NTT Ltd.
Enhancing the performance of enterprise applications
In Association With
Digital Report 2021
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Enhancing the performance of enterprise applications
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NTT Ltd.
Andy Green, Senior Director Software GTM, explains how NTT is positioning itself at the forefront of 21st century IT and the fourth industrial revolution One of the world’s foremost technology and business solution providers, NTT has maintained a singular goal: developing technology for the benefit of wider society. Since its establishment as Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) public corporation 04
in 1952, it has assiduously worked towards achieving this vision, eventually incorporating the latest innovations such as hybrid cloud, data centres and digital transformation, and always monitoring the changing needs of its customers. This ethos has allowed it to expand operations as NTT Ltd. (part of the NTT Group) beyond its native Japan to 57 countries, trade with 73, and provide services to more than 200. As such, NTT is fully prepared to confront one of the most exciting paradigm shifts in recent times: the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). Andy Green, Senior Director Software Go-To-Market, spoke with us to outline why NTT’s focus on application performance will be crucial to this effort.
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NTT Ltd.
“ NTT has become a onestop shop for any IT requirement” — Andy Green, Senior Director Software GTM, NTT Ltd.
driven by Cisco’s own transformation – a company with which NTT shares a significant history and mission. Managing this process in European countries, Green brings his considerable expertise and industry knowledge, gained from previous roles at Cisco, among
Joining Dimension Data (now part of
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others, to bear on a company that he
NTT Ltd.) in March 2018, Green was
describes as truly unique from competi-
brought on board to lead and accelerate
tors in the space. “Over time, NTT Ltd.
the transition of vendor solutions from
has acquired over 31 companies, each
hardware to software, predominantly
an expert in their respective areas. Not
Together we do great things CLICK TO WATCH | 1:32
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only do we have application development
looking at how we interact with our
capabilities, but we also own physical
clients, employees and the entire supply
data centres and core wide area network
chain. Generally, when you look at all
infrastructure. NTT has become a one-
of these, you will see that there is an
stop shop for any IT requirement.”
application at the core.” As such, NTT
The company’s tech transformation
remains vigilant in order to make sure
journey has been crucial to reaching
its message and goals are harmonized
this prestigious position, and Green is
by the conversations it has regarding
quick to narrow down how its evolution
these three elements.
has affected three key aspects: the
Optimal application performance
customer experience, the employee
is, in Green’s view, going to be indis-
experience and finally digital transfor-
pensable when it comes to fulfilling
mation itself. “Digital transformation
the promise of the fourth industrial
feeds into the other two, but it’s primarily
revolution. Conceived as the zenith www.hello.global.ntt
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of automation, wherein cloud, IoT
that will not have some form of digital
(internet of things) and AI (artificial
technology involved in it. When we
intelligence) software combine to
talk about IoT, it means that you need
produce efficient and self-optimising
to have a secure platform for building
operating systems, Industry 4.0
those capabilities, and this is where
could change the face of enterprise
NTT’s expertise lies.” The company’s
IT. Indeed, technology priorities have
emphasis on shifting away from hard-
changed within 95% of organizations
ware to software reflects an industry
during the pandemic, according to
macro trend that favours cloud compute
‘The Agents of Transformation Report
and storage over owning physical data
2020: COVID-19 Special Edition’ by
centre equipment. Green calls cloud a
AppDynamics. And the importance
“key part” of facilitating Industry 4.0 but
of high-quality applications has
clarifies that it is not without challenges:
never been more apparent. “There is
“Historically, you would have your appli-
practically no business in the world
cations in your own secure data centre. You’d control what went in and out of it
2019
Year founded
and have a big firewall to protect it. However, fast-forward to where we are now and very little is on-premises.” Organizations’ appetite for auto-
$11bn
Revenue in US dollars (Globally)
mation and intelligence software, to answer to the needs of the consumer, has been whetted by the pandemic, and this has not gone unnoticed by NTT. “We’re seeing an increase in
40,000 Number of employees
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) usage, too,” Green states. “This has mainly been driven by the need for people to work remotely from home. Take NTT Ltd., for example: we have about www.c o mpa busi nyne wessc bsithe. iefcom . eu
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NTT Ltd.
Managed Services accelerate digital transformation CLICK TO WATCH | 2:53
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“ Generally, when you look at [customer experience, employee experience and digital transformation], you will see that there is an application at the core”
there’s been a huge amount of investment,
— Andy Green, Senior Director Software GTM, NTT Ltd.
shift from an old to a new way of working.
but it does demonstrate that, if you invest in it, you can accelerate the transformation as well.” It is important to note that changes underway do not apply to one sector or industry, rather they are a consummate The rate of change could be overwhelming for some companies, who must, nonetheless, ensure that they do not allow
40,000 employees and many are now
their essential applications to fall into
working from home. Both from a customer
obsolescence. Therefore, NTT advocates
and employee experience perspective,
‘Application Visibility and Performance
Management’, a concept aimed at provid-
technologies and enable multi-layer
ing organisations with a ‘single pane of
troubleshooting. Notably, the com-
glass’ perspective on complex IT envi-
pany’s clients can also gain precise
ronments. Developed in conjunction
insights into the end-user experience
with partners like AppDynamics and
by viewing services from their perspec-
ThousandEyes, two of the leading solu-
tive, regardless of whichever application
tions in the Cisco product portfolio, NTT
or device they are using. This aspect,
can offer full-stack application visibility
says Green, is invaluable when it comes
and management in a centralised data hub,
to resolving problems. “For me, it’s
with an accompanying strategy designed
absolutely integral that all applications
to mitigate the risks of adopting cloud
are performing optimally. Are there
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Executive Profile:
Andy Green Title: Snr Director Software GTM Industry: Information Technology & Services Andy Green is the Senior Director of NTT Ltd’s European Software Go-To-Market practice. From selling directly to the Colleges and Universities and the UK’s NHS Trusts, to mentoring tech start-ups since the London 2012 Olympics, Andy is now responsible for incubating and bringing to market new and disruptive technologies. He has over 15 years in the IT industry, as both client, software vendor and technology integrator. He lives with his wife and daughter in Cornwall.
www.hello.global.ntt
NTT Ltd.
“ For me, it’s absolutely integral that all applications are performing optimally [...] Our clients are able to understand what’s working and what isn’t” — Andy Green, Senior Director Software GTM, NTT Ltd.
to be improved? Our clients are able to understand what’s working and what isn’t across their entire application landscape”. The events of 2020, although profoundly disruptive for business all over the world, have not altered NTT’s digital strategy for 2021 and beyond, on the contrary, it accelerated the company’s plans. Addressing the new security issues of remote working,
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customer drop-offs during a transac-
NTT has, for example, begun operating
tion? What’s the reason for that; is the
with an ‘always on’ VPN, something
application not performing correctly?
initially scheduled for 2021, but which
Does the customer experience need
has been necessarily brought forward. “The other things we are really focusing on is the rationalisation of our applications monitoring tools. These tools need to be seamlessly deployed and fully integrated to improve observability of the application landscape, ensuring we can glean valuable insights into how the applications perform, allowing the business and IT operations to make intelligent decisions.” By doing so, NTT not only gains greater visibility and management over its applications, but can also create trust with its clients and share first-hand experience.
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VISIBILITY & PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
•8 2% of organisations cite a focus on customer experience as providing a potential competitive advantage. •5 8% believe customer experience can be a primary differentiator •5 5% increase in availability possible for businesses with “proactively supported” environments •1 0.5% decrease in critical outages can
be achieved through automation •8 8% of technologists report that digital customer experience is now the priority •8 1% of technologists state that COVID-19 has created the biggest technology pressure for their organization that they have ever experienced.
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NTT Ltd.
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“ Your own internal digital transformation, from automation to process improvement, will shape your response and I absolutely believe that all of these things will soon be running on applications” — Andy Green, Senior Director Software GTM, NTT Ltd.
Summarising his position on what organisations can do to prepare for the fourth industrial revolution, Green is emphatic that application performance will be integral to positive business outcomes moving forward. To that effect, NTT, a company with world-class service capabilities partnering with world-class platform and software providers, like AppDynamics and ThousandEyes, has the expertise necessary to draw up a winning digital roadmap and can help facilitate that success. “It doesn’t take much now for anyone to jump onto Twitter and share a negative story about their poor customer experience,” he concludes. “Your own internal digital transformation, from automation to process improvement, will shape your response and I absolutely believe that all of these things will soon be running on applications.”
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