Technology Magazine - November 2023 by Technology Magazine

November 2023 | technologymagazine.com

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

THE FUTURE OF THE SUPER APP

QUANTUM COMPUTING COMPANIES

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DATA PROTECTED FROM THE

QUANTUM THREAT? With predictions quantum machines will crack traditional security methods, organisations must protect their data now

AI/ML

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HOW NO-CODE IS DEMOCRATISING AI

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The Technology Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MARCUS LAW

CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

SCOTT BIRCH

SENIOR DESIGNERS

REBEKAH BIRLESON SAM HUBBARD FEATURE DESIGNERS

NEIL PERRY

JULIA WAINWRIGHT VICTORIA CASEY EMMA WALLER

CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER

ADVERT DESIGNERS

HEAD OF MULTIMEDIA

HEAD OF DESIGN

CALLUM HOOD DANILO CARDOSO ADRIAN SERBAN

LEAD DESIGNER

VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER

MATT JOHNSON

ANDY WOOLLACOTT REBEKAH BIRLESON

KIERAN WAITE

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ERNEST DE NEVE THOMAS EASTERFORD DREW HARDMAN SALLY MOUSTAFA

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GEORGIA ALLEN DANIELA KIANICKOVÁ

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JANE ARNETA MARIA GONZALEZ YEVHENIIA SUBBOTINA KENDRA LAU

MARKETING MANAGER

DAISY SLATER

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TOM VENTURO NAZEEF IDREES

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JASON WESTGATE

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LEWIS VAUGHAN CEO

GLEN WHITE

FOREWORD

The democratisation of AI We explore how no-code AI platforms are democratising AI, empowering individuals with minimal tech skills, and transforming business operations

“By eliminating the complexities traditionally associated with AI development, no-code platforms are levelling the playing field”

TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY

ith increased use of AI, paired with a shortage of workers with tech skills, no-code AI platforms have emerged as a transformative opportunity for businesses. Democratising access to advanced AI capabilities, these user-friendly platforms allow individuals with minimal or no coding skills to create AI applications through intuitive interfaces. By eliminating the complexities traditionally associated with AI development, no-code platforms are levelling the playing field, enabling a broader range of people to harness the power of AI for various applications. In Technology Magazine this month, we explore how low-code and no-code AI platforms are leveling the playing field, and look at some of the benefits organisations can see from removing technological and financial barriers to the technology. MARCUS LAW marcus.law@bizclikmedia.com

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CONTENTS UP FRONT

14 BIG PICTURE

Spotify has no plans to ban AI-generated music

16 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

Steve Wozniak, Co-founder at Apple

20 THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW

Amanda Blevins, VP and CTO Americas at VMware

26 PEOPLE MOVES

The latest executive moves in the world of technology

28 THE MONTH THAT WAS

Daily coverage of global technology developments

32 8

November 2023

NOVEMBER 2023

FEATURES

32 TOP 10

Quantum computing companies

44 DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS Is the West on the cusp of embracing the super app era?

52 CENTRAL CO - OP

How Central Co-op is creating a sustainable society for all

70 ENTERPRISE IT

How future augmented workforces can drive business value

78 AXIATA

Axiata is powering digital transformation in Asia

70 technologymagazine.com

Knowledge Partners

THE TOP 100 COMPANIES IN TECHNOLOGY READ NOW

NOVEMBER 2023

108

128

136

FEATURES

98 DATA & ANALYTICS

156 DPV HEALTH

108 FUJITSU

172 CGI

128 AI/ML

188 IXAFRICA

136 TELUS

204 VIRGIN MEDIA O2

Why organisations must protect data from the quantum threat

Leading digital transformation in fintech

Democratisation of AI: The rise of no-code AI platforms

From traditional telco to world-leading tech org

Driving and delivering digital transformation at DPV Health

CGI revolutionising manufacturing with data strategies

IXAfrica: Putting Kenya on the map as a data centre leader

Virgin Media O2’s customer focus on the digital payment journey

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THE TOP 100 COMPANIES IN SUSTAINABILITY Discover the companies leading the way, setting the pace and inspiring global business change.

READ NOW

BIG PICTURE

Spotify has no plans to ban AI-generated music Stockholm, Sweden The boss of Spotify says he has no plans to completely ban content created by AI from the music streaming platform. Speaking with the BBC, Daniel Ek said that there are valid uses of the tech in making music – but AI should not be used to impersonate human artists without their consent. The interview follows reports that a song featuring AI-cloned voices of the performers Drake and The Weeknd was pulled from the service. “We have a very large team that is working on exactly these types of issues,” he said.

CREDIT: Getty Images technologymagazine.com

STEVE

WOZNIAK

ENTREPRENEUR, INNOVATOR & SILICON VALLEY ICON

November 2023

LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

SINCE DESIGNING HIS FIRST COMPUTER AT THE AGE OF 13, STEVE WOZNIAK HAS TRULY HELPED SHAPE THE COMPUTING INDUSTRY

Silicon Valley icon, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist for more than 40 years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products and his influence over the Macintosh. Growing up in San Jose, California, Wozniak – commonly known as ‘Woz’ – designed his first computer at the age of 13, joining the University of Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences in 1971. From the campus, Wozniak and his friend Steve Jobs sold “blue boxes,” illegal devices that enabled anyone to make free long–distance calls. In 1976, Woz dropped out of Berkeley to return to the South Bay, landing a job designing calculator chips for Hewlett-Packard. On the side he wrote arcade game software for Atari, where Jobs worked. In 1976, Wozniak and Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, colour graphics, and a floppy disk drive – which was integral in launching the personal computer industry. Since then, Wozniak has been listed as the sole inventor on four Apple patents. “If you look back at the first Apple II, it had about 10 features that had never been done in a low cost computer,” Wozniak said in a 1984 interview with Creative Computing. “We built in many things that had never been built-in a low cost computer. We built in many

things that had never been built-in before. Almost every one of those things – graphics, text, large ROMs including languages like Basic, plastic cases, speakers, paddles, colour – have been built into computers since then.” Apple IPO and return to UC Berkeley In 1980, Apple Computer hit Wall Street, garnering the largest IPO since Ford Motor Company went public. He returned to UC Berkeley one year later and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. To date, Wozniak has received 10 Honorary Doctor of Engineering degrees. Wozniak founded the company Unuson, an abbreviation of “unite us in song”, which sponsored US Festivals in 1982 and 1983. Initially intended to celebrate evolving technologies, the festivals ended up as a technology exposition and a rock festival as a combination of music, computers, television, and people.

STEVE WOZNIAK TITLE: CO-FOUNDER COMPANY: APPLE LOCATION: CALIFORNIA A Silicon Valley icon, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist for more than 40 years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products and his influence over the Macintosh.

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For his achievements at Apple, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, the highest honour bestowed on America’s leading innovators. In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers. Philanthropic ventures Through the years, Wozniak has been involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on, experiential learning that encourages creativity and innovation by students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, Wozniak adopted the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-theart technology equipment. He also founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. In 2014, he was awarded the Hoover Medal, a prestigious honour given for “outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity,” and was inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame. In 2015, Wozniak received the Legacy for Children Award from the 18

November 2023

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. The Legacy for Children Award honours individuals whose legacy has significantly benefited the learning and lives of children. The Cal Alumni Association (UC Berkeley’s Alumni Association) presented Wozniak with the 2015 Alumnus of the Year Award. Wozniak is the author of iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon (Norton Publishing), his New York Times bestselling autobiography. His television appearances include: ABC’s Dancing

LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

The early days | Steve Wozniak | TEDxBerkeley WATCH NOW

with the Stars, The Big Bang Theory, My Life on the D List, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Celebrity Watch Party. Wozniak continues to pursue his entrepreneurial and philanthropic interests to this day. In October 2017, Steve co-founded Woz U – a postsecondary education and training platform focused on software engineering and technology development. Recently, he has co-founded the blockchain-based

energy saving trading platform Efforce – which leverages disparate applications of blockchain technology. In May 2023, Wozniak was among a number of prominent figures in the technology world calling for a pause in the development of AI. In an interview with the BBC, Wozniak warned that AI could make scams and misinformation harder to spot. “AI is so intelligent it’s open to the bad players, the ones that want to trick you about who they are,” he said. technologymagazine.com

THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW

AMANDA BLEVINS, CTO, VMWARE

Technology Magazine sits down with Amanda Blevins, VP and CTO Americas at VMware, to discuss announcements at VMware Explore, partnerships and AI

manda Blevins is a Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the Americas at VMware. She enables customers and partners to achieve their business objectives by co-creating a comprehensive technology strategy with executive leaders. Blevins leads the Office of the CTO Global Field Programs that develops technical talent and provides programme members the opportunity to participate in Office of the CTO projects and initiatives.

AMANDA BLEVINS TITLE: VP, CTO AMERICAS COMPANY: VMWARE LOCATION: UNITED STATES Joining VMware as a Senior Systems Engineer in 2010, today Blevins enables customers and partners to achieve their business objectives by co-creating a comprehensive technology strategy with executive leaders, focusing on cloud, edge, and emerging technologies.

November 2023

Blevins has been in the IT field for more than 25 years, and has heldvarious infrastructure operations and architecture roles throughout her career. As VMware’s first and only female Chief Technologist, she leverages her experience and network to drive awareness and equality for women and all underrepresented people in technology fields. At the 2023 edition of VMware Explore in Las Vegas, Technology Magazine sat down with Blevins to discuss her career, her role and some of the exciting announcements in the world of technology and AI.

Q. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE AT VMWARE?

» “Currently I’m the Americas CTO at

VMware. So we have three Geo Field CTOs and our responsibility is to interact with customers and partners, talk about our vision strategy, how we can solve their business problems, and then work with the teams in R&D to influence product roadmap and innovation based on those trends and those conversations.

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THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW

“ Performance is important to us, cost is important to us and sustainability is important to us, and all those things are related”

“I started at VMware 13 or so years ago, as a systems engineer in the field. I live in Colorado, and at the time we had around 4,000 employees and five products, so it was a little different. And so it was just two account teams, a rep and an SE and we just split the entire state. “So I had 75 customers or something that I covered in Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico. Over time, I moved up through the ranks inside VMware, became a principal systems engineer – the first woman in the company to do that – and then moved to the office of the CTO and became a chief technologist. And I moved into this role a couple of years ago. “It’s a great place to be, with a great culture and with fantastic people. Technology is always changing. We’re always adding directions and building on what we have and expanding our portfolio. So the technologist in me does not get bored at all.”

Q. TELL US A BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS AT EXPLORE THIS YEAR AND WHAT YOU’RE MOST EXCITED BY?

» “We’ve spent a lot of time interacting

with Chief Data Officers, CTOs, CIOs and data scientists at various companies across various industries around the globe to really understand what they’re doing or wanting to do with generative AI and large language models. All of that information and other information in the industry has helped us define our path forward. “One of the most critical areas is around privacy, making sure that our customers can do AI/ML where their data is – whether it’s in the public cloud, on-prem or at the edge. 22

November 2023

VMware Announces Intelligent Assist at VMware Explore 2023 Las Vegas WATCH NOW

“Really, what we’ve learned is that organisations are still figuring it out. They’re still experimenting and so using public cloud services is great, but then also they want other options and choices. That’s where a lot of the open source models come in and that’s where they can run on-prem. “From a VMware perspective, we have our ethical AI approach where things like explainability and openness is important, so partnering with organisations like Hugging Face, which is an organisation that offers services that align with our values. “Because of the speed the industry is moving, having partnerships like Hugging Face and Anyscale Ray, and of course Nvidia, across those various parts of the ecosystem is very important, through ML ops down to hardware.”

Q. HOW DO YOU WORK WITH PARTNERS AT VMWARE?

» “We’ve partnered with Nvidia for as

long as I’ve been here, probably longer. The original use cases were around virtual desktops and people doing CAD drawings and high graphical intensive use cases, so making sure we can support dGPUs for virtual desktops. “That naturally evolved into ML workloads, and we have hundreds of customers that do ML on VMware today because we’ve always partnered with Nvidia. Making sure that we support the hardware is one aspect, but now making sure that our platform of Cloud Foundation can integrate Nvidia AI enterprise at the higher level services that we don’t provide. “That’s why we have partnerships with Nvidia, Hugging Face, Anyscale and technologymagazine.com

THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW

others. We provide the best platform for workloads and for scheduling and for operations, and keeping that operation model the same, regardless of it’s an AI/ ML workload or a traditional workload or a modern app workload. Now that IT needs to be in charge of that, it’s not just data scientists anymore. That’s why Cloud Foundation is so important. “It’s about making sure that our platform is ready to easily automate and accept those workloads. Most AI/ML workloads are deployed as containers, so Tanzu Kubernetes grid is built right into Cloud Foundation, so that’s a pretty natural step forward.”

Q. TELL US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SPECIALISM WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING LLMS

» “Performance is important to us, cost

is important to us and sustainability is important to us, and all those things are related. There’s a good analogy that I heard that I like to repeat, where if you ask ChatGPT, ‘how do I make toast?’, that prompt and that query return might cost you a dollar. That’s a really expensive slice of toast. “If I have a domain specific model that’s only for making toast, and so it’s much smaller, it doesn’t require as many resources to run, it costs less. So when I ask it how to make toast, maybe it’s two cents and that’s much more appropriate. “So, from a sustainability perspective, it’s not taking as much power and cooling, and also from a cost perspective, I don’t need as much horsepower, or as many resources. And so that is really important. “There’s also the other aspect that if you just have a general model that hasn’t been fine-tuned on your domain 24

November 2023

specific data, you’re not going to get as helpful responses. Being able to have that domain specific data is important for business value, but also because to create an LLM, it takes months and tens of thousands of GPUs and most organisations don’t have that, and that’s not going to happen. “Being able to take an LLM that is trained originally with data that they trust, but that open data set’s going to be important and then be able to put that next to their data that they’re going to fine tune with is going to be important. And then that will make sure they have the best responses, but also the lowest cost, the best performance and more sustainable choice.”

Q. IS AI THE FOCUS FOR VMWARE GOING FORWARD?

» “It’s not the only thing, but it’s

definitely an important thing. I think back to all the solutions that already have AI/ ML embedded in them. Even if you think of Aria Operations, that is essentially an analytics engine. Some people might call it a monitoring tool, but that’s not true. As long as you give us SQL time series data, we’ll be able to tell you whatever that data is. “It could be about the performance of your call centre and the people and the type of calls they’re taking. We’ve had customers use it for that, but as long as we get that data, we can tell you what’s normal and then tell you when

something abnormal happens. And we’ve had that solution for over a decade. But then also the ML that we use within NSX today around advanced threat protection, where it could be a malicious payload that has a signature and that’s easy to identify, or one that’s acting strange that it shouldn’t, and we can identify because of its behaviour. “We have a number of examples of where AI has been embedded in our solutions and now it’s around, okay, this technology is more accessible, it’s easier to use, it’s expected from the industry. That just speeds up our innovation in those areas, but it’s a path we’ve been on for a while.”

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PEOPLE MOVES

THE LATEST EXECUTIVE MOVES IN THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY Technology Magazine highlights the latest executive appointments and departures that are set to drive innovation and business success

“ I am excited to lead Applications Services and AI, to help our customers simplify, modernise and accelerate their strategies and be a catalyst for DXC growth for Applications and AI”

November 2023

HOWARD BOVILLE JOB FROM: S VP, IBM JOB TO: E VP, APPLICATION SERVICES & AI, DXC TECHNOLOGY DXC Technology has announced that former IBM executive Howard Boville has been appointed Executive Vice President and Global Lead of Applications Services and Artificial Intelligence, reporting directly to DXC Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Salvino. Boville has held senior leadership positions at some of the world’s largest, market-leading companies. He most recently served as IBM’s Senior Vice President, IBM Cloud Platform, Technology LifeCycle Services (TLS) and Cybersecurity. In this role, Boville built the strategy for IBM’s Regulated Hybrid Cloud Platform and created a new market category for cloud that helped drive growth for the company.

KRISH VENKATARAMAN JOB FROM: C FO, SOCURE JOB TO: P RESIDENT, DATAIKU Wall Street and software industry veteran Krish Venkataraman has been announced as President of AI platform Dataiku. His credentials include CXO positions at prominent players in the global financial and technology sectors.

SHANNON BELL

HUGO VLIEGEN

JOB FROM: S VP, ROGERS COMMUNICATION

JOB FROM: S VP, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, ARYAKA NETWORKS

JOB TO: E VP, CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, OPENTEXT With over 25 years of experience, Shannon Bell is a seasoned IT leader. Prior to joining OpenText as its CDO, Bell was SVP of IT and Digital at Rogers Communications.

SAURABH KULKARNI JOB FROM: C PO, SVP SOFTWARE, LUCATA

JOB TO: V P PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & TECHNICAL MARKETING, CISCO Recognised for driving innovation with bottomline results for business impact, Hugo Vliegen rejoined Cisco as its VP Product Management & Technical Marketing, Enterprise Routing & SD-WAN after four years at Aryaka Networks.

MICHAEL FORD

JOB TO: V P, DATACENTER AI SYSTEM DESIGN, INTEL

JOB FROM: C VP, MICROSOFT

With over two decades in the tech industry, Saurabh Kulkarni has a range of experience spanning leadership roles at Graphcore, Oracle, Microsoft and Intel – who he rejoined in September.

Having spent 18 years at Microsoft, most recently as its CVP of Global Workplace Services, Michael Ford joined AT&T in September as its SVP of Real Estate and Security Operations.

ANAND VORA JOB FROM: V P INFO TECH, TECH MAHINDRA

JOB TO: SVP, REAL ESTATE & SECURITY, AT&T

MEIR AMIEL JOB FROM: S VP & GM, DATA & APPLICATIONS, TWILIO

JOB TO: S VP, PERSISTENT SYSTEMS

JOB TO: EVP & CTO C360 APPLICATIONS, SALESFORCE

Anand Vora is a seasoned professional specialising in delivery and P&L management. Vora joined Persistent Systems as its SVP of Engineering in September after a 25-year career at Tech Mahindra.

Meir Amiel rejoined Salesforce as EVP & CTO C360 Applications in September 2023, following 18 months as head of product management, engineering, and cloud operations for Twilio’s Data & Applications business unit.

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THE MONTH THAT WAS

THE MONTH THAT WAS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM OCTOBER

Results from KPMG’s CEO Outlook study, SAP’s launch of its generative AI assistant and how Atos is helping power next year’s Olympic Games

HOW ATOS IS POWERING 2024 PARIS OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES

BAIN: THOSE WHO ‘WAIT AND SEE’ ON AI RISK BEING LEFT BEHIND The rise in AI has already met or exceeded the majority of executives’ expectations, according to research published by Bain & Company. According to its fourth annual Global Technology Report, the current generation of AI tools and models could help companies speed up 20% of worker tasks without loss in quality. READ NOW

November 2023

European IT leader Atos has opened the doors to its Technology Operations Center (TOC) which will help power next year’s Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris. As the global IT partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the team at Atos plays a key role in managing TOC operations related to IT services. READ NOW

HOW SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC ADVISES COMPANIES IN SUSTAINABILITY Rising demands of AI and machine learning has left industries like data centres tasked with undergoing rapid growth to support new technology advancements, whilst simultaneously reducing environmental impact to net zero. Schneider Electric has highlighted its commitment to sustainability, as well as customer and industry association feedback that was requested. READ NOW

KPMG CEO OUTLOOK: HYBRID WORKING DEBATE AND ETHICS OF GEN AI Almost two-thirds of business leaders predict a full return to in-office working by 2026, according to KPMG’s annual survey of more than 1,300 CEOs of the world’s largest businesses. The 2023 CEO Outlook survey, conducted in August and September, also revealed that geopolitics and broader political uncertainty are the greatest risk to business growth. READ NOW

SAP’S GENAI CHATBOT JOULE TO AID BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

KYNDRYL & PALO ALTO NETWORKS ANNOUNCE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP

SAP has announced its new enterprise generative AI assistant Joule, a naturallanguage, generative AI copilot that will transform the way business runs. Reflecting SAP’s increased focus on AI, Joule will be embedded throughout the company’s cloud enterprise portfolio, delivering proactive and contextualised insights from across the breadth and depth of SAP solutions and third-party sources.

Kyndryl and Palo Alto Networks have announced a strategic global alliance to provide end-to-end network and cybersecurity services, including the launch of a new service offering for enterprises and Industry 4.0 customers. The alliance brings together Palo Alto Networks industryleading platform security capabilities with Kyndryl’s advanced network security services expertise.

READ NOW

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The Portfolio

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TOP 10

November 2023

QUAN COMP COMP

TOP 10

NTUM PUTING PANIES Technology Magazine looks at 10 of the leading companies in the development of quantum computing, one of the next big trends in the technology world WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

s with many emerging technologies, the development of quantum computers has seen its share of hype. McKinsey has labelled quantum computing as “one of the next big trends” in the field of technology, believing that the technology holds significant promise and is projected to contribute approximately US$1.3tn in value by the year 2035. As more and more players join the race to quantum supremacy, Technology Magazine looks at 10 of the leading companies in its development. technologymagazine.com

TOP 10

Quantinuum

November 2023

07 Baidu

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Join us at Procurement & Supply Chain Live in London.

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Alibaba Cloud

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TOP 10

November 2023

Google Quantum AI A joint initiative with NASA and the Universities Space Research Association, Google Quantum AI is advancing the state of the art of quantum computing and developing the tools for researchers to operate beyond classical capabilities. The Quantum AI team’s mission is to build a useful quantum computer and to discover novel applications that could one day help solve challenging, real-world problems for humanity that would otherwise be impossible. Earlier this year, Quantum AI researchers experimentally demonstrated that it’s possible to reduce errors by increasing the number of qubits, representing a significant shift in how quantum computers are operated. Cirq, Google’s open source framework, is specifically designed for developing novel quantum algorithms for near-term quantum computers. Google also announced a quantum computing partnership with the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo, with the aim to advance development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer. technologymagazine.com

TOP 10

Knowledge Partners

THE TOP 100 COMPANIES IN TECHNOLOGY Discover the companies leading the way, setting the pace and inspiring global business change.

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01 IBM Quantum System Two WATCH NOW

November 2023

TOP 10

IBM IBM has firmly established itself as a global leader in the quantum computing arena. By the close of 2023, IBM aims to unveil its 1,000qubit chip, known as Condor. The company's ecosystem is robust, encompassing over 210 Fortune 500 firms, academic bodies, national laboratories, and emerging startups. In IBM's Quantum Summit in November 2022, the company disclosed an ambitious development roadmap that extends to 2025. By 2025, IBM aspires to integrate multichip processors into a new system dubbed the Kookaburra processor, which is projected to boast an impressive 4,158 qubits. IBM's track record in quantum computing is solid; it launched its commercial quantum computer, the IBM Quantum System One, in 2019 and is developing its successor, the IBM Quantum System Two. Beyond hardware, IBM offers a comprehensive cloud-based quantum platform featuring IBM Quantum Composer, IBM Quantum Lab, and Qiskit – an open-source SDK. This platform provides a tiered structure, allowing a wide range of users to develop, test, and execute quantum projects. technologymagazine.com

IS THE WEST ON THE CUSP OF EMBRACING THE SUPER APP ERA? With Asian markets leading in super app development, could the West be poised to embrace this one-stop platform for multiple services? WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

November 2023

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

he term ‘super app’ has become synonymous with a one-stop-shop for a multitude of services. But while innovators in Asia such as WeChat, Gojek and Grab have led the charge in providing a platform for everything from messaging and social networking to transportation and food delivery, the concept until now has remained somewhat elusive in Western markets. However there are signs that dynamics are poised to shift, particularly in the case of Tesla Founder and CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition and rebranding of Twitter into ‘X.’ As Musk sets his sights on turning X into a Western super app in the style of WeChat, are we on the cusp of the super app era in the West? The rise of super apps According to Gartner, by 2027 50% of the population will be using more than one super app, signalling a significant shift in the mobile app industry. Originating in Asia, super apps began as messaging apps expanding their services to include other features such as mobile payments, e-commerce, ride-hailing, food delivery, and social networking. Such apps have surged in popularity in Asia due to their simplicity, flexibility and ability to reduce clutter on mobile devices, improving financial organisation. “The concept of super apps stems from a growing demand for convenience and seamless user experiences, offering multiple services in one place to provide a more integrated experience for people,” comments Jeremy Baber, CEO of Lanistar. “This is particularly useful in a world where there are so many commercial apps and offerings from multiple businesses.” But despite the popularity of super apps in other markets, the Western world is seemingly behind in the super app race. technologymagazine.com

150+

Speakers

30 November - 1 December 2023 Olympia, London The world-leading IoT conference & event series will arrive at the Olympia, London on 30 November – 1 December 2023 to host its seventh annual Global event. The events will bring together key industries from across the globe for two days of top-level content and discussion across 5 co-located events covering IoT, Cyber Security & Cloud, Blockchain, AI & Big Data, Digital Transformation.

200+

Exhibitors

Co-located Events

6,000

Attendees

www.iottechexpo.com/global 56%

Director Level +

IoT Tech Expo is part of TechEx Events

Contact: www.techexevent.com enquiries@techexevent.com

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

JADE FITZGERALD TITLE: EXPERIENCE DESIGN DIRECTOR COMPANY: BEYOND LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Fitzgerald shapes products that empower users and solve real problems. She helps businesses excel in digital experience transformation through the power of user experience design.

“We have seen some household names begin to explore the possibility of diversifying their apps, such as Uber, Klarna and Lydia,” Baber adds, “but have much further to go to reach super app status.” In contrast to the Western model of different apps serving single-use functions, super apps amalgamate a wide range of services. Tom Grogan, CEO of MDRx, notes that this approach is antithetical to Silicon Valley’s ‘narrow focus’ development models. “A super app provides a large number of simultaneous services in a way that means

you can conduct entire parts of your professional or personal life on it without needing to swap applications,” he says. “WeChat is the classic example, in that it combines payment, messaging and shopping. “They are definitely the new obsession for Western technology companies, most vocally Elon Musk and X. This is particularly interesting, not least because it is antithetical to the modern Silicon Valley product development model, honed over decades of building successful and often valuable software products, which emphasises flawless execution of the narrowest possible ‘thing’ and user-centric and iterative development usually using an agile methodology.” The regional disparity of super apps Super apps flourish in Southeast Asia but struggle to find similar favour in the West. Jade Fitzgerald, Experience Design Director at Beyond, attributes this to China’s firewall policies and superior cellular technologymagazine.com

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

infrastructure, which make super apps convenient and efficient. “I believe that there is always demand for something that makes life easier; in the case of the super app, life is improved by a truly connected experience,” she describes. “However, the abundance of apps and competitors that are available in the Western markets means that demand for a super app is lower, since users already have access to these tools.” There are also factors unique to southeast Asian markets that make them better suited to prolific engagement with super apps, Fitzgerald adds. “In China, for example, its notorious firewall policies prevent many of the single-purpose apps we use in other regions from being downloaded, so compliant super apps offer residents a perceived digital freedom. “Additionally, the complexity of typing Chinese characters make voice notes more of a value add, driving users to download these approved apps.” As Jan Hauser, Co-Founder at Applifting explains, the deep integration of these apps within local markets can make them less adaptable to global scaling. “The enormous user base in Asian markets, whether we’re discussing China, India, or Indonesia, is substantial enough that it often suffices for companies to focus on acquiring clients locally,” he says. “Adapting to a different market could present significant challenges in their growth strategy. As a result, many opt to concentrate on their local market, which already offers a vast user base.” The preference for super apps, Hauser describes, may also have cultural underpinnings. “Speaking from my personal experience, I prefer using a specific app tailored to a particular use case. 48

November 2023

TOM GROGAN TITLE: CEO COMPANY: MDRX LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Grogan leads MDRx, the digital transformation business specialising in emerging technologies that is part of The Mishcon de Reya Group. He has advised some of the world’s most prestigious brands across a variety of sectors, produced nation state technology strategy and led impactful and compliance engineering projects for forward thinking companies.

“This is because I believe that an app with a singular focus is more likely to perfect its intended function down to the smallest details. Plus, I have already established an ecosystem within the OS of my devices. However, individuals from different regions might have a completely different perspective. I surmise that they might prefer super apps because of their convenience and ease of use.” User privacy and regulatory concerns Both Fitzgerald and Grogan express concerns about data privacy and security, crucial to establishing credibility in new markets. Regulatory requirements can prove to be hurdles, especially considering the anti-trust laws aimed to prevent market abuse by dominant players. technologymagazine.com

Use more image captions as often as possible

JAN HAUSER TITLE: CO-FOUNDER COMPANY: APPLIFTING LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

With a background in software architecture, including mobile, frontend, backend and cloud development, Jan Hauser is co-founder and UK CEO at Applifting. Applifting is a team of more than 200 engineers that specialises in FinTech, MedTech and Banking.

November 2023

Grogan further elaborates on the possible need to regulate super apps as public utilities in some jurisdictions. “You need a valid lawful basis in order to process personal data,” he says. “Everyone always talks about consent, but there are actually six in total. It may well be that, depending on the basis relied upon, a super app cannot lawfully process personal data in such a way as allows it to feed in across a vast, varied and ever-growing application.” Hauser points to potential data breaches due to inadequate security measures. His concern, however, is also about the consent given by users to access their data, often without scrutinising the terms and conditions.

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

“These concerns are not exclusive to super apps or conventional apps; they are more general in nature. The potential for data breaches due to inadequate security measures is a significant worry. A large number of users still refrain from using password managers or setting unique passwords for each application. This reuse of passwords can lead to severe problems in the event of data breaches.” The future of super app development While Fitzgerald envisions vast untapped opportunities, especially in emerging markets, Grogan predicts the Western market will see super apps rise through a blend of product development and strategic mergers and acquisitions. “There are so many emerging markets for tech still – if you look at the success

of China’s WeChat and the constant additions and iterations that are being made to it, you can see how much opportunity is still untapped,” comments Fitzgerald. “Considering how this app is growing in different countries, largely driven by Chinese expats who want to communicate with family in China, it will be interesting to see how it will be adopted outside of that communication circle as time goes on. “In emerging markets like Kenya, Nigeria or Botswana, super apps have been growing as low-spending users utilise the easy engagement of a super app to their benefit, against the costs of expensive data. So if companies want to be able to tap into growing economies, super app development may be key for them.” technologymagazine.com

CENTRAL CO - OP

How Central Co-op is creating a sustainable society for all WRITTEN BY: TOM CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY: CRAIG KILLINGBACK

November 2023

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CENTRAL CO - OP

Paul Lockwood, Head of Procurement at Central Co-op, outlines the importance of sustainability in his own department and across the entire organisation

entral Co-op can trace its history all the way back to the mid-19th century, when the modern co-operative movement was just taking off. Today, it exists as the second-largest co-operative in the UK, having assumed its current form following the merger of Anglia Regional Co-operative Society and Midlands Co-operative Society back in 2013. At the heart of Central Co-op’s operations is its retail offering, consisting of more than 250 convenience stores across the nation. On the other side of the business is the funeral division, comprising 180 funeral homes, a crematorium, three stone masonry outlets and a coffin factory. And that’s without even mentioning the organisation’s property arm, responsible for buying, selling and maintaining thousands of buildings. Many of Central Co-op’s core values remain the same as those established around 175 years ago but, in 2021, the company unveiled its new purpose: to ‘create a sustainable society for all’. This ethos now stretches right across the business, impacting decision-making and actions at every level of all departments. That includes in the field of procurement, which is headed up at Central Co-op by Paul Lockwood, who joined the company in February last year. “Within that new strapline there are numerous themes,” explains Lockwood.

November 2023

Paul Lockwood, Head of Procurement at Central Co-op technologymagazine.com

“ It’s amazing how, more than 150 years after the first co-ops were started, their core values are still just as relevant today” PAUL LOCKWOOD

HEAD OF PROCUREMENT, CENTRAL CO-OP

November 2023

“There’s the environment and sustainability; there’s self-funding; there’s inclusion; and there’s self-help, as well. “You may think when you join Central Co-op that you’re joining a movement, but actually what you join is a social movement, which makes for an interesting dynamic. It’s amazing how, more than 150 years after the first co-ops were started, their core values are still just as relevant today.” Energy crisis accelerates Central Co-op’s solar strategy It certainly hasn’t been a straightforward start to life at Central Co-op for Lockwood, who

CENTRAL CO - OP

PAUL LOCKWOOD TITLE: HEAD OF PROCUREMENT COMPANY: CENTRAL CO-OP LOCATION: ALREWAS, ENGLAND

became Head of Procurement just a couple of weeks after the global energy crisis escalated thanks to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, as the saying goes, in the midst of chaos there is also opportunity. That opportunity for Central Co-op came in the form of accelerating its investment in solar power, an important future-proofing strategy that had long been discussed. Solar panels were installed at two convenience stores by the end of July; within a further eight weeks, Lockwood and his team had tended and contracted a provider to roll out solar panels at no less than 180 stores by end of 2023.

EXECUTIVE BIO

Paul Lockwood has worked in the field of procurement for more than 20 years, including in both the public and private sectors. For six years, Paul headed up procurement at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, before moving to Dignity in 2019 to lead the company’s procurement transformation programme. Last year he joined Central Co-op to look after GNFR for the entire retail and funeral business. Over the past 18 months, he has overseen the rollout of solar panels across 180 stores and modernisation of the organisation’s ceremonial fleet. Paul has a proven track record in delivering year-on-year savings and process improvements through the application of innovative business techniques and by optimising operating and delivery models.

Inspired PLC: Energy procurement, cost control and net-zero leader Through expert insight and tailored advisory services, Inspired PLC empowers businesses to manage their energy costs, consumption and net-zero strategies.

for any organisation, but with the right support and advice, businesses can achieve these goals in a commercially and operationally beneficial way,” says Alex Mackey, Account Director at Inspired PLC.

Inspired PLC are a leading technology-enabled service provider supporting corporate businesses to control energy costs and transition their journey to net-zero carbon.

“Our purpose can be summarised as helping businesses manage their journey to net-zero and responding to the climate emergency whilst controlling their costs.

Energy is a significant overhead and now a board-level concern for UK organisations. Inspired PLC provides the expert insight and tailored advisory services to help businesses manage their costs, optimise energy consumption and reduce their carbon emissions. Inspired PLC also helps clients to prove their net-zero and ESG credentials to their investors, customers and other stakeholders. “We know that reaching netzero is a massive challenge

“Our solutions create clear and actionable long-term plans to help realise these goals.” All businesses need to understand how to effectively control their 4Cs; cost, carbon, consumption and compliance. Co-operatives, owned by members, aim to positively impact their communities, including the environment. They typically have large and diverse portfolios, so energy and carbon make up a key operational cost. Energy and sustainability is often seen as

an area of complexity, but it is also an area of opportunity to look to reduce impacts on the environment wherever possible. Inspired PLC is assisting cooperatives to formulate a strategy to best manage these energy risks through innovative and collaborative procurement solutions, while exploring every avenue to reduce consumption and ultimately carbon emissions, helping to further those goals to have positive impacts on their community. Mackey concludes: “In light of the mounting challenges businesses encounter in addressing sustainability and ESG concerns, it is crucial for them to engage expert advisors who can demonstrate to their stakeholders a comprehensive plan to effectively manage costs, achieve carbon neutrality, and enhance their ESG performance.”

CENTRAL CO - OP

“ For us as an organisation, investing in a green funeral fleet is massively important, and there’s also an expectation from the public” PAUL LOCKWOOD

HEAD OF PROCUREMENT, CENTRAL CO-OP

November 2023

Moreover, in May the company opened a new shop in Staffordshire which, for the first time, had panels pre-installed. “We’re just over a third of the way through that journey and we’re very fortunate to have an executive and board who want to kick on with the investment,” says Lockwood. “We’ll have payback in less than three years based on our current commercial model which, for us, is unheard of. “For me, it’s brilliant as well because it’s something I’ve always been passionate about.” Praising Central Co-op’s key partner on the project, he adds: “The supplier we’ve had, SolPV, has been amazing and really hit the ground running. “Now, the exec is asking me ‘what’s next?’, which is exciting and it’s great to be challenged like that.”

Bidding to become self-sufficient taken such as investment in more Creating a sustainable society for efficient freezers and putting all covers numerous aspects but, doors on chiller cabinets. as Central Co-op’s solar efforts “It all contributes,” Lockwood Year founded suggest, a significant proportion goes on. “It’s all very well of the strategy relates to energy producing green electricity, but usage and becoming more selfit’s no good if you’re then burning Number of sufficient in this space. it off really quickly.” Employees In the relatively near future, That all-important it is hoped the organisation will co-operative team spirit is truly be producing 100% of its own coming to the fore from an energy Revenue power, which is evidently a big perspective, with the launch of a ask. Nevertheless, things are most new consortium including Central certainly heading in the right direction. Co-op and a host of independent co-ops. Lockwood forecasts that the solutions The goal is to collaborate on the purchase currently being put into place at of utilities, while sharing knowledge and convenience stores will produce around investment opportunities. 30% of the energy needed in a supermarket “This is a journey we’re going on together,” setting. Within that, simple steps have been says Lockwood. “We’re trying to share that

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How SOL PV helped Central Co-op become a greener business SOL PV has become a standout in the renewable energy industry and is helping organisations like Central Co-op to achieve their sustainability goals SOL PV Group is an established name in the solar sector, specialising in the installation of PV panels. While an increasing number of requests for projects on the ground are flooding in, the company’s bread and butter remains the commercial rooftop sector. Very few large installers in the UK are doing similar work to the same standards, making SOL PV a standout in its field. Forming a partnership with Central Co-op In early 2022, Central Co-op invited SOL PV to tender two trial sites with a tview to rolling out solar capabilities across its portfolio. The trials proved successful and ultimately resulted in the go-ahead for installation at 180 Co-op sites, including convenience stores and funeral homes. Already, the aforementioned trial locations are producing an energy yield which is 10-15% greater than originally predicted. “We’re very much focused on quality products and materials because, for us, it’s all about safety,” says Brett Reynolds, Sales Director at SOL PV.

“Supermarkets open seven days a week are fantastic models for utilising solar because they’re using 90-100% of what they generate. “Everyone’s happy because we’re making greater savings and a quicker return on investment for the Co-op.” A good time to go green Reynolds calls the nine years from 2010 to 2019 a “solar coaster” thanks to the government’s feed-in tariffs scheme. Although customers were paid for exporting energy to the National Grid, firms like SOL PV were confronted with a “nightmare” in trying to keep up with demand. Now, the market has matured and can stand on its own two feet. Reynolds adds: “Two factors are stimulating the commercial marketplace: the rise in energy prices and this requirement for businesses to reduce their carbonfootprint. “That, combined with the reduction in price of materials, means solar has become a fantastic addition to commercial buildings and we’re seeing extremely favourable ROIs on these systems.”

“ What we’re doing is quite cutting edge for the industry and it’s an exciting time for us” PAUL LOCKWOOD

HEAD OF PROCUREMENT, CENTRAL CO-OP

good information between ourselves to help each other on that journey. “There has always been co-operation, but last year – with the energy crisis and cost-ofliving crisis – created a need to do more, and it has been fantastic. Coming together and sharing resources will help us to be more sustainable, not just as individual societies but as a movement.” Energy strategy extends to colleagues Crucial to Central Co-op’s values is looking after its people, to the extent that its investment in renewable energy capabilities has also been extended to colleagues. “It’s great investing in our stores,” continues Lockwood, “but part of what we do as an organisation is invest in our colleagues.” After receiving various enquiries, Central Co-op reached an agreement with its solar provider to extend the commercial terms of their deal to staff, giving them the option to purchase clean energy infrastructure such as panels or EV chargers. “For us, it’s about putting options in front of our colleagues and leaving the decision up to them,” says the procurement chief. “It’s quite a unique scheme, but it’s something we had the ability to do. “So far, we’ve had about 200 colleagues show interest and it’s only been going for a few weeks. It definitely helps as well that we’re offering them a trusted provider with a quality product that is going to last.” 64

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Funeral fleet going green Despite the industry’s obvious traditions, Central Co-op has been careful not to overlook green aspirations in its funeral business, too. This process has begun with its fleet of vehicles, which can cost upwards of £120,000 apiece – making for a complex and expensive transition.

CENTRAL CO - OP

Paul Lockwood, Central Co-op’s Head of Procurement Highlights Sustainability’s Organisational Impact WATCH NOW

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November 2023

CENTRAL CO - OP

Central Co-op is the secondlargest co-operative society in the UK Central Co-op employs around

7,700

people across divisions including retail and funeral services Central Co-op’s history can be traced back to the modern co-operative movement of the mid-19th century

“It’s a significant investment,” Lockwood explains. “For us, we had an ageing fleet and we had reached a crossroads, so you could say it’s been a case of right place, right time.” In looking to go green, Lockwood’s team went through an exhaustive procurement tender exercise, before finally identifying the Ford Mustang Mach-E as its limousine and hearse solution. The new fleet is due to be rolled out over the next 12 months. Investment has also been made in charging infrastructure courtesy of a new partnership, and will evolve as the fleet expands: “For us as an organisation this is massively important, and there’s also an expectation from the public. This investment has been really popular with our colleagues as well. “We are a traditional business, but we have to evolve. When we’re talking about helping the environment, we need to look at every aspect of what we do. “I think what we’re doing is quite cutting edge for the industry and it’s an exciting time for us as a business. There are bigger providers and bigger competitors out there who are maybe not as far down the road as we are in this space.” ‘Amazing’ partners across Co-op’s business Clearly, a vast operation like Central Co-op cannot function without crucial input from partner organisations. “We’ve been fortunate to have some amazing partners,” says Lockwood. “One of the things we talk about with regards to partnerships is trying not to just have a transactional relationship. We want to put in effort across the business – not just in procurement – to drive value and sustainability.” One such example of a fruitful partnership is with Lyreco, which has spent time trying to technologymagazine.com

CENTRAL CO - OP

“ One of the things we talk about with regards to partnerships is trying not to just have a transactional relationship. We want to put in effort across the business – not just in procurement – to drive value and sustainability” PAUL LOCKWOOD

HEAD OF PROCUREMENT, CENTRAL CO-OP

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November 2023

Central Co-op has also entered into a partnership with Inspired Energy, a consultancy which is helping various co-ops with the process of buying utilities. Lockwood continues: “Their insight so far with regards to the environment has been massively powerful. They’re helping us future-proof ourselves as an organisation which, in essence, involves buying smartly and buying with the right people – but also looking at who we are in terms of sustainability, which is at the heart of what we do.”

understand the motivations of Central Co-op and its colleagues. As a provider of supplies and workplace solutions, the firm introduced a bio-hygiene cleaning product which has proved to be a roaring success in terms of cost reduction and environmental benefits. Technology-wise, Central Co-op recently implemented a purchase-to-pay solution provided by Zycus, a pioneer in cognitive procurement software. Positive impacts have already been seen in various departments through the automation of processes which were previously paperbased or required manual inputting. Lockwood adds: “We’re trying to create a core of suppliers who we work with and, instead of us just going to them, we want it to be a two-way street, giving them the opportunity to talk about what they can do. “For us, with our suppliers, whether it’s in the retail business, property business or funeral services, that’s a common approach we’re trying to roll out at the moment.”

Looking ahead With eyes on the future, Lockwood believes macro-economic factors and the growing importance of sustainability must remain key considerations in the procurement space. The war in Ukraine has, of course, had a profound impact on the supply chain and forced companies to rethink their suppliers. “We are living through turbulent times,” Lockwood concludes. “What’s going on in Ukraine has been utterly horrendous and there has been a huge knock on effect throughout the world. “One of the things I’m looking at and considering is the ability to source locally because shipping goods over from the Far East is more expensive. Sustainability’s massive as well, so local sourcing is important when we start looking at our carbon footprint. “I think for us, working in procurement, we’re probably going to find more challenges and demands in understanding who our supply base is in more detail and measuring their impact on the environment.”

technologymagazine.com

HOW FUTURE WORKFORCE BUSINES Human-machine partnerships are set to redefine roles, close skill gaps, and unlock unprecedented productivity for organisations on a global scale WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

utomation and AI are creating a new division of labour between humans and machines, with the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicting this evolution will disrupt 85 million jobs globally between 2020 and 2025 – and create 97 million new job roles. This radical shift is ushering in a new age of the augmented workforce, where human-machine partnerships boost productivity and deliver exponential business value. Yet, this evolution is also widening the global skills gap, with the WEF predicting 70

November 2023

that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted between 2023 and 2028. To explore these issues, Technology Magazine spoke with Andi Britt, Senior Partner – IBM Talent & Transformation, IBM Services Europe, whose insights offer valuable guidance for navigating this new landscape. Defining the augmented workforce “An augmented workforce at its simplest is a partnership between humans and machines that, in a large organisation context, boosts productivity,” explains Britt.

ENTERPRISE IT

AUGMENTED ES CAN DRIVE SS VALUE “At IBM, we use the phrase ‘augmented intelligence’ because we have the principle that humans should be the ones making decisions, with technology providing insight and analysis.” The idea of augmented intelligence is not about machines usurping human roles but enriching them. It is about leveraging AI-driven algorithms and large language models to enhance human decision-making. “The technology is there to provide insight, analysis and recommendation,” Britt adds, “but it’s a human being making a decision.”

The evolution of jobs When asked about how AI could change job roles, Britt argues for a broader historical perspective. “Whenever there’s been a significant evolution of technology – whether it’s the introduction of the cotton machine, the automobile replacing horse and cart, or whether it’s the advent of the computer or the internet – it typically creates more jobs than it displaces,” he notes. Referencing an IBM Institute for Business Value survey involving over 3,000 business leaders, Britt highlights that AI will have technologymagazine.com

How AirSet Technology is helping Renault Group reach its sustainability targets Discover now

ENTERPRISE IT

“ At IBM, we use the phrase ‘augmented intelligence’ because we have the principle that humans should be the ones making decisions, with technology providing insight and analysis” ANDI BRITT

SENIOR PARTNER – IBM TALENT & TRANSFORMATION, IBM SERVICES EUROPE

a ‘moderate to significant impact’ on various job roles across sectors, ranging from finance to human resources. Executives told the Augmented work for an automated, AI-driven world report that they estimate that 40% of their workforce will need to reskill as a result of implementing AI and automation over the next three years. “Rather than saying that AI will displace jobs, our view is it’s going to displace some aspect of everyone’s job,” he said. “Those people who are competent and able to work with and harness AI over time are going to probably replace those people who are

ANDI BRITT TITLE: SENIOR PARTNER – IBM TALENT & TRANSFORMATION COMPANY: IBM SERVICES EUROPE LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Britt leads IBM’s Talent & Engagement Practice for Europe – covering all aspects of Cloud, Cognitive & Digital HR Transformation, Organisational Change Management & Learning.

technologymagazine.com

ENTERPRISE IT

unable to harness this new technology and work effectively with AI. The challenge for organisations is how to work out what that impact is going to be and how to navigate there quickly.” Harnessing business benefits Among the advantages, Britt notes two key benefits. First, productivity will receive a significant boost, enabling tasks that once took hours to be completed in seconds. “When employees and managers have got complex decisions to make, the AI is there to come up with a first set of recommendations, so it will boost productivity. In some cases, it means that you can work with a smaller workforce or a smaller department to achieve the same output.” Second, automation will free employees to engage in higher-value work. “We can focus on things that really matter rather than some of the administrative tasks,” he adds. Additionally, he believes generative AI can help tackle complex challenges like climate change and employee mental well-being. “We’ve got challenges around climate change, we’ve got challenges in the workforce about driving employee engagement, and we’ve also got challenges around dealing with mental wellbeing and mental health of our workforce. These are problems that I think generative AI is going to help us to solve.” Starting points for organisations Organisations seeking to harness the benefits of AI should consider three points: people, process, and technology. “Organisations need to prepare their staff for the massive and significant re-skilling that is going to be required,” Britt stresses. The process involves rapid experimentation 74

November 2023

to find the best use-cases for AI, while on the technology front, the entire operating model must be reconsidered. “You can’t put new wine into old wine skins,” he quips. “The same principle applies with generative AI. You can’t just take generative AI and put it into your old organisation. You can’t just automate a bad process and assume that things are going to run more smoothly. “Organisations have to deconstruct their operating model, how they work today, how they serve their customers, how they develop their products and services, and rethink it with a generative AI lens.”

Ethical challenges around the augmented workforce The advent of generative AI has created anxieties around ethics and trust. Britt outlines three guiding principles at IBM: humans make the decisions, the decisions need to be transparent, and that data ownership resides with the creator. “We want to build our technology and experiment in a way whereby the individual, the manager, the practitioner, the SME makes the decisions, not the technologies. The second one, which is equally important, is that the decisions need to be explainable

and transparent. That way when you have some strong principles around explainability and transparency, you build trust within your workforce and indeed within your customers. “The third principle is that all of the data that you are analysing and using to make your decisions or recommendations is owned by the owner of the data. In an age where actors, artists and musicians are concerned about the way that their copyright might be infringed by technology, we want to put a clear marker down that the data is owned by the creator, the originator of the data, not by the technology or tools. technologymagazine.com

November 2023

ENTERPRISE IT

“ We can focus on things that really matter rather than some of the administrative tasks. These are problems that I think generative AI is going to help us to solve” ANDI BRITT

SENIOR PARTNER – IBM TALENT & TRANSFORMATION, IBM SERVICES EUROPE

“Having a dialogue with government, universities, and public institutions will create an environment in which ethical use of AI is encouraged and is the norm, not the exception,” he elaborates. A ‘takeoff point’ in innovation Britt believes we are at a ‘takeoff point’ in technology innovation, where AI’s impact will be increasingly pervasive. “I think we’re seeing that now with generative AI and the use of open AI models,” he says. Education and an open dialogue about the technology’s benefits and limitations will be critical. “This technology is just going to get better and better and better. I think we’re seeing that now with generative AI and the use of open AI models. I think it’s critical that all of us, use this technology, start to experiment with it because that way we will learn. If we have an open and public dialogue about its benefits as well as its limitations, and indeed we introduce it into our education systems so that we get our children and our kids at school beginning to see how this technology will impact their lives, then I think we’ll be just more intelligent as users and as a society to make sure that this leads to human good and well being and not to detract from human flourishing.” technologymagazine.com

IS POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN ASIA WRITTEN BY: HELEN ADAMS PRODUCED BY: NAZEEF RABIU-IDREES

November 2023

AXIATA

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AXIATA

Axiata Enterprise is revolutionising telecommunications and digital transformation across Asia. CTO Dr Tomek Gerszberg discusses 5G, the cloud and security

ext-generation telecommunications company Axiata Enterprise is the B2B unit of Axiata Group. Its core mission is to bring innovation, technology and telecommunication services to support digital transformation across Asia, from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Tomek Gerszberg is the CTO for Axiata Enterprise. In his role, Gerszberg focuses on products and solutions for the enterprises across Asia and supports delivering homogenous offerings for clients by responding to customer needs with fresh innovation. “The business is based on connectivity as the traditional telco type of business,” he says. “We grow towards managed connectivity, but also addressing the customer needs in the field of cloud, security, and system integration. Axiata Enterprise provides smart services with a strong focus on digital transformation, based on 5G. “My career went from traditional network management to delivering innovations for enterprises,” says Gerszberg. “The company itself is highly dynamic. The evolution of the company is much faster than the evolution of the telcos we know from Europe or even from the USA. “This is a unique opportunity for people like me to be a part of this fast transformation. Before I arrived, it was a product-oriented company. Now it’s more service oriented.

November 2023

Dr Tomek Gerszberg, CTO, Axiata Enterprise technologymagazine.com

AXIATA

“ Axiata Enterprise provides smart services with a strong focus on digital transformation, based on 5G” DR TOMEK GERSZBERG CTO, AXIATA ENTERPRISE

In the last two years, Axiata Enterprise has strengthened the enterprise offering and grown the business in the enterprise segments, moving from a mobile-only, consumerfocused business into the B2B sphere. 82

November 2023

Previously, Gerszberg worked at Deutsche Telekom in Europe. Now at Axiata Enterprise, he manages different markets and adoption speeds. “It’s not necessary to categorise countries as faster or slower, because every country has its own characteristics. Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia are different to the markets in Europe or the USA, which are homogeneous. In Asia, the challenge is how to work out how to deliver the newest technology at the lowest possible price because that drives the adoption of the innovations.” Gerszberg’s proudest achievement so far has been offering smart services for the

DR TOMEK GERSZBERG TITLE: CTO COMPANY: AXIATA ENTERPRISE INDUSTRY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOCATION: MALAYSIA

industry verticals and related networks like private 5G networks. “At Axiata Enterprise, we have built a very strong ecosystem of partners and we can deliver best-of-the-breed solutions adjusted to the customer needs and capabilities.” Axiata Enterprise uses high-security networking solutions like Open RAN, which Gerszberg believes makes them unique in comparison to the competition in this market. “Axiata Enterprise has probably the strongest cybersecurity practices among all telcos in the region – and we provide services related to the cloud, like cloud migrations and cloud hosting. We are

Dr Tomek Gerszberg is a highly accomplished ICT executive with 25 years of experience in technology and business leadership. Known for developing innovative technology and business strategies, leading costsaving initiatives, and collaborating with global partners. Key expertise in service operations, strategic planning, product design, technology G2M and agile methodologies. Career highlights include roles at Axiata, MobiledgeX (acquired by Google), and Deutsche Telekom, where he served as SVP Technology Strategy and SVP B2B innovations, and pioneered commercialisation of 5G, Edge Computing, and NB-IoT. He also drove successful business transformations. He is an influential figure in the telecommunications industry with a strong track record in technology leadership.

Solving the puzzle of scaled cloud capabilities at the edge Rakuten Symphony explains how its radically different approach – combined with in-depth knowledge & proprietary architecture – benefits private networks

Rakuten Symphony is a company that truly lives up to the moniker ‘innovative revolutionaries’. Often, you find that companies spot a gap in the market and then idealise the fastest, cheapest way of filling that gap – but not Rakuten Symphony, which is taking a new technology approach, proven by Rakuten Mobile in Japan, and delivering it globally. The company has married its knowledge with an automated approach that can be leveraged by any mobile operator, creating unique opportunities for its Symworld Cloud offering, including for private 5G deployments. “Private 5G needs to be looked at from the perspective of connectivity as well as the use

cases that it serves, explains Partha Seetala, President of Rakuten Symphony’s Unified Cloud Business Unit “By combining innovations in storage, networking, computation and application management into a cloud-native Kubernetesbased architecture, Symworld Cloud provides the highest-performing, most cost-efficient solution. “From a use case perspective, once a connectivity issue is solved, enterprises want to deploy more domain-centric workloads, like video analytics or apps churning a lot of data. That’s where Symworld Cloud shines – it addresses network and storage-based workload needs.

Workload considerations & partner needs Rakuten Symphony embarked upon a “programmatic”, “automated” and “orchestrated” journey, recognising that its technology stack already deployed for edge and Open RAN could also be leveraged for private 5G networks to support enterprises “augmenting existing network solutions”, according to Seetala. “Storage, computer, and GPU management become critical in these environments and all of this is automatically enabled with the Symworld Cloud platform because it’s built for problem-solving in storage and network intensive workloads,” explains Seetala. “Our expertise in managing underlying infrastructure through our cloud, as well as in centralised policies, means that everything can be automated and that’s a huge value for private 5G owners.” Partnering with Axiata & separating out from the pack For companies such as Rakuten Symphony, there’s no higher praise than the validation of vendors that have chosen to trust your tech for their business endeavours. In Rakuten Symphony’s case, Axiata is one such vendor.

“They were exploring private 5G to solve use cases in multiple verticals – for example, manufacturing, healthcare and smart cities,” begins Seetala, “and they looked at Symworld Cloud and realised that the entire portfolio products that Rakuten Symphony brings is well-tested and actually designed using modern technologies. “They also realised that the type of innovation we have brought to automation is critical for managing the private 5G networks of their own end clients in the most costefficient manner.” Axiata chose Rakuten’s mobile network solution due to its software-centric nature and because of the “explicit intent that additional software policies would drive Axiata’s private 5G network”. In a world overrun with private 5G and scaled cloud solutions, it’s important to find a way of separating from the pack. Boasting such a comprehensive, cost-effective and original solution, Rakuten Symphony have most certainly achieved just that.

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Solving the puzzle of scaled cloud capabilities at the edge We’ve revolutionized private 5G with a technology-driven approach. At Rakuten Symphony, we’ve leveraged proven expertise from Rakuten Mobile in Japan to offer a cutting-edge solution for seamless connectivity and high-performance workloads, trusted by industry leaders for its innovative automation and cost-efficiency.

Learn more at symphony.rakuten.com

“ Axiata has one of the strongest cybersecurity practices among all telcos in the region” DR TOMEK GERSZBERG

Axiata also manages security and smart services, which are extended beyond traditional classical definitions of Industry 4.0, going also into new verticals and new ideas like e-health or agriculture.

delivering the security solutions, SD-WAN, SASE and managed security.” “We also work closely with the Axiata Cyber Fusion Centre (ACFC), which is focused on real-time threat monitoring, proactive hunting, and robust protection of digital assets. With ACFC’s capabilities embodying a full spectrum of protective, detective, and rapid-response capabilities, our Enterprise customers benefit from having their information and data secured and protected, so their business resilience is assured.

Axiata Enterprise’s 5G rollout in Asia Axiata Enterprise runs a Regional Centre of Excellence for 5G. “The goal is to provide our operating companies with the access to industry specific knowledge and advanced smart solutions from Axiata solutioning partners. This is augmented by state-of-the-art, costefficient private networking technology. In Axiata’s footprint the 5G public networks are not available, so private 4G/5G networking is the short cut for digital transformation.” At Axiata Enterprise, exemplary applications of private 5G networks include:

CTO, AXIATA ENTERPRISE

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AXIATA

Smart Sea Ports and Airports 5G and smart solutions help greatly increase productivity of operations and the level of security. Visual analytics, drones, remotely operated equipment and AGVs require high reliability and low latency of wireless connections. Customer made integrations in 5G require strong skills in cellular technologies, edge computing, industrial systems etc, which Axiata can deliver to its customers out of one hand. Smart manufacturing and industrial automation 5G offers communication that is highspeed and low-latency, ideal for industrial automation and control systems. 5G is not only replacing damaged cables, but also enabling collaborative use cases for AGVs 88

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and humans. Bringing overlay sensorics and smart devices helps to add the intelligent layer to existing equipment and secures evolutionary transformation, that is more controllable than revolutionary innovation. XL Axiata projects for Indonesian mining companies are the best example of that. Smart Cities Public security and safety are the main areas the Smart cities are addressing nowadays. Smart solutions can also help to cope with other challenges like traffic control and efficient public transportation, or target very city specific problems, like flooding in Jakarta. As the public 5G networks are not available yet, these businesses need to have private 5G. We need also to look at

NAVIN PIERIS, GROUP CHIEF OFFICER , DIALOG ENTERPRISE, SRI LANKA Our commitment to enhancing the digital landscape for Sri Lankan enterprises has proven to be indispensable across businesses of all sizes in the country. The demand for our solution verticals, including cloud, IoT, and intelligent networking, has been substantial. However, it’s worth noting that connectivity, which remains a major driver of digitalisation, continues to play a vital role in this transformative journey. We are witnessing significant growth in the security solutions vertical, particularly with our Video Surveillance as a Service platform, which is set to incorporate 5,000 cameras across large enterprise sectors such as banking, finance, apparel and entertainment by December 2023. Additionally, our SD-WAN technology has already connected over 1,500 branches in finance, banking, manufacturing and retail sectors, among others. Our foray into the cloud industry through collaboration with major global hyperscale partners has been a resounding success. Rather than focusing on a single partner we have adopted a multi-cloud approach with established partnerships with all the hyper-scalers and complimentary connectivity solutions. Furthermore, Dialog Enterprise Cloud achieved the distinction of becoming the VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider in the South Asian Region, reinforcing our commitment to industries handling sensitive data at scale. Highly regulated industries like healthcare, banking and finance have critical requirements around data sovereignty. Our sovereign cloud

and hyperscale partnerships have helped us to establish long-term partnerships with the majority of banking and finance companies in the country, with cloud services becoming a pivotal driver for their digitalisation. The IoT pillar has experienced unprecedented growth, driven by energy and economic crises, which have compelled industries to meter their utilities more efficiently and promote responsible resource usage in alignment with global sustainability standards. Our ability to anticipate client needs and provide solutions ahead of crises has fueled our innovation in this space. All in all, Sri Lankan enterprises have embraced us not just as an ISP but an ICT Solutions provider, drawing on our extensive experience as a telco in our own digitalisation journey. They value our learning and consider us an integral part of their digital transformation efforts. We are dedicated to continuing our support and innovation as trusted partners in their digitalisation journey.

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AXIATA

“ We provide services related to the cloud, like cloud migrations and cloud hosting. We deliver the security solutions” DR TOMEK GERSZBERG CTO, AXIATA ENTERPRISE

the specifics of the South Asian market where the needs of consumers and enterprises are very different, so forking 5G into consumer and enterprise one is a good strategy. From this perspective, Axiata Enterprise has two streams which they have developed together with the group technology: one stream is designed to satisfy consumer needs on 5G and the second is to satisfy the enterprise needs. “For the enterprise needs with regards to solutions, we have built a strong partnership with the leading, global network integrator like Capgemini Engineering and Tech Mahindra” says Gerszberg. “With those services and our capabilities, we also include strong local players to deliver the offers to the enterprises. So, our offer is a mix of global and local flavours.” Axiata Enterprise has the 5G networking product stack which can run on any frequency, such as licensed 4G frequencies, or unlicensed bands. “It can run on any frequency, and this gives the possibility to deliver the networking in every place.” 90

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This is something that Gerszberg believes makes the company so unique, especially in comparison to other operators who have been focused on delivering 5G to the public. “We have bifurcated those processes and we focus on the enterprise needs that are very different from the consumer 5G needs,” says Gerszberg. In Axiata Enterprise’s 5G networking, the team has signed agreements with partners such as Rakuten Symphony, Mavenir and Capgemini Engineering as network integrator. Yet there are many challenges to overcome. For Gerszberg, the first challenge is the market perspective. “We see a very big openness to innovations,” he says. “In every market, we see that the people are curious, they want to change their business, they want to increase their efficiencies, they want to be competitive – not just locally, but on a global level.” Gerszberg sees the willingness to innovate as one of the biggest cultural assets of Southeast Asia. At the same time, he observes a level of customer wariness. “If we consider the advanced solutions in other parts of the world, is this something that we can accommodate? Does it fit our market? My answer, as I see the businesses, is yes. The markets here are ready.” But first, Axiata Enterprise must build trust with the enterprises, which are not in any dimension different from the leading companies in other parts of the world. “However, this is something that will take a couple of months – through trials, proof of concepts and so on. When these companies are confident that they can work with the newest innovations, we’ll be there for them.” Leading successful 5G digital transformation To achieve the 5G transformation, certain technologies must be in place – primarily, 5G and the cloud.

MILA J. KUSHEVA, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, SMART AXIATA, CAMBODIA Cambodia stands out as one of the fastestgrowing economies, consistently ranking among the top 20 countries in terms of year-on-year GDP growth. In Cambodia, both consumers and businesses of all sizes are extensively connected to the digital realm. Additionally, media consumption has predominantly shifted towards digital platforms. This constant connectivity to the digital realm has transformed the way people engage in commerce and stay connected. The digitalisation of business and consumer interactions is happening at a high pace, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Connectivity plays a critical role across industries, customers and businesses in emerging markets where mobile technology is the predominant force. Recognising this, Smart Axiata has taken the lead as the first operator in the country to embrace a comprehensive solutions portfolio. This portfolio encompasses flexible connectivity solutions, a security layer powered by SD WAN and Versa, and additional options for automating business operations. By continuously introducing new and easy to adopt solutions, Smart has already been established as a preferred telecom provider to the financial industry in the country which is among fastest developing in terms of growth as well as digitalisation. By leveraging cloud-based technologies, Smart is playing a crucial role in supporting businesses in Cambodia to advance further

in process automation and digitalisation. Through collaborations with Axiata Enterprise and international partners, Smart introduces several cloud-based offerings. These include Aarenet, a cloud-based PBX system. Additionally, Smart brings forth a cloudbased ERP solution in partnership with local startup CheckInMe, enabling organisations to streamline their operations digitally. Furthermore, the collaboration with Cartrack provides a Fleet Management solution, enhancing efficiency and control. Being a part of Cambodia’s dynamic ecosystem of businesses and consumers, as an operator presents an incredibly exciting opportunity. Through strategic partnerships, Smart Axiata brings international expertise to the table in an accessible manner, allowing companies to drive digitalisation and bolster digital security without requiring upfront investments. By offering these opportunities, Smart Axiata aims to fuel Cambodia’s journey towards a more digitised future.

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Innovations you want, experience you need Leveraging experience for innovations that push the limits of technology. With over 30+ years on the global market, our Loyalty and Telecommunications solutions fuel the new era of IT services

Discover our technology Comarch Loyalty Comarch Telecommunications

How XL Axiata empowers 50 million customers with Comarch Telco Business Development Manager Henry Locarno & Jan Svorobovic, Director of Business Development, discuss Comarch’s ongoing relationship with XL Axiata Polish IT company Comarch has been cooperating with one of Axiata Group’s Indonesian subsidiaries – XL Axiata, a leading mobile telecommunications services operator – since 2016. With more than 30 years of experience in providing tech innovations for various industries – ranging from telecommunications through healthcare to finance, loyalty solutions, and banking – Comarch provides IT solutions including ERP business management systems, information security, CRM and sales support systems, electronic communications, network infrastructure management, IoT solutions, data analytics, and business intelligence. “XL Axiata uses our awardwinning AI-powered loyalty management platform for designing, building and running successful loyalty programmes,”

Comarch’s Director of Business Development Jan Svorobovic explains. “Comarch is running six loyalty programmes for 50 million XL Axiata customers.” The joint efforts yield impressive results, with each programme gathering millions of members. Axiapp, an Android-based application developed by PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) for indirect channel partners, won a gold award at the 2021 International Loyalty 360 Awards in the USA in the CX category. Sustainability at the core of Comarch’s projects in 5G and technology Henry Locarno, Comarch’s Telco Business Development Manager, stresses how much 5G technology contributes to the quality and delivery of its products - ensuring partners like Axiata can operate with confidence with business and environmental

sustainability in mind. “5G equipped with modern, smart systems can enhance sustainability in corporations and across societies as a whole,” he explains. “Sustainability is a strong accelerator of the changes happening in telecoms. This is a new dimension of efficiency which was not previously possible, and would not have arrived so fast without pressure from society and governments.” Meeting ever-changing expectations of customers “We’re constantly striving to perfect our technology and improve Comarch-powered loyalty programmes,” Svorobovic says. “With XL Axiata, we plan to keep polishing their already robust loyalty initiatives through a deeper analysis of the members’ needs and behaviors. We want to ensure our loyalty programmes are up to speed and live up to the ever-changing expectations of people who use them.”

AXIATA

“5G is a smart type of connectivity that enables new types of use cases, and the cloud executes the applications of those use cases,” says Gerszberg. “Here, we are talking about the edge cloud and distributed edge cloud, which are by nature the domain of the operators.” Yet these two things mean nothing if the highest level of security is not guaranteed. “Security has become an immersive technology for any other type of technology. Combining those three from the competence perspective makes the telco space unique and so strong.” Axiata Enterprise has a strong partnership with Versa Networks. “This is a natural type of partnership; as we are helping our clients to migrate the cloud, in consequence we also help to modernise the security ecosystem with products like SD-WAN and SASE.

“We have built partnerships with the cloud players, helping them to reach the markets in our geography and helping our customers to get a strong representative. I believe we fit in well in the region.” For its 5G networking, Axiata Enterprise has partnered with Rakuten Symphony, Mavenir and Capgemini Engineering. Axiata’s partners deliver cutting edge solutions that address the needs of enterprises better than any other technology stacks. The networking is based on O-RAN technology, augmented with edge computing capabilities to run enterprise application workloads and is delivered in a fully cloud-native way, so standard off-the-shelf hardware can be deployed on customer sites. This helps Axiata Enterprise to offer very competitive pricing for the newest available technology. Digitalisation and the cloud have transformed the telecoms world. Over the next year, Axiata Enterprise is going to be more present in smart services, 5G networking and security.

MD. ADIL HOSSAIN, CHIEF ENTERPRISE BUSINESS OFFICER, ROBI, BANGLADESH

Robi’s evolution from Telco to Techco has helped the company to project itself as the leading tech-based solution provider across the industry verticals in Bangladesh. While we have a range of advanced solution portfolio, our Cloud and Colocation services clearly stands out, and already made significant headway into the market. In this regard, setting up the first ever Tier IV commercialized data center in Bangladesh has helped the company to command respect in the marketplace. Prominent Banks, Fintech, IT, FMCG, NGO, News & Media etc. companies have already subscribed to our Cloud and Colocation services- this business took off significantly in 2023. Companies who struggle to invest in on-site solutions, have been particularly drawn towards our colocation service. While the hesitation to migrate to cloud persists, it is very encouraging to note that more than 60% enterprises are planning for cloud migration. Like many other countries, we also see a great future for SD-WAN services in Bangladesh. Its ability to help organizations to effectively monitor and efficiently manage WAN traffic is beginning to entice the tech minded enterprises here. While the market yet lacks scalability, we have already carried out presale activities successfully in the Banking sector.

Though Bangladesh is yet to enter the 5G era, we are in discussion with the manufacturing and freight forwarding companies to enhance their operations through 5G. In this connection, we are actively working to create viable use-cases for the application of IOT, AR VR and AI Analytics in the manufacturing industries of Bangladesh. In addition to our evolution into a Techco, our enterprise brand name- “Robi for Business” gives clarity of purpose to our prospective and existing clients. This clarity of purpose helps us to cut to the chase when it comes to pitching these advanced digital solutions in the market. But despite many challenges, it is really encouraging to note that the industries here are very upbeat about embracing technology. As the market slowly falls into place, our focus for now is to win the trust and confidence of our clients, while expanding on areas that are gaining traction already.

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November 2023

“With the pace of the development at Axiata Enterprise, the next 12 months for the company is like 36 months in some other places,” he said. “This is one of the priorities. We’ll be much more visible in managed services on security and in all vibes of security related to on-prem security solutions, SD-WAN networking, and SASE.” Gerszberg anticipates future trends in the telco industry, which he and his team will have to roll with. “The telco industry is undergoing the biggest transformation since digitalisation, which was in the 1990s. This is the biggest change in the last 30 years, because technology ecosystems and processes have changed so much. You need to change yourself internally with changing tools, in a changing market.” The second trend, Gerszberg says, is consultative selling related to solutions in the vertical industries, like solutions for logistics and warehouses. “Again, this requires knowledge about the solutions implemented worldwide,” says Gerszberg. “It requires knowledge about the business impact of the technologies in the specific verticals and it requires local capability to execute.” He sees this as a new way of localisation, especially in the enterprise segments for the telcos. So how do you combine the global innovation trends with the local talents and local capabilities? “I believe this is a kind of sweet spot for the telcos, because they can do that,” he says. “But the second thing is that they have the customer’s trust.” For Gerszberg, this is still the biggest asset that any company could imagine.

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With concerns that quantum computers will be able to crack traditional encryption in future, organisations must take measures to protect their data now WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

s quantum computers inch closer to practical application, concerns around their capabilities to crack conventional encryption algorithms have given rise to a critical dialogue in cybersecurity circles. According to a recent Forrester study, quantum computers could be able to crack all current cryptosystems in the next five to 30 years, with a majority claiming there is between a 50% to 70% chance of this occurring in the next five years. With this in mind, we speak to experts in the field of quantum computing about the threats the technology poses to data security and what organisations should be doing to protect their valuable information. The quantum threat to data security “Quantum computers have already initiated a paradigm shift in the ways researchers think about data security,” says Sarvagya Upadhyay, Senior Research Scientist Manager at Fujitsu Research. This, he describes, began within academic circles when highly efficient quantum algorithms for seemingly intractable computational problems underpinning encryption schemes were unearthed. “This led to the development of cryptosystems designed to withstand quantum attacks. In recent years, with attention mounting around the potential capabilities of quantum computers, various organisations and governments have initiated frameworks to safeguard against such attacks.” technologymagazine.com

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“ Quantum computers have already initiated a paradigm shift in the ways researchers think about data security” SARVAGYA UPADHYAY

SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST MANAGER, FUJITSU

According to Upadhyay, quantum algorithms capable of solving the computational problems that underpin encryption schemes are already in development. Organisations and governments are now striving to keep pace. The US, for instance, enacted the ‘Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act’ just last year, signalling a proactive approach to this looming challenge. “When we talk of securing sensitive data today there is strong focus on, and argument for, encryption,” comments Gavin Millard, Deputy CTO at Tenable. “As advances in quantum computing are made, decryption at lightning speed is increasingly possible. For organisations, this both helps and hinders security practices as it introduces a number of risks, including retrospectively.

SARVAGYA UPADHYAY TITLE: SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST MANAGER COMPANY: FUJITSU LOCATION: CALIFORNIA

As a core member of Fujitsu’s research team, Upadhyay identifies and solves open-ended problems arising in quantum computing, privacy-preserving data analysis, and optimisation techniques.

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GAVIN MILLARD TITLE: DEPUTY CTO COMPANY: TENABLE LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Millard is a trained, ethical hacker who works with medium and large enterprises to address their cybersecurity challenges. He previously worked as the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) technical director for Tripwire.

“Algorithms used to encrypt data a few years ago could easily be deciphered by threat actors harnessing quantum computing tomorrow. Security teams should consider the viability of retrospectively encrypting data to ensure continuously strong protection.” Why organisations must be aware of the risks As explained by Andersen Cheng, CEO of Post-Quantum, organisations need to be aware of the threat of quantum computing. The advent of a quantum computer, he says, is not a matter of “if but when”. “Research suggests that within three years, there is a one in seven chance that quantum computers will break the most used computer encryption systems – this number goes as high as 50% by 2031,” he says. “Therefore, failing to secure your digital infrastructure against the threat of quantum computing leaves your data and systems vulnerable to attack.” 102

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Most important for organisations however is not the sheer code-breaking capabilities these machines will usher in, it’s the threat they are already posing today in the form Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks. “Any data with a multi-year lifespan, such as government secrets, R&D innovation, asset ownership data in financial services and strategic plans, could be collected today and decrypted in the future,” says Cheng. “No matter what industry you are in – the private keys of utilities providers or the cardholder’s information held by big banks – all data is vulnerable. “This HNDL threat is backed-up by numerous pieces of research, which find that nation-state adversaries are already collecting encrypted data with longterm utility. In fact, we are already seeing instances where internet traffic has been routed on unusual global paths for no apparent reason before returning to normal, which are indicative of such attacks occurring. “Organisations that fail to recognise this threat and secure their data today, particularly those holding highly sensitive data with a long shelf life, are potentially putting themselves and the wider economy at huge risk in the future.” Immediate steps for organisations For organisations today, Upadhyay insists that acknowledging quantum threats should be the first step. Then comes “serious engineering and rigorous research efforts” to transition to post-quantum cryptographic systems. “The field of quantum data security is evolving and organisations will undoubtedly require talent equipped with expertise in both quantum computing and security,” he says. As Gavin Millard adds, it’s “pointless having technologymagazine.com

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‘post-quantum’ levels of encryption on data when other parts of the business are exposing easily exploitable vulnerabilities.” “It’s really important that we recognise that, even with good data security practices today, it’s often weaknesses in other areas that potentially leave the organisation exposed,” he describes. “Security teams need processes in place to continuously assess certificates – know where old certificates and standards are stored and update when they can,” he says. It’s also imperative that security teams remain up to date with emerging capabilities and retrospectively address introduced weak or broken security practices – such as outdated encryption standards.” Cheng, meanwhile, recommends a more radical approach: creating an end-to-end infrastructure that’s quantum-safe ‘by design’. This would include everything from quantumproofing your identity access management

ANDERSEN CHENG TITLE: CEO COMPANY: POST-QUANTUM LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Cheng is the CEO of Post-Quantum, a cyber security company focusing on quantum-safe security and identity solutions. He was previously COO of the Carlyle Group’s European venture fund and a founding member of LabMorgan, the Fintech1.0 investment unit of JP Morgan.

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system to utilising a quantum-safe VPN. Cheng advises businesses to think about “crypto-agility, backward compatibility, and hybridisation” as they migrate to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). “For example, the Internet and Engineering Taskforce (IETF) recently created a new VPN standard that helps specify how VPNs can exchange communications securely in the quantum age. The novel approach prioritises interoperability by making it possible for multiple post-quantum and classical encryption algorithms to be incorporated into VPNs, ensuring no disruption to the functioning of existing IT systems, and

“ Research suggests that within three years, there is a one in seven chance that quantum computers will break the most used computer encryption systems – this number goes as high as 50% by 2031” ANDERSEN CHENG CEO, POST-QUANTUM

protecting data from attack by both classical and quantum computers. “At-risk organisations might also consider establishing secure end-to-end messaging infrastructures that they control and can quantum-proof today. Such an approach allows different business processes to be created within an end-to-end secure environment so critical data is verifiably quantum-safe throughout its lifecycle.” The road ahead for quantum data security As quantum computing continues to evolve, Upadhyay is optimistic about the future. “I foresee a rapid expansion in the field of technologymagazine.com

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quantum data security,” he says. Upadhyay believes that “post-quantum cryptosystems will find widespread adoption among organisations,” thereby creating significant economic opportunities for security firms specialising in this area. He also notes that transitioning from RSA or ECC-based systems to alternatives that are secure against quantum attacks is not only “economically viable” but also “less technically demanding.” Millard warns that while defenders will have better technologies, “attackers will get smarter and more automated.” He points out that the time required to decrypt data will dramatically decrease, going “from weeks or months to hours or seconds.” However, Millard is quick to add that data secured by quantum-level encryption will remain robust. Cheng highlights the disparity between the development of quantum computers and quantum security, especially in terms of funding. However, he observes a positive change, particularly in government action. “The US has now firmly taken the lead following a series of orders and legislation,” he states, referring to the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act and the recent 2023 US National Cybersecurity Strategy. Cheng also mentions the National Institute of Technology’s (NIST) global competition to develop new algorithms, stating that “four have been shortlisted and are on track to be standardised,” which many see as the catalyst for post-quantum migration. “The truth is that post-quantum migration can and should have begun earlier. Especially with the threat of HNDL attacks, everyone is playing catch-up. It’s not too late, but the next few years are crucial for the future of data and information security.” technologymagazine.com

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LEADING DIGIT TRANSFORMAT IN FINTECH WRITTEN BY: LOUIS THOMPSETT PRODUCED BY: JACK MITCHELL

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Fujitsu’s Krista Griggs discusses how the IT tech giant is driving digital innovation in the banking, financial services and insurance sectors

rista Griggs is the Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Sector for Fujitsu UK. As her title implies, Griggs’ role comes with big responsibilities; she is charged with leading revenue, profit and the growth of the sector. Managing executive customer relationships, Griggs sets the vision and strategy for her department, leading a team of industry specialists and account executives and orchestrating from the wider organisation to bring the best of Fujitsu to its customers. An influential leader in the makeup of Fujitsu’s UK division, it’s no wonder Griggs made FinTech Magazine’s Top 100 Women of 2022. “Phenomenally proud and honoured to be featured,” Griggs takes inspiration from the women represented working to disrupt “what is still a male-dominated industry.” As a pioneering woman in the predominantly male fintech industry, how did Krista carve out her own path to leadership? Krista Griggs: The making of Admitting she never had a clear ambition to take up a particular role, the position she finds herself at now ‘is well beyond’ a point in her career she imagined after graduating as a software developer in her native Netherlands. 110

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“ Fujitsu has the expertise in all those deep pockets to help with the complex integration of fintech systems at banks and other financial organisations” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

Krista Griggs of Fujitsu UK

FUJITSU

“By constantly striving for more and being entrepreneurial, we will achieve further growth and success in the future”

Not that she back into financial didn’t have an idea services because it of what she wanted, is a hugely dynamic it’s more that roles domain, where rapid in the technology change is the norm.” space have grown Fujitsu was more and evolved so of an infrastructuremuch over the years managed services – the professional company when capabilities she has Griggs joined, with a now exceed what mission to become a her formative career digital transformation could ever teach her. company – KRISTA GRIGGS “I started out in something Griggs HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL financial services; I implemented the SERVICES & INSURANCE, studied banking and strategy for in the FUJITSU UK finance,” says Griggs. “So it’s finance division. not a surprise I’ve come back to that.” It was the success of this strategy that saw Griggs has returned to her roots after Griggs become head of the sector just two previously working in identity management, years after joining Fujitsu. “I’m really proud which saw her take up roles in government of what I’ve achieved there,” adds Griggs. and defence sectors. “When I joined Fujitsu we were not But working in a vast array of industries progressing in the finance sector. We are now and sectors has only served to sharpen her growing rapidly and doing really well. We’ve skills today. “Working across different sectors got a great team now that is connecting with has given me a real understanding of what our customers and building partnerships – impacts those business domains, what helping clients to navigate industry change challenges there are and how technology and deliver better outcomes for them.” can help to make that better,” Griggs says. It is this success that has seen Griggs fall “From software developer to enterprise back in love with the industry she started out architect, I’ve always been leading on how in. “I love being able to have a real ambitious you design that change. How does digital vision for the future – to try and break the transformation actually work and what’s the boundaries of what can be done. That is impact it can have on user journeys across where the industry is really exciting and the ecosystem?” Fujitsu is firmly behind that,” she reflects. These skills enabled Griggs to make an “Change is always challenging, though. immediate impact when she joined Fujitsu It has been quite a big culture shift for Fujitsu UK five years ago, becoming Chief Architect and our customers, particularly larger banks. for its Financial Services sector. There can be real inertia and complications in Frustrated with the constraints working terms of getting things done when it comes in defence entailed, Griggs explains: “I came to fintech innovation. 112

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KRISTA GRIGGS TITLE: HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE COMPANY: FUJITSU UK

“So keeping pace with the rate of innovation can be a challenge. In many ways, my job isn’t necessarily delivering that change, but rather moving blockers out of the way.” Fujitsu: A tech giant ready to run Constantly striving to overcome these challenges, Griggs has helped awaken the sleeping giant of Fujitsu’s Financial Services division and get it to run. But, just as Griggs touches on, Fujitsu is far more than financial technology alone. Today, Fujitsu’s reach extends to five core technology areas: computing, network, AI, data & security and converging technologies.

Krista Griggs is Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance at Fujitsu UK. With over 20 years’ of experience in designing and implementing digital transformations across various business domains, Krista is changing the way Fujitsu helps its customers transform their business. She’s built a strong team of consultants who bring deep business and technical expertise. With their support, Krista is constantly looking for innovative ways to help Fujitsu’s customers succeed and grow. In recognition of her ongoing commitment to financial services and technology, she was a finalist for Role Model of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2022, Top 100 Women in FinTech 2022 and Transformation Leader of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2021.

Griggs expands: “Our computing division focuses on quantum and high-performance computing. Today, we have one of the fastest supercomputers in the world with the most intricate networks, so we do a lot of work around 6G and look at what that could bring to society. AI is a big part of that too, as is data & security which is a fundamental necessity both in financial services and in our public sector space. Converging technologies is where all of this comes together to deliver new capabilities.” These core pillars of technological innovation run alongside the company’s 116

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ambition to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. Admitting this is a lofty goal, Griggs explains that “fundamentally, this goal comes down to the fact that we (Fujitsu) embed sustainability into everything we do.” Fujitsu: Building an entrepreneurial culture The company is in the midst of a transition from an infrastructure-managed services company to a digital transformation company. This transition hasn’t just required a change of strategy, but a change in culture too.

FUJITSU

“Keeping pace with the rate of innovation can be a challenge… my job isn’t necessarily delivering that change, but rather moving blockers out of the way” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

Today, the company is working towards building an entrepreneurial culture to fuel its shift to a digital transformation proposition. Griggs says: “That’s very much a change we are continuing to go through, focusing on the verticals we serve rather than just on our technology capabilities. “As an infrastructure-managed service company, culture was built around risk and was focused on the public sector. Now we are pivoting to achieve strategic growth in the private sector, which means we need to be much more entrepreneurial. We have to understand the business imperatives that

our customers are dealing with. Now it’s very much about co-creation, working with our customers in lockstep to create some of those innovative solutions.” This culture shift is perhaps most pertinent in Grigg’s division – innovation in financial services. This is because “financial services is often the early adopter of new technologies and disruptive innovations. The pace of change is really difficult to navigate for financial services providers,” notes Griggs. “We have to be at the forefront of entrepreneurialism and we are making technologymagazine.com

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progress, helping customers solve some of the biggest challenges they face. Overcoming those challenges is paying off for our customers and it’s paying off for our business.” Fujitsu: Leveraging data, AI & machine learning the right way Building an entrepreneurial culture is also vital in driving the development of new financial products for the financial services sector. Innovation is ripe – and the ability

to implement cloud systems and leverage data pools through AI & machine learning is at the forefront of growth plans for many financial players. Griggs says: “Ever since the pandemic, we’ve seen rapid acceleration in the adoption of digital services across industries, particularly financial services and insurance. “There’s cloud services, third-party SaaS services and open data sources, which in financial services are really big drivers for change. Open finance too has come to the technologymagazine.com

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“ At Fujitsu, we embed sustainability into everything we do” KRISTA GRIGGS

HEAD OF BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE, FUJITSU UK

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fore and all these new technologies are exacerbated by a diverse set of infrastructure in use. “People connect from home, the office, they are on mobile devices – they can be on the other side of the world – and you still have to maintain those services and manage things correctly.” Of course, with new technologies comes an increase in the rate of innovation, something Griggs feels complicates service continuity management. She adds: “Customers expect a personalised, safe and

convenient service. The last thing a company wants is to be in the newspapers about a data leak which can damage its reputation. Furthermore, transparency is demanded by the regulators especially around sustainability commitments but also around data privacy. “From the comprehensive datasets you’ve collated, it’s essential to distill actionable insights. So, what’s the next step you need to take? What do your customers need? What do your colleagues need? What do the regulators need?

It is important to leverage abundant ecosystems to gain insights into making better and faster decisions to deliver desired outcomes.” One area Griggs feels financial services providers and banks must take caution is in their application of Generative AI, to meet all the above requirements. While its potential is evident, “a lot of banks have clamped down on it because it’s really difficult to maintain trust in the data if you don’t know where or how it’s being used.” technologymagazine.com

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For Griggs, banks need to put the right controls in place before taking steps toward AI adoption or risk losing client trust. This is even truer for data because if data quality coming into the fabric of operations is poor, utilising this data with AI & machine learning is bound to be ineffective. “The key is to embed the right data fabric,” says Griggs. “Make sure that the data is curated in the right way so that you can trust it. “It is so important to any bank or financial institution so that they can generate those insights to make decisions quickly, allowing business leaders to have confidence in the insights when they prioritise where they spend their resources.” Fujitsu: Mitigating fraud, promoting decarbonisation While open data, or third-party data sharing, is reaping many benefits for banks and associated partners in an ecosystem – it has also led to a rise in data breaches and consequently, fraud. This is something Griggs calls “a real concern for the industry and for governments.” She adds: “Cyber criminals have access to new technology as well, and we are seeing an increase in fraud and cybercrime in the industry.” “The key is to make sure that we keep up with that pace of change, that we embrace that technology in a responsible way so that we can counteract those malicious actors. “Social reach is important here. Having reach through open data allows banks and financial services to see what’s happening with vulnerable customers. It has multiple other benefits, including 124

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helping organisations like banks enable the decarbonisation of finance too. “That’s where we’re seeing partnerships in other industries deliver value to shift financial services from the role of the financier alone, to deliver better outcomes and boost sustainability, like we do with Landmark.” Fujitsu: Partnerships taking fintech to the next generation The partnerships Fujitsu strikes also help it boost the offerings it provides to its clients. Just as the industry at large is doing, Fujitsu is embracing the impact and benefits of fintechs by integrating these platforms and services into its broader ecosystem.

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FUJITSU: LEVERAGING TECH TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Griggs says: “We don’t just need collaboration with fintechs, but we also need big tech and other tech vendors. For example, we work with cyber companies like Thales and CrowdStrike to support data management companies. “To manage data and workloads efficiently and effectively, we work with Delphix, Suse and Nuix. Even for AI ethics, we work with a company called 2021.AI, which looks at AI governance and how you make sure that you embed that in the way that you work. “We also work with workplace technology partners like Riverbed, which understands how the services we provide our colleagues can be used to best effect. With Riverbed, we can identify where things aren’t working

The returns on implementing technology to maximum effect don’t just extend to operations and boosting customer experiences, they can have a significant impact on employee wellbeing. This is all the more important in financial services, with research conducted by Solidatus revealing that 71% of global data leaders in financial services are on the brink of quitting. It doesn’t need to be this way, though and Fujitsu’s workforce is starting to see the benefits of using tech to improve workplace wellbeing. As put by Griggs: “We are seeing some of these AI-driven technologies taking a lot of the mundane, repeatable tasks out of workers’ intrays. “These technologies provide the right information at the right time and at Fujitsu, help our team to deliver the right personalised service to our customers. This in turn helps our customers to provide a better service to their consumers. “Of course, privacy should be taken seriously here and it’s important to find the right balance between consumer data and respecting privacy laws.”

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FUJITSU: SUSTAINABILITY FRONT OF MIND Amid Fujitsu’s cultural shift, sustainability has become a key pillar in Fujitsu’s financial services sector when looking at providing the best new fintech innovations to its clients. “We are now seeing a new pillar when weighing our business growth and that is around sustainability and the continued drive to net zero. “Managing our carbon footprint is one thing, but our ESG strategies and considerations are much broader than that. Today, our entire product portfolio is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” “So we ensure the technology that we’re providing to our customers is contributing to delivering a better society and is achieving some of those Sustainable Development Goals. “We hold our partners to quite high standards around that as well, and it’s very much part of our onboarding process. If we are representing certain ethics and standards, we must demand the same from them, and this has helped us to develop a great ecosystem.”

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and correct them even before they go wrong sometimes. “Whilst banks have real technology capability in these areas, as a technology company with multiple partners, Fujitsu has the expertise in all those deep pockets to help with the complex integration of fintech systems at banks and other financial organisations.” The future of Fujitsu Armed with a history of innovation and technological insight, a true consultative perspective and strategic partners, Fujitsu is truly primed to complete its shift from an

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infrastructure-managed services company to a digital transformation company. This shift is already in full swing, and it’s reshaping the company with unstoppable momentum. Griggs concludes: “I’m very much behind and passionate about the changes that we are making. We need to continue what we are doing to move faster at bringing in the right people and technology to grow the partnerships we have with our customers. “That represents our path to growth and certainty for me, I’m very happy to grow as my sector grows.

“We must continue to ask ourselves the pertinent questions: How can we be even more data-driven? How can we integrate our systems more? How can we use intelligent solutions in the way that we bring products and services to our market? How can we align the full global force of our business to help our customers achieve their outcomes? “By constantly striving for more and being entrepreneurial, we will achieve further growth and success in the future. That is our path forward.”

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DEMOCRATISATION OF AI: THE RISE OF NO-CODE AI PLATF We explore how no-code AI platforms are democratising AI, empowering individuals with minimal tech skills and transforming business operations WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

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ith increased use of AI, paired with a shortage of workers with tech skills, no-code AI platforms have emerged as a transformative opportunity for businesses. Democratising access to advanced AI capabilities, these user-friendly platforms allow individuals with minimal or no coding skills to create AI applications through intuitive interfaces. By eliminating the complexities traditionally associated with AI development, no-code platforms are levelling the playing field, enabling a broader range of people to harness the power of AI for various applications. “Since the no-code AI platform enables organisations to employ AI to automate operations, they can accomplish more with less effort,” says a report by ReportLinker, which suggests the global no-code AI platform market size could reach US$17.5bn by 2030. “No-code AI platforms have been a crucial tool for enabling people to communicate with and construct AI platforms for their job.

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AI/ML

JODY BAILEY TITLE: CTO COMPANY: STACK OVERFLOW LOCATION: SEATTLE

Stack Overflow CTO Bailey builds high performance software development teams that deliver amazing products by leveraging strategic thinking, agile processes and continuous delivery to outpace the competition.

Hence, more businesses now use no-code AI platforms, which is boosting the expansion of the market.” The rise of no-code AI tools “No-code/low-code (NCLC) AI tools are essentially any tools that allow automation of coding efforts through plug-and-play or drag-and-drop UI,” explains Jody Bailey, Stack Overflow’s Chief Technology Officer. These platforms are designed to be userfriendly, enabling individuals with little to no coding skills to solve specific business issues. Amitha Pulijala, Vice President of Product at Vonage, adds another layer to this definition. “NCLC tools are used for

designing and developing an application using intuitive ‘drag and drop’ tools that eliminate the need for advanced code development,” she states. According to Pulijala, these tools are not just time-savers. “In recent years, these tools have become popular because of their ability to accelerate development and offer greater choice to users. Not only do NCLC tools save developers time by eliminating the need to write lines and lines of code, they also minimise the chance of encountering bugs, as the templates have already been tested.” An interesting thing about this new explosion of AI this year is just how accessible it is to non-technical users, adds Conor Egan, Vice President of Product and Engineering at Contentstack. “Until now, we had this preconceived notion that AI was this scary, complex thing that only highly-skilled developers could access and benefit from. Now, we have one of the most expensive, computationally intensive systems ever technologymagazine.com

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The 10 Best Examples of Low Code and No Code AI Tools WATCH NOW WATCH NOW

AMITHA PULIJALA TITLE: VP OF PRODUCT COMPANY: VONAGE LOCATION: CALIFORNIA

VP of Product at Vonage, the enterprise arm of Ericsson, Pulijala has over 15 years of experience in the software industry, and has a proven track record of innovating and delivering high-growth, highCX, SaaS/PaaS products for developers, enterprises and service providers.

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created, ChatGPT, available to everyone and accessible just by chatting with it. “Simply put, low-code/no-code AI tools means it requires little to no technical code to create or deploy an AI application. Not only does it simplify processes by reducing technical headaches for developers, business analysts and domain experts, but it makes it more accessible to non-technical users too.” Democratising access to AI: Levelling the playing field The democratisation of AI is one of the most compelling benefits of no-code platforms. “The hope of a low-code/no-code solution

AI/ML

thereby lowering both technological and financial barriers. “The real cost of using these systems is also often quite low, making neither technology nor cost a barrier,” he notes.

for AI is simply the hope that you can level the playing field and allow someone to create AI applications without the necessary training, skills or experience of writing technical code,” says Bailey. Pulijala agrees, stating that no-code tools have “democratised access to AI,” enabling individuals and organisations with limited software expertise to develop AI-powered solutions. “Business analysts, for example, can fully participate in the development of the AI project, without relying on the technical expertise of the software team,” she adds. Egan observes that these platforms have made AI “accessible to non-technical users,”

The Generative AI revolution Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have significantly influenced the no-code AI landscape. “We believe Generative AI will democratise coding and grow the developer community by several folds,” says Bailey. “If there are 20-25m developers now, this could lead to a 10x growth of this important group.” Pulijala points out that generative AI has “dramatically improved the process of setting up applications,” particularly in the development of chatbots. “Generative AI cuts down this process time with pre-trained LLMs, meaning that developers no longer need to train the bot on how customers can ask questions,” she elaborates. Egan finds generative AI especially powerful when combined with automation. “When you build generative AI into those workflows and have it interpret, summarise, categorise or deploy everyday tasks, you’re enabling individuals with minimal coding experience to harness the capabilities of advanced AI models and, ultimately, become more efficient and unlock more possibilities,” he explains. Scalability and the future When it comes to scalability, Bailey believes that both small businesses and large enterprises can benefit from no-code AI solutions. “Large enterprises are interested in leveraging GenAI in combination with high trust data/knowledge sources to drive efficiency, productivity and unlocking capacity for product innovation,” he notes. technologymagazine.com

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CONOR EGAN TITLE: VP PRODUCT COMPANY: CONTENTSTACK LOCATION: NORTH CAROLINA

Contentstack VP Product Egan is an a technical and product leader with a passion for working with great teams to build great things.

Pulijala suggests that more complex use cases may benefit from custom development. “Developers should assess the specific needs of the problem they are solving and carefully assess the needs and constraints of the use case when choosing no code/low code solutions,” she advises. As Egan concludes, it’s important to remember that no-code AI is not a quick fix: it still requires time and training. “Just because you don’t have to code doesn’t mean it’s simple and some tools will still require a learning curve for someone that’s not technical. Not only that, no-code/lowcode is not a replacement for coding and will not replace developers. The main benefit that NC/LC, AI, and composable tools bring is efficiency and speed. “The biggest challenge faced by enterprises today is meeting customer demands. With the rise of AI and automated tools, teams can collaborate more easily, be more productive and adapt to the changing industry landscape.” 134

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From traditional te to world-leading te WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK PRODUCED BY: MICHAEL BANYARD

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elco ech org

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TELUS

TELUS leadership deep dives into how its global team is helping create the revolutionary technology company of the future

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he modern telecommunications landscape has undergone remarkable transformations over the decades, thanks in part to significant strides in technology. Telcos, which began as providers of traditional home phone service, have transitioned into multifaceted digital communication leaders, connecting millions of people across the world and propelling the industry toward an unknown, but exciting and revolutionary future.

For some, the drive to connect people is inspired as much by a commitment to social purpose as it is by technology. That’s certainly true for Canada-based global communications technology company, TELUS. “Connecting people is at the heart of everything we do and our goal is to drive phenomenal human outcomes and bridge digital divides to improve lives and help make the world a better place,” says Hesham Fahmy, TELUS’ Chief Information Officer.

“Our journey started many years ago, providing fast and reliable telecommunications services but, as we’ve evolved, we’ve added many other layers of transformative service offerings to our portfolio that can drive even more value for our customers and advance our social purpose.” TELUS’ mission is to use the power of technology and network connectivity to deliver the best solutions to people at home, in the workplace and on the move. TELUS’ technologymagazine.com

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“ Connecting people is at the heart of everything we do” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

actions are guided by its purpose; that is, using its technology and compassion to drive meaningful social change – from transforming 140

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healthcare and making the food supply more sustainable to reducing its environmental footprint and connecting Canadians in need. The company’s purpose is a blueprint for how TELUS engages and interacts with its customers and communities. TELUS’ longstanding commitment to putting customers first fuels its business, making the brand a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. Powered by purpose Over the years, TELUS has established itself as a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company and it remains laser-focused on continuing its journey of evolution and growth as a global technology powerhouse,

HESHAM FAHMY TITLE: CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: ONTARIO, CANADA As Chief Information Officer (CIO) at TELUS, Fahmy leads the team responsible for spearheading TELUS’ transformation to a fully-digital, softwarecentric and cloud-enabled organization. The CIO team manages corporate systems and team member tools, bringing humanised, digital-first experience to life for customers, and championing technology to improve capabilities, efficiency and scalability across all current and future lines of business. An agent of transformation and an innovator with seven granted patents, Fahmy has extensive consumer, digital and cloud technology development skills and operational leadership. He approaches his product and service development strategies with an entrepreneurial spirit building highavailability cloud and enterprise systems factoring security, privacy, scalability, data warehousing and analytics, all of which centres around constantly improving the customer experience. In 2023, Fahmy was presented the CIO of the Year award by IT World Canada. With a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from McMaster University and a Master of Software Engineering from the University of Toronto, he has innovated software products and solutions for 25 years, including 19 years of senior leadership roles, with a track record of launching disruptive products and platforms in retail, IoT, fintech and development tooling.

Before joining TELUS, Fahmy was the Vice President of Technology and General Manager, Marketplace at Loblaw Digital, where he led the technical delivery and operations of Loblaw’s omni-channel digital experiences and the transition of all of Loblaws’ digital platforms to Google Cloud. He also led entrepreneurship and consumer product development at ecobee and is the mastermind behind ecobee’s thermostat line, currently one of the best-selling smart thermostats in North America. Fahmy is a motivational leader with a passion for building highly productive teams and growing professional careers. His own passion for social capitalism aligns with TELUS’ leadership in leveraging its world-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable meaningful outcomes for its customers, communities and team members.

TELUS

“A team with diverse skill sets and the shared values of embracing change and innovating responsibly is what will drive real transformation” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

TELUS: From traditional telco to world-leading tech org WATCH NOW

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enabling its over 18 million customers, as well as its team members, to be part of a better-connected world. “We’re building a strong technology base as a launch pad for customer experiences that are driving peace of mind, comfort and positive human outcomes. This is the impetus of our journey from a traditional telco to a technology and platform company,” explains Fahmy. “We have to champion engineering excellence and build our platforms on strong technology foundations because that’s what gives us the ability to launch in different directions and pivot based on where we see customer needs and demands.” Fostering the right culture to drive TELUS’ evolution Undoubtedly, a massive evolution is on the horizon for TELUS. The company highly values its workforce, taking pride in nurturing and retaining top talent. Fahmy emphasises the importance of preparing TELUS’ team members to embrace significant change as it continues its digital transformation, all the while ensuring they consistently deliver high-quality service. “Often when people talk about their transformation journey, they think primarily about technology. What’s even more fundamental is having the right culture and mindset. A team with diverse skill sets and the shared values of embracing change and innovating responsibly is what will drive real transformation,” he says. Fahmy’s primary goal is to unite his teams, fostering a deep understanding and collaborative spirit throughout their shared journey. It’s crucial that every team member understands the significance of their contributions and the pivotal role they can play.

“As much as we all feel proud of great customer outcomes, we must also consider what’s in it for our people. Modernisation will certainly make our team’s job easier and more efficient. It’s equally critical to equip team members with the latest cloud technology skills so they aren’t only successful today but also thrive in the future ways of working.” Steve Banick, TELUS Vice President of Strategy & Transformation, who has 25 years of IT and technology experience, says TELUS makes it a priority to empower the personal and professional development of its people. “This is not the first time TELUS has navigated significant change as technology evolves, specifically with the AI revolution right now. We recognise that we are far better off if we tap into the talent, knowledge and loyalty of our team members and bring them along our journey,” he emphasises. “Last year, we launched our Digital Talent programme, a multi-pronged initiative focused on attracting, retaining and building talent within TELUS to support us through not only this transformation but whatever comes next.” Through this programme, TELUS has introduced career passports, which Banick says codify what talent, knowledge, skills and experience team members need to unlock for the next steps in their career journey. “This approach not only empowers team members to grow their careers, but also enables the organisation to pinpoint strategic investments in formal and informal learning, as well as cutting-edge tools and technologies to support them on their journey. Furthermore, we’ve built robust support systems such as mentorship programs, uniting team members to synergise technical expertise with a deep technologymagazine.com

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Innovation-driven, technology-enabled. Your forward-thinking payments partner. Global Payments is a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions. It operates both a merchant solutions and issuer solutions business to clients across the payments ecosystem — from small and medium-sized merchants to large national and multinational enterprises and ﬁnancial institutions.

Learn more

Innovation that delivers.

Chris Baron, senior vice president, Canada, shares how Global Payments’ four strategic pillars – tech-enabled/ software driven, e-commerce/ omnichannel, faster-growth markets and B2B – inform its approach to innovation. According to Baron, these pillars have helped Global Payments to recognize opportunities, including the need for tailored solutions within speciﬁc industries. “Global Payments was a ﬁrst mover in owned software technologies, implementing its technology-enabled, software-driven strategy when other providers were still focused on hardware,” he explains. “This strategy paid off, enabling Global Payments to move aggressively into cloud software.” Baron notes, “As companies digitize more of their operations, they want to engage technology companies like ours who can help them run and grow their business with comprehensive platforms. Payment processing is now just one of many ways

we help businesses. Our commerce enablement tools such as omnichannel solutions, payroll and more, also help answer their need for business efficiency and continuity.” Geographically, the company’s recent acquisition of EVO Payments expands its presence into faster-growth, attractive markets including Poland, Germany, Greece and Chile. This latest acquisition means Global Payments now serves 4.6 million merchant accounts and 1,500 ﬁnancial institutions worldwide. Global Payments is also helping businesses of all sizes effectively compete in a digitizing, worldwide economy through innovative technologies. To do so, it has been investing in technology to maintain its leadership in the industry, spending close to US$2 billion annually. The company continues to see the four pillars of their strategy as the biggest growth opportunity from today through the next three to ﬁve years.

TELUS

“ The most important thing is ensuring that we have a team that’s fully motivated, engaged and confidently believes that it can contribute to our future” STEVEN BANICK

VICE PRESIDENT, CIO STRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION, TELUS

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understanding of our business – a remarkably potent and powerful combination.” One successful way of opening up new career paths for TELUS employees is through the revolutionary Digital Skills Fast Track program which empowers frontline agents with no prior coding experience, to step into digital careers as junior software developers through an intensive 12-week bootcamp. “It’s hard not to get excited,” Banick champions. Even though the programme is future-focused, TELUS is already seeing results. Digital Skills Fast Track is not only creating opportunities to add new skills and knowledge to the team, but more importantly, unlocking a whole new career trajectory for people that wasn’t available to them before.

STEVE BANICK TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT – CIO STRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: VANCOUVER, CANADA Banick is responsible for mobilising and leading the transformation of our TELUS’ team into a fully digital and cloud native organisation. Banick is responsible for advancing the company’s cloud journey and partnerships, accelerating TELUS’ digital transformation and leading the internal technology that enables TELUS team members with new ways of working to be the most productive and highly engaged workforce globally. A proud TELUS team member for 25 years, Banick is passionate about developing individuals, teams and organisations to be successful and sustainable for the future. An active mentor and career coach, he is known as a committed developer of potential and talent. In addition to certifications and background in technology, leadership and project management, Banick also holds an MBA from Royal Roads.

Outside of TELUS, Banick serves as a Director for Junior Achievement of British Columbia (JABC), a non-profit organisation proud to deliver a wide selection of educational programmes focusing on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. JABC’s purpose is to inspire, prepare and empower B.C. youth for lifelong success.

TELUS

Exploring AI in the workplace When evaluating the team’s evolution, TELUS knows they need to examine not just current technical skills, but also anticipate future technology shifts. They emphasise nurturing a culture of continuous learning, urging both individuals and the organisation to continually improve, ensuring they are well-prepared to embrace emerging technologies. A prime example is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Although this technology has existed in some form for many years, its use has exploded in the last 12 months. “It’s not just about launching new tech like AI. We have to introduce it and allow team members to experiment, find out

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what works for their productivity and support that cultural transformation,” says Banick. “Technology is hard, but not the hardest part. The most important thing is ensuring that we have a team that’s fully motivated, engaged and confidently believes that it can contribute to our future.” TELUS is not only investing in individual contributors and technology experts, but also its leaders, preparing them to lead the technology company of the future. Banick explains: “The role of leadership continues to change. In today’s world, we need leaders that are at the forefron of how they use data and insights to unlock the potential and the capability of their teams.”

“ To truly unlock the tremendous potential GenAI has to offer, we must use it responsibly” HESHAM FAHMY

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, TELUS

With that in mind, TELUS established Leadership Launchpad, a six-month programme to support new, as well as seasoned leaders, in building their leadership muscle, learning the latest management skills and trends and gaining the confidence needed to guide their teams to success. Pushing the boundaries of innovation As a people-centric employer, TELUS

nurtures a culture that empowers its teams to boldly innovate. “Culture begins with an individual’s attitude and we really focus on that cultural fit when hiring new talent,” says Hasan Jafri, TELUS Vice President, Platform Engineering & Common Services. “Are they focused on the customer? Are they looking to solve complex problems? That’s the go-getter attitude we look for when recruiting for technology roles.” Jafri’s team is responsible for looking at the end-to-end life cycle of a TELUS project, from the beginning to when the system is live and running. Thanks to its people and their willingness to streamline operations working cross-functionally across teams, some of these processes have become drastically technologymagazine.com

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HASAN JAFRI TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT, PLATFORM ENGINEERING & COMMON SERVICE COMPANY: TELUS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: ONTARIO, CANADA Jafri is a visionary IT executive known for solving complex problems, building strategic partnerships and driving transformational change that deliver results. He is known for building organisations and programmes with structure, direction, accountability and decisive leadership. As a strategic advisor and executive, Hasan has worked extensively with a variety of Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries. Recently, Jafri was VP of Enterprise Platform Engineering & Architecture where he implemented the global platform and digital architecture, established DevOps & SRE process and delivered API, cloud platform, customer authentication/notification and data products delivering global efficiency and cost savings more than CA$100 million. Previously, he was VP of Technology at TD where he built and led a billiondollar transformation program that digitised business processes and reduced significant costs. Earlier, Jafri was VP & Chief Architect at BMO Financial Group. As the Chief Architect, he led the building of the enterprise SOA infrastructure designed to re-platform core banking systems and re-design the entire integration layer. He was also a member of the Leadership Council of the bank leading transformation initiatives.

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Leading a technology organisation has dramatically changed over the past decade. Today’s Senior Technology executives must understand and appreciate the critical relationship between technology and the business strategy and continuously focus on integrating customer insights into the plan to implement practical solutions. Hasan has utilised these levers to deliver major transformations in the financial services, insurance, healthcare & retail industries globally. Jafri is a dedicated family man, a proud father of two boys and two girls, an avid reader and sportsman.

more efficient – slashed from a six-month, 47-step process to a fully-automated one. “We have seen a 60% improvement in some of our processes,” Jafri says. “We’ve automated all kinds of different things and we’re seeing fantastic results. In fact, we recently won International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada’s CIO award for building standardised software templates and starter kits for our developers, taking their productivity and efficiency to an alltime high. It’s great to get such external recognition for our team’s technology innovation and the remarkable results they’re generating.” Part of this growth also comes from the diverse network of partners, spanning from major corporations and hyperscale enterprises to small businesses and specialised organisations. Nurturing collaborative, cohesive and innovative relationships with these partners is part of TELUS’ approach to innovating boldly. Prioritising a mutual understanding of each other’s distinct needs and requirements while jointly pursuing shared goals and objectives is key.

“ The social mandate associated with TELUS is something that can touch your heart. We’re transforming TELUS into a software driven organisation, eliminating toil and increasing the happiness of our hard working teams” HASAN JAFRI

VICE PRESIDENT, PLATFORM ENGINEERING & COMMON SERVICES, TELUS technologymagazine.com

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TELUS: KEY FACTS TELUS is steadily progressing towards its ambitious target of migrating 80% of its applications, workloads and systems to the public cloud by 2025. As of now, more than 60% of targeted applications have already successfully moved to the cloud. The recent modernisation of these cloud-based applications has yielded significant enhancements in system reliability, manifesting as a 50% reduction in mean time to recovery (MTTR) and a complete absence of outages or severe performance degradation incidents. TELUS was awarded the title of Canada’s fastest major internet service provider (ISP) for the fourth consecutive year in 2023 by PCMag. Since 2000, TELUS has made significant philanthropic contributions, totalling CA$1.6 billion (US$11.7 billion) and providing 2.2 million days of service. In 2023, TELUS was named as the first North American company to receive the “Running on Open Digital Architecture (ODA)” status from the industry association, TM Forum.

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Collaborating with partners who share TELUS’ cooperative spirit and values, which align with TELUS’ objectives – and vice versa – continues to accelerate its digital transformation. “Partners are critical to our success – and it’s not us just learning from them, but them learning from us,” Jafri shares, championing collaboration.

TELUS

charging points across Canada powered by TELUS’ world-leading network. “We’ve also partnered with ForgeRock to build EverSafe IDs for over 30,000 Public Mobile customers on their SaaS platform,” he adds. “These secure identities are helping safeguard customer privacy and personal information with added layers of security and we’ve already seen millions of transactions. “Another one of our partners is Global Payments, who are helping us deliver a new payments-as-a-product capability 50% faster than the previous version. What usually takes a year was completed in three months, so it’s been a great partnership with great outcomes.”

These partnerships include a 10-year strategic alliance with Google Cloud to help modernise TELUS’ core technologies and co-innovate on new service offerings. TELUS also works closely with other hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and recently partnered with JOLT, an Australian electric vehicle company, to jointly install up to 5,000 electric vehicle

AI will lead TELUS’ future transformation With all this said, the key transformer for the company will still likely be AI as the digital age continues to progress at a rapid pace. “Generative AI is as impactful to society as the invention of the internet and as transformational as the discovery of fire,” says Fahmy. “We’re only at the beginning of where this technology is going to go and we have the opportunity to help shape where it goes and tailor it to our needs.” “The low-barrier entry and accessibility of GenAI makes it available to nearly everyone with connectivity,” he shares. “Gen AI is like having your own 24/7 personal assistant to help you with various aspects of your life. “GenAI can be truly transformational in what it can do – a game-changer for productivity, connectivity and accessibility. At TELUS, we have set up our own TELUS GenAI Bot available to every team member to help them be more efficient, innovative and experiment with their work.” technologymagazine.com

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“We’ve built this world-leading AI platform using large language models (LLMs) to incorporate image generation, document intelligence and multiple interfaces – equipping our team members with a safe and secure way to experiment with AI at work,” adds Jafri. “With nearly 7,000 unique users already, our goal is to get our team fully AI-enabled and adopt these cutting edge technologies in our products and services.” Fahmy stresses that TELUS is committed to using GenAI responsibly, while also making it fully accessible and harnessing its power. “We’re ahead of the curve and well-versed in how GenAI can enhance both customer experiences and our own. However, to truly unlock the tremendous potential GenAI has to offer, we must use it responsibly, ensuring we mitigate the challenges it can present and use in a way that’s friendly for all.” Embracing the potential of GenAI’s transformative capabilities, TELUS is fully committed to leading the charge towards responsible use, all in pursuit of a brighter, more inclusive future. Fahmy, expressing his dedication, emphasises, “Our role as pioneers in the GenAI realm is one we hold with great responsibility. We are only at the beginning of this incredible journey and we eagerly anticipate the exciting innovations and opportunities that lie ahead.”

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DRIVING AND DELIVERING DIGITA TRANSFORMATION AT DPV HEALTH WRITTEN BY: SCOTT BIRCH

PRODUCED BY: NAZEEF RABIU-IDREES

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DPV Health in Victoria, Australia, undertook a digital transformation set against the backdrop of COVID-19, delivered by awardwinning CIO Noel Toal

veryone faced unprecedented challenges during the COVID19 pandemic, but imagine those hurdles being amplified working in the healthcare industry in one of the most locked-down places on the planet. Then imagine implementing a company-wide digital transformation while simultaneously saving lives. Noel Toal describes that situation as “change on steroids”, and few could argue with that. Toal is the CIO of DPV Health, a community health service across 20 sites in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. DPV Health offers everything from GP medical services through the whole range of allied health services, mental health services, dental and disability services. Under Toal’s leadership, DPV Health is using technology to improve the client experience and to improve the ability of its clinicians to deliver excellent care. Toal’s first senior role was as a regional head of ICT for a large international software development company with clients including the National Australia Bank, JP Morgan, and Swiss Reinsurance. From there, Toal had something of an epiphany and thought that maybe an ICT leader like himself should have a greater understanding about the world of business, so he studied for an MBA.

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“ I’ve spent the last four years having a lot of fun in a challenging environment” NOEL TOAL

CIO, DPV HEALTH

“I wanted to understand the language of the business, and I also wanted to understand the difference between managing and leading,” explains Toal. “Once I had that MBA under my belt then I wanted to understand the practical 160

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application, so I went into business, purchasing a cardboard box manufacturing firm. In three years – thanks to my MBA knowledge, board experience and ICT expertise, I was able to turn it around and sell it to a listed company.” During that period, Toal says he learned a lot about rapidly scaling a business, using ICT to support a new business model, and processes – all of which served him well as he decided to make a move into non profits and healthcare, and eventually to DPV Health. “I’ve spent the last four years having a lot of fun in a challenging environment, during the pandemic, but a really interesting time to help deliver excellent healthcare services,” says Toal. “So it’s been pretty exciting.”

TOP 50 CIOs IN AUSTRALIA Noel Toal has been named in the Top 50 CIOs in Australia for the last two years. “When I came into the organisation, we had lots of problems, and we outsourced ICT,” he recalls, talking about his early days at DPV Health in late 2019. “With a new strategy, we built our own internal ICT team and we built that team in the middle of a pandemic. And we also built the data team. To see how hard those teams worked to deliver everything we had to respond to during the pandemic, I think it’s amazing. “When I won the first time, and then again the second time, I said I’m the person who stands up to get the award, but really it’s recognition of the effort of everyone in the ICT function, because I don’t deliver all those pieces individually. That is a collective effort.” “I think it vindicates the desire to have an internal team because it delivered better service and drove transformation. It’s nice on a personal level to see these teams that I’ve built get recognition for their hard work.”

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Supercharging digital transformation in healthcare with Data-Driven and Patient Centric Communication Solutions RingCentral (a global leader in Unified Communications) together with NativUC’s Cloud Technology marketplace are supporting Australian Healthcare providers reach new quality care frontiers. By fostering Ringcentral’s agile collaboration tools, Healthcare providers can drive improved accessibility, patients’ well-being and operational efficiency while reducing the cost of services.

Explore how we’ve helped DPV and could assist your organisation

DPV HEALTH

“ A lot of the early part was getting our hands on equipment. We needed to make people more mobile” NOEL TOAL

CIO, DPV HEALTH

Toal is not your average CIO. As well as handling the ICT side of DPV Health, he also uses that expertise and experience to manage three teams responsible for client access. These teams handle call centre, interpreting and reception/administration, and Toal puts systems in place to make sure they run as efficiently as possible, while also leveraging technology. And it’s that approach that really helped DPV health not only survive the pandemic but actually improve the healthcare services it was able to offer its clients, in the most difficult and distressing of times. “I think we were all shell shocked initially,” admits Toal, “but the organisation grew its revenue by 65%. We had enormous growth, we are very busy, and we’ve retained most of that because a lot of it was organic – not just related to the pandemic-specific services we were providing.” technologymagazine.com

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Noel Toal TITLE: CIO COMPANY: DPV HEALTH LOCATION: VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA Noel Toal is the CIO for DPV Health. With over twenty years ICT leadership experience he was judged by CIO Magazine as one of the top fifty Australian CIOs in their CIO50 list for 2022 and 2023. He is a business leader with an ICT speciality, with previous experience as a board director/chair and a successful business owner who sold a business to an ASX listed company. He utilises this experience to deliver pragmatic value and positive impact through digital transformation and thrives on ICT collaboration with the business.

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Toal joined in August 2019 and as the new CIO his strategy was to roll out a controlled digital transformation – but most of that plan went quickly out of the window with COVID19. Some of the elements of the plan, such as new equipment and Azure Virtual Desktop, were accelerated to accommodate staff working from home, and DPV Health had to switch to providing telehealth services within two weeks. With Victoria being the most lockeddown state in Australia, and one of the most restricted in the world, it was even harder for people to access vital health services – which placed extra pressure on Toal and his teams. “We were trying to drive the transformation while supporting all of these extra, urgent demands that were popping up as part of the pandemic response,” recalls Toal. “We were having to help setup and shift the services, acquire printers, laptops, iPads. A lot of the early part was getting our hands on equipment. We needed to make people more mobile. Luckily we had a good relationship with Microboss and that helped us to get all the equipment that we needed.” “We also had important partners to help us with the CRM development. Delta Insights were really important for the delivery of that system and then linked to that, we needed a cloud-based phone system, and that’s where RingCentral and NativUC came into the picture.” We all know that the pandemic accelerated digital transformation and that became in some ways a silver lining to a very dark cloud. Toal admits it was an enabler and helped DPV Health get things done quickly “because we had to”. And while the pandemic was a period of intense change, there is still more to come. Toal has completed the delivery of

RINGCENTRAL AND NATIVUC “Before RingCentral, we didn’t have a contact centre; we had a phone system with an IVR [Interactive Voice Resonse] that directed you somewhere. We’ve got a massive client base where 10% of our clients have Arabic as a first language. They’re our biggest group. But then we’ve got lots of different language groups. One of the things we wondered was, in the future can we have some language translation capabilities? We haven’t quite got there yet, but we’re on the path. This makes it a much more personal experience. Phone system projects always get very complex. NativUC knew the technology and took time to listen and understood our requirements, to find the best product that was meant for us, and for our long term vision. In the end, we chose RingCentral because long term it represented the best return on investment. After we decided on RingCentral, NativUC was invaluable throughout the process in getting our numbers ported, working with the RingCentral team, and sorting out the financials and support arrangements.”

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Shaping Futures: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Healthcare & Community Service Ready to redefine healthcare and community service engagements in the digital age? Delta Insights is here to help. With Microsoft Dynamics 365, we design solutions that simplify processes, drive efficiency, and amplify your impact in your sector

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DPV HEALTH

“ I think one of the risks is that an organisation feels pressured to deliver AI” NOEL TOAL

CIO, DPV HEALTH

the digital transformation and is now working through defining what the new ICT strategy will be, having fixed what he calls “technical debt”. The new strategy is all about being more engaged with people and leveraging the new systems that have been put in place, such as the new CRM, clinical grade network, cloud systems, omnichannel phone system, hardware, and making sure the company maximises the value of the significant investment from the last four years.

You can almost hear Toal’s MBA switching into action as he explains how he is approaching this new strategy now that he has the platform to build on. “Someone from another community health organisation said to me the other day, ‘we’re three to four years behind you’. That’s because we have just done four years of work on digital transformation. You have to do the work, to be ready for the next stage.” So what is that next stage? Toal immediately, like many tech leaders, turns with caution to artificial intelligence. “I think one of the risks is that an organisation feels pressured to deliver AI,” says Toal. technologymagazine.com

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Noel Toal, CIO of DPV Health, on driving digital healthcare in Australia WATCH NOW

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“Then they’re going to turn it on, think it’s intelligent, and use it to search through data and pull together answers for their questions – that’s an obvious, real benefit for an organisation. But they’re not necessarily going to be prepared for the fact that, historically, they’ve had really bad practices managing their systems and files.” “If you unleash AI and haven’t segmented and haven’t got good internal controls with role-based access, and haven’t locked down those documents, and they’re not encrypted, you’re going to get all sorts of privacy issues.” Toal’s advice is don’t rush into delivering AI without thinking about what the problem is you are trying to solve. He also suggests not using the word AI when working out the problem because it will “just scare people”. Instead, he says just talk about the problem and what you want to do better, and then work out how AI can provide a solution for each element. DPV Health have built a proof of concept predictive AI model to address the fact that around 25% of clients would fail to attend appointments. “That’s an instant hit to productivity, and we have massive wait lists because we’re publicly funded within a rapidly growing community, to get people in who really need help,” explains Toal. “So if the clinician sits there not servicing someone, that’s impacting us and the clients”. “The model predicts at the time when clients are making the appointment their likelihood of attending. We’ve tested about 91% accurate on that, so that’s been really good, and with a number of other data driven changes those no-shows are now around 14% – or 8% if you exclude mental health appointments – down from 25%.” technologymagazine.com

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“ We have just done four years of work on digital transformation. You have to do the work, to be ready for the next stage” NOEL TOAL

CIO, DPV HEALTH

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DPV Health also utilises AI on some cyber security tooling, and Toal says it’s a great way to make small teams more efficient – “AI is a really powerful way to do some of that leg work for you and just let your people focus”. Cyber security is also the one thing that Toal says, when asked, what keeps him awake at night. “It’s got to be cyber security, right? That has always been the case but it’s been moving towards what I would call drive-by cyber attacks because people can just go on to the dark web and they can download quite sophisticated tooling and run it – but now that tooling is AI enabled.” “Around 59% of breaches in healthcare come from compromised credentials. They’re coming from phishing. You need

good internal controls to deal with hackers who use legitimate user credentials. The other element is mistakes. If you look at some of the big breaches that have happened, they are simple mistakes.” “So how do you deal with mistakes? I think you’ve got to have really good controls so that when someone does make the inevitable mistake, you pick it up, and you deal with it.” Toal can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that his extensive skills and experience have not only delivered DPV Health’s digital transformation, but also along the way improved the health services and care for thousands of people.

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CGI REVOLUTIO MANUFACTURIN WITH DATA STRATEGIES WRITTEN BY: HELEN ADAMS PRODUCED BY: KARL GREEN

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CGI’s Coen Huesmann shares insight into how manufacturers can navigate the future of the sector with AI and data-driven excellence

oen Huesmann heads up the Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at global IT and Consulting company CGI: focusing on helping CGI’s manufacturing clients to improve manufacturing processes and support them on their digitisation journey. Leading large-scale transformation projects that result in efficient, resilient and sustainable manufacturing. “I lead CGI’s manufacturing team in the Netherlands,” says Huesmann “We help our clients to improve their manufacturing processes. We are in the heart of the factory, across the shop-floor and full supply-chain helping to implement systems that bring about real change.” He adds: “Our clients are at varying points of the transformation journey, but wherever they are we know it is not a ‘one-size’ fits all. We use real data and insight to help develop comprehensive change road-maps unique for our clients. “These road-maps are holistic, in that it is as much about the technology as it is about the people and the organisation. Success needs healthy foundations to bed and mature into. We are also pleased to offer our clients services and support on a 24/7 ‘follow-the-sun’ basis using our global capability centres guided by those close to the client.”

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1976

Year founded

91,500

Number of employees

CA$12.9bn Revenue

CGI

At the start of his career, Huesmann began applying his tech and manufacturing know-how to help build a tapioca starch factory in Indonesia. “After that, I decided to continue my career in consulting and worked for KPMG,” he says. “There, I implemented and selected business intelligence systems, what we now call AI or analytics systems.” Huesmann then went back to operations by working for Phillips in Australia, where he enabled businesses breakthrough process improvements. After that, he became a supply chain manager. However, in terms of achievements, Huesmann’s proudest comes through the growth of the Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at CGI. He says: “I started three years ago, at the start of the pandemic. One big challenge at that moment was that I had to get to know my team from video calls! We’ve built that team to almost 90 people now across the Netherlands, with a connected team in India. We manage to grow the team

“ With client transformation journeys we know it is not one size fits all” COEN HUESMANN

VICE PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING, CGI

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together, despite the circumstances and build a proud and successful team.” This is against a backdrop of changes in social demographics which is deeply affecting the manufacturing industry. Many manufacturers are currently struggling to find and hire the right people. Looking at this trend Huesmann prioritises looking for people with strong manufacturing and IT backgrounds, understanding that advances in technology will support sustainability agendas and ultimately attract the right level of talent. “We’re doing a lot on the cutting edge between production, quality, logistics and maintenance,” he says. “Finding people with the right profiles to help our clients go from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance to prescriptive maintenance.” The importance of harvesting data In 2021, Huesmann spoke about the importance of harvesting data – that hasn’t changed. He says: “When we talk to clients all over the world, they’re all interested in getting more value from data. With multiple datastreams at their fingertips knowing how and what to use to not only evolve their operations but to develop new revenue streams will set manufacturers apart from each other.” Huesmann suggests that getting its data streams, systems, and management in order is a critical first step to leveraging new technologies, such as AI, with success being equal to the time spent into preparation. He says: “You see that almost every company in the world is now deeply investing in AI. CGI recently announced that we are going to invest US$1bn in AI

COEN HUESMANN TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY: CGI INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING LOCATION: UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS Huesmann joined CGI mid 2020 previously working in executive positions with Accenture, Philips and KPMG with clients ranging from Toyota to the Royal Dutch Air Force. Huesmann is an entrepreneurial people manager with extensive international management experience in the areas of Lean, Smart Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. He leads the Manufacturing Center of Excellence of CGI in the Netherlands with a broad

team of industry and technology experts. The team is dedicated to working with manufacturing companies in optimising their operations building agile supply chains utilising proven CGI approach called Manufacturing Atlas. He and his team are leading the way in consulting manufacturers, both locally and globally – ranging from chemical plants to dairy companies to discrete manufacturers – on how to take the next step on their digital journey.

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Disruption is the new normal for manufacturers. Now what? “Labor shortages, demand and cost volatility, and unpredictable markets. These are just some of the challenges manufacturers face. Meanwhile, they must ensure operations run better, faster, and more sustainably. The question is: how?” Rashesh Mody, Executive Vice President, Business Strategy & Realization at AVEVA

Turn volatility into opportunity To succeed in an uncertain world, you must do more with less—and that starts with data. Now, you must optimize every investment, which means collecting the right data to ensure users can make actionable, real-time decisions. With the right digital manufacturing ecosystem, including SCADA, HMI, and MES, you can unlock new insights and new levels of collaboration—and turn volatility into opportunity. Here are ﬁve ways that a digital manufacturing ecosystem can enable resilient transformation. Give users the insights they actually need Excel spreadsheets? No thanks. A modern digital manufacturing ecosystem gives users relevant insights anytime and anywhere so they can troubleshoot and solve problems and predict asset behavior—all before failure occurs. Paint a clear (and big) picture Users need more than just a small slice of information—they need the big picture. From real-time performance data to maps to asset documentation, a digital manufacturing ecosystem gives users the holistic view they need to make decisions that matter.

Operate at the speed of real time Yesterday’s insights are yesterday’s news. As you collect even greater amounts of data, your users need to access and analyze that information in near real-time. A digital manufacturing ecosystem creates a connected view that simplifies data analysis. Close the gap As you struggle to attract new talent, your users must do more with less. By taking a streamlined, data-driven approach, you can facilitate knowledge capture and enable new ways of collaboration with users both inside and outside the organization. Enable agile, responsive operations Unpredictable markets require unprecedented agility. Modern manufacturing solutions aggregate and structure data so it can be used in artificial intelligence and machine learning models, and be visualized alongside other pertinent information, such as financial data.

Learn more about how you can turn volatility into opportunity with AVEVA

Seize your moments

Coen Huesmann of CGI: Navigating Manufacturing’s Future with AI and Data-Driven Excellence WATCH NOW

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“ Success is reliant on people. Manufacturers need to invest in being both people-driven and data-driven” COEN HUESMANN

VICE PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING, CGI

technology. One of our partners, Aveva, is also investing US$1bn in AI. “Nobody doubts the importance of having the right data to make the right decisions, but success also is reliant on people, manufacturers need to invest in being both people-driven and data-driven. “Without having the right amount of people, with the right sorts of skill sets, success becomes a challenge. So a question to ask is: am I investing in growing the workforce?” Many of CGI’s clients’ factories are up to 40 years old and will still be active for the next 20 years, yet ‘knowledge holders’ are retiring in large numbers. So knowing how to retrieve the knowledge of those people and the knowledge of these legacy systems is also critical. Manufacturers can either build new systems or keep these legacy systems current in the future. “That’s where we do a lot of work with our clients,” says Huesmann. Many of CGI’s clients choose to outsource to CGI knowing that they are in safe hands when it comes to training and skilling-up workforces; retaining and refreshing knowledge while modernising their core manufacturing systems for the future. Another key issue on the road to becoming data-driven is the complexity of data landscapes. Many manufacturers have built their operations over decades and through multiple mergers. This results in multiple data sources all using different data formats and languages. To leverage and harvest their value, they must be together in a way that manufacturers can digest and combine the data. “Creating ‘open’ data systems is another hurdle for future looking manufacturers,” technologymagazine.com

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“The future of the industry increasingly depends on being able to track and trace data, to not only demonstrate sustainability but to create novel offerings” COEN HUESMANN

VICE PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING, CGI

explains Huesmann. “The future of the industry will increasingly depend on being able to track and trace data to not only demonstrate sustainability but to share and combine in order to create novel offerings. This precision can be acquired through thorough data management and know-how.” He adds: “There’s often much more data than people can handle, but the specific data that you want is often not available from legacy systems. Disclosing that kind of information with sensors and with other equipment, that’s one big step.” The second step is that once an organisation has all that data, it still needs to provide the right context to that data. “This is when we use the systems of our partners, like Aveva and OSIsoft, where we identify raw data,” says Huesmann. “We bring all these things together and then you know what you’re looking at.” By providing the right context to the data, manufacturers can start interpreting it, adding meaning to it. It is this meaning and extrapolation that creative solutions and innovations for the market can be found. technologymagazine.com

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CGI’s manufacturing and data strategy Becoming a truly data-driven manufacturing organisation requires implementing a digital continuum from design and distribution through to sales and customer feedback. It requires becoming an intelligently connected organisation where business units share and receive information at the right time. CGI’s data driven manufacturing approach has four core pillars: • Data strategy • Data management • Enterprise intelligence • Organisational readiness “Success starts with getting clear on what the customer’s vision is for the data,” says Huesmann. CGI focuses on the problems that customers are trying to solve, for example, why they want to get into data-driven manufacturing, what trend, challenge or opportunity they are trying to reach through incorporating data-driven processes and operations. Huesmann says: “Of course, the biggest trend at the moment is sustainability. All of CGI’s manufacturing clients are focusing on this, and want to know how they can reduce the amount of energy used, improve the yield on raw material, produce less waste and reuse old materials. All that requires data.” The second pillar is data management – how and where data is collected. Data comes from different data sources with different historical owners, including engineering data from PLM systems, transaction data from ERP systems, manufacturing data from MES systems and external data sources. 184

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The data landscape can be very complex, Huesmann says, who adds it also involves multiple users and agents within the chain. “Understanding who owns the data and who has access is key to providing security and clarity.” The third pillar is enterprise intelligence. “Sense, connect, collect, context, analyse, act,” Explains Huesmann, “Once manufacturers have developed a healthy data foundation through strategy, governance and management they are now in a place to harvest.

“ Becoming a truly data-driven manufacturing organisation requires implementing a digital continuum from design and distribution through to sales and customer feedback” COEN HUESMANN

VICE PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING, CGI technologymagazine.com

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“Advanced analytics and learning algorithms play a big role in this, they provide the intelligence. If a customer wants to start using these kinds of systems and these very advanced algorithms, they need to be ready for that as an organisation as well. “ He adds: “That’s the fourth – and often underestimated – step,” says Huesmann. “We tend to focus just on the systems or the techniques, but equally important is building an organisation that’s capable of handling the data and making the right business decisions.”

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Part of this, he says, is having “important conversations” with clients, such as how they align and structure themselves, whether they should have a chief data officer, who takes the lead. Huesmann also highlights a number of CGI’s key partners, including Microsoft, Google and AWS – all platform partners in the cloud. “We also work with many industry partners,” he says. “suppliers of engineering systems, data historians, and MES systems. Together we automate processes and

retrieve rich data streams from the factories and shop floor itself. “When we have continuous access to the right data, we are able to improve using AI and machine learning. For example, we are working with partners like SAS with whom we can continuously determine and create the right algorithms to optimise the manufacturing environments for our clients. Working with these various partners as an ecosystem brings real value to our clients enabling them to make increasingly better decisions.”

He says a partner such as Aveva supports CGI’s engineering and production portfolio, which ranges from designing factories to automating factories and getting data out of factories, as well as building insights into what is happening in the factories. “Systems such as Seeq and TrendMiner provide insights from production data streams,” says Huesmann. “If you want to create algorithms that offer real-world benefit, then having such an ecosystem is vital.” He adds: “You have to know how to work with a lot of different players. Meeting the up-coming sustainability agendas, offering real-world innovation to clients. This can’t be done in silo. Our partners, and our clients can’t do it solo either. Success in the future requires us all to work together.” For Huesmann, integrating all of these systems, as well as company USPs, is where its strength lies, and that this is something CGI will carry with it over the next year. “Our plans for the coming year will focus on extending and deepening our core partnerships,” says Huesmann. CGI is also investing in AI, exploring beneficial use cases and scaling up the use of AI in combination with the right systems and sensors close to the shop floor. “We are putting a lot of effort also on the maintenance side, to become predictive and ultimately supporting our clients in becoming prescriptive,” says Huesmann. Of course for all these objectives, data plays a critical role and Huesmann is proud of CGI’s strength in this area and the results they are bringing to their clients.

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I X A F R I C A : PUTTING KENYA ON THE MAP AS A DATA CENTRE LEADER WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK PRODUCED BY: LEWIS VAUGHAN

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IXAFRICA

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Co-Founder & Chairman Guy Willner shares IXAfrica’s journey from start-up to operator sustaining East Africa’s growing demand for digital infrastructure

enya may seem like an unconventional place to build a state-of-the-art revolutionary data centre campus, but if anything it boasts better credentials than other geographies, which lend themselves as favourable to sustainable locations. And that sentiment is echoed by IXAfrica’s Co-Founder and Chairman Guy Willner. The seasoned data centre specialist has experience setting up facilities worldwide, and highlights how Kenya boasts a plethora of benefits – both for the environment, operator and its clientele. “The interesting thing about Kenya is that it uses 90% plus renewable energy. To put that into context, the UK is probably about 25% on a good day. And this is 24 hours, so it’s not wind energy or solar, it’s geothermal – which means it’s available 24/7. It’s a massive thing for Kenya.” Kenya’s a bit like Nordic nations, like Iceland or Norway with 93% renewable energy – due to its access to hydropower, Willner explains. “But geothermal is neither damaging for the environment like building dams, nor is it only available eight hours a day like solar. This is really serious stuff. I don’t think there’s one European Union country that gets anywhere close to where Kenya is in terms of renewable power.” IXAfrica’s data centre campus expansion in Nairobi, Kenya Situated in Nairobi, IXAfrica’s campus is strategically located amid Africa’s growing technology epicentre and is

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Guy Willner is the Co-Founder & Chairman of IXAfrica technologymagazine.com

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“ Our mission is to build good businesses with good people, and real businesses that generate profits and contribute to the local economy” GUY WILLNER

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, IXAFRICA

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the first hyperscale data centre in East Africa. IXAfrica, in partnership with Tilisi Developments, is expanding its offering with a new, second campus in the Kenyan capital. Last year, IXAfrica announced a US$50m investment into its Nairobi One campus to accelerate its development and help cement IXAfrica’s reputation as East Africa’s leading hyperscale data centre provider and to cater to the increasing demand for cloud computing services, digital transformation, and edge computing applications in the region. In collaboration with premier real estate developer Tilisi, IXAfrica purchased 11 acres of land to construct its second data centre campus in the Kenyan capital.

WHY NAIROBI, KENYA IS A FAVOURABLE DATA CENTRE LOCATION Setting up a data centre facility in Kenya can be done with a pretty clean conscience thanks to geothermal energy, Willner attests. With a population across West Africa of more than 400 million – more than 50 million of which in Kenya alone – the average age is around 21, compared to approaching 50 in Europe. And with this demographic statistically more likely to be more frequent users of smartphones, Kenya is located well to deal with the sheer volumes of traffic coming from sub-Saharan Africa. “If you start looking at medium term demographics,” Willner illustrates, “we’re heading for a massive revolution in the next 30 years. Emerging markets have always had high interest rates, so they’ve always had to manage their businesses very carefully. There’s been very sensible management to companies, and suddenly people are beginning to look at Africa in particular and see what they can do.”

And with IXAFrica’s campus located in Nairobi, IXAfrica utilises the naturally high altitude to its advantage. Willner explains: “Nairobi sits at 1,700 metres – to put that into context, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom is 1,300 metres. Europeans and Americans have no clue about what’s going on in Africa, thinking power is terrible and it’s super hot. Nairobi is about 24 or 25 degrees all year round. It’s never too hot, never too cold. So when our first design came through and we had US$300,000 worth of central heating systems for the data centre, the people locally questioned as to why.” Nairobi is the only city in the world with a national park on its doorstep, and Willner shares how a massive part of Kenyan culture revolves around protecting their environment. “There’s always a pull from the teams and people in Kenya to look for green solutions,” he says. “They’re still very close to nature and are really sensitive to that.”

IXAFRICA

Guy Willner on IXAfrica’s growth and how it is sustaining East Africa’s growing data centre demand WATCH NOW

“The new Tilisi development is at 2,200 metres altitude, so it’s about five degrees cooler. It’s 20 or 21 degrees during the day and maybe 10 at night. Below 14 degrees, you can use free cooling in data centres. So that’s what we’ll be doing. It’s very exciting to have that second campus.” Catering to growing demands in East Africa Using an analogy of a data centre being the head of the internet as it houses the technology for it to function, Willner likens long distance networks to the body and arms, the fingers are the last mile, whether mobile telecoms, fibre to the home or WiFI in a village. “Everything is connected and therefore everything has to be built in synchronisation,” Willner illustrates. “There’s no point in having a data centre if there’s no network. This is all part of a whole development in Africa in general. Dozens of companies are now laying fibre across Africa, 194

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and also into small communities. We are part of that whole ecosystem where everybody has to do their own thing.” For this reason, Willner attests that IXAfrica’s carrier-neutral and vendor-neutral qualities makes it favourable and desirable to its current and future clients. By providing state-of-the-art infrastructure, green power availability, advanced security measures, and efficient cooling solutions, IXAfrica is poised to play a pivotal role in bolstering East Africa’s technology landscape.” “In terms of environmental responsibility I think we’re probably about a decade ahead of most of Europe,” he says, proudly. “We’ve been able to use local construction techniques and not import a whole load of glass and steel from Europe or Southeast Asia. We’ve got 90% green grid. We’re in a super lucky position in Kenya to have geothermal energy.”

Guy Willner

TITLE: CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN COMPANY: IXAFRICA LOCATION: KENYA Guy Willner – A worldrenowned Data Centre expert and entrepreneur, having invested in and founded a number of DC startups including in emerging markets over the last 25 years. Mr. Willner founded IXEurope in 1998 and oversaw the company’s growth from a sole datacenter in London to a network of 14 datacenters located in four countries IXEurope was purchased by Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) for $555 million, and Mr. Willner remained as the President of Equinix’s European sector through June 2008. In 2018, Mr. Willner co-founded IXAfrica, a hyperscale datacenter operator in Kenya that is projected to be the largest hyperscale datacenter campus in East Africa by 2025. In 2022 Guy joined the Board of Elea Digital in Brazil. Mr. Willner holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Oxford Brookes University. In 2022 Guy became an Advisor to Helios LLP in Digital Infrastructure with specific focus in the African Region.

“ I think we’re probably about a decade ahead of most of Europe” GUY WILLNER

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, IXAFRICA

BLEND INTERNATIONAL WITH LOCAL – THE BENCHMARK FOR TIER 2 DEVELOPING MARKETS As a Design Consultant working solely on data centre projects across the EMEA regions, Future-tech has a unique perspective on meeting international standards and best practice in a wide range of local markets

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Future-tech has worked in 38 different countries across the EMEA region in the last 36 months. In environments as diverse as Helsinki, Milan, Athens, Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg. This has led to a company-wide sensitivity to local markets, in both design and management. Working with local consultants that have varying experience with data centre projects, but also with systems, software and timescales that have become the standard expectation in FLAP-based data centre projects. Future-tech’s experience has led us to understand and appreciate the capabilities and nuances of local supply chains, working practices and cultures. By collaborating with key local stakeholders – architects, structural

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and civil engineers, fire, environmental consultants, etc – Future-tech and its partners deliver market-leading international expertise and project processes, combined with in-country knowledge and relationships. Our clients benefit from the advantages associated with maximising resources, materials and labour available in the region, together with international design management, solutions, and technology. This blend results in greater sustainability, lower overall cost, regionally sensitive procurement, and efficient programme delivery. The IXAfrica Nairobi-One Campus is an example of this formula in action. Future-tech is very proud of the relationships developed, the success of the project, and the opportunity to help shape a future Tier 1 market.

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A Kenyan data centre for Kenyan people “Our mission is to build good businesses with good people, and real businesses that generate profits and contribute to the local economy in terms of people, in terms of training, in terms of taxes,” Willner adds, excited by the challenge of this emerging market. “The excitement here, although there are other data centre players in Kenya, is building up a data centre company that really makes Kenya part of it.” Willner and IXAfrica pride themselves in delivering a project end-to-end with ESG in mind as well as profit and quality of service.

“IXAfrica is a new company, but from the point that we started designing, it was all about keeping Africa” GUY WILLNER

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, IXAFRICA

From left to right, IXAfrica Data Centre Engineer on Board and Shareholder Naresh Mehta, Niraj Shah, Director, Sales & Business Development and Chairman Guy Willner

“There’s no expats in Nairobi, it’s all local employees,” he says. “We might have people there for two months at a time or something like that, but Kenyans run the Kenyan business. IXAfrica is a new company, but from the point that we started designing, it was all about keeping Africa.” Trust is a major factor in the data centre workforce, Willner explains, with experience, reliability and a 24-hour infrastructure key to success – needing a workforce braced and ready for any unexpected disasters, whether that be if power fails at 4am on a Saturday morning or otherwise. technologymagazine.com

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“ It will benefit us, it’ll benefit our competitors, but most importantly it’ll benefit the country and the industry” GUY WILLNER

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, IXAFRICA

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“We’re the newest game in town. We’ve made sure that our data centre can cope with some of the most complex concentrated super compute that you can find.” The importance of people “You build an amazing data centre, but you’ve got to have people who can operate it and with the passion to make sure this data centre never fails. It’s very much about people,” he continues. “The two things that I like most about the industry is that it’s full of very friendly people who help each other out. And the other thing is the international aspect where you might be doing something

in Nairobi – or London or Birmingham or Paris or similar – but the challenges are very similar. “If I’ve got a friend running a data centre in Brussels, there’s no competition between me and him or him here with my Nairobi business. We can share information, we can share ideas. There’s a lot of sharing of ideas and information. “ The importance of a skilled, local workforce is something Willner firmly believes in, but appreciates is a pool that needs nurturing to shape the industry of tomorrow. For this reason, Willner and his team are working to establish and operate a data centre academy in Nairobi, working with Moringa School.

“I’ve always wanted to establish a school and Kenya’s a good place to do that because it has a very highly educated population,” Willner reveals. “It will benefit us, it’ll benefit our competitors, but most importantly it’ll benefit the country and the industry. If Kenya is going to be a massive regional hub for compute, then it’s good that we get more and more people who are trained up to understand what a data centre is.” Putting Nairobi on the map as a thriving data centre location Willner envisions IXAfrica further establishing itself as a key player in the Kenyan data centre market. Although in its infancy as technologymagazine.com

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an operating data centre company, he has a strong vision of populating his campus with expanding hyperscalers in the space of five or six years. “With the Tilisi project being in a big business residential park, just northwest of the central business district, it’s got fantastic power,” he adds. “It’s got 66-kilovolt lines coming in, and with geothermal energy, it’s in an ideal place.” 202

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And Willner hopes to power the progress of IXAfrica’s growth with the positive relationships he’s built up over his 25 years in the data centre industry. Looking forward Likening the next 12 to 18 months to a white-knuckle ride, Willner and his team are working to set up their data centre from a standing start, navigating building an empty

“ We’re all interlinked because if you’ve got that trusting relationship, you are going to work to build the right thing” GUY WILLNER

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, IXAFRICA

data centre into a thriving hub of information exchange, connectivity and thriving business. Partnerships with powerhouses Despite feeling strongly about the strength of his team and having a core passion for startups, Willner acknowledges the power of collaboration across the industry. “A lot of people we’ve worked with for a long time, like Future-tech and Schneider,

help out with our conceptual designs, keeping an eye out to understand what the next steps are in the industry. They help us understand how to operate and keep us on our toes in terms of all the newest technology that’s coming in. “It’s really interesting to have big powerhouses behind us where they’ve got big R&D groups looking at what’s going to happen in 20 years so we can guide our designs so they are futureproof.” Sharing values, core morals and ethical practices with partners is equally valuable to Willner, with trusting relationships and ensuring synchronicity, one of the main things looked for when partnering with businesses for the betterment of IXAfrica, the wider data centre industry and the communities they serve. “You can’t do anything on your own,” he states. “So you need a bunch of friends and they can also keep you in focus. We’re all part of this ecosystem. We’re all interlinked because if you’ve got that trusting relationship, you are going to work to build the right thing.”

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VIRGIN MEDIA O2’S CUSTOMER FOCUS ON THE DIGITAL PAYMENT JOURNEY WRITTEN BY: TOM SWALLOW PRODUCED BY: JACK MITCHELL 204

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VIRGIN MEDIA O2

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David Cox, Payment Strategy Lead at Virgin Media O2, advocates customer focus despite the disparity in digital literacy and consumer desire to transform

here’s no imagining what the world would look like without the media, connectivity, mobile devices, and the ability to stream anything, anywhere, at any time. Society now demands these modern forms of communication, meaning providers must endeavour to maintain 24/7 coverage online and on-air. This can also be translated into core business functions, of which payments is one of the hottest topics right now for a number of reasons. Businesses need to make money, which means they need to be able to acquire it from their customers effortlessly. This trend of ease must also be carried across to consumer engagement as they benefit from timely, seamless payments for their purchases; one-off payments and subscriptions. There’s also something to be said for offering customers more flexibility with their payments in today’s society, not only for the literal sense of the word, but also to ensure elements like contracts or subscription services are compatible with their financial needs. This is summed up by Virgin Media O2’s Payment Strategy Lead, a long-term advocate of the business, David Cox. Having worked at Virgin Media O2 for more than 20 years, Cox is well-positioned to be a leader in his domain but also a spokesperson for how the company approaches operations to ensure that the customer gets the most value for their commitment.

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David Cox, Payment Strategy Lead at Virgin Media O2

VIRGIN MEDIA O2

THE LEGACY OF VIRGIN MEDIA O2 Founded by its illustrious and outrageously committed leader Richard Branson, Virgin Media O2 has a legacy of its own and is an organisation that helped bridge the gap from analogue lifestyle to digital-first media and communications. What was first seen as luxury, the mobile phone is now a necessity globally, and Virgin Media O2 is incredibly influential — a name that can be seen across the UK. The company’s four core products include television, broadband, landline and mobile, which are some of the staples of today that a large portion of the population cannot imagine living without. The company’s objective across these four products is to grow continuously with trends around the world, across the industry, and throughout its network of customers, old or new.

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Supporting customers, digital or not According to Cox, network growth underpins everything that Virgin Media O2 does and the core mission for him is to amalgamate systems with technologies and partner services to provide the best possible experience for its customers. This is a response to the overwhelming number of bills received by customers, which can all be simplified into one single element. “Lots of businesses historically may have received a bill for their mobile service and a separate bill for broadband, so by amalgamating systems, customers can have more choice around how they are

billed, making things really clear and simple for the customer,” says Cox. “Customer experience and customer service are our key focuses. From an employee perspective, it’s about crossskilling — working together to ensure we provide the best customer experience and continue to grow the business.” Following this point, Cox also delves into the kind of industry that Virgin Media O2 contends with and boasts its ability to compete with oncoming technologies. “Apart from things moving faster, the business is very competitive and our industry is very fast-moving. We are more agile than

“ From an employee perspective, it’s about cross-skilling” DAVID COX

PAYMENT STRATEGY LEAD, VIRGIN MEDIA O2

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Virgin Media O2’s customer focus on the digital payment journey WATCH NOW

“ What we’ve done in the past year is replatformed with all of our payment service providers to their latest platforms, to mitigate any negative impacts on our customers” DAVID COX

PAYMENT STRATEGY LEAD, VIRGIN MEDIA O2

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we ever were. The thing that’s probably challenged us most over the past few years is the impact of Covid-19 and lockdown. It was a huge learning experience for all. I think what we saw during lockdown was a change in customer behaviour so customers who wouldn’t naturally be what we call ‘digital’ were forced to because they had no other option. A lot more customers use digital services now, and benefit from being able to self-serve at a time that suits their circumstances and lifestyle” This is seen everywhere in 2023: the rise of digital payment solutions and the gradual reduction in the use of cash, although there was a slight increase in 2023 due to the cost of living crisis. But, while it’s always fun to think about where payment technology will be in the future, we must not forget that some demographics could get left behind — which is all part of the Virgin Media O2 customer commitment.

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DAVID COX TITLE: PAYMENT STRATEGY LEAD COMPANY: VIRGIN MEDIA O2 LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM David has 40 years payments experience having worked in Retail Banking for 18 years, Franchise Ben Sherman stores and then the newly amalgamated Virgin Media O2. He supports all payment methods both old and new across multiple channels and customer types. He also works closely with payment regulators, sponsor banks, payment service providers and merchant acquirers. He always puts the customer first when considering existing or new payment user flows and embraces new payment methods like Open Banking. He also presents 3 radio shows a week as part of a voluntary role which includes acting as Treasurer for a local community radio station.

2006

Virgin Media O2 is born from a merger of Virgin Mobile UK, Virgin.net and NTL Telewest in 2006 technologymagazine.com

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“It takes time for consumers to adapt, even to contactless,” says Cox. “I remember how long it was out there before people started to use that technology. In London they called it the ‘TFL moment’, but outside of London it was more the, dare I say, the latte moment when you could actually pay for your coffee without having minimum fees and minimum values attached. “Initially, when that first came out, consumers were very wary of what happens if they lose their card. ‘What happens? Someone else could use it’. So, with any new payment method, it just takes time for people to get familiar and to trust it, which is one of the challenges ahead of us.” Growth is the goal and is enabled by digital technology In such a rapid chain of events, the world has moved into a very autonomous way of working and the majority of consumers today are able to adopt changes much faster thanks to the generational increase in digital literacy. But Virgin Media O2 recognises that not everyone is that way inclined. Although the majority of new customers are open to digital, there remains a large enough population to warrant manual consumer engagements — and it’s something the company will offer until, and if, this way of customer service naturally phases out. In fact, being a major player in the industry puts Virgin Media O2 in a great position to influence the industry through supporting regulators to generally focus the trajectory of media and communications. Having worked with Pay UK, Cox explains how his work helps build a suitable regulatory structure to suit businesses and their loyal service users. “We flag anything that would negatively or positively impact a merchant. We work

with the regulators a lot to ensure that the end-state product delivers what our front-end consumers are looking for. The other thing we keep flagging, which just gets forgotten sometimes, is meeting the needs of all demographics. When I bring this up in meetings, some people within those meetings are still surprised that not everyone actually has a smartphone,” says Cox. It is always somewhat refreshing to see that Cox’s approach to customer service isn’t just about how they interact with the business, but he also likes to understand consumers’ desires from a much deeper perspective. “Some of our consumers still go to the local post office to pay their bill. Not always because they couldn’t pay by other means, it may because the cashier could be the only person they see, or it may literally be the only trip out in the week,” Cox explains. “We must remember to meet the needs of all customers, demographics and backgrounds rather than just assuming everyone’s got a smartphone, or that everyone wants to go digital.” He refers to this as a ‘balancing act’ as he also addresses the idea of digital disparity of those that actually use technology to make their payments to Virgin Media O2. “With the payment landscape ever changing, we must work with providers of digital wallets like Google Pay/Apple Pay/ Click To Pay or indeed, open banking — any of those. We should ensure that whatever we put in front of our consumers, close to 100% of our customers could, in principle, use that function and trust it; know it’s secure and know that we’ve done all we can to develop it from a consumer perspective,” Cox says. technologymagazine.com

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“ They expect everything to be working 100% of the time, not to try and connect to the wifi at 7pm and find that it’s not working” DAVID COX

PAYMENT STRATEGY LEAD, VIRGIN MEDIA O2

Payment solutions that echo customer commitment When it comes to services, Cox explains, Virgin Media O2 leans on a number of providers to really enhance the experience for its customers. In his role, Cox is tasked with a strategic focus on those partners and their services as the company shifts towards organisations delivering more advanced projects. Open-banking being the key and evolving focus for the industry at the moment means that Virgin Media O2 steers itself away from legacy systems in order to remain current. “What we’ve done in the past year is replatformed with all of our payment service providers to their latest platforms, which gives us that agility to switch on and off certain payment methods — they’re robust, secure, up 100% of the time and that’s what our customers expect,” says Cox. “They expect everything to be working 100% of the time, not to try and connect to the wifi at 7pm and find that it’s not working. I think stabilisation of our platforms and services is something we’ve very much been technologymagazine.com

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focused on. By having an agile platform, whether it’s payment service providers or internal, we then gain the ability to pilot different solutions to meet customer needs.” To deliver these agile, rapidly evolving, ‘always-on’ payment offerings, the company pays close attention to the approach of ebpSource, one of its main, strategic digital billing and payment partners, who are capable of meeting the needs of the business around the clock. Naturally, with customers expecting their services to be available 24/7, the company relies on a partner that is able to update and service its solutions in the least disruptive way possible while being at the forefront of the latest developments in digital payments. “ebpSource was founded back in 2006, by one of the most experienced teams in the

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“ We must remember to meet the needs of all customers, of all demographics and backgrounds” DAVID COX

PAYMENT STRATEGY LEAD, VIRGIN MEDIA O2

global electronic billing and payment industry. Our collaboration with ebpSource started from those early days and has evolved to support the extensive digitisation of the business across many areas of our digital domain; billing and payments being a key part of that journey strategically. They understand our business and how new technology needs to work within existing frameworks, business processes, technical processes and IT environments.

Additionally they bring us the value of their cross-industry experience, working not only in telecoms but also with utilities, financial services and payment processors” Cox says. This sets the company on the path towards further growth in the digital arena. Open banking is the key trend that Cox expects to see more involvement with in the future. Virgin Media O2 is continually evolving to bring its customers into the digital realm and remain up-to-date with the latest technological trends and discoveries. In doing so, open banking, he expects, will further streamline the payment process for digital customers, making it a more appealing concept for the majority.

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