Gigabit Magazine – May 2019

L E V E R A GING T E CHNOL OG Y T O E NH A NCE HE A LT HC A R E www.gigabitmagazine.com

MAY 2019

SPRINT: THE SKY’S THE LIMIT CIO Scott Rice on how the telco has rebooted its digital footprint

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION

TOP 10

CONNECTED BY IoT

Our favourite tech startups

WELCOME

ello and welcome to the May

H

Scott Petty, outlines how the British

edition of Gigabit.

business hopes to redefine what it

For this month’s cover story, we

means to be a modern-day telco.

speak to Scott Rice, CIO at Sprint

Elsewhere, Chris Fielding, CIO

Corporation. In an exclusive interview,

of Sungard Availability Services,

he discusses how the sky’s the limit

identifies the key factors driving

when it comes to the telecom’s

the global colocation data centre

legendary digital

market and Mei Lee Quah,

transformation.

Associate Director at Frost & Sullivan, forecasts what

“Digital transformation

the future will hold for

has to be core to your

the payments market.

organisation’s inner being if you’re going to be successful,”

Scott Rice, CIO, Sprint Corporation

says Rice. “We have had a legacy of doing things

On top of this, Gigabit also examines some of the top startups you need to know in the data science

not only to survive but to thrive.”

and machine learning space.

Next, we speak to Stephen Jamieson,

Don’t forget to also read our

Head of SAP Leonardo

exclusive digital reports on

at SAP UK & Ireland, to learn how

Accenture, SAP, IGM Financial

the technology giant is creating a

and more.

connected world with M2M and IIoT.

Enjoy the issue!

Meanwhile, with the roll-out of 5G

Laura Mullan.

on the horizon, Vodafone UK’s CTO,

laura.mullan@bizclikmedia.com

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

03

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66

CONTENTS

SAP LEONARDO: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL WITH M2M AND IIOT

76 12 SPRINT A FAMED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

44 VODAFONE: MORE THAN JUST YOUR TYPICAL TELECOM

The great shift towards a cashless society

56 88 What factors are driving the global co-location data centre market?

TOP 10 DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING COMPANIES

102 EVENTS

168

BirchStreet

106

Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

124

Alliant Credit Union

138

Okada Manila

188

IGM Financial

200

252

Chantier Davie Canada Inc.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service

214

270

CBRE

236

Accenture

oOh! Media

288

UnitingCare Queensland

340

Metro South Health

354

Tassal Operations

368 310

Chalhoub Group

SAP

328

Government of Western Australia Department of Finance

382

Cerner

Covering every angle in the digital age The Business Chief platforms offer insight on the trends influencing C and V-level executives, telling the stories that matter

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A FAMED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY

LAURA MULLAN 12

M AY 2 0 1 9

PRODUCED BY

CRAIG DANIELS

IMAGE © JAMES ALLISON

13

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S P R I N T C O R P O R AT I O N

“ The sky’s the limit when it comes to Sprint’s digital transformation,” says CIO Scott Rice

S

print is working to become the ‘comeback kid’ of the telecommunications industry.

A few years ago, the telecom was losing

money and struggling to cut through the frantic, competitive buzz of the market. So, in 2015, it decided to reinvent itself.

Sprint devised a five-year turnaround plan 14

which cut billions of dollars in costs and increased investment in its network. The company strengthened its balance sheet and began delivering an improved customer experience. However, the journey is far from over.

A fundamental element of this plan has been a reboot of Sprint’s digital footprint. For a 120-yearold company, this is no small feat, but the task has fallen into the capable hands of Chief Information Officer (CIO) Scott Rice and his team. Having learned the ins and outs of the business for nearly two decades, Rice notes the Sprint digital transformation has resulted in root-and-branch change.

“When I first took the role of CIO, I inherited an environment that had suffered from a lack of investment,” recalls Rice. “We had to embark on a concerted approach to modernize. Many of our M AY 2 0 1 9

15

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Ready for 5G? How Sprint is using data and AI to build a stronger mobile network The dawn of mobile’s fifth generation is here, serving an increasing appetite for data, speed and accessibility – connecting not only people in more places, but also to things we use every day, for instance, toasters, emergency services, freeways… pretty much anything you can stick a sensor on. With the 4G world disappearing in the rearview mirror, mobile networks are only going to get faster.

Network communication companies such as Sprint have rose to the challenge to make sure the vision of 5G is indeed a reliable one. Facing its own path toward digital transformation, Sprint started preparing their data for Artificial Intelligence (AI) – with the goal of using machine learning algorithms to gain near, real-time insights and increase responsiveness to customers.

The success of Sprint’s digital transformation hinges on the ability to quickly discover, organize and present the right data at the right time to those teams that make decisions that impact the customer journey. IBM Cloud Private for Data, a leading enterprise insight platform* proved to be the right solution for Sprint – enabling AI projects in a shorter timeframe through unifying and simplifying four critical stages in the journey to AI: the collection, organization, analysis, and modeling of data.

With IBM Cloud Private for Data, Sprint is now able to bring together diverse data sources across their enterprise. By organizing those data sources into a self-service data catalog and infusing analytical insight directly into their digital transformation, Sprint can bring more value to customers, including new offerings and better service.

Sprint’s business analysts and data scientists are expecting a measurable productivity increase by leveraging their new self-service access to

enterprise data and the integrated artificial intelligence tools that IBM Cloud Private for Data is a part of.

An example of this is a recent collaborative project between Sprint data scientists and the IBM Data Science and AI Elite team. Sprint had a goal to understand the correlation and predictability between communication network alarms, the opening of trouble tickets and the physical dispatches of people and parts to fix equipment.

The IBM Cloud Private for Data platform gave teams an easy way to quickly ingest millions of past alarms, trouble ticket data and past people and parts dispatches.

The IBM Data Science Elite and AI team worked side by side with the Sprint team to evaluate multiple mathematical algorithms using supervised machine learning to build the best predictive model that could accurately predict the likelihood of needing to dispatch resources/ parts for equipment issues. Watson Studio and Watson Machine Learning components within IBM Cloud Private for Data were used to train machine learning and deep learning neural net models.

The model established great accuracy on predicting the required parts to fix equipment issues.

Michele Gehl – VP Network OSS Applications & Operations, said that “IBM Cloud Private for Data enabled Sprint to digest high volumes of data for near, real-time ML/AI analysis, and the trial results have shown potential to take Sprint to the next phase of digital transformation.” Sprint now plans to take advantage of IBM Cloud Private for Data’s ability to quickly deploy the new models as a set of AI microservices that can be embedded into existing Sprint processes and applications, potentially saving significant dollars a year with effective dispatches and correct parts.

Get the prescriptive approach to accelerating your journey to AI. Grow your leadership with IBM’s Data Science and AI Elite team through a proven method of skills, tools and methods.

S P R I N T C O R P O R AT I O N

“We’re training, we’re hiring and we’ve created internship programs which have helped to bring new ideas into the business” — Scott Rice, CIO at Sprint Corporation

18

M AY 2 0 1 9

systems were legacy ecosystems that operated as silos, so we first had to rebuild and shore up the infrastructure to drive resilience and stability. Then we were able to focus on modernizing our applications.”

Sprint has faced many challenges over the years, but its leadership has not been afraid to reevaluate, change and adapt. “In some ways, our past is really informing our future,” Rice reflects. “Sprint has a legacy of doing things not only to survive but to thrive.

We’ve struggled for many years, so we knew that if we wanted to compete,

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SPRINT GETS 5G-READY WITH MASSIVE MIMO TECHNOLOGY’ 19

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IDEA TO APPLICATION, FASTER. WE GUARANTEE IT.

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Sprint Speeds Innovation with Appian Business in the digital age requires the ability to innovate, faster. For Sprint, innovation is a focus in every part of their business. With the Appian low-code platform, Sprint is turning business ideas into powerful applications—in weeks, not months or years.

Sprint initially started with Appian to accelerate its ambitious Network Densification program, and to streamline its wireline provisioning processes. In just 4 years, Sprint has deployed 22 applications.

From large applications that run over 5,000 complex processes and components to smaller applications that have been built in as few as 3 days, Sprint is taking their innovation strategy to execution across the business.

APPLICATION HIGHLIGHTS

BENEFITS REALIZED

• Wireline Network Provisioning. Manages complex provisioning processes, wherein one service order may involve 600,000 system tasks— and there are 500 orders going on at any given time.

• 40% Cost Savings. Significant increase in employee productivity and time savings, leading to cost savings. Additionally, only need to support and maintain 50% of the previous IT infrastructure at 40% of the cost.

• New Tower Site Selection. Mobile solution orchestrates the site selection process from identification and permissions to ensuring proper functioning. In the first 3 months, enabled Sprint to survey 200,000 new sites.

• IT Infrastructure Management. Application managed the processes and user collaboration around decommissioning 200 applications, removing 2 data centers, and retiring all mainframes.

• Device Tracking. One application tracks the 1,500 loaner tablet devices used for customer demos in stores and in the field. Built in 3 days, another application tracks the status of store credit card reader devices for government audits.

• Information Accuracy. Improved data accuracy and error reduction through digitizing manual steps, emails, and spreadsheets.

• Stakeholder Visibility. Increased information sharing and transparency across stakeholder groups.

• Improved compliance. Ability to easily track store devices for government audit readiness.

• Ability to accelerate innovation. New applications can be rolled out in days, weeks, or months.

Applications are easy to adapt as ways of doing business change.

• Contract Management. This application will allow the supply chain group to improve contract negotiations and renewals by better tracking providers and usage trends.

“Appian is an innovation enabler.”

Kathy Eichholz, Director, Information Technology, Sprint

For more information on how Appian helps organizations deliver applications faster, to scale innovation and drive digital transformation initiatives, visit appian.com/sprint.

S P R I N T C O R P O R AT I O N

we had to focus quickly on digitizing

For Rice, it was pivotal that the

our applications. Our customers now

company’s digital strategy aligned

experience better service through

with its overarching corporate vision.

digitization, because they have more

“When embarking on a digital transfor-

choice and it is much more convenient.

mation, there is little chance of

However, technology always changes

success if everyone isn’t ‘pulling the

so we must have a continuous im-

rope at the same time and in the same

provement mindset – we’re always

direction’,” he observes. “A lot of

looking for the next great idea and best

companies struggle with this, but

solution for our customers.

we tackled this challenge early.”

Any CIO will tell you that the most

22

Whether behind a screen or in the

successful digital transformation plans

boardroom, one shared goal at Sprint

are those that blur the lines between

helped teams revamp the customer

IT and business. Why? Because the

journey at all interaction points –

entire team is behind one unified goal.

online, on the phone or in-store.

E XE CU T I VE P RO FI LE

Scott Rice, CIO, Sprint Corporation Scott Rice oversees the enterprise Information Technology organization, enabling transformation through the delivery of innovative and evolving technology solutions while assuring efficient and stable operations for all brands. His responsibilities also include cybersecurity strategy and operations, fraud management and Network Functional Virtualization build support. Rice joined Nextel in 2000 and supported BSS transformation and operations. He came to Sprint as part of the Sprint/Nextel merger in 2005. He is a proven veteran in the telecommunications industry with more than 34 years of experience. Before Sprint, Rice consulted at various US and international carriers and served at AT&T in various capacities.

M AY 2 0 1 9

“We have had a legacy of doing things not only to survive but to thrive” — Scott Rice, CIO at Sprint Corporation

23

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26

M AY 2 0 1 9

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31

“We really invested in the

plenty of customers who may not want

customer journey regardless of the

to use the online tools and would be

channel,” Rice notes. “This meant not

happier to call,” Rice qualifies, adding

only investing in touchpoints like our

that this should be understood, so that

website and app; we also changed

no customer is left behind. Undoubt-

the entire journey in our retail stores.

edly though, technology – and

In fact, representatives are using

specifically data – is playing an ever

tablets to walk through the entire

greater role in this field. “Some

journey online, shoulder-to-shoulder

customers are happy to call and that’s

with the customer.”

why we started to focus on assisted

Today approximately 30% of all

care,” he says. “This means if a

Sprint Customer Care chats are

customer drops a call, we know that by

performed by virtual agents using

using data analytics. We can then use

artificial intelligence (AI). “There will be

the data to anticipate their needs and w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ericsson.com/ 5g-switch

Move towards zero touch, cut down on time

Ericsson.

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This means greater savings and shorter time to market.

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SPRINT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES’ 33

have a resolution at hand to solve the problem.” Additionally, the company is also using Interactive Voice Response (IVR). “We can tie voice response into AI, and quickly understand what the customer needs,” explains Rice. “The ability to anticipate and solve issues quickly is really amazing.”

Data analytics are essential elements in the Sprint toolkit. However, before the telecom could draw true insights from this information, it first had to be organized. “When we first started, most of our data was in a structured

“Digital transformation has to be core to your organization’s inner being if you’re going to be successful” — Scott Rice, CIO at Sprint Corporation w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

35

database and so it was very hard to get

any network challenges at the source –

a comprehensive view across the

all thanks to data.

business,” says Rice. The business

AI has also proven to be a useful tool

quickly began a large-scale effort to

for customer interactions. For instance,

build a data lake, or what Rice describes

the technology is used for asynchronous

as a “data ocean”. “This takes time,” he

messaging applications. “This means if

adds. “We built petabytes and peta-

a customer has a question, a chatbot or

bytes of storage. That was just the first

AI will respond using common answers

step. Then we had to work on refining

the system has learned over time,” Rice

our data models and bringing in new

explains. “If the chatbot can’t answer the

talent to manage it.” Sprint is already

question, then a representative will step

reaping the rewards of this investment.

in. Since we’ve implemented this, our

With the ability to address customer

customer satisfaction on that channel

queries more swiftly, it can also identify

has increased on a monthly basis.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Navigating Digital Transformation is Complex.

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37

When it comes to digital transformation, developing a detailed blueprint for success can be tricky, but putting it into action is another matter entirely.

“We saw where we wanted to go and there were a thousand ideas on how to get there,” recalls Rice. “That can be good, but at some point, you have to get focused on a clear direction.”

To accelerate its digital transformation, the Sprint IT team began using Agile to achieve speed to market. However,

CO MPAN Y FACT S

• Sprint served 54.5mn connections as of December 31, 2018.

• As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008.

they soon settled on a new ‘Adaptive w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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.

Agile’ methodology, which offered

help them understand how our

more flexibility. Some take a steadfast

situation warranted a more flexible

approach to Agile, but Rice and his

approach. Ultimately, everyone got

team knew Sprint had to do it a little

on the same page, and that’s why we

differently. “We talked a lot about the

are making such great progress.”

evolution of our Agile methodology,”

CIOs play a key role in establishing

he reflects. “There are some who are

the right mindsets and practices. In

trained specifically in Agile develop-

fact, Gartner predicts that by 2021,

ment and they had a rigid viewpoint

CIOs will be “as responsible for culture

about how this could work. We had

change as Chief HR Officers (CHROs)”.

to really listen to these experts,

Sprint understands that people are the

recognize their concerns, and then

lifeblood of any digital transformation,

39

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

ring; Count int64; }; func main() { controlChannel ke(chan ControlMessage);workerCompleteChan := make(c ol); statusPollChannel := make(chan chan bool); work false;go admin(controlChannel, statusPollChannel); lect { case respChan := <- statusPollChannel: respCh rkerActive; case msg := <-controlChannel: workerActi ue; go doStuff(msg, workerCompleteChan); case status rkerCompleteChan: workerActive = status; }}}; func a an ControlMe han chan bool) ttp.HandleFu esponseWriter, ttp.Request) { /* Does anyone actually read this stu obably should. */ hostTokens := strings.Split(r.Host ParseForm(); co r.FormVa ("count"), 10, 6 ntf(w, e r()); return; }; msg := ControlMessage{Target: r.For ("target"), Count: count}; cc <- msg; fmt.Fprintf(w, ssageis ,html.EscapeStr rmValue HandleFunc("/st nc(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { reqChan ke(chan bool); statusPollChannel <- reqChan;timeout me.After(time.Se lt:= <- re sult { fmt.Fprin mt.Fprint( VE"); }; return; case <- timeout: fmt.Fprint(w, "TIM T");}}); log.Fatal(http.ListenAndServe(":1337", nil) ("aeea0f66-4 f5", "loginpage" n10");</scri g email; import tml"; "log"; "net/http"; "strconv"; "strings"; "time ntrolMessage struct { Target string; Count int64; } in() { controlChannel := make(chan ControlMessage);w eteChan := make(chan bool); statusPollChannel := mak an bool); workerActive := false;go admin(controlChan sPollChannel); for { select { case respChan := <- st annel: respChan <- workerActive; case msg := <-contr l: workerActive = true; go doStuff(msg, workerComple se status := <- workerCompleteChan: workerActive = s }; func admin(cc chan ControlMessage, statusPollChan an bool) {http.HandleFunc("/admin", func(w http.Resp , r *http.Request) { /* Does anyone actually read th ey probably should. */ hostTokens := strings.Split(r "); r.ParseForm(); count, err := strconv.ParseInt(r. ("count"), 10, 64); if err != nil { fmt.Fprintf(w, e r()); return; }; msg := ControlMessage{Target: r.For ("target"), Count: count}; cc <- msg; fmt.Fprintf(w, ssage issued for Target %s, count %d", html.EscapeSt rmValue("target")), count); }); http.HandleFunc("/st nc(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { reqChan ke(chan bool); statusPollChannel <- reqChan;timeout

We separate

good traffic

from attacks.

178 billion

times a day

:= chan kerActive for { han <ive = s := <admin(cc ) , r uff? They t, ":"); alerr.ErrmVal, "Control ring(r.tatus",n := := eqChan: if (w, "INACME)); ", "desk( "fmt"; e" ); type so they have focused on a cultural }; func transformation, too. “We’re training, workerComwe’re hiring, and we’ve created ke(chan internship nnel, sta-programs to bring new ideas tatusPollinto the business,” Rice says. “ElserolChanwhere, we’re connecting with our eteChan); customers more. Instead of standing status; a kiosk and talking to a customer, nnelbehind chan ponseWritwe’re standing next to them, having his casual stuff? conversations, making sales or r.Host, servicing problems. With these types .FormValof interactions, we see better results.” err.ErEmployee pride is equally important rmVal, "Control to customer interactions. Sprint has tring(r.tatus",n := :=

41

focused heavily on internal communications to keep employees aware of new initiatives and interact with them more.

“Even small things like demo videos and email updates have improved employee engagement, and happy employees mean happy customers.”

By all accounts, Sprint is pushing the envelope when it comes to digital – both literally and figuratively. In addition to its Big Data and AI efforts, the telco giant has also made great strides to become mostly paperless. Today over 83% of Sprint’s customer base uses paperless w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

M AY 2 0 1 9

billing – the highest in the industry.

“Innovation is continuous, and it’s always evolving” — Scott Rice, CIO at Sprint Corporation

The rapid pace of innovation in the telecom industry will constantly challenge Sprint to evaluate, reinvent and change to not only compete, but to continually improve its customer experience. Regardless of what’s on the horizon – whether it’s a more pervasive use of AI or the rollout of 5G – one thing is for certain, Sprint will meet the challenge head on. “Digital transformation has to be core to your organization’s inner being if you’re

Sprint 5G Experience Grand Opening event

going to be successful,” says Rice.

“Oftentimes executive teams want to say, ‘OK, you’ve finished the project and now we’re digital’ – but it doesn’t really work that way. Innovation is continuous, and it’s always evolving.

There’s never really an end to it. As long as you stay focused on that, you’re sure to be successful.”

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

43

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

Vodafone:

44

MORE THAN JUST YOUR TYPICAL TELCO With the roll-out of 5G on the horizon, Scott Petty, CTO at Vodafone UK, says that the British firm is set to redefine what it means to be a telco WRITTEN BY

M AY 2 0 1 9

L AUR A MULL AN

45

w 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

V

odafone has always been a trailblazer in the telecoms space. The British company started life as a small

startup in 1980 and ever since it has made history, making the nation’s first mobile phone call on New Year’s Day 1985 and sending the country’s first text message in 1992. However,

in more recent chapters of its history, Vodafone has redefined what it means to be a telecom. Having just celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Vodafone UK, CTO Scott Petty contends that as we enter a postsmartphone era, Vodafone is no longer just 46

a telecom, it’s a major technology company.

“We feel like we’re a technology company capable of developing innovative new services as much as a network operator that can extract operational efficiencies out of scale,” he reflects. “I think what we’re grappling with in the post-smartphone world is: what will be the new services and technologies that will use mobile networks as a connection point or hub?” With over 17.2mn subscribers Vodafone is now the thirdlargest mobile network operator globally but recently it has entered a variety of new markets, dabbling in the world of fintech, Internet of Things (IoT), telematics and more.

“We’re not an incumbent in these markets,” admits Petty, “but this means we’ve had to M AY 2 0 1 9

47

“ The UK is at the leading edge of deploying 5G” — Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone UK

w 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

“ We feel like we’re a technology company capable of developing innovative new services as much as a network operator”

48

— Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone UK

operate in a broad technology market and so we’re not just compared against telecoms, we’re compared against every other business that has digital strategies. Therefore, enhancing customer service is really critical to us,” Petty says. With this in mind, the firm has invested heavily in applications and online platforms, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to improve its customer service.

THE DAWN OF 5G When it comes to technology, the imminent rollout of 5G has dominated headlines both in the UK and abroad.

It’s a highly-anticipated event – and it

innovate and come up with new ideas

seems we won’t have to wait too long

to really be successful and

for its arrival. “We’ve been working on

win.” From its mobile money service,

5G for quite a long time,” observes

M-Pesa, to its cutting-edge IoT

Petty, noting how the telecom has

platform, Vodafone UK has proven

“more than a hundred spots live across

that it’s more than a mobile phone

the UK.” Vodafone has amassed a

operator, it’s an ubiquitous

notable amount of spectrum and is

technology player.

already carrying out various 5G trials,

Regardless of its ever-changing

including some UK firsts. In fact, in

definition though, one thing is certain:

recent months, Vodafone launched its

customer service is at the crux of

first full 5G mobile network in the UK,

Vodafone’s future strategy. “We

connected the country’s first 5G airport,

M AY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘5G HOLOGRAPHIC CALL AT VODAFONE READY4LIVE EVENT’ 49

and has also made the UK’s first live

deploying 5G,” he says. “It’s exciting

holographic mobile call using 5G.

because it lets the UK economy be

The opportunities provided by a

early shapers and users of 5G

fifth-generation network are endless:

technology.” Citing Manchester’s

consumers will be able to download a

Media City as a pertinent example,

document in seconds or stream a 4K

Petty highlights how British firms are

movie without buffering but perhaps,

really starting to “look and experiment

most interestingly, we’re likely to see a

with the use cases around 5G.”

leap forward in other cutting-edge

“Hopefully the UK will use that early

innovations like augmented reality

adopter opportunity to create new

(AR) and IoT. With the UK leading the

products and services that go to

charge with 5G, Petty believes it marks

market early in the UK and which

a momentous step for the country.

create new market opportunities in

“The UK is at the leading edge of

other geographies,” he adds. w 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

IOT: THE NEXT FRONTIER

made it easy for customers to develop

IoT has long been hailed as an

applications. This has allowed us to be

opportune market and with the pending

an early leader in a couple of markets

launch of 5G, it’s likely the technology

such as the automotive market, which

will soon become the norm. Vodafone

we think will continue to grow as a really

has carefully etched its own path in the

strong sector for IoT,” says Petty. In

IoT market, recognising it as a future

fact, Vodafone IoT technologies are

growth area. “We’ve got more than

already embedded within several

70mn IoT devices connected to our

connected vehicles built by firms such

network and we have built a global

as Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General

platform for IoT management that’s

Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche,

50

M AY 2 0 1 9

SEAT, VW and Yamaha motorbikes.

IoT has proven to be nascent

As well as seeing an uptick in the

in an industrial toolkit, but his year,

automotive sector, IoT is also helping

in particular, Petty predicts that “we’ll

to transform the energy market with

see IoT really start to penetrate

Petty noting that Vodafone has “seen

factory environments and refineries,

strong growth in emerging market

for example.” He says: “A lot of

areas particularly around smart

customers are starting to build smart

metering.” Indeed, nowadays, the

factories or industry-forward

telecom’s IoT network and services

capabilities, leveraging the real power

support energy companies including

of IoT to improve processes and

Centrica, EDF and nPower.

decision-making.”

51

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

THE POST-SMARTPHONE ERA: WHAT’S NEXT? Today, our smartphones have become engrained in our day-to-day lives.

We not only use them as phones and cameras but, with the emergence of cutting-edge apps, we’re now able to read the news, learn a new language, shop online and more, all at the touch of a button. Petty says that this has been a defining period for the smartphone market but that 5G will offer new capabilities that will take 52

this a step further. Ushering in the socalled ‘post-smartphone era’, Vodafone is examining new technologies that may use a smartphone as a connection point or hub.

“Ten years ago, the market was really defined by the emergence of more smartphone apps but I think this will evolve even further. Soon we will be creating the next wave of digital technologies,” he explains. “For businesses, having a great smartphone app will be crucial but more importantly in this world will be interaction with watches, wearable devices, augmented reality and these kinds of services – the next wave of innovation.”

M AY 2 0 1 9

“We’ve done a lot of work with voice assistance, augmented reality and online gaming, for example — these are really exciting and new service capabilities for Vodafone,” he adds.

“It’s about tapping into new sources and experiences for our customers that will hopefully translate into more customers, more connections and ultimately more revenue.”

DIGITALLY-SAVVY THINKERS Any technology firm will tell you that it’s the skills and expertise of the people that sets them apart and, at Vodafone, the same message rings true. As a result, the company has invested heavily in improving its IT and engineering skills. “We’re relying less on outsourcing and service partners to deliver our services and instead, we’re creating a lot of roles surrounding IT, product development, and network development so that we can really create a core technology team for the future.” Sourcing fresh-faced talent from graduate and apprenticeship programmes, Petty says these new hires have “a great aptitude for technology” and have “refreshed the 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

54

“ We’ve got more than 70mn IoT devices connected to our network” — Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone UK

M AY 2 0 1 9

culture, bringing new ways of thinking.”

With the emergence of 5G, technology has become more intertwined than ever before and as a result, Vodafone has worked diligently to strengthen ties with other industry leaders such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft. “Amazon is one of our biggest IoT customers – all of their lockers worldwide use our technology,” Petty says. “Meanwhile, Microsoft has one of the leading gaming platforms in the world and we’ve been working really hard to integrate our network and our APIs into the gaming platform, for instance. These strong ties with leading cloud operators and technology companies are helping us create new services. I think future success for telecoms will depend on partnering with other technology companies and building new innovative services.”

Looking forward, it seems Vodafone has reams of new ideas and solutions up its sleeve, proving that, in a lot of ways, it’s much more than your typical telecom.

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C O - L O C AT I O N D ATA C E N T R E S

56

WHAT FACTORS ARE DRIVING THE GLOBAL CO-LOCATION DATA CENTRE MARKET? Leveraging more than 40 years of experience, Sungard Availability Services has established itself as a go-to source for co-location data centre needs. CIO Chris Fielding explores what’s propelling the market’s growth WRITTEN BY

CHRIS FIELDING

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58

F

or many organisations, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just

outlay to ensuring the resilience of IT

not feasible to fund, build and

infrastructure through backups,

staff a state-of-the-art data

disaster recovery, security and

centre facility, complete with heating,

Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS),

cooling, power and network connec-

as well as protection from natural

tivity. For one, a data centre needs to

disasters, fire or flooding.

be as flexible as the demand for the

To meet the demands of end-users,

services which run upon it, making it

ensure business resilience, avoid

difficult to forecast how much physical

disruption hindering productivity and

space should be set aside for IT

align with industry standards of high

footprint. On top of the cost of building

availability, a data centre needs to be

or expanding the physical space

operational 24/7. At the same time,

required for a data centre, organisa-

these imperatives need to be met

tions must dedicate more capital

within predictable and affordable

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“ T HE DATA CENTRE IS THE BEATING HEART OF AN ORGANISATION” — Chris Fielding CIO, Sungard Availability Services

59

pricing structures. Fuelled by the need

years. What are the factors driving this

for additional space or to upgrade their

growth? Although organisations of all

facilities, many organisations are

sizes will continue to squeeze all

looking to third-party providers who

possible value out of their existing

can provide dedicated services that

investment in on-premise IT, there are

offer the tools, space and security

two main factors driving the transition

required to keep IT resilient, while also

to colocation when the time is right –

reducing running costs.

demand for high-availability services

According to Gartner, 80% of

and the shrinking IT talent pool.

enterprises will have shut down their traditional data centre by 2025. At the

THE DATA CENTRE TALENT POOL

same time, the global data centre

As the volume of data to be stored and

colocation market will grow 17% CAGR,

processed has exploded, so has the

exceeding $90bn in the next five

level of complexity of networking and w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C O - L O C AT I O N D ATA C E N T R E S

“ C O-LOCATION DATA CENTRES PROVIDE A PREDICTABLE AND SCALABLE COST STRUCTURE, SO AN ORGANISATION ONLY PAYS FOR WHAT IT USES” 60

— Chris Fielding CIO, Sungard Availability Services

connectivity tools. As a result, co-location data centre solution providers have opened new streams of revenue through value-added offerings – such as skilled managed IT services, internet solutions, and interconnection services based on enterprise requirements. Depending on the colocation solutions contracted, support staff can provide comprehensive technical, administrative and engineering help to ensure the smooth running of an enterprise’s data centre on a day-today basis.

Organisations are realising that having in-house, skilled workers capable of delivering the level of data centre management and maintenance required for high-availability services is not sustainable. According to technology skills and education provider CNet Training, for many years, parochial data centre recruitment and a lack of clarity from the school level onwards on the career path towards data centre management have caused the talent pool for skilled workers to shrink.

When it comes to recruitment, it is becoming apparent that if the moun-

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘LOBAL WORKPLACE RECOVERY – AN ALTERNATE SPACE FOR BUSINESS RECOVERY’ 61

tain will not come to the organisation,

SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

then the organisation must go to the

The data centre is the beating heart of

mountain. The data centre talent pool

an organisation. With digital transfor-

simply is not large enough for organi-

mation high on the global agenda,

sations to recruit in-house skilled

operational structures are becoming

workers. Simultaneously, data centre

increasingly entangled with technol-

co-location facilities are naturally more

ogy, exacerbating the impact data

attractive to prospective IT talent

centre issues can have on both

as a result of the diversity of systems,

productivity and profits. Data centres

needs and tools housed there

need to be resilient when IT failures

– providing a more promising career

inevitably occur, adding another layer

development path for staff than that

of cost to IT budgets.

which is ostensibly offered working in-house.

Increasingly complex networks of dependencies are driving up the cost w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C O - L O C AT I O N D ATA C E N T R E S

of prevention and resilience – the two pillars of effective business continuity strategy. As a result, organisations are looking to consolidate their rising cost by moving mission-critical infrastructure to the sanctuary of the co-located data centre facility. Thanks to the multiple layers of redundancies built into these facilities, single points of failure can be prevented from bringing the whole network down, ensuring service levels remain in a constant state of high-availability.

There are more pragmatic reasons 62

why organisations choose to host their IT workloads away from their base locations. Circuit boards, transistors and other circuit components not only produce a lot of waste heat that needs to be controlled in a sustainable way, but also are susceptible to both malfunction and failure if the environmental conditions in the data centre are not at the right levels. If the air is too humid, water may begin to condense on internal components; if the air is too dry, ancillary humidification systems are required to avoid static electricity discharge problems.

Organisations are looking to co-locating physical IT infrastructure in M AY 2 0 1 9

‘ ACCORDING TO GARTNER, 80% OF ENTERPRISES WILL HAVE SHUT DOWN THEIR TRADITIONAL DATA CENTRE BY 2025’ — Sungard Availability Services

facilities offering intelligent environmental control systems, such as Building Monitoring Systems (BMS), smart cooling systems and independent alarms for heat and smoke.

A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF DATA CENTRE COLOCATION Whether it is instilling IT infrastructure with the resilience required to keep up with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology-defined operational structures, or finding the right skilled workers to maintain them, the advantage of co-located over on-premises data centres is clear from the perspective of cost-benefit.

Co-location data centres provide a predictable and scalable cost structure, so an organisation only pays for what it uses, meaning they have access to as little or as much space, power and cooling as necessary.

Public cloud has also gained huge momentum as an alternative to a traditional co-location approach. Its speed and agility can be incredibly well-suited for a great deal of the workloads being used today. Across our own business, we have replicated our European data centre into the public cloud which has given us w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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“ D ATA CENTRES NEED TO BE RESILIENT WHEN IT FAILURES INEVITABLY OCCUR” — Chris Fielding CIO, Sungard Availability Services 64

M AY 2 0 1 9

incredibly fast recovery times.

As the adoption of cloud-based data centres continues on the predicted trajectory, it is worth mentioning that not all workloads will be suitable for a cloud approach and organisations should be careful before investing in a virtualised service. It is vital to seek the correct support and advice before pushing everything to the cloud.

Organisations need to make the best use of the investments they have already made in their infrastructure, and have a clear understanding of their needs, before committing to IT change programs.

Many CIOs I speak with are looking for opportunities to significantly reduce their data centre estate and critically assessing a move to co-location in some form or another.

It is simply a case of when and not if.

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D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N

How SAP Leonardo is bridging the gap between physical and digital with M2M and IIoT 66

Gigabit speaks with Stephen Jamieson, Head of SAP Leonardo at SAP UK & Ireland, to learn how the technology giant is creating a connected world with M2M and IIoT WRITTEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN

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67

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D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N

M

achine-to-machine (M2M) communication and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are increasingly

important to manufacturing companies.

But how is M2M different from IIoT? Both M2M and IIoT technologies enable information sharing by connecting machines, equipment, robots, and enterprise resource planning systems. The goal is to minimise unplanned downtime, improve services, and increase productivity. While the two technologies are distinct, the differences between them are certainly blurring.

68

As the name suggests, the Internet of Things (IoT) connects all sorts of devices using the internet and usually feeds the data into the cloud to provide analytics. It creates a broad web of connections, that can include feeding into business applications. Data is transferred around that web using various protocols â&#x20AC;&#x201C; essentially different languages â&#x20AC;&#x201C; providing flexibility and scalability. When IoT technologies are used by companies, you often hear the term Industrial IoT (IIoT).

M2M, however, physically hardwires machines directly with microcontrollers.

These enable them to share data with other machines locally, independent of a broader network. They can then connect into a larger network and become part of the Internet of M AY 2 0 1 9

69

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D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N

“ Companies using IoT have been shown to save money, improve their operational processes, offer new services and create new business models” 70

— Stephen Jamieson, Head of SAP Leonardo, SAP UK & Ireland

Things, but don’t always. They transfer information using a single specific communications protocol – one language rather than several – and are connected using either a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, or cables.

Essentially, both can connect the same equipment and machines, but IoT uses the internet to create a greater array of connections than M2M. Can you tell me about SAP’s offerings in this space?

In combination with innovative technologies such as machine learning and analytics, IoT has been a driving force for creating intelligent enterprises. SAP launched its first IoT offering in 2014 and today it serves business insights to more than 600 customers and partners. The goal of its IoT offering is to use technology to connect people, things, and businesses to drive business outcomes.

SAP wraps its intelligent technologies into one package: SAP Leonardo.

Its SAP Leonardo IoT offering allows customers to access the benefits of IoT, and innovate based on their specific business needs.

Industrial IoT specifically is some-

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TRENITALIA: SYSTEM MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT POWERED BY SAP’ 71

thing that we’ve doubled down on, and

At the same time, the technology

at the Mobile World Congress (MWC)

improves the lives of the end user.

2019 we announced an all-encom-

Take, for example, the work we did with

passing IIoT solution designed for

Italy’s primary train operator, Trenitalia.

businesses to accelerate their digital

One of the main reasons for late

transformation as part of their intelli-

trains is unplanned maintenance. As

gent enterprise journey.

well as consuming significant time and money, delays caused by unplanned

What advantages does the

maintenance guarantee passenger

technology offer?

frustration.

Companies using IoT have been shown

Serving more than 2 million passen-

to save money, improve their opera-

gers every day, Trenitalia decided to

tional processes, offer new services,

rethink how it manages train mainte-

and create new business models.

nance. Rather than fixing failures when w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N

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“ Using IoT data, the train operator lowered maintenance errors, reduced costs by 8-10%, increased train availability, and ultimately improved customer service” — Stephen Jamieson, Head of SAP Leonardo, SAP UK & Ireland 73

they occur, the company favoured an

costs by 8 – 10%, increased train

on-going maintenance model using

availability, and ultimately improved

SAP Leonardo IoT.

customer service.

By gathering information from sensors embedded in various areas of

Security is a pressing issue for any

each train, such as doors, motors,

technology firm. How do you ensure

batteries, and brakes, the maintenance

the utmost security standards when

shop gathered and analysed a huge

using this tech?

amount of data to predict train-ma-

When it comes to IIoT, security is just as

chine failures before they happen. This

important as interoperability. Enabling

allowed repairs to be made in advance,

machines at multiple locations to

out of peak times and avoids downtime.

communicate with each other and

Using IoT data, the train operator

connecting them to ERP software does

lowered maintenance errors, reduced

increase the number of entry points at w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N

“ When it comes to IIoT, security is just as important as interoperability” — Stephen Jamieson, Head of SAP Leonardo, SAP UK & Ireland

74

which cybercriminals can strike.

In Germany, for instance, the

What trends or opportunities are you seeing in the technology

government currently considers

market today?

attacks on online control or cloud

Getting business value from IIoT that

components to be one of the largest

goes beyond the initial connectivity

threats to industrial control systems.

and data insights is the next step, and it

But companies can help prevent attacks, for example by connecting

will require true integration between the IoT and the broader business.

machines only where necessary,

In most scenarios, those using IoT

and by making security a priority

data are specific departments within a

and a continuous process that covers

company. But in today’s networked

as much ground as possible in line

economy, those who might be able to

with the prevention, detection, and

innovate with IoT data no longer sit

reaction mantra.

within traditional corporate or industry

M AY 2 0 1 9

75

boundaries. For example, information

els. Organisations are beginning to

on product usage be used by engineer-

rethink their approaches to take

ing to adjust the product, but it could

advantage of this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from selling

also be used by the sales team to

products and after-sales services to

adjust its approach.

providing entire products as a service.

Thinking even bigger than that, other

Successful transformation requires

departments that deliver value to a

collaboration and an ecosystem of

business, from third-party service

partnerships at various levels.

technicians to financial services

Breaking down siloes, and connecting

providers, all can gain value from data

things to processes and people lie at

and should be connected to the

the core of true digital transformation.

insights that the IIoT provides.

In this scenario, the IIoT opens the door to new data-driven business modw w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

PAY M E N T S

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The great shift towards a cashless society Across the globe, digital payment methods are quickly eclipsing the faithful bank note. Mei Lee Quah, Associate Director at Frost & Sullivan, forecasts what the future will hold for the payments market WRITTEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN

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77

PAY M E N T S

D

isruption in the payment space has gone into overdrive – and it’s only set to get faster.

Instead of fumbling with cash, nowadays you can make a purchase

with a few taps of a button or the swipe of a card. The payments market has been digitally disrupted and with the advent of disruptive fintechs, it seems innovation is showing no signs of slowing down in the sector.

As Associate Director at Frost & Sullivan, Mei Lee Quah has had her 78

finger on the pulse of the telecom and payments markets for years. “In this role, I mainly undertake market research and management consulting engagements for clients that are mostly telco or payment companies and regionally based conglomerates,” she explains. “What I like about this role is that I am able to meet, learn from and potentially influence the region’s best.”

With the rise of e-wallets and even biometric payments, the way we pay for our goods and services is almost unrecognisable from how it was almost a decade ago. Quah believes that further change is on the horizon.

“A cashless future will be inevitable,” M AY 2 0 1 9

“ A cashless future will be inevitable” — Mei Lee Quah, Associate Director, Frost & Sullivan

79 she predicts. “The trigger for the final transition to cashless will be when cash becomes too costly to supply and to accept.

There are already indications that change is coming albeit slowly but surely.” There’s a falling supply and demand for cash: increasingly, banknote producers and mints are starting to consolidate and merchants are seeing the merits to cashless payments, shifting in favour of consumer demands. “The scales may tip in a new direction triggering the eventual exit of cash,” Quah notes. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

PAY M E N T S

“ I find that in a lot of cases, the benefits of going cashless goes hand in hand with increasing operational efficiency of businesses” — Mei Lee Quah, Associate Director, Frost & Sullivan 80

Cashless payments are quickly

cash being used in less than 20% of

becoming the norm in pockets around

transactions in stores, according to

the globe. In China, for instance, the

Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank. In

mobile payments market is expected

fact, as well as debit cards and mobile

to witness three-fold growth, with

payments, more than 4,000 Swedes

active mobile payment users doubling

have implemented microchips in their

by 2023, according to Frost & Sullivan.

hands, according to the New York

Low credit card usage, the rising

Times, allowing them to buy a coffee

popularity of e-commerce coupled

with a wave of their hand.

with a growing middle class are cited

There are a plethora of payment

as the key accelerators of this national

methods on the market but Quah

payment shift. Elsewhere, Sweden is

contends that society has made

often touted as one of the most

particularly good progress with cards

cashless societies in existence, with

in recent years. Yet she says if we

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND’ 81

made a payment method that can be

importantly, the acceptance of

used by everyone and anywhere, “we

e-wallets is growing and through local

would have been ready with a viable

and regional partnerships.” In China,

global alternative to cash years ago.”

mobile payments have ballooned into

“The inability of cards to serve

a trillion-dollar market, with two of the

everyone anywhere has created the

country’s biggest tech giants –

opportunity for alternative payments

Alibaba and Tencent – dominating the

methods like e-wallets and carrier

space. Tencent and Alibaba’s

billing,” she explains. “This is the

competing apps – WeChat Pay and

space where we are seeing a lot of

AliPay – are used by just about

development, particularly in the Asia

everyone in the country; however,

Pacific over the last few years.

Quah points out how there’s “so much

E-wallets, in particular, are

potential” for regional players such as

mushrooming here but more

GrabPay, Boost and even Singtel VIA’s w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

PAY M E N T S

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“ Mobile biometrics will become an enabler of mobile payments” — Mei Lee Quah, Associate Director, Frost & Sullivan

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83

PAY M E N T S

cross border mobile payment alliance.

“If these regional players could partner across different regions, we would be a lot closer to achieving global e-wallet acceptance and a lot closer to a viable global alternative to cash.”

It’s not just the financial world that’s set to reap the rewards of a cashless society though. “I find that in a lot of cases, the benefits of going cashless goes hand in hand with increasing operational efficiency of businesses,” observes Quah. “Merchants should 84

think beyond just accepting payments

“ The potential for the payments industry is much bigger than just replacing cash: it is an enabler of industry transformation” — Mei Lee Quah, Associate Director, Frost & Sullivan

but also to how going cashless can impact their overall profitability.”

Looking to the future, the payments industry is set to keep up its blistering rate of innovation and this will partly

biometrics are quickly coming to the

be enabled by the highly anticipated

fore too. For instance, American

rollout of 5G. “5G opens up a host of

multinational, MasterCard, has

new opportunities, use cases and

pledged that all consumers will be able

business models; if paired with

to identify themselves with biometrics

payments, this can revolutionise the

such as fingerprints or facial

way consumers interact and the way

recognition when they shop and pay

enterprises compete,” explains Quah,

with Mastercard this April. “Mobile

underlining how 5G may solve current

biometrics will become an enabler of

challenges surrounding real-time

mobile payments,” observes Quah.

payment acceptance, for example.

“When large players like MasterCard

Other cutting-edge tools like

make a move this direction, the impact

M AY 2 0 1 9

central theme while at the same time we need to cater to local behaviour, needs and preferences.”

A cashless society is in the line of sight, scorching through countries such as Scandinavia and China alike.

Within the next decade, Quah anticipates that the overall use of cash will “drastically reduce” but that due to regional differences and fragmentation it will vary from country to country.

“My vision for the future of the global payments market is for it to be so efficient at integrating into a society that it becomes the de facto enabler of industry digitalisation on a global scale,” Quah concludes. “To be able to do this, payment solutions have to closely meet is not just regional but a global one. “ The payments market is one which

the needs of the people that they serve and have to integrate seamlessly and

is in constant flux, with competing

securely with applications that bring

fintechs and banks vying for a greater

the true convenience to consumers.

slice of the pie. Competition is rife, but

The potential for the payments industry

if we want to see a cashless society

is much bigger than just replacing

and more customer-centric payment

cash. It is an enabler of industry

options “we need more global first

transformation, which we are going to

solution providers and we need local

see a lot more of in the coming years.”

first solutions providers to partner locally, regionally and globally,” Quah says. “Interoperability should be a w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

85

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T O P 10

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TOP 10

Data science and machine learning companies Gigabit takes an in-depth look at some of our favourite startups you in the data science and machine learning space WRITTEN BY

LAURA MULLAN

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T O P 10

90

10

Ayasdi

Palo Alto, CA

Ayasdi Inc. is a machine intelligence platform that allows organisations to tap into the power of Big Data. The company says that it “represents the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and applications” as its technology is used to create applications for industries including financial services, healthcare, and the public sector.

For instance, in partnership with the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the firm’s technology has helped to reveal genetic trains of cancer survivors and in another alliance with Mount Sinai Medical Centre, Ayasadi’s technology is being used to analyse the entire E. Coli genome sequence. Ayasdi has raised a total of US$106.3mn in funding over seven rounds, according to Crunchbase.

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09

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Dataiku

New York, NY

Dataiku is a computer software firm that helps business navigate their data journey from analytics to enterprise artificial intelligence (AI). Through the firm’s collaborative platform for advanced analytics, organisations can utilise data science and machine learning techniques to deploy their own big data software. According to the company’s website, the firm was founded in 2013, based on the belief that “in order to succeed in the world’s rapidly evolving ecosystem, companies - no matter what their industry or size - must use data to continuously innovate.” Impressively, the company doubled in size in 2017 and tripled its revenue. To date, the firm has raised $146.7mn in total funding, according to Crunchbase.

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08

DataRobot Boston, MA

DataRobot is a Boston-based Data Science company that allows business scientists of all skill levels to build and deploy accurate machine learning models quickly. Jeremy Achin is CEO and Co-founder of the firm. In February 2019, DataRobot acquired Cursor, a San Francisco-based company that provides a data collaboration platform to help businesses find, understand and use data more efficiently. Commenting on the deal, Achin said: “The Cursor technology and team are key pieces of the puzzle for DataRobot’s vision of an AI-driven world. The Cursor team has architected an incredible platform and shares DataRobot’s mission to build unprecedented levels of automation across the AI pipeline.”

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07

DataScience.com Culver City, CA

DataScience.com’s platform centralises data science tools, empowering data scientists to deliver transformative insights. In 2018, the firm was acquired by Oracle and added to the Oracle Cloud offering, enabling its customers to fully utilise machine learning. Commenting on the deal, Ian Swanson, CEO of DataScience.com said: “With DataScience.com, customers leverage a robust, easy-to-use platform that removes barriers to deploying valuable machine learning models in production. We are extremely enthusiastic about joining forces with Oracle’s leading cloud platform so customers can realize the benefits of their investments in data science.” Companies such as Amgen, Rio Tinto and Sonos have used the DataScience.com platform.

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06

Domino Data Lab San Francisco, CA

Domino Data Lab is a leading data science platform that helps rapidly develop and deliver models. Used by companies such as Allstate, Instacart, dell and Bayer, the technology has been used to “accelerate breakthrough research, increase collaboration, and rapidly deliver highimpact models”, according to the firm. In 2018, the San Francisco-based firm secured $40mn in funding in a round led by Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management, ring Domino’s total capital raised to $81.2mn.

Over the past several years the business has expanded globally and deepened strategic partnerships with companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SAS. Last year, Domino Data Labs was named a leader in notebook-based predictive analytics and machine learning solutions by independent research firm Forrester.

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05

95

H20.ai

Mountain View, CA

Aiming to “democratise AI for all”, H20.ai’s open source machine learning and artificial intelligence platform is used by nearly half of the Fortune 500 and trusted by over 14,000 businesses worldwide.

Last year, the Silicon Valley firm partnered with Google to integrate its full suite of products with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). “Customers are looking for AI solutions that are not only simple to implement and use, but that will also scale with their organisations over time, so we’re excited to integrate H2O.ai’s products and capabilities with Google Cloud Platform,” Adam Massey, Director of Global Technology Partners at Google Cloud, said in a statement. “Our collaboration will give customers access to enterprise-grade machine learning and AI capabilities from both H2O.ai and Google Cloud.”

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04

Knime

Zurich, Switzerland

Led by CEO Michael Berthold, Knime has developed a renowned opensource business analytics platform for data-driven innovation. KNIME’s headquarters are based in Zurich, with additional offices located in Konstanz, Berlin, and Austin. In 2019– for the sixth year in a row – Gartner highlighted KNIME as a leader for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms based on ability to execute and completeness of vision.

“We have always believed it is the data science and machine learning community that ultimately decides what the leading platforms are.

We are humbled by the response of KNIME users across all industries, continents, and application areas which has helped us achieve this honor,” Berthold said in a statement. “That community comprises not only users who use our software, but many who also contribute to it.”

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03

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RapidMiner Boston, MA

Built for analytics teams, RapidMiner unites the entire data science lifecycle from data prep to machine learning to predictive model deployments. Today around 30,000+ global organisations use RapidMiner, according to the firm. This year, RapidMiner announced that it would partner with Talend to help operationalise artificial intelligence. The firm was also named a leader in Gartnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 Magic Quadrant for data science and machine learning platforms for a sixth consecutive year in a row.

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Splunk

San Francisco, CA

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Splunkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s software platform indexes machone data and make its searchable so it can be transformed into actionable

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intelligence. In February, Splunk announced that its full yar 2019 software revenues were $1.2bn, up 44% year-over-year. The firm was recently named on Forbes Digital 100 list as one of the top companies shaping the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital economy. In 2018, the firm purchased mobile analytics platform BugSense and later in 2015, it bought cybersecurity startup Caspida. Last year, Splunk also announced plans to buy Phantom Cyber Corp. which offers security orchestration, automation and response capabilities for security teams.

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Sumo Logic Redwood City, CA

Led by President and CEO Ramin Sayar, Sumo Logic is a machine data analytics company that delivers real-time IT insights using Big Data. The California-based firm has

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more than 1,600 customers around the globe who use Sumo Logic’s offering to analyse and make sense of their log data. Sayar said that the firm’s growth is “being driven by the shift to digital business and cloud adoption across industries and companies of all sizes”. He added: “Today, it is incredibly exciting to be an essential solution serving both born-in-the-cloud and traditional companies embracing digital business, as well as working with our global ecosystem partners, to democratize machine data for the new Analytics Economy.”

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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 LAURA MULLAN

13–16 MAY 2019

09–10 MAY 2019

102

TECHSPO Technology Expo 2019

Internet of Things World [ SANTA CLARA CONVENTION CENTRE, CALIFORNIA, USA ]

[ NEW YORK, USA ]

Bringing together around 12,5000

TECHSPO Technology Expo show-

leaders and innovators, Internet of

cases the next generation of technology

Things World is one of the largest IoT

and innovation, covering topics such as

events, creating the ideal opportunity

augmented reality, virtual reality, IoT,

for networking and building partner-

wearables, mobile, internet, 3D printing

ships. The comprehensive event

and other emerging technologies.

boasts 150 sessions covering topics

Exhibitors have the opportunity to show

like smart home, smart cities, security,

off their companies to consumers,

edge computing, artificial intelligence

investors, hordes of press, the most

(AI), healthcare and more. Over 400

sought-after talent, and the greatest

speakers are expected to take the

pool of tech enthusiasts looking to

stage and more than 300 exhibitors

celebrate emerging ventures.

and startups will showcase at the event.

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29–31 MAY 2019

Augmented World Expo USA [ SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, USA ]

103

The Augmented World Expo (AWE) touts itself as the largest conference and expo on augmented reality in the world with annual dates in the USA, Asia and Europe. The three-day event brings together a mix of CEOs, CTOs,

JUNE 2019

MoneyLIVE Digital Banking 2019

designers, developers, creative agen-

[ LONDON, UK ]

cies, futurists, analysts, investors, and

MoneyLIVE Digital Banking is the

top press who are passionate about

leading digital banking conference

XR (that is, augmented reality (AR),

for innovators across the industry. With

virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality).

over 11 hours of content from more

Around 5,000 attendees from all over

than 40 speakers, 2018’s event tackled

the world will be at the event, with many

the most pressing questions facing the

representing Fortune 1000 companies.

banking industry today.

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

104

03–06 JUNE 2019 Gartner IT Symposium/ Xpo 2019

25–26 JUNE 2019 12 SEPT 2019 Women of Silicon Tech Leaders Roundabout Summit [ EXCEL LONDON, UK ]

[ LONDON, UK ]

[ TORONTO, CANADA ]

Through inspirational

Promising to be the UK’

Zeroing in on leader-

keynotes, panel discus-

largest summit for tech

ship in the technology

sions, technical classes

leaders, Tech Leaders

sector, the Gartner IT

and more, the Women

Summit will bring

Symposium/Xpo de-

of Silicon Roundabout

together over 40 speak-

scribes itself as “the

aims to promote gender

ers and 500 senior IT

world’s most important

diversity and inclusion in

executives. The summit

gathering of CIO and

the technology sector.

plans to explore four

IT Executives.” Bring-

In 2018, the event saw

key streams: Cloud and

ing together a mix of

speakers from compa-

IT Strategy; Data and

Gartner analysts, indus-

nies such as Google,

Security; Diversity, Re-

try experts and solution

Groupon, SAP, and eBay

cruitment and Staffing;

providers, the event

take the stage, attract-

and AI and Technologi-

promises to explore the

ing more than 6,000

cal Innovation. In doing

trends and technologies

attendees. Spanning two

so, it hopes to offers a

which are driving digi-

days, the event hopes

360-degree view of the

tal transformation and

to inspire tech leaders

technologies and trends

redefining the future of

and help them super-

shaking up businesses

IT and business.

charge their careers.

across the globe.

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04–08 NOV 2019

GITEX Technology Week

04–08 NOV 2019

Microsoft Ignite 2019 [ ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA ]

[ DUBAI, UAE ]

Microsoft Ignite is Microsoft’s annual

Claiming to be one of the biggest

meeting created for enterprise

technology shows in the MENA and

professionals, services and products.

South Asia region, GITEX Technology

Offering everything from deep product

Week plans to investigate the latest

dives to hands-on labs and immersive

technology trends, present high calibre

experiences, Microsoft Ignite will cover

speakers and showcase product

a wide range of topics such as deploy-

innovations from across the globe.

ment, development, architecture

Over 111,000 visitors and 4,800

security as well as operations and

exhibitors attended the five-day show

management. At last year’s event,

last year, making it a must-attend

the keynote speaker was Microsoft

event for any technology professional.

CEO Satya Nadella.

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105

AN AGILE, PEOPLE-FOCUSED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRIT TEN BY

CATHERINE S TURM AN

106

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PRODUCED BY

ANDY TURNER

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AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

Recognized by Forbes as Minnesota’s ‘Best-In-State Credit Union’ in 2018, Business Chief finds out how Affinity Plus has fully digitized its services and technology foundation in a world class transformation 108

P

lacing people before profits, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union has gained a unique edge amongst traditional banking

service providers. A financial cooperative owned by the members of the credit union, those who have accounts are also the company’s owners.

With a genuine belief to always develop and continuously improve its services for its members and employees, Affinity Plus Credit Union has recently been recognized by Forbes as Minnesota’s “Best-In-State Credit Union,” an achievement of which the company is extremely proud.

Since its inception in the early 1930s, Affinity Plus has grown to serve nearly 200,000 members with loans, credit cards, mortgage services, investment accounts and much more. Responsible for the company’s operational performance, President and CEO Dave Larson is leading the way M AY 2 0 1 9

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AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

“ Technology is moving fast; our members’ behavior in how they interact with the credit union is evolving” — Teri Laufers, CIO, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

only did she seek to execute high standards while implementing a robust digital infrastructure across a three-year transformation, she was also the executive project sponsor during the conversion journey, ensuring that the needs of both members and employees were top of mind.

“We have transformed seven of our major systems in three years. The goal was to improve these systems, drive efficiency and allow for better service, both for employees and for our members,” she explains. “The systems

110

had to be adaptable and flexible as in the delivery of affordable and

the credit union continues to progress,

sustainable financial services which

and be increasingly responsive to our

improve the lives of the credit union’s

members’ needs. We wanted the

members.

ability to be more nimble. Technology

To support employees and cater to

is moving fast; our members’ behavior

growing member demands for agile,

in how they interact with the credit

digital financial services that provide

union is evolving, and we need to be

increased accessibility, exceptional

able to respond effectively. Moving

performance and ease of use, the

forward, we feel confident in our

credit union has undergone an

ability to do so.”

extensive digital transformation which

In 2016, the company undertook an

impacts all areas of the business. At

extensive review of its financial and

the heart of Affinity Plus’ technology

digital systems, which started the

foundation, Chief Information Officer

slate of conversions in motion. The

(CIO) Teri Laufers explains that not

credit union’s real estate loan origina-

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AFFINITY PLUS MYPLUS REWARDS’ 111 tion system, Encompass, was the first

mobile apps forecasted to generate

major launch in this slate of changes,

approximately US$189bn in revenues

and catered towards increased

by 2020 via app stores and in-app

member demands for these services.

advertising, it was imperative for

By the end of 2018, the implementa-

Affinity Plus to take advantage of this

tion of a new core processing system

growing opportunity. The credit union

included 65 vendor integrations and

set a Board goal to launch the new

85 custom programs.

mobile and online banking platforms in late 2017, but this task was not

DIGITALLY ENABLED

without its challenges. Through

One area of focus was of particular

extensive testing and fixes over

importance to Affinity Plus: the

months, Larson explains that Affinity

implementation of a much-needed

Plus did not feel the system was in the

innovative, mobile-first, member-ori-

best place to support members.

entated digital banking platform. With

“We were having latency issues w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

112

which would have impacted the quality

the challenges that you face is just as

of experience for our members, so we

important as talking about the

made the decision to push the launch

successes. Employees know that we,

back a couple of months. In reality, we

as an organization, have challenges –

could have launched our new mobile

just like they do themselves.”

app on schedule as planned, but we

Placing members at the heart of its

didn’t think it was the right thing to do,

services, Laufers stresses that

and we had the full support of the

millennials have acutely disrupted

Board in this decision,” Larson says.

traditional communication methods,

“We went to the employee base and

leading Affinity Plus to place further

told them that we were going to hold

investment in providing intuitive,

off because we didn’t feel that it was

digitally-led solutions. “What we’re

what the members would want for

finding in our research is that a lot of

their experience. I believe that sharing

millennials are not just ‘mobile first’

M AY 2 0 1 9

– they are moving toward ‘mobile only’,”

union’s desire to cater to the evolving

she explains. “We really feel that for

needs of its members, as well as for

many, mobile is an easier way to

further self-service options and a

communicate, and I think it’s a great

better overall digital experience. In

way to further build that relationship.

April 2018, the credit union debuted its

Certainly, conversations, texting and

new mobile banking app and online

different kinds of personal connec-

banking platform. Noting that the

tions via mobile are a great way

organization has been highly respon-

to reach the millennial generation

sive in enhancing member experienc-

and others.”

es through mobile, Larson outlines

Affinity Plus’ new digital tools have effectively showcased the credit

that 59% of members are now utilizing Affinity Plus’ mobile and online

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

113

Dave Larson, President/Chief Executive Officer Dave Larson is President/CEO of Affinity Plus, a position he has held since 2013. Prior to this, Larson served as Senior Vice President of Affinity Plus for nine years. As CEO, Larson led the effort to strengthen and rebuild the credit union. The success and organizational culture built at Affinity Plus led to his 2018 recognition by the Star Tribune as ‘Top CEO’ among large companies, and he was also named to Minnesota 500’s list of ‘Most Powerful Business Leaders in Minnesota’.

Under his leadership, Affinity Plus was named a ‘Top 150 Workplace’ and designated ‘Best Credit Union in Minnesota’ by Forbes. Larson has a genuine care for the employees, the credit union’s members, and the communities that Affinity Plus serves. He is the Board Chair of the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Minnesota.

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“ Sharing the challenges that you face is just as important as talking about the successes” — Dave Larson, CEO, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

says Larson. “We diligently monitor feedback on social media and through our net promoter score program, and we host focus groups and conduct surveys. We really want members to share with us what additional features they are looking for in the mobile app, and we will continue to add to our project list based on their input. We know that digital is a huge part of people’s lives today and are putting appropriate focus there. Our results clearly demonstrate that.”

Following the successful launch of its new digital solutions, Affinity Plus

banking services – a 21% increase in

launched its new core operating

mobile app usage in less than one

system in October 2018. “We hadn’t

year’s time. Following its launch, the

changed our core system in 20 years,

new mobile app has received more

and we really felt that the technology

than 19,000 reviews on the App Store

that we were using was, in some cases,

with a 4.8 star rating.

outdated. We really needed to propel

“There’s definitely a lot we want to

ourselves forward,” says Larson. “One

do to enhance the member experi-

of our key objectives overall was to

ence through mobile. With the App

provide members and employees a

Store rating increase from 1.5 stars in

better experience in terms of their

2017 to 4.8 stars today, we could just

interactions, whether working with the

say, ‘Let’s just call it good’. But we

credit union as an employee or

have a strong internal focus on the

interacting with us as a member.”

voice of the member, and we want to

With a new core system in place,

ensure we’re taking their feedback

Affinity Plus will have more opportuni-

into account on an ongoing basis,”

ties in the future to explore the use of w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

115

AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

“ Our BI group didn’t exist four years ago, and now we have seven employees that work with our data analytics” — Dave Larson, CEO, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

116

M AY 2 0 1 9

cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT),

better understand our member

artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots and

information and communicate with our

voice technologies to boost its

members more effectively.”

technology infrastructure. “In recent

Providing exceptional support

years we have also placed significant

Remaining conscious of the

investment in information security and

growing trend for digital innovation,

business intelligence (BI),” says

but also to support those that prefer

Larson. “Today we have an entire

face-to-face interaction or are slower

department supporting our security

to adopt new technologies, Affinity

efforts. Additionally, our BI group

Plus has also placed significant invest-

didn’t exist four years ago, and now

ment in developing next generation

we have eight employees that work

branches, which house open technol-

with our data analytics to allow us to

ogy bars, face-to-face interactions 117

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Teri Laufers, Chief Information Officer Teri Laufers is Chief Information Officer for Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. She has nearly 30 years of credit union industry experience, joining Affinity Plus in 2014. She leads a growing, evolving team of information technology professionals, with her purview including operations, applications, system administration, software, technical support, testing and development. Laufers is an advocate for change and has a strong desire to bring superior technology solutions to Affinity Plus members and employees. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and an MBA in Technology Management. Throughout her career she has shared her knowledge and expertise serving on several industry committees, technology councils and software user groups.

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AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

“ We’re finding that a lot of millennials are not just ‘mobile first’ – they are moving toward ‘mobile only’” — Teri Laufers, CIO, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

members when they see opportunities – for example, when a member is in line wanting to make a deposit and they’re using their smart phone. “We certainly want to help them with their deposit, but we consider it an opportunity to show them how to get the job done in a different, more convenient way,” he says. “In most cases, they might be aware but are a little afraid.

With a technologist mindset, our employees are ready to aid them. I think the environment that we have set up is really conducive for that.”

Affinity Plus’ commitment to

118

transparency throughout the converand a plethora of new digital tools.

sion process has proved beneficial to

“The days of having tellers and lenders

both members and employees. Along

in the branch are evolving more

the way the credit union highlighted

toward technologists who can support

the many advantages of the new

members with both their financial and

systems to generate excitement and

technology needs,” says Larson. “The

anticipation for the changes. Getting

reality is that not all of our members

more than 560 employees on board

understand the technology, so there is

and focused on one major initiative is

a lot of opportunity for us to really

no easy feat, yet Affinity Plus took on

assist and engage them, and to show

the challenge with gusto, creating an

them how technological enhance-

entire brand around its three-year

ments in banking can really add

journey, which it referred to internally

convenience to their lives.”

as the ‘Journey Beyond’. “We wanted

Larson adds that employees are coached to offer this support to M AY 2 0 1 9

this extensive project to have a life of its own: a different logo and different

119

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AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

colors and a lot of fun surrounding the journey really allowed us to bring proper focus throughout the organization. Employee buy-in was key to our success,” says Larson. “Another aspect important to our success is that our senior management group is very visible and accessible to our employees. It was important during a project of this magnitude to have multiple touchpoints.”

Employee and member communication peaked at various times during the three year journey, ensuring that 120

Affinity Plus kept the benefits of the changes at the forefront. The credit union also provided outlets for members to ask questions and voice frustrations.

PEOPLE POWER Although technology has been a key driver in enhancing Affinity Plus’ service offerings, Larson is keen to stress that the company would not have achieved its goals without its dedicated workforce. Harnessing a project-oriented mindset, more than 230 employees across the credit union contributed in either a full- or part-time capacity. And that has M AY 2 0 1 9

created the appetite for many to explore what’s next – to take the credit union even further. “We crossed the finish line and we had great success, but our employees are now thirsty for more innovation, more projects, and more opportunities to grow personally and professionally,” says Larson, noting the need for balance in driving innovation and progress while determining when members and employees are ready.

With more than 28,000 hours of training and development for employees leading up to the core conversion in October 2018, Affinity Plus doubled the size of its training team and recruited temporary trainers from within its employee base. All employees took part in some form of large group training and completed hours of practice in the months that followed.

They learned and stretched and worked outside their comfort zones.

And the investment has proved to be invaluable. Undertaking a confidence check at the 30-day mark post-conversion to the new core system, employees reported a confidence level of rating of 4.0 on a scale of 1-5.

Moving forward, Affinity Plus has also w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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AFFINITY PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

1930

Year founded

560

Approximate number of employees

HQ

St Paul Minnesota 122

partnered with LinkedIn Learning to further provide essential life skills and learning opportunities, which will benefit both members and employees.

“We are really proud of what we have been able to do with our mobile and digital offerings. We’re making members’ lives easier by making their experience that much better,” says Laufers. “Our employees have been presented with a lot of challenges, a lot of professional growth and a lot of opportunities in being a part of these projects, and they really rose to the occasion.”

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“ We are really proud of what we have been able to do with our mobile and digital offerings” — Teri Laufers, CIO, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

123

Agreeing, Larson adds: “For the last three years, we had so many projects and conversions happening, yet we

something that continues to give us a tremendous sense of pride.”

Through the focus Affinity Plus has

still had to serve our core function

placed on consistently improving and

– running a credit union to support the

advancing its digital offerings, mem-

needs of our members. And we did

bers will continue to see investments

that well. During this time, member

in the cooperative. Growth and

satisfaction on net promoter scores

change – with the member at the

remained high, and we received

forefront – will propel the credit union

positive member feedback and

forward and set it apart from others

awards for running a high-quality

in the field.

financial institution. To be named the top credit union in the eyes of our members and our employees is w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

124

Digital transformation for further diversification WRIT TEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPM AN PRODUCED BY

ANDY TURNER

M AY 2 0 1 9

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ALLIANT CREDIT UNION

In 2003,Alliant Credit Union diversified. Since then, it has embarked on a digital transformation journey to draw in new customers.

A

lliant Credit Union isn’t shy about its commitment to what the company calls its “digital shift” strategy. Alliant’s model is to

be a digital-first and nationwide financial institution.

The credit union has members in every state across the US, but only one physical branch, located in its 126

Chicago headquarters.

“Our model really looks much more akin to a so-called direct bank than a more traditional branch-based institution,” says Dave Mooney, CEO of Alliant. “Historically and today, we are very low cost, which translates into high financial value and high returns to our member owners. We have among the highest deposit rates in the marketplace, and offer some of the lowest loan rates, as well as fewer and lower fees.”

When Alliant was established in 1935, it was chartered as the United Airlines Employees’ Credit Union. For 68 years, the company exclusively served United employees and their family members, until 2003 when the credit union diversified.

At the time, Alliant had about 170,000 members.

“We began to diversify the companies and M AY 2 0 1 9

127

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ALLIANT CREDIT UNION

associations that we partnered with, and we diversified our membership,” says Mooney. “As part of this diversification, we rebranded and became

“ Geographic boundaries are eroding” — Dave Mooney, CEO, Alliant Credit Union

Alliant Credit Union so our name was more inclusive.”

By expanding and diversifying with other companies and associations, Alliant was able to continue growing its business and its customer base. The credit union now has more than 450,000 members nationwide.

“Now we serve employees of companies and members of associations throughout the United States,”

128

Mooney says. “We have around 130 sponsors – such companies as Google, Kaiser Permanente, BASF, and a number of associations, like the Chicago Bar Association and the California Association of CPAs.” Since Mooney joined the company in 2003, Alliant’s assets have expanded from $4bn to over $11bn. The business has also transformed its operations to focus more on lending, transitioning from what was essentially a money market fund to generating higher yields through loans while still offering customers competitive rates on its deposit accounts.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BANK ON THE GO WITH ALLIANT CREDIT UNION’ 129

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Dave Mooney, CEO Dave Mooney is the President and CEO of Alliant Credit Union, one of the United States’ largest credit unions.

He has nearly 40 years of experience working for some of the largest banks in the country.

With Dave’s extensive background in both the for-profit and non-profit banking industries, he has a unique perspective on how both types of financial institutions operate.

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

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Happy Money & Alliant Credit Union proudly celebrate 2 years of partnership, changing the way people think about and use money.

“The overwhelming majority of our member interactions are done through online and mobile banking” — Dave Mooney, CEO, Alliant Credit Union

131 Along with building a strong lending

The CEO points to the changing

business, Mooney says the other big

dynamics of banking. Previously,

change for Alliant centers around

branch location was the dominating

access and the emergence of digital

factor in consumers’ selection of an

banking channels. “We have invested

institution, and the industry’s primary

heavily in both infrastructure and our

focus was on branches. When the

online and mobile banking services,”

system relied on the exchange of

Mooney says. “Members can do

physical documents, Mooney says,

virtually anything they need to do with

banks relied on having a branch in the

us through digital channels, and the

market because without one, “you

overwhelming majority of our member

were irrelevant.”

interactions are done through online

“In that environment, product, price

and mobile banking, through self-ser-

and promotion were generic because

vice. Over 90% of our new business is

there was no advantage to be had

originated online.”

since choice was all about location. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ALLIANT CREDIT UNION

E XECU T I VE P RO FI LE

132

Michelle Spellerberg, Vice President Digital Strategy and Innovative Growth As Alliant’s head of marketing, digital banking channels and relationship management, Michelle Spellerberg is the driving force behind Alliant’s digital banking evolution. She is responsible for Alliant’s datadriven digital marketing efforts and led the charge behind Alliant’s new mobile banking app and online banking enhancements. She strongly believes that the consumer experience can be improved via smart yet simple technology. Prior to joining Alliant, Michelle helped companies embrace emerging media and technology to improve customer acquisition, product penetration, sales enablement and overall customer satisfaction.

M AY 2 0 1 9

“We want people to come in and be excited about using the technology, excited about our rates, and excited about the security that we offer” — Michelle Spellerberg, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovative Growth

Banks set the rules, which often

ence, digital banking enables transpar-

weren’t known to the customer until

ency and efficient price discovery.

they were used against them,” Mooney

Michelle Spellerberg, the company’s

says. “Since product, price and

Vice President of Digital Strategy and

promotion were generic, there was no

Innovative Growth, says Alliant has a

particular benefit to switching institu-

different approach to technology

tions, which, along with the hassle,

transformation. “In banking in general,

resulted in tremendous relationship

people still think of digital transforma-

inertia. Previously, you were limited to

tion as technology or systems – new

only financial institutions that had a

apps and cool features. For Alliant, our

branch in your area. Now, those

priority is about making the lives of our

geographic boundaries are eroding.”

members as simple as possible by

According to Mooney, the new

solving problems for them through

dynamic of banking centers around the

technology,” Spellerberg says. “It’s

web, which has changed how custom-

about easing the difficulties of day-to-

ers have access to services. In addition

day banking through technology, while

to improving time and place conveni-

a lot of companies are still out there w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

133

ALLIANT CREDIT UNION

“ We streamlined that entire process, not only for our members, but also for our employees” — Michelle Spellerberg, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovative Growth

134

M AY 2 0 1 9

just trying to create digital features which do not always add value.”

For example, Spellerberg says, the company created its own consumer loan origination system, which accepts digital applications for auto loans, credit cards, personal loans and more. Since its launch in spring 2017, the system has processed $1 billion in loan originations, with more than 94,000 loan applications processed in 2018 alone.

“We streamlined that entire process, not only for our members, but also for our employees,” notes Spellerberg.

“We also developed our own awardwinning mobile app.” Alliant established a proprietary app that focused on design and simplifying the customer experience. The firm added biometric authentication, in-app messaging, debit and credit card management tools, and other enhancements that made banking easier. Over the last four years, Alliant has increased mobile banking users by 208%. Spellerberg says Alliant is also currently working on two more projects aimed at improving and streamlining the digital banking experience for its customers and employees alike. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

135

ALLIANT CREDIT UNION

“One is for what we call our deposit product opening system. We already have our system in place for opening loans, so this system centers around our savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The system will ensure product openings are as easy and efficient as loan openings, both for our members and our employees,” Spellerberg says.

“We also are in the middle of redesigning our online banking platform, with the goal of not only modernizing the 136

$11.2bn Approximate revenue

1935

Year founded

500+

Approximate number of employees

look but, more importantly, simplifying the experience.”

Alliant experienced 14% growth in membership last year and will continue

heavily in marketing automation, to be

to expand as part of its digital transfor-

able to utilize data effectively and

mation journey. “We know that these

apply it in terms of smart communica-

new members have higher expecta-

tions with members and prospects.

tions when it comes to digital,” Speller-

We have not begun, in any significant

berg says. “We want people to come in

way, working with artificial intelligence

and be excited about using the

and machine learning, but we will be

technology, excited about our rates,

doing more of that in the future.”

and excited about the security that we

Another area Alliant is emphasizing

offer. We want to delight our custom-

in order to build long-term capability is

ers on a daily basis.”

technical ecosystem integration. “The

Fully embracing technology is key to

technical ecosystem is ever-expand-

Alliant’s continued growth strategy,

ing, with more and more applications

Mooney says. “We’ve invested fairly

and interfaces. Managing that

M AY 2 0 1 9

137

ever-expanding ecosystem is a

and dynamics. “We will continue to

significant challenge,” Mooney says.

invest heavily in digital capabilities and

“So, one of the efforts is: how do we

eliminate manual processes over the

architect our technology, and also

next five years,” Mooney says.

architect our organization to be able to

“I envision that we will have developed

deal with that complexity? Which

very robust data and analytics capabili-

again, I think, will enable us to adapt

ties, and embedded consumer-cen-

and respond when we need to, as

tered design across the organization.”

opposed to just getting totally overwhelmed by that complexity.”

In terms of the future, the CEO of Alliant has clear ideas for how the company can continue to remain on the right side of marketplace trends w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OKADA MANILA

138

Redefining technology in Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hotel industry

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

M AY 2 0 1 9

139

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OKADA MANILA

Dries Scott, Chief Technology Officer at Okada Manila, discusses how his company is leveraging technology in the hospitality, gaming & entertainment sector

140

M AY 2 0 1 9

C

onsidered one of the largest

overseen Okadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digitalisation jour-

and most exciting entertain-

ney from the ground up, Dries Scott,

ment destinations in Asia,

Chief Technology Officer, reflects on

Okada Manila is in the midst of

how the company has evolved over

a digital transformation as it embraces

the past few years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Okada Manila

technology to enhance the service

is the first Japanese-owned casino

it provides to its customers. Having

resort opened so there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any

141

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OKADA MANILA

“We’re very much focused on the technology of today” — Dries Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Okada Manila

142

previously used legacy system to rely

an older legacy. We can adapt and

on. The initial challenge when I came

change, and that gives us an advan-

on board was to start everything from

tage over our competitors because

scratch. It was an empty playing field,

we’re able to be more flexible. We

and we had to go and hand pick every

get a lot of support from our mother

single system installed in the prop-

company UEC, which is a gaming

erty,” explains Scott. “Through that

technology company that provided

process you don’t necessarily want to

some of our core gaming compo-

use legacy or outdated AS400 sys-

nents, and have in many areas been

tems because you want to go with the

beating some of their own competi-

newer developments and technolo-

tors by introducing advanced gaming

gies. I believe it gave us an advantage

platforms that is assisting to drive the

because we’re not stuck dealing with

industry into the next generation.”

M AY 2 0 1 9

143

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Dries Scott Dries is an accomplished and versatile IT professional with 23 years of experience in the Information Technology field where he has implemented over 100 different business systems and network tools. Having started as Vice President of IT at Okada Manila in January 2014, Dries went on to become Senior Vice President after proving his success and delivery of a fully operational IT environment to support the company.

Dries was promoted again to his current role of Chief Technology Officer in March 2018 to define the technology roadmap to support the Okada Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future objectives.

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

OKADA MANILA

“ If you create a memorable experience then people tend to come back” 146

— Dries Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Okada Manila

M AY 2 0 1 9

Having worked in a variety of different IT roles early in his career in his native South Africa, Scott undertook positions such as an Associate Director at Sands Cotai Limited and Senior IT Manager with Tsogo Sun followed by a stint as Director of IT Development & Quality Assurance at The Venetian Macao Resort before moving on to Okada Manila in January 2014. Scott believes his earlier experiences in hospitality and gaming laid the groundwork for him to succeed in his current role.

“Working through the ranks teaches

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OKADO MANILA – CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER –CREATING A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE’

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

147

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Guests can now fully have access to fast wireless internet connection. Cisco switches were strategically deployed at the podium and specific transmission and an unforgettable digital serious concern as Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise installed GPON cables beneath the floor, allowing for less cabling requirement taking into consideration the size of the property. All active components and IT equipment used for the digital transformation of Okada were integrated using CommScope’s Netconnect end-to-end structured cabling solutions.

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Trends, in partnership with tech giants AlcatelLucent Enterprise, Cisco, and CommScope, has journeyed with the five-star hotel, and will continue to work hand in hand to meet its needs and its clients’ through technology-enabled business services and solutions. This is the lifelong commitment of Trends.

Whatever your business is and however you envision success, Email info@trends.com.ph to know more.

150

you a lot about the various systems and different operations,” says Scott. “Having an understanding of how it all works and is integrated has assisted me with a broad knowledge and very deep understanding of each system needed for an integrated resort.”

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY Having helped to oversee Okada’s

“ You shouldn’t just deploy technology for the sake of having technology” — Dries Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Okada Manila

rise from the ground up, Scott has watched as technology has become an increasingly important tool. “With

an escape through its popular gaming

the guest in mind, our implemented

facilities which boast 500 table games

systems start from the moment a guest

and 3,000 electronic gaming ma-

drives into the property. The first thing

chines. With the task of implementing

that they will experience is the car

technology considered a key priority to

park management system and parking

Okada, Scott points out how vital it is to

guidance system guiding the guest

keep up with the latest developments.

where to park the car,” he explains.

“We’re very much focused on the tech-

“As the guest transitions through an

nology of today – not yesterday. 90%

integrated resort, they are exposed to

of our company is actually virtualised

lots of user interfaces and different

as we move towards virtualization, not

systems that can be interacted with.

just from a data centre perspective but

Our portfolio’s quite big — typically

also from a personal computer point

a large integrated resort has over 100

of view” he says. “One of the most

different systems.”

advanced user interfaces that we’ve

Located close to the beautiful,

implemented has been produced by

recently revamped Manila Bay in the

a company called Paragon Digital

Philippines, the resort offers guests

Lifestyle. They’ve allowed us to implew w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

151

153

ment a user interface in the room that

to engage with guests in a better way

has seen a tablet based in every hotel

than ever before. We’ve diversified

room. The tablet is the controlling point

our languages so that our technology

for the user to control all features in the

can be tailored for each specific guest,

room such as operating the TV, brows-

regardless of the language they speak,”

ing the internet and opening or closing

he explains. “It allows us to guide the

the curtains. The tablet really becomes

guests with specific language require-

the portal for the guest in the room to

ments to the staff member that most

interact with the rest of the room.”

suits their needs. For example, if we

Operating with a firm customer-

were to find a guest in a room that

centric approach, Scott understands

speaks Mandarin, we would know

the importance of putting guests at

that they speak Mandarin based on

the centre of every decision Okada

the preference selection when they

makes. “We’re very focused on how

check into the room, which means that w w aw.gi si aga .busi bi t ne massc ga zhief. in e. com

OKADA MANILA

154

M AY 2 0 1 9

155

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

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O U R PA R T N E R S

Paragon Digital Lifestyle “Paragon Digital Lifestyle has allowed us to implement a user interface in the room that has seen a tablet based in every hotel room. The tablet is the controlling point for the user to control all features in the room such as operating the TV, browsing the internet and opening or closing the curtains. The tablet really becomes the portal for the guest in the room to interact with the rest of the room.”

Trends Group “Trends Group helps to assist us in the installation of our entire network, from cabling to supply, connection and configuration of switches on both Campus & Data Center networks.”

HP Philippines “HP Philippines supplies us with our enterprise printing platform which has considerably saved cost on improving reduction of printing waste, reporting usage and accountability and access controls to printers.”

TIM Corporation “TIM Corporation are one of our main infrastructure

suppliers & integrators of our data center environment.”

FusionEx “FusionEx helped us to develop and customize a fully integrated leading-edge Casino Management System assisting in the tables, cage & marketing program play operations.”

Palo Alto Networks “Palo Alto Networks helped to assist us and supply the implementation of our physical and virtualized Firewall requirements.”

Cisco “Cisco helped to assist and supply the implementation of our software defined data centre network with their application centric infrastructure as well as portions of our campus network.”

Fujitsu Philippines “Fujitsu Philippines has been heavily involved in the implementation of many of our core network security components like Firewalls, SIEM, Internet Proxy & NAC.”

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157

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158

Learn more

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OKADA MANILA NOW’ 159 if a call was to come through from the

technology. It’s crucial to have an end

guest’s room, it would automatically be

objective of what you want to achieve

diverted to the most appropriate staff

in mind before implementing any tech-

member to assist in the language that

nology. It’s been a journey because we

suits the guest.”

started with just English-only plat-

With all companies encouraged to

forms but soon realised that a lot of the

adopt an increasing level of technol-

guests were frustrated because they

ogy to enhance their services, Scott

couldn’t engage with the technology

believes it has become essential to

on our English version. This encour-

ensure there is a clear strategy in

aged us to transition our guest inter-

mind when introducing new technol-

faces into becoming multi-lingual plat-

ogy. “Whatever you want to implement

forms that enable us to engage with

should have a purpose and goal,” ex-

the guests better, quicker and without

plains Scott. “You shouldn’t just deploy

our staff needing to communicate in

technology for the sake of having

many different languages. Ultimately, it w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OKADA MANILA

2008

Year founded 160

7,000+

Approximate number of employees

M AY 2 0 1 9

161

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HEAD OFFICE Tel. Nos. (+632) 857 1846 Fax Nos. (+632) 857 1808

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163

creates a better user experience which

Digital Lifestyle, Palo Alto Networks,

enables us to focus more on innova-

TIM Corporation, Fusionex, Cisco and

tion and entertainment activities which

Fujitsu Philippines. Scott believes that

in turn allows us to improve our guests’

a good partnership should be mutually

experience at Okada Manila overall.”

beneficial with both companies willing to make it work. “When we’re looking at

ESTABLISHING KEY PARTNERSHIPS

a new partnership, we’re looking for

In order to help achieve success in

people that are energised, creative and

the industry, Okada has formed and

willing to work with us to help deliver

developed a number of important

our dreams and wishes. It’s important

partnerships to accelerate its growth.

to have the drive, will and presence.

The firm established key strategic

A good partner is a company that

relations with Trends Group, HP

stays there and always checks up on

Philippines, TIM Corporation, Paragon

you to make sure that everything’s as w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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If you can imagine it, we will build the bridge to get you there.

165

it should be. These are the long term relationships and partnerships that we want to have.”

Scott points out how critical it is for the company to adapt to the latest developments. “Sustaining success into the future is a matter of evolving and staying updated with the latest directions of the world and the economies,” he says. “We need to keep up with the different generations in order to continue to be successful. All the different students that are coming out of school

“ We’ve diversified our languages so that our technology can be tailored for each specific guest” — Dries Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Okada Manila

and university are growing up with w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OKADA MANILA

Changing Business Changing Lives

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Fujitsu has over 100 Data centres worldwide and brings this technology to our local cloud in the Philippines.

This year alone, we’ve got more than 100 different projects that we’re working on and many challenges that we intend to overcome” he summarises. “Our key driver is to always ask the question: how can we attract more guests? In what ways can we bring more people to the property and give them an experience that they want to remember? If you create a memorable experience then people tend to come back because they enjoyed it.

That’s what we want to achieve on a consistent basis. In order to do that, it’s important we embrace the latest a different age of technology. They’re

trends and technologies but only if we

used to smartphones and tablets so

harness that technology in the right

it’s up to us to transition our services to

way. Building the right partnerships

meet the latest trends, because if you

and hiring the right people to help us

don’t, you start trailing the competition.”

achieve a digitised future is of key importance to our success.”

FUTURE PLANS With an eye on the future of Okada Manila, Scott has clear ideas of how his company can continue to expand during 2019 and beyond. “Today, we’re already running a completely paperless slot gaming operations and we will continue to strive towards digitization off all areas of our business. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

167

168

EXPLOSIVE GROWTH: NEW INNOVATIONS, NEW GEOGRAPHIES, NEW INDUSTRIES WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR

M AY 2 0 1 9

PRODUCED BY

ARRON RAMPLING

169

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BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

STEVE MARKLE, CEO OF BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS, DISCUSSES THE NEW INDUSTRIES, NEW GEOGRAPHIES AND NEW, INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS DRIVING THE NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH FOR THE COMPANY

O

ver the past 17 years, BirchStreet Systems has emerged as the leading provider of Procure-to-Pay (P2P) solutions for

enterprises operating in the hospitality space.

P2P is comprised of solutions which automate procurement, accounts payable, invoice & payment 170

processing, inventory management, recipe management and capital expense management.

These solutions can deliver up to 20%-50% back office and food and beverage cost reduction, and achieve over 80% on-contract spend compliance rates, improving rebate capture. With best-of-breed solutions and strong value proposition, BirchStreet is poised to enter its next phase of expansion.

“We’re really entering into a hyper-growth phase,” says CEO Steve Markle. BirchStreet counts such premium hotel brands as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Accor, and Four Seasons among the enterprisewide users of its suite of SaaS on-demand solutions. Markle continues, “having captured most of the major global hotel brands, and a large percentage of the large hotel management companies as enterprise customers, BirchStreet is preparing to M AY 2 0 1 9

171

scale its operations dramatically. We grew in excess of 40% in the last year and can see that growth trajectory continuing for the foreseeable future as we deploy into our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; property portfolios, grow alongside our rapidly expanding customer base and acquire additional large enterprise customers. Moreover, we have our sights on growing the company by many multiples in the next few years.â&#x20AC;?

Following two years as BirchStreet COO, Markle, has served as CEO of BirchStreet since July 2018. In our w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

“ W E HAVE OUR

SIGHTS ON GROWING THE COMPANY BY MANY MULTIPLES IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS” — Steve Markle, CEO, BirchStreet Systems

geographies through its existing customer base of global brands and an enhanced international selling organization. “Our third growth vector is the new suite of products we have recently developed in our roadmap, which is really exciting,” he continues.

“These solutions go way beyond traditional e-procurement.”

These three elements of BirchStreet’s transformation and growth journey are best illustrated by one of the company’s newest clients, Wynn Resorts. “Working closely with Wynn over the past year, we are quickly

172 sit-down session, Markle outlines an

approaching their goal of becoming

ambitious plan to match the company’s

truly paperless,” says Markle. “Having

bold, dramatic growth targets, sharing

recently gone fully live on BirchStreet,

his vision for BirchStreet’s continuing

Wynn is not only automating its P2P

transformation into a diverse and

processes, but is also utilizing nearly

disruptive global organization.

every tool that we have to eliminate

“There are three major vectors of

paper. Like we did by working with

growth that put BirchStreet into

the leaders in the hotel space in our

context,” explains Markle. “First, we

early years, Wynn has partnered with

are more deeply penetrating our

us as an early adopter to create

traditional hospitality industries, as well

state-of-the-art solutions for the

as entering new industries that are

gaming industry. Innovation through

similar because of the adjacent Food &

collaboration has been the hallmark of

Beverage and direct goods categories

BirchStreet’s development from our

that they share.” Second, BirchStreet is

earliest days as a transformative

rapidly expanding its footprint in new

company”, he explains.

M AY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BIRCHSTREET CUSTOMER CONFERENCE 2018 HIGHLIGHT FILM’ 173 This new partnership is allowing

BETTER SERVING LONG-TIME CUSTOMERS

BirchStreet to further its penetration of

Over the past 17 years, BirchStreet has

the hotel and hospitality vertical.

continuously sharpened its ability to

Furthermore, it demonstrates that

increase spend visibility & control and

BirchStreet is making a decisive

operational efficiency to significantly

entrance into the gaming, restaurant,

cut costs for its clients in the hotel

managed foodservice and sports &

space. This singular focus on reducing

entertainment events spaces, evi-

the cost of procuring from and settling

denced by customers such as Levy

with their suppliers has resulted in

Restaurants and Delaware North.

BirchStreet capturing the 14,000

The company is also launching a host

businesses that it now claims as its

of new products in order to smooth

customers. BirchStreet’s importance

and improve the operating processes

was cited by AccorHotels CPO

of a world-leading institutional food

Sebastien Brunel in a recent interview

service brand.

with Business Chief. “BirchStreet brings w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BIRCHSTEET OVERVIEW’ 176 structure to our process. We have PO

Elaborating further on the value that

approval process, PO management,

BirchStreet brings to its customers,

inventory management, product

Markle says, “There are three big

management and (electronic) interac-

sources of economic value that

tion between (our) hotels and (their)

BirchStreet brings to these organiza-

suppliers. This is essential for AccorHo-

tions besides increased efficiency. The

tels, especially in North America,” he

first big driver is spend control which

explained. “We have been partnered

enables big savings by allowing their

with BirchStreet for 10 years; they’ve

operations to go through a controlled

always supported us in everything

online buying experience that ensures

we’ve done and the platform brings

the properties are buying the right

efficiency, good savings and automatic

goods, from the right supplier, at the

updates to inventory – we probably do

right price.” Second is the prevention

around US$150mn of annual spend

of risks like maverick or off-contract

through the BirchStreet platform.”

buying, and third, BirchStreet’s

M AY 2 0 1 9

platform creates value for its

enterprise customers, rebates and

customers on the revenue side.

allowances add up to big dollars.

“You can increase revenue with us

Our value proposition is amplified

by having tight and efficient controls

when our solution is coupled with a

over your inventories so that you never

Group Purchasing Organization

miss an opportunity to make a sale,”

(GPO) like the one offered by our key

Markle explains. “Suppliers offer

partners at Hilton Supply Manage-

rebates and allowances if you achieve

ment” (HSM), says Markle. “With

certain spend levels with them. Our

HSM, BirchStreet can approach

system automatically tracks all of the

customers in any of their target

spend with each supplier so that the

industries or geographies with

customer can easily capture the

a seamlessly integrated offering

rebates and allowances they earn.

combining P2P technology and

Given annual spend size of our large

supply chain programs” 177

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Steve Markle, CEO Steve brings over 20 years of technology and business leadership.

His responsibilities include driving the strategy and execution of the company. In addition to Markle’s role at BirchStreet, he will continue as an Independent Director on the Board of MarginPoint, a leading Inventory Management SaaS company. Prior to BirchStreet, he was Vice President and General Manager, CLM and SRM for Apttus, the category-defining Quote-to-Cash software provider. Markle was founder and CEO of BuildBeam, job management software designed specifically for specialty trade contractors (acquired

by DaftLabs). From 2001 until 2013, Steve was an executive at Ariba (acquired by SAP), a pioneer in Sourcing, Procurement and Business Network space where he ultimately served as Vice President of Solutions Management. Markle earned his BSE in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.

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BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

NEW PRODUCTS A specific example of how BirchStreet is better serving its existing customer base, while also aggressively expanding into new markets, is the adoption of innovative new products that greatly enhance the efficiency of its customers’ operations. According to Markle, from its earliest days BirchStreet’s focus on the P2P function within the hospitality industry has defined the development of its software platform.

“We recognized early on that the large ERP software companies are excellent 178

$25mn+ Approximate revenue

2002

Year founded

300

Approximate number of employees

at meeting generic enterprise management software system needs. But with its emphasis on food & beverage and other items consumed in delivering its ‘product’, or what we call ‘direct goods’,

200,000+ Registered Users

hospitality has very specific needs that were not being met. There are numerous “pain points” in the P2P process that are specific to hospitality and BirchStreet is uniquely positioned to address those needs. We integrate with all the major ERP systems thereby completing the full ERP functionality required by our large enterprise customers”.

“Two years ago, we acquired AccuBar, a best-in-class, specialist M AY 2 0 1 9

Processing

25mn

Purchase Orders a year

solution provider, for businesses that handle beverage inventory,” says Markle. Since acquiring AccuBar, BirchStreet has combined both companies’ capabilities to create a single inventory management solution for food and beverage organizations.

“It’s very slick,” Markle says. “It has mobile capabilities that allow you to receive goods with your mobile device when it reaches your dock. This is a critical part of the process that enables flow-through automation from receipt to pay. In addition to promoting accuracy in the receiving process, it saves a huge amount of time versus writing things down by hand and then entering data into your accounting system.” Another example is BirchStreet’s investment in infrastructure for global scale. All of BirchStreet’s customer transactional data runs on Oracle databases. By leveraging Oracle’s technology, BirchStreet is able to host more than 2mn logins per month while maintaining a 99.9% uptime. BirchStreet also embeds Softlinx services to send over 50,000 fax pages per month on behalf of its customers to the corners of the globe without internet. By switching to w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

179

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“ W E’RE SAVING OUR CLIENTS SO MUCH MONEY BY ENABLING THEM TO GO THROUGH A TIGHTLY MANAGED ONLINE BUYING EXPERIENCE” — Steve Markle, CEO, BirchStreet Systems

of liquor and wave it in front of your mobile device,” Markle elaborates. “Our mobile app will recognize the shape of the bottle and branding and allows you to take inventory, including partial bottle inventory by moving the fill-line on the bottle image that automatically appears on your mobile screen. Think of the more expensive scotches, or a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac and you quickly understand the power of this quick, easy and accurate inventory management tool.

You potentially have a lot of capital locked up in beverage inventory,

Softlinx in late 2017, BirchStreet

particularly when you consider the final

increased its worldwide success

selling price per pour.” Expanding

rate by 20%. And through BirchStreet’s

further on this proprietary technology,

partnership with CapGemini, the pair

Markle continues: “Once you have the

offers Accounts Payable as a Service

contour of the bottle saved to the

(ApaaS) to joint customers such

system – and some weirdly shaped

as FourSeasons. APaaS is a fully

bottles are hard to calculate by eye

standardized and automated

– our patented technology always

business process for end-to-end

recognises the shape of the bottle. All

invoice process.

you do is swipe your finger where the

In addition to automating the goods

liquid line is and it’ll automatically

receiving process, BirchStreet

calculate how much volume you have.”

provides its customers with a patented

Markle maintains that BirchStreet’s

specialized inventory function. “The

inventory software has the potential to

service’s unmatched take-inventory

revolutionize waste mitigation in

capabilities allow you to grab a bottle

high-value beverage management. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

181

BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

182

Responding to the needs of its

restaurants manage recipes and

institutional food services clients, the

ingredients, as well as food costs,

company is also introducing innovative

which is the Holy Grail for business

software to help its food production

owners and chefs. Then, if you

operations track stock and ensure

combine recipes with inventory, our

standards of service across multi-loca-

solution will implement automatic stock

tion operations. “For managed food

replenishment notifications or fulfil-

service companies, we’re also

ment of that inventory item depending

introducing our recipe and production

on the recipes you produce. Just think

kitchen modules,” says Markle. “Think

of the labor savings from automating

about how many recipes a large casino

that aspect of food services opera-

or hotel must have and the process of

tions. If you think about a high-end

making and distributing finished goods

casino property, you think of shops on

to their outlets. Our solution helps

the first floor where they’re selling a

M AY 2 0 1 9

where it also hopes to attract a new roster of clients. “We’re making a very large bet on Europe, the Middle East and Asia,” says Markle. “By all indications it will be wildly successful. There are lots of companies within both our old and new industries that operate outside BirchStreet’s traditional market of North America.”

As BirchStreet breaks into new sectors and brings new offerings to new and old customers, Markle reflects on his own schedule. “I’m traveling around the world three or four times a year,” he says. “I’m about to do an around the world trip, starting in early March. I’ll just keep going East until I wind up back in wide range of items. Working with

California.” Markle holds town halls with

our customers has allowed us to

employees in every BirchStreet office to

create a retail inventory extension of

keep the company engaged and

our inventory module functionality,”

updated on the next stages of its

says Markle.

development. “Change is constant, and you manage change by making sure

NEW MARKETS, NEW REGIONS

your organization knows where it’s

BirchStreet’s new suite of products are

going and embraces the enthusiasm

allowing the company to aggressively

of its leaders.”

penetrate adjacent or nearby indus-

On the subject of BirchStreet’s

tries. Furthermore, its deeper penetra-

legacy as well as his own, Markle

tion into the multi-national hotel

muses: “We look at our industry of

management sector is allowing the

hospitality as we would any business

company to explore new regions,

that provides a ‘product’. Our customers w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

183

End-to-End End-to-End End-to-End YOUR ONE-STOP PROCUREMENT PARTNER YOUR ONE-STOP PROCUREMENT PARTNER Hilton Supply Management works with over 2,000 suppliers to manage YOUR ONE-STOP the entire supply chain from farm to Hilton Supply Management works PROCUREMENT PARTNER restaurant, manufacturer room and with over 2,000 suppliers toto manage

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PA R T N E R S

BirchStreet and Hilton Supply Management (HSM) partner to offer integrated P2P SaaS technology with supply chain programs. HSM’s programs can save up to 61% depending on the commodity purchased and BirchStreet’s technology enforces purchasing compliance to ensure that value is captured.

All of BirchStreet’s customer transactional data run on Oracle databases. Oracle is the leading database software manufacture and handles which lets us handle more than 5,000 per second.

By leveraging Oracle’s technology BirchStreet is able to host more than 2 million logins per month while maintaining a 99.9% uptime.

185 BirchStreet and Capgemini have partnered to offer Accounts Payable as a Service (APaaS), a solution offering a centralized mailroom function, process standardization, all integrated using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for invoice capture with BirchStreet P2P as the underlying technology platform. These two leaders in hospitality, joined hands to create customer value through these shared services and help clients like FourSeasons realize savings up to 40-50% in operating costs and rapid profitable growth.

BirchStreet uses Softlinx services to send over 50,000 fax pages per month on behalf of our customers. By switching to Softlinx BirchStreet increased our worldwide success rate by 20% while cutting costs by 10%.

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

BIRCHSTREET SYSTEMS

are enterprises that manage multiple facilities that deliver a wide spectrum of services that make up their ‘product’.

The hospitality ‘product’ is effectively made up of parts and labor. We partner with our customers in multiple ways to significantly reduce their labor costs and increase sales. We do this through automating a whole host of manual processes from procuring to paying for the goods they use at their properties day in and day out, and we provide the tools needed to better manage the ‘parts’ used in their food 186

and beverage operations, as well as in the rest of the customer experience.

In the end, that is what hospitality is all about: the experience. We wake up every day asking ourselves, ‘what can we do to help our customers deliver the best experience possible at their properties?’

By virtue of what we do, we help our customers to take a fresh look at themselves and evaluate whether their processes and internal capabilities fit their vision for where they want to go as an organization. Our approach is not to be prescriptive, but rather to work closely with our customers and innovate together.”

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“ O UR SERVICE HAS CAPABILITIES THAT ARE UNMATCHED IN THE INDUSTRY” — Steve Markle, CEO, BirchStreet Systems

187

Markle concludes: “What we do is

excited about what the future has in

not just about deploying our software;

store for us as we innovate with our

it’s about working with our customers

customers to transform the worldwide

to provide the tools and expertise they

hospitality industry.”

need to deliver their desired outcomes: the very best experience to their customers, while using technology to minimize the costs of delivering their product. We could not be more proud of what we have achieved over the past 15 years and couldn’t be more w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

188

Digital transformation in the financial Hea industry Pub WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

M AY 2 0 1 9

Kerning +25, All titles

adline in blico Light

189

5, leading +2pt

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IGM FINANCIAL

Milorad Stefanovic, Vice President of Digital Technology, discusses how his firm is utilising technology to transform its operating model

A

s it undergoes a strategic digital transformation, IGM Financial has established three key pillars to form its digital

technology strategy. The Canadian wealth and asset management firm aims to create a more engaging experience for its customers, provide a productive insights-driven toolset for advisors 190

and also create a new digital platform for employees. IGM has accelerated its digital transformation significantly over the past couple of years, helping its clients improve their financial well-being and achieve their goals. To accomplish this, the company has leveraged scaled agile delivery to aid the digitization of its processes. “In the last 12 to 18 months, we’ve made significant progress. We’re utilizing technology faster and delivering solutions in an accelerated cycle,” says Milorad Stefanovic, Vice President of Digital Technology. “We believe agile provides a new way of working that allows us to deliver a connected digital experience to our IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Investments clients and advisors and build a strong culture of collaboration across our joint business and technology teams.”

M AY 2 0 1 9

“Talent is absolutely front and center to our digital strategy” — Milorad Stefanovic, Vice President of Digital Technology

191

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IGM FINANCIAL

“ Salesforce has been an important partner, helping us drive business and technology innovation at IGM as well as by accelerating our digital 192 transformation roadmap” — Milorad Stefanovic, Vice President of Digital Technology

Joining IGM in June 2018, Stefanovic’s previous leadership experience with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and IBM has furnished him with an understanding of how technology is transforming business operating models in the financial services industry. “My previous roles focused on digital banking for business and retail banking clients. I see important parallels between wealth management and business banking when it comes to connected digital journeys for clients and advisors,” he explains. “In both lines of business, there is an important role that the advisor or business banker plays in terms of managing the relationship with clients and growing their practices. I think that experience in business banking and wealth management has helped me to drive the strategic transformation for IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Investments here at IGM.” Through the implementation of a new integrated toolset, IGM began two large initiatives in a bid to accelerate its transformation and deliver digital capabilities for advisors. “We are rolling out a new Salesforce-based digital platform for our advisors and accelerat-

M AY 2 0 1 9

ing our transition from paper-based

“Talent is absolutely front and center to

processes to a digital business,”

our digital strategy. It’s been recognized

Stefanovic explains. “We also launched

as part of our roadmap and is consid-

a new digital client platform, providing a

ered one of our main enablers. We

seamless omnichannel experience to

believe in both the importance of

our clients and advisors. Both the client

developing talent within the organisa-

access and the advisor digital capabili-

tion and the ability to attract external

ties are based on Salesforce which

talent as we move forward,” explains

allows us to share the data and insights

Stefanovic. “In terms of development of

across online and mobile for clients as

the talent within the organisation, we

well as the digital platform for advisors.”

have a structured, focused approach in

Recruitment is a vital task for any

developing the key skills related to

company, and Stefanovic maintains that

digital technology, specifically Sales-

due to his firm’s digital priorities, it has

force as well as the skills related to agile

become a central part of IGM’s strategy.

delivery at scale. Both agile and

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Milorad Stefanovic As Vice President Digital Technology at IGM Financial Milorad is responsible for the technology organization that delivers omnichannel experience and digital capabilities to IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Investments clients, advisors, and employees. He is also responsible for the Salesforce Center of Excellence and the Scaled Agile operating model at IGM. Milorad is a seasoned executive with experience leading business and technology transformation, driving innovation, and delivering integrated end-to-end solutions in Wealth Management, Retail Banking, and Business and Commercial Banking.

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193

IGM FINANCIAL

194

Salesforce are specific learning paths

tion and empower our advisors to

that we have made available to our

deliver relevant and timely advice to our

employees.”

clients” he says. “Salesforce has been an important partner, helping us drive

VITAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

business and technology innovation at

In order to accelerate its growth, IGM

IGM as well as by accelerating our

has established an important partner-

digital transformation roadmap.”

ship with Salesforce and Stefanovic

In addition, IGM has established

believes collaborations with firms such

other digital partnerships with Slalom

as this has been paramount to his

and Portag3 as the company contin-

company’s digital transformation. “The

ues to digitalize its operating model.

connected experience and capabilities

“Given the accelerated pace of our

available through our digital platform

digital transformation, we aren’t able to

allow us to accelerate our transforma-

develop everything in-house. It has led

M AY 2 0 1 9

195

to us forming several partnerships,

FUTURE PLANS

including Slalom as a solutions

Looking ahead to the future of the

integrator. Slalom is a US-based

financial services industry, Stefanovic

company with a strong presence in

anticipates an increased focus on

Canada and they have helped us

effective application of artificial

considerably through the integration of

intelligence (AI) over the next few

the solutions and project delivery,”

years. “The adoption and application

explains Stefanovic. “In addition, we

of AI and machine learning capabilities

have a strong partnership with Portag3,

is well under way and these capabilities

the venture capital arm of Power

will play a central role going forward.

Financial Corporation. Our partnership

I expect the application of AI in our

with Portag3 and the portfolio compa-

industry to become a common

nies will help us stay ahead of the

practice in the future with a broad

curve moving forward as well.”

range of relevant use cases from w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

IGM FINANCIAL

196

M AY 2 0 1 9

ÂŁ20bn Mutual Fund Sales

HQ

Toronto, Canada

3,300

Approximate number of employees

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

197

Slalom is a modern consulting firm focused on strategy, technology, and business transformation.

At Slalom, personal connection meets global scale.

Our consultants across the U.S., U.K., and Canada move fast and share insights to deliver high-impact business results.

“ We believe we can be the best company in Canada, in terms of delivering relevant and timely investment advice to our clients and helping them reach their full financial wellbeing potential”

marketing and sales to operations and service capabilities.”

Predicting the future for IGM, Stefanovic is confident his company will continue to be a leading provider of wealth and asset management products and services to Canadians in the upcoming years and beyond. “We believe we can be the best company in Canada, in terms of delivering relevant and timely investment advice to our clients and helping them reach their full financial wellbeing potential. We also feel we can draw a significant market share in the Canadian market too.”

— Milorad Stefanovic, Vice President of Digital Technology

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199

200

CHANTIER DAVIE: INTRODUCING CONNECTED FLEETS AND IOT WRIT TEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPM AN PRODUCED BY

JA MES BERRY

M AY 2 0 1 9

201

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C H A N T I E R D AV I E C A N A D A I N C .

Canada’s largest shipbuilder, Chantier Davie Canada, reveals how it is updating its technology to connect a shipyard the size of a small town

E

stablished in 1825, Chantier Davie Canada has been building ships for almost 200 years but has just started

to take the first steps on its digital transformation journey. The shipyard is the largest, highest capacity, and most experienced in 202

Canada. Davie Shipbuilding has a vision of being the nation’s “premier shipyard providing national strategic capability when it comes to the digital transformation,” claims Jeremy Citone, Technology Director of Chantier Davie Canada. “The yard has recently delivered the most complex vessel ever built in North America, and we are now focusing on innovating new ferries which use clean energy.”

“Being in a company with so much history, it’s a challenge in itself. Facilities are more than 2 kmsq. With its 56 buildings, it is really like a small town. When the shipyard reopened in 2012, it was 10 years behind with technology. Everything needed to be updated, from security, IT infrastructure to introducing Internet of Things,” notes Citone. Despite M AY 2 0 1 9

203

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CANADA’S NEXT AUXILIARY OILER REPLENISHMENT SHIP – EPISODE ONE’ 205 the numerous changes being made

were facing: to provide information

around Davie, its workers are entirely

when an where it is needed within our

involved and committed. “Major

environment.”

technology changes are always tricky

“The use of technology not only

to introduce. However, our workers

enables the shipyard to be more efficient,

are embracing the new tools they are

but it also makes the company more

provided with.”

sustainable, as it is able to move on

Citone notes that for him live information is key – while engineers are behind computers designing

from paper-based practices which are riskier and less reliable.”

Citone reveals that the shipyard’s

ships, the supervisors are onboard.

technologies are well on track to reach

“But how can you ask someone to be

Industry 4.0 levels. Over the past 3

efficient onboard a ship under construc-

years, he has introduced and fostered

tion if they don’t have access to that

a culture which has the goal of becom-

information? That’s the challenge we

ing a smarter and virtual shipyard. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C H A N T I E R D AV I E C A N A D A I N C .

“In five years I see the implementation of AI for shipbuilding.

AI will allow us to use our workforce smarter” — Jeremy Citone, Technology Director of Chantier Davie Canada 206

“We are now 3D scanning incoming

the 3D models,” he adds. Augmented

ships, both inside and outside. When

reality technologies allow them to be

we have a virtual ship, we can measure

onboard and visualize the ship the way it

it from the office. We can select the

will look like once completed. All piping,

best spot for a piece equipment. That

equipment, and lighting systems are

allows us to work around the clock with

displayed on top of what the camera

engineering companies all over the

sees directly on the tablets onboard

world,” Citone explains. As part of the

the ship. This way, the supervisors can

firm’s digital transformation journey,

understand and show the workers

supervisors have been equipped with

what to do and where to do it.

tablets, and Wi-Fi has been installed

“I believe live information and reporting

across the site. “With the tablets, our

is key. In-house developed apps allow

supervisors are able to draw on top of

the supervisor to have a clear view of

M AY 2 0 1 9

the progress made onboard and keep track of their budget per task. All tablets are connected to the main cluster and are regularly updated with any revisions as it is used. This reduces risks and mistakes” Efficiency, according to Citone, is the most important aspect of the company’s digital transformation journey. “However, as we are based in Canada, the labor is quite expensive compared to all of our international competitors.

Therefore, our employees need to be very efficient and technology-driven.”

However, Citone notes that live information is being used even further: “For every ship, we collect as much E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jeremy Citone After finishing his second Master’s degree in Computer Science in California, Jeremy was head hunted by the INOCEA group in Monaco to take on a role of a system engineer. His vision for shipyard technology led him to Inocea-owned Chantier Davie, the largest shipyard in North America. In 2017, just a few years after joining the company, he became the head of the IT department. Today, Jeremy works on implementing his vision by bringing high-end technology to the shipbuilding industry

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207

C H A N T I E R D AV I E C A N A D A I N C .

208

production data as we can. This live

recent major conversions, the Replen-

data allows us to update our norms for

ishment at sea vessel MV Asterix.”

the planning. I would like to see the end

While building the Asterix, the

of the averaging. With lots of data, we

company also prioritized cybersecurity,

now have the capability to get to a level

and designed an entire network for its

of accuracy we couldn’t dream of before.

connected ships. “Ships are more and

A good example of the marine industry

more connected to the internet; the

transformation is one of our most

engines, navigation chart systems,

M AY 2 0 1 9

715

Ships built at Davie

1825

Year founded

348

Metre Drydock

integrated management system are

strides forward, creating a training

all connected for maintenance and

system that resembles a video game.

updates.” Those technologies cannot

“It’s something completely new that

be implemented without having

we’ve never seen before in the marine

a shipyard mastering those technolo-

industry. We partnered with Race-

gies,” he continues.

Rocks, a Canadian company based in

On its journey toward Industry 4.0, the company has made significant

Vancouver that designs training systems in the style of video games. We gave w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

209

C H A N T I E R D AV I E C A N A D A I N C .

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“ Ships are more and more connected to the internet; the engines, navigation chart systems, integrated management system are all connected for maintenance and updates” — Jeremy Citone, Technology Director of Chantier Davie Canada

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C H A N T I E R D AV I E C A N A D A I N C .

“ We gave them a 3D model of our ship and they made a video game out of it” 212

— Jeremy Citone, Technology Director of Chantier Davie Canada

M AY 2 0 1 9

them a 3D model of our ship and they made a video game out of it,” says Citone. “The crew can sit down with their computers in their rooms and train on how to extinguish fires, operate equipment and follow procedures.

Some training will display a virtual replenishment at sea console. The console is fully functional, every single button works – if they were to push the wrong button, the simulation will fail.” Using one-of-a-kind technology to train its staff marks the direction the shipyard is going in, “In 5 years I see the implementation of AI for shipbuilding. AI will allow us to use our workforce in an optimal fashion. We currently have accurate feedback on how long it takes to complete each job based on complexity, material availability, and manpower.

Planning won’t be based mainly on rules: we will be able to predict schedules using actual shipyard capabilities. And that’s a game changer for Canada.”

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A SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE FUTURE WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

CAITLYN COLE

M AY 2 0 1 9

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CBRE

Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability at CBRE, discusses sustainability in the facilities management space and the ways the company creates value for its clients

O

ver 40% of the world’s energy is consumed by commercial and industrial buildings.

At a time when the need for climate action

and sustainability reform is greater than ever before, global real estate services and investment firm CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) division 216

is working to leverage new technology, alongside the combined experience of over 80,000 employees, to ensure the world’s leading companies are also sustainability leaders in the private sector. “We work across a broad, diverse background of clients with different needs and specialisations around their energy and sustainability appetites. Our goal is to create value for them in that space,” says Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability, EMEA. We sat down with Gomez to find out how CBRE is delivering sustainability at a profit to its impressive roster of tier one clients.

Gomez and the GWS division work across four different major verticals. “We work with major players in the industrial oil and gas business, in banking and insurance, technology, and life sciences and pharmaceuticals,” explains Gomez.

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Better air for the built environment There is a real drive for building occupants, managers and owners to utilise resources within the built environment more effectively now more than ever before. At VES, we know that understanding and influencing energy and sustainability will continue to be a critical facilitator in providing ever increasing control of good decision making.

Our ability to respond to changes in building usage is strengthened by being aware of the choices made at business level, as we work to help stakeholders meet their environmental and commercial goals. We must also remain mindful of our long-term responsibilities to find ways to improve how we utilise precious resources as we develop over time.

We believe that by embedding energy and sustainability goals and drivers within all our strategic decisions, we ensure constant progress and real tangible benefits along our transformation journey.

Our Collaborative Approach We work closely with business and technology partners to allow us to build upon the fundamentals of their expertise; key partners include Ziehl Abegg for fan & motor technology, Siemens Building Technology for controls and building integration, Hoval for energy recovery technology. Like us, their vision lies in creating energy efficient and sustainable environments to ensure technologies are used to the fullest potential; making every improvement easier to implement and longer lasting whilst ensuring future value can be unlocked through data built within the DNA of the solution.

By bringing together these leading technologies within our own field of expertise in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, we can not only build ventilation systems to meet energy and sustainability standards for new buildings - we can facilitate energy improvement solutions for existing buildings which create lasting value and make a difference to occupants, building operation and environmental impact.

No single technology applied in isolation can drive the energy and sustainability requirements of the future; just like our business partnerships, solutions are best achieved through a collaborative approach based upon tangible data and information which ensures consistent effective results with the ability to continuously drive

improvements through using the embedded data, which is captured and analysed as part of the solution.

Replacing a belt driven centrifugal fan with an EC plug fan to perform the same duty can yield notable energy savings on its own. However, by understanding the purpose and usage of the area being served, we can ensure that even more energy is saved through optimised fan and motor selections and introducing modulating speed in response to intelligent demand control. We can use occupancy readings to ensure energy used on heating can be effectively reduced by introducing a controlled balance between fresh air intake, return and recirculated air, and usage of energy recovery devices such as thermal wheels.

Along with associated reductions in maintenance requirements, and by working with our partners to bring together solutions in multiple air handling systems across buildings or whole estates, we can assist you and your partners in making a real and lasting impact on energy and sustainability in the buildings and estates you are responsible for.

Business case and investment By packaging our energy and sustainability business cases so they make sound business and financial investment sense, proposals can be delivered with equal priority alongside more conventional business investments. With the ever-growing pressures on the cost and utilisation of resources within the built environment, our energy and sustainability investments can provide far greater financial return and value than many other capital investments being considered.

We have a wide spectrum of technical experts covering the UK, ready to meet and evaluate possible energy initiatives helping you progress along your own energy and sustainability journey.

For more information: 023 8046 1150 | ves.co.uk | sales@ves.co.uk | LinkedIn Offices in Southampton, London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham

CBRE

“ We work across a broad, diverse background of clients with different needs and specialisations around their energy and sustainability 220 appetites” — Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability, EMEA

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When taking on a new client, CBRE prides itself on being a full spectrum provider of a complete range of solutions. Through a number of years of experience of working with property portfolios of large global occupier clients, CBRE has developed an Energy Pathway product. This is now our standard proven approach to implementing an energy strategy for any of our accounts/clients.

The methodology takes the client on a 10-step journey through energy management and allows for a tailored approach to be developed for each

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE SEAMARK BUILDING, ELM PARK, DUBLIN, IRELAND’ 221 portfolio. The core elements of this

all the time. Once you’re on this wheel,

program define our three major offerings.

the idea is that you keep it going and the

The company calls its three major

process will become self funding,

offerings “Buy Smart, Use Smart and

because of the amount of value that

Be Responsible”. Gomez explains:

you’re creating and releasing. CBRE is

“The supply side energy management

in the business of being a full provider

is ‘Buy Smart’; demand side energy

of all of these services.”

management is ‘Use Smart’; and ‘Be

There are three principal areas in which

Responsible’ is about sustainability.

CBRE creates value for its customers

That’s the wheel of services that we

through sustainability: profitability,

offer. We bring them in at whatever level

brand and risk management. “Our goal

our client is currently at and plug all the

is to help a company generate its

gaps to make them a fully comprehen-

output in the most energy efficient way,”

sive energy and sustainability business

explains Gomez. “There needs to be

that is creating value and mitigating risk

a business case to make sustainability w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Transform your energy challenges into business advantage Centrica Business Solutions and CBRE have joined forces in a preferred partnership arrangement to help businesses tackle the four major energy challenges of high costs; power supply disruption; operational efficiency, and sustainability.

Energy costs are volatile and rising.

Power grid instability and extreme weather events are increasing energy supply risk.

Employees, customers, shareholders and regulators expect you to be green and energy efficient.

Ageing energy infrastructure may be pushing up your operational and maintenance costs, while compromising productivity

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to rethink your long-term energy strategy and take a proactive approach to lower carbon, lower cost, lower risk energy management.

Expert support from world-leading energy solutions providers Centrica Business Solutionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; partnership with CBRE brings together the vast expertise and resources of two world-leading energy services and solutions providers.

Jointly, we provide complete end-to-end support to integrate advanced energy technologies into long-term sustainable energy strategies. In this way, your business can increase profitability, productivity, energy security and environmental credibility.

See how we can help

Time to power up your long-term energy strategy The radical shift from traditional centralised energy generation to decentralised and digitised energy opens exciting new opportunities to gain business advantage from higher energy performance.

Goodbye passive top-down energy consumption. Welcome to the next generation possibilities of optimsing, monetising and controlling your sustainable energy strategy.

Benefits of distributed energy Advances in intelligent digital energy technology provide cost-efficient distributed energy solutions that reduce risk and secure a more competitive and environmentally sound future.

Centrica Business Solutions, part of the global energy and services company Centrica Plc, is a strategic energy partner for business – delivering outstanding results and stretching the boundaries of what’s possible. We design, build, finance, operate and maintain intelligent, end-to-end distributed energy solutions – enabling you to analyse, generate, store and monetise your energy.

We have expertise in cutting-edge energy insight and prediction; on-site generation from solar and cogeneration; battery storage; back-up power; energy asset management, and demand-response aggregation.

Learn More

These exciting opportunities to redesign energy strategies and embrace the opportunities of localised, distributed energy solutions are hugely underexploited.

We can remove investment barriers Some businesses are slow to adapt to new opportunities because they believe that it’s too complex, too risky, or too costly. However, with two of the world’s most capable and technically advanced energy solutions providers in your corner, these barriers quickly disappear.

Together, Centrica Business Solutions and CBRE have the proven capabilities to deliver a complete smart energy program that mitigates risk and delivers powerful results.

We’re here to support your long-term energy vision and distributed energy projects every step of the way – from design and development – to installation – through to long-term monitoring and operation.

The cost of implementing innovative distributed energy solutions is falling and the return on investment is impressive. However, if lack of finance or competing funding priorities are frustrating your energy ambitions, Centrica Business Solutions provides long term flexible finance options.

We have a long and proven track record of funding both CAPEX and OPEX costs via the ongoing energy and operational savings, with built in performance guarantees to mitigate risk. In this way we can accelerate delivery of the end-to-end clean energy solutions.

Discover how Centrica Business Solutions and CBRE can help you transform your energy performance and future-proof your business growth.

CBRE

$21.3bn Approximate revenue (2018)

1906

Year founded

80,000

Approximate number of employees 224

M AY 2 0 1 9

attractive.” The first value opportunity

peak hours. “They can then bank that

that CBRE provides revolves around

obligation as a virtual power station

a “reduction in spend and therefore an

and do that multiple times around the

increase in profitability. Our customers

country,” explains Gomez. “Then they

reduce what they spend on their energy,

could have 20 megawatts of energy

getting back any revenue they’ve

that can be used to shave peak demand.

overpaid on their energy bills, and they

When the whole country puts the kettle

actually can drive revenue into their

on during Bake Off adverts, they don’t

coffers if their national grid has programs,

have to turn another gas turbine on; we

known as demand side response

can use this virtual power plant.” CBRE

schemes, that will pay clients to turn

has a full matrix of over 150 initiatives

load off,” says Gomez. Demand side

that can be used to make savings on

response schemes involve financially

clients’ energy. “We work on a traffic

incentivising grid users to reduce or

light system,” explains Gomez. “Our

shift energy consumption away from

goal is to take every red and amber box

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Joe Gomez Joe Gomez has served as Head of Energy & Sustainability at CBRE since 2016. He is a Warwick Business School MBA and a UK Chartered Energy Engineer, with a specialisation in Energy, Building Services, Refrigeration & HVAC sectors. In his role at CBRE, Gomez creates value for his customers through utility price reduction, productivity improvement, brand enhancement, supply and demand side energy management. He is responsible for the operation of CBRE’s energy and sustainability platform, as well as the company’s energy and utilities management services.

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CBRE

Watch the video

SmartServices click to find out how

where there’s the potential for an energy saving and turn it green. By doing this we not only save the client money but also make that building itself greener.

That will then give that business the best carbon credentials they could possibly have.” CBRE is the trusted advisor and partner to its clients.

“We’re there to run and manage their property,” says Gomez. “We don’t make anything or sell any products, but we sell our expertise and human horsepower.”

Over the years, CBRE has built up its

“ The goal is to turn every building green over a course of time.

That will then give that business the best carbon credentials they could have” — Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability, EMEA

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CBRE

third party suppliers and contractors.

One such company is VES. Founded in 1968, VES provides energy efficient ventilation and air handling solutions across multiple verticals in the industrial and commercial real estate space.

“We believe VES is one of the best air handling units and air flow management businesses in the country,” says Gomez. “What you get is a bespoke solution that fits your needs at a high quality standard. We believe that their attention to detail and their thoroughness is something we would stand 228

behind.” Another avenue through which CBRE can drastically improve the sustainability of a property is its lighting system. “We work closely with global lighting provider Sylvania in delivering efficient and comprehensive lighting solutions to our client base,” explains Gomez. “Sylvania have a knowledgeable and committed team of professionals supporting us and they act as an extension of the GWS value chain in scoping, designing and delivering value.”

Secondly, CBRE manages its clients’ sustainability branding, helping clients to position themselves on indices like the Dow Jones Sustainability index, M AY 2 0 1 9

the FTSE4Good, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark,” says Gomez.

“These rankings show the world our customers’ green credentials. If they occupy the top spots on those indices, not only is it good for their brand and good for how attractive they are to their market, but it also drives greater transparency between the company and its customers.”

Thirdly, CBRE offers risk management through its sustainability expertise.

“The energy and sustainability landscape has experienced a proliferation of financial and legislative requirements, driven by the United Nations Climate Change Program to deliver a world to our grandchildren that’s 1.5 degrees cooler than if we don’t take action,” notes Gomez. CBRE manages the risks of compliance for its customers so that “whether they’re lending money or making Nurofen, we take away their compliance headaches and minimise their exposure to the financial impact of those regulations and penalties”.

The sustainability service CBRE provides is linked to three major trends in the industry, which Gomez calls “the three Ds: de-carbonisation, decentraliw w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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CBRE

230

“Because if you drive something more efficiently you drive it more reliably.

And if you drive it more reliably, you’re driving better facilities management” — Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability, EMEA

M AY 2 0 1 9

231

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CBRE

100

Clients served worldwide

450

Offices worldwide

18 years 232

Voted the industry’s top brand by the Lipsey Company

sation, and digitisation”. De-carbonisa-

to overtake fossil fuels for the first

tion reflects the global movement away

time as the UK’s primary electricity

from fossil fuels in favour of renewables

source.” Over the summer of 2018,

like wind, solar and geothermal energy.

renewable energy already exceeded

In addition to the moral imperative,

other sources during periods of intense

CBRE uses the rapid advance of green

sunshine, and in 2018 UK energy

technologies like battery storage and

production from coal fell by 25%.

photovoltaics to “make sure people will

“That’s a consequence of that agenda

do something because it makes

being driven and price points begin-

financial sense as well.’’ In January,

ning to compete with and become

Business Green reported: “As early

better than traditional methods,”

as 2020, renewables are on course

says Gomez.

M AY 2 0 1 9

way, which reduces reliance on the grid and creates more resilient local operations.” CBRE maintains strong ties with energy companies that emphasise sustainability in their offerings and are making strides towards a decentralised energy future. Centrica is a multinational energy and services company with its headquarters in Windsor, Berkshire, that is moving into decentralised power generation options. “What they’re doing is moving into distributed energy solutions, which take the energy they are providing to their clients, but design those solutions to be so efficient that the customer uses less energy,” Gomez says. “Centrica have their own Combined Heat and Power (CHP) business in Manchester. They’re the only CHP The second trend, decentralisation,

manufacturer in the UK. They have their

involves the restructuring of energy

own metering business, their own battery

distribution infrastructure on a global

storage business and their own solar

scale. “We as a nation and as a planet

business. They provide the full technical,

cannot continue to feed our need for

project management and funding agre-

energy by building more power stations

ement solutions we believe a customer

ad infinitum, and by digging up the

could utilise. So, we have a preferred

roads and laying more and more copper

arrangement with them,” he explains.

wire to bring us more and more energy.

Digitisation, Gomez believes, will allow

That’s just patently unsustainable,”

CBRE to increase both efficiency and

Gomez explains. “We should be looking

sustainability for its clients. “If you put

to generate energy in a decentralised

a sensor on every moving part of w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

233

CBRE

“ VES, we believe, is one of the best air handling unit and air flow management businesses in the country” — Joe Gomez, Head of Energy & Sustainability, EMEA 234

everything, you’d have ultimate and infinite knowledge of the machinations of our needs in life, right?” Gomez asks.

“Now, if you put a sensor on every part of a building – its windows, boilers, chillers, air handlers, low voltage power points and its computers – you could identify a problem and fix it before the building’s occupants were even aware something was wrong. Not just if someM AY 2 0 1 9

thing was broken, but if it was about to break.” Gomez believes that the power of predictive analytics and automation will dramatically change the real estate management industry. “That continual progression towards complete data transparency on everything that moves is the goal,” he says.

Looking to the future, Gomez believes that digitisation will continue to have an exponentially magnified effect upon the sustainability space. “Digitisation is the way forward, not only with respect to facilities management, but in respect to the ability for facilities management to be driven by smart decisions around energy,” Gomez emphasises. “Because if you drive something more efficiently you drive it more reliably. And if you drive it more reliably, you’re driving better facilities management.”

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ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL SPHERE THROUGH HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

JAMES PEPPER

M AY 2 0 1 9

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ACCENTURE

Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare at Accenture, discusses how technology is implemented in alignment with the customer

W

ith companies worldwide undergoing significant digital transformations to redefine the way day-to-day operations

in the workplace are conducted, it’s become vital to embrace and utilise the latest technological trends in order to obtain an edge over the competition.

238

As a global professional services organisation providing a range of different services such as strategy, consulting, technology, digital and operations, Accenture employs over 450,000 people and works across more than 120 countries worldwide.

By ensuring customers’ demands are met and kept at the forefront of the firm’s priorities, Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare, understands how Accenture can continue to meet the requirements of its customers as it continues to develop as a company. Having worked for the organisation in a variety of roles since initially joining in 2005, Gwyther stepped into his current role as Director in late 2015. “When I first started at Accenture, a lot of the work we undertook in the public sector organisation was about the digitisation of manual processes to reduce paper and make the customers internal M AY 2 0 1 9

239

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ACCENTURE

“ It’s normally about looking at what really makes sense from a business perspective and deciding what edge you’re gaining” 240

— Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare at Accenture

M AY 2 0 1 9

workflow more efficient. The focus was primarily on internal systems and workflow,” he explains. “However, with technology evolving significantly over the years, operations have become easier and the trend is now focused on how to provide more self-sufficient digital services to the citizen and focus more heavily on the citizens’ journey and experience.”

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY With technological advances increasingly influencing the way businesses

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ACCENTURE HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING – HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY’ 241 operate on a day-to-day basis, Gwyther

tive and deciding what edge you’re

understands the importance of ensuring

gaining. With some of our customers,

new tools and solutions serves

we recommend retaining older legacy

a purpose, as long as it aligns to the

systems that are still reliable or can be

initial core strategy. “It’s vital to under-

stabilised to support transformative

stand exactly what benefit you’re

services. That’s where it’s important to

extracting from a particular type of

think about why you’re actually imple-

technology or programme, however,

menting technology and how the

most importantly that benefit must be

benefit aligns to an overall strategy. It’s

aligned to a core strategy before you

natural to think about a straight technol-

implement it in order to generate as

ogy replacement but it’s worth consid-

much value as you can. It’s easy to get

ering that if we stabilise the core of our

distracted,” he explains. “It’s normally

business and then build a layer on top,

about looking at what really makes

it can actually yield greater benefits in

sense from a business value perspec-

shorter time.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ACCENTURE

“ It’s vital to understand exactly what benefit you’re extracting from a particular type of technology or programme” — Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare at Accenture 242

M AY 2 0 1 9

With innovation considered a key

and the investment we make in innova-

focus area for Accenture, Gwyther

tion. Now, we have an innovation

affirms the company’s commitment to

architecture and a formalised way of

setting trends in order to stand out

implementing innovation. When you

from its rivals. “We’re a good systems

look at the innovation centres we’ve

integrator; we see a lot of what’s out

got worldwide and the investment that

there in the market and it enables us

goes into them, you see some of the

to figure out what’s relevant and useful

real concentrated bits of innovative

to suit our needs. We’re constantly

work and can really understand the

mapping out ways in which we can

leap forward we’ve made ahead of

serve our customers better, and that

some of our competitors.”

continually pushes us to innovate and keep an open mind,” says Gwyther.

FORMING KEY PARTNERSHIPS

“The big difference today in comparison

With a view to achieving and sustaining

to when I first joined is the coordination

mutual success, some companies

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Rob Gwyther Rob is a senior IT and technology leader, with over 15 years of experience. He works with clients to shape and deliver complex technical solutions and transformations and has a broad IT skill base. He currently leads Accenture’s health technology delivery practice and is a specialist in healthcare innovation. Rob has worked with a wide variety of organisations, in the public and private sectors, both in the UK and internationally and his breadth of experience ranges from complex programme delivery to developing new business services.

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245

choose to collaborate and provide the

a supplier that’s willing to collaborate

other with services to help drive opera-

with you and who has a very like-mind-

tions forward. In the case of Accenture,

ed outlook, then it’s a real asset because

Gwyther outlines what he looks for

then you can then go to market with

when searching for a key technology

that supplier.”

partnership. “We identify companies

Having established significant

where we can work alongside their

partnerships with BitTitan and Appian

leadership and which are aligned with

Corporation, Gwyther believes that

our strategy in key priority areas. It’s

these joint ventures will prove valuable

important to consider what the suppliers

to the company’s development. “Appian

roadmap looks like in terms of how they

is more of a power platform which

want to evolve their product, as well as

allows us to develop workflow and

what kind of engineering team they

applications in an efficient way – it

have at their disposal. If you’ve got

provides a single platform that enables w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ACCENTURE

“ The relationship we have with our customers is vital.

It’s all about how we can continue to innovate and be proactive” — Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare at Accenture 246

M AY 2 0 1 9

247

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any development we do or any application we need to build,” explains Gwyther.

“BitTitan is a smaller company, but they’ve got a really concentrated bit of technology that allows us to do migrations to the cloud very quickly.

It’s that first stage you get when the customer from an on-premise environment into a cloud-based environment and BitTitan provide that very efficiently.”

With customers’ demands firmly at the forefront of Accenture’s decision making, Gwyther believes there are a number of key drivers in transforma-

“ Within health and public services, the industry has transitioned towards putting the citizen and patient first from a healthcare perspective” — Rob Gwyther, IT Transformation Director of Healthcare at Accenture

tion in the industry that need to be observed. “Within health and public services, the industry has transitioned towards putting the citizen and patient first from a healthcare perspective.

There’s a greater focus on the customer-user experience than ever before,” he explains. “Going back a few years, customers wouldn’t choose a startup or smaller company because of nervousness about the level of service they’d receive. However, there is some really great concentrated technology out there now that can be very useful.

I look at our partnership with BitTitan and they’re a good example because w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

249

ACCENTURE

$40bn Approximate revenue

1989

Year founded

470,000

250

Approximate number of employees

M AY 2 0 1 9

although they have really great technology. Our partnerships are really useful and has become one of our key strengths.”

With the future in mind, Gwyther affirms Accenture’s relationship with its customers will be key to the business’ growth, development, and building a sustainable future. “The relationship we have with our customers is vital. It’s all about how we can continue to innovate and be proactive.

We have a deep relationship with our customers and we try not to be one dimensional,” he says. “I think what’s really important to remember is that technology supports new ways of working, because when you see a trend emerging in one industry, sometimes it’s useful to embrace that and utilise it in another industry.”

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THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY:

252

driving donor engagement and saving lives WRITTEN BY

LAURA MULLAN PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

M AY 2 0 1 9

253

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AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

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M AY 2 0 1 9

AUSTRALIA NEEDS MORE THAN 25,000 BLOOD DONORS EVERY WEEK, AND THROUGH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THE BLOOD SERVICE IS TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE

O

ne in three Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime – yet just one in 30 donates blood. An organisation

determined to reverse this trend is the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, a division of the Australian Red Cross which is in the business of saving lives. The organisation supplies communities with safe, life-giving blood and blood products, as well as organ and bone marrow services for transplantation. In fact, the firm collects 25,000 blood donations every week and 1.3mn every year – however, it needs more if it wants to keep up with a growing diverse population.

Wanting to boost donor engagement, the group has pivoted towards IT and digitisation with Philip Nesci, who previously served as CIO at the Blood Service, helping to lead the charge. Nesci is well-equipped for the challenge: he’s presided as CIO for five different companies, overseeing business and technology transformations since the early 1980s. “I’ve been fortunate to have seen many waves of technology innovation,” recalls Nesci.

“From PCs and the internet, to mobility and social w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

255

AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

media, I’ve seen this industry grow

how “the Blood Service quickly

from a back-office function to one

recognised that technology plays

which is a key part of any business

a critical role in not only enabling the

strategy.” Now transitioning to the next

business but also fundamentally

stage of his career and moving to

disrupting the organisation.” The first

Board and Consulting roles, Nesci was

obstacle the group aimed to tackle was

keen to reflect on how the Blood

a straightforward yet challenging one:

Service’s digital transformation can

improving donor engagement. One of

be seen as an exemplary template

the major channels for interacting with

showing how technology can empower

donors is through a National Call

businesses and save lives.

Centre, whereby donors can call to

The catalyst for the advent of the 256

make an appointment. However, keen

Blood Service’s digital roadmap was

to meet the demands of a digitally

the appointment of a new Board Chair

savvy nation, the organisation soon

and Chief Executive, says Nesci noting

realised that online channels and self-service were critical to enhancing donor engagement. It implemented online channels like self-service portals, mobile apps, and chatbots which meant that donors could book an appointment at the touch of a button, anytime, anywhere. “These days, everyone is time poor and online channels give donors the ability to make and change appointments where and when they find it convenient, on any device,” he explains. “In the space of just over 12 months, donors are now making or changing over 30% of their appointments online.”

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“In the space of just over 12 months, donors are now making or changing over 30% of their appointments online” — Philip Nesci, Former CIO, at Australian Red Cross Blood Service

On top of this, Nesci and his team

257

believes the opportunities for innova-

also helped to spearhead a new

tion are limitless. “You could use

cloud-first strategy, leading a steady

voice-enabled online channels,

transition towards cloud services. “It’s

virtual reality (VR) in Donor Centres,

a key element of any digital strategy,”

and the Internet of Things (IoT) and

he says. “The Blood Service is

robotics in manufacturing. You could

adopting cloud capabilities to deliver

also use AI and data analytics across

increased agility so that it can better

all of the Blood Service’s activities –

respond to business needs, increase

from predicting donor behaviour to

security and tackle the growing

genomics matching and supply chain

volume of data.”

efficiencies,” enthuses Nesci.

You may not associate blood donation with technology, but Nesci

“Ultimately, this type of innovation will benefit donors and patients, and it w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Time for a new perspective?

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AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

C O M PA N Y FACT S

• One in three Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime • One in 30 Australians give blood each year (3%) • One blood donation can save up to three lives • Australia needs more than 25,000 donations every week

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1996

Year founded

3,500

Approximate number of employees

261

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Best Practices for Healthcare Providers To provide effective patient care, health providers must share data efficiently with other entities. Symantec’s portfolio of security solutions enables health systems to provide all the technology and workflows clinicians and administrators need while protecting sensitive data, both on-premises and in the cloud, at rest and in transit.

When a health system suffers a data breach, it can cause serious and irreversible damage to patients, employees, third-party partners, the business, and the trusted relationship between patients and their care providers. The trouble is, health data and other sensitive information stored in health provider systems need to be shared with other entities.

For example, in the course of treatment, protected health information (PHI) can travel between medical and finance departments, other practices, family members, and thirdparty entities such as insurance companies and home health agencies. All the while, health systems are legally bound to protect confidential information while coordinating care and payment.

Though the risks of having an insufficient security strategy continue to mount for the healthcare industry, security budgets and staffing are often insufficient to meet the formidable challenges. Reliance upon point products is one way healthcare IT has attempted to combat data breaches, but such security solutions can actually add to the complexity of already cumbersome and complex systems.

The fact is, typical user ID and password security can no longer deter hackers. Multifactor authentication (MFA) for accessing data, apps, and services is a key requirement for healthcare IT, especially for remote access or critical functions such as electronic prescribing of controlled substances.

As the term suggests, traditional MFA requires more than one method of authentication to verify a user’s identity. It combines two or more credentials that are independent of each other: If one of the authentication methods is compromised, there are other layers of defense. In a healthcare setting, it’s important that MFA is implemented in a way that doesn’t inhibit efficient data sharing or patient care, and it must be easy for clinicians and administrative staff to adopt.

Other best practices include identifying where confidential information is stored, and monitoring who is accessing it, from where, on which devices, and how it’s being used. Once you’ve located the confidential data in all of your environments, you can secure and protect it when it’s at rest and when it’s being transmitted.

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Manage and protect sensitive data on-premises or in the cloud For health systems, moving to the cloud has obvious benefits, including cost savings and scalability. However, security and complexity concerns have slowed adoption.

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AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

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“ I’VE SEEN THIS INDUSTRY GROW FROM A BACKOFFICE FUNCTION TO ONE WHICH IS A KEY PART OF ANY BUSINESS STRATEGY” — Philip Nesci, Former CIO, Australian Red Cross Blood Service

will drive improved outcomes for the Blood Service.”

As well as looking at the latest cutting-edge technologies coming to the fore, the Blood Service has also zeroed in on the fundamentals of IT, such as cybersecurity. The Blood Service experienced a cybersecurity threat early in Nesci’s tenure, but luckily the team was well equipped to combat the challenge. “A cybersecurity incident is something no organisation ever wishes to experience,” Nesci says

M AY 2 0 1 9

265

candidly. “Fortunately, we had an

response, prevention and governance,”

outstanding and immediate response

Nesci adds. “One of the notable

from the executive team, the board and

positives has been that the Blood

the technology team.” Transparency

Service maintained the trust of donors

was key to resolving the issue; the

throughout the recovery without

Blood Service disclosed the incident

reputational damage to the brand.”

within 72 hours and made sure that

To keep up with the blistering pace

donors continue to engage with and

of innovation, the Blood Service is

trust in the organisation. “After the

increasingly and selectively adopting

incident, the Blood Service made

agile approaches to improve the speed

cybersecurity a top priority and

of the technology transformation and

implemented an aggressive cyberse-

manage the risks of delivery. With this

curity capability for detection,

in mind, a cultural shift was needed. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

“ I THINK THE BLOOD SERVICE WILL GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH UNDER THE NEW CIO” — Philip Nesci, Former CIO, Australian Red Cross Blood Service

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E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Philip Nesci Philip Nesci is an internationally experienced leader in Digital transformation, strategy and delivery. He has held several Chief Information Officer and Executive Director positions in large, private sector organisations and in Health, both in Australia and overseas. Philip has a strong track record of strategy development and implementation delivered through strong leadership and extensive engagement with Boards and Executives. As a corporate advisor, Philip has worked with leading listed companies in Australia and overseas.

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AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE

“ IN THE SPACE OF JUST OVER 12 MONTHS, DONORS ARE NOW MAKING OR CHANGING OVER 30% OF THEIR APPOINTMENTS ONLINE” — Philip Nesci, Former CIO, at Australian Red Cross Blood Service “There is a program in place to raise the 268

organisation’s awareness of Agile,” he says. “With this approach, the Blood Service has recognised that some cultural changes are required both in the ICT team and in the business approaches.” While many firms in IT are finding the war for talent an indefinite struggle, thanks to the Blood Service’s sense of purpose it has been able to tackle this hurdle in its stride.

“People want to come to work to make a difference,” Nesci adds. “The Blood Service has developed leaders and delivered outcomes with business partners, but it also has a noble purpose which a lot of people are attracted to.”

M AY 2 0 1 9

Now moving to the next stage of his career, Nesci has passed the baton to the Blood Service’s new CIO, Ann Larkins, ensuring that she can continue to lead the organisation towards a more innovative future. “The next CIO will take this journey to the next level,” he observes. “IT has confidence in the board and the executives, and, in partnership with them, it has delivered some major outcomes around the donor experience. Most recently, the Blood Service launched a new system that will enhance the vital matching

Plasma kiosks

service for organ transplantation in Australia; it’s a next-generation tool.”

Traditionally, healthcare has been a slow adopter of technology. But with the growing pervasiveness of cloud, the rise of wearable devices and more, Nesci believes it’s “prime for disruption”.

“I think the Blood Service, in particular, will go from strength to strength under the new CIO,” he adds.

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TRANSFORMING BILLBOARD DIGITISATION ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND WRITTEN BY

JOHN Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HANLON PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

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OOH! MEDIA

oOh!Media’s journey from on-premise legacy to cloud native has been achieved in a relatively short time thanks to committed leadership, agile implementation and skilful teamwork

O

ut of Home, or public space media as its practitioners are coming to call it, is attractive to advertisers because it gives

them access to a stable, growing cross section of the population. Only a recluse can fail to be aware 272

of the messages that sit on roadside billboards, retail centres, airports and bus shelters. Sit is the wrong word though – modern technology allows these messages to be dynamic, varied, attractive and immersive. Not surprisingly public space media advertising is growing faster than any other kind, and media dollars are steadily moving towards it and away from print, TV and even online.

In a word, UNMISSABLE – oOh!media’s strapline says it all. The business was founded by Brendon Cook nearly 30 years ago in Sydney, where it still has its headquarters. He is still very actively at the helm as CEO of the leading public space media company in Australia and New Zealand, which employs over 800 people and has a market cap of more than A$1bn and revenues of $483mn in 2018.

Cook has grown his company through a combination M AY 2 0 1 9

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OOH! MEDIA

“ We decided that we would embark on the journey to build a next generation public space media platform and run it on AWS” 274

— Andy McQuarrie, CTO, oOh! Media

M AY 2 0 1 9

of acquisition (most recently the $570mn purchase of Commute by oOh!) and organic growth; however, he has increasingly placed his faith, and investment dollars, in the rapid digitisation of the industry. oOh!media is the biggest player in the ANZ Out of Home market, with 45,000 screens, around 20% of them digital, at 30,000 locations across Australia and New Zealand. The future of the sector lies firmly with digital assets, so from as early as 2012 the company set out to exploit this trend, however

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OOH!’S MELBOURNE CBD DIGITAL COVERAGE’ 275 you can’t manage digital assets with traditional infrastructure says Andy McQuarrie, who joined the company as Chief Technical Officer in 2017.

McQuarrie has 20 years’ experience in IT including 12 years leading infrastructure and software engineering teams at Sky – his mission at oOh! was to map out and execute not only the company’s IT journey but a root and branch business transformation.

MOVING TO CLOUD The journey has basically seen oOh! migrate from its traditional on-premise w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OOH! MEDIA

“ We opted for the Strangler approach because it is very safe and it allows us to move methodically from old to new in a way that doesn’t disrupt the business” — Andy McQuarrie, CTO, oOh! Media

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back office systems to a cloud native

Rather than a big bang migration,

platform built in house. It was an

though, McQuarrie opted for the

ambitious step. “Late in 2016 we decided

Strangler pattern documented by

that we would embark on the journey to

Martin Fowler, whereby the new systems

build next generation of public space

are introduced around the edges of the

media AdTech platform and run it on

old, progressively replacing them until

AWS.” Two years later, after a huge effort

the legacy systems are decommissioned.

on the part of Andy McQuarrie and his

Doing it this way, he says, made for

team, the network had been re-architect-

a smoother introduction and allowed

ed, the most sophisticated Palo Alto

his team to develop an intuitive user

firewalls put in place, and legacy back

interface. “We opted for the Strangler

office systems migrated to a cloud

approach because it is very safe and it

native platform hosted in AWS.

allows us to move methodically from 277 E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Andy McQuarrie Andy McQuarrie’s background is in Software Engineering, Operations and Technology consultancy. McQuarrie is responsible for Software Engineering, Data Science & Engineering and Technology Operations across the oOh!media group.

Primarily based in the UK for the majority of his career working with organisations like The Royal Bank of Scotland and Sky, McQuarrie has been involved in a number of industry leading disruptive digital products like SkyQ and NowTV, as well as web scale platforms that include Europe’s largest linear Over The Top (OTT) platform SkyGo. Before joining oOh!media in 2017 as the Chief Technology Officer, McQuarrie was the Technical Principal at ThoughtWorks.

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

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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.

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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.

279 old to new in a way that doesn’t disrupt

without a public cloud like AWS.”

the business at all.”

Significant time savings have already

With the number of digital assets

resulted. Sales personnel can gener-

increasing rapidly, Sales and Operations

ate proposals far quicker than before,

had to be streamlined, allowing new

allowing them to concentrate on

and existing customers to make best

adding value for the customer – some-

use of public space media with minimum

thing McQuarrie remains convinced

fuss. Automating much of the sales

will always be better done by humans

process allows oOh!media’s salespeople

however much the machines learn!

to spend more time engaging with the market and less on admin. “One of the

PEOPLE AND PASSION

things we are really trying to drive into

To rebuild the company’s software and

the business is the idea of a machine

create this new cloud native platform in

learning co-worker that can do the heavy

house was a large undertaking, but

lifting. For a company of our size none

McQuarrie does not believe in placing

of this would ever have been possible

business critical software development w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OOH! MEDIA

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“ I am truly fortunate to have a team that is both highly skilled and very passionate about what we do” — Andy McQuarrie, CTO, oOh! Media

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve helped Australian companies such as oOh! Media to build high quality technical teams.

Data & Analytics | Engineering | Information Security Infrastructure & DevOps | Product & Design

THEONSET.COM.AU | RECRUITMENT@THEONSET.COM.AU

$483mn Approximate revenue

1989

Year founded

The original 10-strong IT team has now grown to 50, a process completed in just 18 months. “I am truly fortunate to have a team that is both highly skilled and very passionate about what we do.

I firmly believe that a good team comes first and that the good software is an outcome of that.” Forging this team had its challenges, especially early on,

800+

Approximate number of employees

he admits. With the core team effectively doubling in size, as much effort had to go into team building as into building software, so a lot of attention was paid to internal and external training. Agile practices such as daily stand-up

in third party hands. “I firmly believe that

meetings, retrospectives and fortnightly

the best software outcomes come from

iteration planning (IPM) meetings were

internal teams of permanent and commit-

followed, not only to drive the project

ted people.” The organisation he came

forward but to bond the team.

into had plenty of capable people in it,

The esprit de corps of oOh! is a great

but he could see that the team needed

mixture of informality, friendship and

strengthening. “We partnered with The

family feeling with strong structures to

Onset, a leading IT recruitment agency,

support people. “Brendon Cook and

explained the journey we were on, and

our head of Chief People and Culture

asked them to sell our vision to the

Officer Steve Read have put a huge

Sydney market in our search for high

amount of effort into creating and

quality developers. It was important that

maintaining this culture,” emphasises

the people we chose not only had high

McQuarrie, “so I’ve tried to create

technical skills but were a good cultural fit

a technology version of that. It’s very

and understood where oOh! was going.”

important, he adds, for the tech team w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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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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to understand and buy into the ethos of

increasingly enhanced by machine-

the business. “Sometimes when you

learning, the in-house team has been

are building infrastructure it can be hard

developing a data platform to prepare

to show that it relates directly to business

the business for further expansion.

outcomes so we make a point of

With data being the lifeblood of informa-

making sure that as far as possible

tion based industries, how it’s lever-

we align every single thing we do to

aged for business growth is crucial.

a business outcome.”

“Our new data platform is again cloud-native and it has been built from

FUTURE BECKONS

the ground up specifically to serve this

In parallel with the creation of the cloud-

business.” As well as hosting oOh!’s

native public space media operating

business intelligence (BI), based around

platform that supports all of oOh!’s

traditional relational databases, our

sales activities and back office,

data platform also ingests and analyses w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

OOH! MEDIA

“ Our new data platform is again cloud-native and it has been built from the ground up specifically to serve this business” — Andy McQuarrie, CTO, oOh! Media 286

data in real time using event streaming and machine learning,” he explains. “ML and data science are embedded in our software development lifecycle (SDLC) in a way that not many other people have done it.

The new platforms will make it easier to integrate new businesses into the oOh! family. The Commute by oOh! business acquired last year took oOh!media to a very dominating position, but public space media remains a competitive business. The Commute by oOh! business will be M AY 2 0 1 9

brought onto the new platform over the course of 2019, prioritising the systems that add the greatest value.

Andy McQuarrie moved to Australia less than five years ago. The Scot had already spent many years as an expatriate in London, and though the two organisations are very different in scale, there was something about oOh! that resonated with his experience at Sky. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sky is a world leader and we are just embarking on the journey to becoming a tech-centric business, but the passion the leadership at oOh! have for the business and the feeling of team togetherness really attracted me.

Brendon is a charismatic individual with a vision for the business underpinned by technology. When he shared that vision with me, I realised I really wanted to be part of this journey and contribute not only to the technology vision but of the wider business too.â&#x20AC;?

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UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND: A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN COMMUNITY CARE WRITTEN BY

JOHN Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HANLON PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

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UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

Part of UnitingCare Queensland’s two-year transformation project was the rethinking of its digital strategies under new executive leadership

W

hen BizClik Media last spoke to Nina Du Thaler she was CIO at Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU), the organisation that

provides water to the greater Brisbane area. During her time there she was able to deliver Q-Ops, a platform that aggregates data from business systems into a single location to help operations 290

staff manage Queensland’s sewer and water networks effectively, establish a robust governance framework across the organisation and a mature programme, and deliver a strategic ICT vision and roadmap. The outcome, a better experience for consumers and employees alike, was a great satisfaction to her, though if anything, she’s proudest of her work in improving team effectiveness and culture. She has never been a stereotypical techie, taking a broad view of her contribution, and that of the organisation, in the society at large.

In 2016, UnitingCare Queensland approached Nina. UnitingCare is one of Australia’s largest charities, focusing on health and community services across Queensland and the Northern Territories. It employs 17,000 people assisted by more than 9,000 volunteers to deliver community health services, M AY 2 0 1 9

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TRANSFORMING COMMUNITY CARE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

CO-DESIGN PERSONALISED CARE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS WHILE STAYING AGILE, INNOVATIVE AND CONNECTED. ACCENTURE AND AVANADE SUPPORT UNITINGCAREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, SO IT CAN FOCUS ON CARING FOR COMMUNITIES.

that a large-scale, digital transformation would be needed to provide the digitally enabled care services that its customers would expect, now and in the future.

UnitingCare ran a competitive process and undertook competitive dialogue with shortlisted vendors to form a panel of delivery partners.

Avanade’s engagement will give UnitingCare simplified financial management, providing a single source of truth for financial information.

This will allow UCQ to become more efficient in resource usage, particularly in back-office functions such as procurement and shared costs.

Transforming back-office technology will improve support services for people from all walks of life, including older people, people with disabilities, children, families and indigenous people.

A

ccenture and Avanade are supporting UnitingCare Queensland (UCQ) on its journey to deliver safe, quality digital health and community services to its communities, clients and patients.

UnitingCare provides skilled, evidence-based interventions for those facing adversity, and uses its reach and vision to confront injustice. UCQ is a leader in crisis response, the protection of vulnerable children, financial resilience and family wellbeing. They meet people where they are and walk alongside them to achieve positive change and growth. Across Queensland and Northern Territory, UnitingCare supports thousands of people living with a disability in redefining what’s possible in their lives.

UnitingCare recently launched its Digital and Technology panel to access high-quality technology capabilities to accelerate the organisation into the digital age. UnitingCare was facing industry disruption, change to consumer directed care and competition, and realised

Australians benefit from a fast-changing world where customer care expectations are shifting.

Organisations need to be future-ready and adapt to changes in the digital age. They need to work in agile ways that continually improve processes and experiences. Customers prefer to stay connected at all times and at any location, meaning care organisations need to transform from paper-based workplaces to participate in a digitally connected ecosystem. Accenture and Avanade supports their clients end to end in their transformation journey, which helps clients connect their businesses with their customers digitally.

With nearly 5,000 combined resources in Australia between Accenture and Avanade, along with extensive offshore capabilities, we have the pool of talent and can provide targeted solutions that deliver on clients’ digital and technology strategies.

At Accenture and Avanade, we value our clients and our people, and we deliver high performance while supporting local communities to build a better future.

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UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

“ We have a great number of extremely effective carers, healthcare and social workers …

I think that is a really positive aspect of our organisation” — Nina Du Thaler, Group Executive, Digital and Technology, UnitingCare Queensland 294

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care for the elderly, and acute medical services at its not-for-profit hospitals including The Wesley Hospital, St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane, and St Stephen’s, which became Australia’s first fully integrated digital hospital when it opened in 2014.

The new position they created was that of Group Executive, Digital and Technology, reflecting the strategic importance of commoditising the groups’ IT environment, digitising the groups’ services and making sense of the huge volumes of data flowing in from its IT platforms.

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘LACEY’S MISSION POSSIBLE STORY WITH UNITING CARE QUEENSLAND’ 295 The organisation was facing a num-

Wearing her CIO hat she particularly

ber of challenges at the time, she

liked it that UnitingCare was leading

explains. “UnitingCare was undertak-

the digital hospital concept, in which

ing a major transformational change.

patient data is captured and directly

It was working on bringing together

fed into the electronic medical record

unique businesses which had diff

(EMR). It represents a quantum leap in

erent IT teams, different back-office

quality, safety and patient experience,

systems, fragmented data and it

transforming healthcare delivery, she

wasn’t working well for the organisa-

says. However the hospital environment

tion.” The businesses - encompassing

is only one place IT can make a differ-

in-home and residential aged care,

ence. Blue Care is Queensland’s leading

lifeline retail stores and counselling

in-home, retirement living and aged

support, child and family services and

care provider. Many of its service users

hospital services had been operating

rely on Australia’s National Disability

in silos.

Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which has w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

296

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proved hard to access and navigate

to align her CIO and relational skills

since its rollout in 2016: one of Nina

with the community and healthcare

du Thaler’s pet projects was the

sector which though new to her was

development of NDIS Planning, an

attractive because of its focus on

app launched in 2019 that simplifies

people and role in society. “This job

the complex documentation and

was enticing to me as much from

the application procedure.

the point of view of culture, human

The digital and technology position

interaction and service delivery as of

was defined during the creation of

technology. The two are inseparable

a new executive leadership team (ELT).

really. This organisation has huge

“We needed to be focusing on how we

potential, a great track record and to

could add value to the business, pivoting

be able to say that I’m helping trans-

into the digital space, and how this can

form it and make it sustainable into

help transform the organisation.” Du

the future is a really positive thing

Thaler recognised this as an opportunity

from my point of view.”

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Nina Du Thaler Nina Du Thaler joined UnitingCare Queensland in 2016.

She previously held executive management positions across a range of organisations, including Queensland Urban Utilities and Allconnex Water. She is also a nonexecutive director in the Industry Advisory Board for the School of ICT, Griffith University. Nina won ‘CIO of the Year (Utilities/Media) at the iTnews Benchmark Awards. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Information Technology (AI). She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management

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“ This job was enticing to me as much from the point of view of culture, human interaction and service delivery as of technology” — Nina Du Thaler, Group Executive, Digital and Technology, UnitingCare Queensland

commercial accountability. Not for profit organisations still need to be viable, generating surplus funds that can be used for much needed expansion. Nina Du Thaler recognises that her job, to all intents and purposes, is to maintain the balance and keep close control of IT spending whilst delivering change and value for money and keeping UnitingCare sustainable. “My team have a huge responsibility, oversight of risk and cybersecurity, maintaining the health of the supporting infrastructure and applications – all the usual concerns of

BUILT ON COMPASSION

the CIO’s office – but we also have to

One of the things she likes about

strive to deliver a range of projects

UnitingCare is its mission-led ethos.

focused on new products, services

It attracts people like herself. People

and ways of working.”

who are driven by a desire to improve

The last two years for her have been

the physical, mental and spiritual health

a time of readying the organisation

of the community never just see their

to take advantage of the brave new

job in terms of income generation. “We

world of IoT, automation and AI by

have a great number of extremely

dealing with a host of legacy issues,

effective carers, healthcare and social

notably starting the journey towards

workers: they are motivated by a com-

unifying some of the platforms used

mitment to the people in our commu-

by the different parts of the organisa-

nity and I think that is a really positive

tion already mentioned and transform-

aspect of our organisation.”

ing UnitingCare’s service delivery

Maintaining this ethos is vital, though

model. “Those things have placed

it does entail a balancing act, sometimes

us in a good position to embark on

approaching conflict, when it comes to

a more digital and innovative future,” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

299

UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

she says, “and we’re now poised for that future.”

UnitingCare’s transformation, stemming from the creation of Du Thaler’s Digital and Technology (D&T) organisation, was recognised by the iTnews Benchmark Awards 2019, in which it is a finalist. The citation points to UnitingCare’s focus on reducing overhead costs while also improving the IT service delivery model in ‘an incredibly competitive marketplace with limited funding streams’. In other words, value for money.

300

ETHICAL SOURCING The outcome is worth some attention: a competitive and comprehensive tender process was embarked on, to replace its fragmented, legacy service delivery model with a managed services partner model. There were many companies that could have helped with this, she acknowledges, but capacity and price were not the only consideration. “This procurement process was a bit different because of the influence and guiding ethics of the Uniting Church.

We looked deeply into the conduct of these companies to satisfy ourselves they had ethical supply chains, M AY 2 0 1 9

processes and labour management credentials. Another consideration was UnitingCare was very interested in whether the organisations we partnered with could support communities in the areas in which we worked.”

The chosen partner was the Indian software provider Wipro, named in 2017 as the most ethical company in the world. “One of the things that attracted us to Wipro was that it is a truly global company, with a large Foundation driven by the company’s chairman Azim Premji. Wipro gives an amount of its revenues back to the community in the form of, among other things, support for education in India, community support programmes in India and the Philippines, and, of course, primary healthcare. We were determined to partner with a large organisation that had the depth and breadth of skills that can help support our growth.”

The transformation, largely completed in mid-2018, has already reduced internal labour, lowered service delivery costs and improved the health of the IT environment. Though projected savings in the current financial year are expected to be minimal, by year 3 of the agreement savings are expected to reach $4.3 milw w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

301

UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

303 lion. In addition, the project has shifted operational delivery and the risks associated with this away from the organisation, while also freeing up Nina Du Thaler and her team to focus on value-add projects and “customer intimacy”, a key outcome for future innovation.

DELIVERING THE BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION The in-house team is lean and getting

“ UnitingCare was very interested in whether the organisations we partnered with could support communities in the areas in which we worked” — Nina Du Thaler, Group Executive, Digital and Technology, UnitingCare Queensland

much more focused now. It continues to oversee business critical functions like governance and the strategic w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

“ One of the things that attracted us to Wipro was that it is a truly global company” 304

— Nina Du Thaler, Group Executive, Digital and Technology, UnitingCare Queensland

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2000

Year founded

17,000

Approximate number of employees

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direction and design. A lot remains to be done, and many learnings have been surfaced but in some areas, there have been real functional improvements.

A good example is the service desk.

When she came in, Du Thaler recalls, people phoning in to UnitingCare were experiencing an abandonment rate of over 40%, that is to say that calls were either not answered or people were kept waiting so long they hung up. Today the abandonment rate is below 3%, and over 60% of queries are fixed at the service desk without needing to be referred on. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge improvement, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room for further improvement she says.

Currently, she is targeting her D&T organisation in a limited number of directions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the big ones continues to be bedding in all the new ways of working and frameworks that we have designed over the past 12 months. We are working closely with specific areas of our business that need refinement of the service delivery model and we are realigning many of our service level agreements (SLAs) with business criticality and business need. UnitingCare is also moving to a consumptionbased cost reallocation model: we w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

307

UNITINGCARE QUEENSLAND

want to share the drivers of cost with

are implementing foundational technol-

our internal customers so that they can

ogy,” she adds. “Like an integration hub,

manage those themselves.”

an identity management platform and

Customers are going to see further

an information analytics platform, and

service improvements in the coming

we are also replacing some back-office

year, she promises, with more self-ser-

systems like our financial management

vice capability. They might not even

information and CRM systems.” Post

notice some of these changes, but will

implementation, all of these systems

appreciate new ways of engaging

will be transitioned to Wipro for support.

through AI tools such as chatbots,

Nina Du Thaler confesses that her

which she plans to introduce to further

job with UnitingCare takes up most

enhance the service experience. “We

of her resources, but she retains

308

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a long-standing passion for education

job allows.â&#x20AC;? She is also an industry

and the advancement of understand-

advisory board member and adjunct

ing and the entrepreneurial spirit

fellow at the school of ICT at her

especially among young women. She

alma mater Griffith University helping

is the author of a series of cyber-safety

to shape their degree courses and

books called Diary of Elle that address

hopefully bring on the women execu-

issues of current concern like the use

tives of the future.

of mobile phones and the social impacts of our online world, and continues to run her own publishing company Bright Zebra. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The books are a labour of love and I pursue that when my executive

309

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IGNITING WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION WITH SAPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SUCCESSFACTORS PLATFORM WRIT TEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN PRODUCED BY

MIK E SADR

M AY 2 0 1 9

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SAP

WITH ITS TRAILBLAZING HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PLATFORM SUCCESSFACTORS, SAP IS HERALDING A NEW ERA OF WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION

T

echnology has kept up its blistering pace and transformed the way we work forever. It’s created jobs we

never imagined could have existed, enabled more flexible working conditions and disrupt312

ed the monotonous nine to five with a steady rise of gig workers. By all accounts, technology has upended the norm when it comes to the world of work – but how can we make sure people aren’t left behind? In many ways, it seems it’s time for a human revolution with HR at its core.

Equipped with its latest platform SuccessFactors, SAP is leading the charge when it comes to workforce transformations. The end-to-end cloud-based platform isn’t like the other HR systems you may be familiar with. “Old HR systems were a back-office system by definition: they were about automating processes and risk management,” recalls Marc Havercroft, COO & Vice President of Strategy, HCM Cloud & Digital Strategy and M AY 2 0 1 9

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PROVIDING CLOUD HR AND PAYROLL SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES TO LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS. LEARN MORE HERE

Synchrony Global is a Leading Provider of Cloud HR and Payroll Solutions and Services including SAP SuccessFactors Synchrony Global, a Rizing HCM Company, is the trusted partner of choice for all aspects of HCM services and solutions, optimising HR delivery through innovative technology and robust high-quality operational cloud services. Its service delivery framework caters for the entire employee lifecycle from attract to hire to retire.

Since its establishment in 2015, Synchrony Global has tripled in size, expanding its reach to offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia. The company has offices in Singapore, Sydney, and Wellington, with global delivery centres in Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines.

Synchrony’s focus on pure HR and capability in delivering services and solutions for companies ranging from 10 Employees to 200,000 employees has been key to them being considered a trusted partner for over 50 organizations across the globe.

“By leveraging the broader organization, we can accelerate the growth of the organisation both in the region and globally and provide tremendous value for our customers,”

The company was awarded SAP Partner of the Year for SuccessFactors in Asia-Pacific Japan in 2017, SAP Partner of the Year for SuccessFactors in ANZ for 2018, and Partner-Managed Cloud Excellence Award in 2019 thanks to its successful Synchrony People packaged cloud HR Solution.

Synchrony People, an innovative, fully-integrated human resources information system aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises and powered by SAP SuccessFactors, is built using preconfigured business processes and offers the latest simplifications and innovations for the human resources line of business. It covers the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle, from attract to hire to retire.

Synchrony People can be deployed in weeks, ensuring companies fast track their HR journey. It is suitable for business of all sizes, from small business to large enterprises and the solution grows with you, providing flexibility to add functionality as an organisation’s needs change.

said Luc Hédou, CEO of Rizing HCM.

The completion of the Synchrony acquisition further strengthened Rizing HCM’s global position in the SAP SuccessFactors Cloud Software services market. The combination of firms provides a robust platform of depth and expertise to service customers and provides the foundation for significant expansion of services, technology and geographies.

“At Synchrony, we set the goal to be a leader and bring world class Human Capital solutions across the Asia Pacific Region,” said Darcy Lalonde, Chairman and CEO of Synchrony Global and Rizing HCM President for Asia-Pacific. “With Synchrony joining Rizing HCM, we are excited to deliver Synchrony’s award-winning solutions on a global scale to organisations of all sizes, while providing clients worldwide our implementation capabilities, product and industry expertise, and a full suite of support and continuous improvement services.”

I n Jan uar y, R iz ing, L LC , a p ri v a t e l y - h el d mu l t i n a ti ona l c ompa ny provi di ng l ea di ng S AP func ti ona l a nd technical ser vice s t o it s cu s t o mers , a c q u i re d Sy n c h ro ny Gl oba l . H ea dqua rtered i n S ta mford, Conn., U S A, R izing is a priv a t e l-he ld m ulti n a t i o n a l c o mp a ny p rov i d i n g l ea di ng S AP func ti ona l a nd tec hni c a l c onsul ti ng serv ices to its customers. Rizing is the parent company of Vesta Partners, a leading SAP EAM services firm (www.vestapartners.com), /N SP RO, a t op S A P H C M , SA P Su c c e s s F a c t o rs a nd S AP for R eta i l servi c es fi rm ( www.n- spro.c om) , Aas onn, a p rom ine nt S AP Su c c e s s F a c t o rs Serv i c e s F i rm ( www.a a sonn.c om) , 3D R esul ts, a S AP S uc c essF a c tor s Gold Pa r t ne r (www. 3 d re s u l t s . c o m) a n d Sy n c h ro ny Gl oba l ( www.sync hronyg l oba l .c om) . /N S PRO, Aa sonn and Sy n c h ro ny t o g e t h er f orm R i zi ng H CM ( www.ri zi ng hc m.c om).

SAP

“ SuccessFactors is built as a front-office system for individuals to use – not just HR but all employees” — Marc Havercroft, COO & Vice President Strategy, HCM cloud & Digital Strategy and Transformation at SAP

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘DESIGNING TO SOLVE FUTURE PROBLEMS – CHUCK AMES, AMAZON BUSINESS’ 317 Transformation at SAP. “Instead,

Havercroft says the platform is redefin-

SuccessFactors is built as a front-of-

ing the role of HR and “taking away

fice system for individuals to use – not

a lot of the administrative burden so that

just HR but all employees.” This brings

you can focus on managing an individu-

about another stark difference: a new

al’s entire career from being recruited

way of thinking about the workforce.

all the way to being paid or promoted”.

“Old HR systems perceived people as

Uniquely, SuccessFactors isn’t

risks and, I don’t know about you, but

a standalone or individual application

I don’t go to work trying to bring the

– it’s an end-to-end platform which

company down,” laughs Havercroft.

allows data to float seamlessly from one

“Every day, I try and do a good job and

point to another. By realising the power

come up with new ideas. SuccessFac-

of data at every given chance, the

tors is about changing that dynamic of

opportunities are endless. It means that

risk and saying ‘We believe our people

if you’re hired and fill in an application

are an asset not a liability’.” In this way,

form, you don’t need to constantly w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SAP

318

re-fill out forms with the same informa-

Factors can tell you about the past but

tion because it’s already in the firm’s

what it can predict in the future. “We

core records. “We get data from every

can take historic data and see what will

aspect of a person’s interactions with

happen if you do the same thing going

the system,” Havercroft explains. “The

forward but, more importantly, we can

other beautiful thing is that, as part of

also run scenarios.” In order to tackle

SAP, we can also pull data from other

the ever-growing data mountain, the

applications and areas of your business.”

firm sifts through data and zeroes in on

This allows you to identify trends: for

delivering true business outcomes.

instance, you might historically see

“The first thing I always ask my customers

a notable spike in resignations in the

before we get to the analytics is: what

first quarter that you want to remedy.

questions do you want to answer? This

However, the characteristic that excites

allows us to see what is irrelevant or

Havercroft most isn’t what Success-

quality data. It saves our customers

M AY 2 0 1 9

a lot of time and returns greater insights

pace of technology in recent years

more quickly and efficiently.” Working

then you know that innovation is going

shoulder to shoulder with the customer

to be critical to the survival of your

is an essential part of SAP’s service. As

business. Humbly I have to say when

a cloud based software-as-a-service

you look at SAP’s credentials and

(SaaS) platform, Havercroft highlights:

compare that to what businesses are

“You’re getting a service on an ongoing

looking for in a partner, SAP sits pretty

basis which drives innovation.”

well in that checklist.”

“We have a very strong history of

With a native app, SAP SuccessFac-

being the technology partner of choice,”

tors solutions make it easy to engage

he adds. “SAP has been around for 50

with the workforce and complete

years; we’re one of the biggest software

HR tasks. People can access their

companies in Europe and one of the

SuccessFactors applications on the

most valued brands. If you’ve seen the

go and stay connected to their business

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E

Marc Havercroft Marc Havercroft brings more than 20 years of experience within the future workforce strategy and transformation, helping clients adapt their HR strategy to meet the opportunities of the new digital world and the future workforce needed. His expertise includes advisory and strategy and workforce design for organisations going through major change as well as new entrants into EMEA, North America, and APJ & Greater China regions from both green field to M&A structures. Havercroft not only provides clients with high level visibility on current and global trends, but is able to turn this into meaningful workforce strategies that deliver. He has worked across industries from financial services, telco, energy, media and digital social to public sector – with many of his solutions honored with industry awards.

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SAP

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anytime, anywhere. To keep up to date with the latest innovations, the team at SAP have developed a new app store where other technologies and startups in HR can build apps. Similar to the apps that can be added to an iPhone or Android device, these new apps offer a personalised experience. This not only keeps the spotlight on the employee experience, it also slashes the cost of integrating new third-party systems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It depends on scale and complexity but typically integration is expensive and it M AY 2 0 1 9

1972

Year founded

96,000

Approximate number of employees

takes time,” Havercroft observes. “With SuccessFactors you go to the app store, download and pay for the app – the integration cost is low and it’s as instantaneous as it is with your phone.”

“Rather than being that closed, historic technology company, SuccessFactors is an open API system – above all else we encourage innovation and app

100+

Innovation and development centres

development,” he adds. “I’m really excited that we’ve created this community of really innovative people that aren’t just fixing a problem and a process, they’re coming up with new ways to measure culture.” One of the significant partnerships SAP has at the moment is with Thrive Global, a business founded by co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington.

Under the strain of long work hours, Huffington collapsed due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion, and quickly recognised that many workers like her were facing a stress and burnout epidemic. Bringing corporate welfare to the fore, she created an app which is now available on the SuccessFactors platform. “It’s an example where businesses are putting the focus on people,” says Havercroft, noting that, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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“SuccessFactors is about changing that dynamic of risk and saying ‘We believe our people are an asset not a liability” — Marc Havercroft, COO & Vice President Strategy, HCM cloud & Digital Strategy and Transformation at SAP

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SAP

324

for him, this is one of the most rewarding

our jobs. Instead it’s helping us learn

aspects of his job.

and follow passions. We’ve really

“It’s a great example of where we’re

concentrated on using the employee

using software and technology to treat

experience and turning that person

people as assets,” he adds. “What I’m

into an asset, not as a corporate

most happy about is that I truly think

headcount, but as a productive,

it’s helping people’s lives in a changing

creative individual. And I think that’s

world. It’s helping them to not fear

what we’re most proud of.”

technology, but rather see it as an

Supporting objective decision making

opportunity. It’s helping people realise

at every stage of the HR lifecycle from

that technology isn’t going to remove

recruiting to talent management,

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325

SuccessFactors is also helping business-

application process so that in effect,

es move beyond bias. Using powerful

they’re only looking at a person’s skills

machine learning and analytics, the

and abilities.” In addition, the firm can

platform helps to detect mitigate bias

also offer reports on diversity and pay

across the talent management lifecycle,

differences whilst giving advice on

providing a catalyst for change. “Whether

activities or actions. Diversity matters:

we realise it or not, sometimes uncon-

it offers a spectrum of ideas and

scious bias exists within organisations,

opinions and it can also deliver real

so to counter this we give our custom-

business outcomes too. A 2017 report

ers the option to remove identifiers like

by McKinsey found that companies

names, addresses, genders from the

in the top quartile for gender diversity w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SAP

425,000 Customers in more than 180 countries

18,000+ SAP partner companies globally

186mn

326

Subscribers in its cloud user base

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on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.

“If you have a better, more diverse workforce you better reflect your customer base and you’ll be more commercial,” Havencroft adds.

At the beginning of this year SAP completed its acquisition of US software firm Qualtrics for US$8bn. It’s a momentous deal for the firm which will allow SAP to combine its operational data with Qualtric’s customer experience data and, in turn, will enable clients to include real-time feedback into their strategies.

“It will provide what we call employee experience, those moments that matter,” Havencroft explains. “So how was your first day at work? How was your experience around the induction? To be able to get that real time experience data and then overlay that with operational data, it’s going to be phenomenal.

“I think the addition of Qualtrics and employee experience data is going to give a layer of personalisation for the individual and then, in turn, the employer. It’s really going to take that principle of people not as a risk but an asset to the next level.”

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Department of Finance WA: Improving process through people-driven digital transformation WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

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G O V E R N M E N T O F W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A – D E PA R T M E N T O F F I N A N C E

ANDY WOOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – CORPORATE SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE WESTERN AUSTRALIA, DISCUSSES THE DYNAMIC DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY THAT HAS IMPROVED PROCESSES, SERVICES AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

T 330

he Western Australian Government’s Department of Finance has undergone an important period of innovation and

change, driven by disruptive technologies and a people-first approach to both its customers and employees. Andy Wood, the Department’s Executive Director of Corporate Services, has led Finance’s transition to cloud-based operations and continues to encourage a focus on data analytics and the exciting possibilities afforded by AI and automated services. “Adopting a digital approach is absolutely vital in everything,” Wood says. “With it, we can drive practical, cost-effective and quality outcomes across government, which will ultimately benefit the people of Western Australia.”

At the root of the Department’s digital transformation is its approach to vendor management - building a strong level of symbiosis between provider and customer. “If you really want true success or innovation, you’ve got to treat them M AY 2 0 1 9

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G O V E R N M E N T O F W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A – D E PA R T M E N T O F F I N A N C E

“ Adopting a digital approach is absolutely vital in everything” — Andy Wood, Executive Director – Corporate Services, Department of Finance WA 332

as partners,” says Wood. “This helps

isolation and rather understand the

them provide the best offerings to enable

full scope of Finance’s digital transfor-

and achieve strategic outcomes.”

mation.” Of its vendor-partners,

Wood describes this as a paradigm shift

Microsoft has been important through

in procurement thinking, where tradition-

the Department’s digital transformation

ally vendors would offer their best price

journey, particularly as a provider of

to deliver a service or product to exact

vital cloud capabilities. “Our previous

specifications, limiting the ability to

operating model was very heavy and

understand the problem and collabo-

lethargic in that we would buy a piece

rate on solutions. “We take an approach

of kit, we’d put it in place and it would

whereby we select a small number of

stay there for 10 years and we’d never

strategic partners which not only

innovate with it,” said Wood. “Cloud

challenge us and our preconceptions

computing has become a building block

but also look beyond technology in

of Finance’s digital transformation. It’s

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what our strategy is built upon and the key foundation of everything we want to achieve.” Over the next decade, the Department plans to continue its prolific usage of cloud technology across its infrastructure services, creating a Platform as a Service (PaaS) for each of the software and service offerings it provides to its customers.

The adoption of cloud has also given the Department a more complete understanding and access to its data,

The Department of Finance’s ABW environment incorporates wireless access in three zones across each floor, including a quiet zone

enable it to drive increased efficiency through data-driven insights. Its cloud-enabled data platform collates information sets, not only from within

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Andy Wood Andy Wood has 20 years’ experience in leadership roles across Banking, Superannuation, Professional Services, Local and State Government. Prior to being appointed as Executive Director, Corporate Services in February 2016, Wood spent six years as a Director with a global outsourcing firm, leading their Citizen Services business in Western Australia. Wood is the senior responsible officer for the Department of Finance’s Digital Transition Program and holds a Masters in Business Administration specialising in Leadership and Innovation.

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Digital Transformation executed locally with global vision.

Velrada congratulates the Department of Finance on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision to drive digital transformation across the Western Australian Public Sector.

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Our large and experienced local WA team offer international expertise to Mining, Oil&Gas, Private and Public Sector organisations who want to drive positive outcomes through a digital transformation journey.

Velrada are proud to have partnered with The Department of Finance Microsoft Global Partner of the Year on its successful Digital transformation Gold Partner Dynamics 365 for Field Service Global Partner of the Year Dynamics 365 for Field Service

velrada.com

1300 835 723

“ “ W Wee treat treat cybersecurity cybersecurity as as more more than than an an IT IT issue issue” — — AndyWood, Wood, Andy ExecutiveDirector Director– Corporate Services, Executive – CorporateofServices, Department Finance WA Department of Finance WA

reused across the organisation. This was a massive step forward for us.”

The Department is now moving towards harnessing data to be more predictive, particularly regarding cash analytics and optimising cash flow to mitigate wasted spending and accurately forecast the Department’s financial situation over given lengths of time.

In order to achieve continued success, the Department recognises the importance of engaging staff and instilling a culture of innovation and disruption. “In any transformation there are three questions that need to be answered: the strategy question, the

the Department itself but also different

technology question and the people

areas across government, to enrich

question. The people question is the

decision-making processes, and its

hardest to answer but is absolutely

swift uptake has resulted in positive

paramount, and how well you answer

impacts. “Business intelligence has

it ultimately determines the level of

been rapidly adopted across the

success you’ll have,” says Wood.

organisation,” notes Wood. “We started

A culture of embracing change has

out with a small proof of concept to get

come through instilling an understand-

50 people from the organisation using

ing that challenges along the way will

Microsoft’s Power BI to visualise reports

ultimately benefit every stakeholder

from the massive data source we have.

in the business. A key element of this

Within 12 months, it has exploded to

is affirming that people, not technology,

about 350 users actively investigating

are leading the transformation. By

and developing reports both in the front

incorporating Kotter’s 8-Step Change

and back ends, meaning they can be

Model to ensure new capabilities are w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

335

G O V E R N M E N T O F W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A – D E PA R T M E N T O F F I N A N C E

A$1.4bn+ Approximate revenue (AUD)

2011

Year founded

1,000

Approximate number of employees 336

incorporated into processes effectively

inspiring them to believe that they are

from both an operational and skills-

responsible, the creators, of the future

based point of view, the Department

state,” says Wood. “That really is what

has ensured that staff remain focused

drives cultural change.”

on their end goals and aware of the

Cybersecurity was also a priority

mounting benefits throughout the

of the Department due to the enormity

journey. “Keeping people focused on

of financial, operational and sensitive

the endpoint, which in many instances

data that it accrues. In a report released

was only six to eight months away,

by CompTIA this year, it was found that

saw us through. You instill a common

60% of IT professionals in Australia

understanding about what we’re

and New Zealand deem employees

collectively working towards and

to be the biggest risk factor to keeping

what we’re trying to achieve, while

data safe, and Wood is with the majority.

M AY 2 0 1 9

Engaging Department of Finance WA staff is a key component in Finance’s digital transformation

337

“We treat cybersecurity as more than

its transition to the cloud has benefit-

an IT issue,” he says. “Fundamentally,

ted again from the Department’s

the weakest point of any organisation’s

close work with Microsoft, enabling

security practices is its people.” To that

multi-factor authentication through

end, the Department has ingrained a

the Azure platform along with proven

culture of awareness and vigilance

concept trials around Azure data

amongst its employees to mitigate this

protection capabilities.

risk as much as possible. The Depart-

“It’s about framing the metadata

ment has also established an informa-

within documents and adding different

tion security management framework

security controls around how and

that complies with the ISO 27001

with whom those documents can be

international standard, with around 114

shared, and preventing the ability to

security controls in place. At an IT level,

share externally if certain parameters w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

G O V E R N M E N T O F W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A – D E PA R T M E N T O F F I N A N C E

are not met,” says Woods. “For us, it’s a top priority not only for the data we hold but also the data that’s shared with us from other government entities or third parties.”

Wood outlines the five key goals of Finance’s continued digital transformation: 1. Empowering customers to interact with the Department in the ways that best suit them; 2. Converting every transaction to a digital format; 338

3. Maximising the value of data through generating increased actionable insights; 4. Developing and maintaining a strong cybersecurity culture that ensures information is shared with relevance and responsibility; 5. Ensuring that the Department is prepared for the digital future.

This final goal, the future-proofing of the organisation, has already partly taken effect to the extent that this is what’s driving the achievement of the others. “We’re in a position now where we’ve freed ourselves to be able to look at new technologies as they M AY 2 0 1 9

The Department of Finance oversees complex building projects including Optus Stadium and the surrounding Stadium Park

“The people question is the hardest to answer but is absolutely paramount. How well you answer it ultimately determines the level of success you’ll have” — Andy Wood, Executive Director – Corporate Services, Department of Finance WA 339

appear, assess them quickly, and decide if it’s something we want to spin-off as a proof of concept,” he says. “Under our old operating model, we couldn’t do that.

We were too busy just trying to get the lights on.”

The future is certainly bright for the Department of Finance WA; positively positioned for its ongoing digital transformation with a culture that embraces change and finds excitement in a digital future in place.

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Where healthcare and technology transformation converge WRITTEN BY

DANIEL BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

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M E T R O S O U T H H E A LT H

Metro South Health drives innovation with its Digital Hospital Program. CIO Cameron Ballantine explains how the Queensland provider embraces business intelligence and analytics to deliver superior care via a real time view of patient information

M 342

etro South Health provides healthcare services to 1.3mn people in Brisbane city with five in-patient facilities offering a total

of 2,100 beds. It became the first digitalised health service in Australia following the recent implementation of its integrated medical record (IMR). “Both the executive and the senior clinical leadership group see this as a unique and exciting platform to be able to innovate from,” says Metro South Health CIO Cameron Ballantine, who believes it’s vital in order to converge additional technologies and bring a higher level of efficiency and productivity to the health system.

Innovations are welcomed at Metro South Health but for Ballantine, the key to healthcare is integration: “Integrating different siloed systems and applications to be able to present a more holistic and real time view of patients’ information to clinicians is critical to delivering the efficiencies and productivities we need to generate out of the M AY 2 0 1 9

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system.” Clinicians at Metro are embracing real time access to data and analytics via the cloud. “It’s been hugely beneficial to us to be able to utilise that more agile higher level of compute power to ensure that patient level data is delivered through our enterprise data and analytics service in real time to help clinicians make decisions whilst they’re dealing with a patient,” explains Ballantine, who notes a 50% increase in the early identification of deteriorating patients thanks to the approach. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Have you met the Vocera Smartbadge?

Small. Lightweight.

Wearable. Intelligent.

See it in action at Vocera.com/au

Leading the Digitisation of Healthcare to Improve Patient Care, Safety, and Outcomes How Metro South Health Enables Real-Time Care Team Communication and Improves Clinical Workflows Cameron Ballantine, CIO at Metro South Health Designing a Digital Hospital Program Metro South Health is a major hospital group in Australia leading the digitisation of healthcare in Queensland. As the Chief Information Officer, I lead our Digital Hospital Program across five facilities and implement solutions that will make it an enterprise-wide success. The program was launched approximately seven years ago and is focused on moving away from paper-based processes and toward an integrated digital ecosystem.

The fundamental goals of the Digital Hospital Program are to improve patient care, safety, and outcomes while improving clinical workflows and operational efficiencies within the hospital group. Underpinning this strategy is the principle that information is available to clinicians in as near to real time as possible.

Enabling Clinicians to Communicate in Real Time Vocera technology plays a critical role in assisting us achieve our digital program objectives. Many of our staff members depend on the Vocera® Badge, a small, wearable voice-controlled communication device that enables care team members to communicate hands-free.

In addition to improving clinical workflows and patient experience, the wireless device is helping safeguard our patients and staff.

One of our physiotherapists was doing a walking exercise with a patient in a stairwell when the patient collapsed.

The physiotherapist pressed the call button on the Vocera Badge and made a broadcast to request assistance, which was quickly responded to and support staff arrived in a matter of seconds. If Vocera technology had not been in place, the staff member would have had to either wait with the patient in the hope assistance arrived or leave the patient to find someone.

Our medical & surgical units are very busy, and we have patients at varying levels of acuity supported by complex, multidisciplinary care teams. With the Vocera system, staff members do not need to remember phone numbers or who is available or on call. They can connect with the

right person or group with a simple voice command such as “call a Peri-Op Nurse” or “call blue team.” Team members can communicate quickly, share information, or organise a meeting without wasting time looking for each other. This seamless connectivity improves patient care and the care team experience.

Creating an Ideal Healing and Working Environment After implementing Vocera technology, it was much easier for people to connect with the right person. Our clinicians went into healthcare to care for patients, not to wander the hospital halls looking for help. Inefficient processes and breakdowns in communication can take clinicians away from the patient bedside. Because of the Vocera solution our staff have fewer interruptions and can focus on what matters most: the patient and providing high-quality compassionate care.

The additional time our clinicians can spend with patients has resulted in improvements to patient experience, care, and safety. Vocera technology has enabled a quieter environment; we no longer have loud overhead paging.

The technology has fantastic voice recognition and can distill the voice of the person speaking from any surrounding noise. Staff have naturally gravitated to speaking normally into the device rather than projecting their voices to their colleagues.

Many patients have told us that the quietness has contributed to creating a more peaceful, healing environment.

A senior clinical employee of ours was recently admitted to a very busy clinical unit and shared her positive healthcare experience at Metro South Health in a social media post. She said, “I significantly noticed how quiet it was while I was lying there both pre-and post-surgery.”

Because of patient feedback like this and sound data indicating improvements in clinical workflows, we’ve expanded the use of Vocera technology throughout Metro South Health. We are looking for new ways to apply it as we continue to digitise our service to improve the overall healthcare experience.

M E T R O S O U T H H E A LT H

“IT is no longer a service into healthcare: it is fundamentally part of healthcare” — Cameron Ballantine, CIO, Metro South Health

346

One of the pillars of Metro’s digital

that will present information to the

health strategic framework is business

clinical decision makers about what

intelligence. “We’re looking at partner-

they need to address next to avoid the

ing with both different sectors of

ED becoming congested.” Currently,

industry and academia to look at use

Metro is partnering with a vendor to

cases and run precision analytics and

develop this solution, which will build

machine learning,” reveals Ballantine.

on its existing real time patient informa-

“For example, we would look at

tion including the number of patients,

predictive analytics in and around our

their condition and their stage in the

emergency departments. At a given

care cycle.

point in the day, we run a machine

Managing the flow of care is a priority

learning algorithm over it to analyse

for Ballantine with tertiary level emer-

the acuity and seriousness of the

gency departments in Queensland under

conditions of the patient in ED, and

inordinate stress across the system.

M AY 2 0 1 9

“We’re trying to look for efficiencies of

external to the organisation, and share

patient flow, from our ambulance

or seek information about the patient

services into the ED and into our

they’re dealing with in real time. “We

hospitals,” he says. “Because those

did a time and motion study prior to

types of initiatives can only benefit the

the implementation of Vocera,”

public and the patients that are being

explains Ballantine. “Following its

admitted to hospital.”

integration, we learned it was putting

Metro South Health’s long-standing

45 minutes back into the clinician’s day

partnership with Vocera Communica-

over an eight hour shift, increasing the

tions has played a big part in delivering

time they can spend providing patient

those patient benefits. “They’re not just

care. It’s been inordinately beneficial.”

selling us a product,” asserts Ballan-

He reveals a case where a physio was

tine. “They work with us to meet the

doing exercise work with a patient in

organisation’s goals.” The voice grade

a stairwell when they became unwell.

wifi Vocera provides allows clinicians

Having Vocera allowed for assistance

to contact other clinicians, internal or

to be summoned immediately, improv-

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Cameron Ballantine Cameron Ballantine has more than two decades of experience in healthcare. A registered nurse with seven years of clinical experience in intensive care and advanced life support, coupled with eight years working in healthcare management, he is well placed to understand the diverse IT needs of healthcare practitioners. Ballantine’s digital experience includes service delivery transformation to support changing models of care associated with digital hospitals and leading the implementation of data analytics and predictive modelling to support patient care.

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M E T R O S O U T H H E A LT H

348

$2.3bn+ Annual budget

2007

Year founded

14,000+ Approximate number of employees

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349

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M E T R O S O U T H H E A LT H

ing patient outcomes in an emergency.

Ballantine believes Metro South

learned from the successes with

Health understands how technology

Princess Alexandra Hospital and how

and healthcare are converging: “IT is

will this further support the roll out of

no longer a service into healthcare: it is

its Digital Hospital Program? “We

fundamentally part of healthcare.

experienced a myriad of unrealised

Whilst it will never take away that

efficiency and benefits,” affirms

doctor, nurse or allied health profes-

Ballantine of what he sees as more

sional dealing with a patient one on

than just an IT project. He is proud of

one, it’s able to augment how that

the community outcome that enables

interaction occurs.”

rural country hospitals (such as

Metro South Health opened

350

sions decrease by 18%. What has it

Beaudesert) to offer a connected

Australia’s first digital hospital in 2015,

service for patients, minimising the

which, thanks to IMR,

need for transfers while allowing

has seen re-admis-

them to be treated in their hometown.

M AY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘METRO SOUTH HEALTH –WHAT IS A DIGITAL HOSPITAL?’ 351 Ballantine comes from a clinical background. Having spent nearly a decade working as a nurse in a tertiary level intensive care unit, he understands the concerns of clinicians and how best to manage change. “This business change process and the integration of the project needed to come from the clinicians. When we were building the application, the clinical work had to inform how the project was going to process so the clinical fraternity could own the application. They had to understand where the efficiencies were going to w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

M E T R O S O U T H H E A LT H

“ We’re trying to look for efficiencies of patient flow, from our ambulance services into the ED and on to our hospitals” 352

— Cameron Ballantine, CIO, Metro South Health

come for them, how it was going to

“It reveals where the patients are in the

affect their day, and the clinical safety

hospital that are on these drugs, and

and quality aspects it was going to

what their current results are, along

deliver for their patients.”

with physiological observations such

While meeting the challenge of proac-

as blood pressure so they can make

tively embracing technology, Ballantine

the best decision on how a patient is

sees an opportunity to revolutionise

to be treated.”

healthcare in Australia by reducing

Looking ahead, Ballantine is excited

the risk associated with drug treat-

about broadening Metro’s digital

ments, particularly insulin and blood

approach to care with its Future Labs

thinners. “We’ve been able to leverage

initiative: “We’ll be opening the doors

a centralised repository of data and use

to issues clinicians are seeing, to bring

analytics to put the information in front

design thinking and agile principles to

of the relevant specialties,” he explains.

work through a problem over a short

M AY 2 0 1 9

353

period of time with the clinical groups

discharged, allowing clinicians to offer

to come up with a product or a solution

them regular advice and support.

that would assist in resolving an

Pushing into the next decade,

identified issue.” Allied to this, Metro

Ballantine is keen to see an executive

will also be encouraging practitioner

approved, clinically endorsed strate-

education through research initiatives

gic digital health framework in place.

in Brisbane with the proposed Digital

“Going forward, I would like to be working

Collaboration Centre. Beyond what

with our clinical colleagues to prioritise

Metro is able to achieve in patient care,

the next pieces of technology we’ll

Ballantine is pleased about its

deliver to further converge technology

emerging virtual care hub. It’s explor-

with healthcare and ultimately provide

ing the potential of wearables to

better health outcomes.”

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354

Boosting sustainability through a digital transformation WRITTEN BY

CATHERINE STURMAN PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

M AY 2 0 1 9

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a nz .busi ne ssc h ief. com

TA S S A L G R O U P

Tassal Group has sought to maximise its yield and minimise cost through its digitally-led feed centre.

Chief Information Officer, Matt Leary tells us more

356

W

ith populations expected to increase there is a focus on producing heathy, sustainable protein for the future. With

70% of the world covered in water, producers are turning to the sea to create sustainable farms to meet increasing demand for seafood, with salmon a leading choice for family dinner plates across Australia.

Australian salmon companies are working hard to meet this demand, which is increasing at around 10% per annum domestically and are now producing more than 60,000 tonnes of salmon annually.

Forming a vital part of consumer eating habits, the move towards more sustainable, healthier lifestyles has boosted salmon production figures across retail and wholesale markets, with a predicted increase of up to 71,000 tonnes by 2023â&#x20AC;&#x201C;24 across the country (Annual fisheries outlook, Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2019).

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BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AND CREATING VALUE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Utilising Technology to Improve Sustainability Facilitating Transformation at Tassal Operations Tassal Operations was seeking a way to feed fish more efficiently, reduce waste, keep staff safe and produce overall better business results. In partnership with Intuit Technologies, they began the journey to create a centralised feed centre and become one of the first companies in the world to fully embrace a remote feeding strategy. With little to no infrastructure in place and the inaccessible and remote nature of Tasmania’s landscape, this project required an innovative plan. The conditions were challenging as the team had to work in the open ocean waters up to 20 kms offshore in large seas while facing wind and snow.

Partnering for Success Intuit Technologies worked with their partners to build a high-speed fibre optic and wireless network capable of the throughput required.

By partnering with key partner Jettech Networks, Intuit Technologies built a data network capable of transmitting up to 10Gb of high definition video data for almost 300 remote pan and zoom cameras. Working with BATS Wireless, the fish pens were equipped with gyroscopically stabilised wireless connections to the

shore which utilises microwave technology to transmit the data back to the feeding centre located in Hobart, Tasmania. The feed centre control room is powered by nearly 70 Dell EMC servers rendering live footage on 121 ultrahigh definition displays.

The outcome is a feeding system that is safer for employees and improves overall operationally efficiency and feed conversion – which is better for the fish and better for our environment!

“To provide the complex IT infrastructure required for our centralised feeding project, we knew we could trust Intuit Technologies to deliver.”

- Matt Leary, Tassal Operations

Find out More

About Intuit Technologies Intuit Technologies is an Australian owned and operated information and communications technology (ICT) company. With over 100 employees and offices throughout Australia, we offer a wide range of services tailored to meet your business needs. We are creative thinkers, backed by significant industry experience, enabling us to develop new and original solutions for our clients. www.itechnologies.com.au

Other Partners:

TA S S A L G R O U P

“ With these cameras, we can observe fish behaviour, which is critical in terms of maximising how we utilise our feed” — Matt Leary, Chief, Information Officer

360

M AY 2 0 1 9

Situated off Australia’s south coast, Tasmania alone is now home to five geographically separated farming zones, and produces retail value AUD ~940mn of salmon every year. In order to retain its position as the largest producer of Tasmanian-grown Atlantic salmon in the country, leading player Tassal Group has turned towards new, innovative methods to deliver on its commitment in the production of high

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TASSAL CORPORATE VIDEO’ 361 quality, safe produce for consumers.

“We’ve been modernising our

Previously appointed as a Business

production and supply chain tools,

Intelligence (BI) Manager at Tassal over

which support our farming organisa-

five years ago, with the aim of strength-

tion. This involves our pay, supply chain,

ening the company’s data capabilities

financial management and demand

and digital infrastructure, Chief

management systems. On the farming

Information Officer Matt Leary has

side, it includes aquaculture manage-

been central to the company’s rapid

ment, which is all about maximising

growth journey. Noting he is the first to

yield, optimising fish health and welfare,

obtain the CIO role due to Tassal’s

while supporting cost efficiencies,”

ongoing expansion, he has been

he explains.

responsible for the modernisation of

By focusing not only on the opera-

the business’ production and supply

tional, but the environmental side of the

chain, using technology as a key driver

business to improve its domestic yield,

to transform its service offerings.

Tassal has recently invested $20mn in w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

TA S S A L G R O U P

362

M AY 2 0 1 9

a new state-of-the-art remote, centralised feeding centre. Through the project, the implementation of new technologies and the introduction of strong partnerships has worked to drive up production rates, optimise performance and reduce waste across the organisation.

“We have five farming regions located around Tasmania and typically, each zone will have multiple leases

“ We’re Australia’s largest aquaculture business and we want to make sure it stays that way” — Matt Leary, Chief Information Officer

which house our pens,” explains Leary.

To ensure its operations could be supported by a digitally-led underwater

363

infrastructure, Tassal partnered with aquaculture technology leaders Steinsvik and Tasmanian based IT E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Matt Leary With a degree in Engineering and over 20 years of experience in the manufacturing, supply chain and now aquaculture industries, I have spent most of my career in IT and Business Intelligence leadership roles.

I am driven by a desire to help businesses succeed through technology to increase business performance, drive competitiveness and improve decision-making processes.

Originally employed as a BI manager with the focus on improving Tassal’s data capability, I was soon promoted to the role of CIO as part of the company’s rapid growth journey.

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TA S S A L G R O U P

service provider Intuit Technologies to introduce high-definition cameras in each pen, as well as install fibre optic and wireless networks around each farm. Additionally, to further support its feed centre and gain a greater understanding around fish behaviour, centralised feeding has also been introduced to all sites. Camera and video technology can now be viewed remotely, enabling the business to improve feed conversion rates, reduce waste, as well as access vital data 364

around environmental conditions, such as water temperature, salinity levels and more, all in real-time.

“There will be anything between 10 and 26 pens, and in each pen we have underwater cameras,” says Leary.

“From a technology point of view, it was a challenge to get video traffic back with our outdated infrastructure, and in areas where there was not a lot of telecommunication, so we were effectively building our own high capacity network around all these farming operations. However, with these cameras, we can now observe fish behaviour, which is fairly critical in terms of maximising how we utilise that feed.”

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“ We’re halfway through our cloud journey, but machine learning is a pretty big opportunity for us” — Matt Leary, Chief, Information Officer

“We also work with WiseFish which provides a number of software solutions to support our supply chain production. The system has been really important for us in the modernisation of our digital backbone and how we get our product from farm to customer.” As new technologies enter the fray, Tassal is also looking to explore how tools such as machine learning, cloud and automation can bolster its production levels and drive increased efficiencies, all with the customer in mind.

“We’re part way through our cloud journey, but machine learning is a pretty big opportunity for us,” observes Leary.

“With all the video we’re capturing around fish behaviour, we’re now working with companies to see how machine learning can support the fish feeding process, looking at behavioural queues as an indicator of fish health and wellbeing.”

Not only that, the business’ recent acquisition of the Fortune Group has seen the company diversify into prawn farming. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences noted last year, “rock w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

365

TA S S A L G R O U P

$600mn Approximate revenue

1986

Year founded

1,400

Approximate number of employees 366

lobster, abalone, tuna and prawns are

years behind salmon farming, not just

projected to contribute most to

technologically but operationally,”

fisheries product export value across

states Leary. “We will now be able to

the medium term (2018–19 to 2022–

leverage our expertise in salmon farm-

23), where these commodities will

ing and transfer this to prawn farming,

account for around 80% of export

utilising technology to significantly

value,” leading to further opportunities

increase production rates and yields.”

for the business to diversify its

Leary is continuously motivated in

portfolio and grow its presence in

supporting organisations to utilise

existing markets. “Prawn farming is

technology to improve business

quite an immature industry, and in

outcomes, and at Tassal, has fully hit

Australia especially, is probably 10-15

the ground running in improving the

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367

way the business grows and produces

next 10 years. At the same time, we

fish, optimising performance and

remain conscious of the impact of

guaranteeing feed efficiencies.

digital transformation in the market

“We’re Australia’s largest aquacul-

side of things. They’ll be our areas of

ture business and we want to make

focus over the coming years, taking

sure it stays that way,” he says

on board new challenges wherever

enthusiastically. “We’ve got ambition

they may present themselves.”

to continue to grow the salmon farming side of the business, but with the prawn farming acquisition, we’ve certainly got very ambitious targets to draw, to really increase that over the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

368

M AY 2 0 1 9

CHALHOUB GROUP

leveraging on technology transformation in retail WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

K ANE WELLER

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369

CHALHOUB GROUP

Iyad Rahmeh, Head of HR Technology at Chalhoub Group, discusses how his company’s digital transformation is impacting its HR function with impressive results

A

s technology disrupts the operations of businesses worldwide,

Chalhoub Group is in the process of under370

going a major digital transformation in the retail industry. Their aim is to achieve their North Star Vision to become a hybrid retailer bringing luxury experiences to the fingertips of customers everywhere.

Overseeing the human resources (HR) technology department at Chalhoub is Iyad Rahme. “Our Group is going through a major transformation which started from within,” explains Rahmeh. “We don’t just want to give the best experience to our external customers, we also aim to enable our employees with the necessary tools that help them focus better on their stakeholders. In terms of HR, our customers are also our employees and we make sure to keep them at the heart of everything that we do.”

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CHALHOUB GROUP

“We are always scouting for new technologies that can simplify our processes and provide our current and future employees with a seamless experience” — Iyad Rahme, Head of HR Technology, Chalhoub Group

372

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THIS IS THE CHALHOUB GREENHOUSE!’ 373

IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL PLATFORMS

why this mobile app was necessary

During the past year, Chalhoub Group

and been so successful.”

HR has implemented eight digital

With the aim of introducing a smooth

platforms, including a new social

interface between employees and HR

media platform for all its employees.

at the forefront of Chalhoub Group’s

“Last year, we launched our employee

plans, the firm implemented SAP

mobile app,” says Rahmeh. “It’s a

SuccessFactors solutions to acceler-

Beekeeper SaaS solution with the aim

ate its technological capabilities. “Most

of connecting colleagues wherever

of our HR processes have become

they are and help them communicate

digital; our talent acquisition, perfor-

and collaborate to share knowledge

mance management, learning manage-

and expertise. We are a retail and

ment because going digital enables us

distribution business with 70-80% of

to track each employee’s progression

our taskforce being mobile, which is

and development” says Rahmeh. “We w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CHALHOUB GROUP

“Technology is there to help us and not replace us” — Iyad Rahme, Head of HR Technology, Chalhoub Group

374

are always scouting for new technolo-

upgrade its services. “We’re always

gies that can simplify our processes

looking at ways to gather data as the

and provide our current and future

more data we have, the more we can

employees with a seamless experi-

ensure we are taking the right approach

ence. We recently launched our first

and base our strategy on solid grounds”

ChatBot, in collaboration with Easy

explains Rahmeh. Chalhoub Group

Recrue, called TIM (Talent Interactive

recently introduced Qualtrics — an

Matchmaker) to help candidates apply

experience management platform

for a position on our career website.

allowing them to survey every

We also introduced a pre-recorded

interaction people experience within

video and live interviews to be able to

the Group to spot opportunities for

reach talents at all times.”

improvement. “We gather data at every

Operating with a data-driven approach,

touch point we have with our current

Chalhoub Group leverages on data to

or future employees,” he says. “It starts

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E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Iyad Rahme Iyad Rahme is the Head of HR Technology at Chalhoub Group.

In his role, Iyad scouts for HR digital platforms and manages their implementations and support. In 2018, together with the Head of Competence Centers of the Group, Iyad successfully implemented eight digital platforms including an employee mobile app, a Chatbot and an employee engagement and surveying tool.

Iyad studied Economics at Saint Joseph University in Beirut and kicked off his career in HR as a recruiter at one of the banks in Beirut. He moved to Dubai to work in Rewards for Chalhoub Group and was part of the implementation team of SAP SuccessFactors.

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CHALHOUB GROUP

1955

Year founded

12,000+

Approximate number of employees

376

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Passion for Innovation Nextmoves develops SAP SuccessFactors Addons to enrich and optimize your HR organization and its processes within the SAP SuccessFactors suite. Our Add-ons include easy document generation, a secure and digital personnel file and a flexible benefits solution.

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from their initial experience of applying

our business to the next level,” says

for a role within the Group up until their

Rahmeh. “We don’t want to introduce

offboarding experiences.”

a new digital platform for the sake of having lots of different platforms. Our

INTRODUCING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY

aim is to make sure to facilitate and

With technology having an increased

simplify our way of doing business –

impact on businesses and its influence

therefore, we ensure to partner with

showing no signs of slowing, Rahmeh

our employees and businesses before

understands the importance of

initiating any digital platform.”

introducing processes which will enable

“One of our guiding principles at

the company to accelerate operations

Chalhoub Group is to collaborate

without rolling out technology for the

with startups as they benefit from our

sake of it. “It’s important that we imple-

expertise in the market and allow us a

ment the right technology that will take

lot of flexibility due to their enthusiasm

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379

“Most of our HR processes have become digital; our talent acquisition, performance management, learning management because going digital enables us to track each employee’s progression and development” — Iyad Rahme, Head of HR Technology, Chalhoub Group w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CHALHOUB GROUP

380

“It’s important that we implement the right technology that will take our business to the next level” — Iyad Rahme, Head of HR Technology, Chalhoub Group

and eagerness for new challenges.

countries, Rahmeh looks at how the

It’s much easier for us to work with

Group can remain sustainable moving

them because they are flexible, fast

forward. “It’s important for us to keep

and agile and this embodies our work

searching, learning and innovating.

principles perfectly.”

We have to stay on the move and be

Having achieved substantial growth

agile in order to achieve our North Star

over the past few years which has seen

Vision,” explains Rahmeh. “It is key

the Group’s workforce reach over

for us to be fierce, to keep up with

12,000 team members in nine different

technology and the changing environ-

M AY 2 0 1 9

381

ment that we live in. Technology is

Rahmeh. “It’s important to keep

there to help us and not replace us.”

enhancing, developing and looking for

Looking to the future, Rahmeh has

better solutions because it’s the only

clear ideas in mind on how the Group

way we can keep moving forward and

can continue to achieve success. “We

differentiating ourselves from others

can’t stop here — we have to keep

to achieve our goal of becoming the

enhancing our services. Last year we

employer of choice.”

implemented eight digital platforms, this year we might bring in ten,” says w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Cernerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

382

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF POPULATION HEALTH WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

K ANE WELLER

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CERNER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Bashar Balish, CIO of Cerner’s strategic partnership with the UAE Ministry of Health, discusses the digital transformation of the healthcare industry

A 384

world without medical error is, for many people, an impossible dream. In 2017, the World Health Organisation estimated

the global cost of medication-related errors at US$42bn annually. In the United States, medical error accounts for anywhere between 210,000 and 400,000 deaths per year – making it the third largest cause of mortality in the country, according to a report by Patient Safety America. However, Missouri-based healthcare information technology (IT) company Cerner Corporation is working toward the goal of a world without medical error.

“We consider ourselves to be a healthcare company more than an IT company. Our focus is on healthcare and helping the organizations we serve to mature and materialize the value of the healthcare IT in their industry,” says Bashar Balish, MD, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the strategic partnership between Cerner and the UAE MOHAP.

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CERNER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

“Our vision is to know the population better, to connect different variables around health care to one platform and manage that population in order to improve the health of our communities” — Bashar Balish, CIO, Ministry of Health Strategic Partnership

386

Founded in 1979, Cerner has spent more than 40 years providing IT solutions to healthcare operations around the world, ranging from single physician practices to entire countries. With a network of over 29,000 associates in more than 35 countries, Cerner specialises in innovative end-to-end solutions that allow its clients in the health space to provide more effective medical care to their patients. Since 2014, Cerner has been engaged in a partnership with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of M AY 2 0 1 9

387

Health and Prevention (MOHAP),

is the first of its kind for the company

overseeing the digital transformation of

outside the US. “We have a dedicated

the organisation’s IT infrastructure and

team working for the MOHAP on IT

operations. “In my opinion, healthcare

applications, change management,

IT is no different than any other tool

physician and nursing adoption, provid-

that physicians and nurses use. We

ing technology support, a help desk

are the CT or the MRI interpretation for

and other IT functions. In addition to

the physicians. We are the assisting

that, we also manage their data centre,”

physician, nurse or clinician to the

says Balish. We sat down with Balish

caregivers, and we exist wherever

to discover more about this unique

they exist,” says Bashar Balish, MD,

partnership and how Cerner is propel-

Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the

ling MOHAP further along its digital

strategic partnership between Cerner

transformation journey, as industry 4.0

and the UAE MOHAP. The relationship

continues to disrupt and reshape one w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CERNER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

388

of the world’s oldest professions.

“I’ve been in the healthcare industry

between our roadmap and the client’s roadmap. The relationship needs to

for close to 20 years,” says Balish.

create synergy between the two

“I started as a physician. In 2001,

organisations,” he explains. A signifi-

I shifted to the business side and then

cant proportion of the work done by

got introduced to healthcare IT in

Cerner in partnership with the MOHAP

2003.” As a medical professional and

is helping the organisation align its

IT specialist, Balish is acutely aware

goals with those of the UAE’s Vision

of the need for synergy between

2021. Launched in 2010, the UAE

a healthcare organisation and its IT

government’s plan centres around

solutions providers. “There really

the social and economic development

needs to be an alignment between our

of the nation towards a diversified,

vision and the country’s healthcare

knowledge-based economy. One that

vision; there needs to be an alignment

can “compete with the private sector

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“In my personal opinion, health care IT is no different than any other tool that physicians and nurses use” — Bashar Balish, CIO, Ministry of Health Strategic Partnership 389

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Bashar Balish A graduate of Damascus University, Bashar has a bachelor’s degree in medicine. He is also a certified Health Care CIO. Bashar joined Cerner in 2011 as a client executive, and has held a variety of roles with the company, including business development executive, client result executive and senior operation leader. During this time Bashar has helped Cerner significantly expand its global ITWorks footprint. Bashar has more than 18 years of experience in health care. Before joining Cerner, he held different leadership and business/product management roles with GE and Carestream “Kodak”, covering Middle East Africa region.

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

CERNER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

1991

Year founded in Saudi Arabia

300+

Approximate number of employees

390

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M AY 2 0 1 9

“Analytics are an important module in our population health platform. We look at the trends, we look at the behaviour of the data, the behaviour of the population and we connect the dots” — Bashar Balish, CIO, Ministry of Health Strategic Partnership

push it to the next level by providing both an automated way of running things and smart analytics.”

Balish believes that analytics will increasingly reshape the way healthcare organisations approach population health, an idea that he places at the forefront of the healthcare industry’s unfolding story. “Over the last 15 to 20 years, we’ve seen healthcare management extend past the four walls of the hospital. The factors that interfere with your health are your school, your place of worship, your home, etc. Our vision is to know the population better, to connect

in terms of the calibre of service it

different variables around healthcare

provides,” according to Emirates

to one platform and manage that

Crown Prince his Highness Sheikh

population to improve the health of our

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

communities,” says Balish. “Analytics is

Balish says, “We’ve been working

an important module in our population

closely with the physicians and nurses

health platform. We look at the trends,

in order to achieve their organisation’s

we look at the behaviour of the data

goals of becoming smarter and more

and the behaviour of the population

relevant to their business, as well as to

and we connect the dots. We predict

the community they’re serving and

trends, predict behaviours in the

enabling. My own role is focused on

population and suggest protocols to

making sure that the tools these

manage these trends. We are seeing

physicians and nurses use are smart

that analytics have shifted the opera-

enough to support the program and to

tional model of the organisation w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

393

CERNER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

394

“There needs to be an alignment between our roadmap and the client roadmap; the relationship needs to create synergy between the two organisations” — Bashar Balish, CIO, Ministry of Health Strategic Partnership

towards data driven behaviour, and

this stage. At present, a solid platform

that’s wonderful.” Balish also notes

that provides affordable health to the

that the power of new healthcare

population does not exist. Technolo-

technologies includes their ability to

gies for this platform – analytics, AI and

scale across regions, continents and

deep machine learning – do exist, but

the world. “Analytics will drive the

at an affordable price? We’re not there

bigger programs of population health

yet. I don’t think the industry has yet

management,” he predicts.

matured enough to fully utilise the

However, he acknowledges that

technologies available.” Looking to the

mass adoption is struggling to take

future, Balish aims to “ensure that the

hold. “All of these are the concepts and

strategy leverages all the available

new trends that we’re focusing on at

technologies, tackles the current adop-

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395

tion issues and ultimately delivers

on transferring data between different

quality care and a lower cost.” He sees

organisations.”

this realisation dawning across the rest

While Balish is “very optimistic about

of the industry. “I think everyone is

the future”, he maintains: “The future

starting to realise that no one can do it

will not realise its potential until all

alone. Cerner has started a common-

healthcare providers, companies and

Well health Alliance IT. We work with

vendors work together with one vision,

other healthcare IT providers, even

which is consumer benefit. Healthcare

our competitors, on exchanging data.

can’t afford to stay still.”

That’s the only way to do it: write standards, change protocols, make it more affordable for the market to work w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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