Business Chief Asia Edition – November 2019

ASIA EDITION NOVEMBER 20 19 asia.businesschief.com

USING AI TO CHANGE THE WORLD

ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS OF A FAST-CHANGING WORLD ULI BRAUN, CTO, ASIA PACIFIC, DISCUSSES THE WAYS IN WHICH ATOS IS FUTURE-PROOFING COMPANIES IN ASIA AND BEYOND

Leading the way in the LNG market

City Focus

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FOREWORD

W

elcome to the November issue of Business Chief Asia!

On the cover of this month’s edition of Business Chief Asia is Atos, the

Entire application systems can be deployed in minutes or hours, versus weeks or months in the past.”

In this month’s City Focus we take

multinational IT and consulting firm.

a look at Shenzhen, a city of con-

Uli Braun, CTO for the Asia Pacific

trasts, host to both mega

region talks about the services the

corporations and bustling markets.

company provides to help futureproof its clients. One of the most crucial transformations on offer involves the cloud.

“Cloud computing enables you to do things faster and with less of a time commitment,” says Braun. “In the past you had to get the budget for a project and you were then stuck with it for five years because you had invested in hardware, software, whatever it may be. The cloud is not just

In our top 10, Business Chief counts down the busiest passenger airports in the Asia region.

Do you have a story to tell?

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming issue of Business Chief Asia, get in touch at william.smith@bizclikmedia.com .

Enjoy the issue!

William Smith.

infrastructure. Yes, it’s storage and compute and memory and these kinds of things. But it’s also APIs to tap into functions that you otherwise would have to build from scratch. a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

03

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ASIA EDITION

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CONTENTS

10 Answering the questions of a fast-changing world

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC SMART BUILDINGS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

38 The cloud playbook

28

48

THE YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER

58 MANAGING OPERATIONAL RISK IS KEY TO IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY

66 City Focus

Busiest airports in Asia

74

CONTENTS

88 McDermott

106

120

Microsoft

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

134

180

NewCold

Mimecast

160

192

Revolution IT

Penrhos College

10

MONTH 2019

11

Answering the questions of a fast-changing world WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

NATHAN HOLMES

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

AT O S

Uli Braun, CTO, Asia Pacific, at IT service provider Atos, discusses the ways in which Atos is future-proofing companies in Asia and beyond

A 12

s a global IT services and solutions leader, Atos has experience in digital transformation across the world. Its services are

tailored to the areas in which they are offered, a function performed in Asia Pacific by Uli Braun, CTO for the region. Braun’s role sees him lead several complementary departments in the Asia Pacific region. “As CTO, I’m leading portfolio and pre-sales for Asia Pacific and I’m also in charge of analyst relationships in the region. Basically, we take our global portfolio, apply it to the Asia-Pacific market and make it work in a local context.” It’s a region that brings its own unique set of challenges and possibilities, as Braun explains. “There’s two key challenges. Firstly, more than any other, AsiaPacific is large, complicated and extremely diverse.

Adapting to the economic and cultural diversity is a real challenge. Secondly, there are low cost

NOVEMBER 2019

13

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INNOVATE WITH THE MODERN DATA EXPERIENCE

Pure Modern Data Experience: Transforming the Customer Approach to IT Pure Storage was founded with a simple mission: make powerful IT infrastructure that works like the best consumer technologies. That vision enabled our incredible growth story, because this new way of doing things gave customers things that they had not expected. For some, it was as simple as getting their nights and weekends back because they didn’t have to worry about the reliability of their systems.

To others, it was fundamental enablement of their DevOps transformation.

We are continually looking to improve our customers’ experience. We know customers see our investments in innovation as an investment in their futures. Our customers want services that grow and change on pace with their needs. They want all of their infrastructure to be delivered on-demand, as a service by API. And experience is a critical factor: Ease of use, interoperability, and a risk-free, smooth upgrade path drive our long-term strategic relevance.

This is why we started talking about the need for a Modern Data Experience.

Why are we investing in a Modern Data Experience?

We see our customers facing multiple challenges, including executing ambitious plans for digital transformation. Technology leaders are rejecting excessive system complexity and technical debt that hinder infrastructure modernization efforts.

The approach to Ops is changing: DevOps and AIOps are enabling companies to focus on managing

their business rather than managing infrastructure.

And they’re hiring more developers. CIOs have a mandate to develop cloud initiatives that drive corporate value while addressing application performance bottlenecks. And every business wants to extract more intelligence from their data.

The idea of a Modern Data Experience is core to who we are as a company – when our customers succeed, we succeed. And that’s why our vision for our next decade is to remake data storage and management in a way that serves an increasingly dynamic market. Simple. Seamless. Sustainable.

A Modern Data Experience starts with a storageas-a-service approach to enable organizations to leverage more of their data while reducing the complexity and expense of managing infrastructure.

Pure’s solution is simple to manage, effortless to customize and integrate, and creates seamless service levels and protocols—all operating in a multi-cloud environment. Most important, it delivers a sustainable infrastructure with our constantly improving Evergreen™ philosophy and programs, consumption based business models, and unified AI-driven management.

WRITTEN BY CHARLIE GIANCARLO

CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PURE STORAGE.

ABOUT PURE STORAGE Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) helps innovators build a better world with data. Pure’s data solutions enable SaaS companies, cloud service providers, and enterprise and public sector customers to deliver real-time, secure data to power their mission-critical production, DevOps, and modern analytics environments in a multi-cloud environment. One of the fastest growing enterprise IT companies in history, Pure Storage enables customers to quickly adopt next-generation technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to help maximize the value of their data for competitive advantage. And with a certified NPS customer satisfaction score in the top one percent of B2B companies, Pure’s ever-expanding list of customers are among the happiest in the world.

AT O S

“ Analyse the data, find the question, augment whatever is missing and then generate value from it – that’s the sequence”

markets where it can be very difficult to obtain the prices that we must charge in a global context for leading edge technology solutions. As a result, we deal mostly with multinational corporations.”

The service that Atos offers goes beyond a simple hands-off IT transaction. “It’s a business conversation,” says Braun. “We need to first understand the customer’s business, and then match the IT challenges that they face with a solution that we as a company can offer them.” In Braun’s

16

experience, some of the biggest difficulties clients are running into stem from legacy systems. “In this region it’s most likely the biggest challenge of all, because it prevents IT departments from becoming more agile and business-focused. That legacy burden is very heavy, and it’s very difficult to fix for companies that are operating systems dating back to the 1980s or 90s.” Coming hand in hand with outdated systems can be legacy ways-of-thinking. “It’s not just a question of infrastructure. It holds back the entire business transformation, because the case is made NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CONNECTING THE DOTS’

17

that ‘we have always been doing it

transformation. Whether imple-

this way, it has always worked, so

menting private, public or hybrid

why should we change to something

multi-cloud models, it’s a technology

else?’ That resistance to change can

that can significantly increase agility

be quite significant, because many

while reducing capital expenditure.

organisations are still very tradition-

But Braun is clear that the case for

ally structured. Quite often, the CIO

cloud is far more comprehensive.

reports to the CFO and IT is seen as

“Cloud computing enables you to do

a cost centre rather than a business

things faster and with less of a time

enabler. There’s nobody who owns

commitment. In the past you had to

the digital agenda.”

get the budget for a project and you

Atos is well placed to solve such

were then stuck with it for five years

challenges. One of the premier solu-

because you had invested in hard-

tions Atos can offer is in the cloud

ware, software, whatever it may be. a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

The cloud is not just infrastructure.

provide. Of course, Atos also offers

Yes, it’s storage and compute and

its own suite of cybersecurity prod-

memory and these kinds of things.

ucts extending beyond this basic

But it’s also APIs to tap into functions

level of protection. “We are a large

that you otherwise would have to

cybersecurity vendor with our own

build from scratch. Entire application

cybersecurity products. We have a

systems can be deployed in minutes

business unit that produces secure

or hours, versus weeks or months in

phones, chip sets, security products,

the past.”

identity management systems, as

The cloud also offers the atten-

well providing security monitoring

dant the benefit of improving

services. My standard answer to

cybersecurity beyond the level that

a client who asks why they should

internal servers and data centres can

come to Atos for cybersecurity is 19

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Uli Braun Uli Braun is leading Atos’ technology strategy, portfolio and presales organisation in Asia Pacific. As part of this role, he is responsible for the technology and service roadmap and its application to real-world customer situations.

Prior to joining Atos, Uli has been leading Dimension Data’s consulting services in Asia Pacific, focusing with his team of technology consultants on advising enterprise clients on IT strategy, cloud migrations, virtualisation and cybersecurity. Braun previously worked at HP Enterprise Services where he has been leading HP’s network services in Asia Pacific and held various roles in service delivery, presales and transformation since 1996.

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“ Cloud computing enables you to do things faster and with less of a time commitment”

combination of various data sources.”

But data remains meaningless when not interrogated by the correct questions. Sometimes these questions are self-evident, but often they prove more elusive. “Sometimes we don’t know the question. We can only find out what the question is by exploring the data. That’s why it’s complicated, and that’s why you need the expertise companies like Atos bring to

that we run the IT integration for the

the table. Analyse the data, find the

Olympic Games. It is one of the most

question, augment whatever is miss-

visible events in the world and yet

ing and then generate value from it

we have had zero security incidents

– that’s the sequence.”

since the partnership began.”

Data, meanwhile, is the lifeblood

Atos always has an eye on the future of technology to ensure that

to many a modern organisation. Atos

what it is offering is future-proof.

specialises in ensuring that maxi-

“There are two areas where most of

mum value can be created from the

the R&D spending goes. One is in

data which clients have as well as the

cloud computing, and the other is in

data they do not. “Without data, there

AI and machine learning technolo-

is nothing to generate additional

gies – that’s across the spectrum from

business value from. Today, you don’t

hardware, such as IoT and edge

have to own all the data anymore,

devices, all the way to the software

because you can buy it and merge or

and application side. We also have

blend it with the data that you have

a Quantum Learning Machine that

within your own company and then

lets you test and prepare the devel-

generate value from that. The value

opment of quantum algorithms on

is not only in the data itself, it’s in the

traditional hardware.” To ascertain the a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

21

AT O S

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• 100 billion devices are coming online • Data at this scale will change your industry • Adapt now - accelerate your growth • Digital transformation with Dell EMC and Atos • No. 1 in every technology category from edge, to core, to cloud.

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Manufacturing Public Sector & Defense Telecom, Media & Technology Retail Transport & Logistics

Visit atos.net/contactus

23

“ We need to change to stay relevant in the market of the future�

technologies of the future, Braun is part of a 150 member-strong scientific community at the company. Emerging technologies are being deployed in the real world, with Braun giving the example of deep learning being used for claims management in the healthcare sector or quantum algorithms that are used for the development and testing of new pharmaceuticals.

Ultimately, in a rapidly changing world, Atos is ensuring that its clients and itself are in positions where they can thrive in a safe, secure and sustainable

AT O S

24

1997

Year founded

£11.bn+ Approximate revenue

110,000

Approximate number of employees NOVEMBER 2019

© RomiREA

CO MPAN Y FACT S

• Atos runs the cybersecurity operation for the Olympic Games • A 150 member-strong scientific community exists at the company

environment. “We have a window of opportunity in the next two years to change the way we are doing things, and the skills our staff can offer to the market. We have about 110,000 employees worldwide, so it’s no small task. We need to change to stay relevant in the market of the future, and we need to be more mature with our clients rather than just sitting there and waiting for them to tell us what they want us to do. We have a responsibility for the future of our clients’ businesses and we need to be partners on their journey into the digital future.”

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25

LEADERSHIP

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC 28

SMART BUILDINGS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President, Energy Management at Schneider Electric discusses the importance of a smart approach to energy

WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

WILLIAM SMITH

29

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LEADERSHIP

T

he venerable French multinational Schneider

Electric can trace its history back to 1836.

Prospering for almost 200 years has required continuous innovation, and the company has long since diversified its operations to become a leader in energy management and automation. Philippe Delorme is Executive Vice President, Energy Management at the business. “Our job is to bring efficiency and sustainability to our customers, and

we primarily deliver technology around energy management and industrial automation,” he says.

“I lead one of the two businesses, which is the 30

energy management unit.”

Delorme offers a succinct description of what energy management entails: “Energy management is about ensuring energy flows from the point of production to the point of consumption. We don’t do any power generation, but we connect places that generate energy with places that consume it.

50% of the world’s energy consumption goes into buildings, and our job is to ensure that the energy flows in the most efficient and safe way.”

With around half of all energy produced being consumed by buildings, Schneider can facilitate huge savings for its customers, to the benefit of the world at large. “We all realise, with the impact of global warming, that making the most of energy is absolutely central to our future and the future of our kids. More and more we are seeing customers NOVEMBER 2019

“ Our overarching goal is to contribute to a more sustain– able world” — Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President, Energy Management, Schneider Electric

31

– whether they’re real estate developers, data centres or big names in banking and food – putting in place ambitious, sustainable goals around their carbon footprint, optimising their energy use and employing more renewable forms of energy. That’s a trend that’s growing very quickly.

Those customers are showing a strong interest in having a solution in front of them that will help them become more sustainable.” a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LEADERSHIP

“ Asia is a very important region, both in terms of customer base and also as a base for innovation” — Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President, Energy Management, Schneider Electric

sensors to monitor carbon dioxide levels, determine humidity, measure noise levels and so on. Building owners can monitor in real time the condition of operation of buildings to guarantee maximum wellbeing for employees, which is becoming more and more important as younger generations are increasingly picking their employers based on the workplace.”

Providing those services requires advanced technology, which Schneider has put at the heart of its business.

“We are a $30bn company, and 50% of

32

Part of that effort lies in opening up the sometimes opaque world of energy consumption to scrutiny.

“A very important focus of ours is to drive better access management. We make sure that we utilise digital solutions that enable our customers to understand exactly what is going on with their power distribution and their energy management.” By instrumenting buildings, Schneider provides its customers with the knowledge to operate them in more efficient, sustainable and liveable ways. “We offer NOVEMBER 2019

HALF OF THE COMPANY’S BUSINESS IS IoT ENABLED 50% OF THE WORLD’S ENERGY CONSUMPTION GOES INTO BUILDINGS

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ECOXPERT PARTNERS ARE THE IMPLEMENTATION ARMS OF ECOSTRUXURE’ 33

our business is IoT-enabled, meaning products that are connected together and connected to software and services that take the data and create value for our customers. Our networks of sensors, for instance, connect with alarm systems and learning systems that can optimise the condition of the building. We also perform analysis around power quality, around optimising energy consumption, around preventative maintenance – there are so many different value propositions.

The more we connect buildings, the a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LEADERSHIP

more we can innovate with our customers by offering sets of analytics.�

The APAC market is of increasing importance to the company, Delorme explains. “Our growth in Asia really accelerated in the 1980s, where we targeted India, Southeast Asia and China. Today, Asia is our primary region of operation, with more than 30% of funding, and the global CEO is based in Hong Kong. China is our number one country of operation, 34 EXECU T I VE PRO FI L E

Philippe Delorme Philippe Delorme joined Schneider Electric in 1996. He is Executive Vice-President, Energy Management since 2019 and Member of the Executive Committee since 2009.

He held various positions in operations in the US and in France. He started his career as a Solution Sales engineer and then took

NOVEMBER 2019

an R&D management position within the Electrical Distribution division in France up to 2000. He then took responsibility for the Power Monitoring & Control business between 2000 up to 2007 (in France at the beginning and as of 2004 in the US).

In 2008, Philippe took the job of executive secretary of the Executive committee and drove the definition and execution of the Company Transformation program called One Schneider Electric. In 2009 he became Executive Vice-President,

“ Making the most of energy is absolutely central to our future and the future of our kids” — Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President, Energy Management, Schneider Electric

followed by the US, with India coming up very quickly in third place. For us, Asia is a very important region, both in terms of customer base and also as a base for innovation.” The focus on technology held by the company has been a boon in the fast-changing Asian region. “One of the challenges is simply keeping up with the pace, because Asia is a place that is developing extremely quickly,” says Delorme. “We have a large R&D team in China that innovate for the region and the world, and the same is true of India. For us, it’s a very important part

Strategy & Innovation and joined the Executive Committee of the Group. Afterwards in 2012, he obtained the role of the Excecutive Vice President, Building & IT, based in Hong Kong. Since February 2019, he holds the position of Executive Vice President, Energy Management Business.

Philippe graduated from the Centrale Paris engineering school and has completed an MBA of International Business at Sciences Po Paris (France).

of our community.”

Delorme sees the global work of Schneider, in energy management and beyond, as being crucial to the wider sustainability movement. “Our overarching goal is to contribute to a more sustainable world. Thanks to our technology, we can help businesses adapt to a fast changing world with different parameters, and keep within the two degree threshold so that our kids can have the life that we enjoy.”

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

35

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TECHNOLOGY

THE CLOUD 38

PLAYBOOK Bas Lemmens,VP EMEA at software company Pivotal, on the factors to consider when planning a cloud migration strategy WRITTEN BY

BAS LEMMENS

NOVEMBER 2019

39

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TECHNOLOGY

T

he execution of a cloud migration strategy can be an anxious time for business leaders.

Not only are the core aspects of moving to

the cloud often shrouded in technical jargon (public vs private; hybrid vs multi; containerisation; XaaS; etc.), but also, the diversity and complexity of IT infrastructure varies widely from business to business,

40

making the risk of disruption difficult to determine.

Imagine a business’ IT infrastructure as a bus speeding along the motorway. The vehicle must transport assets and information according to a strict schedule, otherwise mission critical processes are subject to disruption, resulting in the loss of precious time and money. In this analogy, an attempt to execute a cloud migration strategy is akin to climbing under the bonnet, swapping out the old engine and fitting a new one, all while the bus is still travelling at speed.

Much to the relief of business leaders, the process of cloud migration is far too incremental to be comparable to a Hollywood-style stunt. In fact, a more useful analogy is to think about moving to the cloud as something much more relaxing – chess.

NOVEMBER 2019

41

“CLOUD-NATIVE APPS RUN BETTER, FASTER AND MORE RELIABLY THAN THOSE HOSTED IN ON-PREMISES DATA CENTERS” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal

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TECHNOLOGY

RE-IMAGINING CLOUD MIGRATION IN BLACK AND WHITE

piece forward has the potential to

Modern businesses run on a number of

while creating a set model for success

different apps, each with a specific set

is rendered almost impossible by billions

of services or processes that enable

of different potential arrangements.

different aspects of business to func-

42

increase the vulnerability of others,

What does this have to do with the

tion. Like pieces on a chess board,

cloud? Put simply, cloud-native apps

these components achieve their pur-

run better, faster and more reliably than

pose by operating in a variety of differ-

those hosted in on-premises data cent-

ent ways to achieve a common goal.

ers. Moreover, the distributed nature of

The way in which these components

cloud computing makes it more difficult

are configured can impact how effec-

for apps to be targeted by cyber-attacks,

tive they are in achieving their goals,

while the flexibility it affords organisations

creating a delicate network of interde-

means that cybersecurity protocols can

pendencies that is not always obvious

be rapidly adapted to the shifting cyber

from an initial assessment. Moving one

threat landscape. Most importantly,

“RUNNING APPS IN THE CLOUD ALLOWS BUSINESSES TO BECOME MORE AGILE – A CRUCIAL CHARACTERISTIC TO HAVE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HOW PIVOTAL HELPS YOU BECOME A MODERN SOFTWARE COMPANY’ 43

however, running apps in the cloud

BRING IN THE CAVALRY

allows businesses to become more

The external perspective of a third-

agile – a crucial characteristic to have in

party organisation is especially useful

a rapidly changing world. Apps run in

during migration projects. This will help

the cloud benefit from both increased

to overcome the tendency for cloud

portability and scalability, which helps

migration projects to suffer from tunnel

businesses adapt their products and

vision and offer an expert opinion to

services to changing levels of demand,

assist difficult decisions. For example,

or to more closely align with customer

an organisation may have modernised

needs. This is how value can be gener-

its enterprise application structure to

ated as a direct result of migrating apps

run in the cloud, launched new micros-

to the cloud, while also saving costs by

ervices and started adhering to a new

only using as much of the IT depart-

architectural style, but neglected to

ment’s resources as needed at the time.

retire its legacy infrastructure. Such a si a .busi ne ssc hi e f. com /

TECHNOLOGY

ground and end up wasting money and

ONE SMALL STEP FOR IT, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR BUSINESS

slowing down systems – despite effec-

A game of chess is lost when all the

tively being redundant in cloud-based IT

most important pieces are brought

environments. Instead of hiding, these

to the frontline simultaneously.

blind spots can be easily identified and

Accordingly, nowhere does it say that a

safely eliminated by granting visibility

business must shift all of its apps to the

to an unbiased third party to rigorously

cloud in a single move. Even with just

check the assumptions initially made.

a small portion of apps running in the

problems can easily fade into the back-

The surging popularity of cloud-native

44

cloud – often only 10-20% of a total

enterprise applications has also chal-

estate – businesses will notice the ben-

lenged conventional wisdom on how

efits of the cloud begin to manifest in

to keep systems safe and secure. From

areas such as value-added services,

infrastructure to application development,

enhanced customer experience and a

there is a sharp contrast between legacy

greater capacity to innovate.

cybersecurity tools and a more modern, cloud-native approach to protecting IT resources. Organisations must reimagine their cyber defences to adapt to the needs of the cloud-native era. As a result, organisations moving to the cloud must be bold and invest in the innovations, patterns and practices in order to be successful, such as establishing a DevOps culture, engage in the continuous delivery of new apps and updates and adopt a microservices architecture. These are the tools that are needed for cloud-native security the way in which major risks can be mitigated.

NOVEMBER 2019

It is paramount that businesses

businesses can embark on a journey of

planning a cloud migration strategy

learning and adapting to a new cloud-

focus first on moving the apps that are

based environment, and ensure that

best positioned to reap the benefits of

cloud migration projects are successful.

the cloud. Which apps deliver the most value to customers? Which apps are

MAINTAINING ENGAGEMENT

the most important in ensuring the

The usefulness of technology partners

people within the business can achieve

does not stop at the technology itself.

their goals? Which apps drive the most

Perhaps, one of the most important

traffic? Identifying which apps are core

aspects of cloud migration projects is

to the business and moving them to

to maintain stakeholder engagement

the cloud, it can be assured that the

throughout the process. Technology

maximum outcomes of the technology

partners can be instrumental in

are being achieved with minimal

espousing the benefits of technical

change. By taking incremental steps,

projects to members of the executive

“THE BEST MIGRATIONS HAPPEN WHEN INDIVIDUAL TEAMS WORK TOGETHER, FROM DEVOPS TO IT” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal

a si a .busi ne ssc hi e f. com /

45

TECHNOLOGY

board, such as tangible ROI and new opportunities to compete, scale and grow. It’s important that it’s not just the customers that go on and benefit from this journey. Teams within the organisation must understand the technology and concepts being deployed and be shown the value of having existing systems changed.

As with any major cultural change, resistance is to be expected, especially when executed in parallel with a large technology project such as a 46

cloud migration. Making sure teams are on board with change is foundational to success, and establishing processes for introducing them to new solutions and software is crucial.

The best migrations happen when individual teams work together, from DevOps to IT. Again, this is where an incremental approach is fundamental, as each step leads to new insights which require continuous course correction and adaptation. The often technical way in which cloud is described means that the crucial human factor of cloud migration is forgotten. A people-centric approach must be taken, one which rigorously NOVEMBER 2019

questions any assumptions regarding individual teams’ reactions to the change involved. Only then can a project become successful.

WINNING THE GAME No one ever won a game of chess without sacrificing pieces along the way. Equally, no cloud migration project is flawless. Even with the best tools and people at their disposal, organisations will find themselves making certain trade-offs and facing unexpected circumstances. Moving to the cloud, however, isn’t a leap of faith; it’s an incremental and strategic reconfiguration of IT resources that requires evaluation every step of the way. The outcome? An IT offering that is fit for purpose, futureproof and capable of serving the needs of both clients and employees alike.

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48

THE YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER In every industry, the need for companies to provide their customers with seamless digital experiences is growing more and more pressing, and those unwilling to adapt to a new class of consumer run the risk of being left behind WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

HARRY MENEAR

49

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PEOPLE

A

cross every industry in every market, one thing has become clear in 2019: this is the year of the customer.

Ubiquitous advertising, economic discomfort in a shrinking middle class, more ways than ever for people to self-determine the companies they deal with, a hunger for on-demand and personalised products and services, and a younger consumer class grown increasingly distrustful of an unfair capitalist system, are all conspiring to firmly put the ball back in

the court of corporations when it comes to 50

attracting and retaining a customer base.

Back in 2018, James Paine, the Founder of West Realty Advisors wrote, in a piece for Inc, that “twenty years ago, if you paid for a product or service and you weren’t happy with what you received, the best you could hope for was that if you sent in a letter of complaint, you’d eventually receive a refund. You could tell a couple of friends and maybe they’d tell their friends, but that was about it. Nowadays, though, if a customer has a bad experience then they can post about it online, and if they post about it online then it can go viral and even seriously damage the overall value of your brand. After all, all it took was one tweet from Kylie Jenner to knock US$1.3bn off Snapchat’s valuation.”

NOVEMBER 2019

“ People expect improvements at a pretty fast clip these days” — Victoria Holt, CEO, Protolabs

51

The message from consumers is clear: “treat us right or perish.”

This month, we explore explores the strategies being adopted by companies that want not simply to survive this age of seamless consumer experience, but to thrive in it.

Victoria Holt, CEO of digital manufacturer Protolabs, agrees that customer expectations in her industry have changed over the past decade.

“People expect improvements at a pretty fast clip these days. So, being able to very quickly design, prototype a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PEOPLE

52 and launch products is a critical suc-

transform to offer products that are

cess factor for manufacturers today,”

more personalised and readily availa-

she explains, adding that “there’s more

ble, and in return, this drives customer

mass-customisation too, which is

expectations and the standards are

another thing that not only requires

becoming more exacting every year as

rapid innovation, but the capacity to

the customers take more and more

produce products in lower quantities

control.

as you customise them for specific end

“For the last 50 years, software

uses. Again, this lends itself to a more

development has been specification-

digitalised manufacturing process.”

centric. Teams created software that

This emphasis on harnessing the

complied with a specification. That just

power of digital transformation is part

doesn’t work anymore,” says Antony

and parcel with the ouroboric relation-

Edwards, Chief Operating Officer of

ship between the company and

artificial intelligence, analytics and

customer. Companies digitally

software solutions company, Eggplant.

NOVEMBER 2019

CORTEX Social media is the most visible, immediate and effective medium

Small, Boston-based AI startup Cortex touches

through which companies can interact

more lives on a daily

with their customers. These three

basis than most major

startups are using AI to revolutionise the customer experience online.

advertising firms.

Founded in 2015, the company owns and operates a

“ Software teams need to use customer analytics to become user-centric and create software that delights users and drives business outcomes” — Antony Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, Eggplant

proprietary AI platform that reportedly eliminates the need for a dedicated social media data analyst.

“Cortex learns what makes better marketing content and offers creative direction, social media insights, and competitive benchmarking based on this data analysis.”

Trusted by diverse global brands like Heineken (achieving a 39% increase in engagement with the beverage giant’s Dos Equis property) and band

“Software teams need to use customer

Maroon 5, Cortex uses its algo-

analytics to become user-centric and

rithmic analysis of social trends

create software that delights users

to “know exactly what to post,

and drives business outcomes.”

when, how often, and instantly

Edwards’ observations are backed by

add the most effective photo

a recent white paper from Adobe.

or video. No more guessing,

Noting that the most successful mod-

no more searching. Done in no

ern companies are the ones that have

time at all.” a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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PEOPLE

digitally transformed themselves, Adobe warns that “transformation needs to be driven with a purpose.

For top businesses, that purpose is customer experience”. Companies that place customer experience at the top of their list of priorities are more successful than those who adopt a ‘push’ mentality.

But what do those customers want?

High level concepts like “customisability” and “on-demand” are a good start, but to better understand the specific 54

things consumers want from them, successful companies are doubling down on analytics and diverting more and more resources, both to under-

purchases. They then feed this auto-

standing their consumers and to

matically back into their software

providing a seamless experience. “Fast

development to optimise revenue.”

food stores are employing user analyt-

Across the board, industry leaders are

ics to understand how their staff are

moving as one towards a more

using point-of-sale terminals and then

informed company-customer relation-

using this information to update the

ship. In Gartner’s recent Customer

point-of-sale terminal so that custom-

Experience Trends Survey, it was

ers are served faster,” says Edwards.

revealed that, in 2018, two-thirds of

“Retailers are using a combination of

companies increased their customer

user and technical analytics to under-

experience technology investments,

stand how technical factors such as

with 52% reporting that they intended

website speed and design factors such

to increase spending further in 2019. In

as high-resolution graphics, impact

last year’s survey, Gartner found that

NOVEMBER 2019

DRIFT Another Bostonian firm, Drift was founded in 2014 and has since become the world’s leading conversational marketing and sales platform that helps businesses connect with their customers.

With a focus on immediate revenue generation for its clients, Drift has undeniably displayed the trend with regard to its own development.

After just two years on the market, the company has become one of the fastest growing SaaS companies of all-time and was named to the Forbes Cloud 100, LinkedIn 81% of companies expect customer

Top 50 Startups, Entrepreneur’s

experience to be the most important

Top Company Cultures, Boston

competition metric by 2020.

Business Journal’s Best Places to

Seeking to perfect the customer experience is going to become an even greater point of differentiation for com-

Work, and SaaS Company of the Year by the NEVCA. “Using Drift chatbots you can

panies in the next few years. Social

answer common questions in real

media is a valuable tool for companies

time, route qualified leads to the

to understand, sell to and interact with

right sales reps and start conver-

their customer bases, but the sword

sations with prospects in real time.

swings both ways. Debacles like Fyre

Rep in a meeting? No problem,

Festival and Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat

leads can book a time that works

Tweet prove that brands have nowhere

for them and your rep in seconds

to hide anymore; the customer

flat,” according to the company. a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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PEOPLE

INVOCA Founded in 2008, Santa Barbara-based analytics firm Invoca has spent over a decade selling the idea of relationship insights as direct value creation. The company is centered around its AI-powered call tracking and analytics platform that helps marketers get campaign attribution and actionable data from inbound phone calls.

The approach is a less common one, given the focus of most social media solutions on internet engagements over social media apps. However, with the US outbound telemarketing market predicted to reach higher than $12bn annually by 2025, the application of AI to gain greater 56

insight into the space has its appeal.

In an interview in 2017, Invoca CEO Gregg Johnson said: “With the massive rise of mobile, which is driving 85 billion calls to businesses globally and influencing more than $1 trillion in US consumer spending, it’s becoming even more important for marketers to integrate call intelligence with their marketing automation solutions. As consumers increasingly combine their digital interactions with voice interactions, live conversation has become the new competitive battleground for customer experience. Call intelligence allows marketers to connect digital consumer interactions (clicking on paid search ads, browsing websites, etc.) to the voice experience (talking to a human), to have a holistic profile of the customer.�

NOVEMBER 2019

experience must be seamless, curated and on-demand. Companies that want to succeed in what may become the Decade of the Customer need expert help – a fact that means the global Customer Experience Analytics Market is expected to grow to around $12bn by 2023 – and to embrace the power of digital. Vinod Muthukrishnan, co-founder and CEO of customer experience management software company CloudCherry, lives this reality every day. “Customer retention is lower than it ever has been. The millennial audience is actually much more conscious of business ethics, the

IN 2018, TWO-THIRDS OF COMPANIES INCREASED THEIR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS THE GLOBAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ANALYTICS MARKET IS EXPECTED TO GROW TO AROUND $12BN BY 2023

environment and corporate social responsibility than the two generations before it, mine included,” he explains.

When asked about the key to a great customer experience, Muthukrishnan says: “We’re going back to the basics.

In many ways, the more digitisation we do, the more humanisation the customer demands. You can use machine learning, you can use bots – you do whatever, as long as it’s aimed at actually giving that customer a more personal experience.”

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

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NOVEMBER 2019

MANAGING OPERATIONAL RISK IS KEY TO IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY Bill Zuurbier, co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib, discusses the importance of resilience within new structures and the need for clear communication when addressing sustainability

WRITTEN BY

BILL ZUURBIER a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

59

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

60

T

here is an increasing focus on

in the construction sector and other

incorporating resilience into new

industries to prioritise sustainability.

structures, as well as updating

In setting this new target to reduce

existing infrastructure. However,

carbon emissions, the UK is the first

addressing sustainability requires vision

G7 nation to align with the Paris 2015

and clear communication to ensure it

agreement, but others already have

gets the attention it deserves prior to

plans to follow.

and during delivery.

To assist those responsible for the

Increased public awareness of the

design and development of new

impact of climate change and the UK

buildings and infrastructure, the

Government’s recent decision to set

sustainability assessment methodology

a legally-binding target to reduce

– BREEAM – has been rolled out to

greenhouse gas emissions to net zero

more than 70 countries around the

by 2050, are driving decision-makers

world. Used to measure and certify

NOVEMBER 2019

“At any stage of delivery, if whole-life costs are not properly considered, the risks associated with the project can increase dramatically� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib 61

the environmental performance of

environmental or societal benefits.

new and existing buildings, those with

As a result, those responsible for

a rating of Excellent or Outstanding are

designing new projects are specifying

deemed to be sustainable environments

sustainable materials and operational

that meet a high standard in terms of

equipment, usually justified by

their environmental, social and corporate

whole-life cost considerations, which

governance (ESG) performance.

prove their efficiency over time.

Certification schemes and bench-

Operational risks are among the

marks clearly have an important role

biggest risk factors for any major-scale

to play in driving sustainability perfor-

infrastructure programme or construc-

mance. Their use is certainly helping

tion project, and successful mitigation

to attract investors and other stake-

starts at design stage, when sustain-

holders, who increasingly expect

ability is closely considered. At this

projects to deliver measurable

stage, a complete cost plan for the a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

“Building in sustainability and forward planning at design stage can help to make projects more attractive to private sector investors and public sector sponsors� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib 62 project is prepared, incorporating both capital costs, which are associated with the build itself and operational costs, spanning the expected life of the structure. If capital expenditure is low at design stage, but operational costs, such as those incurred when using or maintaining the asset, seem excessive, there is an opportunity to address this by specifying a more sustainable solution.

Once building work gets underway, costs can start to increase and if not properly controlled, some of the sustainability benefits of the structure NOVEMBER 2019

63 could be eroded. From the project

make projects more attractive to

manager’s perspective, if budgets are

private sector investors and public

not being met, there could be pressure

sector sponsors. For this reason, many

to cut corners and decisions might be

designers are focused on reducing

taken to swap sustainable equipment,

both embodied and operational carbon

which comes with a higher price tag,

emissions. This typically involves the

for cheaper, less eco-friendly alterna-

specification of energy-efficient

tives. While this could help to reduce

lighting or microgeneration technolo-

capital expenditure, the longer-term

gies, such as solar panels or wind

impact of such decisions on the life-cycle

turbines. Such equipment may increase

performance of the building could

capital expenditure but has the potential

be considerable, particularly if the

to drastically reduce operational costs

replacement costs more to maintain.

over time, making the building more

Building in sustainability and forward

efficient from a cost and environmental

planning at design stage can help to

perspective. Increasingly, designers a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

are being challenged to future-proof structures to ensure their sustainability by allowing changes to extend their functionality or capacity further down the line, in lieu of significant refurbishment or rebuilding.

At any stage of delivery, if whole-life costs are not properly considered, the risks associated with the project can increase dramatically. An example of this can be seen in the award-winning Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which became home to West Ham 64

Football Club in 2016. Forward-thinking designers and their sponsors were keen to develop a multi-storey asset which could bring diverse benefits to the local area for many years to come.

Their decision to incorporate dual

“Keeping an eye on operational risks at all stages of delivery is vital to ensure that construction projects deliver on their sustainability promises� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib NOVEMBER 2019

it is important that stakeholders at a senior level encourage adherence to the right processes and controls from the start. Once a project is underway, decisions made onsite must be communicated to all stakeholders and endorsed where necessary. As projects can often take many years to complete, these processes and controls must also be robust enough to stick even when there are significant changes of personnel or multiple specialist teams are involved.

Wider application of BIM or Building Information Modelling, which involves the creation of a detailed digital description of every aspect of a building or project, can also help to improve data management and visibility across the life of the project. The ability to integrate 3D models with time and cost data means functionality by allowing the structure

risks can be identified more readily and

to double as an athletics track was

used to inform decision making.

inspired, but the operational costs

Keeping an eye on operational risks

attached to switching from one use

at all stages of delivery is vital to ensure

to the other have since become a bone

that construction projects deliver

of contention.

on their sustainability promises.

To assist in de-risking construction projects and infrastructure programmes and delivering sustainability benefits, e uro a si pea .busi ne ssc h hief. ief. com

65

CITY FOCUS | SHENZHEN

SHEN SHEN City Focus

66

Business Chief turns its eye to the city of Shenzhen, home to both Chinese mega corporations and bustling electronics marketplaces

WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

WILLIAM SMITH

NZHEN a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

67

CITY FOCUS | SHENZHEN

T

he story of Shenzhen is inextricably connected to China’s economic reform beginning in the late 20th

century. Shenzhen became China’s first

special economic zone (SEZ) in 1980. The SEZs were enacted as part of the wider free market reforms put in place by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping – successor to Mao Zedong. Shenzhen served as an experiment to determine the feasibility of the plan, which resulted in increasing amounts of autonomy and rapid growth. With a population of just 68

30,000 in 1979, according to Britannica, the city ballooned to contain 11,908,000 people in 2018. GDP-wise, in 2018, Shenzhen narrowly leapfrogged its neighbour and fellow constituent of the Pearl River Delta megacity, Hong Kong, achieving a figure of $361.2bn.

HUAQIANGBEI AND SHANZHAI One of Shenzhen’s most dynamic attractions is the electronics specialist district of Huaqiangbei. The sprawling electronics marketplaces and manufacturing areas have been well documented and popularised by the likes of Andrew Huang’s blog and YouTube series Strange Parts. Shenzhen Shopper lists just some of the offerings, NOVEMBER 2019

“ The city’s reputation has filtered into the popular consciousness”

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

69

CITY FOCUS | SHENZHEN

“ Shanzhai is not about copying.

Shanzhai is a spirit” Robin Wu, CEO, Meegopad 70

NOVEMBER 2019

with products and services such as phone repair, drones and wholesale electronics components. The city’s reputation has also filtered into the popular consciousness, for instance in the video game Shenzhen I/O which gamifies the challenges inherent in producing cheap electronics and the concept of Shanzhai.

German philosopher Byung-Chul Han’s book Shanzhai offers a definition of the term as fakes or forgeries that are superior to the originals. In 2009, Shenzhen expert Huang likened practitioners of Shanzhai to early

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SHENZHEN: REINVENTING 35 YEARS OF INNOVATION – WIRED’ 71 incarnations of Steve Jobs and Steve

down on Shanzhai products. Now,

Wozniak, founders of Apple. Though

I think the idea of the maker is the

starting out producing unauthorized

same as Shanzhai. Shanzhai is not

copies, many businesses in Shenzhen

about copying. Shanzhai is a spirit.”

have pivoted to producing innovative,

Shenzhen’s reputation for electron-

original items, in industries ranging

ics and innovation is also built on the

from PCB design and assembly to cell

back of larger companies present

phone skinning, and in outfits stretch-

in the city. Perhaps the greatest

ing from a few employees to a few

example of this is Foxconn’s gigantic

hundred. In a documentary on the city

Longhua Science and Technology

produced by Wired, local businessman

Park, which has historically manufac-

Robin Wu details the evolution of the

tured many of Apple’s iPhones. Some

term with the following words: “I was

of China’s largest companies are

one of the people who made Shanzhai

also headquartered in the city, both in

products. In the past, everyone looked

the technology space and otherwise. a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

CITY FOCUS | SHENZHEN

HUAWEI Chinese technology giant Huawei is the Chinese equivalent of the likes of Apple for the US or Samsung for South Korea. Well known for its consumer electronics, including smartphones, the company has also recently hit the news for the networking and telecommunications infrastructure side of the business, particularly with regards to 5G. The firm was founded in the city in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei. Forbes reported this year that revenues for the giant reached $108.9bn annually.

72

TENCENT Tencent is a diverse conglomerate, perhaps best known to the public for its gaming business. It is the owner of American video game developer Riot and its League of Legends game, one of the premier titles used in esports – the importance of which the company’s CEO recently hailed.

Other pursuits include the messaging app Tencent QQ. The company was founded in 1998 by a group including current chairman and CEO Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, and achieved annual revenues of $47.2bn according to Forbes.

NOVEMBER 2019

11.91mn Population of Shanzhai (2018)

PING AN INSURANCE Forbes reported Ping An’s revenue as being $151.8bn and placed it seventh on its Global 2000 list of the world’s largest public companies. The

$361.24bn GDP (2018)

1410

Earliest known recorded mention of Shenzhen

giant is a conglomerate, focusing on differing areas such as the titular insurance industry, as well as banking and investment. Founded during the city’s post Special Economic Zone boom in 1988, it is headquartered in the world’s fourth tallest building, the Ping An Finance Centre skyscraper, which was completed in 2017. Ping An’s Chairman, Ma Mingzhe, has been with the company since the year of its founding.

Upcoming events in the city include the game development event GameDaily Connect Asia 2019 at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, and the Nordic Tech Tour at The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan, a demonstration of Nordic Semiconductor’s technology. Hugely productive on both the smallest and the largest scales, Shenzhen is well positioned to continue to grow its population and economy, and fulfil the promise of the Shanzhai spirit.

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T O P 10

Busiest airports in Asia 74

Business Chief counts down Asia’s busiest airports by passenger traffic in 2018, based on data released by Airports Council International WRITTEN BY

MONTH 2019

WILLIAM SMITH

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T O P 10

76

Singapore Changi 65.63MN PASSENGERS

Singapore Changi Airport is the only passenger airport in Singapore, and the 19th largest in the world. Airline consultancy Skytrax has ranked the airport as the world’s best every year since 2013. With three runways and four passenger terminals, the airport acts as the main hub for Singapore Airlines, the city-state’s flag carrier, and SilkAir. A fifth terminal is scheduled to open in the 2030s.

NOVEMBER 2019

© Gunawan Kartapranata

Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International

66.91MN PASSENGERS

The primary airport of both Jakarta, the island of Java and Indonesia at large, Soekarno-Hatta replaced Kemayoran Airport in 1985.

Garuda Indonesia, the country’s national airline, is headquartered at the airport, which boasts two runways and five terminals, four of which are passenger. Owing to congestion, a third runway was put into service in August 2019, initially in a reduced capacity before opening to its full 3,000m length.

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T O P 10

78

Incheon International 68.35MN PASSENGERS

Incheon International Airport is the main South Korean airport.

Located in the port city of Incheon, the airport serves the adjacent South Korean capital of Seoul, processing 68.35mn passengers per year. Incheon International is also one of the fastest growing of the top passenger airports, experiencing 10% growth year on year from 2017 to 2018, according to Airports Council International. Opening in 2001, the airport features three runways and two terminals.

NOVEMBER 2019

79

Guangzhou Baiyun International

69.77MN PASSENGERS

The first of four Chinese airports on this list, Guangzhou Baiyun serves the city of the same name, capital of China’s southern Guangdong province. One of the most heavily populated cities in the world, it is only fitting that the airport would be one of the busiest, seeing 69.77mn passengers passing through per year. The current airport was completed in 2004, and features three runways, the latest of which opened in 2015, and two passenger terminals.

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T O P 10

80

New Delhi Indira Gandhi International

69.9MN PASSENGERS

Succeeding Safdarjung Airport as Delhi’s principal aviation hub in 1962, Indira Gandhi International Airport processes 69.9mn passengers per year. Named for the only female prime minister in India’s history, the airport was formerly a Royal Air Force, then Indian Air Force base, before a sequence of terminal and runway upgrades brought it to its current capacity. Featuring three runways total, the airport serves as the main hub for Air India, the government-owned flag carrier of India.

NOVEMBER 2019

81

Shanghai Pudong 74.01MN PASSENGERS

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the main hub for China’s second largest passenger airline: China Eastern Airlines. The airport is a relatively new development for the coastal city, opening in 1999 to supplement Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport dating from 1923. The airport is constructed on the banks of the Yangtze river estuary, and features five runways, the latest of which opened in 2015.

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Hong Kong International 74.52MN PASSENGERS

At 74.52mn passengers, Hong Kong International Airport just edges Shanghai Pudong for fourth place. The airport was opened in 1998 to replace the former International Airport, now known as Kai Tak. Owing to the paucity of space in Hong Kong, which lies on the coast across a peninsula and a number of islands, it was necessary to reclaim land around the island of Chek Lap Kok for its construction.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, uses the airport as its hub, as does Cathay Dragon and Hong Kong Airlines.

NOVEMBER 2019

83

Tokyo International 87.13MN PASSENGERS

Tokyo International Airport is just one name for Japan’s largest passenger airport, with it also going by the name of Haneda after the Tokyo neighbourhood in which it is located. It is not to be confused with New Tokyo International Airport, or Narita, which historically acted as Japan’s main international airport, though the lines are now more blurred. Flag carrier Japan Airlines and its larger competitor All Nippon Airways are both based across the two Tokyo airports. Its annual passenger throughput of 87.13 makes it the world’s fourth busiest airport, significantly ahead of closest Asian competitor, Hong Kong.

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T O P 10

Dubai International

89.15MN PASSENGERS

Dubai International Airport is the world’s third busiest airport with 89.15mn passengers per year. Despite its size, the airport’s annual 84

growth was the lowest of the world’s top 20 at 1% – the next slowest growing was Tokyo at 2%. Nevertheless, the airport is a vital contributor to the economy of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates at large, with a 2014 report by Oxford Economics suggesting in 2013 its contribution represented 26.7% of Dubai’s GDP. The airport serves as the hub for the Middle East’s largest airline, Emirates, as well as another government owned carrier in the form of flydubai.

NOVEMBER 2019

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Beijing Capital International

100.98MN PASSENGERS

The title of the largest passenger airport in Asia goes to the Beijing Capital International Airport, which serves over 100mn passengers 86

annually. Operating under the IATA airport code of ‘PEK’, the airport is the second busiest worldwide, behind only the US’ Hartsfield– Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Acting as the hub for Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China, the airport is under state ownership. As it is at, or near, capacity, a second airport, Beijing Daxing International, is under construction and expected to open soon.

NOVEMBER 2019

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88

MCDERMOTT: LEADING THE WAY IN THE LNG MARKET WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

RYAN HALL

NOVEMBER 2019

DLV108 offshore Western Australia for Ichthys project

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MCDERMOTT

Mark Lowman, VP for Projects and Operations in Asia Pacific at McDermott, discusses the company’s key differentiators and innovations in the increasingly competitive LNG market

O

Founded just short of 100 years ago, global engineering, procurement, construction and installation giant McDermott

is no stranger to evolving with the times. As global energy markets shift away from coal, McDermott 90

is truly capitalising on its longstanding liquified natural gas (LNG) expertise.

Mark Lowman, Vice President for Projects and Operations for the company’s Asia Pacific (APAC) operations, believes McDermott adds great value to the market. “McDermott is one of the most experienced engineering and construction firms in the industry,” Lowman says. “We’ve been serving the LNG market for quite a few years; we built the first LNG regasification import terminal in the United States. Over the years, we’ve developed our processes and technologies with the goal of benefitting our customers. These include: new methods of liquefaction, tank installation, BTU (British thermal unit) reduction, and other proprietary processes.”

NOVEMBER 2019

QMW fabrication facility, Qingdao, China

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MCDERMOTT

92

“OVER THE YEARS, WE’VE DEVELOPED OUR PROCESSES AND TECHNOLOGIES WITH THE GOAL OF BENEFITTING OUR CUSTOMERS”

In APAC, where demand for LNG is spiking across its multifarious territories, innovative projects are front of mind.

“Global demand is on the rise, with countries like China switching from coal to natural gas, and India following suit along with other countries. For contractors such as McDermott, that’s obviously good for business, but we have to meet that demand and advance our technologies to be able to offer our customers

Mark Lowman, Vice President, Projects and Operations, Asia, McDermott

a cost-effective solution that brings gas to the market quickly,” he says. “With 60 years’ experience in the sector, we think our expertise gives us an edge

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE NEW MCDERMOTT’ 93 and makes us a leader in LNG. But

sustainability. “The customer will have

what’s great about this is that LNG

constraints around what they can

offers natural and clean energy; it’s

develop and we, in turn, inherit those

an abundant bridge fuel to more

constraints,” he says. “In terms of

renewable energy sources. Most

increased sustainability, along with the

importantly, the key differentiator for

work we conduct with customers,

McDermott is that we can perform

we are also working on a number of

an entire LNG project from start to

initiatives.” One of those initiatives,

finish, from site selection concept

known as NET Power, is being realised

right through to the tank.”

through a partnership between

In addition, Lowman says that

McDermott, Exelon, 8 Rivers and

McDermott’s strategy is keenly defined

Occidental. “NET Power is focused

by the company’s close collaboration

on developing a new natural gas power

with customers, particularly in terms

technology that produces low-cost

of environmental action and enhanced

electricity while emitting zero carbon a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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With its regional presence, together with its sister companies Matheson Tri-Gas in the United States of America and Nippon Gases Europe, Leeden NOX is able to support its partners in their global operations.

LEARN MORE

OUR LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH MCDERMOTT Leeden NOX began working with McDermott, when McDermott first began their operations in Batam, Indonesia in the 1970s. Today, Leeden NOX is honoured to be the partner of choice for McDermott, for their gas, welding and safety requirements.

Our gas division first began supporting McDermott in their gas requirements at their Singapore facilities in the early 1970s. We extended this collaboration to McDermott’s yard in Batam, Indonesia thereafter with gases initially being sent from Singapore until we established PT National Industrial Gases Indonesia (PT NIG). Today, we are a total gas solution partner to McDermott in Batam, where we supply a myriad of gases that caters to McDermott’s cutting needs (namely dissolved acetylene, compressed natural gas and oxygen) and stringent welding requirements (namely shielding gases like compressed carbon dioxide, liquid argon and compressed nitrogen).

Over the years, these gases play a significant role in the production process of topside platforms and jackets for their clientele, which are used in some of the world’s harshest environment today.

PT NIG recently launched the San Arc™ welding shielding gas to increase welding productivity and deliver significant proven cost savings for mild steel, stainless steel, duplex stainless steel and titanium welding requirements. In areas where innovative welding solutions are needed, Leeden NOX is able to formulate unique San Arc™ gas mixtures for specific or special materials.

Our wide range of industrial gases are often used in tandem with Leeden NOX’s welding filler metals, welding and cutting equipment, to deliver the best-in-class welding and cutting performance.

As the choice provider of welding and cutting equipment to McDermott, McDermott recently invested in state-of-the-art Miller XMT 350 FieldPro™ & ArcReach SuitCase 12 wire feeders for their yard operations. When used together as a system, the Miller XMT 350 FieldPro™ & ArcReach SuitCase 12 wire

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This is achieved by eliminating the time spent tracing weld cables even at hundreds of feet back to the power source as weld operators are now able to make voltage adjustments at the ArcReach wire feeder.In addition, the Cable Length Compensation (CLC™) technology ensures that the voltage a weld operator sets is the voltage they get, by automatically adjusting voltage based on weld cable length. Coupled with the use of Hobart Fabshield 81N1 and Fabshield 81N2 flux-cored self-shielded wires, McDermott is able to conduct critical welding operations even in strong windy outdoor yard conditions.

Leeden NOX places a strong emphasis on the importance of a safe, healthy and clean work environment, and offers safety solutions in the areas of personal protection, fall protection & rescue systems, emergency response and environmental protection. As the exclusive partner to several renowned international brands, Leeden NOX is proud to equip McDermott employees with Red Wing safety boots for their daily operations.

The wide and keen adoption of quality gas, welding and safety solutions by McDermott demonstrates their vision towards the delivery of complete, innovative solutions for their clients, whilst instilling a robust and mindful Quality, Health, Safety, Environment and Security culture. Leeden NOX seeks to extend our excellent partnership with McDermott, as we further our collaboration in the areas of gas, welding and safety in the many years to come.

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Pt Great Dynamic Indonesia.

Komplek Sri Jaya Abadi Blok f No 5-10 Nagoya Batam Island Indonesia 29432 Phone (62-778) 455514, 456881 www.greatdynamic.com

emissions. This is based on an

“We’re looking at modifications for

innovative approach to carbon capture

fuel specifications, particularly with

and, in our view, has the potential to

gasoline octane,” says Lowman.

revolutionise the power industry,”

Lummus Technology, owned by

comments Lowman. As the construction

McDermott through the merger with

contractor for the project, McDermott

Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) in May

has already built the pilot plants in

2018, offers a product known as

La Porte, Texas, where the tech will

AlkyClean, which increases the octane

be put through its paces.

content of gasoline. It recently won the

Another initiative the company is

Environmental Protection Agency’s

enacting is called Clean Fuels—a

President’s Award. Lummus is also

response to combustion engines

integral to another sustainability-centric

becoming lighter and capable of

initiative: Chevron Lummus Global,

exerting higher compression ratios.

a joint venture between McDermott

NetPower a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

97

MCDERMOTT

“WITH 60 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN THE MARKET, WE THINK OUR EXPERTISE GIVES US AN EDGE AND MAKES US A LEADER IN LNG” Mark Lowman, Vice President, Projects and Operations, Asia, McDermott 98

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘INPEX ICHTHYS LNG PROJECT’

NOVEMBER 2019

99

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mark Lowman Mark Lowman is an accomplished, highly resourceful Executive Management professional with a wealth of experience in managing multi-billion dollar construction projects in the Oil and Gas industry from inception to delivery. Prior to his career in the oil and gas industry, Mark had a successful naval career moving from the ranks to Lieutenant Commander. Mark has been with McDermott International Inc. for seven years in a variety of roles, including as the Director of Fabrication in Batam, Indonesia, Senior Director of Commercial Asia Pacific, and Vice President of Project Execution in both Asia Pacific and in Houston. Marks holds a Master of Business from Deakin University and has degrees in Nuclear Engineering, Naval Science and Operational Studies, from Britannia Royal Naval College and Royal Naval College Greenwich.

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PROFAB

Completion & Production Solutions

We Power the Industry that Powers the World Established in 1998 and located in Batam, Indonesia.

Profab is a recognized leader in the supply and manufacture of equipment for the Oil and Gas industry, Specialising in the manufacture of; Subsea equipment & Mooring Systems Process Modules, Skids & Well Head Platforms Pressure Vessels and Heat exchangers

Learn more

www.nov.com +62 778 413 250

and Chevron focused on helping

this philosophy has yielded modern

refiners produce high-quality transpor-

load transfer systems, reusable pallets

tation fuels. “The portfolio under this

and onshore modularization – an

initiative helps our customers maximise

increasingly important factor in location

every barrel of crude oil into higher-val-

selection for new plants, refineries and

ue products,” says Lowman. “That

the like. “We also have a digital twin,

means minimising waste and maximis-

GeminiXD, which enables customers

ing a limited resource.”

to reduce waste by offering a single

These efforts to mitigate the

source of truth,” Lowman says. “It has

environmental impacts of its projects

a nickname, Design Twin, and it consists

are ingrained in a sustainable design

of a software suite that provides 3D

philosophy implemented at every level,

design and modelling capabilities.

cutting emissions without negatively

It integrates inflight, outfield data from

affecting the bottom line. Internally,

different sources and it pulls all that

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OPTIMIZING SUBSEA DESIGN SOLUTIONS’

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101

MCDERMOTT

AllAlloy Dynaweld Pte Ltd | T +65 6897 8878 | F +65 6897 7006 E sales@allalloy.com | W www.allalloy.com S I N G A P O R E • M A L AY S I A • I N D O N E S I A • M YA N M A R

MIS S IO N : Delivering high-end filler metals, welding systems, heating systems, accessories and consumables that will increase our customers’ productivity.

Be our customers’ preferred partner by providing complete welding solution.

MARINE, OIL & GAS FABRICATORS OFFSHORE PIPE LAYING CONSTRUCTORS POWER PLANT AND PETROCHEMICAL CONSTRUCTION WIND TOWER FABRICATORS Building our brand to mean creativity, reliability, technical superiority, friendliness and honesty to all our customers, partners and stakeholders.

103 together to become a single source of truth for design, procurement, fabrication and construction before handing over to the customer.”

Lowman enthuses that, as a contractor, Gemini adds significant value to McDermott’s operations through increased efficiency and minimisation of errors. With such a deep portfolio across so many territories, incremental upgrades to efficiency resonate

“IN ASIA, WE ALSO SUPPORT THE REST OF OUR GLOBAL OPERATIONS IN TERMS OF ENGINEERING. WE HAVE A TERM FOR IT, MOPEX, THE MULTIOPERATIONAL PROJECT EXECUTION MODEL”

throughout McDermott’s operations.

APAC, Lowman’s ward, represents one of McDermott’s most diverse profiles. “The region is unique in that

Mark Lowman, Vice President, Projects and Operations, Asia, McDermott a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

MCDERMOTT

every country is different,” he explains.

“And that brings various challenges and opportunities. For example, in India, we’re currently executing two subsea projects on the east coast—one for Reliance Industries, the other for ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation).

We’re designing the infrastructure and hardware for the seabed to enable us to pipe gas and hydrocarbons from the wellhead to the onshore terminal.”

In addition, McDermott is conducting a tank-building project in a remote area 104

of the Philippines, a significant offshore platform project in Vietnam, and a further LNG endeavour, known as Ichthys, with INPEX in Australia. “We have a wide range and variety of works that we’re currently executing,” Lowman says.

“In Asia, we also support the rest of our global operations in terms of engineering. We have a term for it, MOPEX, the multi-operational project execution model.” He offers a hypothetical example whereby a project for the North Sea would be executed in Asia, engineered out of the firm’s Kuala Lumpur office, supported by its Indian offices and manufactured at McDermott’s fabrication facility in Batam, Indonesia. “That’s NOVEMBER 2019

the power of the company, being able to unite the strengths of each region across the globe,” Lowman says.

Lowman adds that McDermott’s evolution and expansion are driven by an unerring commitment to the customer, a firm ear to the ground of the market and a global presence that informs and empowers itself. “Since we merged with CB&I in 2018, McDermott has become a very different company.

We’re a much larger, technology-led and integrated firm, with a formidable presence in offshore and onshore energy markets. We’ve effectively gone from 13,000 employees to 32,000, and we’re able to perform entire projects in-house.”

As McDermott continues to grow, that comprehensiveness is sure to be a key differentiator in the increasingly competitive LNG space.

Given McDermott’s demonstrable prowess, it certainly appears ready for the challenge.

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105

106

AI

for Good

WRITTEN BY

MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY

NATHAN HOLMES

NOVEMBER 2019

107

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MICROSOFT

Microsoft is using pioneering technology including AI and machine learning to address the world’s most critical challenges

A

ccording to the UN’s Environment Emissions Gap Report 2018, “now more than ever, unprecedented and urgent

action is required” to address the climate and sustainability crisis faced globally. Achieving 108

a sustainable and prosperous planet requires a concerted effort and, in this era, the pace of movement must be accelerated.

Chiefly, this acceleration can be achieved through the driving of collaboration between public-private partnerships, the greater enforcement of policy on a global scale, and, according to technology giant Microsoft, the harnessing of the power of digital technology to combat climate change. Elaborating on this, Mike Chan, General Manager Azure, Microsoft APAC, says: “At Microsoft we are committed to delivering on our environmental goals for sustainability and empowering our customers and partner ecosystem with the technology and tools to deliver on theirs. This starts with data capture, harnessing the power of the intelligent Cloud – a platform of limitless NOVEMBER 2019

109

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MICROSOFT

“ We are committed to delivering on our environmental goals for sustainability and empowering our customers and partner ecosystem” — Mike Chan General Manager Azure, Microsoft APAC 110

compute scale – and driving innovation to meet demanding business challenges and create meaningful impact with speed and agility.”

Microsoft is leading the acceleration of movement in this field. The business, world-renowned for its innovative and pioneering technology, is working more closely than ever with partners and customers to use AI and other digital technologies to address global sustainability challenges. The former, for example, has the power to amplify human ingenuity and extend our capabilities so that we can achieve more, says Microsoft. “Democratising technology is of utmost importance to Microsoft; the power of accessibility and inclusivity in the digital age will transform industries, collectively enabling us to become more productive and jointly solve society’s biggest challenges,” says Sherie Ng, General Manager Public Sector APAC at the company. “With technology, we are empowered to create a future for the greater good – imagine a future with limitless possibilities.”

On a wider level, the company believes in the power of technology

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AI FOR GOOD’ 111 for the common good to drive soci-

years, investing $50mn in five years to

etal impact, and enable a range of

advance the use of cloud and AI tech-

economic and social opportunities.

nologies in an environmental capacity,

Through partnerships and investments

100% carbon neutrality across the

with the public, private and civic sec-

company’s global operations every

tors – the United Nations and other

year since 2012, and a 20% reduc-

global non-profit organisations – it

tion in product packaging for all new

aims to contribute towards achiev-

devices in 2018.

ing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Since 2009, Microsoft has made

In April this year, Microsoft announced it would close to double its internal carbon fee to $15 per met-

and met several commitments towards

ric tonne on all carbon emissions. It

environmental sustainability. These

also detailed ongoing plans to further

include a drive to cut operational car-

implement renewable energy and

bon emissions by 75% over the next 11

innovation into its data centres (60% a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

MICROSOFT

112

renewable energy use by 2020). Here, the business is dedicated to building a

and zero-waste.

These achievements are impressive

“responsible cloud of the future�. It aims

enough in isolation. However, core to

to achieve this through measures such

Microsoft’s sustainability vision, is the

as ensuring that 50% of the current

belief that its ambition and the tech-

volume of electricity used by its data

nologies it develops should empower

centres is from green energy sources

others. In 2017, the company launched

such as wind, solar and hydropower.

its AI for Earth Grant initiative, which

In addition, Microsoft is committed

sees it partner with leading environ-

to its sustainable campuses building

mental and research groups to develop

initiative. These, in combination with its

AI, machine learning and cloud-related

smart building technology, will see the

solutions to problems such as climate

company become the first large corpo-

change. Since then, Microsoft has

rate campus to achieve zero-carbon

awarded more than 230 grants to

NOVEMBER 2019

recipients in around 60 countries. AI

that the company conducted with PwC

for Earth represents a US$50 million,

on how the technology can enable a

five-year commitment to put artificial

sustainable future. This suggested

intelligence technology in the hands of

several benefits to greater AI adoption,

individuals and organisations around

including reducing global greenhouse

the world who are working to protect

gas emissions by up to 4% by 2030,

the planet across four key areas – agri-

gains of as much as $5.2tn to busi-

culture, biodiversity, climate change,

nesses through improved productivity

and water. The initiative reinforces the

and automation, and a 4.4% rise on

crucial role that Microsoft believes AI

global GDP by 2030.

will play in the future. Further evidence of this can be found in a research paper

The business is currently working on several related projects with partners 113

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Sherie Ng Sherie leads Microsoft’s public sector business across Asia Pacific, together with the larger partner eco-system spearhead and accelerate pace of digital transformation for governments, healthcare and education institutions as well as large state-owned enterprises in the region. An industry veteran with more than 22 years of experience in managing businesses in high tech sector, Sherie is passionate about technology’s role in enabling societal shifts, empowering people for inclusive and sustainable development of societies. prior to Microsoft, Sherie was the managing director for NICE in Asia-Pacific, where she helped large enterprises embrace digital innovation for business breakthroughs with robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and smart data.

Her previous experiences include leadership roles at Invensys, Singtel, CSG and Lucent Technologies.

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MICROSOFT

114

and customers in the energy sector

entered into partnership with Microsoft

under the banner of ‘tech intensity’,

to migrate Hermes to Microsoft Azure,

which describes using the latest tech-

thus improving inspection times sig-

nology to drive efficiencies and create

nificantly, allowing for the capture and

a more sustainable planet.

use of better data and enabling greater

Close collaboration with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, for example, has helped to make renewable

predictive maintenance and fewer costly repairs.

According to the World Health

energy more affordable and sustain-

Organization, a staggering 66 people

able. Siemens was previously using its

on average die in road accidents every

Hermes system – autonomous drones

day in Thailand. PTT Global Chemical

coupled with a digital platform – to

Public Company Limited (GC) plans

monitor its wind turbines. The company

to reduce the accident rate on the

Bangkok to Rayong route and enable the safety of more than 4,000 employees that clock up around 8,000 trips between the two locations. GC worked with its shuttle drivers, Microsoft and Frontis to design the ‘AI for Road Safety’ solution, which uses facial recognition AI to detect and alert when drivers show signs of risk such as drowsiness and distraction. GC sees the programme as a major component of its intention to contribute to society, especially in Rayong, where the company has a number of factories Elsewhere, water and energy technologies provider Ecolab and energy

“ The power of accessibility and inclusivity in the digital age will transform industries” — Sherie Ng General Manager, Public Sector APAC Microsoft

company Orsted, have implemented Microsoft Azure, as well as its IoT and AI solutions, to make significant leaps forward in improving water conservation and the efficiency of renewable energy respectively.

By 2050, the demand for food is expected to outpace production by over 70%. Farmers need access to better data on their land in order to maximise both efficiency and yield, while at the same time, reducing environmental impact. However, gathering data from farms is difficult due a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

115

MICROSOFT

116 to typically low technology adoption rates by farmers, particularly in the developing world, where access to technology is often limited. To address these issues, Microsoft is working to enabling greater precision in farming with the use of AI through Farmbeats.

This uses the company’s machine learning algorithms, together with lowcost sensors, drones, and other data to deliver actionable insights to farmers. Microsoft believes that this data, coupled with the farmer’s knowledge of his or her farm, can help to increase farm productivity while reducing NOVEMBER 2019

environmental impact and out-ofpocket costs.

With transport and buildings making a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, Microsoft is also focused on ‘architecture for the new world’, or smart cities. In this field, the business has several key innovations around smart buildings and smart energy. Microsoft ICONICS, for example, is a smart building software that collects and analyses IoT sensor data from building management systems to give information on general property status, as well as where improvements can be made to achieve greater energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs.

An example of the company’s work in this sector can be seen in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. The city has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and thus city planners were looking for methods of streamlining its municipal operations while improving energy efficiency and safety for citizens. Microsoft partnered with local company AAEON to develop an IoT-based solution that would form the basis of a cloud-based monitoring system for the city’s more than 150,000 a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

117

MICROSOFT

street lights. Previously, city officials had followed a reactive maintenance programme, based on citizens reporting light failures before maintenance teams were eventually sent to the location. Instead, the AAEON Lighting Control System enables predictive and preventive maintenance, optimises the duration that the lights are on in order to maximise safety and forms part of a greater holistic ecosystem for a wider smart city concept.

Naturally, such dedication to as important a cause as the world’s 118

climate requires a resolute and single-minded culture within the business. Microsoft believes that every

“ Microsoft believes that every employee must play a central role in transformation and making a difference […] this mindset is fostered under the theme of ‘AI for Good’” — Sherie Ng General Manager, Public Sector APAC Microsoft NOVEMBER 2019

employee must play a central role in transformation and making a difference. The company encourages members of staff to always focus on learning, to take risks and to fail fast – by doing so, it states, they will make a difference and find a deeper meaning in their work. This mindset is fostered under the theme of ‘AI for Good’: combining the company’s technology and expertise in artificial intelligence and data science with the talent and expertise of groups around the world in fields such as environmental science,

1975

Year founded

$125bn+ Approximate revenue (2019)

119

disability needs and humanitarian

global network capable of connecting

assistance to create a more sustain-

billions, even trillions, of datapoints

able and accessible world.

about the global environment. This

In the longer term, Microsoft remains

system, says Joppa, would have

focused on leveraging the power of

“the computing power and machine

technology and innovation. In particu-

learning tools to process them into

lar, according to the company’s Chief

actionable insights that will empower

Sustainability Officer Lucas Joppa,

decision makers in every corner of the

the ultimate solution could come in

globe to put sustainability first. And,

the form of an ambitious and innova-

although parts of this plan may seem

tive “planetary computer”. The scale of

like science fiction, it could be a reality

innovation here would be significant, as

in the near future.”

Joppa explains, revolving around the development and implementation of a a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

120

EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

NOVEMBER 2019

WRITTEN BY

MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING 121

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TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

FOR TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DIGITAL INNOVATION IS IMPROVING REGIONAL EDUCATION, AS RABINDRA DAS EXPLAINS

A

lot can happen in a year. That’s certainly the case for the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, one of New Zealand’s larg-

est technology institutes that, in October 2018, embarked on a digital journey with a human-centric approach. In just under 12 months, and following the implementation of several innovative technolo122

gies, Toi Ohomai has improved the agility of its operations, created new resources for its students and staff and increased conversion rates.

Head of Information Technology at Toi Ohomai, Rabindra Das, has been instrumental in the rollout of the institute’s digital plan. He explains that the impetus for the change lies in a complex merger that the organisation went through three years prior, in 2016, when two regional institutions in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty – one in Tauranga and one in Rotorua – came together. “It was really driven by a desire to better serve the region as a whole,” says Das, recalling the high unemployment and lower socio-economic demographic in the wider Bay of Plenty area. “It’s so important to us to engage with our local communities so that they have the best opportunity to take part in tertiary education – it’s NOVEMBER 2019

123

“ IT’S ALL ABOUT PROVIDING THE VERY BEST REGIONAL DELIVERY WE CAN” Rabindra Das, Head of Information Technology, Toi Ohomai Institute

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Customer driven networking Creating a secure, self-healing network requires the latest technological advancements. Extreme Networks has the expertise in network automation, security, machine learning and analytics to help you drive your digital transformation journey forward.

Learn More

61 414 397 797 www.extremenetworks.com/contact

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘LEARN BY DOING – TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY’ 125 all about providing the very best deliv-

delivering new and improved services,

ery in line with the needs of the region.”

to run our organisation more efficiently

Between 2016 and the start of this

and effectively, and have the founda-

year, Das was occupied with the merg-

tions in place to start looking at the new

ing of various disparate systems that

capabilities we needed.”

were used by the two institutes into one

Those new capabilities formed the

central solution. It was, he admits, a

basis of the digital plan that was imple-

challenging task: “We had two organi-

mented towards the end of 2018. In

sations coming together, two IT teams

late spring of that year, as Das explains,

with their own methods of operating and

the institute began considering ways

at different levels of maturity from an IT

in which it could improve student

perspective. We had a limited budget

recruitment and engagement, offer

with which to carry out the merger, so

a better customer experience and

it was a challenge, but we knew that in

connect the staff across campuses

the end we’d be in a position to begin

more effectively. “Our conversion a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

126

ratios were quite low,” he says. “We

centred around five key strategic goals

used various human-centric design

to support the business. Work under

thinking methods to approach the

these goals included improving and

issue from a different angle. Rather

streamlining the online applications

than set out the problem and come

process, implementing new wifi and

up with a solution, we got out there,

campus network switches across

carried out empathy studies, spoke

all campuses, developing innovative

to students to fully uncover the inhibi-

digital workspaces for staff, and the

tors and problems they faced, and it

creation of a student portal app. “It’s

proved invaluable – it was the catalyst

not just about creating new systems,”

we needed for real change.”

he notes, “it’s about looking more

In response to the feedback, Das

broadly to revolutionise the way that

and his team developed and rolled

we work and empower staff to become

out the institute’s strategic IT plan,

more productive.”

NOVEMBER 2019

127

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Rabindra Das Rabindra is an experienced IT professional with over 25 years’ commercial experience, in corporate organisations like Johnson & Johnson Medical, Lucent Technologies and Gen-i (now Spark), the last ten years have been within Tertiary Education at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

Rabindra is an elected officer for the Rhubarb Committee which is a Bay of Plenty organisation looking to take the Bay to the forefront of innovation, technology and talent development. Rabindra also sits on the IT Professionals NZ Tauranga Committee. Rabindra recently completed a Post Grad in Leadership at the Waikato Management School, and is continuing his learning journey with an online Masters in Management at Massey.

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TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

128

2016

Year founded

£90mn+ Approximate revenue

750

Approximate number of employees

NOVEMBER 2019

129

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

Transforming Your Campus Services into a Personalised Mobile Experience campusM delivers a mobile app and portal that helps institutions deliver on their strategic goals and gives their students a one-stop shop for everything they need.

Personalise your services

campus

+61 402 901 113 www.campusm.com

Understandably, technology played

campusM platform. It was one of

a big part in this revolution. “Regardless

many developments we knew we had

of the hardware we had on site, we

to realise. The students needed a cen-

knew we had to have a really solid and

tral place or hub that they can use to

robust network,” Das explains. “For

find out information in order to network

that reason, one of the first things

and to engage with the institution. It’s

we did was to ensure our campuses

been very well received; I think we’re

were well connected. We provided a

somewhere in the region of 5,000

solid base and ensured a consistent

downloads which is a fantastic result.”

user experience at every location. We

“It’s really important that we don’t

partnered with Extreme Networks

rest on our laurels,” he adds. “The app

to deliver this capability which was a

has been successful, but it’s now a

huge undertaking, but it was delivered

case of ‘what’s next?’. We’re approach-

successfully and without issue. The

ing this by asking those students that

student portal app uses Exlibris’

haven’t downloaded the app why they

NOVEMBER 2019

“WE USED VARIOUS HUMAN-CENTRIC DESIGN THINKING METHODS TO APPROACH THE ISSUE FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE” Rabindra Das, Head of Information Technology, Toi Ohomai Institute 131 haven’t, and to gain as much feedback as we can from those that have. As part of this, and to encourage further uptake, we’re considering using campusM to create an app for our staff too.

A student attendance app is likely to be the first module on the app, which would modernise and streamline how we currently record attendance.”

With regards to improving how the institute’s staff approach their work, Das is keen to highlight the new modern intranet solution that has been rolled out. “We had two legacy a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

TOI OHOMAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

132

“ REGARDLESS OF THE HARDWARE WE HAD ON SITE, WE KNEW WE HAD TO HAVE A REALLY SOLID AND ROBUST NETWORK” Rabindra Das, Head of Information Technology, Toi Ohomai Institute

NOVEMBER 2019

intranets and an interim one, however, fairly early into the merger process, we all agreed that it was essential to have a single version for everyone to use. Rather than a change, it’s been a leap to an innovative digital workplace that has collaboration tools, communication capabilities and other really great features that have really helped. Any significant change should be started from the top, so measures like this have been

over 100 people using it, and that number is growing as we start moving into a proper deployment phase.”

The last 12 months has seen the institute build a firm foundation on which it can continue its digital journey. Most of the goals originally set, confirms Das, have been met or are currently on track. Looking further ahead, there are plans in place to update the student app further to increase its capabilities in line with a new cohort of students joining. “Elsewhere, we’re looking at additional automation across various systems, as well as integrating things like machine learning and AI, particularly when it comes to interpreting the data that we collect and providing really important in moving forwards.”

analysis or trends. Through combining

“In this vein, our exec team embraced

all these technologies and systems, it’s

being early adopters and were the

all coming together and we’re seeing

‘pilot team’ in terms of introducing

great results, including increasing our

new developments like Microsoft

student conversion ratios this year. We

Teams, and they’ve really loved it,” he

now have the capabilities to expand our

continues. “It’s given us all new ways

offering, and we fully intend to do so.”

of working, and improved things like organisational communication and collaboration. However, most importantly, it’s brought everyone closer together.

What turned out to be a pilot now has a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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134

ACCELERATING AUTOMATION IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN WRITTEN BY

PRODUCED BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE CAITLYN COLE

NOVEMBER 2019

135

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NEWCOLD

136

Speaking to Supply Chain Digital in Wakefield, Abhy Maharaj, Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer, discusses how influential automation has become to his firm’s operations

T

he industry is changing — automation has become king. The influence of technology on how businesses operate shows

no signs of slowing down and its now become paramount that companies are agile or risk getting left behind. In the case of NewCold, the latest industry trends have been embraced and instilled into four key pillars: innovation, trust, agility and automation.

NewCold is recognised as a leader in the development and operation of highly automated cold stores.

The firm has a global network with eight locations in three continents and is still growing.

NOVEMBER 2019

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LIVING LOGISTICS

REALIZING VISIONS

TGW is your reliable partner for intralogistics solutions: We deliver complete integrated solutions for our customers, realize and service mechatronical subsystems or products adapted to the specific needs of our distributors. TGW Distributor Business is proud of the successful long-term cooperation with NewCold, which includes most areas of intralogistics.

www.tgw-group.com

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘INNOVATION AT THE HEART - ABHY MAHARAJ, NEWCOLDS GLOBAL CCO & COO’ 139 Speaking to Supply Chain Digital

the data, its value and how to build the

at the company’s Wakefield site, Abhy

logistical business around it. All of our

Maharaj, Global Chief Commercial

sites are 80-90% automated and you

Officer & Chief Operating Officer,

won’t find anything else close to that

stresses just how vital technology

all over the world.”

has become to NewCold. “At the heart

Maharaj lives and works at NewCold’s

of NewCold is technology and we

Asia Pacific headquarters in Melbourne.

always operate with the customer in

Still relatively fresh into the role having

mind. What makes us different is the

joined in July 2019, Maharaj believes

way in which we leverage technology

that NewCold’s key focus on customer-

to deliver solutions for our customers,”

centricity was an important factor on his

he explains. “Take Big Data for instance,

decision to join the firm. “When I looked

when NewCold thinks about automa-

at the model, it was breath-taking

tion or about its customers and services

because it centered around automation

— that starts with data. We understand

and getting large volumes of product a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

Degrees Beyond.

Founded in 1997 on the principles of sound construction, exceptional customer service, financial responsibility and personnel management, we are a structurally dynamic organization dedicated to outperforming our competition and exceeding the expectations of the cold storage industry. Most importantly, we are here to help our clients succeed.

As an employee-owned company, each member of our team is empowered and vested in the success of our clients. We commit 100% to each detail, big and small. We dismiss the idea of cutting corners and we aim to provide the best for our clients in every aspect. We pledge to complete your job safely, efficiently, on-time and within budget.

The partnership with Newcold and their construction team highlights our commitment to listen to our clients and tailor solutions that fit their particular needs.

SubZero is your partner from concept to completion.

949 216 9506 subzeroconstructors.com

LEARN MORE

in and out,” affirms Maharaj. “I developed

I feel like it’s a great time to be joining

a strong relationship with NewCold’s

NewCold and also for us to realise our

founder, Bram Hage, who I felt was

potential beyond the three continents

a great visionary and always had the

that we’ve just entered.”

customer at heart. I truly believed it

With automation at the forefront of

was a business model that suited me

operations, NewCold leverages ware-

very well and it’s tremendously scalable

house management software (WMS)

across the world. It’s rare that a

in its automated facilities, which has

European-based business can enter

proven highly successful at the compa-

the US and Australian markets so quickly

ny’s eight facilities worldwide. The WMS,

and we’re only just scratching the surface.

developed by Davanti Warehousing,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

141

Abhy Maharaj Abhy Maharaj is the Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer for NewCold. Maharaj is from New Zealand and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Auckland. In his previous roles Maharaj was Head of Strategy & Investor Relations for Air New Zealand, Director of Equity Markets and Strategy for Fonterra Co-operative Group and CFO for Fonterra Australia. During this time, he was responsible for a number of significant transformation initiatives ranging from establishment of new business ventures, re-engineering of customer engagement models, technology and online innovations and complex financial restructuring including leading a $13bn IPO. Maharaj also studied at Harvard Business School and is married to Ashika Maharaj. He has three children.

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

INDUSTRIAL

COOLING

SOLUTIONS Potyzestraat 42 B-8900 IEPER BELGIUM Tel.+32 57 21 86 21 www.skt.be info@skt.be

- Major refrigeration contractor to the European frozen food industry - Specialist in the design of large industrial ammonia plants - Manufacturer and installer of large modular IQF freezing tunnels - Authorised installer of Howden, Grasso & Bitzer - Up to 40 tons/hour - More than 50 years of experience - Service 24/24 - 7/7

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CCO AND COO ABHY MAHARAJ ON THE NEWCOLD FAMILY SYSTEM’ 143

“ I feel like it’s a great time to be joining NewCold and also for us to realise our potential beyond the three continents that we’ve just entered” — Abhy Maharaj, Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer

delivers its own state-of-the-art product — the innovative cloud-based management system CORAX. Having been developed using the latest Microsoft technologies, the SaaS (Software as a Service) allows NewCold to control the software design to meet its requirements and fulfil the needs of its customers. Through the assessment of these customer needs, NewCold provides tailor made solutions for the specific transport requests of its customers. The company possesses a range of different solutions to execute the transport of its customers, which a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

NEWCOLD

144

NOVEMBER 2019

includes a fleet of 200 own managed trucks and a diversity of partnerships which enables a full network optimisation. From operating a large-scale own transport fleet to a 3PL managed transport solution with dedicated partners, Maharaj’s customer-centric approach comes from understanding the drive behind his customers’ requirements.

Despite the influx of new technology, Maharaj believes that it is vital that all incoming technology serves a purpose and enhances existing processes to ensure technology is not embraced for the sake of it. “Our sites are developed with sustainability in mind because customers want less energy use. Typically, NewCold’s sites are 50% more energy efficient than conventional cold storages,” he explains. “We make it easy for our customers to understand exactly where their products are in order to enable them to track it in real-time. Our systems are very smart so if a product arrives and is in the warehouse only for a few hours, it is placed in the most optimal position so that it can be moved in and out efficiently. There’s already quite a degree of AI already built into our software system.” a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

145

HIGH-BAY WAREHOUSE FOR DEEP FREEZE INTRALOGISTICS AT ITS BEST

In Burley, Idaho, NewCold celebrated the grand opening of one of the largest frozen storage facilities of its kind. This impressive project includes a high bay warehouse with 90,000 pallet positions supplied by SSI Schaefer. Additional high bay warehouses for NewCold have been built in Tacoma, Washington, as well as Wakefield, UK and Rheine, Germany.

SSI Schaefer has a longstanding partnership with NewCold.

As a leading provider of modular warehouse solutions – especially rack clad storage systems, SSI Schaefer has provided several deep-freeze high bay warehouses for NewCold. The latest automated deep-freeze warehouse project is currently underway in Rennes, France.

The demand for deep-freeze products continues to grow. As volumes increase, requirements placed upon deep-freeze logistics are getting more complex. SSI Schaefer offers flexible, modular, and scalable solutions that optimize storage, picking processes, and profitability within cold storage facilities. Along with complex logistics solutions, SSI Schaefer also provides rack structures as a standalone business.

ssi-schaefer.com

The long-term success of all businesses lies with the relationships that is developed with its customers.

By operating with an agile approach, it allows NewCold to be lean and easily adapt its processes. “Engagement with our customers is key,” he explains.

“We need to be constantly aware of the latest industry trends and the needs of our customers. For example, an increasing number of people are eating out of their homes, or using innovations like UberEats or DoorDash, so you need to consider the impact that this is having on our customer’s

“ At the heart of NewCold is technology and we always operate with the customer in mind” — Abhy Maharaj, Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer

businesses.” With customer demands frequently changing, Maharaj believes it’s important to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in order to retain its position as a leader in the market. “It’s all about understanding those requirements from our customers to enable us to think ahead,” says Maharaj. “Our software is not just about warehouse management; it also revolves around starting to integrate more into the customer channels. We’re in multiple markets with some of our major customers and it’s important to recognise that supply chain and logistics aren’t a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

147

Building the Future

At Kingspan Insulated Panels, we are pioneering better technologies and methods of building for a low carbon world. Improving building performance, construction methods and ultimately people’s lives – that’s what drives our people across the world.

Energy efficiency is at the heart of our innovation, from making the industry’s most thermally efficient core for our insulated panels, to producing the most airtight interfaces, to providing technical and fieldservice support on how to build optimally.

As the world demands more from buildings in terms of energy efficiency, fire safety, weather resilience, health and aesthetics, Kingspan envelopes will take our built environment to the next era of efficiency and wellbeing.

kingspanpanels.com.au

Aesthetics

Build Ease

Energy

Fire

149

the same in every market. It’s really

Kinspan, SSI Schager, Deweerdt,

about acknowledging how we can

S-Zero. Maharaj believes the ability

apply the learning across not only one

to develop mutual trust and under-

country but multiple ones and then

standing is vital to all successful

bring that to our customers and say

partnerships that NewCold estab-

‘you could potentially improve your

lishes. “Partnerships are essential

business if you adopt these changes,’

to us. We have a co-competence that

and that’s really how we work together.”

relies heavily on our partners. At the

Highlighting the importance of devel-

core, we need to grow together and

oping strategic partnerships to help

learn from one another, so trust plays

accelerate operations, NewCold has

an important role in that,” explains

developed key partnerships with a

Maharaj. “Partnerships also help

number of companies such as; TGW

us with innovation too. If they’ve got

Group, SKT, B-Built, Ancra, Fisher CGI,

thoughts and ideas on the latest a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

NEWCOLD

OUR PARTNERS NewCold values the impact its partners have on its success and collaborates with TGW Logistics Group, SKT, B-Built, Ancra, Celonis, Fisher Construction Group, CGI, Kingspan, SSI Schaefer, Masterveil/De Weerdt BVBA and Subzero Constructors.

This affirms why each of these partnerships are critical to driving success at NewCold.

150

TGW Logistics Group TGW Group is NewCold’s partner for the conveyors and lifts in the cold storages, which takes care of pallet transport within the warehouse. It is a global, preferred supplier of NewCold, the two firms have worked in partnership for a considerable amount of time. www.tgw-group.com SKT SKT is NewCold’s supplier of industrial cooling solutions for the European market.

SKT delivers the industrial equipment to control the freezing temperatures in the cold storages. It’s a Belgian family-owned company which NewCold has a long-term partnership with. www.skt.be

NOVEMBER 2019

B-Built B-Built is a general contractor of NewCold for the European market. B-Built takes care of the actual construction of a NewCold facility. It is a family-owned, small scale company with a lot of flexibility. www.b-built.com Ancra Ancra is NewCold’s preferred partner in the innovative application of Automatic Loading and Unloading systems for warehouses and trailers. With this system, no human hands touch the food products from loading at the producer to in- and outbound at the NewCold warehouse.

Ancra is a Dutch company with a global playfield. www.ancra.nl Fisher Construction Group Fisher Construction Group is a preferred general contractor of NewCold in the USA. Fisher built the NewCold facilities in Tacoma (WA) and Burley (ID). Fisher has long-term experience in the construction of cold storages which is of great value in its projects. www.fishercgi.com CGI CGI is a global IT and consultancy services provider that helps maximise the technologies that transform the business of

its customers. CGI supported NewCold in Melbourne to define KPI’s and test protocols for the start-up of a crucial functionality. Their knowledge of Business Intelligence and Testing Methodology helped NewCold to optimise its operation. www.cgi.com.au Kingspan Kingspan is NewCold’s global supplier of insulation panels; they form the external, high insulating cover of NewCold’s facilities. Its high-quality panels are always at the forefront of innovation, which is – in relation to fire safety and insulation value – a high-impact value for NewCold. www.kingspan.com

It’s a Belgian based company with a a high innovative drive and flexibility. www.masterveil-eu.com Subzero Constructors Subzero Constructors is NewCold’s supplier of industrial cooling solutions for the Northern-American market. Subzero Constructors, a US-based company, delivers the industrial equipment to control the freezing temperatures in the cold storages. www.subzeroconstructors.com

151

SSI Schaefer SSI Schaefer is NewCold’s preferred supplier of pallet racking. The racking in the high bay construction of NewCold’s facilities takes care of the huge storage capacity. SSI Schaefer is a global, solid company, originated in Germany, with which NewCold has a long-term partnership. www.ssi-schaefer.com Masterveil/De Weerdt BVBA Masterveil is the designer and supplier of NewCold’s aircurtains and dehumification systems. These systems take care of a solid closure of external openings in NewCold’s cold storage, for instance at train docks.

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘STAYING CUSTOMER CENTRIC WITH NEWCOLDS GLOBAL CCO & COO’ 153 incoming technology, then they share

measuring risk when looking to imple-

that information and we collaborate

ment new software and processes.

together to develop new solutions for

“With any technology and innovation,

our customers or improve efficiencies.

there’s a risk attached. We tend to

I also believe that due to the pace of

develop our own systems and technol-

which NewCold is growing; execution

ogies because we’ve got existing sites

and agility is also critical. As we con-

that we can test and if it’s not working,

tinue to incorporate new customers

we also have mechanisms in place

and enter new markets, we need to

where we can quickly stop the pro-

be fully informed of the trends that

cess.” Maharaj believes in a ‘fail fast’

are out there as well as the challenges

process that if something isn’t going

that we might face.”

to work, then the process can be

With innovation recognised as one

moved into an environment that can

of NewCold’s key pillars, Maharaj

be tested more easily. “We don’t take

understands the importance of

massive risks where we will implement a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

Outside door (protection)

THE SOLUTION PROVIDER FOR THE END-USER More than 30 years of experience in creating the ideal product and production environment, that is Masterveil.

In the field of separating climates, air humidification and air dehumidification we deliver tailor-made solutions with a focus on the production process, the nature of the process, the product and the people in the process.

Design (for entrances)

Industrial Comfort

For Masterveil creating and separating different conditions is more than just developing and installing equipment.

We set ourselves up as a sparring partner and devote ourselves to achieving an integral solution. Whether it concerns cool cells, freezer cells, logistics, production or storage, Masterveil thinks along with you.

Outside Doors and conditioned cells Design and entrances of shopping centres Comfort and wind control Freezer and shockfroster Advice & Commercial Project check Energy Simulations & Measurements Project Coordination Montage & Maintenance Qualitycontrol & Startprotocol

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Freezer (protection) +32 (0)53 60 78 90

www.masterveil-eu.com

new untested processes on a full site

our customers need to believe in and

all at once. We’ll take an approach where

be educated on the automation we

we collaborate with our customers,

have. When you look at the advance-

our people and understand what the

ments of technology, we have spent

risks are. We manage the risks and if

a considerable amount of time educating

the worst happens then we always

and making sure that people fully

have a back-up plan.” Another vital part

understand what it’s all about — there

of NewCold’s mantra is trust. Maharaj

has to be the trust there.”

believes this to be essential to NewCold’s

With an intent to reduce the impact

strategy. “Due to the way our logistics

its operations have on the environment,

and cold storage business is set up,

NewCold has begun to optimise the cold supply chain and introduce innovating concepts. Due to its facilities being tall, it allows the buildings to embrace storage technology with a high stock density.

The company’s stacker cranes in the cold store operates in the dark, with

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

155

NEWCOLD

“ We have a strong philosophy around sustainability and we want to help bring a greener 156 future. There’s still more to do — we aren’t finished yet” — Abhy Maharaj, Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer only LED lighting used for maintenance.

This approach has enabled NewCold to use 50% less energy per pallet position in comparison with traditional cold storage facilities. “There’s a substantial focus on sustainability NOVEMBER 2019

157

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The specialist in automatic truck (un)loading.

Ancra Systems is the specialist in the field of automatic truck loading and unloading systems, from standard system to customer specific solution. Tailored to your industry and calculated based on your logistics requirements. Ancra Systems has been streamlining loading and unloading worldwide for more than twenty years.

Learn More

+31 (0)880 247 150 ancra.nl

COLD AS ICE A fast-growing specialized construction company, B-Built has extensive experience in building large-scale cold store warehouses in Western Europe. Acquired knowledge that we continuously and successfully apply in the building of new logistics facilities.

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+31-(0)164-271660

2012

Year founded

years and beyond. “We’ve got substantial projects already underway and our existing sites are filling up. Across Europe, most of our sites are full so

730,000 Pallet positions

1,000

Approximate number of employees

there’s extension work to be done on our sites in order for us to increase our capacity,” he explains. “We’ve already entered Australia and the US, with both our sites becoming busier, I believe there’s also possibility for new builds coming into those regions.

Our immediate focus is to ensure that we bring in new business as we look to enter new markets. We’re always looking to grow and it’s a big part of

worldwide and we like to think we focus

our focus by scaling up our software

heavily on helping to bring that change

developers, operations people and

too,” affirms Maharaj. “In the early days

management team to ensure we deliver

of NewCold’s model, we dramatically

on our commitments and successful

reduced energy consumption and with

implementation of projects on-time

our customers becoming increasingly

and on-budget.”

more focused on sustainability, it has led to it becoming an important driver for us. We have a strong philosophy around sustainability and we want to help bring a greener future. There’s still more to do — we aren’t finished yet.”

Looking to the future, Maharaj has a clear vision of the position he hopes NewCold to be in over the next few a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

159

Tested and true WRITTEN BY

160

DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

NOVEMBER 2019

161

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REVOLUTION IT

How Revolution IT offers independence from systems integrators and developers to make sure each client gets a quality assured outcome

R

evolution IT was born in 2003 when the company’s trio of directors were working

in London as IT consultants on major projects, including the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and

162

SmithKline Beecham. They noticed that the UK were ahead on project delivery, quality assurance and governance around IT projects. Inspired, they hatched a plan to start an IT business founded on the sole purpose of helping its clients deliver successful projects while ensuring that the software was high quality, secure, and reliable. “There was a real need for independent governance and testing services in Australia at that time,” recalls Jamie Duffield, Director and CEO of Revolution IT. “We felt that it was the right time to revolutionise project delivery.”

Revolution’s current offering spans three business units: Assure – testing, performance, automation, and crowdsourced testing; Secure – application security and cyber security; and Transform – experience design, DevOps, PPM, NOVEMBER 2019

163

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Does balancing speed, quality and scale feel like rocket science?

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Driven by customer-centric innovation, our software provides the critical tools you need to build, operate, secure, and analyse the enterprise in a constantly changing world.

Enterprise DevOps – Build and deliver better software faster Hybrid IT Management – Operate with agility Security, Risk & Governance – Secure what matters most Predictive Analytics – Analyse in time to act Application Security– Secure applications by embedding strong security and best practices into DevOps processes

Revolution IT is a Platinum Micro Focus partner in Australia. Please contact Revolution IT for more information on Micro Focus software solutions coupled with Revolution IT services.

microfocus.com/devops 61 1300 275 738 info@revolutionit.com.au revolutionit.com.au

REVOLUTION IT

“ We mix and match services, tools, training and IP to give our clients innovative solutions to deliver their projects and leave them with long lasting improvements” 166

— Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT

delivered both onsite and offsite at our labs.” Quality is paramount for Revolution. “You get what you pay for in this industry,” he says of the company’s cheap offshore competitors. He believes they can’t match Revolution’s creativity. “We mix and match services, tools, training and IP to give our clients innovative solutions to deliver their projects and leave them with long lasting improvements.” Duffield adds that Revolution’s independence from the systems integrator and developer means it is entirely focused on making sure the client gets a quality outcome.

“This independence allows us to call

Data Engineering and Data Analytics.

out the quality concerns and repre-

Successfully delivering projects to

sent the client with their best interests

over 700 clients, Duffield believes

at heart.”

Revolution has earned a reputation

Revolution IT has a Test

as a trusted partner because of its

Management Office (TMO) solu-

exceptional offering and unshakeable

tion that establishes a commercially

ability to navigate the complexities in

unbiased central independent model

project delivery. “We are extremely

to ensure consistent quality, testing

adaptable and responsive, with 650

and governance across all develop-

staff and the ability to move quickly

ment activities for an organisation. It

on immediate project demands,”

provides a consistent and repeatable

confirms Duffield. “The engagement

risk-based approach to quality and

models are flexible, including T&M,

testing. Any changes either internally

fixed price, and managed services

or from external vendors go through

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘GARRY WHATLEY, CIO, CORPORATE EXPRESS ON CROWDSOURCED TESTING’ 167

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

REVOLUTION IT

168

the TMO which can itself define the

provides a central point of contact

amount of testing required to adhere

and a conduit between the vendor,

to the organisation’s quality policy.

business and PMO for reporting

“The purpose of the TMO is to

purposes. TMO quality policy can be

provide quality assurance across all

referenced in vendor negotiations,

development activities to allow the

SLAs, milestone payments and ongo-

organisation to accept and deploy

ing vendor management.”

quality solutions into production,”

Innovation around testing has been

explains Duffield. “The TMO manages,

a key component in Revolution’s

approves and assists vendors with

journey over the past 15 years. “We

documentation, testing and quality

developed Crowdsprint as a crowd-

artefacts required during the plan-

sourced testing platform that allows

ning, design and execution phases of

us to test web and mobile applica-

major and minor projects. The TMO

tions using the power of the crowd,”

NOVEMBER 2019

“ We developed Crowdsprint as a crowdsourced testing platform that allows us to test web and mobile applications using the power of the crowd” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT

consistently been the best performing reseller, winning the top award from Micro Focus for the past eight years.

“We’re very happy with their technology,” confirms Duffield. “It allows us to be competitive, because we bundle up a best of breed software and use it to help deliver solutions that are flexible, on demand and deliver real value Our strong relationship with Micro Focus allows us to cut through all the red tape you normally encounter with large vendor organisations that have so many different business units

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jamie Duffield Mr Duffield has over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry and is the CEO of Revolution IT, a leading quality assurance consulting firm which he co-founded with Mike Quill and Hamish Leighton in 2004. He has strong risk, governance and commercial experience with expertise in driving growth through sales, marketing, mergers and acquisitions. Jamie is also a non-executive Director of IntelliHR (ASX:IHR) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

169

Ignite Enterprise Productivity with Micro Focus Robotic Process Automation LEARN MORE

Micro Focus enterprise software helps you innovate faster, with less risk, in the race to digital transformation.

Please contact Revolution IT to find out how RPA can drive productivity efficiencies in your organisation.

Revolution IT is a Platinum Micro Focus partner in Australia.

microfocus.com/rpa 61 1300 275 738 info@revolutionit.com.au revolutionit.com.au

y Business users spend far too much time on mundane, repetitive, error-prone tasks. Why not save robotic tasks for robots and liberate human brainpower? Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software robots that mimic UI-based human actions to automate everyday tasks.

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Work with code or take the visual route. An intuitive interface makes designing sophisticated end-toend RPA workflows as painless as recording simple actions.

Scale your robots up or down as workloads change. A worker queue based architecture makes it possible to run hundreds or thousands of robots at once, there are no limits.

Save robotic work for the robots.

Robots can mimic human actions to perform everyday tasks. They save time. They cut costs. And they free human employees to focus on more important things.

REVOLUTION IT

172

A B O U T MI CRO FO CU S

Micro Focus helps organisations run and transform their business through four core areas of digital transformation: Enterprise DevOps, Hybrid IT Management, Predictive Analytic and Security, Risk & Governance. Driven by customer-centric innovation, its software provides the critical tools needed to build, operate, secure, and analyse the enterprise.

By design, these tools bridge the gap between existing and emerging technologies — enabling faster innovation, with less risk, in the race to digital transformation. Micro Focus maintains a leading position in the Magic Quadrant for Applica ion Security Testing for its Fortify portfolio based on their completeness of vision and ability to execute.

NOVEMBER 2019

173

“ Micro Focus RPA (Robotic Process Automation) delivers on key capabilities such as scalability, resiliency and security that our customers and partners demanded” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT

explains Duffield. “It’s an amazing solution which allows us to ramp up 1,500 professional testers (from a network of 20,000) who use their own devices to perform the testing in a matter of hours. This achieves quick results and allows clients to test across multiple devices and operating systems for better test coverage.” The solution has been used by major companies such as the airline Qantas.

“We are big in automation, and in Australia this is really kicking off with most of our clients looking at a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

REVOLUTION IT

DevOps and striving for continuous delivery,” continues Duffield, who adds that Revolution is also gaining more traction with RPA (Robotic Process Automation). “It’s an exciting proposition and one we’re starting to get more traction in through our work partnering with Micro Focus.” Micro Focus RPA automates repetitive, error-prone UI-based human actions on legacy apps and integrates them with modern IT process automation in a single product. “The solution 174

delivers on key capabilities such as scalability, resiliency and security that our customers and partners demand,” says Tom Goguen, Micro Focus Chief Product Officer. “It adapts to UI changes, automates UI and API-based applications, and includes real-time auditing and traceability, giving our customers the confidence to deploy RPA across the enterprise while providing for centralised governance and compliance for their digital workforce.”

In May 2019, Micro Focus achieved market leader status for Application Security Testing in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for the sixth time. As a Platinum Partner, Revolution IT has NOVEMBER 2019

behind the scenes. It enables us to work quickly for our customers.”

Many of Revolution’s clients are looking to move away from perpetual on premise licensing to a SaaS model where they can get flexibility around ramping up and down licences based on project demand. “Micro Focus has worked with us on many occasions to help with transitions and has been extremely flexible in supporting clients evolving to new delivery models,” reveals Duffield, who believes cloud offers the best ultimate outcome.

“That’s where the market is revolutionising and where we’re helping our clients find the right operating model for them.”

Duffield notes that Revolution partners with many technology vendors such as Tricentis and Broadcom to provide an agnostic approach to tools and help delivers the most appropriate technology to their situation. “We like to trial new technology, because we’ve got to stay relevant for our clients and go to market with an open mind,” he adds. “We’re lucky that testing is required across all industries and technologies in that we get to a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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REVOLUTION IT

play with the latest tech. This helps, but the challenge is making sure we know what’s coming and what will be useful for our clients who are all on different maturity curves. The Australian market is typically a year or 18 months behind. We’re fortunate because we can keep an eye on what’s happening in the UK and US and are constantly looking internally, and externally, at

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“ To get involved in a project that means something and has a tangible effect on people’s lives was really exciting for us” — Jamie Duffield Director and CEO Revolution IT NOVEMBER 2019

how we deliver solutions to our clients to stay competitive.”

Staying on top of the latest trends and being able to react to them to meet the changing demands of customers is all in a day’s work at Revolution. “In our client base we’re seeing a big uptake in automation, security (cyber and app) and data (engineering and insights),” says Duffield. “With automation, we’re looking at how we can accelerate our project delivery in both the

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development lifecycle and business

Crafting this winning formula has

process. Security has always been

helped add the likes of TAL, NAB

a bit of a sleeper but we’re seeing

and Sunsuper to a burgeoning roster

tighter controls with new legislation

of satisfied customers which also

making this a really hot topic now with

includes Australia’s Triple Zero emer-

how it relates to data, privacy and the

gency services. “To get involved in a

encryption required. With that data,

project that means something and

gaining insight is a big part of the work

has a tangible effect on people’s lives

we’re doing with specialty practices

was really exciting for us,” comments

directly aligned to these trends. We

Duffield. Looking to 2020 and beyond,

use the latest tools and approaches

his team aim to strengthen the com-

to craft solutions that directly address

pany’s market position and further

our clients’ needs.”

cement Revolution’s reputation as a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

REVOLUTION IT

2004

Year founded

700+ Clients

650

178

Approximate number of employees

NOVEMBER 2019

“the trusted partner you come to if you need to deliver a successful project without sacrificing quality.” Planned M&A activity will focus on expanding security and automation capabilities, while attracting the right talent to drive growth remains key.

What is Duffield’s advice for businesses nervous about their ongoing transformations? “If you’re a business owner, vendor manager, CIO or programme manager then consider independent testing in your next big software implementation. Keep testing separate from the software vendor and systems integrator in order to build quality KPIs and metrics into the commercial contracts. Protect your investment, keep the vendor honest and mitigate the risk of unwanted brand damage.” It’s a smart mantra that could help your business in its own revolution.

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180

tackling cybersecurity in a connected economy WRITTEN BY

OLLIE MULKERRINS PRODUCED BY

ANDREW STUBBINGS

NOVEMBER 2019

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MIMECAST

MIMECAST, A CYBER RESILIENCE INDUSTRY LEADER, EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF MAN AND MACHINE WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A ROBUST SECURITY NETWORK

M

imecast, founded in 2003, is an international cyber resilience company, with offices in the UK, US, South Africa, Australia, Europe

and the Middle East. Mimecast uses dispersed data centers, intelligent mail routing and robust cloud 182

security to provide a security network capable of managing over 35,000 customers and 296 billion email accounts, with a 100% uptime service.

Mark O’Hare, Chief Information Security Officer at Mimecast was one of the first 25 employees to join the company when he came on board in 2008. This has given Mark a comprehensive understanding of the Mimecast’s inner workings and its position within a rapidly evolving industry. Speaking of the changes in the cyber security industry Mark says: “Organisations can no longer afford to be reactive when it comes to their cybersecurity posture. They need to become more proactive to survive the evolving threats they face. To do that you need that credible and actionable threat intelligence along with a detailed understanding of your vulnerabilities.”

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The company has won a plethora of awards for its workplace environment, through an ethos of collaborative development and job satisfaction.

This methodology extends out to Mimecast’s clients, where transparency, tailored experiences and a focus on the customer reinforces a trusting relationship. As Mark explains: “We have customer success managers and customer experience managers making sure our customers understand that we’re passionate about a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

MIMECAST

“ Organizations can’t be reactive anymore. You need to be more proactive” — Mark O’Hare, Chief Information Security Officer, Mimecast

their security and their well-being, and ensuring they get the most out of our product. After all, we’re building a product for them and not for us.”

Mimecast has shifted from an email security-focused platform in its infancy, into a more robust cyber resilience platform. Today Mimecast’s platform takes on a much broader remit, supporting a wider range of customer security needs, such as Awareness Training, Web Security and Threat Intelligence through a single, trusted platform. Organizations that deploy

184

multiple point solutions can often end up with over complicated and over engineered security environments.

This leads to poorly implemented and managed services as they attempt to protect multiple facets of a company’s network through several disparate solutions. Complexity is the enemy of security. For Mimecast to achieve its goal of an accessible and reliable cyber resiliency focused product for its clients, it has had to keep simplicity in mind without compromising the platform’s ability to manage the diversifying needs of web-reliant businesses.

According to Mark, cybersecurity NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘PRODUCT OVERVIEW: MIMECAST TARGETED THREAT PROTECTION – INTERNAL EMAIL PROTECT’ 185 can appear to be a “piecemeal, frag-

certain environments such as bank-

mented, complex and confusing

ing, manufacturing, health care, land

industry for many.” For that reason, he

insurance, to mention a few, simply

said, Mimecast understood the need

won’t work. Each industry and even

for “a longer-term focus on customer

each organization in each industry

efficiency, making our products easy to

have different requirements and we

deploy and manage, while still allowing

need to cater for all of them.”

for those organizations who require

This approach could not be deliv-

more complex controls to customize

ered by sheer manpower alone and

our product to suit their own unique

so new technologies have had to be

requirements.” Mark admits that no

implemented to cope with the growing

business is exactly the same, meaning

scale of demand. Machine learning

each has a unique risk acceptance

and AI analytics have had a hand

profile. For that reason, he says, “com-

in this, where a platform can moni-

ing in with a cookie cutter approach for

tor user behavior, learning trends in a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

MIMECAST

186

a way any one user approaches their

employees investigating incidents.

work. When there is a major deviation

“Technology has to evolve to keep

from these operational behaviors, the

up with far more complex and often

machine learning system can flag this

automated threats that we face these

up as a warning event, which can then

days. Traditional methods aren’t

be investigated more thoroughly. As the

enough anymore, we have to embrace

machine learning system gathers more

things like machine learning and AI to

information on the habits of its users it

keep up – essentially fighting threat

is able to make more accurate insights

automation with security automation,”

into what may, or may not, be a threat or

Mark explains.

a security incident, increasing efficiency

Mimecast also offers end user

exponentially and allowing organiza-

cybersecurity training and aware-

tions to scale their security defenses

ness helping organizations to reduce

without having to scale the number of

or eliminate human error. As human

NOVEMBER 2019

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mark O’Hare Mark is a well-seasoned and highly qualified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with over 20 years of experience in IT. His skill range is broad but includes Windows, Linux, Networking, Databases, Web Applications, Firewalls, SaaS, IaaS and many other information technologies. He specializes in the Cybersecurity field and has experience in Corporate IT, as well as Cloud-based SaaS environments, including in the challenging and exciting environment of leading the Cybersecurity team for a Cloud-based cybersecurity service.

Mark has been involved in successful ISO 27001, ISO 27018, SOC2, HIPAA audits and has managed both the technical and policybased aspects of Mimecast’s security program since 2011. He has performed many risk assessments in line with ISO 27001 requirements and has the ability to identify and develop appropriate remediation plans for critical security risks to a business.

He is able to communicate on a technical level with Developers and Technical Operations staff, as well as at a management and board level. This gives him the advantage of understanding the high-level security vision and requirements of a business along with the ability to translate and communicate those requirements effectively to the relevant technical and non-technical teams. Mark feels passionately that security needs to be an enabler in the business, rather than a blocker.

Some of Mark’s current and previous certifications and training courses are — CISSP, GSEC, GCFA, MCSE, CCNA, CCSA, CCSE, ACSE, ACSA.

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C O M PA N Y N A M E

error is the leading cause of security breaches, having highly cybersecurity conscious staff can drastically reduce risk to a business. Mimecast has a Cybersecurity Awareness Training solution that educates employees on the everyday cybersecurity risks employees will face and then importance of being cyber-diligent through highlighting the impact these risks expose organizations to. Mimecast’s Awareness Training modules are tailored toward making cybersecurity

REAL-TIME THREAT INTELLIGENCE POWERED BY MACHINE LEARNING. • Extend threat visibility with the largest breadth of external sources • Respond to alerts relevant to your business 10x faster • Seamlessly integrate with existing security solutions

LEARN MORE AT RECORDEDFUTURE.COM

“There’s a real challenge around educating new staff as they join the business, especially those that have not worked in an environment where cybersecurity training and awareness has been a focus”. An important part of the onboarding program is to let employees know what is expected of them,” says Mark. “The new user onboarding program should cover off the organization’s Acceptable Use Policy and include security awareness training and testing. Employees are often the last line of defense in your security chain, so it’s essential to focus awareness digestible and humorous so

on educating them and making sure

the target audience is engaged. The

they understand what’s at stake when

Mimecast platform also allows organi-

things go wrong.”

zations to test their user’s resilience to phishing attacks through simulated phishing testing campaigns. The platform takes several user behavior metrics into consideration and computes an overall organization risk score.

Mark says, “it is great to see your organization’s risk score decreasing over time as your users become better at detecting and reporting phishing scams.

This kind of information is also just what Executives and Boards want to see.”

“ Not every business is the same.Coming in with your cookie cutter approach won’t work” — Mark O’Hare, Chief Information Security Officer, Mimecast

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MIMECAST

190

The company’s focus on people

amount of time at work so in order to

does not stop there. As rising demand

retain top talent you need to keep them

for cybersecurity continues, so does

happy, enjoying their work and making

the challenge of recruiting good cyber-

them feel that they are part of a mean-

security talent. Mimecast is dedicated

ingful team executing meaning projects.”

to finding the best talent the industry

Also, by enabling its workforce to do

has to offer and fostering a long-term

their job through a thorough a portfolio

relationship through competitive pay

of approved business tools, a business

and job satisfaction. For Mark, it’s all

can ensure its employees are using

about “making sure your team feels

regulated and approved methods,

challenged and that they really enjoy

rather than bringing in external and

coming to work. We spend a significant

unapproved services to process and

NOVEMBER 2019

191

store sensitive data. Mark explains,

of your data and how it’s protected”

“One of the most important things, as

says Mark.

your company and workforce grows,

Mimecast’s holistic approach to

is giving your users the appropriate

cybersecurity, using technology, threat

tools to get their job done. With so

intelligence and user education has

many SaaS based tools available, it is

led to the creation of a robust platform

now easy for users to leverage unsanc-

able to deal with each customer’s indi-

tioned applications and infrastructure.

vidual requirements.

Shadow IT becomes a major problem because these application have generally not been security approved and the organization ends up losing control a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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MONTH 2019

193

BEING ADAPTABLE AROUND TECHNOLOGY WRITTEN BY

SHANNON LEWIS

PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PENRHOS COLLEGE

Neil Mullally, Director of Information Communication Technology at Penrhos College, discusses how important it is to be adaptable in the digital age in order to stay at the forefront of innovation

A 194

West Australian all-girls school, Penrhos College has been inspiring girls to become extraordinary women since 1952. A part of

the Independent Girl’s Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA), it offers education from Kindergarten through to Year 12 as well as boarding. A pastoral care organisation with a rigorous academic program, its focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has seen the College recognised for has led it to win several awards, including being the first school to win the 2017 Governor’s School STEM Award in both the Primary and Secondary categories (after which Penrhos stood down, in order to allow other schools to shine).

“A Penrhos girl is independent and resilient. She is the girl of today, well-prepared and equipped for the challenges of tomorrow. We are committed to providing an education that honours our traditions and Christian values in a climate of technological and

NOVEMBER 2019

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PENRHOS COLLEGE

“There is a lot of human error in everything that happens. No matter what industry you’re in, people make mistakes. But it’s making sure you’ve got the right processes and governances in place to capture the mistake, learn from the mistake, and make sure the mistake doesn’t happen again” — Neil Mullally, Director, Information Communication Technology, Penrhos College global change. Our girls are free to pursue excellence in an environment free from gender stereotypes in the subjects

196

they study, the activities they participate in and the careers they ultimately choose.” says Mullally.

Neil Mullally has been working at Penrhos College as Director of Information Communication Technology (ICT) since July of this year. With 25 years’ experience in IT, he has a broad background that he brings to the education sector, having worked in such varied fields as finance, retail, manufacturing and critical infrastructure being Perth Airport. “I’ve worked in industries where we have our own data centres on premise through to finance where everything was outsourced into our own NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘VIRTUAL REALITY LEARNING AT PENRHOS COLLEGE’ 197 private cloud including Managed

comes to regulations regarding infor-

Services.” Says Mullally, “We have a lot

mation security and data protection.

of physical infrastructure on site at

“From my experience, other industries

Penrhos.” As Director of ICT, Mullally

are very heavily regulated,” he says.

oversees five teams, from service deliv-

“For finance industries you have to meet

ery, systems & infrastructure, network

APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation

security, corporate application support

Authority) regulations, and in the airport,

and PMO.

you have very heavy regulation with

Penrhos College has always been

CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority).

at the top of tech innovation in the

In education, there is no governing

education sector. It was one of the first

body that tells you how to operate with

schools to offer personal laptops to

regards to information security.” His

every single student from Year 5, an

solution to this has been to bring his

initiative now followed across Australia.

knowledge of other industries into

According to Mullally, though, the edu-

Penrhos, settling on the NIST (National

cation sector overall is behind when it

Institute of Standards and Technology) a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PENRHOS COLLEGE

198

standards and frameworks, making

what industry you’re in, people make

Penrhos a leader in the education

mistakes. But it’s making sure you’ve

sector by taking this kind of action.

got the right processes and govern-

During his time at the airport,

ances in place to capture the mistake,

there was a significant data breach.

learn from the mistake, and make sure

According to Mullally, “there was an

the mistake doesn’t happen again.” He

awful lot of quick learning around that

uses this mindset not only internally,

breach that I’ve introduced to Penrhos

but when outsourcing as well. When

to prevent us from having those sorts

searching for cloud-based solutions

of issues in the future.” Education about

to store sensitive data, Mullally insists

data security and its importance, he

all potential vendors go through an

states, is key in determining these safe

information security checklist. “It’s

practices. “There is a lot of human error

very onerous, but if the third party can

in everything that happens. No matter

respond positively to the questions, as

NOVEMBER 2019

it aligns with the NIST framework, it will

automating work-flows is a start but

help me filter out which third parties

overall, we want to improve accuracy,

take information security seriously and

effectiveness and/or efficiency and

which don’t.” This sort of documenta-

then redesign those processes to real-

tion is mutually beneficial. The school

ise the improvements. “We’re like any

ensures its information is protected and

other organisation,” says Mullally. “We

“the vendors are reassured that their

have an abundance of tools. The strat-

product and business model is sustain-

egy is to take stock of what we have

able in multiple industries.”

available, and what we actually need

The focus, for Penrhos, lies on its

to go forwards.” For Mullally, it is about

back of house. “Front of house is spec-

embracing the technology already avail-

tacular,” affirms Mullally. “Back of house

able to them, rather than just seeking

is the area that usually gets left behind.”

outwards for new solutions.

Streamlining processes is the way forward, using existing tools to assist with

Neil Mullally

“One of the biggest challenges in education sector is time,” says Mullally. “In

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Neil Mullally is a multi-skilled IT Manager with over 25 years’ experience in the IT industry and over 16 years as a Manager of IT teams. Very high level of experience in Cyber Security whether Cloud or On-premise solutions, evaluating, integrating and supporting innovative technologies to help internal and external customers achieve their goals, while effectively maximizing return on resources and providing cost effective solutions for everyone concerned.

Very capable with a proven track record ensuring the smooth running of ICT systems with both on premise and outsourced support teams providing IT services that improve the efficiency, performance and overall return on investment of a company. a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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READY FOR A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION? We work with a number of institutions in the Education and Public Sector as their trusted advisors in: • Cloud Solutions • Cyber Security • Business Transformation • Automation

• Data Management • Kids Cyber • Product Licensing • Cyber Incident Response 24/7

CONTACT US

E. info@es2.com.au W. es2.com.au

1952

Year founded

the corporate world, you would organise a meeting during business hours, and that would be that. In the teaching world, teachers are bound by their class

AU$100mn Approximate revenue

400

Approximate number of employees

time-table, so things don’t go as fast as you’d like.” This is why Mullally points to the importance of using Agile and Lean methodologies when designing new solutions and implementing projects.

“Every organisation I’ve worked in, I’m very big on Lean and Agile. I think both Lean and Agile has its place, so I utilise both methodologies.” From daily standups to scrums, Penrhos uses Agile as a methodology for project delivery. “Right

NOVEMBER 2019

“We want to provide the best experience possible and the people that can provide the best information for us are the people that are using the technology” — Neil Mullally, Director, Information Communication Technology, Penrhos College

ultimate goal is to provide perfect value to the customer through a perfect value creation process that has zero waste.

now, we’re re-visiting what student

From an organisational perspective,

laptops and devices we use. We engage

“we’re highlighting our top 20 processes

a student working group to help assist

that we want to review that will provide

in evaluating the new devices. Gone

the best value for us through

are the days when just the department

time, money or efficiency

head makes the decision, we now

gains, whether that be the

ensure a more collaborative approach with all stakeholders.” Lean methodology, Mullally says, has been

customer experience we offer parents accessing our student portal or finance

very helpful

and teaching,” says

in mapping

Mullally. “We want to

current

provide the best expe-

and future processes

rience possible and the

for efficiency gains.

people that can provide

From a technology

the best information for us

perspective, Lean provides a

are the people that are

framework for the college to help

using the technology.”

understand our customers value

Having formed a

and focuses its key processes

strategic partnership

to continuously increase it. The

with ES2, a consulting a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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PENRHOS COLLEGE

C O M PA N Y FACT S

202

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“We’re very big on the core values of education that allow the girls to become leaders in the industry” — Neil Mullally, Director of Information Communication Technology at Penrhos College

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“ Gone are the days when just the team manager makes the decision” — Neil Mullally, Director, Information Communication Technology, Penrhos College

organisation that specialises in enterprise security and solutions services, Mullally believes the collaboration offers a lot of value. “This partnership is supported by consultancy, project management, training and managed services with offices where our mission is to be a trusted advisor of businesscentric services and solutions,” explains Mullally. “Our focus on business outcomes and our proactive attitude has enabled us to be a leader in our industry locally, nationally and internationally.”

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By this time next year, Penrhos will

usage that can both be used to allow

be the home of a brand-new Science

us to become more sustainable as an

and Innovation Centre. An AUD $15mn

organisation and as a teaching tool.

project, it will further bring technology

The Science Innovation Centre will allow

into the learning sphere. Partnering

Penrhos to stay at the top of the indus-

with Rutledge AV, the centre will include

try. “Once its built, we’re looking to be

a premier room with video walls that

the premier girls’ school in Perth and a

can be used to share information with

leading education provider from K-12.”

the wider community. Also aided by Crestron and Cisco, the centre will serve as a method of practicing data analytics for the students, collecting information about power and water a si a .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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