O c to b e r 2 016
w w w.busine s sreviewe urop e.e u
The network for global
business
5G
smart
stadiums
of the
future
with
Vodafone
TALKING TECH
Just Eat, First Port Allied Irish Bank
ENTRY DEadli ne
5 Augu
st 201
6
OPEN FOR ENTRIES
The17th Annual Banking Technology Awards Thursday 1 December | The Tower Hotel, London
The Banking Technology Awards 2016 are open for entries! Now in their 17th year, Banking Technology Awards recognise the best of the best in financial services technology worldwide. The winners will be announced at our gala dinner on Thursday, 1 December 2016 at the Tower Hotel in London. Visit us online at www.bankingtech.com/awards for all the categories and details on how to enter.
Award sponsorship opportunities The award sponsorship package includes your logo in all Banking Technology Awards promotions in print and online. You will also get a full page advertisement in the awards brochure and a table of ten guests. For sponsorship enquiries, please email Judith McInerney at judith.mcinerney@knect365.com or call +44 203 377 3506
For general event enquiries, please contact: awards@bankingtech.com
EDITORS COMMENT
MOVING ON UP HELLO AND WELCOME to October’s edition of Business Review Europe. Although the summer holiday season has drawn to a close, the aviation industry continues to work round the clock to get business travellers to and from appointments all over the world. Our lead profile VistaJet is no exception. We speak to Chief Information Officer Pedro Nassif about how the private carrier is investing in technology to provide a seamless service to its passengers. We also explore the cashless society in our interview with Robert Reeg at MasterCard, who discusses the company’s latest developments in mobile wallets and biometric security techniques. Our strong technology focus continues at the start of the magazine in our front of book features. First up is Ericsson and the rise of 5G, the network for industries – why is it a game changer and how can businesses benefit? After this you will find a Q&A with Vodafone on smart sports stadia, notably the Vodafone Arena, home of football team Besiktas in Turkey and template for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Finally, in a time that is witnessing ever more extreme weather patterns, we ask what businesses can do to safeguard against the extremes. I hope you enjoy the read. As ever, join the debate @BizReviewEurope
Enjoy the issue!
Tom Wadlow Editor tom.wadlow@bizclikmedia.com 3
F E AT U R E S
CONTENTS
06
PROFILE
5G: the network for business
TECHNOLOGY
LIST
Sporting smart: Vodafone and smart stadiums
16 4
October 2016
26
3 ways that businesses can safeguard against extreme weather
C O M PA N Y PROFILES
34
VistaJet International Technology
52 64
Just Eat Technology
80
QNET
Technology
MasterCard Technology
96
FirstPort Technology
112
Sure International Technology
126
Allied Irish Bank Supply Chain
5G: the network for business Business Review Europe speaks to Ericsson about the rise of 5G and the benefits it can deliver for businesses operating in a multitude of industries Writ ten by: TO M WA D LOW
PROFILE
PROFILE YOU WOULD BE forgiven for thinking that the dust has only just settled on the emergence of 4G into the mobile world. However, no sooner are we getting used to talking about 4G instead of 3G than the arrival of mobile connectivity’s next generation – 5G. In short and somewhat oversimplified terms, this is 4G being ramped up to industrial capacity. “It is very exciting,” Dr Håkan Andersson, Head of 5G Product Strategy at Ericsson, tells me. “What we are seeing now in conjunction with the timing of 5G is interest from a lot of industries who want to use connectivity in their processes. Whether it be manufacturing, transport or mining, industries are all looking into how they can use connectivity to drive efficiency. “At the same time mobile broadband has a very high penetration and operators are looking for additional revenue streams. 5G, I would say, rather simply, is moving or taking mobile broadband into the industrial sphere.” Ericsson has been a key driver of 5G deployment across Europe, working closely with the likes of the European 8
October 2016
Commission to identify and approach its opportunities and challenges. Its expertise will no doubt be invaluable when it comes to developing a unified European approach. “We still need to understand much much more, as this will be different to mobile broadband,” adds Jonas Näslund, Head of Strategy at Ericsson’s Business Radio division. “We need to understand exactly what the industries need, and so far they have been very eager to explore the benefits and work with us.” Endless possibilities? Ericsson has identified five use case areas for 5G. The first is ‘Broadband Experience. Everywhere, Anytime’, aimed at generic mobile users in crowded spaces like public transport and at events where connectivity often suffers. Another use case is media streaming, targeting consumers who demand and pay for TV on the go. Third is smart vehicles, transport and infrastructure, involving
5G: THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS
9
PROFILE
“What we are seeing now in conjunction with the timing of 5G is interest from a lot of industries who want to use connectivity in their processes” – Dr Håkan Andersson, Head of 5G Product Strategy at Ericsson
10
October 2016
connected vehicles, connected roads and connected public transport stops all communicating with one another. 5G could help permit a situation where an electric bus tells an electric highway that is in need of charging, at the same time feeding a bus stop information of its exact whereabouts to keep passengers up to date. Filling a gap between the Internet of Things (IoT) and humans is another use case, whether it be connecting smart houses to phones or keeping customers informed of where their deliveries are. In terms of industry, the final use case comes in the critical control of remote devices, from smart grids to heavy machinery. “This is where the challenge lies, making a network than can handle all of these use cases,” explains Näslund. “For example, we are working with New Boliden, a Swedish mining company, on how we can leverage 5G to allow them to remotely control underground trucks used to transport Head of Ericsson Research, Sara Mazur, in the 5G lab
5G: THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS
ore. This would greatly improve productivity and safety.” Flexibility Perhaps the greatest advantage 5G represents to businesses is flexibility in terms of scaling, maintenance and tailoring to specific needs. “The fact 5G can in effect represent a whole network just through software, without the need for hardware systems makes it a flexible choice for these different use cases, and one which is much more cost effective than the old fashioned approach,” Andersson explains. “However, we are seeing LTE Radio Access Networks, which were part of the technical revolution with 2G and
3G, as being part of a 5G solution. We are not simply throwing LTE away. We are adding new technology that has been ripening after the introduction of LTE. 5G spans so much further than a radio interface, but with this we can make networks purely by software.” Ericsson is partnering with businesses in a number of industries, from health and automotive to utilities and commodities. Näslund adds: “We are also improving our IoT capabilities and machine to machine communications with these new 5G-LTE networks. Before, IoT functions may have been carried on a separate network, using new hardware and interfaces. “But then we asked ‘why can we not multiplex these narrowband devices into the LTE with software?’ This was the first step in the new way of thinking and I’m pleased that Ericsson took the lead on this and got the industry to change.” Sustainability A 5G network also has the potential to save industries large amounts of energy and money. Ericsson’s target is to increase data traffic by a factor of 1,000 while at the same time reducing energy consumption by 50 percent. 11
PROFILE
5G Journey in the Industry Builds on LTE and previous experiences
Global efforts for a global standard in 2020
Challenging 5G system requirements
Open platform for industry eco-system to leverage
5G: THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS
13
PROFILE Andersson explains how the company is pushing the concept of a lean carrier. The basic principle is to minimise any transmissions not directly related to the delivery of user data, effectively presenting an on demand service used only when needed. Ericsson Lean Carrier works by reducing the interference caused by reference signalling across the LTE network. “Another element which helps us to reduce energy consumption is antenna technologies,” Andersson reveals. “With traditional cells you have 120 degree
14
October 2016
antenna and you transmit the information on that sector regardless of where the user is. With the new technology you can point the energy to exactly where the user is. “If you take a flashlight that spreads like a floodlight it lights up a lot of area that the person is not standing in. If you focus the flashlight into a narrow beam you can use a lot less energy and still light up the point you need. This is the same with antenna technology.” 5G can also incorporate old legacy networks and systems into a sustainable network, again reducing energy consumption and potentially saving organisations money.
5G: THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS
“We started with 3G and said this would be the last generation and we were wrong. With 5G we are conscious that we shouldn’t make anything that limits adding any functionality further down the line” – Jonas Näslund, Head of Strategy at Ericsson’s Business Radio division
6G? When trying to map the evolution of 2G through to 5G, it is difficult to pin down when, or if, one morphed into the next. Andersson estimated that 5G had been in the pipeline since around 2012 or 2013, following Ericsson’s vision for connected devices. “We set out our vision for 50 billion connected devices and it soon became apparent that 4G alone would not be able to cope with this level of connectivity,” he explains. “Machine-machine connections number at around 300 million, but this will increase massively, more than anything else. But this is more the result of what we are doing and not the starting point for 5G — we have to ask how we build a network that can handle these connected devices.” “We started with 3G and said this would be the last generation and we were wrong. With 5G we are conscious that we shouldn’t make anything that limits adding any functionality further down the line. A 10 year cycle thought process might not cut it anymore.” And what about 6G, has this been touted at all? “There was a Justin Bieber advert on SuperBowl that talked about 6G, so who knows, maybe he is the 6G champion,” Näslund says. 15
TECHNOLOGY
Sporting smart: Vodafone and smart stadiums Vodafone is leading the way with the development of smart sporting stadiums, no better demonstrated by its work for the London 2012 Olympics, Beşiktaş FC in Turkey and plans for the Qatar 2022 football World Cup. We asked Vodafone Qatar’s Chief Operating Officer Mohamed Al Sadah all about it Written by: TO M WA D LOW
TECHNOLOGY
1. What is a ‘smart stadium’?
From our perspective, the concept of a smart stadium encompasses two main aspects: fan experiences and improved operations. In terms of fan experiences, a ‘smart stadium’ uses technologically advanced infrastructure and digital technologies to deliver greater connectivity and create unforgettable sports experiences for sports fans.
Smart stadiums are sports venues that have been designed and developed to offer a wide range of benefits – for example, high-speed broadband network connections, rich content displays, interactive technologies and more. Together these provide fans at sporting events with an end-to-end digital experience. Smart technologies can also enhance and improve the operations of a stadium. For instance, smart technology can be deployed to ensure the safety, security and integrity of a venue on match day. Such technologies can support the multitude of logistical and operational activities that are involved in the running of such venues – from ticketing, to parking, to payments and more. 18
October 2016
“We recognise that sports fans are increasingly techsavvy and more connected than ever, frequently using social media to post during events and sharing ever more content” – Mohamed Al Sadah, Vodafone Qatar’s Chief Operating Officer
SPORTING SMART
2. Tell me about the Beşiktaş Vodafone Arena. How is it ‘smart’ and what services is Vodafone providing there? The Beşiktaş Vodafone Arena is Turkey’s first smart stadium, and provides a glimpse into the fan experience of the future. At every home game played by Turkish Super League side, Beşiktaş JK, more than 40,000 fans have access to Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, and 4.5G ready broadband network connections. They are able to access rich-content displays on the 850 video walls. In addition, visitors to the stadium can access a specially developed Vodafone Arena mobile application and interactive HD screens that broadcast all the content that fans dream of, including interviews, match statistics and live updates on other games. The Vodafone arena features a unique, five layer digital infrastructure. The basis of this is the system and telecom rooms which make up the ‘digital
heart’ of the smart stadium infrastructure. The second layer supporting the intelligent infrastructure is the Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G and 4.5G compatible network connections that simultaneously meet the needs of up to 50,000 visitors. The third layer comprises digital displays installed at different locations around the stadium, facilitating the broadcast of a wide range of content. The fourth layer is the Vodafone Arena App through which we deliver rich content to fans and visitors. The final layer comprises special services designed to enhance visitors’ match-day experience through location-based services powered by beacon technology.
19
TECHNOLOGY
3. What are you plans for smart stadiums for the 2022 World Cup? What experience do you want to deliver for fans?
Our leading Internet of Things (IoT) platform is now available in 40 markets including Qatar, as part of our strategic direction to bring all that’s innovative to the country. This demonstrates how we are always looking to bring expertise and innovation from all around the world to Qatar.
We have abundant experience in delivering smart stadium experiences – from the Vodafone Arena in Turkey, to the London Olympics and our work with Valencia Football Club in Spain. These strengths underpin our 20
October 2016
ability to support Qatar’s efforts in delivering an amazing 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM, the first in the Middle East. As preparations for the World Cup accelerate, so will fans’ expectation for super-fast connectivity.
“The Vodafone Arena provides a tangible model of how a stadium can provide an end-toend digital experience – through high speed broadband network connections, rich content displays, interactive technologies and more”
SPORTING SMART
–M ohamed Al Sadah, Vodafone Qatar’s Chief Operating Officer
The ability to share videos, pictures and messages with people online will be an important aspect of the fan experience in six and a half years’ time. So a big part of our involvement is supporting the authorities and the large number of stakeholders involved in delivering a World Cup that fulfils the promise of a fan experience like no other. We are the ideal partner to work with organisations like the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy,
helping them realise the promise and the potential of the smart stadium experience. We’re also ideally placed to support the State of Qatar more broadly as the country develops the necessary infrastructure around World Cup projects and smart cities such as Msheireb emerge, offering the promise of enhancing people’s lifestyle as well as empowering businesses through efficient and sustainable services delivered by an integrated ICT infrastructure. 21
TECHNOLOGY
4. How is the Vodafone Arena being used as a template? We intend to make the lessons learned from the Vodafone Arena, as well as from our other successful smart technology projects such as the London Olympics and in Spain, available to bodies such as the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
Qatar is building seven new stadiums and refurbishing one other. Each has its own unique characteristics, features and setting. We would not suggest that there is a ‘one size fits’ all template that can or should be applied to stadia, since each venue must be designed and tailored according to the specific groups of fans it caters to, the sports it accommodates and the operational requirements of the building and the facility. However, our
22
October 2016
experience at the Vodafone Arena provides a useful blueprint in two key areas: enhancing the fan experience and improving stadium operations. The Vodafone Arena provides a tangible model of how a stadium can provide an end-to-end digital experience – through high speed broadband network connections, rich content displays, interactive technologies and
SPORTING SMART
more – enabling greater connectivity and an unforgettable fan experience. It also tangibly demonstrates how smart technologies can enhance and improve the operation of a stadium. For instance, smart technology at the Vodafone Arena helps ensure the safety, security and integrity of the venue on match days. It facilitates a multitude of logistical and operational activities and enables us to enhance visitors’ enjoyment and experience of games through providing locationbased services
powered by beacon technology. Thanks to this technology, subscribers will be able to easily find their seats, and in the near future, they will be able to place food and drink orders to be delivered directly to their seats. In the near future we will also be able to provide access to match content including stats and facts as well as enabling match-goers to access payment systems.
23
TECHNOLOGY
MOU Signature with Mohamed Al Sadah COO Vodafone Qatar & Gökhan Öğüt, CEO Vodafone Turkey
5. How will you be working with Vodafone Turkey and Beşiktaş to deliver these smart stadiums?
Vodafone Qatar and Vodafone Turkey recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) designed to accelerate the transfer of knowledge, expertise and technological know-how from Turkey’s first smart-stadium, the Vodafone Arena in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul to one of the world’s fastest growing football markets in Qatar.
Vodafone Qatar and Vodafone Turkey have agreed to enter into a collaboration to enable Vodafone Qatar to receive the benefit of Vodafone Turkey’s expertise, knowledge and experience in smart stadium technologies and the implementation of such technologies. This will cover the following key elements: • Knowledge and information based on Vodafone Turkey’s flagship implementation of smart stadium technologies in the Vodafone Arena; 24
October 2016
• Technical solution design, capability and functionality; • Resources and personnel experienced in the design and implementation of smart stadium technologies. Through this partnership, we are ideally placed to provide sport fans at the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM with the ultimate digital experience as well as for a variety of other venues and stadiums hosting major sports events taking place around the region.
SPORTING SMART
6. What will happen after the tournament?
We see that the technology will very much still be in use following the tournament. Qatar will no doubt be frequently hosting major sports events and the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM stadiums could potentially be fully prepared and equipped with Vodafone’s state-of-the-art IoT technologies. 25
3 WAYS
businesses can safeguard against extreme weather In an age of changing weather patterns and climate change, businesses need to be aware of the challenges this can present to supply chains around the world Written by: PHILIP JOHNSON V i c e P r e s i d e n t - O p e r a t i o n s M a n a g e r, London Operations at FM Global
LIST
LIST
IT WAS RECENTLY reported that 2015 was the warmest year on record. Furthermore, a new global temperature forecast from the UK's Met Office says that 2016 is likely to be even warmer than 2015. This forecast underlines a longterm trend, where 15 of the 16 hottest years since records began in 1880 have all been this century. The record temperatures set in 2015 are due to a combination of human-induced warming, as well as the presence of El Niño (the prolonged warming of the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures 28
October 2016
that affects the climate all over the world). El Niño has been explained as the cause of many extreme weather events around the world recently, such as droughts in parts of Africa, in India and Pakistan and flooding in many parts of Europe and the US. While many of these global events are associated with El Niño, there is little doubt that the ongoing pattern of a warmer climate sees a greater risk of extreme weather conditions. Higher temperatures have given rise to weather phenomena such as hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes, typhoons and floods.
3 WAY S BU SI N ESSES C AN S A F E GUA R D A GA INS T E X T R E M E W E AT H E R
The number of category four and five hurricanes worldwide nearly doubled from the early 1970s to the early 2000s. Moreover, both the duration of tropical cyclones and their strongest wind speeds have increased by about 50 percent over the past 50 years. What risks do these weather changes represent for European businesses? These kind of extreme weather events have exacted a heavy toll. According to the United Nations, the economic toll of these disasters has reached nearly £1 trillion the last 10 years. With the potential damage these events can bring, building resilience should be top of mind for European businesses. If a business is not prepared for extreme weather conditions, it could find itself confronting property damage, which could lead to business interruption and loss of revenue. This notion of ‘resilience’ is increasingly viewed as a competitive advantage because when faced with a catastrophe, those businesses that are prepared to deal with natural catastrophes are the quickest to return to normal operations.
‘If a business is not prepared for extreme weather conditions, it could find itself confronting property damage, which could lead to business interruption and loss of revenue’ For severe weather events, evacuations, power outages, inaccessibility, infrastructure and property losses are among the possible headaches. But even less intense weather can cause serious issues, particularly in an organisation’s time-sensitive supply chain. For a European company with Asia-based parts suppliers, for example, even a moderate typhoon in the Pacific can have major repercussions on the high street when the firm can’t deliver its products on time. So what steps can businesses take to safeguard their operations from the increased threat of weather related events? 29
LIST 1. Thoroughly audit your supply chain The first step for organisations is to ensure that they are managing the risks beyond their own operations. Just because you’ve outsourced the process, it doesn’t mean you’ve outsourced the risk. For instance, a European based company could still be vulnerable to business interruption from a typhoon in the Philippines if one of its key suppliers is located there. A wise rule for companies to follow is to work with their full network of suppliers to ensure that the right loss prevention procedures have been implemented. Companies that don’t develop relationships with suppliers will often find themselves becoming unstuck by severe supply chain disruption. One step that companies can take to protect themselves from supply chain disruption is to audit all their business relationships and build a network of preferred and alternate suppliers with contrasting risk profiles. For instance, never have both a preferred and alternate supplier that are vulnerable to the same flood loss. Having alternate relationships (with alternate risk profiles) will ensure that a company is never too reliant on a single supplier. Businesses should also be aware that their own risk prevention strategies would be scrutinised by other members of the supply chain ecosystem. Therefore, it is important to map your position in the supply chain hierarchy and proactively communicate your business continuity plan to all relevant parties.
30
October 2016
2. Take ownership for building business resilience The concept of building business resilience is often labelled as purely a ‘risk management’ procedure. However, the responsibility for building resilience shouldn’t be placed solely upon the risk manager. Building resilience is more than a box-ticking exercise, it represents the mindset of an entire organisation. Business leaders have a big role to play in building this mindset, and they must take ownership in developing resilience with a long term view of the business, not just their own tenures. Sustained resilience needs to be an integral part of corporate strategy, to protect them from loss of market shareholder value, reputation and more. 31
LIST
3. Having a ‘plan B’ in place for when the unavoidable does happen Sometimes, it can be difficult to avoid disruption from large-scale weather related events, such as typhoons, hurricanes and tsunamis. When an unavoidable loss does occur (be it directly or through disruption of one of your key suppliers) every minute is precious, and businesses need to be able to get back on their feet as quickly as possible. A quick response can help minimise the consequences. To successfully accomplish this, companies must have two measures in place before the disruption occurs. The first is a business continuity plan. The second is an insurance programme with ample and stable capacity that can reimburse a company for operational and financial losses directly attributable to an interruption of business activities. 32
October 2016
3 WAY S BU SI N ESSES C AN S A F E GUA R D A GA INS T E X T R E M E W E AT H E R
‘When an unavoidable loss does occur (be it directly or through disruption of one of your key suppliers) every minute is precious, and businesses need to be able to get back on their feet as quickly as possible’ Business Continuity Plan A business continuity plan should be both broad and deep, covering a wide range of contingencies: disaster recovery, the safety of employees, the retrieval of back up business data, emergency communications, the possible relocation of business operations to an alternative location, and the sourcing of goods from alternative suppliers. By working with business continuity experts, companies can better understand the risks they face and better prepare themselves to prevent, control and mitigate them.
Insurance Programme When it comes to your insurance programme, it pays to know how your policy will respond, should you ever face an insurable loss. Do you know whether your insurer has the financial strength to pay for your loss? Does your insurer have the stability, so you can be confident it will be around should you have a claim? Additionally, does it have a history of paying claims, promptly and fairly? Speed of response is also critical as sales will be lost if a business is unable to function.
3
Data-led transformation Written by Nye Longman Produced by George Tweed
35
In the second phase of its technology transformation, VistaJet is using technology to provide an offering like no other
I
n the challenging environment of business aviation, every move is important and reputation counts for everything. Twelve years ago, VistaJet decided to split from the pack and offer a unique subscription model whereby discerning corporate and high net worth customers purchase blocks of flight hours, rather than a fraction or entire aircraft, to obtain guaranteed access to its fleet of over 65 business jets anywhere in the world. Business Review Europe speaks to Chief Information Officer Pedro Nassif about the value that digitalisation has brought to the company’s internal processes, as well as what this means for both one-time and regular customers. The business of aviation The market for business aviation is certainly rewarding, but competition is stiff, from players both big and small, old and new. By owning its fleet, VistaJet sets itself apart from competitors by focusing on providing
36
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
“Delivering bespoke services can only be achieved using timely, targeted and accurate data. So the approach to technology is to make sure that data is made available accurately, in real time to the right people” – Pedro Nassif, VistaJet CIO
Speed your way to the fastest cabin experience available
You email the quarterly numbers critical for the CFO’s presentation while your colleague is on a video conference call with headquarters about the new product launch. Next to her, the vice president of marketing is downloading the files for the annual report and live streaming the company’s latest ad premiering during the World Cup finals. Sound like a typical day at the office? It is, except for the fact that it’s happening while you’re cruising at 39,000 feet. This is the type of passenger experience new technologies like Jet ConneX (JX) from Inmarsat are enabling for business aviation customers around the world. Connectivity for business aviation is not new – what is new is a service like JX that provides connectivity at higher speeds, with higher bandwidth and true global coverage. Rockwell Collins is a provider of the Jet ConneX service as part of its ARINCDirectSM offering. “There are several existing technologies, but JX is a game changer,” said David Stanley, vice president, Business Aviation Cabin Services for Rockwell Collins. “It provides the fastest broadband connectivity speeds available with usage plans that are similar to what you see with your home cable provider.”
rockwellcollins.com
Why do business jet operators care? Because passenger demand for connectivity is growing. “The desire for constant connectivity is actually driving the choices that business aviation customers are making in terms of which aircraft they fly,” notes Stanley. “If you have access to two aircraft and one has high-speed cabin connectivity and the other doesn’t, guess which one is going to be used more often? Passengers want the same experience on board an aircraft as they do on the ground, and they are making their preferences known.”
Global coverage Beyond speed, coverage is also an important factor. “JX is unique in that it’s the first high-speed Ka-band broadband network that supports worldwide operations,” said Stanley. “It’s a global service with consistently high-level performance and quality of service, which is essential for international operators.” Because a single company provides JX, business aviation operators can fly across time zones and provide continuous, reliable service to passengers, eliminating gaps in coverage that exist with older technologies.
Cost considerations: flat rate service plans create new economies of scale Stanley notes that one of the biggest issues he sees in the industry is confusion by business jet operators about the cost of using – or upgrading to – JX. While there are upfront installation and hardware costs associated with moving to JX, service contracts are based on a fixed, flat fee basis or an “all the data you can consume” pricing model. That’s a key differentiator from existing connectivity options, which are typically based on per megabyte pricing. “As a flat rate service, JX changes the dynamic because it eliminates the need to manage cost on a per trip or per month basis. So, depending on the frequency of flight, JX could be a much more economical way to provide connectivity services to the cabin.”
Smart cabin routers make a big difference While passengers experience the speed and performance benefits of JX, new smart routers help business jet operators better manage the use of voice and data on board the aircraft – and more. But not all routers are created equal. As aircraft get more sophisticated, they may have several connectivity solutions onboard. For example, perhaps JX for high throughput cabin connectivity, Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband for the flight deck as well as another for air-to-ground communications. “No one wants to get on board the aircraft and see multiple
networks to choose from – they just want one,” said Stanley. “And that’s what Rockwell Collins’ airborne data router does: it creates one network with the ability to prioritize traffic to effectively manage an entire suite of connectivity options through one device.” A smart cabin router can also have a big impact on minimizing costs. Rockwell Collins routes data based on the lowest cost given the available networks, and the company’s airborne router knows which service or technology to prioritize based on the location of the aircraft. “So if you’re on the ground, our airborne data router switches off of SATCOM and goes to GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) because it’s a lot less expensive than using up satellite megabytes,” said Stanley.
Think of the future growth Technology is changing so quickly that, “You need to consider your needs not only today but in the future.” Rockwell Collins’ airborne data router is modular in design, so it has been architected for future grown. “Essentially, the router is really designed for the life of an aircraft. Regardless of what new technology comes down the road, its flexible design allows operators to adapt.”
Do the homework Thinking about transitioning to JX? “While the move to new connectivity solutions is exciting, you need to do your homework,” cautions Stanley. “We’re moving from basic satellite connectivity solutions on aircraft to literally creating an airborne network. Take your time and do the research. Business aviation operators need the expertise of a company like Rockwell Collins to be able to architect, configure and troubleshoot that network so they get the best results possible.” For information on how JX from ARINCDirect can transform your cabin connectivity experience, contact sales@arinc.com.
ARINCDirectSM airborne data router
V I S TA J E T I N T E R N AT I O N A L
VistaJet app visual
40
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
aircraft services that are truly like no other – providing its customers with a guaranteed aircraft, true flexibility and unmatched personalised service, all whilst offering the largest service area in business aviation. “It’s like having your luxury car waiting for you outside your business meeting,” Nassif says. “You might be late, so you can tell us to wait. You might want to fly tomorrow instead of today; we can change the flight destination, the time, the date and even the passengers on board. This actually happens about three to four times on average per flight.” Alongside private individuals seeking convenience and discretion, VistaJet has been trusted to arrange flights for a variety of high-worth individuals including several heads of state, as well as a high number of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Flying to well over 180 countries globally, the aviator is capable of tailoring each flight in line with the demands of its customers through a number of separate channels using bespoke
2004
The year VistaJet International was founded
w w w. v i s t a j e t . c o m
41
Thomas Flohr, VistaJet Founder and Chairman
44
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
internal systems, traditional booking methods and a dedicated app. VistaJet’s identically branded fleet of over 65 Bombardier Global and Challenger jets is currently the largest privately-owned collection in the world, but what is more staggering is its age: the company ensures that its planes are no less than 18 months old on average – a rarity in the industry. Technology transformation Over the past five years, Nassif’s work as CIO has been to ensure that digitalisation is at the forefront of the company agenda. The first stage of this process, which started in 2011, focused on digitalising internal business processes in order to deliver more than 100 unscheduled flights per day as efficiently as possible – the next, still ongoing, has been to ensure that digitalisation has a
direct benefit to the customer. “Technology is absolutely vital for our business processes,” he says, “Delivering bespoke services can only be achieved using timely, targeted and accurate data. So the approach to technology is to make sure that data is made available in real time to the right people, in order to deliver a world-class experience on every flight. “What we are going through is quite unique. I don’t think that in the business aviation sector, anyone has the sort of commitment to technology that VistaJet has. We have built an end-to-end technology platform that we call GlobalView which allows our value streams to collaborate at every stage of the flight – from booking to billing.” He explains that, when a customer calls or uses the Vistajet App to book a flight, the booking is recorded
800
Number of VistaJet International employees
w w w. v i s t a j e t . c o m
45
J S S I B A C K S V I S TA J E T W I T H G L O B A L S E R V I C E C U LT U R E JSSI and VistaJet jointly announced the largest hourly cost maintenance program in history in May of 2013. JSSI has enrolled close to 70 VistaJet aircraft onto its specialized programs to streamline their maintenance processes and deliver a predictable budget and higher residual value year after year. From the beginning, it was obvious that VistaJet and JSSI shared a global approach to the business jet market, and an exceptional service culture. The success of the two companies continues to thrive today and are bound together by a common corporate culture.
GLOBAL BUSINESS VistaJet’s Bombardier fleet of business jets fly to 182 countries across six continents. They have multilingual staff around the globe ready to arrange every aspect of their customers’ flights, 24/7/365. It only makes sense that they receive that same type of global service commitment from their maintenance program provider. Neil Book, JSSI’s President and CEO, states, “Our job is to provide VistaJet with peace of mind should they encounter a maintenance issue anywhere around the world. They have the strongest and most committed team behind them to bring their aircraft back to service safely and efficiently, so they can continue to deliver the world class experience they are known for.” JSSI’s Technical Advisors and key management staff travel the globe meeting with and evaluating maintenance facilities to identify key support locations that will service VistaJet in the most effective and reliable manner. No matter where any JSSI customer flies, aircraft maintenance expertise is always a phone call away and available within the region whenever and wherever assistance is needed.
J S S I – S E R V I C E C U LT U R E T O M AT C H Service is a rather broad term and is commonly an over-used and under-delivered benefit in today’s fastpaced business world. As the leading Global business aviation company providing seamless private jet travel across the globe, VistaJet delivers the ultimate level of service to their clientele every day. In addition to providing budget stability with its financial service, JSSI adds another dimension of service to the basic maintenance program. VistaJet gains 24/7 access to the largest, most experienced JSSI technical and client services teams in the industry. VistaJet and JSSI have complementary work cultures, as Neil Book explains, “At JSSI, our product is our entire system of people that make JSSI tick, 24/7, 365 days of the year. We have a team of passionate professionals that keep our customers flying. We are proud of the culture of collaboration, innovation, and integrity that we have inspired here at JSSI, while we continue to set the bar high for excellence in exceeding VistaJet’s expectations.” Thomas Flohr puts it like this, “JSSI cares for their clients the way we at VistaJet do for ours: always willing to go above and beyond to rectify or prevent a situation that could impact our client. And most of the time, the JSSI people making the difference are behind the scenes. Our clients don’t even know about an issue avoided that could have kept them on the ground much longer than planned.”
“JSSI’s global support culture demonstrates the continuation of VistaJet’s Think Global strategy and its commitment to provide reliable, non-stop point-to-point global coverage with guaranteed availability,” indicated Thomas Flohr, Founder & Chairman, VistaJet.
Nick van der Meer, Neil Book, VistaJet Crew. Far left L-R: Neil Book & Thomas Flohr.
Transforming Your Business Through Technology Innovation Founded by technology entrepreneurs from the Silicon Valley, VentureDive acts as your technology thought partner, blending technology innovation with just the right amount of business flair needed to develop custom solutions that help transform your business. We specialize in building high performance, scalable solutions in the following areas:
• Mobility
• Data Analytics
• Logistics
• On Demand Services
Contact us to see how we can help your business. www.venturedive.com | +1 415 738 6204 | info@venturedive.com
TECHNOLOGY
and managed throughout its entire life cycle in GlobalView. This enables every team (Operations, Catering, Customer Service, Finance, and Maintenance) to work simultaneously on preparing the flight. All while providing line managers with Management Information System (MIS), so they and other key stakeholders can track and understand what is happening in real time. “That’s a big achievement because many companies working with platform systems specialising in a specific area struggle with the integration of this many to make them work,” Nassif says. “We are in a positive investment perspective – many companies will spend the lion’s share of their technology budget maintaining their systems and on operating costs – we keep that low and spend the majority of our technology budget on the future; on investment. “This started with an internal phase where we looked at our functions and processes and created GlobalView. The second phase of is to provide these digital processes to our
“What we are going through is quite unique. I don’t think that in the business aviation sector, anyone has the sort of commitment to technology that VistaJet has” – Pedro Nassif, VistaJet CIO
w w w. v i s t a j e t . c o m
49
Your Java development partner Dreamix is a software development company passionate about Java and Oracle technologies. We deliver quality software and proactively offer solutions that help you achieve your business goals.
www.dreamix.eu
#WeAreRedStackTech
“Working with Red Stack Tech has enabled us to focus on our day-to-day tasks, safe in the knowledge that we are receiving the maximum performance from our systems.” - Bruno Tavares Gregolin, Deputy Chief Information Officer, VistaJet. Oracle Software | Oracle Hardware Managed & Professional Services | Cloud www.redstk.com | contactus@redstk.com +44 (0)844 811 3600
customers, which we are succeeding at because we know them all very well and can spot behavioural trends. Data enables a very personalised service – we know that Person A likes the cabin at 20 degrees and likes to be treated in a certain manner. It’s very specific.” Collaborative partnerships VistaJet does not shy away from bringing elite partners on board to solve a variety of problems, and the
TECHNOLOGY
relationships are usually integrated. With a global staff base of 150, it has dedicated operations in South America (Monitora), Middle East (VentureDive), Eastern Europe (Digitally Inspired and Dreamix) and the UK among others. “Those companies work very closely with us – mostly with our project managers or business analysts,” Nassif explains. Having engaged with the needs of its customers from day one,
VistaJet’s position in the private business aviation sector has been cemented. By leveraging the latest developments in technology in order to better understand the needs of its customers, the company has ensured that its offering is indispensable for businessmen and selective customers seeking connections anywhere in the world, at any time.
w w w. v i s t a j e t . c o m
51
Energising eCommerce: QNET’s Digital Transformation Written by Jennifer Johnson Produced by Kiron Chavda
53
QNET
The eCommerce sector is expanding rapidly, and so are customers’ expectations of eStore functionality. QNET’s CIO and CTO have devised a plan to conquer the industry — and it is about to go live 54
October 2016
Malcolm Chiu, Chief Information Officer
TECHNOLOGY
“
Changing a global platform is not a small initiative,” says Malcolm Chiu, the Chief Information Officer of Hong Kong-based direct selling titan QNET. In the rapidly-expanding world of eCommerce, user experience is a crucial factor in turning casual browsers into buyers. Chiu, and the firm’s Chief Technology Officer, Ivan Woo, have long understood the role of personalisation and agility in creating a dynamic eStore. Four Annual years ago, they also realised that QNET’s existing legacy platform could not accommodate many of the features that customers were coming to expect from an online shop. In 2012, QNET set about the mammoth task of creating an entirely new Next Generation Platform (NGP) — which is due to launch this year. “This is the largest IT project in the company’s history,” Chiu explains. “We had our entire platform built in-house about 10 years ago and we grew that platform to serve hundreds
of countries and many languages.” However, as time went on, there proved to be some legacy issues with the firm’s original platform. “It was really imperative that we transform or migrate the platform to a much more modern and robust solution,” Chiu says. QNET’s unique sales model and wide global reach requires a highly personalised web platform capable of producing detailed analytics. The company Revenue relies on teams of independent representatives (IRs) to sell its products to consumers in their communities. The IRs are then compensated based on the sales volume of their referrals and the revenue of the other IRs in their teams. Retail customers can only purchase QNET products if they are given access to a representative’s referrer ID. “We sell many different kinds of products,” says Chiu. “From vacations all the way to cosmetics. And we have many networks — they build
QNET
$430 million
w w w. q n e t . n e t
55
Bert Van Genechten
Timothy Steleman
COO Delaware Digital Greater China
SVP Digital & Collaboration – Delaware Digital US
Bert has a background of more than 16 years in helping customers to create end-to-end solutions and processes to serve their market, from the ERP backbone and logistics to the digital touchpoints they create customer moments on.
In his role as SVP of Technology and Digital/collaboration practice lead for Delaware|Digital North America, Timothy focusses on emerging trends in digital (web and workplace) and eCommerce technologies. With a strong technical as well as consulting background, Timothy strives to deliver maximum value when implementing projects for Delaware|Digital customers around the globe.
digital.delawareconsulting.com
Laurence Vandelanotte Sr Digital Strategist Laurence has more than 15 years’ experience in digital marketing and strategy. She sees it as her mission to assist organizations and brands to identify business objectives and user needs and to consolidate them into pragmatic and performing digital solutions.
Digital Transformation Is Not A Big Bang Theory Entering the 21st Century One Step At A Time As a lifestyle business in the 21st century doing 100% of its business transactions online, QNET’s goals to provide higher-quality services and better customer support are tightly connected with its digital development. When you are aiming for such all-inclusive advancement, choosing the right partners is crucial. Delaware|Digital is proud to be selected as a prime partner of QNET in this process, co-creating the Next Step for Sitecore (NS4S) programme. While moving forward in the digital growth and transformation, a couple of learnings occurred, which may be useful to any other companies planning such transformations. Delaware|Digital has introduced their Digital Growth Map which makes it clear that it is crucial to work on three axes, in order to be successful in digital transformation: - Channels - Data - Governance Companies don’t have to necessarily move at the same pace along each of the three axes, but significant steps need to be made when you want to start changing the company from within, like QNET did. 1. Reach your channel objectives by building a solid foundation Digital transformation is an ongoing process that keeps improving, changing and disrupting business operations. When developing a digital ecosystem, it is important that the setup of the core system and technical architecture is designed for the future – for instance, in order to provide customers with personalised advice, which is one of our core objectives. This is the reason why QNET started by selecting the Sitecore-Commerce system as a future-proof solution to develop its digital channels. Essentially, it is the foundation of its overall optimisation and prosperity. 2. Single source of truth Understanding your customers and their preferences is crucial in order to create relevance for your digital channels. Collecting this data is not really an issue anymore. The challenge, however, is bringing the data together in order to create context and generate actionable insights. Data is
often scattered in silos, which prevents managers from using it efficiently. This is the reason why you need to work towards a single source of truth for all your data: where do you store your customer information, your product information, your pricing information, … what systems need access to which parts of the data? A good definition of actionable data is, good prioritisation of sources of information and confident decisions on how to use it, which are all crucial in a successful digital transformation. 3. Move from silos towards integrated collaboration The development of a sustainable digital ecosystem requires the support of every department within the company. That is why a general mindset shift is so important in reaching digital maturity. We see a strong correlation between a customercentric organisation, overall digital maturity and ultimately, revenue. This is an ongoing project where the left and right part of the brain need to work together, where IT departments and marketing specialists together have to focus on customer satisfaction. Within QNET, this is tackled by appointing two drivers in the digital core team, Ivan Woo as IT driver and Lordever Digan as Business driver. Customer Advocacy to tie everything together When you look at the picture on the left, you can see that even a hundred years ago, sales was not about pushing a product, but about creating an immediate connection with the customer. What does she want, what experience is she looking for? This is still true today. By creating relevant and personal “moments” for a customer throughout his/ her journey with your company, you make him / her feel closer to the brand. A single customer that recommends a brand to his family and friends is worth more than any ad you can pay for. When your business is ready to rise up to the challenges of the 21st Century, use the above points as guiding principles to help you take the steps in digital. QNET is the perfect example of a company that shows impressive results.
QNET
their business and target customers on different segments — so they have many different needs when they go back to the shop.” Woo explains that QNET’s legacy platform hasn’t evolved as quickly as customer needs and expectations. “Our platform was created ten years ago, so at that time there was not as much social media and not much analytic information,” he says. “Basically, we built a platform that was highly customisable, but heavily dependent on IT. So down to a single price change or a single banner change, everything has to be done by IT.” According to Woo, IT risked becoming a “bottleneck” for business growth at the organisation. One of the primary reasons for the creation of the NGP was to free QNET’s
58
October 2016
Physio Radiance
TECHNOLOGY
tech professionals from dayto-day web maintenance tasks and afford them more time to focus on development. The firm has partnered with web content management provider Sitecore for the creation of its new platform — which has more recently become known as Next Step for Sitecore (NS4S). “Our second objective is to bring agility and scalability to a more modern eCommerce platform,” Woo explains. “With Sitecore technology this is very much achievable. They are one of the best in analytics and with their structure and mechanics we can easily scale up.” With NS4S, QNET will also be
HomePure 7-Stage Water Filtration System
CIMIER QNETCity Automatic Watch able to more actively engage with the world of social media. At present, the firm makes use of platforms like Facebook and Instagram purely for social purposes and has not been able to convert these platforms to sales portals, but there are plans to expand promotion to a wider range of digital networks. “We want to catch up,” Woo affirms. “All the things we talk about: digital transformation, social media engagement, mobile-friendliness, are features that our legacy platform lacked. With Sitecore solutions this is something that we can achieve.” Chiu summarises the anticipated benefits of the NS4S platform
w w w. q n e t . n e t
59
Every industry has a digital disruptor. Let’s make it you.
HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd.
Like most industries, yours is under pressure to transform due to new competition from digital disruptors. The only way to get the benefits of digital transformation is with the right data strategy.
“
No one knows data like Hitachi Data Systems. How can we help you accelerate your digital transformation?
Hitachi’s end-to-end solution, from server and storage to backup, has fundamentally transformed our customer service platform, enabling us to increase customer loyalty with new levels of efficiency, responsiveness and reliability. We are confident that this improved customer experience will help create even more business opportunities and drive new revenue growth in the future. Malcolm Chiu, CIO, QNET
”
TECHNOLOGY
using “three As” — attractive, agile and analytical. The company worked alongside a team of web designers to ensure that its new, customer-facing site is as visually enticing as possible. Secondly, QNET marketeers will be able to carry out a number of initiatives themselves, including promotions and product updates, with minimal reliance on IT intervention. The third expected advantage comes as the result of big data analytics. “The platform will allow us to collect valuable information about how customers engage with our sites,” the CIO says. “We will be able to get a lot of insights to help us determine what actions we need to engage customers more effectively.” Development of the platform is expected to be completed in late October, with the help of Delaware|Digital, one of the most experienced partners on Sitecore technology. Pilot sites will launch in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates in November. The two countries were selected because they are among the top performers in QNET’s two respective business models and what they refer to as world and local plans. The former involves transacting in US dollars, whereas the latter allows sellers to trade in local currency and be subject to local taxation. Business in Sri Lanka is conducted under the local plan model, and the island’s triple-language requirements make it an ideal place to gauge just how effective
“Our second objective is to bring agility and scalability to a more modern eCommerce platform”
Ivan Woo, Chief Technology Officer w w w. q n e t . n e t
61
QNET
the new Sitecore capability translates. “These are key markets for us,” Chiu says. “In the direct selling world, our hybrid distributor-consumers are also earning income and we have a high level of income-earning distributors in the UAE. And we have a very cohesive team in Sri Lanka. We can have more input in these two countries as we launch.” QNET’s digital transformation isn’t solely
Prana Resort Nandana, Koh Samui, Thailand 62
October 2016
limited to the new platform, either. It is a holistic revamp of the way the firm presents itself across multiple digital landscapes. Earlier in the project timeline, Woo supervised a significant data centre merge, which saw a 10-year-old data centre integrated with a more modern one at Hong Kong’s CyberPort site. In the process, some of the company’s ageing data equipment was replaced. Woo is also currently exploring the best ways to utilise cloud technology within the business.
TECHNOLOGY
“The programme has multiple facets,” Ultimately, Woo and Chiu hope the explains Chiu. “We have the main project will enhance how customers eCommerce website and perceive and interact with then we have the mobile QNET — but the duo has site. We also run a a larger goal in mind: commission engine “We believe we will where we distribute become a digital commissions leader in this industry,” to millions of Chiu says. Malcolm distributors around Chiu has since the world on a been promoted to was founded weekly basis. There COO, a position from are a lot of elements to which he will continue to this digital transformation drive digital transformation that we’re embarking on.” into other areas of operations.
1998 The year that
QNET
w w w. q n e t . n e t
63
le Benton Written by Da lle Harris ie n a D y b d e Produc
d n a y g o l o n h c e t g n i Prov d o o f e h t n i n o i t a v i n no r e d r o l l a t o n s i y r t indus
J U S T E AT
Ordering food has never been easier and market leader Just Eat is leading the way in changing the food technology industry. Following recent announcements with autonomous robotic technology, what’s next up on the menu for the company?
B
ringing connectivity and more power to the fingers of customers is the cornerstone of many modern markets, none more so than the food technology industry. In the UK, six out of 10 takeaways are ordered over the phone. This is where Just Eat comes in. Just Eat is the world’s leading online and mobile takeaway ordering service. The company listed on the London stock exchange in 2014 and now operates in 12 markets across the world. The UK subsidiary, Just Eat UK, was officially launched in 2006 and now offers over 27,000 restaurants to people across the country. As of 2015, the company had 13.4m
66
October 2016
active users and processed 96.2m orders, generating a revenue of ÂŁ247.6m. Needless to say, Just Eat is leading the way in online food delivery. But where can the company go from here? In June this year, the company announced an industry first group ordering experience on Apple TV as well as its first smart TV app which will launch initially with Amazon Fire TV.
Smarter ways to order With smart technology such as mobile, tablet and now even smart TV apps becoming more and more the norm in the modern world, Fernando Fanton, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Just Eat
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. j u s t e a t . c o m
67
Simple. Smart. Agile. LiveOps Cloud is building a happier world, one customer experience at a time. The world’s most passionate, customer-focused brands empower their workforces, delight customers and improve the bottom line – all with LiveOps Cloud’s always-on, highly secure, true multitenant and instantly scalable contact centreas-a-service (CCaaS) platform. Try it for free! - www.liveopscloud.com/trial
Global Reach Zero boundary world-wide deployments.
Reliable & Secure High avaliability and fallover within each geography.
API-First A full suite of RESTful APIs for increased felxibility and quality of intergration.
Minute-Ready Self-provisioning accomplished in minutes, not months.
Data Sovereignty Strong data-at-rest policies ensuring data renains “in-region”.
EUROPE OFFICE Davidson House | The Forbury Reading RG1 3EU | UNITED KINGDOM Phone: 020 3006 8280 | Fax: 020 3008 6171 www.liveopscloud.com
TECHNOLOGY
admits that the company is always challenging itself to “push technology boundaries.” “People are increasingly moving their lives online and that includes how they order food. They want wide choice, simplicity and increased convenience, and to be able to order from their own homes. Our technology has helped them do this,” he says. “We see Just Eat being an integral part of the home of the future - a seamless part of your everyday routines and activities.” As a Chief Product & Technology Officer, Fanton is responsible for all technology and product development worldwide. He admits that while innovation is hugely important, the customers remain at the heart of its developments and forward thinking. “Customers increasingly expect services like Just Eat to be faster, smarter, and more intuitive,” Fanton adds. “Everything we do to make the process convenient, fun and reliable helps us rise to that expectation. We strive to bring great choice and continue to drive channel shift, from web to mobile and, more broadly, from phone to online.”
2001
The year Just Eat was founded
A side order of innovation The partnership with Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV are part of an existing pledge to invest a substantial amount in marketing and technology
w w w. j u s t e a t . c o m
69
J U S T E AT
within its UK market. This will allow the company’s R&D team to look further ahead and consider how technological developments will shape the growth of the business and the industry over the next few years and beyond. One key aspect of this announcement is a new group ordering system. This will see customers able to add to a single order across multiple tablet devices, as opposed to passing a phone or a laptop between each person. The company has expanded on this with a partnership with Xbox, bringing group ordering into the gaming experience. “It’s about ensuring JUST EAT delivers a frictionless experience to customers, wherever they are. Working with brands
70
October 2016
like Apple, Amazon and others, we want our technology to become a permanent feature in our customers’ living rooms, as well as in our restaurant partners’ offices and kitchens,” Fanton says. Another example of Just Eat’s technology and product development, allowing the company to lead the wave of innovation in food tech and enhance the customer experience, is the partnership with Starship Technologies. Just Eat will test autonomous robots from Starship Technologies designed to assist with deliveries. “Starship’s delivery robots are just the latest example of how we partner with other leading technology companies to enhance the services we offer, giving customers greater flexibility and
Google Cloud Delivers for JUST EAT Secure, powerful, scalable infrastructure, supporting rapid growth for JUST EAT.
Record growth to a ÂŁ1.7b company. 96m orders in the last 12 months. Google Cloud, secure, scalable infrastructure, delivering rapid onboarding of new employees and countries. 8000 video Hangouts per month, empowering global communication, facilitating growth, reducing travel costs over 15 countries. Global mobility for over 3500 employees. Enable your teams to collaborate, iterate, and innovate together, from anywhere, in real time, with Google Cloud. Google Cloud delivered by Netpremacy Cloud Services the leading Premier Google Cloud Partner.
www.netpremacy.com
Softcat is proud to be one of the UK’s leading IT infrastructure providers We’re famous for outstanding customer service and we’re passionate about employee satisfaction – both of which inspire our flexible, friendly approach to business. Through a comprehensive portfolio of IT services we help our customers address IT sourcing challenges, software licensing needs, innovative with new IT solutions and embrace the cloud through exciting managed services.
www.softcat.com | @softcat | linkedin: Softcat plc | info@softcat.com
TECHNOLOGY
reliability when ordering their food,” says Fanton. But it’s not just the customer who will benefit, Fanton stresses that restaurant partners will also see the benefit of the latest innovative trend. “The robots will offer an important alternative for restaurants in some urban areas that see a considerable uptick of orders when there are fewer drivers available or when customer demand is particularly high, especially on Friday and Saturday nights,” he says. “With autonomous robots helping with deliveries, the restaurants can supplement conventional driver deliveries, reach more clients and increase revenue at peak hours.” The next time you click to complete your food order on Just-Eat don’t expect a robot to turn up
w w w. j u s t e a t . c o m
73
J U S T E AT
“People are increasingly moving their lives online and that includes how they order food. They want wide choice, simplicity and increased convenience, and to be able to order from their own homes. Our technology has helped them do this” on your doorstep just yet, as Fanton admits that right now testing and feedback is key to moving forward. “At the moment this is a trial of a limited number of robots in certain postcodes. We will learn from this trial before proceeding further, but the trial demonstrates our commitment to using our scale and expertise to improve the takeaway experience for customers, help our partners, lead the market and grow the sector,” he says.
Next order of business… Looking ahead, the company has plenty of developments under its belt such as NLP (natural language processing) which will allow the app to take feedback from customers and
74
October 2016
use it to create more effective search engine, tailored to the customer’s specific needs – all in real time. “At Just Eat, we feel we’ve just scratched the surface of what is possible in this space and we are committed to championing innovation in the sector. The opportunities are endless and we’ll focus relentlessly on advancing technology to make sure our customers and restaurant partners have a delightful experience,” says Fanton. To ensure a rich customer experience and retaining those customers, Just Eat maintains strong relationships with its restaurant partners. “We have over 62,000 restaurant
HELPING YOU MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CUSTOMER DATA
At SentiSum our goal is to help enterprises drive growth by leveraging customer experience. SentiSum operates in the gap of context and sentiment analysis providing the much needed actionable insights that will keep our clients ahead of the competition. We live and breathe data, this is why we are Just Eat’s key technology partner. Our advanced language analysis goes beyond typical keyword approaches, understanding the context and “voice” of customers to deliver business insights with industry-leading accuracy and relevance.
Tel: 0800 133 7952 | Email: Contact@SentiSum.com | www.SentiSum.com
J U S T E AT
“Our strategy is to be number one in all the markets we operate in and this is the case in all 12 of our markets globally. We continue to focus on ourselves and our customers and on growing and developing our own business.�
76
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
partners worldwide - so we invest a lot in making those relationships work,” Fanton adds.
Consumers of data One way that Just Eat works with these restaurant partners is through its use of data. Just Eat has over 400 billion records of customer data and it is able to improve the service for its customers by analysing which restaurants are more likely to be of interest based on their behaviour. This allows more personalised recommendations.
Extending that further to restaurants, Just Eat shows them how they compare to other restaurants in that area and look in further detail at the more popular dishes within that locality. With this volume of data comes the issue of cyber security and Just Eat strives to make every effort to provide a secure and trusted platform for its customers. “We do not store customer credit card details anywhere on our systems,” Fanton explains. “We use trusted third party providers
w w w. j u s t e a t . c o m
77
J U S T E AT
to execute customer purchases. Just Eat does not hold customers’ funds and does not take money from customers’ accounts.”
Tomorrow’s menu For Just Eat, the only way can be up. Fanton admits that the company has its competitors but as a business, the motivation and focus is purely on improving the customer experience and adding value to restaurant partners. These are key to the future success of the company. “Our strategy is to be number one in all the markets we operate in and this is the case in all 12 of our markets globally. We continue to focus on ourselves and our customers and on growing and developing our own business. Of
78
October 2016
course, continuous improvement is crucial - we certainly don’t stand still - and it is part of my role to galvanise our technology and product teams to focus on that,” he says. With the statistics showing an increased number of food orders made via mobile phone, Fanton sees that as an opportunity that Just Eat can tap into. He concludes: “There is still a huge opportunity for us to encourage people to order online or via the app. When you look at some other markets like southern Europe or Latin America, almost nine out of 10 orders are still made by phone. “The overall size of the takeaway delivery market in countries where we already operate is a massive £22.9bn, so there is still lots to play for.”
TECHNOLOGY
Just Eat has partnered with the following companies on some of the initiatives mentioned in this article
SoftCat Plc: provide internal hardware trialing, stock holding and network printing services for Just Eat. Netpremacy: provide ongoing in-house support covering Google Apps for Work among other initiatives. Mapmechanics: partner with Just Eat on polygon and postcode mapping date, used for ranking and displaying of search results on the Just Eat customer website. LiveOps Cloud: provide telephony services to Just Eat in several of Just Eat’s territories, helping the company to advance the services and support it provides. SentiSum: enables Just Eat to provide customers with better information about its restaurant partners by using NLP technology, making it easy for customers to find restaurants that do their favourite dishes particularly well, ensuring Just Eat customers have the best possible experience. w w w. j u s t e a t . c o m
79
The digital equaliser Written by Tom Wadlow Produced by George Tweed
MASTERCARD
Mastercard is transforming the way millions of consumers are managing their money thanks to its innovating ethos and formidable talent base, developing technology which can bring vital financial services to unbanked people around the world
T
hough it has been one of the world’s best-established financial operators for decades, it is arguably the past 10 years which has seen Mastercard’s most prolific innovation and transformation drive, spearheaded by a burgeoning talent pool and demand for digital. Innovation has been part of the company’s culture since it was founded. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in November 2016. Robert Reeg, now President of Global Technology and Operations for Mastercard, has been a part of the company’s journey for 21 years and helped bring innovation
82
October 2016
to the forefront of the minds of the entire 10,000-strong workforce. “Seven or eight years ago we asked all our employees to look at and rank us on a number of different attributes. At the time, innovation came in toward the bottom of that list,” he says. “This has been a huge focus point since, getting across that message that innovation is part of everybody’s job, not just the tech guys or one part of the group. We all have to think how we can do things better. “I had no idea we would grow as fast as we have. The whole secular shift from hard currency to digital
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. m a s t e rc a rd . u s
83
TECHNOLOGY
access to money has changed the way people think about how they buy things. The safety and convenience of electronic versus carrying around cash or writing cheques is now clear and Mastercard has played a massive part in that shift.”
Mastercard and its 350 mobile software engineers have been influential in deploying Masterpass. “If you try to grow mobile technology on your own it takes a long time, so this acquisition allowed us to enter the market very quickly,” Reeg adds. “This is the next phase The dual benefits of digital in how digital money is going to be Two recent projects underline the managed – people need ease and double-edged benefits of safety in making payments and payments digitisation this is going to be key.” Reeg mentions. The Indeed, security is first is Masterpass, the second major an omni-channel advantage of digital digital wallet over traditional service that has payments. A key been rolled out area of focus for Number of employees across the USA Mastercard has been at Mastercard and is available development of biometric to use at millions of verification, the company retail locations in dozens of is now piloting its Identity Check countries around the world. system, or what the media has been Masterpass is a result of one calling ‘selfie pay’. For transactions of MasterCard’s tried and tested up to a certain value, consumers approaches to innovation and can take a picture of themselves recruitment of talent – investments which is then verified when they go in disruptive technology companies. to make their purchases. This builds Indian digital wallet expert on the work already carried out on C-SAM was recently acquired by fingerprint technology, which saw the
10,000+
w w w. m a s t e rc a rd . u s
85
MASTERCARD
86
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
launch of the world’s first contactless payment card featuring an integrated fingerprint sensor in 2014. “Biometrics is the next frontier,” Reeg says. “The issue you have now is people hate trying to remember 20 unique passwords, which actually aren’t that secure, so there is a double benefit here of convenience and security at the same time. I believe that in the next five years biometrics will become the primary method of verification.” Expanding Mastercard’s reach The Masterpass launch and acquisition of C-SAM is one of many examples of Mastercard acquisitions bearing fruit in terms of yielding expertise. Although a lot of development is carried out in-house, the company has made that house significantly larger via a series of acquisitions during the past few years. Reeg continues: “One of the most significant was the acquisition of Orbiscom in 2008, headquartered in Dublin. They had a product we really liked that we have re-named ‘In Control’, that helps people manage where and who uses their digital money. “Even more significant than the product itself, however, have been the people we acquired, and they have been key in changing the landscape of innovation at Mastercard. Their CEO Garry Lyons became our Chief Innovation Officer.” Another acquisition, this time in the marketing sphere, was the purchase of APT in Virginia in
w w w. m a s t e rc a rd . u s
87
MASTERCARD
2015. Its Test and Learn product helps companies tailor investments and maximise bottom-line impact by harnessing analytics to design, measure and calibrate marketing, merchandising, operations and capital initiatives. Start Path Acquisition is not the only route Mastercard has taken with partner companies, however. The Start Path programme provides initial support in start-up technology companies, whether it be capital, mentorship or office space to help them get off the ground. As part of the programme, companies interested in working with Mastercard apply for the different cohorts. Mastercard selects companies from those applicants and partners with them to help them scale up operations. By granting start-ups access to its global ecosystem and customer bases, it is also widening its own knowledge base in the process, as well as offering another way to infuse innovative thinking into the organisation.
88
October 2016
Features of the initiative include a six-month virtual programme and two immersion weeks in different Mastercard cities, with no commitment required of the start-ups to offer equity in return. Mastercard employees from different disciplines help mentor the companies, as well. Honing talent Alongside the shift in consumer behaviour to digital payments has been a shift in Mastercard’s internal approach to technology and innovation, with tremendous emphasis on gearing the company towards younger recruits. “The largest part of our workforce today is made up of millennials, so it’s key to make sure our workforce is aware of how quickly things are changing in technology, so we are best positioned to take advantage of new opportunities,” Reeg says. “There’s no way of saying how many members of our team work in innovation, as we are all responsible for it at Mastercard. Maybe 15 years ago you could separate technology or innovation people from others in
TECHNOLOGY
ROBERT REEG
President, Mastercard Global Technology and Operations
Rob Reeg is president of MasterCard Operations & Technology (O&T). In this role, Reeg oversees the strategic processing platform, global network and quality of technology operations at MasterCard. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, he serves as a member of the company’s Management Committee. Prior to joining MasterCard, Reeg held IT and business leadership positions with Sprint Corp., Cleveland Pneumatic, Totco Inc., and Conoco Inc. Reeg serves on the University of Missouri-St. Louis Leadership Council, Washington University’s Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Finance and Accounting Research, Washington University’s Professional Degree Programs Academic Advisory Board, and the United Way of Greater St. Louis’ Technology Committee. Reeg received a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He also served as a captain in the United States Army Reserve for eight years.
MASTERCARD
the business. This blending is just going to keep on happening and we no longer separate technology from business – the traditional R&D team ethos is ebbing away.” Reeg also points to the role CEO Ajay Banga has played in transforming Mastercard into a business that resonates with millennial, tech-savvy workers. “The motivations are different to when I was joining workforces in the late 1970s,” he adds. “Attracting and retaining great talent from schools and colleges is much more competitive than ever before. We know that by challenging smart people to come in make contributions right away, we offer a different and more compelling experience and a great place not only to start, but grow a career.” The company offers a reverse mentoring initiative, which sees younger employees share their digital knowledge with more senior colleagues, who in return provide mentorship on the wider business and valuable career advice. “For someone like me, I get
90
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
coaching on the latest social media tools, and having someone who is straight out of college who has been immersed in technology their entire lives is such a help in this process,” Reeg says. “In return I can help them in terms of advancing their career in the business. It’s a win-win for both parties participating, and helps make Mastercard a stronger company overall with this relationship building.” Retention and inclusion While attracting and developing employees is paramount for an innovating organisation such as Mastercard, making sure talented workers stay on at the company in the medium-long term is equally as important. Extensive paternal and maternal assurances, financial wellness programmes, flexible working hours, incentive schemes and education support are among the benefits on offer to staff. A culture of inclusion, tolerance and diversity is also at the forefront of Mastercard’s approach to the working environment, led by Chief Diversity Officer Donna Johnson.
w w w. m a s t e rc a rd . u s
91
MASTERCARD
“We know that by bringing together employees of diverse background who combine their thoughts, experiences and background, we can advance innovation and offer more meaningful products and solutions to our customers and cardholders. It’s that simple – making sure you empower employees to share their ideas and as a leader, you listen. Our people truly are an amazing asset as we think about what’s next in payments.” “I’ve been here 21 years – I never thought I’d work anywhere 21 years,” Reeg adds. “It’s one of those places where you wake up in the morning and want to come into work. We work with great people in an exciting area where the business is always changing.” Mastercard is also active in encouraging more women to pursue careers in technology. “The issue in most developed countries is that there are fewer and fewer women going into hard sciences,” Reeg says. “We have a programme called Girls4Tech where we start in middle school trying to help influence girls and show the types of careers that they can have in technology. Many young women come in not sure if a career in tech is for them – but once they go through the program, they see many more options in front of them. It’s both refreshing and encouraging to see.” Girls4Tech has just completed research which identifies the top two reasons for girls aged 12-19 not wanting to pursue a career in STEM (science,
92
October 2016
“I believe that in th years biometrics w primary method o
Robert Reeg, President of Glob Technology and Operations
he next five will become the of verification�
bal
TECHNOLOGY
technology, engineering and maths) subjects – difficulty of study and a lack of interest in the subject matter. This is where Mastercard’s employees come in. Launched two years ago, more than 5,000 girls and 1,000 members of staff have taken part in the programme across 11 countries. Mastercard has also penned agreements with Be Better and UN Women to take Girls4Tech to China and Singapore respectively, with the goal of reaching another 54,500 young women. Equaliser Mastercard’s inclusive culture ambitions stretch far beyond its own recruitment and outreach programmes. The ultimate endgame is to use digital payments technology as an equaliser across the world,
bringing vital financial services to unbanked populations. By continuing to innovate and work with disruptive, fastmoving technology companies, Reeg believes Mastercard and its workforce have a crucial role to play in the future. He concludes: “We have the opportunity to help shape the world and bring more people into the formal economy. There are two billion un-or-underbanked people in the world — and we want them to have the same access that anybody else has. “This is something that we can continue to play a huge role in and be proud of leading. Technology is a great equaliser and we want to help level that playing field for everyone involved.”
w w w. m a s t e rc a rd . u s
95
More than bricks & mortar
FirstPort enables customers with a ‘can do’ attitude and technological expertise Written by Catherine Rowell Produced by Andrew Lloyd
97
FIRSTPORT
98
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Gary Thomas, Chief Information Officer of FirstPort discusses being part of the largest residential property management company, delivering key IT services which are personable for customers and clients, with the goal to make life easier through technological expertise
W
ith an increased need for companies to provide services which are not only personable, but able to incorporate a multitude of functions to accommodate a variety of client needs, provides an array of challenges. FirstPort’s CIO Gary Thomas has been behind the company’s successful streamlining and transformation of IT services, developing key infrastructure to provide greater client engagement. With three portfolios: retirement, property services and bespoke services, FirstPort is the UK’s largest residential property manager, delivering services for 180,000 residents within Great Britain. With over 30 years’ experience, the company delivers a diverse range of services in order to provide key support, with the vision to be
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
99
Accelerating next
© Copyright 2016 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP.
The future belongs to the fast. And to help you accelerate, we’ve created a new company. One totally focused on what’s next for your business.
hpe.com
FIRSTPORT
the leading residential property services, creating communities where residents thrive and flourish. Former roles with Affinity Water (previously known as Veolia) and Oracle emboldened Thomas’ passion for leading IT teams and delivering essential IT integration projects within the UK and the US. Completing an MBA at Cranfield University in 2014 has fully strengthened his resolve, alongside an ever increased focus on customer service, with the use of technology to improve customers’ lives. Thomas acknowledges that FirstPort has gone through periods of significant change in the last couple of years, such as “refreshing their infrastructure, including the replacement of two data centres to create a private cloud, with a focus to ensure colleagues in the organisation have the tools to deliver great customer service.” For modern consumers, the use of technology in daily life is normal, but Thomas reflects that “sometimes it is not age related; generally, it is about people’s willingness to
102
October 2016
adapt and use technology, and as you can imagine some people are quite fearful of that change.” Adopting key standards Whilst FirstPort incorporates three diverse areas, the company ensures all properties are maintained by adopting a four pillar model – strong health and safety, high site standards, great customer service and healthy estate finances. Technology is key to ensure all properties under FirstPort’s umbrella are compliant alongside continual changes in legislation. Thomas explains this is important not only from a compliance perspective, but also to assure customers that where they are living in a welcoming place. Property Managers at FirstPort ensure the upkeep of outside communal areas to the various sites, creating positive environments, with any potential maintenance undertaken by the company when required. Throughout these assessments, potential feedback is gained alongside surveys and interviews. Thomas stresses that for the company to continuously improve, it is imperative to
TECHNOLOGY
“Generally it is about people’s willingness to adapt and use technology, and as you can imagine some people are quite fearful of that change” – Gary Thomas, CIO, FirstPort
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
103
Helping FirstPort to deliver exceptional customer service We are proud to be long standing suppliers of the property management software at the core of the FirstPort business. While we are proud of this history, we look forward helping them on their future journey, as their business grows and they continue to innovate, delivering a great experience to their residents. www.qubeglobal.com
TECHNOLOGY
understand whether customers would recommend them to friends and family - if not, to focus on areas which need the most attention. To ensure all services paid by residents deliver value, alongside the management of customer finances, FirstPort negotiates frameworks surrounding key service contracts, in turn producing statutory and client accounts to ensure they are maintained. Technological investments Technology has been utilised to support both colleagues and customers to drive FirstPort’s goals, a quality service and improve the lives of customers. “The biggest challenge is for technology to be an enabler for our people and for our customers and for that technology to make things as easy as possible and to deliver a service consistently�, Thomas adds.
3,100 Number of employees at FirstPort
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
105
FIRSTPORT
The company has invested in 1,500 Windows 10 tablets and incorporated the use of Microsoft Yammer to enable colleagues to deliver essential services and break down any potential barriers. “Whether it’s inspecting a property, doing health and safety inspections, raising an order and relating to work on one of the sites of one of our developments, it’s about effectively making lives easier and streamlining business process”, Thomas explains. Through a device valuation, the company has now also adopted Lenovo Miix 700 tablets which will provide access to services such as email, collaboration and procurement, but also complement the other parts of FirstPort’s technology strategy. For example, as Thomas describes: “The move to Microsoft Office 365 will provide basic tools around email and collaboration, while the roll out of SharePoint will provide a much better platform for collaboration and information management.” We have implemented HPE Proliant Bladesystem servers with HPE 3PAR StoreServ storage at both of our data centres.
106
October 2016
Providing digital support To support and encourage customers to utilise technology, FirstPort has become the first UK customer of Barclays Digital Eagles Initiative. The programme is aimed at strengthening the digital awareness of stakeholder champions, seconded from within FirstPort in order to provide essential training and support to colleagues and residents in areas such as internet banking and online transactions. Thomas adds: “It’s easy to forget that you could have a 60-year-old lady that lives on site at a retirement property – how does she relate to FirstPort as an employer because her world is within that building, and that is why the Digital Eagles and new technology is important.” FirstPort’s Digital Eagles have visited developments and reached out to residents by providing vital support and guidance, in turn increasing client engagement. FirstPort is also set to develop ‘code playgrounds’ (a concept first introduced by Barclays) which are interactive workshops designed to teach the new generation vital coding skills
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
107
W ’
v
c
w
P
| P c
T P c A W m y
| I
m
|
b
b
www.stratas.co.uk
m
y. R c v g c g c c g v yb c m
g b
g
g w c
b c m
y g . b . ‘ ’.
From Information Governance and unstructured data to Managed Print Services and the business processes in between, we are a Technology Services company who specialises in innovative information document solutions. and docume
. B
ff
q
.
Wherever documents exist or are created in a business, be they physical or digital, Stratas can help effect change.
B ffi I’
k S
fi :
.
“Stratas is focused on not only how we do things, but how we could do things. They have shown us the Art of the Possible and current projects will deliver real benefits and tangible cost savings.” Gareth Julian
TECHNOLOGY
to help bridge the digital skills gap. Since the program was launched, customers have connected with relatives who live abroad through the use of Skype and been set up on email. Thomas explains: “Of the thousands of residents who are retired that we deliver customer service to, some of them are very savvy but others aren’t. For those, actually sitting down with them and helping demystify a lot of this stuff is helpful.” Thomas acknowledges that although the industry is regularly overlooked, when things go wrong consequences are high. “We don’t always get it right, but that’s important because that takes us through a journey, reflecting on what we’re not doing as well as we could do, what we are doing well and that’s driving
1986 The year that FirstPort was founded
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
109
FIRSTPORT
One of the UK’s pre-eminent providers of on premises and cloud IT infrastructure and managed service solutions, with a particular focus on the provision of complementary technical services.
Strategies & Planning
Supply & Logistics
Implement & Optimise
Managed Services www.ultima.com
TECHNOLOGY
“Of the thousands of residents who are retired that we deliver customer service to, some of them are very savvy but others aren’t. For those, actually sitting down with them and helping demystify a lot of this stuff is helpful” – Gary Thomas, CIO, FirstPort
continuous service improvement,” he adds. FirstPort’s motto “more than just bricks and mortar” is clear to see through Thomas’ passion to deliver a robust service which puts the customer first. Although the company has had to overcome challenges, this has been possible because it has a strong, highly engaged workforce with a ‘can do’ approach and continual desire to improve the lives of its residents. By utilising technology for colleagues to provide an efficient service and increase customer engagement, FirstPort is putting clients at the forefront of all decision making in order to create positive environments.
w w w. f i r s t p o r t . c o . u k
111
A Sure investment Written by Tom Wadlow Produced by Danielle Harris
113
S U R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Channel Island telecoms provider Sure International is putting people at the heart of its innovation drive, from customers and strategic partners to its own staff and surrounding local communities
Y
ou could be forgiven for believing that providing cutting edge communications and technology services in remote locations presents something of a quandary. How can a business remain profitable when it is making significant investments to stay ahead of the curve in markets with limited scalability? While the global telecoms giants are reluctant to properly penetrate the likes of the Isle of Man and Channel Islands, this is exactly what Sure and Sure International has been doing for 120 years, and with notable success. The company delivers mobile, broadband, fixed line, data centre and enterprise solutions, including cloud services and igaming hosting, to more than 100,000 consumers, corporate and public sector customers, connecting islanders and island businesses to each other and
114
October 2016
the rest of the world. Sure also has the global might of parent Batelco to back up its local knowledge following the acquisition by the Bahrain-based company in 2013. The frenetic speed of change, combined with sparsely populated remote jurisdictions, is a fascinating and exciting enterprise that CEO Eddie Saints oversees every day. He explains: “It poses a real challenge for us alongside the speed at which technology is changing. When technology becomes obsolete you have to refresh networks, which is what we are having to do every year.” “We have had to be clever,” adds Chief Technology and Information Officer Cyrille Joffre. “Historically we have been quite innovative because we are constrained by the domestic market and its size. It’s a small volume but you can
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
115
Building a Better Connected World Huawei, the Managed Services Partner for Sure Telecom., manages more than 150 network & IT operations in 85 countries utilising the Managed Services Unified Platform (MSUP), the award winning approach for ICT Operations
www.huawei.com/en/services
TECHNOLOGY
design niche, specialist products and services, and if done carefully you can generate good margin. We operate in some fairly predictable jurisdictions, and given the uncertainties created as a result of Brexit, we can foresee opportunities for international and local businesses to expand or/and redeploy assets.”
also about understanding that we’re not just a telecom operator providing voice and broadband access and basic data services. We’re beyond that. Yes, that’s a foundation of our business today but we’re very much into the advanced applications, tied into understanding and managing customers’ networks and protecting them.” Customer-led Where 10-15 years ago Sure International’s new developments in modus operandi network engineering revolves around were the catalyst four principles: for transformation, simplicity, trust, one today it is very Number of team and customer much deriving from employees at Sure driven, the latter customer demand. As International being a particular fuel of a result, Sure reviews its innovation in the company. organisational structure every “When we talk about customer two years and now has a dedicated driven it is about the partnership customer experience division. The we foster with our customers,” company also evaluates its internal says Saints. “It is about embedding processes every three months to ourselves in the customer’s business ensure continued strategic alignment. and being part of the business. We want our customers to say Transformations wow, we didn’t expect that’. Recent investments and projects “We believe the optimisation is are all geared towards fulfilling
275
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
117
S U R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Eddie Saints CEO
Saints has overall responsibility for Sure’s operations in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. He began his career with Air New Zealand before returning to his birthplace of Bermuda to take up a position with insurance giant Exxon Limited. Saints’ role included responsibility for the company’s IT and telecommunications infrastructure. He then joined Cable & Wireless and spent 25 years with the company in Bermuda before moving to the Channel Islands in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer. Following the acquisition by Batelco, Saints continues to have responsibility for managing the Channel Islands and Isle of Man businesses and drives the company’s plans for growth and development.
118
October 2016
a five-year transformation plan designed to bring high-speed ultraconnectivity to consumers. Sure is already providing VDSL network speeds of 40 Mbps in average and is planning to test 100-150 Mbps speeds towards the end of the year. Last year Sure International rolled out a brand new 2G-3G-4G network across its markets with its strategic partner Huawei including an IMS platform for fixed-mobile convergence and new SIP services. It also worked closely with Vodafone on joining a submarine cable asset that links the Channel Islands to France and the UK, a project named HUGO. “We call it HUGO because it’s High-capacity, Undersea Guernsey Optical-fibre, as well as a reference to the French author and poet Victor Hugo who spent 15 years in exile in Guernsey from 1855. The island provided the inspiration for many of his fine works,” Joffre explains. “We worked with a company called Xtera in submarine networking infrastructure and it was the first industry deployment of what we
TECHNOLOGY
call a ramen based submarine repeater. It brings a lot of resiliency and performances to our network that we didn’t have before.” This year Joffre has been working closely with Cisco to consolidate multiple networks onto one network, reducing the amount of equipment needed and again increasing resilience. Cloud is another area of focus following the acquisition of Foreshore in 2014, and Sure is working with partners to optimise managed services offerings and gauge what is best developed in-house and what should be outsourced to specialist suppliers.
These numerous upgrades and investments would be futile without robust security processes. Sure International’s data centres are ISO/ IEC 27001: 2013 certified and the company draws on the expertise of parent company Batelco, while also working with BT. In acquiring Foreshore, Sure took on a working relationship with Mimecast, an email security service which it promotes and sells across the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Caribbean, Middle East and Indian Ocean markets. “The end game is to make sure that if we have an attack, we can detect very quickly and we can fix
It is about embedding ourselves in the customer’s business and being part of the business. We want our customers to say “wow, we didn’t expect that” – Eddie Saints, CEO w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
119
S U R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
very quickly,” says Joffre. “We are PCI compliant and we achieved that last year. It look a lot of time, thought and energy from the team to reach that position and we need to maintain it because we need to be recertified every year. Security is something we are extremely focussed on.”
Partner network As well as leveraging the resources of global partners like BT, Cisco, Huawei, Safran and Vodafone, Sure International makes the most of suppliers with local expertise and a similar size to itself. “We work with niche vendors for different value added solutions,” Joffre adds. “Smaller companies grant us more attention and focus on our business.” Sure works with a number of vendors with presence regionally and around the world, including Comfone, Veeam Software and Mitel, respective providers of GRX/ roaming, virtual infrastructure and traditional/IP telephony solutions.
120
October 2016
Engagement Saints is eager to express that none of Sure’s continuing success and culture of innovation would be possible without a dedicated and engaged workforce. The company enlisted specialist consultants Invigor8 to design a bespoke employee engagement programme and carried out a number of surveys, innovation competitions and training initiatives. “Three to four times a year depending on the workload, we give our staff a challenge and the challenge can be anything that we feel would seek to get an improvement in the way operate, the way engage, the way we think, the way we provide value to customers,” Saints says. “We have used this program for the last four to five years and it’s had a remarkable impact. Staff feel engaged, they feel they’re able to make and shape the business. They contribute to the transformation that we are all seeking to achieve. We’re making sure we’re focussing on the right things and not on the wrong things.” Sure also runs an extensive
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
121
S U R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Cyrille Joffre CTIO
Joffre joined Sure in September 2013 to head up a newly merged division incorporating planning, operations and maintenance as we focus on making some major investments in network infrastructure to deliver the next generation of high speed voice, data and video services to meet the future needs of our customers. Joffre has 18 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry and a large exposure to international and cultural challenges which has seen him work across France, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands and Singapore, most recently for Cable & Wireless Communications in Monaco. 122
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
wellbeing programme three to from recycling obsolete equipment. four times a year to make sure “We commit to supporting the staff continue to be happy coming communities we operate in by to work. This usually involves a supporting the vast array of charities specific question like defining who make a difference in the quality company values and making sure of life in the markets we serve,” Saints the company adheres to them. says. “We’re looking at expanding Another staff engagement initiative the principles of the Sure Community in the pipeline is an innovation Foundation to facilitate a more competition. This will involve entrepreneurial, innovation targeting 20 employees type concept. It’s almost who will attend a like Dragon’s Den. We two-day workshop want to encourage to come up with a young entrepreneurs, business case for young people a particular idea straight out of school Sure International they have developed, who have a great is located in which will be tested idea but don’t know Guernsey across six stages. where to start or have the resources to get going.” Giving back The Sure Academy also gives young Not only is Sure intent on improving people an avenue to pursue a career the lives of local communities by in technology with the company. delivering affordable and effective Launched roughly five years ago and connectivity, but also through now rolled out in Jersey, Guernsey and charitable support. The Sure the Isle of Man, the programme offers Community Foundation donates a two-year experience in engineering, anywhere between £20,000 and marketing and retail, with the aim of £30,000 a year, plus income generated fulfilling long term skills requirements.
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
123
S U R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Saints continues: “We initially took in eight young students for a period of two years on a recurring basis each year. About 90 percent of our Academy graduates have found employment in our organisation with many of them going on to achieve qualification in network engineering and information technology.”
Future vision Continuing to enrich lives is the overriding motive and vision for Sure International in years to come, and Joffre’s five-year picture is based on a choice between being like the aviation or healthcare industry. “They are very different in embracing mistake and failures and if you look at the statistics of the number of avoidable fatalities, you can see the big dent between aviation and healthcare,” he explains. “I want us to be the aviation and not healthcare. Why? Because
124
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
four or five years from now the telecoms infrastructure will be of critical importance for applications like healthcare and connected cars. Lives will be in our hands and we must have a plan to embrace mistakes and failures and make sure that the network is strong and 100 percent available.” Joffre finishes by describing his motto of the good, the just and the beautiful. “We help our customer to be more efficient in their operations so they can reach customers they couldn’t have reached before, so that’s the good. The just is because we have a social responsibility to connect the customers whether it is through is a 4G mobile or DSL or modem. The beautiful is about the innovation and what we can design.”
w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l . s u re . c o m
125
Banking on Capability Written by Tom Wadlow Produced by Richard Durrant
127
ALLIED IRISH BANK
Allied Irish Bank is leading a technological revolution in the country’s financial sector through a series of strategic partnerships that have enhanced customers’ dayto-day banking experiences
E
veryday banking is no longer confined to call centres and branch visits between 9am and 5pm. Business and individuals now bank on the move, on any device and at any time. Call centres have become multichannel contact centres; branches are becoming highly automated, creating greater focus on individual customer service. Allied Irish Bank (AIB) now has over one million active online users and 578,000 mobile users, with the average monthly logins continuing to increase. 53 percent of all credit card sales are now through online channels and 76 percent of personal loans applications are through digital channels. AIB is at the forefront of this digital
128
October 2016
transformation in Ireland, whose capital city Dublin is rapidly being recognised as a booming European technology hub. And it is by leveraging global partner talent that AIB is growing its own capabilities, driven by the end goal of making the banking experience as seamless as possible for its customers. Philip Thomas is AIB’s Group Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). Since joining the company, he has overseen the progress of the bank’s outsourcing strategy, finding the appropriate expertise within Ireland to take it to the next level. “Companies like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn have all set up European centres here of substantial scale, and while there is a strong population of
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. a i b . i e
129
ALLIED IRISH BANK
Philip Thomas - Group Chief Procurement Officer Philip is the Group Chief Procurement Officer with Allied Irish Banks (AIB), based in Dublin. He is an experienced senior executive, with an in-depth knowledge of strategic sourcing, transformation, technology and outsourcing, with both client and supply side across many industry sectors globally. 130
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Graham Fagan - Head of IT Partner Management Graham Fagan is Head of IT Partner Management with Allied Irish Banks (AIB), based in Dublin. An award winning strategist and one of the most decorated IT transformation professionals in Ireland. Graham is a dynamic and versatile leader with 20 years’ experience across a broad range of IT executive management roles in indigenous and global multi-national organizations, working on both client and supply side of these arrangements.
w w w. a i b . i e
131
It’s business. Only differ
Introducing business with eir.
Because business thrives on inn to service, mobile to broadband make your business the best it
Visit us online today
eir.ie/business
rent.
novation, eir is looking at things differently and doing things differently. From plans d, everything we do is built around delivering the best for your business, so you can can be.
Business rises on
ALLIED IRISH BANK
“It’s all about the customer experience and it’s all about building that capability so we can quickly react to our customers” – Graham Fagan, Head of IT Partner Management
excellent people in Ireland, there are huge demands pulling upon this talent,” Thomas says. “For example, Google probably has up to about 6,000 people now so they, like others, are attracting a lot of technology resources out of the market, with their strong social media brands. The shortage of resources is making it difficult for businesses to recruit technology talent in the local market. “We decided that we needed to work with partners that could bring that talent to us in our market and that’s how the partnership ecosystem came about. But here lies one of the critical things in that part of the ecosystem, the fact that they had, or were willing to invest and establish delivery centres in Ireland to complement their global delivery capabilities. That was crucial.” 134
October 2016
Partner power It was soon clear that to become more agile, reduce risk and align with changing patterns of consumer behaviour, AIB had to depart from a traditional in-house delivery model. The first important partnership was actually formed before Thomas joined as CPO. HCL helped to overhaul legacy infrastructure and installed a new virtual desktop, compatible with mobile and tablets across the whole organisation, from head office to bank branches. “This provided some early learnings for us around the outsourcing world and allowed us to think about the longer term strategy,” comments Graham Fagan, Head of IT Partner Management. With the HCL partnership successfully deployed, AIB set about establishing a partner eco-system to support the other
TECHNOLOGY
w w w. a i b . i e
135
M i rosl a w G i e rcz y k / Shu t te rstoc k.co m
ALLIED IRISH BANK
138
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
areas of their technology operation and digital transformation, EY were engaged to support the complexities of creating the eco-system and establishing the operating model. AIB has entered into a number of similar relationships with partners that have all bore fruit. “The first agreed in the first half of 2015, was with Wipro who provide strategic infrastructure management services. They have brought in their expertise and we are working with them to build agile and adaptive infrastructure while improving the predictability and cost effectiveness of our services,” Fagan explains. Wipro also supports critical payments infrastructure in ITO and is setting up a Mainframe Center of Excellence in Dublin. AIB’s three other partners include Infosys, eir and Integrity 360. The latter handles the vital IT security function, while eir provides the communications requirements, from voice data to contact centre technology, optimising omni-channel communications between agents and customers. Infosys provides application development and management for AIB, and has invested significantly into innovation projects in Ireland, including a dedicated site to develop products, including its flagship Finacle product, a universal banking solution. “Critical to the success of the partner ecosystem is ensuring that they work as an extended part of the AIB team. The partners unanimously
w w w. a i b . i e
139
Is its tra
Find clie
e
your business transforming s technology or is technology ansforming your business?
d out how EY’s advisory team are helping ents deliver transformation programmes. @EY_Ireland Š 2016 Ernst & Young. Published in Ireland. All Rights Reserved. 10537.indd 10/16. ED none.
ey.com/ie/advisory
ALLIED IRISH BANK
understood the key to successfully realising this ambition was to create and maintain a ‘trust centric’ partnership, where everyone worked collectively together with a ‘fix first, discuss later’ culture. There is a risk and reward mechanism in place where each of the partners put a percentage of their fees at risk to ensure collaboration is endemic across the ecosystem,” Thomas says. “Experience to date has been positive with the ‘One team’ culture prevalent.” AIB still has its own technology team, which is split into two vital component parts. The first handles running the bank’s services and driving operational excellence, led by the Chief Information Officer, Tim Hynes. The second is a digital group, driving the front end customer experience and dealing with new challenges that digital transformation presents, led by Seamus Murphy, AIB’s Chief Digital Officer. Both units leverage the expertise of AIB’s partners. “Our partners will support us developing and delivering excellence
142
October 2016
in customer service through transformation of our technology services,” says Hynes.
Mutual benefits Thomas explains how AIB has looked at examples of many other banks and taken what he sees as the best elements of various outsourcing strategies. While cost has been a benefit, the dominating motive behind the partnership network is all about improving AIB’s capability and supporting the delivery of its ‘Simple & Efficient’ transformation programme. “Our partner selection criteria is different, depending on the service line,” adds Fagan. “For example, if you look at eir, they have a strong indigenous network. We’re not looking for a large global telecoms player to come in and just front somebody’s infrastructure. We’re looking for incountry investment and long term investment in the development and quality of the network, because that’s going to impact the experience of our customers,
Best NLP Solution of 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Powering the 21st century enterprise DryICE® Autonomics & Orchestration Enables Better Business Outcomes. � Artificial Intelligence � Machine Learning � Analytics � RPA � Service Orchestration � Pragmatic Implementation Framework
How should we assist in your automation journey? Email: contact.infra@hcl.com to speak with an expert.
w w w. a i b . i e
143
ALLIED IRISH BANK
Infosys.com
ANALYZING UNSTRUCTURED DATA
FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES MAKES REAL-TIME
DECISION MAKING
A NO BRAINER.
WHAT’S AHEAD? That question is on the minds of everyone who works at Infosys. From breakthrough strategies to flawless execution, our mission is to design the right innovations for each unique business challenge and deliver tomorrow’s enterprise today. That’s our promise.
© 2016 Infosys Limited, Bengaluru, India.
144
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
from a branch perspective. “Whereas if you’re looking at an ADM partner, you’re looking for local capability but with global strength in some respects. Wipro and Infosys both fall into that category. They have both invested and setup local delivery centres and innovation centres, as a result of the operations with AIB, and they maintain those AIB staff who transferred locally.” Fagan also explained the importance of cultural compatibility, and all AIB partners boast a strong track record and reputation with an eagerness to innovate and change with the times. “The other thing I’d add to that is their willingness to invest in the relationship because actually, we’re looking at long-term relationships, and because we are mutually beneficial to each other,” says Thomas. “Certainly, if you look at the likes of eir and Integrity 360 locally, outsourcing is relatively new to them. They are growing their businesses as a result of our partnership, so that’s beneficial to them and it’s also beneficial to us because if they grow,
they provide us with better services.” All the partners have also taken on AIB staff as part of the agreements, meaning they each have tailored knowledge of how the bank runs, and its exact requirements. This does not mean they are no longer part of the AIB fabric, however. “Their local delivery centres are almost in walking distance of the key AIB buildings, so there’s people moving back and forth,” Fagan explains. “There’s space set aside in both buildings. They dine in our canteens and there’s still a very collegiate feel, even though they distinctly work for a different organisation now. “However, we can’t lose sight of that fact. We have done a lot to maintain the collaboration and the goodwill and that, in turn, plays into the knowledge share. You create the conditions for people to share knowledge and work together and that’s something a lot of thought has gone into.” Hynes adds: “Building partnerships takes a desire, willingness and commitment from all parties to make it work,
w w w. a i b . i e
145
ALLIED IRISH BANK
our relationships are in the early stages but there is a great spirit, commitment and collaboration to build something special.”
Revitalising the bank branch AIB’s backstage work with key partners translates into a forwardfacing, modernised organisation visible on the frontline. Innovation is at the centre of the bank’s customer first ethos, no better demonstrated than in it’s innovation centre, ‘The Lab’, in Dublin’s largest shopping centre in Dundrum. Customers are able to trial new technology and provide feedback which helps to shape AIB’s agenda for its new partner-powered IT ecosystem. “Customer-led design ensures we are relevant and delivering what customers need,” Thomas adds. The partners themselves are also encouraged to innovate, using their global reach and experience to deliver proposals to the bank. “We want to give our customers choices in how they bank, while maintaining a consistent customer
146
October 2016
experience, whether they’re online, in a branch or on a mobile device,” Thomas says. “One of things we have trialled in The Lab is a video service to our contact centre, so customers can receive instant support on things like mortgage applications, whether they start the application in the branch, with the contact centre or online the experience is consistent allowing them to change channels to gain support or advice and their application continues from the previous interaction, creating a complete, consistent and connected customer experience. “The feedback we received was excellent so we are now looking to roll this out for customers to be able to use this video technology on a much broader scale. Other such services that were trialled in the lab and are now live, allow customers to digitally upload documents, as part of a loan or mortgage applications.” Many will point towards branch redundancy as a sign of banking modernisation, however it is still very much a key component for AIB. It is refurbishing scores of its
TECHNOLOGY
branches to reflect the demand for more modern banking services with a personal touch, over half having been modernised by the end of 2017, and with a recent pilot of a branch in SupaValu, a market leading supermarket, where customers can avail of extended bank opening hours for staffed advisory, sales service and quick banking facilities.
“If you look at the likes of eir and Integrity 360 locally, outsourcing is relatively new to them. They are growing their businesses as a result of our partnership so that’s beneficial to them but it’s beneficial to us because if they grow, they provide us better services” – Philip Thomas, Group Chief Procurement Officer
Recognition These bold innovations have been recognised within the industry, with banks now coming to AIB to understand how it is transforming. AIB has also been formally recognised for its advances with numerous awards. International banking magazine Euromoney named Allied Irish Bank the best bank in Ireland, praising its progress in reducing non-performing loans, new lending drawdowns and pre-tax profits, driven by impressive delivery of efficiency. Most important according to Euromoney, however, was its ‘edge over its competitors in terms of its digital offering’. Indeed, its app is in the top quartile in Europe.
w w w. a i b . i e
147
ALLIED IRISH BANK
148
October 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Other awards claimed include the Consumer Experience Award from EFMA and Accenture, Business2Business Awards’ Best Business Bank of the Year and Procurement and Supply Chain Team of the Year, collected at the National Procurement and Supply Chain Awards in 2015. “I think what AIB did in entering the outsourcing sphere was a very bold move,” Fagan says. “It’s taken other organisations maybe 10 years to do what AIB has done in two and a bit. There’s always a lot of risk involved in doing that, and it requires real leadership from people like Phil and other leaders to take that and be at the forefront of this type of change. These awards are good validation of the execution of the strategy, and the vision that they had at the start of this process.” Thomas adds: “External recognition of our achievements provides the teams with context for what they have achieved in this timescale. It is sometimes too easy to focus on your own tasks and lose sight of the big picture of what we achieved as a team.”
Forward thinking Despite only being a few years into the digital transformation process, AIB is thinking long term with its partner ecosystem, beyond the five-year agreements that are formally in place. “The partners are already having strategic impact in certain areas of the business which is great for us,” Thomas says. “We’re already seeing the green shoots but I think, like any journey, the intent and ambition is there to make them even more strategic.” “This is so we can feel the presence not just in the back room, in the data centre or in the quality of our infrastructure, but also the impact that these partners have on our customer proposition, in every which way.” Fagan concludes: “It’s all about the customer experience and it’s all about building that capability so we can quickly react to our customers.”
w w w. a i b . i e
149