Gigabit Magazine – March 2020

SOLVING BUSINESS CHALLENGES WITH TECHNOLOGY www.gigabitmagazine.com

MARCH 2020

DEVSECOPS AT SCALE Inside the telecommunications giant’s approach to development

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WELCOME

W

elcome to the March issue of

Gavin Jackson, UiPath’s Senior Vice

Gigabit magazine!

President and Managing Director

This month’s cover feature sees

us talk to telecommunications giant Comcast. Larry Maccherone,

EMEA, tells us about the possibilities the technology is enabling for enterprise.

In the pursuit of efficiency, data

Distinguished Engineer, Comcast

centre providers have seen fit to

Cable, tells us about the growing

locate their facilities everywhere from

influence of the DevSecOps approach

nuclear bunkers to boats. Our Top 10

to development.

examines a few such locations as we

The term itself, however, is a contentious one for Maccherone. “I have a

count down the weirdest.

Don’t forget to read our other fea-

love/hate relationship with the term

ture interviews with the likes of the

DevSecOps. I believe that if you’re

SAP, Intel and many more!

doing DevOps right, then the security

Do you have a story to tell? If you

part is automatically included,” he

would like to be featured in an upcoming

explains. “You don’t call it DevTestOps

issue of Gigabit magazine, get in touch

or DevPlanningOps, it’s just DevOps.

at william.smith@bizclikmedia.com

However, what I do like about DevSecOps is the emphasis on security.”

Elsewhere, we speak to robotic

Enjoy the issue!

William Smith

process automation pioneer UiPath.

w w w. g i g a b i t m a g a z i n e . c o m

03

innovation in practice Sprint and Amdocs have been key partners for over two decades, delivering together innovative solutions to make Sprint the success it is today.

Our joint accomplishments include modernizing billing support systems, introducing a groundbreaking customer care system, providing cost-effective payments processing and the optimization of current and future network capabilities.

This strong Sprint-Amdocs partnership has won widespread industry recognition, including the 2017 Global Telecoms Business Award for Consumer Service Innovation.

Visit www.amdocs.com to learn more about how you can partner with Amdocs to innovate successfully.

www.amdocs.com Š 2019 Amdocs. All rights reserved.

Click the menu (top right) to return to contents page at anytime EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WILLIAM SMITH EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

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PUBLISHED BY

w w w. g i g a b i t m a g a z i n e . c o m

CONTENTS

12

48 The breakthroughs modernising data warehouses

58

Special Report: working alongside robots with RPA

38

66 Why enterprises are turning to partnership automation

90 74

Weirdest data centres

EVENTS

94

116

128

146

CodeBlue

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Intel

DC Blox

182

NTUC Enterprise

160

MTR Corporation

194

Aditya Birla

206

Archroma

220

Azerconnect LLC

232

Jimit Dattani

244

258

272

288

Logitech

The Coca-Cola company

SAP

Air France

300

Watercare Services

132

318

Deloitte

332

Goldwagen

354

MTN Liberia

342

Afrissance Digital

12

Comcast: Introducing DevSecOps at scale WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

CRAIG KILLINGBACK

MARCH 2020

13

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

COMCAST

Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer of Comcast, discusses DevSecOps’ growing influence on one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies

A

s a global leader in media and technology, Comcast is the parent organisation

of three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast has more than 14

55 million subscribers, with Sky renowned as one of Europe’s leading entertainment companies operating in seven territories and Comcast Cable recognised as one of the biggest cable TV, high-speed internet, and phone providers in the United States. Sitting down in the new Comcast Technology Centre at its headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer of Comcast Cable, shared how the company is uniquely positioned for success in their agile approach to achieving a DevSecOps cultural transformation.

Maccherone’s professional background heavily revolves around data analytics and Lean-Agile, and he started his first business while still an undergraduate at university. “I’ve been a serial

MARCH 2020

15

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COMCAST

“ I believe that if you’re doing DevOps right, then the security part is just automatically included” entrepreneur throughout my entire — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast

career. My first business had 80 employees and made US$20mn annually in sales,” explains Maccherone. “We were writing software that controlled a large portion of the world’s power generation,

18

and it meant that if hackers exploited a vulnerability in the software, then it potentially brought down the world’s power grid. We got really skilled at writing software that didn’t have exploitable vulnerabilities.”

MARCH 2020

DevSec CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:07

19 Upon joining Comcast in June

as empowered engineering teams

2016, Maccherone became responsi-

taking ownership of how their prod-

ble for overseeing the company’s

ucts perform in production, including

DevSecOps transformation. “I have

security. When you get development

a love/hate relationship with the

teams owning the problem, you

term DevSecOps. I believe that if

get a fundamental difference in

you’re doing DevOps right, then

decision making.”

the security part is automatically

Since its creation over a decade

included,” he explains. “You don’t

ago, DevOps has become a vital

call it DevTestOps or DevPlanningOps,

component of how companies oper-

it’s just DevOps. However, what

ate. Building upon the foundations

I do like about DevSecOps is the

of the agile movement, DevOps lev-

emphasis on security. My definition

erages automation, for quality and

of DevOps and DevSecOps is

security testing as well as for for-

essentially the same. I define both

merly manual deployment and w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

You change the world, we’ll secure it.

Secure sof tware is crucial in our digital world. And we believe in focusing on your security.

So you can conf idently create the sof tware that helps move our planet for ward.

So you can focus on your business.

So you can be the hero of your stor y.

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on software, and DevSecOps provides speed and security for its applications. By working with Veracode, Cox Automotive is realizing its vision, without being held back by security.

COMCAST

operations activities, in a bid to intro-

to achieve that level of trust,

duce software into production at

Maccherone introduced a trust algo-

speed. The primary goal of any

rithm. “The trust formula has three

DevSecOps initiative is to enable

terms combined in the numerator:

development teams to change their

credibility + reliability + empathy

mindset and adopt security practices

which are all divided by apparent

into their daily activities.

self-interest,” he explains. “It’s impor-

However, Maccherone believes

tant that the apparent self-interest

it’s impossible without healthy collab-

is as small as possible, with an

oration and mutual trust. In order

emphasis on shared interests.”

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE 22

Larry Maccherone Larry Maccherone is a Distinguished Engineer at Comcast where he currently leads the DevSecOps transformation initiative. Previously, Larry served as the Insights Product Line Director at Rally, where he published the largest ever study correlating development team practices with performance. Before that, Larry worked at Carnegie Mellon with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and CyLab conducting research on cybersecurity and software engineering. While there, he co-led the launch of the BuildSecurity-In initiative. He has also served as Principal Investigator for the NSA’s Code Assessment Methodology Project, on the Advisory Board for IARPA’s STONESOUP program, and as the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Labs Fellow. He speaks and publishes regularly on DevSecOps, Lean/Agile, and analytics and he is the primary author of a dozen open source projects, one of which gets 400,000 downloads per month.

MARCH 2020

23

Maccherone believes that under-

in its early stages back then and

standing and embracing each pillar

it’s fundamentally different now.

of the trust algorithm is vital to suc-

If you come into a meeting with those

cess in DevSecOps. “Credibility

old mindsets, make assumptions

means that you know what you’re

and use outdated terminology, then

talking about and it’s important that

the development team will pick up

you’re not just saying things for the

on that and you’ll lose credibility.

sake of it or repeating something you’ve read,” explains Maccherone.

“Writing code has

Reliability is the same regardless of the context; it’s the old business expectation of making and meeting commitments. It’s important to follow

changed a lot

through and do what you say you

in five years.

are going to do. Finally, empathy

DevOps was

is all about how much compassion w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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“ If you come into a meeting with those old mindsets, make assumptions and use outdated terminology, then the development team will pick up on that and you’ll lose credibility” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast

supersedes all of those challenges and give the reasons why. It’s vital that you aren’t dictating them.” The

you show, and the awareness of

importance of coaching rather than

how challenging something is.”

policing is a key aspect of Comcast’s

Following the foundation of the

strategy. The company also has

trust algorithm, Maccherone believes that it has successfully allowed for increased efficiency and has ultimately meant better decisions.

“Lots of security groups at other large companies spend an inordinate amount of time cajoling development teams to do things,” he says. “The reason they have to spend such a considerable amount of time policing is due to a lack of trust. Showing empathy is crucial and it’s important to acknowledge how difficult something is to do. However, it’s also fundamental to explain why you’re trying to make the case that this risk w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

25

50m lines of code driving the kids home The more powerful you make software, the more inseparable DevOps and security need to be.

See why Checkmarx leads the industry in delivering automated security scanning for DevOps.

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WORKING@COMCAST CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:08

27 a programme in place that provides

what we want; we want them to reach

immediate feedback to the develop-

out and partner with us.”

ment team while also providing

Change management is a key

aggregated metrics to guide coach-

driver to Maccherone and Comcast’s

ing efforts. “We created a workshop

strategy. “The traditional way of

where we sit down with the develop-

gathering a response was to produce

ment team, walk through the trust

surveys. However, we found that

formula and the company’s

the behaviour didn’t change,” he says.

DevSecOps practices and give

“We decided on a framework that

them a chance to internalise what

we can coach from and enable the

that practice means,” explains

developers to reflect on whether

Maccherone. “When someone feels

or not they meet the criteria. If we

like they’re being forced into out-of-

send an email to them then we get

context practices, their natural

almost no response. However, if

reaction is to avoid them. That isn’t

we sit with them and allow them w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

to ask questions directly then they instantly start changing their behaviour.”

With any successful transformation comes the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent, and Maccherone believes it’s the most challenging part of any business.

“It’s the key to any tech company,”

1963

Year founded

$108.9bn Revenue in US dollars (2019)

affirms Maccherone. “The HR department that we have at Comcast is fantastic. They really understand the importance of exceptional talent.

Candidates want to have work that is interesting, fun and challenging,

190,000 Number of employees

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

29

COMCAST

30

“ Three years ago, I started a Google alert on DevSecOps and would get one hit a week or even a month.

Now, I get 10-20 every day” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast

MARCH 2020

31

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LEARN MORE

Comcast Partners CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:01

33 in addition to working with peers

are trying to design their products

they respect.”

to fit in with the direction we’re going.”

In a bid to achieve mutual success,

Maccherone believes that without

Comcast Cable has established

developing such robust and long-

a number of key partnerships, such

standing partnerships, the challenge

as with WhiteSource, Vulcan Cyber,

of reaching the level of success

Checkmarx, Go2Group, Contrast

Comcast has achieved would have

Security, Synopsys, Bugcrowd and

been significantly harder. “Our vendors

Veracode. Maccherone recognises

are a key to our success and we’re

the value of forming strategic, business

extremely excited and happy with

relationships in order to realise long-

the current set we have,” beams

term success. “We’re at the forefront

Maccherone. “They align well with

of DevSecOps, and lots of our vendors

our values and that’s been the differen-

see that,” says Maccherone. “We’re

tiator to finding ways to reduce our

constantly searching for vendors that

security risk.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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“ When someone feels like they’re being policed, their natural reaction is to avoid the police. That isn’t what we want; we want them to reach out and partner with us” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast DevSecOps has become a 35

hot topic in the technology space in recent years and Maccherone has observed its rapid rise first-hand. “Three years ago, I started a Google alert on DevSecOps and would get one hit a week or even a month,” he says. “Now, I get 10-20 every day and we’re not even at the steepest part of the adoption curve for DevSecOps yet.” In 2019, Comcast’s goal was to scale the DevSecOps programme, the tech giant achieved that by tripling the number w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

37

of teams onboarded to the pro-

we reach that saturation point,

gramme. “By the end of 2020,

I anticipate that we’ll add more

we aim to double that number again,

capability, tools and practices over

and I expect that will get us close

the next few years.”

to the saturation point of all the teams at Comcast. We’ve gone from essentially launching the programme to evolving, optimising and scaling it to the point of saturation. After w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

LEADERSHIP

We take a look at some of the disruptive technologies with the potential to transform the ways in which we work, in both an office and industrial setting

W T A H W

S ’ W O R R O M O T K R O W LI K O O L

WRITTEN BY

38

MARCH 2020

WILLIA M SMITH

L L I W S S E C A L KP ?

E IK

39

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LEADERSHIP

T

he digitisation of the workplace is less of a choice than an inevitability. Digital transformation is being implemented across all sectors and

in all fields. There is, however, no one definition of a

workplace, all of which have different requirements and possibilities. Here, we look at the transformative potential of two of the workplaces most ripe for disruption.

THE OFFICE Digital transformation goes beyond implementing the 40

latest cloud system or even replacing stairs with slides.

A number of technologies promise a more fundamental change to the way work is done in such an environment.

Augmented reality (AR) is one such tool, promising to bring previously sci-fi concepts like Minority Reportstyle floating virtual interfaces to the real world. Although it admittedly has skin in the game, Mojo Vision, a company developing smart contact lenses, released a report which surveyed a 1,000 workers and found that 78% would be open to using such technology over the course of their work. That’s a demand which companies are increasingly racing to meet. Perhaps the most advanced attempt at implementing ‘mixed reality’ is Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, the pricing model of which aims it squarely at enterprises. Microsoft is not the only tech company exploring the emerging field, with patents filed

by Apple demonstrating an interest in a potential finger MARCH 2020

Microsoft HoloLens Š

41

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LEADERSHIP

“ ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING AREAS FOR INDUSTRY IS AUTOMATION IN THE FORM OF COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS” control system for an as yet unre-

more like customers, owing to the

leased mixed reality device.

increased freedoms afforded to

Aligned with that development is

42

the digitally savvy worker.

the increased possibility of remote

Then there’s the elimination of

working, due to both technological

busywork promised by the arrival

and cultural advances. In the former

of robotic process automation (RPA),

field, the aforementioned HoloLens

which allows for software robots to

offers a ‘holoportation’ feature that

interact directly with human-targeted

provides a more human experience

graphical user interfaces (GUIs). RPA

compared to calling in, thanks to the

technology can watch human teachers

virtual representation of those in the

as they go about tasks such as data

meeting. Consequently, a report from

entry or validation, then repeat those

Deloitte advised employers to cultur-

inputs, albeit more quickly and reliably,

ally change to treat their employees

with some implementations then able to use machine learning to optimise their tasks. RPA is a crowded and

MARCH 2020

Workplace of the future: How will you work in 2030? I JLL CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:51

43 rapidly growing field, with dedicated

The business case for increasing

companies like Automation Anywhere

automation is obvious, but anxieties

and UiPath dovetailing with offerings

persist about the impact such technol-

from established giants such as

ogies will have. Research by Oxford

Cognizant, IBM and SAP, all of which

Economics has suggested that,

promise to free workers from drudgery

by 2030, 20 million manufacturing

and allow them to focus on more

jobs will have been lost to robots,

creative tasks.

with those losses disproportionately affecting lower-skilled workers and

INDUSTRY

those in poorer countries. There is

The industrial workplace is also being

an alternate vision, however, of

transformed, bringing new levels of

a world where, rather than taking

efficiency. One of the most promising

jobs, robots can work alongside

areas for industry is automation in

humans. Such robots have come

the form of collaborative robots.

to be known as ‘cobots’ thanks w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

LEADERSHIP

44

MARCH 2020

“ I’VE SEEN SO MANY DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS [FOR COBOTS], BUT THE SWEET SPOT TENDS TO BE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS AND WAREHOUSE AND LOGISTICS APPLICATIONS” — Walter Vahey, Executive Vice President, Teradyne to the collaborative and cooperative work they are designed for.

We spoke to Walter Vahey, Executive Vice President, Teradyne, a company with a number of automation subsidiaries including Denmark’s Universal Robots, who gave a useful definition of cobots as opposed to robots.

“Industrial robots are picking up and moving automotive bodies, placing w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

45

LEADERSHIP

46

“ DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION GOES BEYOND IMPLEMENTING THE LATEST CLOUD SYSTEM OR EVEN REPLACING STAIRS WITH SLIDES” windshields into cars — big, heavy

Vahey says. “I’ve seen so many different

tasks,” he says. “Whereas fixed cobots

applications, but the sweet spot tends

are doing more human scale activities.

to be manufacturing operations and

They’re easy to use, and safe to deploy

warehouse and logistics applications.

around humans. They’re easy to

So, for fixed cobots like Universal

program, easy to deploy, and they

Robots, we tend to see a lot of machine

typically don’t use a safety cage.

tending, a lot of gluing and screwing.

Deployment times are measured in

We’re seeing a lot more welding these

weeks, not months.”

days - that’s an emerging area. Packag-

Cobots are applicable in many

ing and unpackaging - the equivalent

different environments and situations.

of palletising and depalletising, but

“You’re limited only by your imagination,”

on a smaller scale.”

MARCH 2020

47

Cobots can be thought of as the

together rather than replacement,

hardware equivalent of RPA technol-

particularly in this environment where

ogy, taking away repetitive or even

customers, the suppliers, are looking

dangerous jobs and freeing up workers

at how they can expand productivity.�

to do the kinds of skilled work currently

In the end, the true effect of these

out of reach of machines. While robots

technologies is more likely to be

may eventually catch up with human

incremental than transformative. Even

capabilities, Vahey sees the emer-

a modest implementation of such

gence of cobots as a far more likely

solutions, however, has the potential

eventuality, due to the incremental way

to transform the decades-old routines

the workplace is currently evolving.

familiar to workers around the world.

“What I see is a lot more working w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

E N T E R P R I S E S O F T WA R E

48

MARCH 2020

The breakthroughs modernising data warehouses SAP’s Stefan Hoffman details the evolution in data warehousing technology and the resultant capabilities on offer to business

WRITTEN BY

STEFAN HOFFMAN

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49

E N T E R P R I S E S O F T WA R E

D

ata warehouses aren’t anything new. Ever since the 1980s, the concept of bringing high-value data together in one centralised

place has remained the same. However, there have

still been a lot of changes since the 1980s. The internet was barely used back then – only 5% of Americans had it. Cloud computing wasn’t yet invented. The scale of data generated was nothing compared to what it is today.

These changes have brought massive breakthroughs in data warehousing. Thanks to the rise of the cloud and the demand for better solutions, today’s data warehouses are capable of so much 50

more than their predecessors.

What does this all mean? Now is the time to modernise your data warehouse. If you don’t, you are missing out on some of the following breakthroughs.

EMPOWERING BUSINESS USERS The ultimate goal of data warehouses haven’t changed.

It doesn’t matter whether a data warehouse is decades old or deployed just last week, the aim is to get value from data. By consolidating and harmonising data in one place, the hope is to derive real business insights that can be used to make better decisions.

What has changed, however, is how easy it now is for non-technical users to get these insights themselves. The best data warehouse solutions empower business users to play around and experiment with data on their own. Now, these users can get what MARCH 2020

51

“ In 2020, the data generated will be more than 25 times greater than what was generated a decade ago �

Stefan Hoffman, Senior Product Manager, SAP

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

E N T E R P R I S E S O F T WA R E

The Race Is On: SAP Data Warehouse Cloud CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:55

52 they need to make data-backed deci-

times greater than what was generated

sions without having to go to IT for

a decade ago. In 2020, the data gener-

every request. It’s an efficient, stream-

ated will be more than 25 times greater

lined process.

than what was generated a decade ago.

Intuitive user interfaces help these users discover the insights without getting a headache. Features such as data

Such rapid data growth would quickly overwhelm older data warehouses.

Fortunately, today’s data warehouses

templates, which are pre-defined for

can handle this growth — and quickly.

specific industries and functions, help

Nobody wants to sit around waiting to

users quickly get started.

process needed data. That’s why the development of in-memory processing

SPEED THAT SCALES The amount of data generated globally

has been so beneficial.

In-memory has long been the domain

is growing at an incredible rate. In 2020,

of traditional databases, but they’ve been

the data generated will be more than 25

hugely beneficial for data warehouses

MARCH 2020

as well. With in-memory, data can

“ Data lineage makes it possible to track the entire data lifecycle, ensuring users can identify exactly where data is created”

be accessed more quickly because main memory is used, rather than disk storage. Whether the data is coming from on-premise sources or the cloud, in-memory processing is up to the task.

FREEING UP IT Time is precious for IT professionals.

The good news is that today’s data warehouses can help save a lot of time.

Setting up the data warehouse infra-

Stefan Hoffman, Senior Product Manager, SAP

structure has never been easier, or more cost- effective, thanks to cloud deployments. Connecting a data strategy to the cloud has become a growing priority for many organisations as they navigate managing data at a much larger scale than ever before. As projects increasingly require data exploration, data science or prediction models, organisations can benefit from the elastic scaling made possible by the cloud.

Because no hardware is needed, IT can dive right into setting up their data warehouse projects without waiting.

However, one of the most important steps in the process is to first consider how to approach data governance in a cloud data warehouse. For example, data lineage makes it possible to track w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

53

E N T E R P R I S E S O F T WA R E

54

the entire data lifecycle, ensuring users

enriched and governed so that only

can identify exactly where data is

the most relevant data makes it to the

created, stored, managed and most

top. A modern data warehouse makes

importantly, where it’s going to next.

this happen.

Raw data gets processed using in-

A KEY PART OF A LAYERED DATA ARCHITECTURE

it’s stored in databases (the less valuable

Good data architecture is like a delicious

stuff) or prepared for consumption (the

cake – it has layers. At the bottom layer,

more useful data) to gain insights. Data

you have the raw data. At the top, there’s

warehouses give access to this valuable

only the frosting, which in this case is the

data by connecting seamlessly to data

most valuable data ready to be used in

lakes. Data warehouses that can achieve

BI and analytics. For that raw data to

all of this are a critical part of any effec-

become valuable, it has to be cleaned,

tive data strategy.

MARCH 2020

memory accelerators, and from there

55

BEST PRACTICES FOR A DATA WAREHOUSE DEPLOYMENT

data sources, and the business objec-

As powerful as today’s data warehouses

tives of the new data warehouse. Without

are, they need a successful deployment

clear goals, the project can become

in order to be useful. That’s why it’s

bloated with less important to-dos.

means determining the structure, the

important to follow some best practices to make the most of the latest innovations in data warehousing.

MAKE SURE THE DOCUMENTATION IS THERE A successful cloud data warehouse

KNOW THE SCALE OF THE PROJECT

deployment has the power to transform

Scope creep is a risk of any transforma-

an organisation. However, if nobody

tive project. Before deploying a cloud

is using this shiny new data warehouse

data warehouse, it’s critical to under-

because they don’t understand how

stand what the end goals are. This

to use it, then no value was created. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

E N T E R P R I S E S O F T WA R E

56

Choosing a solution with the top-notch

“ It doesn’t matter whether a data warehouse is decades old or deployed just last week, the aim is to get value from data”

documentation and intuitive onboarding material is necessary for any cloud data warehouse deployment. The more users taking advantage of a data warehouse’s capabilities, the better.

WORK WITH BUSINESS USERS A data warehouse deployment can’t happen in a vacuum. While IT is respon-

Stefan Hoffman, Senior Product Manager, SAP MARCH 2020

sible for the actual deployment, they need to get feedback and buy-in from their colleagues on the business side.

The best data warehouses are flexible and able to scale as your needs change.

THE DATA WAREHOUSES OF TOMORROW Having a data warehouse in the cloud with the ability to connect to other databases enables a simple gateway for all enterprise data. IT will welcome the end-to-end capabilities of a data warehouse because it empowers colleagues on the business side to be self-sufficient in getting the data they need. As a result, IT is freed up to pursue more strategic projects.

Data warehouses have come a long way from their humble beginnings.

With data becoming more valuable each year for organisations, it’s a good It’s these users that will be using the data

bet that data warehouses will improve

warehouse to get insights and run mod-

even more in the future. Expect them

els. If business users are involved in

to be faster, more user friendly and

the deployment process on some level,

provide even more valuable insights.

they’ll be far more invested in using the

While the future is hard to predict,

solution once it’s deployed.

what’s obvious is that right now is the ideal time to see the breakthroughs

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE

offered by today’s data warehouses.

What you need from your data warehouse today might be a lot different from what you need in a year from now. That’s why any data warehouse deployment needs to be built with flexibility in mind. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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D I G I TA L S T R AT E G Y

58

SPECIAL REPORT: WORKING ALONGSIDE ROBOTS WITH RPA At Web Summit 2019 we spoke to Gavin Jackson, UiPath’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director EMEA, to discuss what RPA offers to the future of enterprise

WRITTEN BY

MARCH 2020

WILLIA M SMITH

59

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D I G I TA L S T R AT E G Y

W

e believe that, in the fullness of time, there will be a robot for every worker.” So says Gavin Jackson, Senior Vice President and Managing Director EMEA at robotic

process automation (RPA) firm UiPath. RPA blurs the

line between purely automated and human-accessible applications by allowing robots to interact directly with the graphical user interfaces used by people. Robots may be trained by watching and recreating a human teacher’s inputs, and then improving in terms of speed and reliability. The company’s vision of human-machine 60

collaboration is compelling for many — the RPA market, according to Gartner, grew by 63.1% in 2018, reaching around US$846mn in revenue. By 2025, McKinsey predicts automation technologies, of which RPA forms a part, could have a gargantuan financial impact of around $6.7trn.

As a leader in the field, UiPath has contributed to, and benefited from, the pace of that growth. “The incoming demand for the platform was just unbelievable. The growth that we’ve had in the last three to four years has been unlike anything we’ve seen in the industry.

Many analysts have said that this is the fastest growing enterprise software company ever, and Gartner said that it’s the fastest growing software category today, in any given field, whether it’s AI or machine learning or anything.”

MARCH 2020

61

“We need to [...] break the cycles we’ve been in for decades of having to do the work that we hate doing” — Gavin Jackson, Senior Vice President and Managing Director EMEA, UiPath

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D I G I TA L S T R AT E G Y

“What UiPath can do is to help to harmonise different systems, and to automate everything in between” — Gavin Jackson, Senior Vice President and Managing Director EMEA, UiPath

In terms of enterprise software, RPA platforms are among the most attractive technologies to implement.

That’s in part because of the demonstrable efficiency improvements they can unlock. Modern large institutions are bound to have a blend of legacy,

62

in-house, cloud and software-as-aservice (SaaS) systems rubbing against one another. According to Jackson, “what UiPath can do is to help to harmonise different systems, and to automate everything in between.

It’s definitely true that large enterprises have the biggest challenge to overcome, and automation is really key to that.”

RPA also offers established giants the opportunity to claim some of the benefits of being a digital native startup. “Most large enterprises are looking at a digital transformation journey and looking to build a set of attributes that are very specific — the MARCH 2020

Scale your RPA with UiPath Apps CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:52

63 attributes of what you might consider

Amazon Web Services (AWS). “Ama-

to be a digital native, or startup, tech

zon’s an extensive user of UIPath for

company. Startups loathe waste.

automation purposes,” he says, “as are

They loathe any kind of time spent on

Google, Facebook, Uber and some of

anything but building their products,

those other giants of the digital native

serving their customers, and reinvent-

tech boom.”

ing the world. These are the attributes

For established companies with

that are so attractive for companies

arcane systems potentially stretching

that have been around for a long period

back to the mainframe era, RPA

of time.” It’s not just the most venerable

represents an opportunity to wipe

companies that have something to gain

clean the slate in a far less disruptive

through RPA’s capacity to grease the

way than simply starting again from

wheels and remove timesinks. Jackson

the beginning. “Chances are you don’t

first encountered UiPath as a customer

know what you don’t know about your

when he was Managing Director for

business processes and the interdew w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

D I G I TA L S T R AT E G Y

64

pendencies between them,” says Jackson, “because the evolution of that has been: once upon a time, you’d have a standalone process. Then, because of technology, those processes became networked, and then came online. After that, those processes had to respect digital front ends on mobiles, as well as big clunky mainframes in the back end.”

Part of the utility of RPA is simply being able to interpret that tangled map MARCH 2020

“Chances are you don’t know what you don’t know about your business processes and the interdependencies between them” — Gavin Jackson, Senior Vice President and Managing Director EMEA, UiPath

dealing with the less creative tasks.

It’s a more positive, and perhaps more realistic, vision than the one where robots simply take all of our jobs instead. Giving the example of a hypothetical business analyst and the creative work they can do with data, Jackson emphasises the liberating potential RPA has. “If you can get the robots to do all the drudge work, to stage data in a form factor that an analyst can then quickly view and chop stories from, you’re getting the maximum impact out of that human, and they don’t spend an ounce of time in the technical querying of data. They get to analyse the data and create stories that business owners can make good decisions with.” As for to work out the least efficient parts of

UiPath, the future is clear: “We need

the model. “At UiPath we give you a

to continue to lower the barriers.

physical, schematic diagram of all their

We need to continue to add skills

processes and all of the interdepend-

to our robots, to make them useful,

encies. Based on that, we advise you

to continue to innovate in the space

where you can get the biggest returns

and just break the cycles we’ve been

for your automation.”

in for decades of having to do the

RPA may even herald a material

work that we hate doing.”

change to the future of work, a future where machines may augment the capabilities of human workers by w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

65

VENDOR MANAGEMENT

66

Why enterprises are turning to partnership automation AT LAST NOVEMBER’S WEB SUMMIT WE SPOKE TO DAVID A. YOVANNO, CEO AT IMPACT, WHO TOLD US HOW AND WHY FIRMS ARE DIGITALLY TRANSFORMING THEIR APPROACH TO PARTNERSHIPS WRITTEN BY

MARCH 2020

WILLIA M SMITH

67

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VENDOR MANAGEMENT

I

n a world where even the largest companies are having to find new ways of reaching customers, Impact offers a digital approach to the sometimes

arcane business of managing partners. With the company fresh off a US$75mn funding round, Gigabit speaks to Impact CEO David A. Yovanno to discuss

the rapidly growing industry.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IMPACT? Impact is a partnership automation platform. Just to 68

give you a sense of scale, we’re managing about $50bn in ecommerce sales on the platform today. That’s all coming from partners that are referring business to our clients. We have about a thousand enterprise clients on our platform, and these partners are of many different types. They’re business-to-business partnerships, influencers, software integrations, channel partnerships, and traditional affiliates.

I mentioned over a thousand enterprise clients — it really spans across all verticals. In the US, we have top retailers like Target and Bass Pro Shops, some of the largest consumer technology brands like Microsoft and Lenovo, some of the large platform brands like Uber, Airbnb, Ticketmaster and, more recently, financial services like Capital One, American Express.

MARCH 2020

69

“ Traditional selling and advertising just isn’t getting the job done on its own anymore” — David A. Yovanno, CEO, Impact

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VENDOR MANAGEMENT

“ Many of the big software companies, especially, are shifting from reseller partnerships, to referral partnerships” — David A. Yovanno, CEO, Impact

spending patterns right now, and they don’t like advertising.

70

WHY ARE COMPANIES AUTOMATING PARTNERSHIPS?

90% of new digital advertising dollars

Number one, traditional selling and

are going to just Facebook and Google

Then you see reports about how

advertising just isn’t getting the job

— Facebook’s rates have increased by

done on its own anymore. There’s a

130% in the last year. Add all that up,

lot more data out there now about

and I think most people would agree

how people just don’t trust sales

that consumers today just don’t trust

people. They don’t like advertising,

anything. They’d rather do their own

especially millennials. Millennials are

research, tap a relationship that they

the largest generation in terms of

already have, whether it’s a company that they’re doing business with, an influencer that they’re following on YouTube or what have you, and get a recommendation. That’s how people are finding, discovering and doing business now with today’s enterprise.

We’re really tapping into that trend.

Many of the big software companies, especially, are shifting from reseller partnerships, to referral partnerships.

Microsoft, for instance, is signing up

MARCH 2020

Impact: connecting enterprise with partners CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:03

71 7,500 new partners per month and

agreements, ad hoc contracts and

80% of them are not resellers of their

fragmented teams. Now, with the rising

software. They’re not selling shrink

demand for partnerships, it’s creating

wrapped software anymore. They’ve

a problem for them because they don’t

got influencers, and they’ve got

have a contracting system. They don’t

systems integrators that are referring

have a way to consolidate and manage

customers directly to Microsoft.

everything — to automate their partnerships. We cover the tracking and

WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF PROBLEMS FACED BY YOUR CLIENTS THAT IMPACT’S EXPERTISE CAN SOLVE?

we’re processing more than $2bn

It starts with a challenge they have

in payments this year to partners.

with traditional selling and advertising.

crediting of who referred a sale. We also handle payment processing, and

Another problem is in finding partners.

While partnerships have been around

What Impact is doing is automating

for a long time, they’ve been in ad hoc

the full partnership lifecycle starting w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

VENDOR MANAGEMENT

Impact: building a platform for partnership automation CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:02

72 from the discovery and recruitment of

as affiliates — things like cashback

new partners through to contracting

coupon sites which have been around

and payment processing. We also

a couple of decades. That is an

track engagement, and we have CRM

important part of partnerships, but

functionality. Then we deal with the

it’s becoming a smaller and smaller

protection against fraud, because the

percentage of the total partner mix —

more types of partners that you work

representing less than 20% of the

with, the more you’ve got to deal with

total partner mix on the Impact

the nuances of that.

platform today. A new partnership category that I love are social

WHAT IS MOST CRUCIAL FOR COMPANIES TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIP AUTOMATION?

for example, has partnerships with

Most businesses that are familiar with

are shown how to subscribe to the

digital marketing think of partnerships

service, and for every new subscription

MARCH 2020

responsibility partnerships. BarkBox, veterinarian clinics where people

“ While partnerships have been around for a long time, they’ve been in ad hoc agreements” — David A. Yovanno, CEO, Impact

You’re trying to understand your partner. What’s unique about their relationship with their audience or with their customers, and how can you relate to that and tap into that? Maybe don’t have such tight guardrails on what they can and can’t say. Maybe just be a little bit more open, and trust that they know their audience or their

BarkBox will donate a commission

customers and that they’re going to

to the veterinary clinic.

position you in the best possible way to maximise the number of referrals.

COULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE TRENDS YOU’RE SEEING IN PARTNERSHIPS?

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE IMPACT’S GOALS FOR THE FUTURE?

The biggest trend in partnerships

We’re focused on being a product-led

today has to do with structuring the

organisation. Leading with technology,

relationship between the enterprise

streamlining the user experience,

and the partner. What can the enterprise

making it more and more simple and

give the partner to increase their

demonstrating more and more value

social currency with them? A lot of

to our clients. Our vision is to be the

our retail clients will give a product

standard software that every business

demo or sample, for example.

needs to automate the partnerships that are becoming an increasingly important channel to grow their business.

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74

MARCH 2020

____Weirdest data centres From nuclear-proof bunkers to facilities even Ethan Hunt would struggle to penetrate, we count down the world’s strangest places to store your data

WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

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T O P 10

10

Tahoe Reno 1

The Tahoe Reno 1 data centre is located on the 107,000 Tahoe Reno Industrial Center industrial park in Nevada, which it shares with the likes of Tesla’s Gigafactory 1. It also shares that factory’s sense of scale. Switch, the data centre’s owner, claimed it to be the largest colocation facility in the world on the occasion of its opening, capable of providing 7.2mn sq ft of data centre space as part of its overall 2,000 acre campus.

10 76

MARCH 2020

09 77

09

State Line Coal Plant

From a coal-fired generating plant belching out pollutants to a green data centre; the former State Line Coal Plant has seen quite the transformation. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the 1920sera plant was decommissioned in 2012, with the site now taken up by Digital Crossroad’s DX-1 facility. Cooled with water and winds blowing from the lake and using excess heat to warm greenhouses, it is hoped the initial 105,000 square foot facility will eventually be a complex occupying the entirety of the 77-acre site.

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AT HARBOUR IT, WE GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS THE FREEDOM TO FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST Learn more

đ&#x;˘’đ&#x;˘’

Harbour IT are proud to partner with Ooh! Media on their IT transformation journey.

At Harbour IT, we give our customers the freedom to focus on where it matters and not be slowed down by IT capability challenges. Known for our knowledgeable and personable service, we offer the most secure and flexible hosted and managed cloud offerings available in the Australian market.

harbourit.com.au

Harbour IT is proud to partner with Ooh! Media on their IT Transformation Journey. Our unique difference is being large enough to provide customers with extensive expertise, established processes and advanced enterprise level solutions, yet small enough to be hands-on and deliver the high-touch customer service that you demand.

08 79

08

Nautilus Data Center

Nautilus Data Technologies wants to build a floating data center to take advantage of both water cooling and cheaper real estate.

Despite having raised $36mn in a Series C funding round back in 2017, Nautilus’ projects have long been in limbo. Last year, however, the company gained approval to launch a vessel in Limerick, Ireland.

The company’s CEO has said of the company’s ambitions: “All of our major city population centers have [...] ports with spare capacity.

All over the world it is the cheapest real estate”.

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T O P 10

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07

Green Mountain

Norway’s Green Mountain operates a suite of three data centres which it claims are the “world’s greenest”. That’s thanks in part to the use of 100% renewable hydropower, and water from the adjacent fjords in its cooling systems. The company’s DC1-Stavanger data centre is located in a former NATO ammunition storage facility, designed to withstand such threats as electromagnetic pulses and even a nuclear bomb blast. Its location in Norway also offers high speed connections to the UK.

MARCH 2020

06

Hamina Paper Mill

Continuing the theme throughout this list of repurposing old structures, Google’s Hamina data centre in Finland was previously a paper mill owned by the paper company Stora Enso. Google purchased the picturesque site, which lies on the Gulf of Finland, in 2009, and has invested some €1,400mn ($1,549mn) so far, with a further €600mn ($664mn) planned for 2020. Google touts the projects sustainability credentials, including its use of water from the aforementioned gulf.

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How AWS is helping create a future-ready Australia We are at a fascinating point in the history and evolution of Australian organisations, where they are using technology to transform and enhance the experiences they bring to their customers.Transformation touches everyone, from government agencies including the ATO, Australia Post, and ABC, digital natives like Atlassian and Xero, start-ups like Baraja and Whooshkaa, to established players like Qantas, Woodside Energy, NAB, Linfox, and Fonterra. Having the right skills in place to drive digital transformation is critically important, as is a willingness to embrace change and shift to a more agile, collaborative culture.AWS help organisations of all shapes and sizes with their most critical issues and opportunities. Together, we create enduring change and results.

Let AWS help create enduring change and strategies for you.

NAB’s Cloud Guild drives new tech skills NAB is watching a new approach to learning develop inside of the bank as it approaches the first anniversary of an ambitious program to train its workforce in the ways of cloud. The program, called the NAB Cloud Guild, was intended to enable “more than 2000” NAB employees to acquire or build cloud skills in support of the bank’s $1.5 billion “digital-first” transformation.Inside of the first year, the Cloud Guild is already tracking well ahead of that goal.“The results of the NAB Cloud Guild have been outstanding,” NAB’s Manager Engineer and Cloud Guild Founder Paul Silver said. “Within the first 10 months, we’ve had about 4000 people who’ve gone through the program so far in a one or three day course. “When we started, we had seven people in the whole organisation who were certified in AWS cloud. There are now over 400 people who are certified”.Silver can already see change as a result of the program.

“What we’ve found after people have done the three-day associate courses is they’re becoming self-learners, which is fantastic,” he said. “AWS has great digital content we can consume and use inside our organisation. After people get their first certification, they’re actually going off and selflearning this content with the outcome of getting more certifications, in-turn leading to better outcomes for NAB.” The learning culture is expected to have a strong impact on NAB’s project, which includes a target of moving 35 percent of its 2500 IT applications into the cloud within the next three-tofive years. “With AWS’ help we’ve been able to drive outcomes incredibly fast. This is helping us meet our customer expectations a lot faster than we have been able to in the past,”

Silver said. NAB’s Chief Technology & Operations Officer Patrick Wright said the battle for technology talent in Australia is “fierce”. Wright sees the NAB Cloud Guild not only as a way to create opportunities for employees to learn new skills and grow their career in technology, but also as a means “to attract top talent in the industry.” “We’re embarking on a transformation that we think is fundamentally changing our ompany, fundamentally changing the way we work, and launching us into a new era,” Wright said. “If you want to build a company of builders, you have to have technology career pathways.”

NAB is also taking some cues on best practices from AWS as it continues on its digital transformation journey.

The bank recently tackled the AWS 50 in 50 program, which involves getting 50 applications into the cloud in just 50 days. It was a clear signal of the speed and agility that NAB now wants to operate. “AWS’s passion for customers aligns well with what we are doing at NAB and we’re also learning from them along the way as well,” Silver said. “It’s been a really good partnership to work with them.”

How AWS is helping create a future-ready Australia

Woodside Energy leveraging data to seize growth opportunities Woodside Energy is the pioneer of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry in Australia, and the largest Australian natural gas producer. Woodside’s producing LNG assets in Australia’s north-west Pilbara region are among the world’s best facilities, renowned for their safety, reliability and efficiency.

Now, Woodside is seeking to create an integrated LNG production centre – the Burrup Hub - that would see new Scarborough and Browse gas resources processed through the Woodsideoperated Pluto LNG and Karratha Gas Plant. To help realise this vision, Woodside is leveraging gains from its data science and intelligent asset work programs over weeks and days, instead of months and years, allowing the company to make decisions sooner, using richer data. Innovation has always been part of Woodside’s DNA. Applying cloud technology is helping Woodside accelerate the traditional oil and gas project innovation cycle from years, down to months. Woodside uses AWS cloud as the foundation for optimising production in real time, by running high -speed algorithms to uncover new insights and opportunities to deliver extra value. Woodside can run 10,000 algorithms per hour, taking data from over 200,000 sensors attached to its Pluto LNG plant. The company remains focused on reaching all Woodside employees with this work.

Digital at Woodside is not just about ‘gear’; it’s honing and changing the way people work, with collaborative partnerships playing a key role.

Learn more

Visit awsinsight.com.au to find out more how AWS is able to help you thrive in today’s digital economy.

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Compute Coop

The Compute Coop uses the agricultural wisdom of chicken coop design, which takes advantage of circulating outside air for cooling purposes. Originally opened by Yahoo!, after the organisation was acquired by Verizon in 2017 it fell into the hands of newly created parent company Oath, which was renamed Verizon Media in 2019. The Compute Coop’s green credentials are further burnished by the use of hydroelectric power from the nearby Niagara Falls. Despite its age, the facility’s innovative design has stood the test of time, leading to continued growth.

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04

Pionen

If you’re afraid of what might become of your data in a nuclear apocalypse, you might like to retain the services of Swedish ISP Bahnhof’s Pionen data centre. Located in lovely Stockholm, the data centre rests in an old cold war bunker buried 100ft deep in the Vita Bergen area of the city. Protected by 40cm thick metal doors, the data centre plays up its cold war connections by maintaining an original sign from the entrance that reads: “These doors should be locked at DEFCON1”.

MARCH 2020

04

03

Swiss Fort Knox

Naming itself after the famously impregnable United States Bullion Depository might make it seem as though Swiss Fort Knox is asking for trouble. Swiss Fort Knox I and II, however, have the infrastructure to back up this claim. Built under the Swiss Alps, the data centres have a dedicated runway, a permanent security detail, facial recognition technology and five separate security zones. Their owner, Mount10, claims such a setup offers the data they store protection from even chemical and biological attacks.

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T O P 10

Lenovo Powers MareNostrum 4 at Barcelona Supercomputing Center CLICK TO WATCH

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1:24

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02

Barcelona Supercomputing Center

Located in a former chapel known as Torre Girona on the grounds of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, the government-owned Barcelona Supercomputing Center hosts the MareNostrum 4 supercomputer. Encased in glass and surrounded by the chapel’s medieval architecture, the juxtaposition of old and new won the MareNostrum the title of ‘Most Beautiful Data Center’ in 2017. The MareNostrum has brains to match its beauty, however, coming in as the 16th most powerful supercomputer in the world in the same year.

MARCH 2020

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MARCH 2020

01

Project Natick

One of the major considerations when building a data centre is the cost of cooling. Some data centres get around this by liquid cooling their server racks. Microsoft decided to bury theirs under the sea.

Project Natick has been on the seafloor near Orkney, Scotland, for over a year now. Powered by renewable energy and utilising submarine technology to utilise the surrounding cold water, the research project has “demonstrated dramatically better reliability than our land-based counterpart,� according to Microsoft.

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Microsoft tests Project Natick, self-sustaining underwater datacenter CLICK TO WATCH

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3:24

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EVENTS & A S S O C I AT I O N S

We round up the biggest and best technology events and conferences from around the world… EDITED BY WILLIAM SMITH

2-3 MAR 2020

Gartner Application Architecture, Development & Integration Summit 90

[ MUMBAI ]

24-26 MAR 2020

Industry-leading research and

Money 20/20 Asia

consulting firm, Gartner is hosting its

[ SINGAPORE ]

annual application strategy summit

Asia’s famously grandiose technology

in Mumbai this year. Business growth,

and fintech conference focuses

digital transformation, and the

on helping entrepreneurs and large

experiences that drive relationships

enterprises maintain the pace of

all depend on enterprise applications.

innovation and network with like-mind-

Therefore, by bringing together a

ed individuals and thought leaders.

cadre of Gartner experts, guest speak-

“Complacency is the enemy,” warn

ers and industry experts, the event will

the organisers. Money 20/20

help tech-focused executives make the

carefully curates its content each

most of the opportunities presented by

year in order to present the very lead-

an enterprise landscape defined and

ing edge in business and financial

dominated by the application.

strategy to its host of attendees.

MARCH 2020

13-15 MAY

ITB China [ SHANGHAI ] ITB China is a three-day business to

31 MAR-2 APR 2020

Amazon Innovation Day and AWS Summit Sydney

business travel trade fair that focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry. As the largest B2B-exclusive travel

[ SYDNEY ]

trade show in China, ITB China brings

This year, at a three-day event held in

together top and hand selected buyers

the International Convention Centre,

with industry professionals from all over

Sydney, Amazon Web Services will be

the world, and provides various net-

hosting educational and inspirational

working events and a unique state of

keynotes, breakout sessions, and

the art matchmaking system to

customer stories about how cloud

enhance networking and maximize

technology can help businesses lower

business opportunities. ITB China 2020

costs, improve efficiency and innovate

will take place from Wednesday to Fri-

at scale. Featured topics at the event

day, 13 to 15 May, at the Shanghai World

include: AI and Machine Learning, Big

Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre

Data and analytics, containers, innova-

in Hall 1. The ITB China Conference will

tion, serverless, migration and security.

take place parallel with the show.

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91

EVENTS & A S S O C I AT I O N S

02-04 JUNE 2020

DataCloud World Congress 92

8-12 JUN 2020

[ MONACO ]

London Tech Week

This year, Monaco will be home to the

[ LONDON ]

17th annual DataCloud World Congress,

Every year, London Tech Week brings

bringing together a variety of experts in

together nearly 70,000 attendees to

the cloud, data centre and IT infrastructure

learn, teach and network at one of the

markets. Touting itself as “the premier

biggest gatherings in the industry. Held

leadership summit for critical IT infra-

in a range of venues across the city, and

structure”, the event promises to cover

supported by the Mayor of London, the

everything from cloud challenges to

event draws the biggest names in tech

edge evolution. Speakers at last year’s

and politics – with last year’s proceed-

event included: Michel Fraisse, VP,

ings being opened by then-Prime

Europe, Huawei, Jeffrey Ferry, Director,

Minister Theresa May. This year, fea-

Goldman Sachs and Glenn Fitzgerald,

tured events will include: the Future of

Chief Technology Officer, Product

Work Summit, Leaders In Tech Summit,

Business, Fujitsu EMEIA.

the AI Summit and Createch 2020.

MARCH 2020

1-2 JUL 2020

2-5 NOV 2020

AI & Big Data Expo Europe

Web Summit

[ AMSTERDAM ]

Since moving to Lisbon permanently in

Boasting four co-located events, over

2016, Web Summit has gained a reputa-

300 speakers, more than 350 exhibitors

tion as one of the world’s premier

and predicted to attract in excess of

technology summits. In previous years,

10,000 visitors over two days, the 2020

speakers at the event have included

AI & Big Data Expo Europe is one of the

former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair,

year’s biggest events in the data and

Microsoft President Brad Smith and

analytics space. Topics that are going to

serial Entrepreneur Elon Musk, among

be at the heart of this year’s many talks

many other luminaries Although the

and keynote speeches include: Business

focus on internet technology sug-

Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine

gested by its name prevails, it has

Learning, AI Algorithms, Data & Analyt-

broadened its remit as it focuses on

ics, Virtual Assistants and Chatbots.

the technologies of the future.

[ LISBON ]

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93

94

MARCH 2020

CodeBlue: Leading an industry

WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY

ANDY TURNER

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95

CODEBLUE

Jason Manns, COO of CodeBlue, details the rise of insurtech as CodeBlue leverages science and cutting-edge technology to meet industry challenges

T

echnology is transforming every industry, and insurance is no exception. The landscape is rapidly evolving and with

this, insurance companies are challenged with managing change. The transformation toward digital solutions creates an opportunity to have 96

a better understanding of customer behaviours and to provide immediate customer solutions.

When harnessed successfully, these newly acquired technologies improve policyholder satisfaction while reducing costs for insurance carriers.

Jason Manns, COO of CodeBlue, has over 25 years’ experience in the personal and commercial lines insurance industry. As a transformational change leader, he has led claims and operations for a number of insurance carriers with a passion for delivering best-in-class performance, while ensuring that the customer experience is at the heart of decisions.

As an insurance executive, Manns has seen the insurance industry begin to slowly shift with technological adoption advances and, consequently, sees three of the most significant challenges MARCH 2020

97

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CODEBLUE

“ The insurance industry is paying close attention to the technological advancements of other industries but continues to significantly lag behind in the adoption rate of the innovations that exist today in the marketplace” — Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue

The second challenge insurance carriers face is the embedded inefficiencies in the claim handling process

98

currently faced by insurance carriers.

from inadequate initial claim damage

The first is the effective management

evaluations. “For example, it is common

of labour and the expenses associ-

for insurance carriers to experience 25%

ated with insurance carrier workforces.

to 40% supplemental claim payments

“This is particularly important because,

due to inaccuracies in the initial

in today’s low unemployment rate

damage evaluation process.” Today,

economy, there are shortages of

technology is available to provide

qualified and technically proficient

real-time digital capture of damages

insurance staff. I expect the virtual

at the policyholder’s initial loss report,

technologies that are now available

reducing supplemental work.

will significantly change traditional

Lastly, policyholder engagement

insurance carrier staffing models,”

presents a new challenge. The expec-

he says.

tations of customers have increased to the point where an Amazon-like standard of service, with same-day turnarounds between orders and deliveries, has become the norm.

“This level of service with regards to policyholders seeking immediate same-day property claim inspections

MARCH 2020

Join the CodeBlue Revolution CLICK TO WATCH

|

3:20

99 and contractor on site arrivals is typi-

insurance claims management pro-

cally unheard of across the insurance

vider with full scale customisable

industry,” says Manns. “There is a mas-

solutions. Drawing from his experi-

sive potential for insurance carriers

ences in the insurance carrier industry,

to catch up to what other industries

he focused on immediate policyholder

are doing.”

actions at first contact and the contin-

Early in CodeBlue’s inception,

ued development of proprietary claim

Manns — while working at an insur-

management software with digital

ance carrier — was involved in the

technologies. This included virtual

development of CodeBlue’s proactive

inspections strategies that provided

claims management model, which

solutions for insurance carrier staff

was and continues to be significantly

to view loss damages real-time and

different than all others in the industry.

remotely. “Insurance carrier staff

Today, Manns leads the operations

can now view initial damage inspec-

at CodeBlue, an industry-leading

tions from their office in a few hours w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Let us grow together.

Bamboo is a newly formed insurance organization, backed by some of the largest carriers in the industry, and established on the principles of customer advocacy and transparency. We aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel, but to add some grease that ultimately delivers a smooth and pleasant experience for our Customers.

Learn more

LEARN MORE

CODEBLUE

CodeBlue Join the Revolution #2 CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:59

102 after claim notification as opposed

reporting of claims, CodeBlue has

to having to be physically present at

advanced this by providing a 24-hour

the site, removing the additional costs

service, available 365 days a year,

incurred with travel time and fleet

for first notice of loss claim reporting

vehicles,” says Manns. In addition,

with virtual damage inspections and

virtual damage inspection solutions

contractor integrations that provide

reduce vehicle usage, promoting envi-

immediate actions for policyholders.

ronmentally friendly carbon practices

This approach maximises the accu-

and are a strategy that can be used to

racy of initial damage inspections

protect staff against exposure to air-

while driving high levels of policy-

borne viruses and contaminants often

holder engagement. In addition to

found at loss locations.

this, says Manns, “insurance carriers

While it remains an industry stand-

include policy language that stresses

ard to use call centers to interact

the policyholder’s obligation to pre-

with policyholders during the initial

vent additional damages at the time

MARCH 2020

of the loss by taking the needed

as “First Notice Of Loss” claim report-

actions. However, policyholders often

ing, but instead, we call it “First Notice

need greater levels of assistance in

And Response” with immediate actions

the claim process than they typically

for policyholders.” Vault Insurance

receive.” This is where CodeBlue’s

Chief Claims Officer, Peter Piotrowski

combination of technology, staff with

stated, “by partnering with CodeBlue,

property subject matter expertise

we can leverage best-in-class technol-

and contractor network, are lever-

ogy to respond quickly with the right

aged to ensure insurance carriers

resources and skills to policyholders.

and policyholders receive immediate

Together with CodeBlue, customers

actions that translate to science-

will always receive efficient, empa-

based outcomes. Manns explains,

thetic and personalised assistance,

“because of this advanced approach,

leveraged by technology in order

we no longer refer to our process

to deliver the best repair services.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jason Manns Jason Manns is the Chief Operations Officer at CodeBlue, an industryleading insurance claims management provider servicing North America. Jason has over 25 years of experience in leading claims and operations at insurance carriers at the executive officer level.

At CodeBlue, Jason is responsible for overseeing and scaling company-wide operations, including the continued development of proprietary claim software with digital applications that support virtual damage inspection strategies for insurance carriers. He is passionate about working with personal and commercial lines insurance carriers to provide property claim solutions that assist in making technology transformation easier.

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103

CODEBLUE

D ID YO U K N OW?

The CodeBlue Flood House Experience

104

Facilities That Embody The CodeBlue Culture CodeBlue is headquartered in Springfield, Ohio, USA, with two additional offices in Hudson, Ohio, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Much like the company itself, CodeBlue’s headquarters in Springfield, Ohio, is a blend of history and innovation.

CodeBlue is located in the historic 1893 Bushnell Building, where the Wright brothers patented their design for the airplane. The building renovations since its erection have achieved Platinum LEED (leadership in energy & environmental design) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

MARCH 2020

In the CodeBlue flood house, they train and certify (IICRC S500) CodeBlue staff, insurance carrier staff, and contractors to be subject matter experts on the science of drying. The Springfield OH, CodeBlue flood house has been flooded with 1,500 gallons of water over 200 times since being built in 2011. “In this live water damage home environment, we demonstrate and teach the science of drying with participants using industry water and fire mitigation equipment to understand what is possible using today’s technology. Participants witness the ability to dry and restore wet materials such as carpet, hardwood flooring, cabinets, trim, and drywall versus replacing materials. This enables CodeBlue to return policyholders to pre-loss condition in the fastest and least disruptive manner.” CodeBlue has a 2nd flood house used to train and certify staff, built in 2007 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

105

Classroom teaching session with Ed Jones in the CodeBlue Flood House Vault Insurance and CodeBlue are

smart-connected homes and buildings

united by the same ethos: excellent

that measure the inside environmental

customer service.”

conditions. These emerging technolo-

“The insurance industry is paying

gies provide insurance carriers with

close attention to the technological

missing data points and consumer

advancements of other industries but

behaviors to better predict underwrit-

continues to significantly lag behind

ing risks, loss frequency and all of the

in the adoption rate of the innovations

costs associated, as well as the ability

that exist today in the marketplace,”

to take actions to avoid losses through

Manns notes. “We are seeing innova-

virtual real-time policyholder interac-

tions ranging from automotive loss

tions. The opportunity exists for

avoidance capabilities and self-driv-

insurance leaders to challenge the

ing vehicles, aerial photography

status quo in their organisations,

and the use of drones, to IoT

embrace available technologies, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

T H O UG HTF UL, SIM PLE, DYNA M IC

Vault is the new standard in personal insurance.

Vault is the new standard in personal insurance. Everything we do from building superior insurance products to interacting with our customers, is just that: personal. Our business is about empowering people to live spirited, passionate, and fulfilled lives, and we’re deeply committed to creating an unrivaled experience for our agents and our customers. Our mission is to create the perfect balance between living life and protecting it, and where the status quo doesn’t cut it, we’re rethinking insurance.

Easier to do business with.

Insurance should feel intuitive and direct. At Vault we work obsessively to make this a reality. We’re constantly reinventing how the technology we build saves customers time -- from how our bespoke insurance plans are generated to how we’ve redesigned the billing process for a more intuitive, less cumbersome process.

The luxury of support for all.

Simply put, Vault is protection done in a new way -- the broadest coverage on the market today, with real humans, prioritizing real lives in the background. Customers will feel supported by Vault before a claim is ever filed. After all, we’re here to make their lives less stressful, not more complex.

The tenacity of a startup with backing you know and trust.

Vault is backed by significant financial and operational support from Allied World, a global insurance and reinsurance company. Our team is led by top industry veterans focused on developing a better holistic experience for customers, because we believe you can have it all.

Learn more at vault.insurance or contact us at 844 36 VAULT (82858)

CODEBLUE

108 I N DU ST RY FACT S

According to US Housing Study and Chubb Water Survey, 1 in 12 homes experience a plumbing leak each year with more than 2.5 million US homeowners experiencing water damage (excluding f looding) annually. US$10bn is paid annually by US insurance carriers to repair water damage (excluding f looding) each year.

MARCH 2020

and to become champions for change

For example, insurance carrier staff

to improve existing insurance models.�

can typically drive to inspect five to

To add to this, Manns asserts that

eight claims in a day, yet with the utili-

the fast emergence of startups in the

sation of digital technologies, the

insurtech space supports that there is

same staff member can virtually

evidence of insurance carrier sectors

inspect between 15 to 20 claims

dedicated to financially supporting

a day. This approach maximises the

this evolution. We are seeing insurance

accuracy of initial damage inspec-

carriers use emerging technologies

tions, reduces expenses and delivers

in the claim process to evaluate dam-

high policyholder satisfaction.

ages to the exterior of houses and

Another CodeBlue advantage is

buildings, but often overlook using

its proprietary claim software specific

available technologies in the evaluation

to each property line of business:

of damages to the interior of the home

water and fire mitigation, reconstruc-

or building. This is where CodeBlue has

tion, contents and inventory. These

become an industry leader, differenti-

are digitally connected to photo and

ating itself from its competitors by

video chat technologies that give

having the best-in-class interior vir-

the insurance carrier staff the ability

tual damage inspection solutions.

to confirm the cause of loss, verify w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

109

CODEBLUE

110

MARCH 2020

111

Policyholder Video CLICK TO WATCH

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2:28

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CODEBLUE

112

coverage and evaluate damages in

Information Institute, this averages

real-time at the loss location. At the

out at a cost of US$9,633 per claim.”

same time, personalised assistance

“Here is a pipe break example. The

is provided to the policyholder so that

insurance carrier directs the policy-

immediate action is taken to avoid

holder to report the loss to CodeBlue,”

additional loss damages and to start

says Manns. “Through targeted ques-

the repair process. Manns comments,

tions, CodeBlue identifies loss

“In the world of insurance property

specific details and uses a scientific

claims, one of the most frequent

algorithm in our proprietary database

losses are water-related damages

of 3,100 certified contractors to

caused by broken pipes and leaks.

select the best contractor for the job.

According to the Insurance

The chosen technology enabled

MARCH 2020

contractor arrives at the loss location within four hours. CodeBlue staff complete a virtual damage inspection video chat with the contractor and policyholder on-site, which provides insurance carrier staff the needed information — such as measurements, materials, and a sketch document — to be able to evaluate the loss damages from their office.” After this, CodeBlue’s certified IICRC staff use the proprietary software with the sci-

“ We’re highly customisable to insurance carriers and provide a suite of property claim solutions and virtual damage inspection strategies that insurance carriers can choose” — Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue

ence of drying to proactively create

insurance carrier field staff coverage

a water mitigation drying plan with

locations,” he says. “Our success

the on-site contractor to restore wet

is driven by our ability to identify the

materials instead of replacing them.

best virtual inspection solution for

This keeps the focus on returning the

each specific claim, with inspection

policyholder to pre-loss condition

methods including policyholder self-

in the fastest, most efficient and least

service, contractor dispatch, and the

disruptive manner possible.

deployment of CodeBlue W2 staff.

To deliver the highest level of detailed

All virtual damage inspections utilise

loss documentation, CodeBlue uses

our proprietary claim software and

a combination of 3D cameras, digital

digital technologies to meet a policy-

applications and video chats to cap-

holder’s specific needs. This assists

ture the loss in a virtual environment,

insurance carriers with the effective

which allows insurance carrier staff

management of labor and the expenses

to tour the site from their computer

associated with large workforces,

or mobile device. “Our virtual damage

while reducing the inefficiencies of

inspection solutions vary and are

supplemental claim payments.”

determined by the type of loss and

Bamboo Insurance founding member w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

113

CODEBLUE

“ Our success is driven by our ability to identify the best virtual inspection solution for each specific claim, with inspection methods including policyholder self-service, contractor dispatch, and the deployment of CodeBlue W2 staff” 114

— Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue and Chief Advocacy Officer, Stann Rose, explained: “Code Blue’s partnership and technology has enabled Bamboo Insurance the ability to scale operations from a startup into a high

Since no partnership is the same, Manns

growth company by providing imme-

emphasises the importance of listen-

diate information gathering, coverage

ing to partners to understand their

identification and faster claim han-

desired operating model and individ-

dling which has translated to high

ual needs. “We’re highly customisable

policyholder satisfaction.”

to insurance carriers and provide

CodeBlue partners with companies

a suite of property claim solutions and

throughout North America, including

virtual damage inspection strategies

three of the top 10 insurance carriers

that insurance carriers can choose.

in the US, regional insurance carriers

Insurance carriers like to partner with

and insurtech-like startup companies.

established companies with a history

MARCH 2020

2004

Year founded

$63mn Revenue in US dollars

455

Number of employees

of success, while simultaneously

solutions centered on virtual inspec-

providing innovative services with

tion strategies inside the home and

technology at the core. CodeBlue

building, they continue to focus on

has been providing property claim

the next innovations to achieve best

solutions to insurance carriers since

-in-class performance levels for

2004 and is leading the way in making

policyholders and insurance carriers.

technology transformation easier for insurance carriers that choose to embrace innovations.� While Manns and the CodeBlue team provide industry-leading property claim w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

115

116

Intel Corporation: Setting the stage for the year of security WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

CRAIG KILLINGBACK

MARCH 2020

117

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I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N

William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud and Enterprise Group, at Intel on how Intel’s industryleading approach to security will benefit the wider industry

F

ounded in 1968 in Santa Clara, California, Intel Corporation began with a focus on computer memory. From the very start,

the company prided itself on its agility and breadth of ability, as well as a customer-driven philosophy that ensured its popularity with consumers. When 118

Business Chief last spoke to Intel in August 2019, the company stated that it was moving “from a PC-centric strategy to a data-centric one”. It was a big shift for Intel, which had spent the last 50 years focusing on the former. However, realising that storage, memory, computing and data centres were all part of a larger, more exciting picture, it was determined to make the transition.

Almost six months later, we spoke with William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Intel, who talked about his vision for the company in 2020. Part of Intel for over 20 years, having joined almost immediately after completing his studies at Portland State University, Giard has seen the evolution of the business first-hand. “I saw what it was doing in the industry and got really energised about working with computers and electronics,” MARCH 2020

1968

Year founded

$70bn Revenue in US dollars

110,000+ Number of employees

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119

I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N

“ Changing Intel is a big deal, but changing an industry direction is probably what excites me the most” 120

— William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel

he explains. “For me, it was just a logical choice once I graduated.” Starting as an engineer and then working his way up to CTO, Giard says he has gained a lot of valuable experience in enterprise IT, including data management, product life-cycle management and big enterprise systems. “It really opened my eyes to what we’re doing for the wider industry. Changing Intel is a big deal, but changing an industry direction is probably what excites me the most.”

Giard believes that embracing digital transformation, understanding system architectures and how to enable business processes is a pivotal strategy for the company. However, his primary focus is on understanding how Intel’s software can be used to enable hardware in such a way that it works seamlessly. “My role as CTO is about combining technical hardware and software implementations with the developments happening in data growth, analytics, infrastructure modernisation and security,” he says. “This is where my passion really lies.” Giard’s strategic vision for Intel is a trifecta of technological developments: hybridcloud solutions, analytics powered

MARCH 2020

AWS re:Invent 2019: William Giard, Intel CLICK TO WATCH

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17:48

121 by artificial intelligence (AI), and, most

the keystone of Intel’s product devel-

importantly, security.

opment. “It can’t be bolted on after

Security is of paramount impor-

the fact; it’s got to be built in from the

tance to both customers and the tech

start. And enabling that work, where

industry as a whole. With ransom-

we’re trying to perform computing at

ware incidents and insider threats

the edge, I think is critically important

infiltrating even the most hermetic

to our business strategy.”

of organisations, such as the US

Owing to the necessity for latency-

Federal Government, it’s becoming

sensitive applications and the

all too clear that traditional firewalls

emergence of 5G, which is ushering in

and perimeter-based controls can no

the possibility of real-time solutions,

longer adequately protect the digital

‘edge computing’ is a paradigm taking

world. Recognising it as, perhaps, ‘the’

on great precedence in the indus-

central challenge of 2020, Giard has

try. Instead of sending data from a

decided to make security solutions

device to a server where it can then be w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N

“Security needs to be at the forefront: it’s the number one growth potential in a number of areas” — William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel 122

analysed, the analysis is conducted on

Intel’s efforts to tackle the issue have

the device itself. Common examples

been bolstered by healthy relationships

of edge computing include the bio-

with its digital solution partners, such as

metric readers (fingerprint or facial

Microsoft, Red Hat, IBM and VMware,

recognition hardware) on smart-

which has enabled a productive eco-

phones. “This is where technology is

system in which to develop solutions.

shifting quite rapidly,” Giard explains.

Intel’s more than seven-year part-

“It allows us to meet our customers

nership with Lockheed Martin, one

where they’re addressing their chal-

of the top security providers in the

lenges. Security needs to be at the

world, on a project for the Federal

forefront: it’s the number one growth

Government is a demonstration of

potential in a number of areas, but

its commitment to delivering world-

security professionals will tell you

class security capabilities. After all,

it hasn’t gotten enough attention.”

Giard explains, there’s no better way

MARCH 2020

to develop an awareness of security

up meant a vastly improved level of

than by working with a security com-

protection, which, nonetheless, didn’t

pany. “In the federal arena, security

compromise performance in any way.

is the first conversation you have

Intel Select Solutions for Hardened

instead of the third or fifth. When

Security with Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin asked us to assist

resulted from this partnership. The

them in that effort, it helped us not

company recognised that the problem

just develop our Xeon processors,

lay in security occurring at different

but also to develop our understand-

layers of the computing process: the

ing that integrated security has got

operating system, the application

to work from the moment the system

layer, virtual machines, etc. The tradi-

turns on.” Intel’s collaboration with

tional approaches to protection can

Lockheed made it clear that building

leave customers open to threats in

security from the most nascent level

multiple areas and a more rigorously

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

William (Bill) Giard Bill has over 20 years of experience in designing enterprise architectures and developing software solutions to support mission-critical systems across supply-chain, product development, and enterprise infrastructure segments. Prior to joining DPG, he led the software development efforts within Intel IT to modernize the application and computing environment, delivering secure and usable solutions across multiple client computing platforms utilizing cloud technologies to enable new business models.

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123

I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N

consolidated structure was required.

Constituted from Xeon hardware and Security Runtime Environment (SRE) software, the solution is designed to address fundamental challenges experienced by CIOs and CISOs daily, delivering comprehensive protection across the entire computing process. The solution is able to provide an organisation with a new and comprehensive security method that will help it safeguard its most precious 124

asset: data.

“Our approach is about enabling data creation, consumption and insights not only across data centres but also the public cloud environment.

Our rich portfolio of technologies from Intel Xeon Scalable processors to Intel Ethernet to Intel Optane memory and storage are key to achieving that,” Giard states. In addition, as a leader in the industry, Intel has a long and established history of collaborating with partners of all sizes to optimise software in Intel’s architecture. Customers benefit from a high-performing cloud platform that easily integrates into their MARCH 2020

125

“We take the philosophy that growth and speed of execution helps everyone” — William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel

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I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N

“In the federal arena, security is the first conversation you have instead of the third or fifth” 126

— William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel existing environments. “We take the philosophy that growth and speed of execution helps everyone,” he says.

Reinforcing this point, Mike Gann, Director of Business Development, adds that this is what helps Intel distinguish itself from competitors. “The coolest thing that I’ve seen at Intel is how we partner within that ecosystem to really make an impact. As a company, we want to deliver innovative technology that will change how we all work, play and live. We want to change the world.”

MARCH 2020

It’s a noble idea, but one that can’t succeed without a solid, customercentric strategy to back it up.

Fortunately, Intel has and always will be about providing an easy, ‘out of the box’ experience for consumers of its products. “Part of our value comes from providing that flexibility.

No matter where the data resides, we’re helping customers put it in the right place so that they can take appropriate action. From a security perspective, that means making it easy for them by just incorporating it into the infrastructure, giving them peace of mind,” Intel explains. This arrives at the crux of the matter for Intel: as cyber-attacks get more sophisticated and old defences lose their potency, a comprehensive and fundamental reimagining of the whole concept is required and that is what Intel believes in. “After all,” Giard says, “if you get the foundation right, you can act fast and solve the problem very quickly.”

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127

128

Aerojet Rocketdyne: the evolution of aerospace and defence technology WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

MARCH 2020

129

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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

After two years, Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT and John Jackson, Chief Information Officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne, discuss the company’s innovative transformation journey since 2018

W 130

ith 20 years’ experience within information technology, Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT at Aerojet Rocketdyne,

has spent most of his career in the aerospace and defense industry. “I started out as an application developer, working in technologies ranging from the mainframe to client/server and web. Other technical roles I have had include database administration and project management,” says Avakian.

“After working with programmers and internal customers, I branched out into other more specialized disciplines including reporting and ERP. At a certain point, I had to make a career choice between technical and management tracks, and chose management in the end for the opportunities. With guidance from others, I went back for my Masters of Business Administration and transitioned to managing my own department before becoming a Director and Chief Technology Officer.”

MARCH 2020

131

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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

“ Additive manufacturing, hypersonics, and solar electric propulsion are key innovation areas for Aerojet Rocketdyne” — Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT, Aerojet Rocketdyne

Avakian describes Aerojet Rocketdyne as “an innovative worldclass developer and manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energetics systems

132

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Aerojet Rocketdyne Manufacturing B-Roll CLICK TO WATCH

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2:55

133 for customers including the US

“Additive manufacturing, hyper-

Department of Defense, NASA and

sonics, and solar electric propulsion

other agencies and companies, both

are key innovation areas for Aerojet

in the United States and abroad.” Its

Rocketdyne. We are also developing

vision is to further develop the brand

propulsion systems to utilise high-

and leverage its experience to provide

performance ‘green’ propellants.

the most cost-effective, on-schedule

Green propulsion systems are an

and reliable products in the industry.

alternative to conventional chemical

Over the last two years, Avakian has seen the aero-

propulsion systems that use hydrazine propellants for a variety of applica-

space and defense industry evolve

tions, including next-generation

significantly, with multiple new trends

launch vehicles and spacecraft,”

emerging fast such as: additive manu-

says Avakian.

facturing, solar electric propulsion, cybersecurity and cloud technology.

John Jackson is the Chief Information Officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne and w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

136

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Alan Avakian Alan Avakian is the Senior Director of IT at Aerojet Rocketdyne. In this role, he leads the organisation’s Business Alignment and Technology Management functions responsible for shared business service strategy and operations including Networking, Infrastructure, Applications, and End User Support services. He coordinates with line-ofbusiness leaders to understand their needs (including anticipated technology and product changes) and works with IT outsourcing partners for execution.

MARCH 2020

137 has extensive experience in cyber-

security in cloud, Jackson is also

security and cloud technologies. In

seeing companies shifting to this tech-

the Information Technology arena,

nology. “Cloud solutions now meet the

Jackson mentioned that “there’s a

stringent security requirements of our

much bigger focus on security and

industry, so companies are now start-

the new Cybersecurity Maturity

ing to pivot.”

Model Certification (CMMC) that was

Further discussing data security,

released in January. An accredited

Jackson explains the company’s own

third party assessor will independently

efforts since 2018 to develop its data

assess whether internal information

security methods. “Keeping up with

systems of companies that perform

the ever-increasing security threats

DoD work (including suppliers) have

for people who want to steal your data,

the required cybersecurity controls

while also meeting the new industry

in place to meet the assigned cyber

compliance standards such as the

maturity level.” With new levels of

CMMC, are core challenges when it w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

138

comes to data security as it changes

a traditional IT architecture which

so fast.” At Aerojet Rocketdyne,

relies heavily on on-premise infra-

the company has a threat hunting

structure to a hybrid architecture.”

program which allows the company

In particular, Avakian highlights the

to proactively measure its security

company’s adoption of cloud tech-

posture rather than only relying on

nology, microservices and robotic

traditional threat management meas-

process automation (RPA). “Over

ures such as firewalls. In addition,

the last couple of years we have

“we are currently embarking on an

transitioned our Product Lifecycle

Enterprise Information Management

Management (PLM) system from

initiative to establish a data govern-

an on-premise solution to a cloud

ance program. This program will

provider. Our data is housed in a

assist with the standardisation and

FedRAMP data centre with around-

integration of data and metrics

the-clock support.” In addition to

across the enterprise.”

the cloud, the company has begun

When it comes to the innovative

conducting an RPA proof-of-concept

evolution of the company, Avakian

with its Finance department. “This

explains that over the last two years

will reduce costs, eliminate input

the company has “pivoted from

errors, speed up business processes,

MARCH 2020

What Is Artemis?

CLICK TO WATCH

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0:45

139

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

John Jackson John Jackson is the Chief Information Officer and Vice President at Aerojet Rocketdyne.

In this role, he leads the Information Technology organization focused on the development and execution of an IT strategy to help deliver on mission success. The goal of the strategy is to unlock greater value for customers and the business by enabling innovative, secure and compliant technology solutions.

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Microsoft is a technology company whose mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We strive to create local opportunity, growth, and impact in every country around the world.

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141

“ Keeping up with the ever-increasing security threats while also meeting the new industry compliance standards such as the CMMC, are core challenges when it comes to data security as it changes so fast” — John Jackson,, CIO, Aerojet Rocketdyne

and will be integrated with applications. Our hope is to expand the program once we have proven out the technology and business model.”

At an operational level, Avakian also explains the company’s development of a business relationship management team, as well as its healthy transition towards a balanced outsourcing and in-house operations approach. “We started with realigning some of our existing talent as well as recruiting new people with w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

1942

Year founded

$2bn+ Revenue in US dollars

5,000 Number of employees

142

MARCH 2020

143

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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

“ An innovative worldclass developer and manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energetics systems for customers including the US Department of Defense and NASA” 144

— Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT, Aerojet Rocketdyne a background in IT and business liaison

our requirements in relation to levels

skills,” comments Avakian, who has

of control, security considerations,

seen huge benefits from establishing

cost model and growth.”

the team. “Our customers love the fact

With these developments, Avakian

that they have an IT representative

has seen “the ability of the company’s

that is aligned to them.” When it comes

IT systems to grow with the busi-

to balancing its outsourcing and in-

ness, enabling faster turnaround of

house operations, Avakian highlights

key enhancements which were not

that “it’s a challenging opportunity as

achievable before without significant

there are benefits and use cases for

investment in time and money.” For

both methods. Our approach is to look

example, Microsoft has been help-

at the IT area and then assess which

ing Aerojet Rocketdyne to “leverage

approach or combination best meets

Microsoft Dynamics for our CRM.

MARCH 2020

145

We will also be using Microsoft’s

– and the company’s propulsion which

Office 365 and Azure for storage later

plays a critical role in SLS’s ability to

this year.”

successfully launch the heaviest, larg-

Reflecting on the company, Avakian

est, and most valuable payloads to deep

sees the company’s biggest strength

space” is an example of one of the com-

being its people and drive towards

pany’s biggest successes to date.

innovation in everything that it does, particularly having seen the company expand its presence to drive innovation.

Avakian concludes that the company’s “NASA Space Launch System (SLS) – America’s next-generation heavy-lift rocket, powered by Aerojet Rocketdyne w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

146

DC BLOX: SERVING LOCALLY, CONNECTING GLOBALLY WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

MARCH 2020

147

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DC BLOX

JEFF UPHUES, CEO OF DC BLOX, DISCUSSES THE COMPANY’S GROWTH IN UNDERSERVED MARKETS AND HOW IT EMBEDS ITS TIER 3 DATA CENTRES INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

D

C BLOX was established in 2014 to provide data centres to markets with a distinct, but unfulfilled, need for them.

“I’ve been the CEO of DC BLOX for about three years now,” says Jeff Uphues. “I originally joined as 148

a supervisory board member and then was asked by the board of directors to come into the role and lead the company in its expansion, placing these data centres in underserved yet growing markets throughout the Southeastern United States.”

Fulfilling this vision has required a focus on a few core fundamentals. “There’s three things that we do and stay focused on,” he says. “One is providing in-market colocation, meaning the housing in a safe, secure environment of servers as well as other technology infrastructure. We provide robust connectivity across our platforms with connections to other cloud service providers, connections to the internet, connections to other major markets. Then we provide cloud services ourselves. Not all data is created equal, and it’s critical to be able to store it close to where it’s actually being consumed.”

MARCH 2020

149

2014

Year founded

HQ

Atlanta, Georgia USA

35

Number of employees w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

DC BLOX

“ WE HAVE ONE VISION WHICH IS TO SERVE LOCALLY AND CONNECT GLOBALLY” 150

— Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX

MARCH 2020

There are currently four such locations of consumption catered to

by DC BLOX, with data centres in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia. All are growing markets, as Uphues explains. “We see a significant migration of population and businesses in the US from northern cities down into the Southeast. What’s driving them there is the cost of living or quality of life and just good weather.”

What these diverse cities share, apart

DC Blox: Connected datacenters for digital business CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:47

151 from a relative geographic proximity, is a burgeoning technology scene.

“Many of these markets are not known as technology hubs, but they see the benefits of the growth and they need the core infrastructure such as the data centres and network services which we provide. Generally, our target markets are below the radar of some of the major national markets where you find a lot of competitors, so they really embrace us.”

DC BLOX’s data centres are all built to Tier 3 standard, signifying a high level of reliability. That’s achieved firstly w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

DC BLOX

152 with quality infrastructure. “Our data

connectivity, it’s a question of how we

centres have to be highly resilient in

build these facilities to be Tier 3-rated.

terms of network architecture and the

It comes down to being concurrently

type of equipment that we use. We use

maintainable, meaning that if any one

premium products, driven by premium

system in the building fails, there is a

service level agreements. We build

backup system that can take over. It’s

our own private network across the

part of the design, it’s in the materials

Southeastern US and then we connect

and the type of vendors that we use.

that back into exchanges and public

It’s in the architecture for how we con-

cloud providers. We really look at that

nect them together.”

connectivity and the uptime of our

The pace of DC BLOX’s growth has

facilities as the core value that we bring

been steady, having launched a data

to our markets.” Achieving DC BLOX’s

centre each year since 2017. That’s

high standards also requires a high

not engendered any complacency,

standard of construction. ”Beyond the

however, with the organisation looking

MARCH 2020

to accelerate its growth. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking at where we can expand and how we can grow even faster. There are 16 markets we’ve identified, and we’ve lined up roughly the next five to six locations. We’re picking up our pace to put in at least two to three data centres per year.”

The choice of a new location is only arrived at after significant investigation, however, as Uphues explains. “To help us determine the size and scope of the facility we’re looking to build, we look 153 E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jeff Uphues Jeff leads DC BLOX as a proven C-Level executive with deep expertise in data centre infrastructure, hybrid cloud services and the operation of communication networks. He is responsible for setting and leading the company’s strategy in driving the growth and profitability of best-in-class infrastructure for digital services. Prior to DC BLOX, Jeff held numerous C-suite leadership positions in sales, marketing and operations for Liquid Web, Cbeyond, Bandwidth, ACSI Network Technologies and MCI. Jeff graduated from the Harvard Business School, Rice University’s Jones School of Business Executive Education program and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.

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“ IT’S CRITICAL TO BE ABLE TO STORE [DATA] CLOSE TO WHERE IT’S ACTUALLY BEING CONSUMED” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX

at the size of the market, the amount of fiber, the number of businesses headquartered there. Then we look at markets that are underserved but growing. What does the competitive landscape look like? How well would we be received with our vision of serving locally and connecting globally?

And then, finally, we work with state and local governments and corporate leaders to confirm the need for and the advantages of what we do. Each market takes us about a year and a half to really get to understand it.”

DC Blox holds Birmingham grand opening CLICK TO WATCH

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3:38

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155

DC BLOX

156

“ WE LOOK AT MARKETS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED BUT GROWING” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX

MARCH 2020

157

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DC BLOX

158

It’s not just its technological capabili-

we’re serving the community and

ties that have led to DC BLOX’s growth.

understanding their challenges and

The company also prides itself on its

their needs. We’re a part of the fabric

integration with the local community.

of the community when we come in as

“The one thing that I know sets us

well as contributing to the technology

apart, because I hear it all the time, is

environment.”

our community focus,” Uphues empha-

For the industry as a whole, Uphues

sises. “When we come into a market,

anticipates the importance of edge

we have one vision which is to serve

computing, where facilities are built

locally and connect globally. That

close to where they’re needed, to only

means we’re serving local businesses,

increase. “For us, the edge is where

we’re serving with our time through

the application meets the network.

volunteering, we’re serving nonprofits,

Trends like 5G, IoT and gaming mean

MARCH 2020

159

we need to push compute closer to

business. It’s a great time to be doing

consumers. That’s going to require

this across underserved markets. We

more local and regional data centres to

can become a strong partner for the

handle all the data and best connect it

community, both in our ability to serve

to the network.” As for DC BLOX itself,

locally and connect globally as DC

the focus has been on edge markets

BLOX continues to expand across the

and the goal is to increase the pace.

Southeast United States.”

“We know that gets harder and harder as you get bigger,” Uphues says, “but we’re a company that is doubling revenue every single year and doubling the size of our footprint of where we go.

It’s a great time to be in the data centre w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

160

HONG KONG’S MTR MAKES NAVIGATING OUR CITIES SMARTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND MORE DIGITAL THAN EVER WRITTEN BY

RACHAEL DAVIS PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

MARCH 2020

161

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MTR

Renowned for its efficient, reliable and tech-optimised railways, MTR is making travel smarter than ever. CEO Dr Jacob Kam tells how technology enhances integrated, streamlined and sustainable public transport

V

enturing into a new decade, a crucial and pertinent question in urban planning revolves around how to make our cities

smarter. A pivotal aspect of more intelligent city 162

living is public transport, ensuring residents can navigate their daily lives efficiently, reliably, and increasingly more sustainably.

MTR operates Hong Kong’s railway services, and is also a key property developer and manager in the city. It additionally invests, or takes part in O&M contracts for rail services in eight other cities globally: Beijing, Hangzhou, Macao, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm and London.

In Hong Kong, the railway is the backbone of the city’s transport. Public transit is the most used mode of transport: 90% of citizens use public transport in their daily lives. Train travel is the most efficient way of moving large amounts of people through the compact city, and MTR has made social and environmental friendliness a priority.

MARCH 2020

163

Advanced digital technologies are enhancing MTR’s asset management and customer service. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Intelligence that perfects travel door to door Countries, cities and transport operators rely on Thales’ ground transportation solutions to adapt to rapid urbanisation and meet new mobility demands – locally, between cities and across national frontiers.

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Keep Hong Kong Moving: How Thales and MTR Corporation Drive Digitalisation of Metro Systems Thales and MTR are entering their 25th year of collaboration.

Since first cooperation on the Lantau Airport Railway, MTR has trusted Thales to assist in the rapid expansion and digitalisation of its metro systems. As a central contributor to this project, Thales’ systems in the OCC have played a key role in its success. Driven by data, the multiple systems control components of the MTR ranging from power supply, electromechanical equipment, and the environment facilities within the network. This helps to ensure smooth train services and optimizes power consumption, making the network greener and more efficient while consistently providing an excellent passenger experience.

Through early localisation of its Hong Kong business, Thales garnered a deep understanding of the customer requirements allowing to quickly support local needs. This has been a crucial step in building trust with local partners and establishing a long-standing and robust relationship with MTR. The partnership now focuses on digitalisation. Thales has been committed to digital technology for many years and has been supporting the MTR’s transformation by advancing the rails’ connectivity and smart capabilities.

The Hong Kong MTR will soon employ Thales’ predictive maintenance facilities to anticipate technical faults in trackside equipment. Leveraging Big Data and AI, this warning system can pinpoint in advance exactly when and where equipment failure will occur, enabling corrective maintenance to correct it before its failure. This is critical to the continued improvement of services.

MTR is taking its expertise in railway operations worldwide.

In 2019, Thales extended the scope of its partnership with MTR to the expansion of the Central Control and Communication Systems for the Sydney Metro to City & Southwest.

Thales continues to be proud partners with MTR, supporting their ambitions to provide its exemplary service both at home and abroad, and keep cities across the world moving.

Learn more

See the world from a new perspective At Otis, we’re dedicated to helping you see the world in new ways.

Learn more about Otis technology, service and expertise at otis.com.

Made to move you

Digitalisation is at the heart of

“We believe that the only way to

MTR’s drive to enhance public trans-

push beyond the current high perfor-

port for the masses, says CEO Dr

mance is through better digital

Jacob Kam. Utilising smart technology

technology,” says Kam, and utilising

facilitates enhanced customer ser-

this technology in asset management

vice, improved asset management,

is an important step. “One aspect is

and a more efficient and reliable ser-

discovering how best to predict fail-

vice. MTR’s trains already run at an

ure, so that we can act on that failure

on-time performance of 99.94%, but

before it happens. This predictive

customers want better. Through its

maintenance relies on image and

ongoing digital transformation, MTR

data analytics supported by artificial

aims to enhance the reliability, effi-

intelligence and helps us to regularly

ciency and integration of their

inspect our equipment and detect

services, not only in Hong Kong but

any problem early and consistently,”

in its other global cities of operation.

Kam explains.

MARCH 2020

DI D YO U K N OW?

• On-time performance is at 99.94% • 90% of Hong Kong’s residents use public transport

167

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jacob Kam Dr Jacob Kam joined the Company in 1995 and had held various management positions in Operations, Projects and Mainland China and International Business Divisions.

He was appointed as the CEO on 1 April 2019, and has been a Member of the Board since then. Before the CEO appointment, Dr Kam was the Operations Director between January 2011 and April 2016 and the Managing Director – Operations and Mainland Business from May 2016. As CEO, Dr Kam is responsible for all performances of the Company and its group companies both in and outside of Hong Kong. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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AI is also used to assist with planned construction and maintenance on MTR’s railways. Using AI to optimise planning, it is possible to maximise the usage of the line when it is not in service to minimise the disruption when unavoidable planned construction or system upgrades are

1975

Year founded

$53.9bn Revenue in HK dollars

necessary, and ensure that ongoing works do not disrupt the functional rail lines.

AI-enhanced driving is a tool which goes hand-in-hand with more reliable operations. MTR’s trains already have

47,327 Number of employees

automatic operation, but sometimes the fail-safe principle will slow operations. By introducing artificial intelligence into the driving of trains,

Intelligent Inspection Robot

Big Data Studio

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171

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“ To use public transport is, in itself, a way of making travelling more efficient and environmentally sustainable — but of course we have ongoing energy saving schemes which we invest a significant amount of money in” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR

173

MTR’s state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre is at the heart of Hong Kong’s heavy rail network.

MTR will be able to mitigate this risk

meet a customer demand. Furthermore,

when every second counts in train

MTR is providing real-time service

operations.

information to their customers, such

At the heart of these applications

as when the next train is due to arrive,

of technology is the drive to improve

and plans to expand its offerings to

the customer experience. Advanced

include how crowded trains will be and

data analytics are being used by MTR

which carriages have space available.

to predict customer movements and

This real-time information is even

demands to better plan its service – in

available for very frequent services,

due course, the same technology will

Kam explains. “On many of our lines,

be used even to respond in real-time to

our train service frequency is already w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

FOR BETTER RAIL TRANSPORTATION Traffic Control Technology (“TCT”) is the most innovative and customer centric player in the rail transit industry, formed a close partnership with HK MTR – the world’s leading transit rail service provider to develop state-of-the-art systems, including big data analytics in supporting real time track side equipment performance monitoring and analysis, intelligent detection system as “the independent and additional robotic intelligent driver’s eye” to improve operation safety under manual or degraded modes.

LEARN MORE

MTR Global Brand Video CLICK TO WATCH

|

3:30

175 at a few minute intervals. However,

accessible on demand. By investing

our customers still want to know

its assets into the concept of MaaS,

when the next train is coming,” he

MTR is subscribing to the cohesive

says. This use of data not only allows

concept of a door-to-door transport

MTR to help its customers plan their

system, aiming to provide a “total

journeys, but also allows the opera-

solution” to its customers’ transport

tor to assess demand and improve

needs, Kam says.

availability, frequency and reliability in the long term.

Reliability and maximum conveni-

In practice, this would mean that when customers need to use a variety of modes of transport — for example

ence are two of the core values of

taking a taxi to a train station, taking

Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an

an MTR train, then taking a bus to

industry-wide initiative which aims to

their final destination — MTR can

integrate various modes of transport

have a hand in arranging every aspect

into a single mobility service,

of this service to make it as consistent w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

MTR

C OM PA NY PARTNERS

Kone “The new Kone escalators and lifts are equipped with a digital controller to view a status and fault log for troubleshooting, and to remotely control ON/OFF to pave for smart station operation.”

176

Roctec “Roctec is an Information & Communications Technology solution provider for MTR. They provide Integrated Speed and Position Supervision System (iSPS) in Light Rail, Smart Tunnel for location tracking, and Infotainment & Advertising Systems.”

Traffic Control Technology Co.,Ltd “TCT provide advanced MARCH 2020

technological alternatives to enable a wider spectrum for smart metro operation options in MTR, including the trial of a Train Intelligent Detection System on one of our metro lines.”

Hyundai Rotem “Rotem is currently working on the incorporation of a digital track inspection system onto the new FAO train for a new line, and they are also actively working on the technical proposal on automatic wheelset maintenance centre using robots.”

Siemens “There are several asset condition monitoring data analytics projects which MTR is conducting Proof of Concepts together with Siemens.

These systems include Platform Screen Doors, Signalling system, Main Control System, etc.”

OTIS

Arup

“OTIS has provided strong support to MTRCL in conducting studies on innovation initiatives for escalators, including Escalator Comb Object Identification, Escalator Step Vibration Monitoring and Automatic Speed Change Systems. These aim to enhance passenger safety, escalator reliability and customer service.”

“We have worked with Arup on some initial concepts of applying technologies to our Smart City initiatives, focusing on sustainability initiatives such as driverless modes of transport, use of drones and innovations in operation of shopping malls and initiatives on energy saving concepts. We are also looking at possible collaboration on applying more digital technologies for project and construction management.”

Thales “Thales started early collaboration with MTR on smart operation in pilot implementation of full automatic control in Disneyland Resort Line. They continued various provision of advanced train control systems in our network for both greenfield and brownfield application.”

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177

Transforming connectivity Combining our deep technical expertise with advanced digital technology, Arup helps to realise the vision for next generation urban rails that connect people and places, improve lives and enables sustainable growth.

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“ Our on-time performance is already one of the highest in the world — but our customers want even better” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR

as possible. Its analysts will gain access to enhanced user and demand data, leading to new opportunities to serve unmet demand.

MTR is able to take this concept a step further, as its ventures include a property business run under the same umbrella as its railway. MTR properties, which incorporate not only railway stations but residential and commercial buildings as well as luxury, regional and neighbourhood shopping malls, “creates a better, 179

MTR has achieved financial and environmental sustainability by integrating rail and property. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

more integrated living and travelling

together. Consolidating the supply

environment for our customers,”

chain of multiple industries, and

Kam says.

thinking macroscopically about soci-

“Theoretically, customers could

ety as a whole gives MTR an edge

travel from their home — a property

in building customer trust and retain-

managed by us, to an MTR railway,

ing loyalty across different markets.

to their office block which is man-

Naturally, the various innovations

aged by us, have lunch or meet

and initiatives are supported by a

friends in a shopping mall managed

range of partnerships. MTR works

by us,” he expands. This synergy

closely with Kone, Rotec, Beijing

not only retains custom and builds

Traffic Control Technology, Hyundai

trust within the market, but creates

Rotem, Siemens, OTIS, Thales and

an integrated society where loosely-

Arup to deliver its services efficiently

related aspects of daily life are

and sustainably by employing pio-

connected to run seamlessly

neering technology.

“ The only way to push beyond the current high performance is through better digital technology” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR

MTR actively encourages the use

analytics to push efficiency to a new

of public transport by making the

level, MTR fulfills its mission to “Keep

process streamlined, efficient and high-

Cities Moving” with a sustainable finan-

functioning: an essential stance not

cial model, upgraded assets, and an

only as the world’s cities become more

intelligent approach to public transport.

populated, but also as a defence against unsustainable, environmentallyhazardous travel habits. Using electric trains and energy-saving schemes, reducing waste and employing data w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

181

Putting people at the centre of 182

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

MARCH 2020

183

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NTUC ENTERPRISE

Johnny Wong, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer at NTUC Enterprise, explains why digital transformation is an essential, although not always easy, path to improving customer experience

I

t is a testament to any company if it can sustain an enduring legacy in its hometown that spreads over decades. Yet

NTUC Enterprise has managed to do more than 184

just maintain an expanding level of popularity and ambition in Singapore for 50 years. Comprised of 10 separate NTUC Social Enterprises (such as FairPrice, Foodfare, Health and Income), the holding company combines the public and private sectors to find solutions to consumer issues. With a corporate reach that serves over two million Singaporeans every day (33% of the population), NTUC Enterprise has attained the rare status of a national institution; its deeply humanitarian mission to harness social enterprises to address social needs is keenly felt by Singapore’s citizens every day.

Drawn to the company’s ethics and particularly the challenges of its digital transformation, Johnny Wong became the Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer (CDTO) of NTUC Enterprise MARCH 2020

185

2012

Year founded

20,000 Number of employees

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NTUC ENTERPRISE

“ NTUC Enterprise is a unique organisation; a socially-minded commercial organisation, with strong partnerships with the government and the labor unions, for the benefit of the Singapore society” 186

— Johnny Wong, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer, NTUC Enterprise

and FairPrice in 2018. Coming from a background which included tenures at Oracle, Google, MercadoLibre and Lazada, Wong gained valuable experience that would serve him well for the future. “I was in charge of managing product development and the engineering to create products for end-users,” he explains. “NTUC Enterprise is a unique organisation; a socially-minded commercial organisation, with a strong partnership with the government and the labour unions, for the benefit of the Singapore society.

It’s a very rare model, and I would say, a truly Singaporean partnership model.”

However, when Wong joined the company, he discovered that NTUC Enterprise’s heritage was, in some regards, both a blessing and an obstacle. After decades of successful operations, the company had, from a technological point-of-view and mindset, not made much advancement. “It was very much a traditional organisation, with strong operations and people values, but technology had taken a backseat,” he says. “My goal was to make it much more forward-looking and change into an organisation that’s

MARCH 2020

Reunited CLICK TO WATCH

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5:13

187 able to shape its own destiny when

and added over 200 new staff to

it comes to digital transformation.”

achieve a new vision, including soft-

This bold ambition required a well-

ware engineers, UX researchers and

thought-out strategy and answers to

product designers, data scientists and

key questions. What does digital trans-

engineers, cybersecurity specialists,

formation mean for a group of social

technologiests, enterprise system

enterprises? What positive effects will

experts, and more.

it have for the customer? Recognising

“We need to see how our customers

that answering these questions would

are evolving and how we can serve

require a new approach, Wong imple-

them better,” says Wong. “Unless

mented a ‘three pillar’ plan focusing

organisations adapt to the future,

on digital strategies, organisational

they will become irrelevant. We lev-

capabilities and a cultural mindset shift.

erage data and new technology to

NTUC Enterprise then defined digital

better compete in a rapidly chang-

strategies for its main businesses

ing world.” This is particularly true w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

NTUC ENTERPRISE

188

in NTUC Enterprise’s case, which

enterprises, they are also contributing

maintains a large network of brick and

to the improvement of Singapore’s

mortar (B&M) stores in addition to its

citizens’ lives and to making a better

online presence. “NTUC Enterprise

society,” he explains.

is about serving working people and

For NTUC’s FairPrice platform,

the broader interests of the Singapore

Wong relaunched its ecommerce,

community across a range of social

enabling Singaporeans to shop for

needs,” he emphasises. Viewing

groceries, household essentials

digital transformation as the route to

and other consumer products. Now

achieving this goal in 2020 and beyond,

providing an easy online shopping

Wong committed wholeheartedly to

experience, available through all

the endeavour. “Part of the allure for

standard devices (smartphones, tab-

new talent to join us is knowing that,

lets, computers, etc), FairPrice has

in improving NTUC’s group of social

grown its market share to become

MARCH 2020

the second-largest online grocery

level of convenience and customer

provider in the country and the fast-

service whether online or offline.

est growing during 2019. Utilising

“With our omnichannel strategy, we’re

its network of B&M stores - which

able to provide same-day delivery

Wong calls the company’s “bread

on groceries, sometimes even within

and butter” - in conjunction with its

two hours. Our rivals might be able

online portal, Wong believes that

to move small items quickly, but they

FairPrice can offer an unparalleled

can’t effectively deliver fresh grocery

Johnny Wong

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mr Johnny Wong is the Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer of NTUC Enterprise, the holding entity the single largest shareholder of NTUC Social Enterprises. He holds a concurrent role as CEO of the Digital Business at FairPrice Group, driving digital businesses and strategies for the organisation.

Prior to his current engagement, Johnny was the Group Chief Product Officer at Lazada, where he was responsible for all engineering and product development across the tech hubs in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Russia. He also held management positions at technology, ecommerce and consulting companies such as Oracle, Google, MercadoLibre, Boston Consulting Group, and several startups. His diverse work experience spanned countries and regions such as US, China, Australia, Mexico, South America and Southeast Asia.

Johnny has a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from Stanford and an MBA from Wharton Business School. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

189

Your infrastructure, apps, and clouds.

All together now. nutanix.com/together

Nutanix is a global leader in cloud software and hyperconverged infrastructure solutions, making infrastructure invisible so that IT can focus on the applications and services that power their business. Companies around the world use Nutanix Enterprise Cloud OS software to bring one-click application management and mobility across public, private and distributed edge clouds so they can run any application at any scale with a dramatically lower total cost of ownership. The result is organizations that can rapidly deliver a high-performance IT environment on demand, giving application owners a true cloud-like experience.

“ We need to see how our customers are evolving and how we can serve them better” — Johnny Wong, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer, NTUC Enterprise

“After all,” he says, “it’s not just about simply hiring engineers or putting together a nice PowerPoint; it’s about changing pre-existing mindset; it’s about fundamentally altering the way that our organisation works and invests, and that’s very different.” However, Wong’s conviction that a digital and data-centric approach won out and proved that intelligent implementation

products to peoples’ doorsteps unless they also have an equivalent physical infrastructure nearby.”

Although Wong’s vision for FairPrice

of new technology can pay dividends.

Data collected by the company comes from across NTUC Enterprise’s various social enterprises, meaning

has achieved some validation from

the information can be varied and volu-

current business growth, he explains

minous. “From groceries to the food

that, in the initial stages, there was

required in food courts and restaurants

strong debate internally. Prior to the

to the health clinics and childcare

transformation, NTUC Fairprice was

centres, we collect individual data sig-

“a traditional retailer that, in regards to

nals,” Wong explains.” Based on that,

technology, operated in essentially the

we develop a fairly good view of the

same way as it had for the last 20 to 30

customer journey and can offer bet-

years and had been very successful,”

ter products and services.” However,

Wong describes. There were many dis-

with so much information to process,

cussions among executives and board

new methods to effectively analyse it

members on whether business should

became necessary. Data science and

carry on as normal “with some minor

particularly machine learning became

optimisations”, or if NTUC Fairprice

a focus for the company. “We need to

should act upon trends spearheaded

make use of and understand data. We

by ecommerce leaders like Amazon.

have about 40 different data scientists w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

191

NTUC ENTERPRISE

192

“ We are the only ones that don’t have to dream; we already have the capabilities” — Johnny Wong, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer, NTUC Enterprise

and machine learning engineers working on forecasting, marketing and search engine optimisation,” he says.

However, despite the company’s dedication to thoroughly modernising its operations, NTUC Enterprise is always careful to ensure its central concern remains the same: people. In 2019, the company held an initiative to help Singaporeans manage daily struggles such as the cost of living.

Wong maintains that if an aspect of digitalisation doesn’t help ordinary

MARCH 2020

193

working people, there is little use for

company within Singapore and beyond.

it. “At FairPrice, our social mission is to

“Whereas some of the big ecommerce

help moderate the cost of living from

players are wanting to go offline, and

groceries products. We help keep the

many of the offline players are dream-

prices down through both traditional

ing of going online, we are the only

optimisations, and also by making use

ones that don’t have to dream; we have

of technology through better demand

the omnichannel capabilities.”

forecasting and reducing waste - other grocery retailers actually benchmark their prices against ours.” It is both the company’s assiduousness and strong online/offline infrastructure that Wong believes will expand the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

194

d a e l s e l i t ex y a w he W R IT TE N BY

W IL L I A M S MI P R O D U C E D BY

M A N U E L N AV

MARCH 2020

ding

195

ITH

VA R R O

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

A D I T YA B I R L A

How Aditya Birla’s textile business got it off the ground and continues to power growth

I

ndian multinational conglomerate Aditya Birla group has its fingers in many different pies. Founded in 1857, it predates

even the British Raj, instead dating from the end of the British East India Company’s control over the subcontinent. As befits such an antique company, 196

its labyrinthine structure incorporates interests in a wide range of industrial products including viscose staple fibre, palm oil, carbon black (a byproduct of petroleum combustion often used as a pigment), viscose filament yarn, cement and rayon grade pulp.

Aditya Birla’s current success, however, really stems from the work of Aditya Vikram Birla, a scion of the family. Taking on his father’s business group, Birla oversaw the expansion of the company outside of India to locations including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt - a strategy which paid off considering that over 50% of the group’s revenues are derived from overseas businesses, now spread across 36 countries in North and South America, Africa and Asia. He is quoted on the group’s website as MARCH 2020

197

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A D I T YA B I R L A

saying: “My vocation is to strive continu-

“ Our energy derives from the sun, termed Aditya in our mythology, and so closely linked with the name of our legendary leader, Aditya Vikram Birla”

ously, to reach excellence in all spheres of management, by weaving the threads of enterprise, knowledge, experience, ideas and tasks into a fabric that can be called ‘management’.” By the time of his death in 1995, the Group’s revenues had crossed INR80bn globally, and consisted of 55 plants, 75,000 employees and 600,000 shareholders.

As a “$48.3bn corporation”, Aditya Birla employs over 120,000 employees spread across 42 nationalities. It

198

MARCH 2020

Aditya Birla Group — Big in Your Life CLICK TO WATCH

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1:00

199 calls itself the global leader in aluminium rolling, viscose staple fibre and carbon black, and the Indian leader in branded fashion, grey and white cement and concrete. The company’s Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla (the son of Aditya Birla, the man), has said of his approach: “Great businesses are never built on the quicksands of opportunism. I reiterate that, if living by our values means, perhaps growing at a pace slower than we would otherwise have liked, so be it. For us, leadership lies at the heart of knowing what we stand for.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

WINNING TOGETHER We commit to your business before we commit to ours We, Asia Pacific Fibers, are a leading integrated global polyester player. Being at the forefront of the polyester industry, we are propelled by vertical integration, professional management, state-of-theart machinery and consistent quality in manufacturing.

As a leading manufacturer and marketer of polyester chips, staple fibers, filament yarns and fleece fabrics along with captive PTA [purified terephthalic acid], we are able to cater to the ever-changing demands in apparel, furnishings and industrial textiles.

Because of the joint commitment of all our customers, partners, employees and various stakeholders towards exploiting new opportunities, we have evolved into Indonesia’s most progressive, flexible and fully integrated polyester producer ranking amongst some of the best in the world. Yet ‌ our journey of collaborative innovation is just accelerating.

Polyester chips

Polyester Staple Fibers

We invite you to delve into more details about us, our promise, our brands, our services etc. and join us in this journey.

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corporate@apf.co.id asiapacificfibers.com

Polyester Filament Yarns

Asia Pacific Fibers (APF) is an integrated polyester manufacturer, active from petrochemicals to polyester yarn and propelled by vertical integration, professional management, state-of-the-art machinery and consistent quality in manufacturing.

We produce polyester chips, staple fibers, filament yarns and fleece fabrics along with purified terephthalic acid (PTA).

Polyester completely dominates the global fiber mix, growing at 5.5% against the growth of 1.3% for all other fibers. Polyester filament consumption is projected to grow 11-fold between 1990-2025, with polyester staple fiber growing by 3.2 times.

Polyester growth is driven by advanced applications in the industrial and home textile space, and by its affordability, durability, and an amazing diversity of applications. Polyester is applicable not only in the apparel industry, but in hosiery, automotive, sportswear, household and various technical textiles. This tremendous growth is because of the many beneficial characteristics of polyester, including being recyclable, easy-care, stable and clean, as well as easily modifiable.

great legacy for our industry. APF and Birla Group share the same focus as product-oriented companies creating customer partnerships and becoming product leaders in the fiber industry.

We both strive to continuously improve product quality, consistency, and the level of service for our customers. APF and Birla Group have a unique customer-supplier relationship wherein we work together intensely to improve product performance and specification through raw material performance improvement within their plant.

APF has always been an integrated, productoriented manufacturer. We are therefore looking to further strengthen our relationship with forward looking, vertically integrated and product oriented companies such as Birla Group. We value our relationship and the opportunity we have been provided to share our vision. Today’s business ecosystem requires synergy. That’s why we embedded the spirit of togetherness in our slogan: “winning together.”

Our vision is to always be a product-oriented company. We cater to the ever-changing demands of various products for textile’s downstream industry, as well as providing services to our valued customers in terms of product solutions and development. APF develops its own production processes, manufacturing and technology which are continually evolving to create future demand through collaborative customer partnerships.

We partner with our customers on mutually beneficial and long-term relationships. We are eager to learn and collaborate with our customers as the industry becomes more competitive, the product cycle is shortened and demand rises for small batches. Due to the retail revolution and the wave of digitalisation, the market is now redefined.

In our strategic view, we want to reaffirm and accelerate our journey towards being a highly agile and innovative polyester player. Aside from meeting customers’ demands, together we, as a solution provider, are also willing to find out what a customer needs to grow their business and the industry.

Aditya Birla Group is an esteemed business group with a decades-long track record. A truly professional conglomerate with a global presence, Birla Group’s philosophy towards business is a

LEARN MORE

A D I T YA B I R L A

Aditya Birla further prides itself on its approach to corporate social responsibility, with community work focusing on healthcare, education, girls, sustainability, the empowerment of women and the promotion of social reform. To that end, its Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, led by Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, reaches nine million people a year. The company at large runs 56 schools providing education to over 46,000 children, of whom 202

18,000 are “underprivileged”, as well as 20 hospitals covering a million villagers. Rajashree Birla has said the mission is: “To actively contribute to the social and economic development of the communities in which we operate. In doing so, build a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society and raise the country’s human development index.”

The group’s textile business is no less diverse than the rest of the business, although it is the field in which the company first gained success. Spread across a number of geographies and incorporated in different subsidiaries including MARCH 2020

“ Great businesses are never built on the quicksands of opportunism”

yarn manufacturer PT Sunrise Bumi

Grasim Industries is described by

Textiles of Indonesia, Thai Acrylic

Aditya Birla as its “flagship company”,

Fibre Co. Ltd, and Mumbai’s Grasim

having begun as a textiles manufac-

Industries, the world’s largest pro-

turer in 1947. As part of Grasim, Jaya

ducer of viscose rayon. A recent

Shree Textiles manufactures linen

textile-focused move by the group

and wool, and is active in a number

was the expansion of Birla Cellulose’s

of business units, including linen

Vilayat factory in Gujarat via a

spinning, linen fabric, wool combing

INR40bn investment.

and worsted spinning. Despite being an Indian company, the operation is international, with high-tech spinning systems from Europe, and raw components such as flax from France 203

and Belgium.

Grasim recently released its results for Q3 of the financial year, detailing revenue growth of 5% for the previous nine months. The company’s flagship status is reinforced by an employee-count of over 21,000 people, with net revenue of over $10bn and an EBITDA of $1.8bn in 2019, representing a significant proportion of Aditya Birla’s total.

The company has recently introduced a new logo, which it says represents its newly vibrant persona and will carry the brand into the future while reflecting the changes over the past 20 years, including w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

A D I T YA B I R L A

“ Aditya Birla wants to build a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society and raise the country’s human development index” 204

MARCH 2020

an increase from 0.4% to 14% women in the “managerial cadre”.

Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said: “In essence, we are a much more dynamic, vibrant, youthful Group across five continents. In keeping with this change, I felt the need to refresh our earlier logo.

Contemporising it made sense. It has served its time and helped build our Group identity and lent heft to our Group’s business identity.

“Our new corporate mark is a fine blend of continuity and change. So it admirably captures our legacy and moves on with modernity. Our energy derives from the sun, termed Aditya in our mythology, and so closely linked with the name of our legendary leader and my father, Aditya Vikram Birla. His persona evoked all that is positive in business and in life.”

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

205

Developing success WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR 206

PRODUCED BY

KRISTOPHER PALMER

MARCH 2020

207

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ARCHROMA

Ravi Bhogaraju of Archroma discusses the role of the company’s Academy and culture initiatives in aligning employees’ purpose and developing skills and growth mindsets to enable sustainable development.

208

D

igital transformation is having a profound effect upon every industry and market across the business landscape.

Processes are becoming increasingly automated, decisioning is becoming more intelligent and informed by data analytics, and customers are becoming increasingly expectant of an on-demand, fully customised experience that feels brand new.

The digital revolution has even left its mark on industries that have been defined by unceasing change for centuries, further accelerating the pace and need for agility. “You used to have four fashion cycles. Now there are 52,” says Ravi Bhogaraju, Global Head Talent and Organisation Development at Archroma. “High street brands are turning out a new generation of fashion every single week, which puts a great deal of pressure on upstream suppliers to meet that fast-paced demand.”

MARCH 2020

209

2013

Year founded

$1.4bn Revenue in US dollars

3,000 Number of employees

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ARCHROMA

“ We have taken an ecosystem approach to developing capability – not just sending people to training”

210

— Ravi Bhogaraju, Global Head Talent and Organisation Development, Archroma

MARCH 2020

With roots that go back over 150 years, Archroma is a global producer and manufacturer of dyes and chemicals which operates in 35 countries and delivers around $1.4bn worth of sales every year. In addition to textile manufacturing, the company also sells its products to the paper, paints and emulsions industries. Ravi joined the company in 2013 and has been instrumental in setting up and leading talent and capability initiatives. In order to survive and thrive, companies need to embrace the possibilities, not

Archroma: Corporate video CLICK TO WATCH

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2:22

211 just of new digital solutions, but of

like HR, procurement and finance;

a dynamic and engaged workforce.

transformation skills; and leadership

“That’s my role - I help to enable the

skills development. “There are three

development of talent and capabilities

levels of talent development that

within Archroma” Ravi explains. “As

the Academy deals with,” says Ravi.

part of my Global Head of Talent and

“There’s skill development, capability

Organizational Development role, I

development and leadership.

lead the Archroma Academy, which

“We have taken an ecosystem

has a goal of developing distinct capa-

approach to developing capability –

bility sets within the organisation that

not just sending people to training. We

will make us successful in the market.”

blend skill development, capability and

These skills include commercial

leadership, enabled through mindset

capability; operational excellence

and delivered through online and

across production and manufacturing

face to face experiences. It is holistic,

plants; functional excellence in fields

focused and available on demand.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ARCHROMA

212

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

through which employees can round

The broadest layer of the Archroma

out their abilities in order to grow and

Academy development pyramid, the

advance within the company. “It’s

skills section is an expression of a

driven by people’s desire to fill gaps in

strategy that lets the company’s

their own portfolio of skills. One of the

employees build their own capabilities

elements of performance manage-

by giving them access to a huge selec-

ment that we’re focusing on is to get

tion of educational content. This need

our employees to talk to their manag-

for education is identified through the

ers about the skill gaps they may have,”

performance management process,

says Ravi. “If you want to be better at

while having access to this content at

time management, for example, you

any time and place is a powerful ena-

can take a short course in it, or maybe

bler of personal development. Through

something for focus techniques.”

its content providers and partners,

Archroma Academy’s courses run

the Archroma Academy has created

in a large range of languages and

an online digital library of content

allow people to progress at their own

MARCH 2020

pace – creating a flexible integration

is an expression of the fact we sell

between work and education.

value, not products.” Archroma has developed the value-based selling

CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT

course alongside external partners

“These are skills that are seen as

as a blended program that includes

valuable for the company to develop

face-to-face sessions reinforced by

on a much wider scale in order to

a highly-customised digital reinforce-

deliver on our strategy,” explains Ravi,

ment and refresher program. “We’ve

describing the middle layer of the

developed what we call knowledge

development pyramid. “For example:

nuggets, which could be five to seven

one of our commercial strategy

minutes of refresher concepts that

pillars is value-based selling, which

people can take on in the system,” 213

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ravi Bhogaraju Ravi is based in Singapore and has worked in Human Resources, Business Transformation and Information technology for 20 years by living and working in Asia Europe and US across a number of challenging and interesting industries. He is currently the Global Head HR, Talent and Organization Development for Archroma. In this role he partners with the group executives and business leaders across Asia, Europe and Americas to orchestrate the transformation of the business. His work spans Talent strategies, Capability building and Performance Coaching.

Areas of active interest outside work are Mentoring / coaching students, professionals and business startups.

Ravi completed his General Management Program from the Harvard Business School and has an MBA as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources. He is a Nuero Leadership trained coach, SCRUM master and has Certifications in a number of assessment tools.

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

“

When you choose the right partner, you can move quickly from vision to enabling business outcomes.

Ravi Bhogaraju, Global Head - Talent & OD | Archroma

Our creativity blended with technology helped Archroma give its associates a rich and immersive learning experience.

Rhea Gupta, Director | Zobble Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Archroma partnered with Zobble for their creative content and storytelling skills. Zobble has co-created content on Compliance, Sales and Process Training. Zobble along with VioletInfo, continues to deliver effective learning solutions to add value to Archroma Academy Programs.

Great Partnerships Forge Impactful Outcomes

www.zobble.com

www.violetinfo.com

�

“ It’s part of our sustainability program that we invest very regularly into our employees” — Ravi Bhogaraju, Global Head Talent and Organisation Development, Archroma

more effective and profitable,” Ravi emphasises. “Based on that, the site selects a set of trainers from within, designated as ambassadors, that help train the rest of the team using content they have created. At the end of the session each trainee takes a test and then, in three months time, the line management evaluates their application of that knowledge in their work on a day to day basis. This combination of classroom and practical behavior

says Ravi. “These are fully customised

change is really helping us to change

programs that we developed with con-

the capability. As a learning meth-

tent providers and digital enablement

odology it is quite powerful. It acts

partners based in India and Europe,

as a mechanism of recognising the

who take the content that was deliv-

expertise of ambassadors, fostering

ered in the program and convert it into

creativity and a stronger connec-

three or four nuggets, which we then

tion to the overall purpose of the

release to the sales teams on a regular

site. Ambassadors generate content,

basis in the lead up to a quiz.” These

which is culturally attuned, in the local

capability programmes help support

language and creatively presented,

Archroma’s commercial strategy, such

all of which helps their class to learn

as the necessity of a digital mindset

faster. It really helps the entire site to

and a focus on customer journeys and

learn from each other and ultimately

adaptable behaviour.

become stronger, together. Our

For manufacturing sites, Archroma

intention is to ultimately translate this

has taken a different approach. “For

superb, user generated content into a

each site, we identify a set of capabili-

digital format that can be used across

ties that would help to make the site

the organisation.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

215

ARCHROMA

216

MARCH 2020

LEADERSHIP At the top of the pyramid is the leadership and mindset development program. “We have a combination of a 360 degree digital tool and a dedicated coach that is assigned to the top 100 leaders who are nominated for this program,” says Ravi. “In many companies they would create a single program and expect everyone to go through that in batches. We have taken a different approach - one that is based on personalised development specific to an individual’s need.”

JOURNEYS AND CHALLENGES The Academy has been evolving to add more programs over the last four years, and has seen strong returns from its attempts to drive engagement and investment in Archroma’s employees.

“It’s not just about the company; it’s about improving the quality and capabilities of our workforce, which is important because it’s part of our sustainability program that we invest very regularly into our employees,” Ravi explains.

Looking to the future, there is much to look forward to, as Archroma embarks on a sweeping digital transformation w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

217

ARCHROMA

218

“ The Archroma Academy [...] has a goal of developing distinct capability sets within the organisation” — Ravi Bhogaraju, Global Head Talent & Organisation Development, Archroma

MARCH 2020

that will require the Academy to prepare the company’s employees for a future well attuned to all changes in the industry. “I think 2020 and 2021 are going to continue to be very exciting for us at Archroma and the Academy.

What I would really like for the Academy to be able to deliver is more market or context sensitive material at scale and pace,” says Ravi. “One of the challenges we have encountered in creating these programs is that they

219

take a fair bit of time, because you have

focus for the next two years is looking

to ensure that every piece of design

at agile development and deployment

aligns or integrates with our cultural

in order to be able to put content

context, our diversity and leadership,

out there much faster and meet the

as well as being able to deliver the

requirements of our teams.”

words that we use in our culture – and that takes investment.” Time management and continuing to find a method of application for the Academy that integrates with the day to day operations of Archroma will be an essential goal for Ravi and his team. “The big w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

220

The telecommunications market in Azerbaijan WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

CAZ WHITELEY

MARCH 2020

221

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AZERCONNECT LLC

Azerbaijan presents an interesting, dynamic, and growing telecommunications landscape

A

zerbaijan is a country of rich history and intrigue. Situated south of Russia, east of Georgia and Armenia, and north of Iran

with the Caspian Sea to its east, the former member of the Soviet Union has become a key figure in the 222

global oil trade and a potential focal point for transcontinental communications systems.

Second only to its world-leading oil industry, Azerbaijan’s telecommunications sector is undergoing a period of steady growth and regulatory transformation. The space is shared between three core players: Azercell, Bakcell and Nar, the latter being the commercial brand of Azerfon. Other telcos operating across the Land of Fire include Aztelekom, AzQtel (SAZZ), Catel, BakTelekom, Vimpelcom (Beeline), Eurasiacom, and Fintur. In a study conducted by Research and Markets, Azerbaijan was included in 34 Asian markets assessed against its Telecoms Maturity Index, ranking 13th and indicating strong performance against world-leading markets such as Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

MARCH 2020

223

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AZERCONNECT LLC

“ Situated at the axis between Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan is a key strategic location of the TransEurasian Information Superhighway (TASIM) project” 224

The country enjoys a strong 4G presence, with firms such as Bakcell continuously improving their coverage. In July 2019, the company reported that it had established 700 new base stations since the beginning of the year, pushing its number to over 2,300 at the time and its coverage to 78% of the population and 52% of Azerbaijan’s land area.

Azernews reported in November 2019 that top Bakcell competitor Azercell’s 4G coverage had expanded by a staggering 364% over the course

MARCH 2020

Azercell 5G CLICK TO WATCH

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0:12

225 of the year, with the firm holding 49% of

fastest mobile internet and bringing

the country’s mobile market at the time

our network to the cutting-edge level.

across 99.8% population coverage

The 5G network that was recently

and 99.2% geographical coverage.

introduced by Azercell in a test mode

“Azercell has expanded its 4G

is a logical result of our initiatives

network aiming to make high speed

aimed at digitalization and connected

mobile internet available and con-

society of the future.”

venient for the population in the

Along with holding an enormous

capital city and the regions,” said

chunk of Azerbaijan’s telecoms sector,

Marat Hamidov, Director of Network

it stands as the country’s largest tax-

Technologies Department at Azercell

payer and investor from outside the oil

Telecom, in the Azernews report. “We

industry, Azernews added.

can declare our readiness to step into

Having already partnered for the

the next technological level as we are

delivery of Azercell’s test 5G network

getting our customers used to the

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AZERCONNECT LLC

226

Ericsson recently announced that

project in Baku was Azerbaijan’s first

the companies had expanded their

foray into commercial 5G technology,

work together through a 2020-22

with the initial test beginning suc-

Memorandum of Understanding

cessfully in November 2019.

(MoU) to build the 5G pilot zone fur-

“Together with Ericsson, Azercell

ther and introduce internet of things

has launched the first 5G pilot net-

(IoT) technology to Azerbaijan’s min-

work in the country and this fact

ing, agriculture, manufacturing and

puts our company on a par with the

housing industries. The primary 5G

world leaders of the mobile market,”

MARCH 2020

“The primary 5G project in Baku was Azerbaijan’s first foray into commercial 5G technology, with the initial test beginning successfully in November 2019”

said Vahid Mursaliyev, President at

Sebastian Tolstoy, Head of Customer

Azercell, in Ericsson’s press release.

Unit Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“We believe that 5G along with being

at Ericsson, added: “Together with

a major step forward for mobile inter-

our key partner in Azerbaijan, Azercell,

net connectivity, will also open new

we are happy to open doors to wider

possibilities for enterprises

opportunities, innovative solutions, and

and industries to deliver greater effi-

applications that 5G can bring.’’

ciencies, productivity and empower user experiences.”

Situated at the axis between Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

227

C O M PA N Y FACT S

The single most for powerful tool for addressing Telecom Fraud Addressing all kinds of fraud by combining insights from machine learning and AI with actionable results in mere milliseconds

Learn more at http://www.wedotechnologies.com/fraud-management

MARCH 2020

is a key strategic location of the Trans-

“ Together with Ericsson, Azercell has launched the first 5G pilot network in the country and this fact puts our company on a par with the world leaders of the mobile market”

Eurasian Information Superhighway (TASIM) project. The initiative seeks to connect Western Europe, Eurasia and Eastern Asia with a transnational fibre optic line from Frankfurt, Germany to Hong Kong, crossing China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey along the way. First put forward by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in 2008, the proposal was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2009 which has 229

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AZERCONNECT LLC

230

MARCH 2020

since provided support in the creation of the Eurasian Connectivity Alliance to foster transnational cooperation.

At present, the project is supported

by China Telecom, KazTransCom, Rostelecom, and Turk Telekom.

Serving the development of strong, robust telecoms in Azerbaijan are a plethora of service providers, one such example being ICT solutions and services specialist Azerconnect.

As Azerbaijan’s first B2B ICT company, Azerconnect leads the way as a facilitator of the telecommunications sector’s growth and technological capabilities. Supporting such firms are organisations such as WeDo Technologies, now under the Mobileum umbrella, which provides its analytics platform, RAID, for datadriven risk management housed in a singular platform. Solutions such as this form the basis for compliance, trust and counter-fraud operations in the world’s increasingly data-focused business landscapes, with Azerbaijan being no exception.

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231

Jimit Dattani: the future of education WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON

232

PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

MARCH 2020

233

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X S E E D E D U C AT I O N

Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer at XSEED Education, discusses how innovative technology is changing the future of education

S

tarting his career from humble beginnings, Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer (CIO) at XSEED Education, has

held many roles throughout his 17-year spell in IT. To name a few, he has held titles such as Project 234

Manager, Business Analyst, Portfolio Manager and Chief Technology Officer at GTS Interactive and CIO (XSEED Education). “My career started in 2002 and has spanned across many avenues. After graduating in India, I moved to Australia to complete my masters working with a company called Stellar before moving to GTS Interactive. In 2016, I was approached by XSEED to help them in their digital transformation journey, becoming their CIO.” As an active professional in the technology industry, Dattani has witnessed tech’s significant evolution first-hand throughout his career.

“Whether it’s a change of environment, new skill, or even the attitudes people have towards technology, the tech industry is constantly evolving. When it comes to the education sector specifically, it has drastically transformed from a basic four-walled MARCH 2020

235

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X S E E D E D U C AT I O N

“ Whether it’s a change of environment, new skill, or even the attitudes people have towards technology, the tech industry is constantly evolving”

236

— Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer, XSEED

MARCH 2020

classroom to one that is booming with technological tools,” says Dattani.

“Being in the education space for the last three years, I personally feel that analytics, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are very hot topics right now. There are a lot of conversations happening around the world relating to the adoption of AI to develop learning, improve access to education and reduce costs.” To stay ahead of these trends, Dattani explains that “there are many hurdles, with so

Artificial intelligence & the future of education systems | Bernhard Schindlholzer | TEDxFHKufstein CLICK TO WATCH

|

14:51

237 many things going on it’s impossible

studies, there are huge benefits to

to read everything. However, I typically

digitalisation, including increased

subscribe to lots of tech sites and

availability and faster consumption of

brands as well as attending networking

information.” Dattani also sees modular

events to stay ahead of the latest buzz

learning benefiting from digitalisation,

regarding technology and how to best

“because institutes have to cater to dif-

apply solutions to business challenges

ferent competencies. Digitalisation can

or to upskill a business.”

help to measure effective adaptation, as well as upgrade teaching abilities

THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN EDUCATION

tive learning via virtual classrooms

“In my opinion, digital transformation

and mobile learning apps. Digital

should be a priority for all education

transformation has brought about

institutions,” says Dattani, “whether

unprecedented changes in the modern

it’s educational learning or research

education system.”

with the assistance of collabora-

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X S E E D E D U C AT I O N

238

“ Digital transformation has brought about unprecedented changes in the modern education system” — Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer, XSEED

However, despite the promise of high rewards, in Dattani’s experience “the environment is faced with barriers”. In particular, Dattani has experienced the reluctance in India to adopt new technologies, along with challenges around talent gaps and a lack of data driven business culture.

“Half the time, people in schools do not have the right talent to operate basic technology, with most large schools not knowing where to begin.”

Further reflecting on his experience in the industry, Dattani explains some

MARCH 2020

of his own digital strategies he has

organisation that ran its sales team on

implemented during his career. “When

legacy financial systems and Excel. “In

I develop my strategies, 99.9% of the

order to digitally transform XSEED

time they are based on four concepts:

Education, I took a holistic view of the

customer engagement, empowering

business strategy to build an integrated

employees, optimising operations, main-

strategy that connected its customers,

taining alignment with company goals

consumers and internal functions.” With

and increasing productivity,” he says.

XSEED Education rapidly expanding

With this in mind, he goes on to explain

globally, the strategy incorporated a

that, when he joined XSEED Education,

move from legacy systems to 100%

the company was a pre-digitised

paperless and cloud-based ERP system

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE 239

Jimit Dattani Jimit is recognised as an intrapreneurial technology leader with extensive experience in designing and implementing business transformation strategies that increase shareholder value. Jimit has worked with companies across the globe, developing trusted partnerships on account of his powerful blend of technology vision and business acumen coupled with experience in the travel, FMCG, education, logistics, ecommerce and hospitality sectors. Over his 17-year career, Jimit has successfully progressed up the ranks in leading roles from Analyst, Project Manager, CTO and CIO, including an advisory role on large-scale critical projects for MNCs and government agencies. PMP certified, his experience encompasses using design thinking concepts to drive innovation, modernisation and automation, business transformation and start-ups, among others

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

XSEED automated their entire sales process.

SO CAN YOU Get started for free at vtiger.com

with the help of vTiger, NetSuite and

to make sense of Big Data, empirical

DocuSign. The strategy also incorpo-

evidence is required for any theoretical

rated a restructuring of its internal IT

framework. The process of deconstruc-

functions, and implementation of data

tion is critical, rather than just consuming

analytics and security.

what is served, otherwise we have failed our children and all we have achieved is

THE BENEFITS OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS IN EDUCATION

digitising ‘glorifying’ rote learning.”

“Data is like liquid gold,” says Dattani.

provide to education, Dattani sees “the

“It is of utmost importance. Whether it’s

adoption of Big Data analytics leading

institutions or universities, they need to

to enhanced learning and helping to

realise that data accuracy is far more

make critical decisions for predictive

valuable than simply possessing data

teaching, assessment strategies and

that is uncleansed, cluttered and can-

improved market analytics - something

not be interpreted effectively. In order

which XSEED has been aggressively

MARCH 2020

When it comes to the benefits it can

solutions - Dattani used Big Data and “ Data accuracy is far analytics extensively for a project known more valuable than as Amadeus OneClick. “There are more simply possessing of data that is uncleansed, than two million bookings that Amadeus facilitates on a daily basis. The idea was cluttered and cannot to structure that data and process it, be interpreted so that at any point organisations can effectively” know where their employees are, where

— Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer, XSEED

they are travelling to and if they need any assistance. With Amadeus’s new cloud portal, the company can analyse its data based on a number of variables

implementing.” However, alongside the

to predict potential travel risks, spend

power Big Data provides there are also

and booking demand.” With XSEED,

ethical considerations, particularly in terms of privacy. “This is a very big challenge that poses many questions. Do we have consent? Have we got enough protection? What data should be combined and analysed and the purposes to which this should be put.? All of these challenges result in the stunted growth of Big Data usage.”

Reflecting on his career, Dattani explains that he has been utilising Big Data from very early on. “The biggest implementations of Big Data that I have done, have been with Amadeus and XSEED.” When working with Amadeus - a global provider of travel w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

241

X S E E D E D U C AT I O N

Dattani’s previously mentioned strategy

the biggest barrier is a lack of talent

incorporated Big Data in two ways. “We

and daytime leadership commitment

had vast amounts of student data at

to move from aspiration to adoption.

XSEED. With analytics we could better

However, I have seen some success

understand product insights such as:

stories. Some I’ve been part of myself

which products are doing well and why?

with XSEED, such as gamification for

In addition to product insights, XSEED

engaging digital classrooms while

also used Big Data and analytics to ana-

recording and assessing engagement.

lyse and optimise the content curriculum

I have also seen the use of robotics to

and improve the delivery of learning to

help with shortages of native English

be more effective for students.”

teachers in South Korea, as well as the use of 3D learning - especially in sci-

THE FUTURE OF INNOVATIVE 242 TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

ence. I have seen this in Dubai where the classroom and labs are connected

When it comes to the use of innovative

with super high speed fiber connections

technology within education, Dattani

to deliver lessons via TV platforms.”

would love to see a greater adoption

Another innovation Dattani has

of AI. “The challenge that I see with AI

seen is the use of Amazon Alexa to

is a lack of clear strategy. Currently

drive interactive teaching inside and

“The process of deconstruction is critical, rather than just consuming what is served, otherwise we have failed our children and all we have achieved is digitising ‘glorifying’ rote learning” — Jimit Dattani, former Chief Information Officer, XSEED MARCH 2020

243

outside the classroom. “I have seen

training on various tools in order for

Amazon Alexa provide interactive

users to gain the most benefit from

education in the classroom, as well

the solutions.”

as providing education to those in

Reflecting on his career and experi-

remote areas of India who cannot

ence within the technology industry,

access a school,” says Dattani. “Over

Dattani is humbled by his opportunities

the years, Amazon has been a key

“I’ve been very fortunate that every

partner for implementing digital

interaction I’ve had with my customers,

transformation strategies. They

I’ve been able to deliver on their expec-

have provided much more than just

tations and beyond. I am very proud to

a buyer/seller relationship. They

provide a duty of care that can deliver

have been vital consultants within

this,” he concludes.

the implementation processes too.

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244

Logitech: streamlining the business of innovation WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

CHARLOTTE CLARKE

MARCH 2020

245

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LOGITECH

Founded in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1981, Logitech is a world-leading manufacturer of computer peripherals and associated software, dedicated to providing its customers with an organic digital experience

F 246

ounded in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1981, Logitech is a market leading manufacturer of computer

peripherals and associated software.

With a product range that includes computer mice, keyboards, headsets, speakers, smartphone/ tablet accessories and home security cameras, the company is dedicated to providing its customers with an intuitive and organic digital experience.

Mindful that each product must be ergonomically developed in such a way as to make it feel natural to the user, the company has made product design a core aspect of its business and philosophy.

Logitech can claim, amongst other products, to have released the first infrared cordless mouse, the thumb-operated trackball (the LogitechÂŽ TrackManÂŽ), and the first webcam to feature an integrated microphone.

MARCH 2020

247

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Customer Experience Experts Top-line talent Digital transformation Omnichannel technology

We design, build and operate exceptional customer experiences.

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global customer experience services provider focused on the design, implementation and delivery of tech-enabled transformative solutions for many of Europe’s most iconic and disruptive brands. The Company’s TTEC Digital business provides insight-driven, outcomebased and AI-enabled omnichannel cloud platforms and CX consulting solutions and its TTEC Engage business delivers operational excellence through customer care, acquisition, retention, fraud prevention and detection, and content moderation services. Founded in 1982, the Company’s 48,000 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other.

For more information on how TTEC is driving digital transformation and omnichannel customer experiences in EMEA, visit www.ttec.com/emea/what-we-do

LOGITECH

“ The company is dedicated to providing its customers with an intuitive and organic digital experience” Like many companies in the tech From these rudimental beginnings

250

sector, Logitech is attempting to

at the dawn of widespread personal

rejuvenate the ‘legacy’ aspects of its

computer use, Logitech has gone

operations and develop a more pro-

on to build a brand that encompasses

active team. Logitech’s relationships

the modern digital landscape’s key

with its suppliers are highly important,

entertainment areas: music, gam-

particularly as the company looks to

ing and video. Widely recognised in

streamline aspects of business, such

the tech community for its portfolio

as transactional procurement using

of innovative products and solutions,

Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

the company has received over 250

A cutting-edge supply chain infra-

industry awards/commendations in

structure can make all the difference,

appreciation of its work. Recent prod-

and building bridges with its main

ucts of note include the Logitech Rally

partners is how the company plans

conference camera, MEGABOOM 3

to achieve this goal, as each supplier

digital speaker, and Logitech G PRO

brings a separate, crucial component

mouse designed in collaboration with

to the overall effort. Some of the

the company’s e-sports partners.

essential companies partnered with Logitech include:

MARCH 2020

Choose the Right Logitech ConferenceCam for Your Video Meeting CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:19

251

BCD TRAVEL

is a pioneering creator of point-of-pur-

Founded in 2006, BCD Travel helps

chase (POP) retail displays. Recognising

Logitech to optimise its travel costs

that good project management is a criti-

using innovative management tools.

cal element of a product’s success,

An expert in simplifying the complexities

the company makes sure that everything

of corporate travel, BCD is committed

stays on schedule and on budget,

to helping businesses achieve their

whilst also maximising visibility and

individual goals. A recognised market

brand awareness.

leader in the travel industry, BCD has offices in 109 countries and employs

TTEC

over 13,800 experienced people.

Colorado-based TTEC is Logitech’s main provider of business process

INESCO

outsourcing (BPO) — liaising with

Essential to previous products like

third-party providers to contract out

the Logitech Pro Mouse, Inesco

operations and responsibilities for w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

1981

Year founded

$1bn+ Revenue in US dollars

7,000 Number of employees

case for the products. With over eight decades of industry experience and 500 employees, the company provides exceptional solutions in the retail merchandising sector.

Making sustainability a core element in the company’s culture, Logitech prides itself both on its corporate agility and large-scale commercial reach.

Efficient in its operations, Logitech considers itself small enough to give every one of its 7,000 employees the chance to impact the future company’s

bespoke processes. Originally known under the name ‘TeleTech’ until 2018, TTEC now handles over 3.5 million customer interactions on a daily basis.

With its specially formulated ‘CX strategy’ and data analytics capabilities, the company is a global leader in consulting, automation, and digital transformation.

RAPID DISPLAYS Taking onboard Logitech’s challenge to construct a bespoke promotional display for its iPad keyboards and cases, Rapid Displays managed to create a rugged, flexible and appealing w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

253

LOGITECH

254

C O M PA N Y FACT S

• 250 industry awards • 7,000 employees • Logitech’s manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China uses 100% renewable energy • 75% of the company’s global energy demand is currently met by renewable sources

MARCH 2020

“ Logitech is attempting to rejuvenate the ‘legacy’ aspects of its operations and develop a more proactive team”

255

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CAPTURE YOUR AUDIENCE We create smart, innovative, attention-grabbing point-of-purchase (POP) retail displays. From initial concept to f inal delivery and installation, we can showcase your brand like never before.

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330.247.2209

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www.bcdtravel.com

“ Logitech prides itself both on its corporate agility and large-scale commercial reach” future, whilst also maintaining a global

its use of environmentally unfriendly

portfolio across 60 locations and

chemicals since 2010, along with

five continents that enables its

ensuring that companies supplying

choices to have a widespread impact.

it with minerals have sourced them

As such, Logitech has taken the

from conflict-free zones. This dedi-

reigns of commitment and responsi-

cation and insistence of ethical

bility towards the environment that

conduct from its partners has led

business in the modern era requires.

to the company auditing its Core

To this end, the company has

Suppliers to ensure 100% compli-

started global recycling initiatives,

ance with the Responsible Business

switched to renewable energy

Alliance’s Code of Conduct.

sources where possible, and estab-

“As a company, we want to leave

lished an ‘Ecodesign’ framework

our mark,” says President and CEO

to reduce carbon and plastic use

Bracken P. Darrell on Logitech’s web-

in the production of its products.

site. “We know that mark can be

Logitech’s manufacturing plant in

positive or negative, depending on

Suzhou, China uses 100% renewable

the decisions we make every day.

energy and received CarbonNeutral

Our commitment to shaping a better

accreditation from the Carbon Trust

world is a core value that we care

in 2019. Meanwhile, 75% of the com-

deeply about.”

pany’s global energy demand is currently met by renewable sources, a percentage which is rapidly increasing. Logitech has also managed to achieve a 71% reduction in w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

257

258

SAP Cloud for Utilities: an integrated industry solution WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

MARCH 2020

PRODUCED BY

BEN MALTBY

259

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SAP

How SAP’s Cloud for Utilities solution portfolio can unlock new possibilities in a rapidly evolving market

S

AP Cloud for Utilities (C4U) is a pioneering new end-to-end portfolio of solutions from SAP, intended for use in the Lead-

to-Cash process employed by utilities companies.

Three individuals from the wider SAP organisation are guiding its market introduction. Klaus Lohnert 260

is programme director and the overall lead of the project. Mateu Munar, Senior Director, Industry Business Unit Utilities and Stefan Engelhardt, Global VP Go-To-Market Strategy Industry Business Unit Utilities, are also part of the C4U leadership team and in charge of the solution management for SAP’s Utilities portfolio. “As part of that team,” Munar explains, “I have the role of the go-to-market lead for the new SAP Cloud for Utilities suite.”

Engelhardt adds: “We are the solution owner for the complete business suite. In my role, I particularly support the C4U leadership board from a strategic perspective, as well as Mateu and the team with our go-to-market activities.”

In terms of overall structure, Lohnert explains that “we have four streams. There is the

MARCH 2020

261

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SAP

“ What’s happening at the moment is a tremendous infrastructure program, going from a centralised to a decentralised system”

development stream, where we develop the solutions. Then we have the go-to-market stream, in which Mateu and Stefan are allocated.

Operations, because this is a cloud solution which we are operating, and the final part is the transition service we offer to make implementing the solution easier for our customers.”

The complexity of the behind the

Klaus Lohnert, Program Director SAP Cloud for Utilities, SAP 262

scenes structure reveals the ambition of the solution. Comprising a portfolio of solutions useful to the utilities industry, SAP C4U supports products from

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Klaus Lohnert Klaus Lohnert is Program Director SAP Cloud for Utilities. He has over 20 years of international experience in the utilities industry and management consulting. His passions are for empowering business leaders to optimise the value of their businesses through best-in-class, forward looking processes, organisations and solutions, as well as providing customers guided access to innovations to get ahead of competition and help them to achieve the desired business outcomes of their business transformations.

MARCH 2020

SAP Analytics Cloud: Embed Your Analytical Insights Into a Web Application CLICK TO WATCH

|

4:21

263 modelling through to the market, as

terms of reducing costs and adoption

well as demand prediction, monitoring

time.” Engelhardt adds that the offer-

of customer behaviour, managing bill-

ing is flexible to the specific needs

ing, customer service and adherence

of customers. “The architecture is

to regulations. “It’s a suite that covers

modular,” he says, “so we leverage the

the entire end-to-end process,” says

independent cloud components that

Munar. ”We provide a software-as-a-

SAP offers. For service, for instance,

service, cloud native solution.

for sales, for marketing, for commerce,

It’s a unique service, with no competi-

for billing and revenue management.

tor offering such a complete suite in

We’re bringing them together, extend-

the cloud. It’s important to emphasise

ing them from an industry perspective

the technological approach, because

— but you still have the option to buy and

that is what facilitates key business leads that we want to address, in

run them separately.”

Motivating customers to require a solution such as SAP C4U is an w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SAP

264 E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Stefan Engelhardt Stefan Engelhardt joined SAP in 1997 where he supported the specification and launch of SAP’s first industry solution for utilities as Global Product Management Specialist.

Since then, Stefan has held various management positions within SAP’s Industry Business Unit Utilities, becoming Vice President Utilities in 2007.

In that role, he is responsible for SAP’s global Go-toMarket strategy for the utilities industry and focuses in particular on the definition and execution of SAP’s bi-modal product innovation strategy based on SAP S/4HANA for Utilities and the new SAP Cloud for Utilities solution portfolio.

MARCH 2020

evolving energy market, influenced by

growth, they will have to look to new

factors such as the rise of renewables

business dimensions, which is why the

and the decentralisation of power

platform supports non-commodity and

production. “The traditional commodity

multi-service capabilities,” Engelhardt

business no longer provides the mar-

adds. “We leverage elements and

gins or the revenue that is required,”

know-how from the 26 industry solu-

Engelhardt warns. “Utilities have to

tions we have at SAP such as telco,

extend their scope. They have to go

automotive and so on, bringing them

beyond the traditional energy business

together in order to allow utilities to

in order to offer value added or even

offer new bundled business services.

completely independent service offer-

Of course we also automate the tra-

ings.” SAP C4U is uniquely equipped

ditional processes of the commodity

to enable those in the industry to

business. That is the way towards what

compete in this brave new world. “For

Klaus calls the ‘self-running enterprise’.”

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mateu Munar Mateu is currently Senior Director in the Industry Business Unit for Utilities. He’s responsible for the Go-to-Market of the new SAP Cloud for Utilities Suite. Mateu has 20 years of experience in the utilities industry — before joining the Industry Business Unit Utilities, he played several roles in the industry, first as Consultant and Solution Architect implementing the SAP for Utilities Solutions, and afterwards leading the Utilities Consulting Team in the EMEA region. He is highly experienced at working with utilities customers in different market roles, different countries and through the full cycle of the SAP for Utilities Solution.

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265

How SAP S/4HANA can accelerate your energy transition

By David Townshend EY Global Power & Utilities SAP Leader

In an energy market defined by uncertainty, the prospect of shifting to SAP S/4HANA may seem like yet another challenge. But the right approach to upgrading can help accelerate transformation and build a more intelligent, agile organization for the future.

The cliches about 2020 being the year of vision may generate eye rolls, but for energy and resource companies, the message hits home. The disruptive forces sweeping the industry — including decarbonization, digitization, cost pressures and empowered customers — are not new but their pace is quickening.

At the same time, energy and resource companies must move

forward in migrating to the new SAP S/4HANA software release. While for some, the prospect is daunting, many are reframing the challenge as a valuable opportunity. The powerful insights and connectivity delivered through S/4HANA combined with a forward-looking business view can help them reshape into intelligent, agile organizations — if they take the right approach.

Three ways to get the best from your S/4HANA migration Moving to S/4HANA will impact every part of your business. While a poor approach will create damage throughout the organization, the right one can drive the companywide transformation that is critical to create long-term value. The right approach involves three key elements:

The migration to S/4HANA provides a valuable opportunity to not only accelerate the energy transition, but reshape energy and resource companies into intelligent, agile organizations.

David Townshend EY Global Power & Utilities SAP Leader

1. Purpose-led: The migration to S/4HANA is an opportunity to reshape your business more broadly.

Now is the time to identify or confirm organizational purpose and align this with the implications for individual processes, systems and people. This helps guide a purposeled transformation that achieves those end goals.

2. Value-focused: The two most common questions clients ask as they contemplate their migration are: i.) how can we build a business case that stacks-up both now and in the future? And ii.) how can we do this as cheaply as possible with the least negative impact on our business?

We help answer these by realigning the process to the business strategy – identifying how much value can be derived immediately and how much more can be leveraged in the future. For example, better, faster data can improve some processes now, while building a future-proof technology platform will support the agile business model and workforce needed for growth. And, all the while, the core value of the company is protected through enhanced cybersecurity and compliance.

3. Smart automation: Intelligent automation and machine learning can accelerate S/4HANA migration, reduce costs and enable value to be realized far more quickly. Automated tools also allow resources to focus on transforming those areas of the business that can help achieve big-picture goals. Post-migration, automation and analytics facilitate ongoing monitoring of people and processes to support continuous improvement.

Fast-track your agile and intelligent future EY Agile Business Transformation for energy is a proven purpose-led, value-focused approach, specifically tailored to help energy and resource companies realize the potential of their migration to S/4HANA.

Leveraging the best SAP technology for energy and enhancing it with EY SAP-certified innovations can help deliver additional benefits throughout the energy value chain: customers and billing, asset management, finance, procurement, tax, HR and risk. The highly automated EY approach and suite of tools help clients accelerate their migration to S/4HANA, realizing benefits earlier, while limiting business disruption.

Will 2020 be the year you accelerate your transformation?

Discover how EY and SAP can help energy and resource organizations use S/4HANA to thrive in this era of extraordinary change.

Š 2020 EYGM Limited. All Rights Reserved. ED None.

SAP

“ Utilities are at the heart of the energy revolution that is going on globally�

Stefan Engelhardt, Global VP Go-to-Market Strategy, Industry Business Unit Utilities, SAP

268

MARCH 2020

Lohnert identifies three key performance indicators that SAP seeks to address with the solution, including a reduction in the cost to serve, a decrease in the time to market for both classical and new energy offerings and an increase in revenue and profitability. Leveraging the cloud is one way of achieving that, but SAP is aware that its customers will be at varying stages on the cloud journey. “A lot of our development efforts are directed towards integration,” says Munar. “We provide a cloud offering, but we have to understand and be conscious of the fact that a big part of our business is on-premise.

Essentially, the scenario is evolving towards a hybrid model. Any customer can capitalise upon the investments that they have made in SAP, because we are securing that evolution with integration concepts out of the box. If they want to move into a hybrid mode, they can go there. If they want to go into a full cloud mode, they can do that as well.”

It’s not just about delivering growth.

C4U can also help companies achieve increased efficiency, and with efficiency comes more sustainable ways of doing business. “Utilities are at the heart of w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

269

SAP

the energy revolution that is going on globally,” says Engelhardt. “They are in the driver’s seat to optimise, manage and build value added services in order to achieve efficiency and to benefit from new business opportunities. That is a key focus for us as we shape and develop the solution portfolio.” While SAP C4U is a business suite rather than a technical system, it still has a part to play in this transition. “What’s happening at the moment is a tremendous infrastructure programme, going 270

from a centralised to a decentralised system,” says Lohnert. “The biggest challenge we have is to accelerate this process, and we offer services to access end customers that want

Having cultivated a successful rela-

to buy a solar panel or a heating sys-

tionship with professional services firm

tem or charging stations.”

Accenture, which saw SAP contribute from a product side and Accenture

“ We provide a softwareas-a-service, cloud native solution”

from a services side, C4U represents a co-development between the two organisations. “Accenture are market leaders and they know the industry well,” says Munar. “They know our solutions, having done this together in the

Mateu Munar, Senior Director, Industry Business Unit Utilities, SAP MARCH 2020

past. From a go-to-market perspective, and from a development perspective, it’s a win-win.” Engelhardt concurs,

1972

Year founded

$24.7bn+ Revenue in euros

96,000+ Number of employees

adding that “we have many equally

coming from other areas and enter-

important partners, such as rku.it,

ing the space. Maybe our customers

smartservices, Cronos, bpc, Natuvion,

of the future are not just utilities, but

E&Y, Atos or IBM.”

other service providers who start to

Going forwards, the aim for C4U

complement services with energy.

is clear, as Engelhardt articulates.

Our platform should provide both with

“There is one simple goal. We want

the necessary tools and processes

to help our customers to transform

to be successful.”

their business into the next dimension, and we’re doing the same on our side. At the same time, I think what we are seeing happening that is interesting for us is more and more players w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

271

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272

Solving business challenges with technology WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

MARCH 2020

273

Photo © Coca-Cola Italy w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

T H E C O C A - C O L A C O M PA N Y

Damiano Marabelli, Central & Eastern Europe Business Unit CIO, The Coca-Cola Company, discusses IT’s role in facilitating a ‘Total Beverage’ transformation

T

he Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) needs no introduction, seeing as it is one of the world’s most recognisable brands. Main-

taining that privileged position requires the input of all of its different departments, and, in this regard, IT is no different. Damiano Marabelli is in charge of the company’s IT operations in one of its biggest 274

business units (BUs), as he explains: “I joined TCCC as ‘Central & South European BU IT Client Engagement Director’ at the beginning of 2013. Then I was asked to structurally merge the IT operations of the above BU with the Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia BU, creating the second biggest BU outside North America: the Central & Eastern Europe Business Unit (CEE BU) with its headquarters in Athens”.

The CEE BU operates in one of the most diverse business contexts in the world, encompassing 411 million people in 26 countries (four — Italy, Russia, Poland and Romania - account for more than half of the CEE business); 23 official languages; 16 currencies; only seven markets above a population of 10 million; and four main bottler partners (SIBEG in Sicily, CCBS in Albania, GSD in Malta and CCH in all other BU territories).

MARCH 2020

275

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276

Damiano is guided in his role by the objectives previously set out by Barry Simpson, Senior VP and Chief Information Officer at TCCC, who two years ago articulated a digital transformation programme known as ‘Digitizing for Growth’. The three main objectives of the program are: ‘digitizing for the Consumer’ by creating more personalised, predictive and emotive experiences by harnessing data and analytics; ‘digitizing for the Customer’ by building new routes to market and forging additional partnerMARCH 2020

CEE BU – Connected Cooler Demonstrator CLICK TO WATCH

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2:08

277

ships alongside strengthening existing

System”, in short the network involves

ones; and ‘digitizing the Enterprise’ by

TCCC supplying beverage products

investing in capabilities to create an

to the bottlers which then add other

agile, engaging and productive work-

ingredients, package the products

place. To achieve those aims, TCCC

and distribute them through four main

is focused on continued investment

market channels, known as: Super-

in digital marketing, ecommerce

markets, Convenience, Discounters

platforms, scalable sales and com-

and HoReCa (including bars, pubs, res-

mercial technology.

taurants and cafeterias). While gross

TCCC’s unique relationship with

profits for bottling partners are often

its bottling partners is another

healthy, operating margins are much

important consideration for its

thinner, which leads TCCC to pursue

digital transformation. Together

innovations. “TCCC invests heavily in

referred to as “The Coca-Cola

category development, both creating w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

BUILDING ENTERPRISES FOR THE DIGITAL AGE Triveneto Servizi was established by Roberto Bontempi in Spinea, metropolitan city of Venice, in 2012. The company specialises in ICT workplace maintenance and mission critical services for multinational corporations.

More recently, Triveneto Servizi has invested in leading-edge skills, focused on developing FMCG image recognition solutions, Blockchain payment systems and high-speed fiber connectivity.

LEARN MORE

TRIVENETO SERVIZI & COCA-COLA ITALIA CASE STUDY EXPO 2015 The main activities carried out include: • Installation of laptops, desktops, printers, videoconference Coca-Cola devices.

• 24/7 Assistance during the event on the above materials and on the software’s installed with an onsite team of IT senior technicians.

• Project managing activity in preparation of the event (contact with the vendors, managing of the offers, collaboration with Telecom & CISCO in the creation of the network architecture).

There has never been a more exciting time to work with technology. In the past, innovation was limited by the capabilities of hardware and software - now it’s only limited by the imagination.

Today, mobile technology, the cloud, intelligent machines, social media, Internet of Things and emerging technologies make almost any idea possible.

Roberto Bontempi, with his 30 years of experience in building ICT companies, has been a premium partner of Coca-Cola Italia for seven years. From his Milano office, and in cooperation with his senior team, coordinated by Andrea Lombardo, Bontempi takes care of all IT desk site support services.

This facilitates all digital collaboration capabilities and technology consumerisation programmes from CocaCola’s Corporate IT, and makes the Milano employees more productive, digitised and connected. During 2020, Triveneto Servizi will fully unlock the power of the smart working paradigm in Coca-Cola Italia, promoting the fast adoption of all apps available in the Coke app store.

One of the most remarkable achievements of Triveneto Servizi and Coca-Cola Italia’s collaboration has been the ICT support provided during the preparation-executionclosure of the EXPO event for the entirety of 2015. The main features of the service provided were the Coke EXPO pavilion onsite installation, and maintenance of the IT equipment and software provided by Coca-Cola, in order to create a Coca-Cola office area, applying the Coca-Cola small office standard configuration.

The Coca-Cola Pavilion, built for EXPO Milano 2015, celebrated the company’s tradition, in line with the theme of the exposition “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

This was a stage upon which the company displayed its sustainability model – based on the promotion of wellbeing, protecting the environment and building stronger communities – in an experiential way.

The Pavilion - standing 12 metres high and covering 1,000 square meters of surface area, was constructed of environmentally sustainable materials including wood, glass and water to create an iconic space that was simultaneously contemporary and innovative.

The outer walls, made of glass and wood, recreated the Coca-Cola logo and the contour silhouette of the historic glass Coca-Cola bottle, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015. Visitors to the pavilion were led along an interactive journey where they participated in the discovery of Coca-Cola world and learned about the company’s values.

The building outlined the dimensions of a basketball court and, at the end of EXPO, became a new space that the Milan community of Famagosta now uses for physical activities.

Triveneto Servizi has a vision that inspires all ICT services of its portfolio: “expect the same technology experience at work as we have elsewhere in our lives”. This means differentiating ICT services – more green, more social, more collaborative, more mobile and more reliable – that drive innovation for productivity and growth.

LEARN MORE

T H E C O C A - C O L A C O M PA N Y

innovative packaging solutions and

few years is Price-Profit-Volume

fostering brand development,” says

Simulator and Assortment Optimisa-

Marabelli. “Given its multi-segmented

tion. Powered by Microsoft solutions

shopper and customer base, TCCC

including Azure, PowerBI and the

must spend heavily on market research

.NET framework, the software lever-

— it’s necessary for TCCC to stay ahead

ages an experience whereby CEE

of changing market trends, consump-

BU and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling

tion behaviour and competitive tactics.”

Company worked with McKinsey to

The close relationship with bot-

build scenarios and volume projections

tlers extends to joint IT projects. One

for profitability and margin improve-

key innovation introduced in the last

ments. “Revenue Growth Management

280

MARCH 2020

“ It’s necessary for TCCC to stay ahead of changing market trends, consumption behavior and competitive tactics” — Damiano Marabelli Central & Eastern Business Unit CIO The Coca-Cola Company

(RGM) is the core business process in The Coca-Cola System,” Marabelli explains. “It maximises system revenue by systematically identifying pockets of value and by activating offerings that most profitably convert shoppers into buyers. The essence of RGM is in understanding consumers’ perception of product value and accurately aligning product prices, placement and availability with each

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE 281

Damiano Marabelli Damiano has broad IT, business and change management experience through various positions he held for more than 15 years within the Whirlpool Corporation. He holds a college degree in Computer Science and an Executive Master Business Administration degree specialising in ICT Strategy, Governance and Management from the Polytechnic-University in Milan. In addition, he has earned a ccOPEX (Customer-Centered Operational Excellence) Six Sigma Black Belt certificate and an Online Masters in Social Media Communication from Il Sole24Ore business school in Milan. 51 years old, he grew up in a small lake town near Varese, Northern Italy, where he continues to live with his family.

Married with one son, Damiano is a strong tennis player and passionate about historical and philosophical essays.

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T H E C O C A - C O L A C O M PA N Y

Photo © Coca-Cola HBC 282

customer segment. These simulation

“ It no longer makes sense to think of IT as a separate entity from marketing, finance or supply chain” — Damiano Marabelli Central & Eastern Business Unit CIO The Coca-Cola Company

MARCH 2020

and optimisation capabilities support this process and have already been rolled-out across several other BUs and bottlers.” RGM will continue to be a focus, with a new generation of RGM analytics being designed to harness AI and machine learning to elaborate on insights and realise profits.

Consumer-facing technology has also been a focus, as with the company’s recently launched app aimed at teenagers. “During 2019 the brand new Coca-Cola app was active

“ Ipis acest volorepta doluptia quation elio repelestiur acerecti aut aborent occustrum quoditi ut eiciaes esi quibus aditiam util” — Name of Person, Position and company

283

in 17 CEE markets, fully leveraging

1 March 2019, more than 1.6 million

the business unit’s digital market-

consumers have installed the app, with

ing ecosystem that also includes a

more than 250,000 of them using it

GDPR-compliant consumer database,

actively every month. “As a result of

a consumer promo engine, a social

that, more than 1.3 million consum-

media listening and engaging center

ers have registered in our consumer

and so on,” Marabelli elaborates. “The

database, 1.4 million stories have been

mobile experience covered by the app

uploaded to the app and more than 4.3

involves user-generated content, loy-

million pin codes have been redeemed

alty and promotions — users upload pictures and unlock words to build stories by participating in promotions

— corresponding with the same amount of drinks being purchased.”

The delivery of such systems stems

and earning points to be exchanged

from a reimagined role for the IT func-

for digital prizes.” Since its launch on

tion, which Marabelli traces back to w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

T H E C O C A - C O L A C O M PA N Y

1886

Year founded by Dr John Pemberton

$31.8bn Revenue in US dollars (2018)

284

700,000+ Number of employees across company and bottling partners

MARCH 2020

285

Photo © Coca-Cola Italy w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

T H E C O C A - C O L A C O M PA N Y

previous CIO and Vice President Ed Steinike. Marabelli remembers the words of Steinike, who previously said: “It’s all about people. Just like CocaCola’s marketing organisation, which hired some really smart people in the field of digital and interactive marketing, we started to recruit talented IT people who were more entrepreneurial, a little more strategic in their thinking, and who connected better with what marketing was trying to achieve.” This reinvigorated culture has also been 286

reiterated by Corporate CIO Barry Simpson, with Marabelli taking a number of lessons from him, including IT’s

“ 1.3 million consumers have registered in our consumer database, 1.4 million stories have been uploaded to the app and more than 4.3 million pin codes have been redeemed” — Damiano Marabelli Central & Eastern Business Unit CIO The Coca-Cola Company

MARCH 2020

287

role in helping TCCC to implement its

ply chain. From product development,

‘Total Beverage’ strategy, which involves

intelligent supply chains, advertising

broadening its offering to become

and mobile payments, technology has

more consumer-centric. As part of that,

become an integral ingredient in all

Marabelli emphasises that IT must be

aspects of businesses. We are shifting

capable of adapting to the new ecosys-

from builders of technology to archi-

tem and constantly reinventing the way

tects of possibility that will enable our

the company does business.

business’ success as a ‘Total Beverage’

It is with this strategy in mind that

company. We do not solve technology

Marabelli conceptualises his depart-

problems; we use technology to solve

ment’s future path: “It no longer makes

business challenges.”

sense to think of IT as a separate entity from marketing, finance or supw w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AIR FRANCE

288

INNOVATING FOR A SUPERIOR EXPERIENCE WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING

MARCH 2020

PRODUCED BY

MANUEL NAVARRO

289

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AIR FRANCE

CURRENTLY HEADQUARTERED IN TREMBLAY-EN-FRANCE, AIR FRANCE WAS FOUNDED IN 1933 AS A MERGER BETWEEN FIVE SEPARATE AIRLINES

A

joint venture between Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation

Aérienne (CIDNA) and Société Générale des Transports Aériens - the latter of which was the first commercial airline in France - Air France began 290

offering small passenger flights of roughly 15 people in French-made aircraft, such as the Potez 62, Bloch 220 and Dewoitine 338. Utilising the extensive flight networks established by each of its constituent founding companies, Air France had a breadth of service which stretched to London, North Africa, South America and Asia-Pacific.

Halted during the years of the Second World War, Air France was nationalised in 1945 and by 1948 covered over 160,000km - making it the largest flight network on Earth.

Marking itself early on as an adopter of the latest technology, the airline embraced the jet age in 1953 with the introduction of the de Havilland Comet - the world’s first commercial jet airliner, with a cruising speed of 640km/h (390km/h faster than the company’s old workhorse Potez 62 models). The MARCH 2020

291

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AIR FRANCE

292

“ MARKING ITSELF EARLY ON AS AN ADOPTER OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, THE AIRLINE EMBRACED THE JET AGE IN 1953 WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE DE HAVILLAND COMET”

company also made history from 1976 to 2003 as one of the two primary users of the first supersonic passenger aircraft: Concorde (top speed 2,370km/h).

Air France’s passion for providing its passengers with a truly modern flying experience has been augmented recently with the introduction of stateof-the-art technologies, such as the Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) system added to the airline’s Airbus A321s. Able to function as a high-speed, low-latency multimedia hub for passengers, Li-Fi is also much less heavy than out-going tech due to its usage of fibre optic cabling rather than copper, reducing the aircraft’s weight and therefore increasing fuel efficiency. Artificial intelligence (AI) has come to play an important role in the airline’s customer service experience: chatbots are able to solve basic problems and answer questions relating to travel times, flight plans, destination details, and so on, therefore allowing the company to more adequately address its huge intake of daily enquiries. Also active in the startup world, Air France has launched a seed fund subsidiary called BigBlank, which offers promising entrepreneurs the

MARCH 2020

In-flight images of the Air France Boeing 787 Dreamliner CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:47

293 finance, expertise and technology nec-

approximately 2,300 flights per day from

essary to fully develop innovative ideas

its primary hubs at Amsterdam-Schiphol

and introduce them to the industry.

and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Employing

In 2004, Air France merged with

88,000 people around the world and

Dutch airline KLM to create Air France-

receiving revenues of more than â‚Ź27bn

KLM (AF-KLM). Focusing on passenger

in 2019, AF-KLM is dedicated to deliver-

transport, cargo transport and aeronau-

ing the highest quality service to 101.4mn

tical maintenance (via its Air France-KLM

travellers each year.

Engineering & Maintenance subsidiary),

The company’s air cargo subsidi-

Air France-KLM is dedicated to unsur-

ary - Air France-KLM Martinair - is one

passable excellence within the aviation

of the strongest in the sector. A flexible

sector. Offering passengers the oppor-

and purposefully-designed service, the

tunity of flying to 318 destinations spread

company makes use of 172 long haul air-

over 118 countries, utilising a fleet of

craft and six full freighter models to offer

548 aircraft, the company operates

the market a wide spectrum of solutions. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

WHAT DOES REAL AVIATION MRO OPTIMIZATION LOOK LIKE?

DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER

Staffed by over 4,000 people, Martinair

maintenance to approximately 3,000

has so far managed to transport over

aircraft so far. The company prides

1.2mn tonnes of cargo (worth â‚Ź2.3bn) to

itself on a four-way approach to busi-

457 destinations in 152 countries.

ness: innovation, global networking,

Not just offering a superior passen-

agility and airline-MRO. AFI KLM E&M

ger and logistics experience but also

also has a defined sustainability strat-

technical knowledge, Air France-KLM

egy, which includes increasing energy

Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM

efficiency by 20% by the end of 2020,

E&M) is a global leader in mainte-

researching the application of renew-

nance, repair and overhaul (MRO)

able energy within its operations and

services. With 14,000 staff assisting

designing its buildings and hangers

200 customers daily, the company

with low environmental impact in mind.

has provided best-in-class technical

Some of its sustainability achieve-

support, engine repair and structural

ments include recycling 400 tonnes of

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AIR FRANCE

296

MARCH 2020

297

2004

Year founded

$29.5bn Revenue in US dollars

88,000 Number of employees

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AIR FRANCE

298

“ THE COMPANY PRIDES ITSELF ON A FOURWAY APPROACH TO BUSINESS: INNOVATION, GLOBAL NETWORKING, AGILITY AND AIRLINE-MRO”

MARCH 2020

aircraft parts and using only 150 litres of water to clean a Boeing 777 - the largest twinjet model - instead of the previously required 12,000 litres.

Over the course of its history, Air France has been dedicated to innovation that increases both operational efficiencies and the quality of customer service. From its hub airport Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the airline has managed to create a broad flight network utilising an optimised and modern fleet. Rated consistently in the top 25 of Skytrax’s World Airline Awards list and with strong capabilities in three crucial aspects of aviation, Air France’s commitment to excellence is evidently being recognised by the industry. “With these ambitions for the Air France-KLM Group and the exceptional commitment of our teams,” said Benjamin Smith, CEO of AF-KLM, in a press release, “I am convinced that we can become an industry leader in Europe, to the benefit of our employees, our customers, our shareholders and indeed all stakeholders.”

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300

EXPERIENCE DESIGN, ENTERPRISE AND CULTURAL AGILITY IN AUCKLAND WATERCARE’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY

RACHAEL DAVIS PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

MARCH 2020

301

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W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

Auckland’s Watercare, New Zealand’s largest water utility company, provides the city’s 1.7 million people with clean water and reliable wastewater disposal. We spoke to Rebecca Chenery, Paul du Quaasteniet, and Peter Johnston about Watercare’s innovative digital transformation

I

n 2010, Watercare consolidated seven water utility companies in Auckland to create a more consistent, better man-

aged system for the city’s residents. Watercare 302

quickly built a solid track record in infrastructure and service delivery, but Raveen Jaduram, Watercare’s Chief Executive Officer, has over the last several years focused on putting customers at the heart of the business. According to Chief Digital Officer Rebecca Chenery, “becoming customer-centric today means more than being reliable and efficient – it means being fast, flexible and responsive to the changing needs of Aucklanders”. This sentiment is the driving force behind the digital transformation and application of technology underway at Watercare.

The multi-year transformation has been led by Raveen Jaduram and his Executive team, knowing that, for real change in mindsets and culture to occur, it needed to be led and modelled from the top.

MARCH 2020

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Want to follow in Watercare’s footsteps?

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We’ll help transform the way you deliver quality software by combining powerful technologies with the best operational expertise to deliver software assurance in today’s digital world.

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TTCGLOBAL.COM

Going digital – it’s do or die in today’s modern landscape Digital transformation is certainly a hot topic and is driving conversations at the executive table around: Digitising customer experiences Increasing speed to market Moving to Agile working environments Lowering costs Increasing quality TTC is a NZ owned software assurance provider with a focus on enabling organisations across the globe to transform the way they deliver technology. TTC teams enable robust and rapid test program delivery that helps organisations increase the speed and quality of technology deployment while reducing risk and cost. Deploying a continuous testing platform provides the fundamentals of automated testing, test data management and continuous deployment across any technology landscape in any industry and for any company size.

Digital or die Digital is very simple from the customer’s perspective (let me transact whenever and from wherever I am), but often highly complex in practise – this is where automated and continuous testing becomes vital. Without it, executives do not have visibility or control of the quality of their IT program and suffer poor speed to market and increased risk.

The world won’t wait Many industries use complex, cross-functional systems, which can slow down the launch of new products and services. TTC believes you can get a head start by investing in a continuous testing platform that is easily understood and implemented. This investment provides tangible value and lasting benefits including re-usable test assets for project and postproduction use, security of IP and less reliance on individuals.

The typical outcomes are: Test cycle times reduced from 10 weeks to 3 days Business risk coverage increased from 30% to 90% Improved data and enviroment management Easier engagement and visibility with development suppliers Decreased cost of testing ownership Increased and retained value of testing assets Ongoing operational monitoring Integrated test and business process automation Testing culture for today’s IT program Most organisations must deliver their IT programs via a variety of traditional or modern delivery methods. Recently, common themes include Agile, DevOps and cloud computing as key enablers of going digital. The goal is to enable cross-functional, highly co-ordinated teams to deliver a digital improvement in very short cycle times. An automated and continuous test platform is key in today’s fast-moving, risk adverse world.

Remaining competitive A common goal and outcome is to reduce an organisation’s cost base by at least 10%. Manual testing (and the by-product of incomplete testing) typically consumes 29% of an IT budget. TTC delivers an automated and continuous test platform that will bring significant and repeating return on investment. With specialised testing consultants in offices around the globe, TTC assists all organisations in delivering modern, universal testing programs resulting in higher quality software, faster time to market, reduced costs and lower risk.

Learn More

W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

Watercare: a day in the life of David Luke, a Waikato-based treatment plant operator CLICK TO WATCH

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5:04

306

“ THINK OPENLY, SOLVE PROBLEMS DIFFERENTLY, AND COLLABORATE” — Rebecca Chenery, Chief Digital Officer, Watercare

how data is leveraged across the business. To meet the targets set out in the programme, a collaborative attitude has been essential, together with the combination of multiple teams from across the business. For example, Watercare did not want to create an ‘innovation bubble,’ but a cooperative, communal environment where opin-

The company’s Strategic Transformation

ions are valued and voices are heard.

Programme, of which Paul de

“For an organisation like Watercare,

Quaasteniet is the Programme Director

which has had a number of long-tenure

and Peter Johnston is Enterprise

staff and legacy ways of working, the

Change Lead, represents an overhaul

culture shift has been substantial,”

of ways of working, technologies and

affirms Chenery.

MARCH 2020

A key way in which the company’s

are poised for greater success moving

management team drove this change

forward by creating an agile mindset

in working culture was through the crea-

that encourages thinking openly,

tion of a new co-working space, The

solving problems differently, and

Hub, which Chenery says “provides

greater collaboration.

a place for people to meet, eat, work

“We have seen a big shift in how

and host visitors — to use as they see

teams have removed functional barri-

fit.” The notion of a shared, multi-purpose

ers, found a common goal and pooled

space was new for Watercare. It was

efforts in the same direction – these

an initial signal that the culture was

new attitudes and skills in working

changing into more of a creative environ-

inside and across teams has been

ment, led by new ideas and collaborative

fundamental,” says Johnston.

working. Additionally, Watercare placed

“The Strategic Transformation

key leaders through a tailored leader-

Programme gave the foundation for

ship programme, and provided staff

three aspirational outcomes,” says

with Agile Fundamentals and Design

de Quaasteniet. “These are: that the

Thinking training and on-the-job learn-

customer can do everything for them-

ing. This has ensured that employees

selves wherever they are, in a single

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Rebecca Chenery As Watercare’s Chief Digital Officer, Rebecca Chenery is responsible for leading all technology aspects of the business along with Watercare’s business transformation programme. She has many years of experience in leading teams to deliver exceptional business outcomes across the financial services, telecommunications and water industries in New Zealand and overseas.

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W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

308 interaction; that our people have the

financial systems; an automated market-

right tools, best processes and are

ing solution for internal and external

empowered to do their jobs; and that

communications teams; a new enter-

they are able to make insight-informed

prise asset management system for the

and fact-based decisions with confi-

operations side of the business; and a

dence.� Through streamlining processes

planning and insights solution for ana-

and improving staff skills and attitudes

lysing population and growth data to

in working with data, Watercare is now

see where Auckland’s major growth is

able to use its insights to make informed

occurring while assessing how to best

decisions that are more predictive

respond. With the help of specialist part-

than reactive and ultimately improve

ners, robotic process automation (RPA)

customer experience.

technology has been implemented

In terms of technology, the transfor-

across key business processes, helping

mation has involved the successful

Watercare’s people to use and see ben-

replacement of the customer, billing, and

efits from integrated technology.

MARCH 2020

“Our squads have also been working

management introduced by the Strategic

with our business support areas, such

Transformation Programme. For exam-

as Health, Safety and Wellbeing and

ple, the development of its platform

Human Resources. We have automated

strategy, hosted by AWS, will future-

the transactional parts of these func-

proof Watercare’s core technology

tions to free our professionals up to do

needs and allow the organisation to

what they are here to do: support our

respond to and introduce new solutions

leaders and our people to be at their

to long standing problems.

best,” says de Quaasteniet.

One essential innovation is

These new technologies have been

Watercare’s Data Hub. Established

pushed out through the new approaches

on the new, AWS-hosted platform,

towards culture, delivery and change

the Data Hub brings together data that

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

309

Paul du Quaasteniet Paul is a transformation leader focusing on digital strategy, operating model transitions and organisational change implementation. He’s currently leading Watercare’s Strategic Transformation Programme (STP), a two-year design-led digital reinvention programme across people, process, data and technology domains. Paul has worked in the Middle East, Asia and New Zealand in utilities, manufacturing, consumer products, oil & gas, transportation & logistics and health organisations.

Paul believes that transformation success often comes down to being human-centred, which requires strong leadership, nimble, crossfunctional teams and a ‘safe to experiment’ working culture.

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W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

310

“ DESIGNING FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE — USING NEW DISCIPLINES LIKE HUMAN CENTRED DESIGN, WHICH REQUIRES STRONG TEAMING AND EVEN STRONGER LEADERSHIP — WILL KEEP WATERCARE IMPROVING INTO 2020 AND BEYOND” — Peter Johnston, Enterprise Change Lead for the Strategic Transformation Programme, Watercare

MARCH 2020

311

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“ IT WAS AN END-TO-END REPLACEMENT OF OUR CORE SOLUTIONS, WITH A VIEW TO PULLING OUT THE DATA AND USING IT TO DRIVE BETTER DECISION MAKING ACROSS THE ORGANISATION” — Paul de Quaasteniet, Strategic Transformation Programme Director, Watercare

was previously scattered across the business into one accessible visualisation layer, making it available and digestible for every employee. It also facilitates the exchange of information with external organisations and agencies, such as Auckland Council.

Data Hub supports Watercare’s principles of “data availability, quality, stewardship and governance,” which de Quaasteniet says has resulted in “a shift in how people use data, come together across the Data Hub and drive insights.”

“As an example, we are rolling out IoT across key parts of our network, and PRO FI LE

Peter Johnston Peter is a strategy, business design and transformation specialist who leads the organisational change management component of the transformation programme. Peter’s run business consulting teams across Europe, the UK and Australasia, having recently established and led the IBM iX consulting practice in New Zealand. Peter applies behavioural science and design research to help transform the customer experience, and to help make work more meaningful and rewarding. Establishing strong leadership and teaming to improve creativity and innovation is a big focus of his work.

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313

W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

314

streaming data through our Data Hub.

a large and complex programme of

This enables our data science team

work. “Having clear career steps and

to uncover insights that will allow the

implementing badge systems to provide

operational teams to save money, save

an evidence-based route to profes-

water, and increase customer satisfac-

sional progression is important. We

tion,” he adds. “Having the right partners

have needed to give our talented tech-

on the journey was critical. The fresh

nical people pathways to build their

talent from Harmonics has accelerated

skills that don’t necessarily end up in

our shift towards a data-driven culture.

‘people management’. We are compet-

TTC has helped move our test automa-

ing hard in the market for these new

tion from zero to over 80%, seriously

skill sets — Data Science, Behavioural

raising our Quality game”

Science — and we need to give these

Attracting and nurturing top talent has been central to implementing MARCH 2020

people lots of room for growth and development,” says de Quaasteniet.

The change has been significant.

Now, instead of new tech projects taking one to three years to complete, with the new platform and ways of working, Watercare can deliver change in substantially less time — weeks and months rather than years. Another component is the organisation’s automated testing platform, which minimises the spend on testing from 30% of the budget to under 10% while quadrupling the efficiency and speed of testing. Partnering with the right experts who can help augment its capability has been a critical aspect of the success of Watercare’s technol-

1993

Year founded

ogy quality drive.

The next step for the Data Hub is the development of the Nerve Centre — Watercare’s ‘air traffic control tower’ which is both physical and technical.

1.7mn+

Aucklanders provided with lifeline services daily

1,000 Number of employees

Visualisation will be key to its operation, with large screens and interactivity bringing together different aspects of the organisation through the application of data. Ultimately, the Nerve Centre will provide a predictive layer to the maintenance of Auckland’s water supply so Watercare can preempt problems or identify them early, allowing for timely maintenance. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

315

W AT E R C A R E S E R V I C E S

“ THE CULTURE CHANGE IS THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO” — Rebecca Chenery, Chief Digital Officer, Watercare

317 Looking ahead, Watercare will

an improved, more sustainable digital

continue to focus on digital innovation.

experience than before, and implement

“Keeping ahead of technological

change more quickly and effectively.

advances, scanning the market inside

“Everything we have done, whatever

and outside of the water industry,

outcome we needed to deliver, has

and trying to raise digital literacy

been focused on our people and

across staff are core expectations

our customers,” says Chenery.

of the Digital team,” explains Chenery.

“The culture change is the foundation

The digital transformation that Watercare has experienced has ena-

of everything that we have been able to do.”

bled it to remain at the forefront of new technologies which provide the foundations for innovation. Through the implementation of innovative technology, the organisation is able to deliver w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

318

SECURE, EFFICIENT AND INTELLIGENT: DELOITTE AUSTRALIA’S GLOBAL STRATEGY DRIVES DIGITAL

TRANSFORMATION ACROSS SECTORS WRITTEN BY

RACHAEL DAVIS PRODUCED BY

ANDREW STUBBINGS

MARCH 2020

319

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DELOITTE

At Deloitte Australia, digital is the new normal. We spoke to Brad Flanagan, Director of Digital and Cyber Risk about how Deloitte is supporting its clients on their digital transformation

D

eloitte Australia has a global reputation for being innovative, tech-driven and economically sound.

In today’s interconnected, digital world, it is critical to understand which technology can be taken advantage of safely, dependent on the desired 320

outcome. Managing the ever-growing, constantly changing cyber risks is an inherent part of solving complex problems to improve infrastructure and performance and develop new capabilities across sectors. With a unique east-west orientation, Deloitte Australia is well located to help organisations explore the need for genuine digital growth.

For Brad Flanagan, Director of Digital and Cyber Risk at the business, developing a powerful ecosystem with new technologies and existing infrastructure while maintaining cyber security is the essence of digital transformation. In understanding the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), Deloitte Australia has already made headway in integrating smart tech into a range of sectors.

Industrial control systems, operational technology, autonomous vehicles, mobile medical MARCH 2020

“ Digital is the new normal” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia

321

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DELOITTE

“ Blockchain, robotics, AI, and IoT aren’t new, but how to realise their value operationally is” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia

Australia. As IoT is being used to drive innovation and optimise operational performance, getting a proper handle on its ecosystem requires asset dis-

devices and smart cities are some

covery, threat detection, and vulnerability

of the areas Deloitte works in.

assessment,” he says.

Working closely with global alliance 322

In the mining sector, which is preva-

partners, Flanagan explains how

lent in Flanagan’s city of Brisbane,

Deloitte is “using the clout of its global

asset management is a key area in

footprint to bring expertise and experi-

which IoT is being used. He exempli-

ence to the changing market in

fies a “mining truck, with its mechanical components that can be monitored and tracked through IoT. The weardown rates of parts can be monitored to predict when vehicles need servicing — in the consulting world we call this ‘digital twinning.’ This means we can help reduce down-time and optimise production on the mining site significantly, saving hundreds of millions of dollars over a few years.”

Keeping pace with this everchanging landscape in a secure, efficient and intelligent way is essential. Robotics, AI, IoT and blockchain

MARCH 2020

Emerging technologies and trends within the energy sector CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:39

323 developments are all driving change,

do so in their best interests, in

but the main hurdle is typically sum-

Australia’s well-regulated business

marised in one question: ‘Where do

environment demands digitisation

we start?’ “Looking at the traditional

and digital transformation. Industries

landscape we have in many sectors,

such as financial services have led

the infrastructure was created at

the way. They have built their AI radars

least 20 years ago, before our

over the last few years, supported

internet-age and today’s data-

by economic growth and pushed by

based economy. The ability to

existing legal regulations, royal com-

connect efficiently, responsibly

missions and a clearer understanding

and effectively is compromised,”

of the importance of getting the internal

Flanagan explains.

focus right.

To manage the lakes of data

Other sectors can now use the

at the pace needed in order to meet

value of this learning to ensure their

customer requirements, and to

organisations’ digital transformations w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

DELOITTE

324

“ Getting technology stacks right and making the best use of AI and data can make the difference between catching up or keeping up. Meeting an ever-expanding and demanding digital future needs a genuine transformation” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia MARCH 2020

are undertaken in a safe and secure

To be better integrated, understood

way. In Australia, Deloitte has been

and rationalised, and to achieve a

at the forefront of that journey with

solid unified view of the risks, means

them from the very beginning.

that vulnerabilities in OT and IT need

As sectors with more traditional

to be consolidated and assessed as

approaches to operations are begin-

a whole, to avoid the potentially cata-

ning to bring high technology into

strophic consequences of a breach

effective action, a lack of integrated

or crash.

security can be a risk. Operational

Before IoT, a crash in IT might mean

technology (OT) and IT security

an email server drops out for a few

processes are different, and require

seconds and emails take a little

unique risk management strategies.

longer to be delivered. A nuisance,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

325

Brad Flanagan Brad is currently the National Operational Technology (OT) Lead Cyber Director and bring over 15 years’ professional and industry experience in Cyber and IT risk services. He has a broad range of Cyber experience across power, utilities and mining sectors and brings an innovative, global-minded focus with a proven record of exceeding business goals and delivering impressive operations and financial results. Brad has extensive experience assisting organisations define and develop their cybersecurity strategies, implementation and governance frameworks.

This includes assessing the design and operating effectiveness of IT controls in the Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Controls Systems (ICS) environments against various industry standards such as NIST 800, ES-C2M2, AESCSF and IEC 62443.

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armis.com

certainly — but not inherently dan-

risks, both technical and non-techni-

gerous. As industries integrate IT

cal. A culture shift needs to be a top

into operational functions, however,

priority for companies wishing to

a server breach or drop in connection

integrate IoT, robotics, AI, or any high

can have dire consequences. “We

tech into their industry, Flanagan

have some energy clients that can

explains. “The biggest cultural shift

control electricity on certain power

has really been workers in IT and OT

poles,” Flanagan explains. “If there

educating the boards, explaining what

were a delayed reaction of even

OT is, how it is different to IT, and how

a couple of seconds where a person

the organisation can navigate through

physically touched that power line,

the different risks as they combine

and the current stays running, that

the two through IoT,” he says.

delay could cost somebody’s life.”

In most cases, the key performance

It is essential, therefore, that busi-

indicators measured differ between

ness risks get translated into security

OT, which is focused on production

MARCH 2020

“ The biggest cultural shift has really been workers in IT and OT educating their Boards, explaining how the organisation can navigate through the different risks as they combine the two through IoT” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia

and safety, and IT, which is all about availability. A shift in culture and approach will find “the important common ground to enable in-house relationships and sustainable co-operation,” Flanagan states.

Companies can work with IT and OT engineers to co-develop security architecture blueprints for existing and new production sites which serve both sectors adequately.

As digital becomes the new normal, companies that thrive in the constantly shifting environment are the

Automating your private market finance function CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:47

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327

DELOITTE

“ Understanding how to use IoT to drive innovation and optimise operational performance is the difference between just catching up and building a sustainable business future” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia

328

MARCH 2020

329

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DELOITTE

330

“ To thrive in a constantly shifting environment requires collaboration” — Brad Flanagan, Director, Digital & Cyber Risk, Deloitte Australia

ones collaborating with world-leading technology providers. Quality partnerships are integral to address complex operational and business challenges, meeting new market needs.

“Getting technology stacks right and making the best use of AI and data can make the difference between catching up or keeping up, and genuinely transforming to a meet an ever expanding and demanding digital future,” Flanagan says.

MARCH 2020

790 Partners

$2.3bn Revenue in AUS dollars

10,000+ Number of employees

As it orchestrates complex opera-

business opportunities and solutions

tions involving multiple teams, Deloitte

available to them in this expanding

works with a significant number of

ecosystem to at the top of their game,

global alliances. These include secu-

which they can only do with the best

rity firms that identify blind spots for

vendors, security providers, and tech-

enterprises by bringing visibility and

nical solutions.”

control over all devices and networks, both managed and unmanaged, to help to close critical security gaps.

“Organisations can no longer afford to keep IT and OT separate,” Flanagan concludes. “They must invest in the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

331

332

GOLDWAGEN: journeying towards digital transformation WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

MARCH 2020

PRODUCED BY

JAMES BERRY

333

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G O L DWAG E N

Shayne Turley, CIO of South Africa’s Goldwagen, details the digital transformation setting the company up to take advantage of ecommerce opportunities

G

oldwagen is a South African-based, globally-recognised automotive parts distributor and franchise group.

Supported by a state-of-the-art distribution warehouse located in Centurion, Goldwagen operates across Southern Africa through over 100 fran334

chised outlets, supplying cost-effective, high-quality automotive parts to the aftermarket spares industry.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Shayne Turley has been with Goldwagen for more than half its history. During his 14 years with the company, he has witnessed its astonishing growth first-hand. “The IT department has completely transformed since the company was founded in 1992. From a very small team, there are now seven technicians manning the IT help desk and five developers designing and maintaining our internal systems,� says Turley.

Scaling the IT department has been critical as Goldwagen has grown from originally supplying quality aftermarket parts for only Volkswagen and Audi to offering parts for 17 different vehicle brands.

MARCH 2020

335

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G O L DWAG E N

“ Because of our phenomenal growth, at the moment we are under extreme pressure to get the products out the door fast enough” — Shayne Turley, CIO, Goldwagen

“Another milestone is that most of the systems we currently have in place have been developed in-house, from the operating system all the way through to the point-of-sale (POS) system to stock management at stores.”

The deployment of these systems has been key in addressing several busi-

336

ness-critical issues. “Previously, different stores were using different versions of the mandated software. By centralising our systems and processes, we can now see what version of the software our franchisees are working on and automatically update it where necessary. By controlling which version of

MARCH 2020

Goldwagen CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:57

337 the software is being used, we are also

The company has likewise started

able to quickly and easily identify and

looking into suitable cloud-based solu-

resolve any problems. We are further

tions, albeit cautiously given costly and

able to send out a fix to all our fran-

occasionally unstable internet access

chisees if necessary,” Turley explains.

in South Africa. It is, however, already

The ordering of parts by franchisees

reaping the benefits of the software

was one of the first components of the business to be digitised. “We’ve since

being trialed.

It is also in the early stages of

substantially expanded the digital foot-

a partnership to expand its data

print across our franchise network,

storage capabilities, since most

with stores now able to order and track

franchisee data is currently being

orders online. We’re also moving away

centralised, meaning that the amount

from paper-based invoicing, with store

of data being captured and handled

owners able to invoice online, as well as

has increased substantially. “We

track and download them if necessary.”

are working with suppliers to find w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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a solution that can scale vertically

The project gained more momentum

as we grow. However, we will main-

given the recent entry of nontraditional

tain responsibility for the data,

competitors such as the likes of Amazon

which we know is secure because

into the automotive parts market.

it’s onsite.”

Goldwagen has reaped the rewards

The changes he has overseen has led Turley to reflect on the function of a CIO.

of this IT transformation at an opera-

“I definitely see the role of the CIO, or at

tional level, but it is looking at further

least my role, as evolving to be much

improving customer experience

more strategic. The CIO is responsible

through e-commerce. “We started

for understanding the organisational

about two years ago with the goal

vision and objective goals, deciding how

of being one of the leading compa-

to help achieve these at an IT level, and

nies operating in this space to have

then filtering this down to his or her

an e-commerce platform in South

teams and letting the teams deal with

Africa,” says Turley.

implementation, as opposed to trying

MARCH 2020

“ We’ve substantially expanded the digital footprint across our franchise network, with stores now able to order and track orders online” — Shayne Turley, CIO, Goldwagen

of trust is gained through ongoing edu-

to micromanage everything oneself.

cation and teams having the necessary

Of course, it does mean making busi-

expertise. “Standard business prac-

ness-critical decisions and meeting

tice theory is becoming less relevant,

with potential suppliers and such.”

and that’s where short courses are

Turley believes the increased level

339

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Shayne Turley Shayne Turley started his career in the ICT industry over 25 years ago as a technician installing POS systems and doing networking. He worked his way up the chain by continually upskilling, staying ahead of current trends and technologies and applying his aptitude for all things technical. Shayne has been at Goldwagen for over 14 years where he has helped the company implement innovative technological and business applications that catered for the company’s rapid growth.

Shayne’s success in the company cannot solely be attributed to himself but rather to the collective input and effort of his colleagues and peers in the CIO community and at Goldwagen. Shayne’s humble trustworthy nature and has allowed him to be approachable and build relationships of trust and dependability. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

G O L DWAG E N

340

1992

Year founded

36,000+ high-quality parts available

1500+ Number of employees

MARCH 2020

becoming more important, particularly online learning. We encourage our people to continually learn about new technology, stay abreast of the latest trends and understand what we can apply within Goldwagen.”

As for the future, the next major project is to upgrade Goldwagen’s warehouse systems. “Our goal is to implement a more suitable warehouse management system so that we become even more efficient, thus ensuring continued excellent customer service. Because of our phenomenal growth, at the moment we are under extreme pressure to get the products out the door fast enough. That’s a great place to be in, but it means our systems have to be world-class to ensure we maintain our competitive edge and that our brand is synonymous with affordability, quality and world-class service.”

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341

342

MARCH 2020

AFRISSANCE DIGITAL: EMBRACING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AFRICA

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

JUSTIN BRAND

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343

A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L

Victor Taiwo, CEO of Afrissance Digital, discusses how the influence of technology is transforming operations at his company and beyond

O

ver the past decade, technology penetration in Africa has grown considerably.

Such is the speed of the development that

Africa skipped landlines and went straight to mobile technology. “There were very few households with landlines when I was growing up,” says Victor Taiwo, 344

CEO of Afrissance Digital. “However, with the jump to 3G, 4G and 5G in Africa, it means we’ve been able to implement more technology-based solutions. Mobile money has been introduced because the technology now exists via mobile apps. Hosting your data in the cloud wouldn’t have existed several years ago, but now we’re seeing companies in Africa embrace these new solutions. Firms such as Oracle are pushing for cloud and now offer predominantly cloud-based solutions.”

Having looked at the landscape in Africa and observing how businesses were implementing ERP solutions, Taiwo identified a gap in how the consulting industry addressed African business needs. “This led me to establish a consulting company, utilising indigenous people who are first and foremost steeped in the African culture MARCH 2020

345

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A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L

“ With the jump to 3G, 4G and 5G in Africa, it means we’ve been able to implement more technologybased solutions”

and ultimately take a different approach to addressing business needs,” explains Taiwo. “We were careful to make sure our leadership team comprises of executives who are experts in their respective areas to help guide us. It’s a key reason why we have leaders from both the consulting profession and from our industry on our Board of Directors.”

— Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital 346

As with any successful consulting company, meeting client demands is essential. To maintain that drive, Taiwo insists on a robust and continuous improvement strategy. “We’re a young company and uniquely placed to be pioneers of this new digital era,” says Taiwo. “By focusing on digital solutions for business, it allows us to dig deep into their operations in order to understand the best way to deliver the business solution. With our understanding of our clients’ business, we don’t only address the configuration of applications, we focus on the business transformation that the solutions facilitate. As we develop, we continue to learn more about how to drive the customer towards those value-adding solutions.”

MARCH 2020

The Future is Digital CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:11

347 New technologies such as machine

drive insights using data from disparate

learning (ML) and automation have

systems.” With data considered a core

created greater efficiency for many

component to Afrissance’s strategy,

companies. ML is key in helping ERP

Taiwo affirms the customer always

solutions to better comprehend pat-

remains at the heart of decision-

terns and trends, helping businesses

making. “The most important thing to

find ways to generate more value out

us is understanding the customer. In

of their data. “For example, when you

the UK, you expect everyone to have

submit an expense, it knows how to put

a bank account and a mobile device

it in the right category based on previ-

to do internet banking, but this isn’t

ous patterns” he explains. “We capture

the case in Africa,” explains Taiwo.

a lot of data in the ERP space, previ-

“However, mobile money is growing

ously we only used data for financial

in Africa. Technology such as using a

and management reporting. Now, we

mobile number as a bank account to

have the tools to build analytics that

pay each other has empowered the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L

348

people of Africa to start using mobile

place. It’s important to start small and

money. Despite the lack of computer

understand that it’s a journey. We did

penetration, the simplicity of applica-

exactly that; we started with five gradu-

tions delivered to Africa are much more

ate trainees and have grown from there.

user-friendly than in Europe.”

It allowed us to focus our energies on

With long-term ambitions of becom-

our development and enabled them

ing Africa’s foremost indigenous

to become mentors and leaders. Now,

consulting organisation, Taiwo has his

they are passing on their knowledge to

sights aimed high. “In 2018, I said that

newer members of the team and you

our aim was to gain industry recognition

can see we are growing significantly.

for our innovative approach to solu-

We are on track with our plan.”

tion delivery,” says Taiwo. “To achieve

Afrissance centres operations

this plan, we must lay the foundations

around six corporate values. These are:

and put the right culture and ethics in

courage, context, character, culture,

MARCH 2020

consistency and competence. “These

we’re adding is commitment which we

values are very much central to what we

demonstrate daily through our invest-

are as an organisation and represents

ment in continuous training and by our

what our clients can expect from us in

recent investment in dedicated fully

every engagement and assignment that

equipped new office space in the heart

we undertake,” says Taiwo. “Another C

of the Lagos business district.”

Victor Taiwo

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Victor is the CEO at Afrissance Digital. He sets the vision and direction for Afrissance Digital and oversees all company strategy, business activities and operations. Victor spent several years at Oracle Corporation and as an independent consultant delivering solutions to numerous Fortune 500 and FT 100 clients. He subsequently spent several years helping a major manufacturing conglomerate, Alcoa, roll-out new information systems throughout their global operations, but specifically in Europe and Africa.

His tenacity has helped many companies address major operational and structural issues over the intervening years.

He holds an honours degree in Accounting and is an alumnus of the London Business School.

On founding Afrissance Digital, Victor observed, “We have an opportunity to leapfrog many of the IS issues of the last couple of decades and, as with mobile technology, help Africa reach the enterprise top table in the shortest time possible.” When not screaming at underperforming Arsenal players in the Emirates stadium, Victor devotes his spare time ferrying his two sons to and from their increasingly numerous extracurricular activities. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

349

A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L

350

“ We’re a young company and uniquely placed” — Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital

MARCH 2020

Collaboration and partnership are key pillars of Taiwo’s strategy, with Afrissance forging a key strategic alliance with Lonestar Cell MTN. The company became Afrissance’s success story of 2019 and emboldened them to the challenges that lie ahead.

“We implemented a full NetSuite ERP and Point of Sale solution for Lonestar Cell MTN, in four months, with the bulk of the work conducted by our graduate consultants, who had at that time no more than 14 months experience. This is where we first met Titilope Fakuade, CIO, and Kingsley Konadu, former CFO, whose vision for Lonestar Cell MTN Liberia we were delighted to help realise.”

Looking to the future, Taiwo has a clear vision of what he expects the next few years at Afrissance to look like. “Everything we do is born in the cloud, and we’re pushing that agenda because we believe it’s the future. You don’t own all the apps on your mobile phone, you just use them. Some you pay for and some are free. That’s where I see the enterprise market moving in the next few years.” Some aspects of the current landscape w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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A F R I S S A N C E D I G I TA L

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MARCH 2020

“The next two or three years are all about cloud” — Victor Taiwo, CEO, Afrissance Digital

353

in Africa are unfavourable towards

years are all about cloud penetration.

cloud-based solutions due to con-

It’s already started in the more devel-

cerns around data residency and data

oped economies of the world and, as

security, however, Taiwo sees the tide

the legislation continues to allow, we’re

of legislation in Africa beginning to

going to see more penetration in Africa.

soften and expects the implementation

It will also allow more linearity between

of cloud solutions to become more

Europe and Africa because it means

prominent in the region. “It means we

we’re all working off the same solution.”

can champion software as a service (SaaS),” explains Victor. “It also allows us to work more remotely because it’s in the cloud and everyone can access it at the same time. The next two or three w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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MTN Liberia: improving customer experience with technology WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

JAMES BERRY

MARCH 2020

355

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

MTN LIBERIA

Titilope Fakuade, CIO at MTN Liberia, discusses the company’s IT strategy and its use of new technologies to improve customer experience and connectivity

T

hroughout Titilope Fakuade’s 14-year career at MTN, she has worked her way through the ranks, starting as an

engineer. Today, she is the Chief Information 356

Officer at MTN Liberia. “I have always been a solution orientated and customer focused individual. I strive to implement positive development and lead people. It has been a wonderful experience to work with IT solutions, developing new technologies to deliver solutions for multiple customers,” says Fakuade. “MTN Liberia is very different. Our brand is powerful and connected with its customers because we truly value them.

I believe this is evident within the products we offer, how we engage with our customers and how we relate to them. Our vision is to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We believe everyone deserves the benefits of a connected modern life and we are committed to achieving this.”

MARCH 2020

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MTN LIBERIA

“ As new trends and technology emerge each day, there is a need to protect our data and ensure that the business is secure” — Titilope Fakuade, CIO, MTN Liberia

Since joining MTN, Fakuade has seen the company develop and adopt new technologies as trends evolve, “in the past we have evolved with 2G, 3G and 4G, and now as a business we are moving beyond just voice and SMS to digital and financial services,” comments Fakuade. Current telecommunication trends that Fakuade is seeing shape the industry include: 5G, the internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots and data

358

analytics. “In addition to these new

MARCH 2020

MTN Prestige Launch CLICK TO WATCH

|

4:08

359 technologies there is also an increased

its key goals is to become a fintech

need for agility and quality of service

and digital player. Therefore, we are

for a great customer experience,

evolving our technology and IT land-

which is driving the sense of urgency

scape to enable true innovations that

around automation in every aspect of

provide business value. In order to do

the business,” she says. “With automa-

this effectively we need to understand

tion, the industry will see improved

the business landscape and direc-

time-to-market, improved customer

tion.” As part of its IT strategy, Fakuade

experience and increased efficiency of

explains MTN Liberia makes use of

back office operations. Ultimately, as

innovative technology and the benefits

a result of all of these technologies we

it provides in order to achieve the

will be able to create truly personalised

company’s overall goal of improving

experiences for our customers.”

connectivity within the African region.

When it comes to MTN Liberia’s IT strategy, Fakuade notes that “one of

MTN launched a digital transformation strategy tagged OXYGEN aimed w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

MTN LIBERIA

“ It has been a wonderful experience to work within the IT and Telecoms industry, leveraging new technologies to deliver solutions for multiple customers while transforming business” — Titilope Fakuade, CIO, MTN Liberia

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+234 (0) 1 280 9356

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E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Titilope Fakuade Titilope is the first female CIO in the history of Lonestar Cell MTN and a true trailblazer. She is a seasoned CIO with a wealth of experience, spanning over 18 years in highly competitive markets, with 14 of those years spent as a member of the MTN family. She has a proven track record in IT leadership and has delivered numerous new and exciting value propositions to maintain market leadership. Titilope holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. She’s a true hotshot technology leader, a proud wife and mother of two children. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

MTN LIBERIA

362

MARCH 2020

at transforming our technology stack on the journey to becoming a digital operator. “Automating mundane or time-consuming processes can reduce costs, improve time-to-market and can provide real time data analytics and insights, something which we have experienced at MTN Libera.

We have also been using virtualisation technology to further help to reduce costs from a customer support perspective, as well as providing us with the ability to predict and preempt customer issues, which is where our use of data analytics comes in. The digital transformation journey has seen us adopting digital workplace to leverage unified communication and collaboration, workplace mobility and a paperless environment. MTN Liberia is striving to become a digital operator and provider of individual personalised experiences. To do this we need to be able to understand our customers and their behaviors to offer more innovative services that are tailored and specific to each customer’s needs.�

However, alongside innovation comes challenges. Fakuade highlights some of the key challenges w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

363

MTN LIBERIA

MTN has faced and resolved during the implementation of its IT strategy.

“Some of the challenges related to implementing new technologies include ensuring it is beneficial to business success with positive returns on investment , and that the innovation will be widely adopted.

With every new technology there is a change management process to ensure new technologies are adopted properly across the business and that they provide the most 364

value.” Fakuade also explains that cyber-security is something no one should overlook. “As new trends and

“ Some of the challenges related to implementing new technologies include ensuring it is beneficial to business success with positive returns on investment, and that the innovation will be widely adopted” — Titilope Fakuade, CIO, MTN Liberia MARCH 2020

technology emerge each day, there is a need to protect our data and ensure that the business is secure. These technologies enable us to transform the business, but it requires constant engagement to stay ahead and ensure the business and our customers’ data is secure.”

Reflecting on the company’s transformation so far, Fakuade acknowledges the important role partnerships play when it comes to evolution. “There’s a need for

2000

Year founded

$40.mn+ Revenue in US dollars

100

Number of employees

collaborative efforts when implement-

learning and Big Data within the busi-

ing an IT transformation strategy. In

ness, as well as the evolution of 5G.

engaging with partners from an early

Looking at the company as a whole,

stage we can open up new oppor-

Fakuade believes that MTN Liberia’s

tunities. Over the years we have

biggest strengths and successes to

partnered with Ericsson, Microsoft,

date are its customer’s affinity to the

Oracle, Huawei and Afrissance Digital

brand as well as its promotion and sup-

to define our innovation roadmaps and

port of African culture to drive growth

drive collaborative evolution of digital

within the region.

experiences for customers.” As the company continues to implement its IT strategy, Fakuade would love to see further adoption of AI, machine w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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