Answering the questions of a fast-changing world
02
MONTH 2019
03
Answering the questions of a fast-changing world WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY
NATHAN HOLMES
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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
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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
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CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PURE STORAGE.
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AT O S
“ Analyse the data, find the question, augment whatever is missing and then generate value from it – that’s the sequence” 08
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 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 Coming hand in hand with outdated systems can be legacy ways-of-thinking.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
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CONNECTING THE DOTS’
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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. w w w.a tos . n et
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 11
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 w w w.a tos . n et
AT O S
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“ 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 w w w.a tos . n et
AT O S
16
1997
Year founded
£11.bn+ Approximate revenue
110,000
Approximate number of employees © 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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River Ouest 80 Quai Voltaire 95877 Bezons cedex France T +33 1 73 26 00 00 www.atos.net
© RomiREA