Endeavour Technology

March

2020

Endeavour BUSINESS

INDUSTRY

INNOVATION

MAGAZINE

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®

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MORATELINDO KEEPING THE WORLD CONNECTED

LANDING JEJU HIDDEN ADVENTURES

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EDITOR’S NOTE Heads of Departments Managing Editor Alice Instone-Brewer editor@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Director Alex Hilling-Smith alexsmith@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Emlyn Freeman emlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.com Head of Editorial Research Paul Bradley paulbradley@littlegatepublishing.com Project Manager Steven Weller steveweller@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher James Lapping james@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Will Girling willgirling@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Alex Hayes alexhayes@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Dennis Morales dennismorales@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher David Kimberley david@littlegatepublishing.com

A

s we near the year 2020, our

way data is shared and applied to provide

reliance on technology has never

patients with the best possible care. These

been more prevalent. Technology

developments can sound like science fiction

is utilised in most everything we do, and

at times, but such is the era we now live in.

Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com

thus, innovation and efficiency in this area

Join us in this quarterly publication to keep

Publisher Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com

logistics company, it is hard to compete

For enquiries or subscriptions contact info@littlegatepublishing.com +44 1603 296 100

up – it’s a fact that affects us all, but that

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by Littlegate Publishing LTD which is a Registered Company in the United Kingdom.

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the fasted races in business.

Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com

is essential. Whether you are a bank or a without the best technology backing you affects the technology sector itself most of all, driving development forwards in one of

whether they are bringing new products to the market or are supporting their clients with innovative services to protect, manage in this quarter’s issue, we spoke with the international PC giants Lenovo, well known

magazine do not necessarily represent those of

for their computers, laptops, tablets ad

the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons,

smartphones. From the physical end of the

every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of

spectrum to the intangible, we also spoke

the information contained within this magazine,

with EOH Africa, a company dedicated to

no legal responsibility will be accepted by the

helping their clients utilise the Internet

publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this

of

Things

throughout

their

business

publication may be reproduced or stored in a

operations. Meanwhile, software company

retrievable system or transmitted in any form or

Cerner told us about their predictions for

by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © Littlegate Publishing Ltd 2019

ALICE INSTONE-BREWER

that are telling exciting stories in this field,

and streamline their data. For example,

living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst

changing life as we know it.

look at the companies around the world

responsibility for omissions or errors. The points writers and/or in advertisements included in this

most exciting face of modern business – it’s

In Endeavour Technology Magazine, we

Littlegate Publishing Ltd does not accept of view expressed in articles by attributing

up with the fasted-paced and arguably the

the new face of the medical industries and how they plan to revolutionise the Endeavour Magazine | 3

CONTENTS

EOH AFRICA CONTENTS 6 Landing Jeju Development Co. Ltd

Hidden Adventures 12 EOH Africa

A Developing World 22 Cerner Middle East

Re-imagining Medicine 32 United Arab Bank

A Team To Bank On 42 Moratelindo

Keeping The World Connected

LANDING JEJU DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD 4 | Endeavour Magazine

18

38 48

Amazing World Programing God Will There Be An AI Religion?

Electronic Tattoos ili Wearable Translator

CERNER MIDDLE EAST

MORATELINDO

UNITED ARAB BANK Endeavour Magazine | 5

LANDING JEJU DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD WWW.JEJUSHINHWAVILLAS.CO.KR // 0082 64 908 3881

HIDDEN ADVENTURES Jeju Island is a truly unique haven of natural beauty. A basin of greenery surrounded by blue water, this strange South Korean get-away is a popular destination for holiday makers, and an iconic place to for Landing Jeju Development Co., Ltd to set up their world class resort. We spoke with Bernard How, SVP of IT for the company, to learn more about these remarkable locations.

WRITTEN BY ALICE INSTONE-BREWER

LANDING JEJU DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD

Located off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, the South

Korean World Heritage Site of Jeju Island is a striking sight. The volcanic island is both the largest island and smallest province in South Korea, and its volcanic past is responsible for its unusual, bowl-like appearance.

Thanks to its beauty and odd formation, it is a popular tourist destination, with much of its economy relying on the activity this creates at its civil/naval base.

W

ith rock walls rising up into a concave structure, the island holds a sloping world of green, including a dormant volcano, volcanic lakes, and the resultant lush environment

from the quality of the island’s soil. This dormant volcano, Hallasan, lies at the centre of the island’s Mt. Halla National Park. The

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lushness and variety of the wildlife cradled here cannot be overemphasised. A record 1,565 vascular plant species have been recorded in the area, the highest number of plants in any mountain.

Animal life is similarly thriving, with 17 types of mammals, eight species of amphibians, eight species of reptiles, and an impressive

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198 species of birds populating its rich canopies. Included within this menagerie are several endangered species, such as the Siberian roe deer, the adorable but vicious leopard cat, and nearby schools

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of bottlenose dolphins and finless porpoise. Given all of this beauty, it is no surprise that the odd island attracts visitors, and of course,

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where tourism exists, opportunity arises. After all, these travellers need a place to stay!

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Landing Jeju Development Co. Ltd have the claim to fame of having built the very first integrated resort in Jeju Island: Jeju Shinhwa World, a glittering array of premium leisure and entertainment facilities that were designed to cater to local and overseas visitors of all ages. Built in the south-west of the island, this resort spans across approximately 2.5 million square meters of land, and represents a total investment of exceeding 2 trillion Korean Won to develop. This vast undertaking produced a holiday

www.jcmglobal.com 8 | Endeavour Magazine

destination that boasts everything a visitor could possible want,

Shinhwa Theme Park, and Lionsgate Movie World. Shinhwa Theme

including – remarkably – both a theme park and waterpark. These

Park is no small development: this park brags a full 20 rides and

offerings are managed by six departments within the company:

three different themed zones, each based on the world’s various

Shinhwa Hotels, Shinhwa Theme Park, Shinhwa Waterpark,

myths and legends that the park brings to life not only through

Shinhwa Shoppes, Shinhwa Entertainment and Shinhwa Villas.

its rides, but an immersive environment, cultural exhibits and live

Shinhwa Hotels and Shinhwa Villas, between them, total over

performances.

2,000 rooms for visitors, complete with conference rooms and the ability to host conventions and exhibitions. Four resorts work

These three areas are Rotary Park, created in the style of the late 19th century,

together to accommodate the visitors to Jeju Shinhwa World:

Larva’s Adventure Village, a children’s area where cartoon

Landing Resort, Shinhwa Resort, Marriott Resort, and Four Seasons

characters will present various myths and folktales all over the

Resort. To get an idea of the quality on offer, Bernard told us about

world in an “easy and fun manner”, and Oscar’s New World, a

the Marriott Resort – the first Marriott in Jeju. The 627 guestrooms

“mysterious ancient city built in a jungle that features dappled

at the Jeju Shinhwa World Marriott Resort include 344 Deluxe,

trees and stone structures.” This part of the park makes the most

129 Premier, 10 Deluxe Suites and 2 Presidential Suites. Available

of the island’s location and natural beauty, its description inviting

within the hotel itself, without even having to venture to the wider

guests to “climb through the forest canopy and into the mysterious,

resort areas, are state-of-the-art facilities and services including an

hidden rooms in the temple, or join in the battle to restore utopia.”

all-day dining restaurant, a Great Room Bar and Pool Bar.

Calling all Lara Crofts and Indiana Jones!

The entertainment facilities, though, are the real cause for

Speaking of movies, Lionsgate Movie World at Jeju Shinhwa

excitement. The resort offers a world-class retail and food and

World is – or more accurately, will be - Lionsgate’s first-ever

beverage (F&B) complex, gyms and spas, and not one, not two,

outdoor movie-themed theme park. Still under development, this

but three entertainment parks! These are the Shinhwa Waterpark,

third entertainment park at the resort will combine state-of the-art

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LANDING JEJU DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD rides, attractions, shows, themed dining and retail experiences to

Philippines and soon, Japan. However, Jeju Island is a unique

immerse guests within some of the studio’s most popular films ever

product by itself, attracting 15-17 million tourists each year.”

produced, including rides inspired by Hunger Games, Cabin in the Woods and Twilight.

He isn’t wrong. When jet-setting off to a luxurious casino getaway, what destination could feel more exclusive than this stunning,

One of the biggest attractions in the resort, however, is the

hidden paradise? This isn’t to say that these competing countries

casino. Shinhwa Entertainment receives guests from all over

aren’t also beautiful, but it’s hard to come close to the tucked away

the world, including casual players to seasoned high rollers.

waterfalls and vibrant, secret-seeming world of this volcanic island.

Complemented by unparalleled customer privileges and opened 24

It is this, combined with a strong IR offering, that secures Landing

hours a day, seven days a week, the high quality of the casino gives

Jeju’s foothold: “It is a truly tourist destination: sunny beaches in

Jeju Shinhwa World a cutting edge in its appeal.

the summer, the volcanic island and lava tubes, a variety of museum

We spoke with Bernard How, an SVP with the company,

and attractions, and of course, duty free shopping of world class

to ask about the state of the International Relationships

Korean cosmetics products. All these factors differentiate Jeju

(IR)

Island from other integrated resorts in the region.”

Industry in

South

Korea,

and

Landing Jeju’s

place

within it:

Keeping a resort of this scale and quality running requires

“The IR industry in South Korea is a relatively young industry.

a team of highly trained staff. As a small island, sourcing these

However, it is a growing industry not only locally but globally. As

staff can provide a challenge, but Landing Jeju’s approach is

you may hear from the news, many countries in Asia are exploring

twofold – firstly, they run outreach programmes to bring young

and reviewing their local laws to allow investors to build integrated

people into the industry. Together with the Jeju government, the

resorts with gaming components, to cultivate the tourism industry.

company sponsors local Jeju graduates to be trained overseas for

As such, we definitely face competitions from Singapore, Macau,

the hospitality sector: “Actively, our HR has conducted leadership

A Card racking and Inventory Management System for casinos.

It manages Playing Card (as well as non-card items) operation from order receipt to destruction as well as providing accurate and real-time inventory figures at various locations such as warehouse, card room, and pit areas.

10 | Endeavour Magazine

programs, soft skills training programs for customer services, and foreign language programs such as Mandarin as part of our staff improvement program.” Secondly, the company invests time and effort into their team so that they keep hold of the talented employees they have: “I always believe promotion within. The IT leadership, for example, have been directed to identify their potential successors and develop these talents so that they grow their career with us.”

With solid approaches to attracting both staff and guests, and a secure position in one of the most enviable tourism destinations on the planet, it is no wonder that Landing Jeju are doing well. We’ll be keeping an eye on their future expansions – hopefully from beside one of their pools!

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Computer Telephony Endeavour Magazine | 11

EOH AFRICA WWW.EOH.CO.ZA // 27 11 607 8100

A DEVELOPING WORLD We live in an online age of instant connectivity and extreme convenience. The expectations placed upon businesses to deliver seamless services is higher than it has ever been. To keep up with competitors and to meet customers’ demands, businesses need a technological helping hand: in Africa, they can speak to EOH. WRITTEN BY ALICE INSTONE-BREWER

EOH AFRICA

With 134 locations in South Africa and over 50 more

within Africa & internationally, EOH Africa is the continent’s largest technology service provider. They have not only the software, but the skills and experience to provide high value, end-to-end technology solutions to customers across the industrial sectors, allowing them to utilise all that IT now has to offer in an organised, efficiency-boosting way.

S

o much is possible today that knowing where to begin to bring

the business. This system also helps to keep track of customer,

your business up to speed can be overwhelming. Fortunately,

supplier and partner information.

the expert consultants at EOH Africa are there to help. Using the

A key tool in this connectivity and smart data sharing is, of

Internet of Things, EOH will transform how your company operates,

course, cloud technology. EOH offer cloud frameworks that not

both in its interactions with customers and in its behind-the-scenes

only integrate every system that a company uses, but supply all

processes and organisation. Analytics for data processing, cloud

of the information required from this data in an easy and intuitive

systems for connectivity – EOH can create an across-the-board

way. For example, their SAP HANA Cloud Platform is a fully scalable

change that operates smoothly and intuitively, without their clients

and secure private cloud system that provides a managed cloud

going through the headache of making a successful, fully integrated

environment. The EOH SMART Platform, another system, offers a

switch themselves. As their website explains, “to keep up with the

similar system in a more customisable format, to meet the specific

pace of change, individual technology improvements have been

and changing needs of their customers.

replaced with transformational improvements.” These overall,

Real-time analytics reduce on needless mistakes caused by

system-changing initiatives allow the full extent of what could be

human error or an overlooked piece of information, providing all

possible for your company to become possible.

of the relevant data, and important conclusions, at employees’

One of the clearest ways in which EOH can speed up your

fingertips. This massively cuts out the risks of interdepartmental

operations and efficiency is through their comprehensive data

miscommunication, lost files and similar mistakes that have no

and analytics software, which they describe as offering “easy to

place in our modern world.

understand, intelligent data”. As they say of the service, “Today’s

This fast and accurate system allows a better customer

connected world is generating information at a rapid pace,

experience through a smooth service delivery that remembers all

producing astronomical amounts of data. Your organisation will be

of the details of a customer’s account, and makes your customer

able to garner truly valuable insights to ensure that your decision-

feel remembered, valued and in good hands. It also allows market

making processes are not just informed, but also successful.” These

trends, preferences and needs to be recorded and studied, thus

services can help your company keep a track of customer trends

allowing companies to offer what they customers actually want.

and feedback, and will also allow a more up to speed and in-depth

With over 5000 clients and 12,500 members of staff, EOH is no

management of sales, operations and finances, not only recording

small software company, and their offerings don’t stop at company

this data but using it in smart analysis when assessing options for

solutions. Impressively, the technology, services and initiatives

14 | Endeavour Magazine

that they offer can also be applied to the tools that run a city’s infrastructure. As they describe, “Cities are becoming smarter and more responsive to connected citizens than ever before, making cities the engine room for economic prosperity. The infrastructure supporting our countries and cities is constantly challenged to deliver smarter, more efficient services. The Internet of Things, augmented reality and cloud, to only name a few, provide new and exciting opportunities.” Speeding up efficiency, reducing risks and cutting costs are all benefits offered by the right use of these abilities.

Another innovation, this one securing the company the 2018 SAP Innovation Award, is the EOH International EnerClever Smart Waste Management Solution. This software is a creative and crucial addition to the company’s work with city infrastructures.

Like EOH’s other offerings, the system is an end-to-end Internet of Things business solution, this time designed to allow a city to efficiently plan and carry out proper waste management. It achieves this through real-time monitoring of waste as it builds up, including an intuitive dashboard that allows the coordination of collections in order to avoid partial collection, overspill or inefficient route planning. This cuts down on waste of employee time, fuel use and the city’s carbon footprint. Other urban infrastructure solutions

EOH AFRICA allow the coordination of resources such as street lighting, again to

imbalances, to create a work environment that promotes equal

cut costs and pollution.

opportunities for all, and to ensure that the future environment

Whilst EOH is based in Africa, it is constantly expanding its global presence to better assist African companies that work on an

within which we work reflects the demographics of South African society.”

international scale. In particular, they focus on emerging markets,

Their CSR efforts take this further, with the creation of

following these trends to make sure that new or rising businesses

initiatives such as the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative and the

are able to access their support. Describing themselves as a

CSI Maths Centre, both created to add to the opportunities and the

company “for a developing world”, they currently deliver services to

education available to South Africa’s young people. “At EOH, we

customers in over 30 countries, with a plan to increase that number.

want to share our learning about work experience and job creation,

“With organisations increasingly operating in multiple territories...

and to talk about the importance of being responsible citizens of

we remain entrepreneurial, complementing our existing services

South Africa. We embrace our role in creating opportunities within

with strategic acquisitions in emerging markets whilst continuing

our workplaces for those that need it most. We also realise that

to develop new solutions, enhancing our industry-specific focus

we cannot do it alone and therefore, we continue to challenge

and expanding our service offerings into new territories. We’re

corporate South Africa to get involved.”

increasingly becoming a multi-national company as we continue to expand our international footprint.”

Overall, EOH Africa and EOH International are putting the systems and structures forward to make a better Africa, and from

Another ongoing focus for EOH is the empowerment of its

there, to contribute to a better world. If cities and businesses can

workforce. Through both CSR and their employment practises, the

cut their costs, time waste, physical waste and carbon emissions,

company seeks to empower those who have been economically

as well as delivering smoother experiences and more accurate

marginalised, as well as to fight discrimination. As a part of this

services, then the application of EOH’s services is a win-win

commitment, the company has achieved the BBBEE status of a

situation for their clients, their clients’ clients and the planet at

Large Enterprise Level 1 contributor, with 156% BEE procurement

large. You can’t ask for better than that!

recognition. “We aim to eradicate all forms of discrimination and

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BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH EOH YOUR TOMORROW TODAY IN AFRICA “In the era of the digital intelligent economy, Africa has a unique window of opportunity to become the next economic leader of the 21st Century. The massive opportunity offered by new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and more, all powered with the speed of the Cloud, provide unprecedented competitive advantage whether you’re just starting, growing, or an established enterprise.

Oracle has been committed for many years to help African enterprises, private and public, across industries with differentiating business innovations. Partnering with EOH has provided Oracle with the intellectual platform to drive forward business innovation across the continent and beyond. EOH’s partnership has been critical as it offers the knowledge, skills and critical support to enterprises that have chosen the path to success with Cloud solutions.

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16 | Endeavour Magazine

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AMAZING WORLD PROGRAMING GOD - WILL THERE BE AN AI RELIGION?

A

nthony Levandowski used to work for

goes as far back as the industrial revolution,

intuitive AI, technology has the potential to

Uber, developing driverless cars. Whilst

or perhaps much further. Every time an

replace human work like never before. Even

Google’s own cars are proving that this

innovation occurs, a job is reduced. New jobs

without the traditional, science fiction idea

technology could provide a safer – not to

arise, but unfortunately the programmers

of robotics (an idea that decades of authors

mention more relaxing – driving experience,

of these driverless cars are unlikely to be

and scientists have debated and warned

for Uber, the technology could mean that

employed from the same group as the

against, and yet we develop further every

the company’s self-employed humans would

drivers themselves, and thus the battle

day), our computer systems and production

eventually find themselves out of the job.

continues, the same as it has always been.

lines are taking robotics and AI to ever

This struggle between man and machine 18 | Endeavour Magazine

With the development of increasingly

greater levels.

However, in Levandowski’s latest project,

extinct. Levandowski, it seems, is taking this

renowned founder of Tesla, tweeted that

he is taking this idea even further, looking to

thought to an odd conclusion – that data

Levandowski “should be on the list of people

replace something other, and some would

can very literally replace God, in the form of

who should absolutely *not* be allowed

argue far larger, than human labour: God.

an AI creation that he has openly stated he

to develop digital superintelligence”. If you

intends to be worshiped as a godhead.

have a Christian biblical background, you

“Science vs religion” is an old cliché, when in fact many scientists and people of

The proposal has already been met

mind might be jumping to Moses’ followers

faith overlap, or see little need to be at odds.

with condemnation and words of warning,

fashioning themselves a bull of gold to

However, in an age of knowledge and data,

from the general public and notable figures

worship when God seemed absent. If you

some feel that the need for God has become

alike. Elon Musk, technology visionary and

have spiritualist leanings or an academic Endeavour Magazine | 19

interest in such matters, you will know that developing and selecting entities to worship has been a natural part of human behavior since we developed the ability to ask questions about the world around us. However, whether you are religious, spiritualist or an atheist, putting faith in an electronic creation that can learn and answer back should set off a whole parade of red flags – especially as this ‘god’ would need to be programmed by humans.

Mr Levandowski set up an organisation called ‘Way of the Future’ in September 2015. Its mission statement is: “To develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence, and through understanding and worship of the Godhead, contribute to the betterment of society.” It sounds like L.Ron Hubbard’s legacy, if you can call it that without a sour taste in your mouth, will have to start competing for its science-enamored followers! It certainly has a similarly cult-like feel to it.

Mr Musk has warned against the dangers of AI many times, and he has a long line of scientific thinkers behind him supporting this opinion. Earlier this year, he described AI as “a fundamental existential risk for human civilisation”. Several years earlier, in summer 2014, his fears were similar: “Hope we’re not just the biological boot loader for digital superintelligence. Unfortunately, that is increasingly probable.”

Despite

concerns,

the

mission

to

teach AI to learn continues, with experts predicting that AI will surpass humans at all tasks within 45 years. Previous articles on 20 | Endeavour Magazine

the debate, such as John Brandon’s piece in

outside of ourselves, we tend to put our

VentureBeat from October this year, have

trust in electronic systems that claim to

theorized that if AI can not only learn, but

know more than we do (for example, Google

teach, then whether through Levandowski’s

Maps or an electronic fact-check). Since we

efforts or not, an electronic, self-proclaimed

developed writing, we have even become

god is likely to evolve – and even more

psychologically

troublingly, is likely to gain followers. The

something if it is written down.

more

likely

to

believe

article points out that, on top of humanity’s

With these patterns well established

historical quest for gods, magic and wisdom

in our history, is it so unlikely that people

would turn to an AI system for religious

gives you chills Levandowski is clear in

independent we feel technology has made

his aim. This in itself raises questions: in

us, that human craving to turn to something

purposefully creating something greater

outside of ourselves remains.

than ourselves, is this a sign that humanity’s

In this holiday season, perhaps it is time

quest for knowledge and power has gone

to reflect on our various gods, and to focus

full circle – that we are tired of using science

on the distinctly human lessons that they

to be our own gods, and are instead using it

teach us – compassion, empathy, generosity.

hand over authority once more?

It is unlikely that our electronic gods will spiritual

ever understand these things, and if sci fi is

guidance? People search for signs in prayer

guidance from a machine with no genuine

anything to go by, it is the strength we will

and divination, with many putting great stock

understanding of these concepts is, quite

need when the AI gets out of hand!

in the power of, say, tarot cards, because

rightly, a disturbing notion. Yet, much

Merry Christmas, and over the holiday

there is a sense of getting a reply that can be

though figures like Elon Musk are concerned

season, remember that there are important

deciphered. How much more so, then, are

about this proposed cult (and let’s face it,

things about us that we can never replace

we likely to respond to a computer that can

this definitely smells of ‘cult’), it is certainly

with machines.

give a literal response?

a psychological curiosity, and shows that no

Whether the concept excites you or

Receiving

moral

and

matter how advanced we become, and how Endeavour Magazine | 21

CERNER MIDDLE EAST WWW.CERNER.COM/AE // 971 2 657 3475

RE-IMAGINING MEDICINE In many ways, you can judge the state of a civilisation by the condition of its health care. A country’s ability to run or support an effective health care system, whether public or private, reflects not only on its technology, but its fundamental ability to provide a good quality of life for its citizens. However, as populations continue to swell, the pressure on health care systems increases: fortunately, technology is also developing at a high rate, and with it, Cerner has found a way to re-invent our approach to medical care.

WRITTEN BY ALICE INSTONE-BREWER

CERNER MIDDLE EAST Founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1979, Cerner is now a

broadly-reaching health information technology company, with their solutions and services contracted at more than 27,000 provider facilities in over 35 countries. The company has moved beyond simply creating electronic health record programmes as we know them today – instead, it has gone back to the drawing board, using what is made possible by modern connectivity, and created an entirely new approach that could revolutionise medical practises. As its slogan states, “Health care is too important to stay the same”; with a cumulative R&D investment of over $6.3 billion, Cerner has committed to that idea.

W

e spoke with Mike Pomerance, Managing Director, Cerner EMEA and LATAM, to learn more about the solutions Cerner provides: “If you boil it all down to the most basic

level,” he explained, “We manufacture software that supports hospitals to automate the care process.” Cerner has two health information technology platforms it produces that are both gamechanging by themselves, but when applied in combination, they paint an entirely new picture of health care. From a simple starting place, the end results seem practically sci-fi. Let’s break it down: “Wherever there’s paper, we try to remove the paper, and by doing so, you create secondary benefits. That information can now be fed into smart servers and computers that can compare the patient’s situation and readings with best practise. If you’re going in for a hip replacement and the doctor wants to order a certain drug, but the computer knows that a different drug is the best option for the least complications, it can recommend this instead. It’s not going to stop you from placing the order you want, but it’s going to suggest that you consider something else.”

This level of automated information and intervention, without over-riding human decisions, allows care-givers and medical professionals to focus on the application of human insight without being the sole bastion of medical knowledge in that situation. At the very least, it is a helpful safety-net in the case of human error: “We are unfortunately still looking to humans to be able to give us the best information. In my generation, doctors spent their entire

24 | Endeavour Magazine

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Endeavour Magazine | 25

CERNER MIDDLE EAST career learning; they had to take books and turn that information

Enter HealtheIntent. The innovation is a vast server system that

into actionable items that they use on a daily basis. Today, in that

allows the collection and collation of medical data from a range of

same position, it is impossible to keep up with the literature.

sources. Instead of being limited to what is entered within hospitals

I think what we’ll see in the future is that the information and

and clinics, this system can take data from smart watches, electronic

knowledge will come from a machine, and the human will provide

scales, diet apps, and any other system that monitors our health

the empathy that you require to understand it and the patient on

in our data-heavy world. This could provide medical professionals

another level.”

with a more accurate, well rounded assessment of a patient’s

The application of this software is not limited to hospitals and

health, which would speed up diagnostics, improve accuracy, and

GP offices; it can be used anywhere that patient care takes place,

allow them to give the best possible care. “That’s the second fallacy

including school clinics, laboratories, and even people’s homes.

that current medicine has, I think,” speculated Mike. “Doctors and

However, whilst the automated secondary benefits of this server

nurses are being asked to care for patients based on 3-4% of the

system are useful, they are not the most dramatic of Cerner’s

information about that particular patient.”

innovations. HealtheIntent, its second major software project, takes

To collect this data, Cerner doesn’t need to speak with the

modern possibilities far further, with potentially industry-changing

companies providing these apps – all it needs to do is talk to the

results. To explain the changes it offers, Mike painted this picture:

consumer, who can opt to send it wherever they want. However,

“In a hospital or clinic setting, you give your doctor information that

Mike believes it will take a 5- to 10-year shift before this vision is

goes into their electronic records. But let’s say that you go home,

in full effect. In the meantime, the company’s best clients for the

and you’re on your scale, or perhaps you’re diabetic and you take

system are governments and ministries of health.

your glucose reading: where does that information go?” Currently,

However, when it comes to debates over health care systems, a

such data is lost, trapped in what Mike calls an ‘information silo’.

key element has long been data protection. Given these concerns,

“You want it to go to the same place – on the medical records.”

we asked Mike whether he felt data sharing would be an obstacle for their vision:

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CERNER MIDDLE EAST “Currently, governments are often the custodians of medical data, so they can be very rigid in terms of how to share it, who

information. Depending on the liquidity of the country, this could happen faster or slower - between 5-10 years.”

can share it and who can have access to it.” Mike doesn’t believe

Mike’s prediction shows great confidence in patients being

that this difficulty will last forever, however, or that this issue is a

happy to share their data with Cerner; we asked why he believed

concern in every country. “If you look at the United Arab Emirates

this would be the case: “There will always be people who are

or Qatar or Saudi Arabia, where they still basically have a king or a

worried that their data could fall into the wrong hands, but my

ruler, you can go and sell to them, and say ‘Don’t you want what’s

personal belief is that that group will become less over time. Today,

best for your people? If we aggregate everything together, you’ll be

people don’t want to share that information because only bad

able to do a better job’, and they’ll say ‘Make it happen. Done.’

things come of it. For example, if I have a chronic illness and I share

But what of Western countries? HealtheIntent is already starting

that information, I may not be able to get insurance, so it only hurts

to be used in the UK, the United States, Australia and Canada, in

me. Now, if I can share information, receive better treatment and

both private and public healthcare, but Mike feels the transition to

maybe spend less on it, that has a benefit. Once the cost of not

patients choosing wide-scale personal data sharing will take time.

sharing data is more than the cost of sharing, people will begin to

“There’s going to be a switch, and that switch will come when the

share. People already share a lot of information today that maybe

consumer decides what’s going to happen to that data. That will

ten years ago, you’d have never have thought they would.”

primarily be because, at some point in the future, the government

In many ways, the transition that Mike predicts will be easier for

will stop being able to pay for the care of the people.” Mike predicts

less developed countries than it will be for our device-rich societies.

that eventually, this strain will lead to a move from public to private

“Countries who have not really started down an electronic health

healthcare in countries where this is not the case. “As that financial

record path have an opportunity to shift to the best health care

burden shifts from the government to the person, that person will

possible, because they’re going to start at a country level.” Mike

decide what’s best for them, and they’ll want people to have this

envisions these countries starting afresh with Cerner’s system,

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Endeavour Magazine | 29

CERNER MIDDLE EAST meaning a more total transition happening quicker than in Western

practice efficiently. “We cover basic topics such as ‘How do I

countries. However, even though it is predicted to involve a longer

redesign my laboratory now that I have this piece of software?’

timeline, once consumer-led, device-rich countries have made

through to advanced questions like, ‘How do I try to slow down the

the shift in attitude that Mike predicts, the amount of information

incidents rate of diabetes for my population?’”

available will be life changing.

Overall, the long-term projections for this software are

With this level of automation, where do the possibilities end?

hypothetical for now, but its current benefits, and the visible

Combined with AI technology, Mike sees it affecting the way we

trends in our relationship with technology as a whole, imply that

access medicine: “Pretty soon, I think we’ll see medical care in the

this breakthrough should not be underestimated. Between these

home being delivered via virtual reality. Why should a sick person

two Cerner health information technology platforms, medical

have to get dressed to drive across town to sit in a clinic with other

professionals could have a wealth of instantly accessible data on

sick people, when 80% of the time, the doctor’s just going to ask

their patients at their disposal, run through diagnostics that can

you five questions, maybe take a couple of measurements, and

recommend the best course of treatment with all variables taken

give you a prescription. That can be done from your home, from

into account. This would up efficiency, reduce human error, and

your TV.”

save on money and work hours, which could in turn assist in the

This removal of human interaction is not without its risks: “If

current strains on health care bodies. Whether public or private,

you go to the extreme, you’re going to end up with no personal

both types of healthcare could, and already do, benefit from the

touch, just talking to a machine. But on the other hand, I believe

use of Cerner’s technology. Where we go from here? Only time will

there is an opportunity for doctors and nurses to become less of

tell, but clearly, it is time for a change.

data collectors and more empathetic helpers, there to give that human touch that a computer will never be able to do.”

Given the potential complexities of such a change, Cerner provides consultations on how to apply their software to your

30 | Endeavour Magazine

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Endeavour Magazine | 31

UNITED ARAB BANK WWW.UAB.AE // 00971 6 507 5222

A TEAM TO BANK ON Whether doing business or looking after your personal finances, it’s important to have a bank you can trust. We spoke with Izzidin Abusalameh, the COO of United Arab Bank, to find out how this company is catering to its clients throughout the UAE and marking itself out as a bank of choice.

WRITTEN BY ALICE INSTONE-BREWER

UNITED ARAB BANK

United Arab Bank, P.J.S.C. (UAB) was incorporated in

January 1975 as a private joint stock company in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE. In March 2005, thirty years later, the bank’s issued share capital was listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

T

oday, the bank is still based in Sharjah, but operates a network of 14 branches throughout the UAE. We spoke with Izzidin Abusalameh, UAB’s COO, who was able to tell us more about

the range of services offered through this network: “The Bank offers its clients tailor-made financial services in both corporate and retail banking, and has mainly established itself as a leading solutions provider for a growing commercial and industrial base across the seven emirates. Through the provision of

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a comprehensive range of Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Trade Finance, and Treasury services, UAB is the Bank of choice among major corporate clientele segments in the UAE.” Izzidin joined UAB in June 2016, when he accepted the role as their new COO. Prior to this, he served as the General Manager of Dubai’s Arab Bank Shared Services Center, where he gained experience in the sector by providing operations and technology services to Arab Bank’s operations throughout the GCC. However, his experience goes further: before being a member of the UAB family, Izzidin worked with Cairo Amman Bank for more than ten years, first in Palestine and then in the bank’s Head Office in Jordan.

During this time, he headed the replacement of the company’s Core Banking System, which looked after over 100 branches in the two different countries.

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Going back even further, Izzidin began his life in banking at ground level, working as a teller for ANZ Bank in their Palestinian branch. Having worked from the ground upwards like this, Izzidin

34 | Endeavour Magazine

UNITED ARAB BANK truly knows the banking sector and what it means for a bank to

the values of the UAE, we are able to deliver and to delight

operate at every level. Additionally, his experience across several

our customers.”

different banks allowed him the insight into what does and does

Whilst it may have a strong team and leadership in place, UAB

not work, allowing him to guide UAB’s operations wisely and with a

cannot afford to ever become complacent. The UAE’s banking

wealth of information behind him.

sector is highly competitive, and this competition is only on the

In his own team’s words, from his position as COO, Izzidin is

rise: “The Banking sector is growing at a consistent pace with fierce

responsible for the bank’s “strategy with regards to embracing and

competition among 50 Banks across the UAE. 2018 witnessed

accelerating the digital transformation towards superior customers’

consolidation of the two biggest banks in the UAE and the trend

experience.” Of course, whilst he is a valuable part of the team, he is

is expected to continue.” With this speed and scale of competition,

only one part of it.

United Arab Bank must keep finding ways to set itself apart and

“United Arab Bank’s workforce comprises competent and

prove itself as the bank of choice. In part, it does this by focusing

committed personnel that ensure business success.” UAB currently

on building customer relationships, both with individuals and

employs over 550 members of staff, and each one is an essential

corporations, to make sure that their clients’ needs are truly met.

part of the company’s overall success: “Through extensive training

As Izzidin explained, “The bank adopts innovative approaches to

and development aligned to business needs, employees have

bringing a superior customer experience, while remaining loyal to

every possible opportunity for development and growth within

our nation’s heritage and contributing to the overall development

the organization. We continuously seek people who share in our

of the UAE.” For example, “Banks are expected to become more

commitment to excellence by delivering a professional service

active in the fintech space, either by launching stand-alone digital

to clients and take personal responsibility for performance. To

banks or through partnerships,” and UAB intends to stay ahead.

ensure individual and business success, our focused search is

However, the stand-out initiative that UAB is putting into place,

for the right person to fit the right position at the right time.

designed to truly cater to its customer base, is its Islamic Banking

By employing people from diverse backgrounds, aligned to

option. As their operations spread through the UAE, UAB has found

36 | Endeavour Magazine

that increasingly, its customers wish to conduct their banking in a way that they can be confident is in adherence to Shari’ah principles.

In particular, in the Retail and Corporate sectors, it is important to many of UAB’s clients that these transactions and services are meeting the correct expectations. To cater to this, the bank has established Islamic Banking. As UAB explains, “Our new Shari’ah compliant products and services will cater to the needs of a wide segment of our clientele. UAB offers a boutique of Islamic products and services to our clients that includes current accounts, saving accounts, investment fix deposits, trade finances, bill discounting, personal finance, credit cards, salary advance facilities and many other distinguished Retail and Corporate Islamic offerings.”

This department is run out of UAB’s head office in Sharjah and, importantly, all of its products have been approved by a Shari’ah Supervisory Board made up of Islamic scholars with backgrounds in Islamic laws and economics. With this solid background behind them, these scholars are able to review and oversee UAB’s products to make sure that they strictly live up to their claim of following Shari’ah principles throughout. This ambitious offering allows UAB’s clients to put their trust in their bank, not only as a reliable company, but an Islamically sound one as well.

Endeavour Magazine | 37

AMAZING WORLD ELECTRONIC TATTOOS

A

few

months

ago,

we

looked

at

innovative prosthetic designer Dani Clode, who was taking the medical

interpretation of prosthetics to new levels.

Clode was inspired to make replacement prosthetics into fashion statements, not unlike the statements we make with glasses, with

her

beautiful

translucent

pieces,

and then to take it a step further – into fashionable augmentation. Clode wanted to take an idea we see as medical, and ask why it couldn’t be a trendy body modification add-on, proposing that additional digits or limbs could become a choice much like a tattoo.

for? Current potential applications include

thinness, forms an ultra-conformal contact

Meanwhile, tattoos are completing the

biometric uses, such as measuring the

to skin, resulting in increased signal fidelity,”

circle by asking – why can’t they be medical?

electrical activity of the heart, brain,

stated co-author Shideh Kabiri Ameri at

That is, University of Texas in Austin,

and muscles, much like Fitbits and other

the University of Texas at Austin. Due to

US, have been developing a transferable

wearable sensors. If the two are comparable,

the high-quality sensing, the researchers

temporary graphene-based tattoo that can

what is the point, then? Well, the ultrathin

expect that the graphene tattoos may offer

be used for medical purposes. The tattoos

graphene tattoos can fully conform to the

promising replacements for existing medical

can be transferred to the skin painlessly via

skin, meaning they offer medical-grade data

sensors, which are typically taped to the

laminate, with a little application of water,

quality – in other words, far more accurate

skin and require gel or paste to enable the

just like transferable tattoos that were

data than it is possible to gather from the

electrodes to function.

everywhere in the ‘90s.

rigid electrode sensors mounted on bands

The

graphene’s

unique

electronic

properties enable the tattoo to function as a wearable electronic device. What 38 | Endeavour Magazine

and strapped to the wrist or chest.

“The

graphene

tattoo

is

It might sound totally sci fi, but the science is real. The researchers, led by Deji

dry

Akinwande and Nanshu Lu at the University

physiological sensor which, because of its

a

of Texas at Austin, have published a paper

on the new graphene electronic tattoo

and human machine interfaces,” Kabiri

objects. That demonstration will be reported

in a recent issue of ACS Nano, and tests

Ameri said. “In the area of human machine

in the near future.”

showed that the electronic tattoos can

interfaces,

signals

Now that IS totally sci fi! For now, it

successfully be used to measure a variety

recorded from the brain and muscles can

seems these handy little tattoos could offer

of electrophysiological signals, including

be classified and assigned for specific

a more accurate form of sensor, but soon,

skin temperature and skin hydration, and

action in a machine. This area of research

they might be an embedded part of our

the electrical activity of the heart, muscles,

can have applications for the internet of

every-day lives, letting us access everything

and brain. This means these tattoos could,

things, smart houses and cities, human

from our smart homes to our smart cars (and

theoretically, serve as an electrocardiogram

computer interaction, smart wheelchairs,

making it totally impossible to ever drop off

(ECG),

speech assistance technology, monitoring

the grid). Given that the USA’s resistance to

electromyogram

(EMG)

or

electroencephalogram (EEG).

electrophysiological

of distracted driving, and human-robot

universal healthcare has often been linked

“Graphene electronic tattoos are most

control. Recently we have demonstrated the

to a reluctance to surrender personal data,

promising for potential applications in

application of graphene tattoos for sensing

taking these tattoos to that extreme seems a

mobile health care, assisted technologies,

human signals to wirelessly control flying

little way off for now.

Endeavour Magazine | 39

D R I V I N G I N T E L L I G E N T T R A N S F O R M AT I O N Lenovo South Africa represent an IT giant in a challenging but always interesting market. We spoke with Thibault Dousson, General Manager, about the complexities of his team’s operations, both in terms of their part of the world, and the ever-evolving demands of the fast-paced IT sector...

Globally, Lenovo is a $45 billion global technology leader, supplying computer devices and solutions to over 160 countries worldwide with a team 54,000 strong. Founded in 1984 by Liu Chuanzhi in a Beijing guard shack, Lenovo grew to become China's leading PC company. The company went on to purchase IBM's Personal Computing Division, and has gone on to reach number 226 on the Fortune Global 500 list. We spoke with Thibault Dousson, General Manager of Lenovo Southern Africa, to find out how this large-scale company tackles this complex and extremely changeable market.

“The use of technology in modern life is evolving at an ever-increasing pace, and South Africa is catching up,” Thibault tells us. “Late last year, Google’s 2017 Connected Consumer Study revealed that 60 percent of South Africans now use a smartphone. In 2014, this number was just 47 percent.”

Lenovo South Africa’s business splits into two main categories: personal computing group and datacenter group. Their Datacenter Group offer solutions that don’t require any legacy hardware or software, being a very open platform offering.

Which makes it a compelling offer in terms of flexibility and cost. In the personal computing side of the company, Lenovo supply devices across three main sectors: consumer, SMB and enterprise, and the public sector. Most notably, this includes the supply of notebooks, desktop computers and tablets, but naturally also includes all of the accessories that one could need to compliment these purchases.

“A big chunk of our business in South Africa is our Enterprise business. That’s really our top 100, top 150 customers in the country,” explains Thibault. “There, we’re focusing on high-end notebooks, four or five years’ warranty, global flexibility in terms of docking stations and security software, etc. It is a very exciting and buoyant market here. Because of the IBM legacy, we had lots of big customers – big banks, big public sector customers, education – it’s quite an exciting part of our business.”

Whilst Enterprise represents some of Lenovo’s biggest customers, the consumer market accounts for about 20-30% of their revenue. They sell their products to large retailers, covering a range of laptops and notebooks, including their popular brand, Yoga. “We’ve been pushing that brand to the market for quite some time now. Lots of colors, powerful configuration, high end graphics cards and a multi modal device (360 degrees hinges); we do put a lot of emphasis on the look and feel of the brand.

Yoga is just one of Lenovo’s many laptop brands, not to mention their array of other personal computing devices.

However, laptops are currently the area to watch: “Not so long ago, the only place you could connect to the internet was a desktop or laptop, so the laptop market was doing really well, and then smartphones arrived. All of a sudden, everything switched. Then the tablet changed the market up again.

Recently, the notebook has been the best area of growth, in terms of product.”

One of Yoga laptops’ features are their 360-degree hinge for added comfort and ease. Comfort, as Thibault explained, is one of the three areas in which Lenovo focuses its innovation when developed new products. “Through research and speaking with countless customers, we learned three things people value most when it comes to the technology they use: time, comfort, and connection. These are the elements that will drive personalised computing for Lenovo and our customers. Technology for technology’s sake should never be the goal. With time, comfort, and connection as the guiding principles and metrics in mind, we’re better placed to solve problems and create enhanced experiences.”

Innovating with these principles in mind involves finding new ways to streamline tasks and accessibility, create smoother sharing experiences between personal and communal computing, and adopting devices’ physical design to better match how technology is currently used. “In China, the social media platform WeChat has huge numbers of users, and this led to the adoption of large smartphone screens ahead of the West. At Lenovo, we’re looking ahead at bendable and foldable form factors to help people to do more of the things they want in new and more comfortable ways.”

Of course, when it comes to staying ahead of consumer IT products, there is an area that you cannot afford to overlook: “We’ve got a niche market in gaming. The gaming market is completely booming. It’s been booming quite a bit now for quite sometime in Europe, but in South Africa it’s just starting.

It’s quite nice – we’re always a year or two behind the trends, so you can look at Europe you know what’s going to happen in your future, almost. Gaming is basically our main focus at the moment.”

With products falling in and out of favour so quickly, the issue of stocking becomes a precarious one, with a high risk of wastage. Avoiding this requires constant planning and a detailed awareness of the demand. “At the end of the day, we’re working with all the graphics card companies etc, and they tell us when they’re going to launch a new product.

However, you’ve got to be careful how you bring your product to market, and you’ve got to be on top of your technology mapping. You can’t bring in too much volume in one go, so the refresh of your stock has to be done very carefully. It’s an exhilarating part of the market.”

In comparison, for all that Enterprise is an exciting frontier in terms of technology, and for all that it represents some of Lenovo’s biggest customers, the market in South Africa is currently slow. “The public sector and enterprise sector aren’t doing much at the moment. There are elections next year, people are waiting to see which way it’s going to go. The rand is very volatile right now, so everyone is a little cautious.”

Herein lies the great challenge of operating in South Africa: as well as IT being changeable by virtue of its fast-moving product development, the market that Thibault is selling to is also subject to constant flux. “The market in South Africa has done extremely well in the last six months, with double-digit growth from a unit point of view. However, the rand being one of the most volatile currencies in the world makes it for a very bumpy ride. When the rand is stable the market is buoyant; when the currency starts to swing, the fun starts and usually the business runs for cover.”

Lenovo covers the entire SADC region, with good growth showing in particular in RSA, Mauritius, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Of these countries, the one to stand out the most to Thibault is Mauritius. “There’s some really good business coming out of Mauritius. The economy is stable, the politics are very stable too, so it’s quite a nice little gem. It’s not big, is the only problem, but it’s doing very well, and it’s a very steady type of business.” The markets in the other countries Thibault mentioned are less stable, with growth occurring at times, and sales drying up at others. “It’s quite tricky to work in South Africa. You can never really bet on the long term. Zimbabwe was our biggest by far country about two years ago, and now they barely do anything.”

Between Lenovo South Africa’s countries of operation and the nature of IT, it’s a juggling act, but Thibault speaks about the challenges with bubbling enthusiasm. “IT has always been an exciting industry. There’s always new technology that comes up and changes everything. Now, there’s virtual reality, there’s AI – you never really know where it’s going next." Lenovo already offers an array of both augmented reality and virtual reality products, and they are working industriously to develop more. Even more excitingly, to keep their technology as streamlined and intuitive as possible, they are working on the evolution of their AI: “The explosion of data we have seen in the last five years was unimaginable 20 years ago. 90% of current data was created in the past two years, and 1.7 MB of data is created per second per person. We only use a small amount of this data. In the future, AI will continue to profoundly change industries and people’s lifestyles. To further advance the development of AI, we need to focus on four areas: algorithm, business application, computing power and data. Only a few companies have these four factors – and Lenovo is one of them.”

Thibault began his love affair with IT in the early 2000s, and he fell for it instantly. “HP was massive in the town in France where I was living. I tried to get in, because IT at the time was an exciting market, and I got hooked. I worked at HP for 14 years; after a few years I joined the team in South Africa, where I had various positions with a lot of different experience, from product management to Enterprises sales, channel and retail. I became the country GM for the PC group in 2010 and for both PC and Print in 2012. Eventually, I left HP in 2016 to join Lenovo as the General Manager for the Southern Africa region.”

As well as his love for the industry, it is clear from speaking with Thibault that he has a passion for his company. Whilst he only heads a small team in South Africa, compared to the vast scale of Lenovo’s global network, he speaks about them with as much pride as he does the industry itself: “We have approximately 50 people working for Lenovo South Africa, coming from very different backgrounds and experiences. I can honestly say that we have one of the best teams in the market. There is a mix of young and more experienced employees. The passion is there at every corner. We love what we do and I think the customer sees it. We have a very clear strategy when it comes to our sales direction. We are a 100% channel-driven organization, so if you keep with us, there is no risk or surprises that we will take the opportunity directly. I can tell you as well that we have the best products in the market, but I might be a little bit biased!”

When management can speak about their company and their team with this much passion, people are clearly doing something right! South Africa is a challenging area to do business in, and especially in an industry as fast moving as IT products, but since Thibault arrived, he hasn’t been able to get enough. Where will his enthusiasm for the field take his team? Endeavour Magazine looks forward to finding out.

MORATELINDO WWW.MORATELINDO.CO.ID // 0062 21 3199 8600

KEEPING THE WORLD CONNECTED Communication is king, especially in today’s technology-driven society.

Modern technology seeks to make geographical location a non-entity in terms of easy interaction, and for Indonesia, Moratelindo is leading the way.

WRITTEN BY AMY BUXTON

MORATELINDO

Founded back in 2000, Moratelindo came into being with

a concrete purpose and vision of becoming a prominent broadband company in Indonesia. To say that this goal has been accomplished would be an understatement, but that doesn’t mean that the ambitious beginnings have been forgotten.

S

peaking to Michael McPhail, Chief Technology Officer for Moratelindo, he noted that:

“In 2012, Moratelindo completed construction of the major international submarine backbone of Jakarta, Bangka, Bintan,

“Moratelindo was the first company to establish an

Batam, and Singapore. Earlier, a similar network was constructed

international connection to Singapore from Indonesia. As a company,

connecting Batam-Dumai-Melaka. This network is the result of

we have always challenged the status quo in the marketplace, to

collaboration between Moratel, XL Axiata and Telekom Malaysia.

ensure that quality broadband services are delivered to as many

With the increasing numbers of customer needs, the network must

Indonesians as possible. This is our core driver and the reason for

be supported by a reliable data security and to comply with this,

our existence.”

Moratelindo built 6 Nusantara Data Centres.”

Profits are of course essential, but when the driving forces

With an extensive national network in place, with fibre optic

behind the continued success of an operation are client satisfaction

cabling throughout, it stands to reason that there needs to be

and an inherent desire to keep the world connected, it’s impossible

a contingent of reliable and expert staff in place to maintain

to not feel a little in awe of the morals and values at play.

it. Countless operations pay lip service to how valuable the

There has to be a balance, though. While it would be very

professional individuals that carry out day-to-day tasks are, but

humanitarian for a telecommunications company to operate below

Moratelindo takes things a step further by including its team in

a profitable margin, that would quickly lead to a lack of committed

the company’s value statement, which seeks to: “Deliver great

shareholders, resulting in investment funds drying up. With no

customer experiences through service; Embrace and drive change;

money to remain at the cutting edge of new developments, the

Build a positive team spirit and open communication; Be innovative

fantastic services offered by Moratelindo could suffer and, by

and open-minded; Be passionate; Be humble and act with integrity.”

proxy, customers would be dissatisfied. With this in mind, Michael

It’s a rare thing to find company values that include offering

and his colleagues operate in line with a clear mission that aims to

the right environment of support and communication to staff,

“Provide excellent network quality and best value for innovative

alongside focussing on their customer experience, but that’s exactly

telecommunication infrastructure services and to be a reliable

why Moratelindo is different. Just as every kilometre of cabling is

business partner that grows together with all stakeholders.”

essential for the continued connectivity of the national network,

So how exactly has Moratelindo set itself apart as the leading telecommunications operation in Indonesia? The answer is simple; by investing time and money into the development and maintenance of a reliable national network that is as secure as it is speedy: 44 | Endeavour Magazine

so too is every member of the team a vital component, as Michael explained: “We place paramount importance on the development of our teams, which is why we run extensive training programmes and

Endeavour Magazine | 45

MORATELINDO development courses to nurture the capabilities of our staff. We

makes sense, when you think about how competitive the world of

also work in partnership with educational institutions to identify

technology is, and how much we are all starting to rely on a constant

and develop new graduates that have potential, to ensure that we

connection to the internet.

have a solid foundation of talent across the organisation.”

Given how progressive Moratelindo is, Endeavour asked

Given that Moratelindo is already providing customers with

Michael what the future could hold: “Currently, Moratelindo

tailored solutions, a secure and consistent network and a contingent

is undergoing a very heavy development phase, with multiple

of expert staff that are always on hand, it could appear that there

projects targeting different markets all running in parallel. The

is little else to offer, but that’s not how you grow an operation!

key undertaking right now is the development of the Palapa Ring

With integrated services already on offer, it’s a case of looking to

Project, where we were awarded both the West (Barat) and East

the future and pre-empting what consumers will need and want in

(Timor) packages by the government. A development of over $1

order to stay ahead of the curve.

billion USD, it is set to connect multiple islands across Indonesia and

In recent years, data storage has become a key issue for many

support the government’s 2020 broadband plan. The West package

consumers, with the cloud slipping into everyday vernaculars

was complete on schedule and is currently operational, while the

with ease. This issue offered a great opportunity to showcase

East package, which is significantly more complicated, is due for

how Moratelindo aims to always be at the forefront of new

completion this year.”

developments.

A trusted, respected and frequently relied upon operation,

Having identified the importance of reliable and secure data

Moratelindo offers solutions for everyone, from domestic

services, Moratelindo created a number of data centres, all designed

consumers through to government departments. It might be good

to offer hosting, collocation and cloud services, in addition to virtual

to talk, but it’s better to email and save treasured memories to

private servers as well. Taking into account that all of these services

the cloud, which is why Moratelindo will be a household name in

are available on top of more standard broadband offerings, you can

Indonesia for many years to come.

get a real feel for how forward-thinking Michael and his team are. It

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46 | Endeavour Magazine

AMAZING WORLD ILI WEARABLE TRANSLATOR

i

li is the new wearable translator from

they gave to travellers to test out. To their

they were speaking with. Using a phone

start-up company Logbar. This remarkable

surprise, no one was using it! There were

app also detracts from eye contact, which

little device translates your words in less

several reasons given; firstly, the device’s

has a vast negative effect on the process of

than a second, allowing you to speak with

reliance on wi-fi made it slow and unreliable

communication and broke down the feeling

ease on your travels without delay or even

to use in areas with poor connection.

of connection between users and the people

needing a wi-fi connection! The ili, created

This, plus the need to boot up the app,

they were trying to speak with.

under company CEO Takuro Yoshida, can

created frustration for users and limited

currently translate English into Mandarin,

the spontaneity of their use for the device.

frustration

Japanese and Spanish, and Mandarin into

Another cause of frustration was having

conversation

Japanese and English – with many more

to pass the phone back and forth to make

conversation quick and easy, the two-way

language choices soon to come.

sure that every translated sentence was

function required users to explain how

Logbar started out by creating a two-

heard, due to smartphone speakers directing

the app worked every time they wanted

way translation app for smartphones, which

sound at the user instead of out to those

to communicate with someone, such as

48 | Endeavour Magazine

A surprise to Logbar was its testers’ with

the

ability.

app’s Short

two-way of

making

world. In the re-design, speed and ease were

and warmth as the novelty of the translator

the company’s priorities. The ili can translate

working and the possibilities this creates are

your sentences in as fast as 0.2 seconds

realised.

without any internet connection, thanks

Currently, these devices only come with

to its OS loaded with the language of your

one of the available language options loaded

choice, complete with every travel term you

onto the OS. However, as technology

could possibly need. It can be worn around

advances, storing more data on them will

the neck, heard clearly, used anywhere, and

become possible and we may see future ilis

needs no time to boot up.

with several language capabilities. It may

To improve customer experience and

also allow the device to hold wider, more

remove complications, the device is now

specific lexicons. Currently, the ili is fluent

one-way. This may sound limiting, but

in straight-forward sentences and travel

explaining that long sentences, local slang

testers had a much better time and used

language. It does not have specific business

or proper nouns may not translate clearly.

the device far more on their travels. Videos

language or advanced medical terms, but it

This added a whole new conversation that

of the device in use all have one thing in

is just as possible to program ilis this way

users must attempt to translate before they

common - laughter. At first, there is the

if they are ever adopted for use in these

could even have the exchange they wanted.

surprise and joy of the listener at hearing

arenas!

This was not only stressful for the user, it ran

the device work at all, followed by the

The fact that ili works as quickly and

the risk of frustrating the people they were

mutual joy of all participants that they are

reliably as it does, free from wi-fi, is already

speaking with and, again, slowed the process

able to communicate. Although this device

a conversation-changing innovation, and its

down.

only works one way, the collapsing of walls

application and the effects can only become more exciting from here!

Logbar took what they had learned

can be clearly seen: listeners look pensive,

and created something revolutionary: a

apprehensive or distant when a tourist

translation tool that left the smartphone

begins speaking in a foreign language, and

To find out more, you can visit the ili’s

behind and brought its users back into the

this response quickly changes to excitement

website at https://iamili.com Endeavour Magazine | 49

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