be glad to hear from you.

  • Cloud Architecture & Migration
  • Enterprise Integration Design
  • Architecture Reviews & Due Diligence
  • AI / AI Readiness Consulting
  • Public Sector Digital Transformation
Send an email →