HGC GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS:
DIGITAL DISRUPTION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
02
HGC GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS:
REMAINING RELEVANT IN THE DIGITAL ERA WRIT TEN BY
DA LE BENTON PRODUCED BY
K RIS PA LMER
03
w w w.hgc . com . h k
How a digital transformation allows HGC Global Communications to leverage core technologies, infrastructure and services to enhance connections among people and businesses on both a domestic and international scale
T
he digital era is upon us and organisations all around the world are investing more than ever before into technology and innovation
to improve their operations and stay relevant for an evolving customer base. HGC Global Communica04
tions (HGC), a telecommunications company based in Hong Kong, owns an extensive fibre-optic network within the city and has five cross-border routes integrated with three of mainland China’s tier-one telco operators. This is on top of housing a world class international network and the first interconnection on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, linking HGC to the Greater Bay Area. The company’s main mission is centred around leveraging core technologies, infrastructure and services to enhance connections among people and businesses on both a domestic and international scale. A ‘new’ HGC was formed in 2017 and Andrew Kwok, the new Chief Executive Officer, began to embark on HGC’s journey of digital transformation. “I remember when we met,” recalls Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Jacqueline Teo. “He had a firm view
HGC headquarters in Hong Kong HGC owns an extensive fibre-optic network within Hong Kong
05
about the need for HGC to transform itself as a business in order to be relevant in the new digital world. The role of CDO was created to lead us on this crucial journey and define new paths for growth and success in the digital era.� Teo joined the business back in 2018 and brought with her extensive global experience in digital enablement, disruption and transformation. Over the course of her career, she has played key roles in product innovation, managed complex technology busiw w w.hgc . com . h k
“ The role of HGC’s Chief Digital Officer was created to lead the digital journey and define new paths for growth and success in the digital era” — Jacqueline Teo, Chief Digital Officer at HGC Global Communications
me to think differently,” she says. “What are people really looking for the technology to do? Then, how do people make decisions around technology that are not only based on the technology? How many ROI factors can I satisfy with this technology? These are multi-faceted questions and my experience has allowed me to empathise and be curious about financial, emotional, human, intellectual and rational aspects of the decision. Adding another layer that takes into account
nesses and their expansions in the
the diverse backgrounds of people
Asian market, and led multiple signifi-
whether it be age, gender, experi-
cant organisation wide transforma-
ence, nationality etc – this completely
tions. She also led the global technol-
applies to HGC’s digital journey.”
ogy integration and transformation
HGC’s digital transformation fo-
of a US$697mn acquisition, and has
cuses on two key areas: an internal
led the ground up establishment of
transformation of culture, technol-
several billion-dollar telecommunica-
ogy and process; and an external
tions startups in Asia and Australia.
transformation of brand, services
For Teo though, the most valuable
and experience that will see tech-
experience she has gained is an
nology as an enabler for its cus-
understanding of the “business of
tomers own digital journeys. Teo’s
technology”. “I look at technology as
remit covers digital businesses and
a means that will provide a positive
services, cybersecurity, data, cloud,
experience to the user, and having an
operations support system (OSS)
understanding of the importance of
and business support system (BSS).
that return of investment (ROI) allows
Teo describes having open, agile w w w.hgc . com . h k
07
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HGC GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATE PROFILE’ 08 platforms as key to what a telecom
end, she immediately enhanced HGC
provider is capable of offering to its
with agile and scrum, multi-cloud
customers. “As we evolve more in this
management, DevOps and site
digital world, things collide and interact,”
reliability engineering skills. “Our first
she says. “You can’t look at one thing
major project as the new HGC was
and not look at others simultaneously.
extremely agile, cloud native, set up for
For example, you need to enrich cyberse-
continuous integration and continuous
curity with data and core OSS or BSS
delivery (Devops), and supported by
needs. To help our customers transform,
hybrid cloud methods from the start.
we need to transform ourselves. My
The team didn’t know any different, so
role is therefore to balance all these
we set up a culture of continuous
competing and sometimes conflicting
learning and agility to fail and fix quickly
demands, and ensure we have incorpo-
and everyone just got used to the pace
rated the right technology at the right
of speed and change. This first project
time for the right outcomes.” To this
was the establishment of our API and
Microservices hub with Axway to
approach, fail fast with HGC and have
open up our platform and it took us
the courage to push the boundaries
just three months to achieve. A year
of their technology.
in, this is the only way we will launch any new capability.”
In order to bring about change, Teo looked at where technology could be
To support HGC’s digital journey,
successfully implemented and that
Teo also sought partners who can
in itself required a rethink about the
work flexibly with HGC within a
value of technology to HGC. She notes
fast-paced environment, and remarks
that the current global perception of
that “it was more important they fit us
digital technology shows businesses
culturally first than have the cheapest
don’t really understand the depths and
price or the fanciest technology”. She
breadths of modern technology capabili-
cites partners like Enxoo, Axway and
ties. “They think it is easy because of
Cloudsmartz who have a ‘can-do’
own their digital experience, and they
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E
Jacqueline Teo Jacqueline Teo is Chief Digital Officer, responsible for technology and digital capabilities in the service of customers and internal staff. Her remit covers strategy, roadmapping, architecture, delivery and support, as well as accountability for P&L, and she has led significant technological transformation projects for large and complex organisations. During a career that stretches back 25 years, Jacqueline has held a number C-level posts in the global telecommunications, media and entertainment industries, and has earned a reputation for spearheading game-changing initiatives on behalf of customers.
w w w.hgc . com . h k
09
“Smart cities, smart workplaces, smart cars, etc... Those areas all need thought leadership in the technology space to actually understand how the enablement of these technologies can support meaningful business models” — Jacqueline Teo, Chief Digital Officer at HGC Global Communications
11
just want it and they want it fast,” she
space to actually understand how the
explains. This is where her experience
enablement of these technologies can
comes into play, as she is able to marry
support meaningful business models.
her background in finance with her
A good digital leader has to know how
business knowledge and understand-
to use technology as a progressive
ing of technology to optimise the
enabler and a disrupter – yet advocate
benefits to HGC and its customers.
for the customer while providing
She adds that thought leadership
universal benefit and work all positions
is crucial in achieving any form of
seamlessly to grow. You don’t always
success in a digital transformation.
need to be the smartest person in the
“Everything is smart these days,” she
room, but you do need to know who is
says. “Smart cities, smart workplaces,
and then create the environment
smart cars, etc. Those areas all need
where each strength has a voice to
thought leadership in the technology
shape the outcome.” w w w.hgc . com . h k
12
A staff walkathon was organised. For every two employees who finish the walk, HGC will donate a 12-month free broadband service plan to a local grassroots student
Such leadership is fundamental
of this evolution,” she says. “A consum-
for a business like HGC which serves
er for a telecommunications service
a wide range of market segments on
has a different set of needs to one of
a local and international scale. With
the large corporates we serve, and
such a large mass market, Teo recog-
the way they’re perceiving things can
nises that transforming and digitally
be at very different extremes. Staying
enabling each and every facet in order
relevant to a customer that continues
to remain relevant is a challenge. She
to be empowered and has more
is keen to stress the need to have
access to information than ever before
empathy for those going through such
requires an understanding of just how
transformations and the challenges
much that customer has changed and
they face. “They’re at different stages
will continue to change.” HGC’s varied
of their own journeys of relevance and
market segments creates an incredibly
they’ve got customers at different cusps
diverse set of demands that it has to
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘VOLVO OCEAN RACE HK STOPOVER RECAP’ 13
be aware and ahead of. “People are
change management innovatively
changing at different rates, in different
to enable a new way of thinking, asking:
ways,” says Teo. “My take on this is to
“Where is that shift that will make our
put your customer in the middle of eve-
people look at and think about things
rything you do and start from the idea
a little differently?” and “How do I create
of ‘what is going to make my customer
a safe environment for our people to
successful today, tomorrow, next year,
collaborate and stay genuinely focused
in 10 years?’ Next,work backwards
on the customers’ needs?” Challenging
and challenge the way you think about
the company’s own thinking bias and
making your customer happy. Then
allowing people to be openly uncom-
and only then, how and which technol-
fortable about the impending change
ogy can enable that.”
has been essential. “It’s about having
In order to overcome this challenge, Teo approaches education and
different conversations, looking at how our customers and our partners will be w w w.hgc . com . h k
Innovate to accelerate digital transformation Customer-obsessed innovators are tapping into the power of data to invent new digital experiences that transform the business. They are the “unicorns” that change the world and reach new heights of success.
Easier integration, faster innovation AMPLIFY™ is a hybrid integration platform that helps you master modern APIs and microservices, so you can link more systems, people, and things faster and easier than ever before. Without the traditional integration roadblocks in your way, you can speed the creation and delivery of brilliantly convenient experiences that provide access to any data, from anywhere, by any user.
Read our white paper to learn how to master APIs and microservices, so you can be a unicorn, too.
DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER
axway.com/api
“ I made a strategic decision to enable AI capabilities to drive our sales from day one. This includes chatbots for the consumer market and AI driven sales for all our direct sales teams” — Jacqueline Teo, Chief Digital Officer at HGC Global Communications
frictionless engagements with its customers, suppliers and partners. Teo looks at artificial intelligence (AI), virtualisation and infrastructure as the key technologies defining this journey. “Data becomes much more meaningful with AI,” she says. “I made a strategic decision to enable AI capabilities to drive our sales from day one. This includes chatbots for the consumer market and AI driven sales for all our direct sales teams.” The next set of digital functions to benefit from AI are already in progress and Teo would like to see this extended to its customers as well.
affected and how we can tackle these
Additionally, Teo believes that the
challenges in different ways,” she says.
edge will become increasingly impor-
“Change is a certainty in this digital era
tant to all segments as we enter a world
and we must continuously look at where
of high volume, micro transactions
the dial needs to be in order to remain
driven by our growing love for all things
meaningful as a business and ultimately
‘smart’, the internet of things and 5G
to our customer.”
services. Functionality and intelligence
HGC’s customer requires an increas-
at the edge will increase and drive how
ing number of touch points with more
HGC continues to virtualise access
direct connectivity and access. In
to cloud and network resources while
response to this, HGC is exploring
enabling customers to virtualise their
ways in which it can build out from its
processes, prioritise their usage and
open platforms and leverage its data
dynamically use edge to optimise
capabilities to better create true
efficiency. w w w.hgc . com . h k
15
Data Center ConneX™
Enabling Data Center Transformation Interconnect
Cross Connect
Cloud Connect
Enterprise Customers Want Flexibility & Control – TODAY Data Center ConneX™ is powered through CloudSmartz’ Acumen360 LSO & DCX foundational platforms – enabling Data Center Interconnect, Cross Connect, Cloud Connect for the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) CloudSmartz enabled Hutchison Global Communications (HGC) with point-to-point connectivity and Cloud Connect in Q1 2019. “CloudSmartz utilized its Acumen SDX platform to design and develop the HGC ‘network-on-demand’ products. Everything from initial design to hardware deployment and service launch along with 24X7 support was completed in record time”, says Manjeet Dhariwal, Co-founder & CTO, CloudSmartz. “Multiple network-on-demand services are available to customers today and this platform will serve as the launchpad for all future SDN and on-demand, zero-touch provisioning services." CloudSmartz enables digital transformation for Next-Generation Service Providers to deliver the benefits of flexibility and control with the self-service consumerization of network services.
ENTERPRISE
PARTNERS
DCX Portal
OSS/BSS
Analytics
Inventory
Multi-Tenant
Orchestrate
CloudSmartz Data Center ConneX™ Metering
OpenFlow
Telemetry
OpenKilda SDN Controller Programmable Data Plane
SERVICE PROVIDER BENEFITS: 1
Enable on-demand products to be offered to customers via Data Center Interconnect
2
Create a marketplace between customers and the DC via automated Cross Connect
3
Offer automated self-service cloud connectivity to customers via Cloud Connect For more information please visit our website www.cloudsmartz.com or email info@cloudsmartz.com.
1995
Year founded
1,500
Approximate number of employees
New HGC celebrates its first anniversary with a HK$1mn broadband donation to grassroots student
17
Software enabled infrastructure
service providers (CSPs) to enable this
(software defined networks or ‘SDN’,
part of its digital transformation journey.
known as virtual data centres ‘SDDC)
“CloudSmartz SDN development teams,
or infrastructure as code, is a key area
using CloudSmartz SDxSuite platform
for HGC to unlock operational efficien-
and OpenKilda SDN Controller, worked
cies though sellable, flexible and
closely with Jacqueline’s HGC teams
reconfigurable infrastructure. HGC can
to develop and globally launch SDN
also optimise availability and perfor-
network-on-demand products within 6
mance as well as automate provision-
months,” says Manjeet Dhariwal, CTO
ing and activation, allowing its custom-
and Co-founder, CloudSmartz. “This
ers elastic infrastructure and networks.
kind of speed and agility is unheard of
The company partnered with
- Congratulations to the SDN teams
CloudSmartz, a global provider of
and the leadership.”
software solutions for communications
Noting that while there are many w w w.hgc . com . h k
18
“ It takes personal courage and organisational courage to stand up and say that we are happy to disrupt who we are and we are happy to take the first steps in evolving our business today, tomorrow and beyond that” — Jacqueline Teo, Chief Digital Officer at HGC Global Communications
SDN services companies in the world, Teo adds that CloudSmartz’s culture and shared goals set it apart from any other. “If you look at the culture that we built to thrive as being digital, CloudSmartz stood out for us for two reasons: one was their thought leadership. They know the software defined space, and they knew how to lead us to that space. The second was that they understood the diversity of
our customer base and are aligned to the empathy we have for our customers and customer focus of this journey. Plus it helps that thy work at our pace.” Teo uses the word ‘journey’ liberally, for she feels that transformation suggests a process of moving from one stage to another, whereas for HGC it is a continuous evolution to stay relevant in the fourth industrial revolution. Technology will continue to redefine the telecommunications space, and HGC has had to continue to redefine itself too. “HGC is courageous in the way it disrupts its own ways of doing business,” she says. “It takes personal courage and organisational courage to stand up and say that we are happy to disrupt who we are and we are happy to take the first steps in evolving our business today, tomorrow and beyond that.”
w w w.hgc . com . h k
19
HGC Global Communications 17/F, Hutchison Telecom Tower, 99 Cheung Fai Road, Tsing Yi, Hong Kong www.hgc.com.hk