Avocado & Clear Dynamics team up to tackle CPS 230 risk

Avocado Consulting has formed a strategic partnership with Clear Dynamics that targets legacy technology in Australian enterprises and rising regulatory pressure on operational resilience.

The agreement brings together Avocado's experience in delivery, testing, cyber security and managed services with Clear Dynamics' automation-led modernisation platform, aieos. The partners aim to replace spreadsheet-heavy and ageing systems with modern enterprise applications across sectors including financial services, healthcare, government and logistics.

The move comes as Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) rules on operational risk and resilience, including CPS 230, drive scrutiny of how banks and other financial institutions run critical processes.

Legacy systems in focus

Jane Robinson, Chief Operating Officer and GM Project Services at Avocado Consulting, said the alliance reflects growing frustration with slow and risky transformation efforts.

"Australian organisations are under constant pressure to modernise, but legacy systems and rigid approaches hold them back," said Robinson. "By teaming up with Clear Dynamics, we're giving our clients an alternative - rapid delivery, tailored solutions, and outcomes that evolve with their business through a tried and tested approach."

Robinson said the partnership responds to demand from mid-sized and large organisations that depend on brittle platforms and informal spreadsheets, often maintained by a small group of long-tenured staff.

"We're seeing a wave of experienced people retiring, and behind them is a patchwork of ageing systems and manual workarounds," said Robinson. "This partnership offers a smart, low-risk path to reduce risk by replacing fragile operations with adaptive, future-ready systems."

The companies plan to focus on processes that sit outside core transaction engines but underpin daily operations, such as reconciliations, reporting, pricing and workflow management.

Spreadsheet exposure

The partnership launch coincides with new research published by Avocado and Clear Dynamics that highlights the continued reliance on spreadsheets in critical business processes. The whitepaper finds that 90% of organisations still use spreadsheets for core functions despite security, operational and compliance risks.

The study notes that many financial institutions rely on spreadsheets for activities such as risk calculations, unit pricing, lending decisions, regulatory reporting and customer workflows. It states that these tools lack structured testing, version control, strong access management and audit trails.

APRA has previously flagged concerns about end-user developed tools and has set expectations on how regulated entities identify and manage these risks. CPS 230 increases the focus on resilience of critical operations and on documented processes and controls.

The whitepaper argues that spreadsheet-based processes now sit at the intersection of operational, data and information security risk. It states that they complicate efforts to demonstrate compliance with CPS 230 and related prudential standards.

Platform-led modernisation

Clear Dynamics provides a composable software platform that supports automation and application development. Its aieos software captures and codifies business logic and workflows. It then converts these into governed enterprise applications that integrate with existing systems.

The company positions this approach as a way to move spreadsheet logic into structured systems while preserving institutional knowledge. The platform design targets rapid deployment and aims to reduce the need for large, multi-year replacement projects.

Martyn Strickland, Chief Executive of Clear Dynamics, said the alliance reflects increasing demand for technology that supports secure and resilient operations.

"Partnering with Avocado allows us to reach more organisations looking for secure, scalable enterprise applications without compromise," said Strickland. "Together, we're helping clients identify and solve problems, seize opportunities, and adapt - without the pain of inflexible, off-the-shelf software."

He said organisations face rising costs and risks when they retain outdated systems.

"Clear Dynamics helps our clients overcome the legacy trap - replacing brittle systems, and clunky spreadsheet workarounds with secure, scalable, future-ready solutions to reach a faster time to value."

Strickland added that unmanaged spreadsheets create blind spots for management and boards.

"Many organisations are flying blind - with critical data and processes buried in spreadsheets or trapped in the minds of people nearing retirement," said Strickland. "Our approach eliminates that risk by codifying business logic, automating core functions, and building custom-fit secure solutions."

Regulatory deadline looms

The joint whitepaper links CPS 230 with a need for financial institutions to phase out spreadsheet-based workflows in critical operations. It states that APRA expects entities to identify high-risk spreadsheet and end-user computing dependencies, remediate control weaknesses and transition these processes into governed systems.

The paper notes that organisations must submit their first CPS 230 operational risk reports by 1 January 2026. It says APRA expects evidence of uplift in risk management and reduced reliance on fragile, uncontrolled processes by that date.

The partners argue that spreadsheet remediation should become part of business-as-usual risk management rather than a one-off compliance exercise. They state that organisations need clearer visibility of where spreadsheet risk sits, and structured programmes that migrate those processes into modern platforms.

The partnership positions Avocado as the delivery and resilience specialist and Clear Dynamics as the software provider. Avocado will focus on assessment, testing, operational resilience and secure delivery. Clear Dynamics will provide the technology architecture and application build.

The companies plan to target initial projects in financial services, where regulatory demands are strongest, before expanding into other regulated sectors and complex operational environments.