Technology Magazine – April 2020

CYBERSECURIT Y STRATEGIES AND A SUPERHERO CULTURE

APRIL 2020

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W

elcome to the April issue of

company’s approach to closing the

Technology magazine!

technology skills gap, and getting

In this month’s cover feature, we talk

to Dibbe Edwards of IBM. As Vice President of IBM Engineering Lifecycle

a younger, more diverse set of people into the industry.

When it comes to software, the

Management, Edwards tells us about

United States tends to monopolise

product lifecycle management, how

lists of the biggest companies. That’s

AI can help reduce complexity and the

why our Top 10 examines the software

software-based transformation of

companies based outside of the US,

the automotive industry.

with entrants from countries including

On that last point, Edwards is clear that staying afloat will require new

France, Australia, Canada and the UK. Don’t forget to read our other feature

technological approaches. “The

interviews with the United States Air

cycles of their vehicles had been five-

Force, KAUST, Volvo cars and more.

plus years in terms of coming out with

Do you have a story to tell? If you

new versions of their cars. They can’t

would like to be featured in an upcoming

do that anymore. They want to be able

issue of Technology magazine, get in touch

to do that in months, not years.”

at william.smith@bizclikmedia.com

We also hear from Lee James, jumio.com EMEA CTO at multinational tech

Enjoy the issue!

company Rackspace, who reveals the

William Smith

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CONTENTS

58 The role of Big Data in healthcare

A SUPERHERO CULTURE THAT FIGHTS CYBER THREATS

12

Smart technology takes centre stage in the age of experience

68 78 How AI is transforming the automotive industry

48

88

How the industry can help overcome the technology skills gap

Global software innovators

106 EVENTS

110

Siemens AG

136

K2 Data Centres

170

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

154

Fonterra

186

Volvo Cars

202 UNRWA

218

Clariant

234

Sify Technologies

252

Telstra Purple

272

Kansas City Public Schools

302

United Asia Finance

286 SAP AG

318

PGS Software

350

Emirates National Schools

332

PCL Construction

12

R E P U S A

T E R U T L U C R E B Y C APRIL 2020

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE

PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR 13

O R E H R S T H G I F T A TH S T A E R H T R w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

US AIR FORCE

IN OUR SECOND VISIT TO WASHINGTON DC, LAUREN KNAUSENBERGER, CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER AT THE US AIR FORCE, DISCUSSES CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIES AND A SUPERHERO CULTURE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

14

L

auren Knausenberger is the U.S. Air Force’s Chief Transformation Officer (CTO). Having initially joined as Director of Cyberspace

Innovation in 2017, she assumed her current position in June 2019, stepping into a newly-created role that reaches across the entire Air Force to drive digital transformation. A Wharton graduate who left her work in the entrepreneurial and investment industry to take on this new challenge in government, she is one of very few senior officials under the age of 40, and is no stranger to the digital space.

Upon joining the US Air Force, Knausenberger was primed to drive change at the federal government. “Everyone fails…until they don’t!” she quips.

“I think I told you that I joined the Air Force quite by accident. I became so intrigued with one of their problem sets and the next thing I knew a few persuasive generals had me signing up. The thing is – I missed the mission and didn’t realize it until these APRIL 2020

15

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

THEY PROMISED A FUTURE.

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US AIR FORCE

generals reminded me. I was so hon-

“KESSEL RUN WAS BORN OUT OF THAT PROBLEM — WE TURNED A WHITEBOARD INTO AN ALGORITHM”

ored that they saw something in me and thought my ideas could really move the needle on some big problems.”

Few people know that Knausenberger began her career at NSA, being recruited as a High School student, so joining the Air Force was bringing her full circle. “It was refreshing to jump into this role, blissfully unaware of all of the ways

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force 18

that many efforts had failed in the past. I wasn’t worried about upsetting anyone, and I knew that if I could accomplish even a tenth of what I saw could be done, it would make a big difference.”

As an outsider trying to drive change, Knausenberger understood the challenge of becoming part of an organization still entrenched in a traditional approach. “What the Air Force was really looking for was someone who thought differently and was passionate about the problem space, and who could convince people that we could really do it,” she explains. “At the end of the day, I simply calculate risk differently. Most people say the military is risk averse, but from my perspective, we were taking crazy risks everywhere – by not

APRIL 2020

The value of partnerships at The US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:35

19 innovating fast enough we were pass-

“One of my favorite moments was when

ing that risk to the warfighter every day.

a general told me that she knew she had

I’ve seen that way of thinking about risk

to think differently when I was in a meet-

change dramatically over the past three

ing,” she notes. “Just six months later, that

years, but we still have some work to do.”

same general told me I didn’t need to be

From the very beginning, Knausenberger felt that her own ‘crazy’

there anymore for her to push forward and not accept the old way of thinking.”

ideas were embraced and that people

The barriers to speed in the

were open and direct if they felt that one

Department of Defense are well

of her suggestions couldn’t work.

documented and she completed her own assessment of these in her first 90 days.

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US AIR FORCE

22

“There were certainly many routes to

champions away. I was able to form part-

go down. I wanted to solve a problem

nerships with smart, passionate people

where there was clear pain and frustra-

all focused on a common goal – including

tion across a diverse group of people,”

full support from Air Force Deputy Chief

she states. “Equally important, I picked

Information Officer, Bill Marion - and

one where I felt I was uniquely poised

that allowed us to do some great work.

to help – in terms of my own strengths

Our Chief Information Security Officer,

as well as my position in the CIO

Wanda Jones-Heath, had her team roll

organization. Starting with cybersecu-

up their sleeves to help make sure the

rity accreditation just made too much

new constructs would stick, and consult-

sense. There was so much pain in the

ants like Lonye Ford at Arlo Solutions

process and I was confident we could do

helped make sure we filled in execution

better. So many people wanted to help

details in a way that traditional assessors

make this happen I almost had to turn

could relate and adopt new practices.”

APRIL 2020

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Lauren Knausenberger Lauren Knausenberger joined the U.S. Air Force to drive innovation across the Department of Defense, speed adoption of emerging technologies, and create stronger partnerships between the DoD, startups, and the venture community.

In her role as Chief Transformation Officer, she has actively fought to bust traditional barriers to capability development, including shifting the risk equation for cybersecurity accreditation to incentivise the rapid adoption of modern, secure systems. In partnership with Kessel Run, Lauren generated the Continuous ATO concept, which helped set the bar for excellence in DevSecOps and enables Air Force software factories to accredit and deploy systems at commercial speed. She was also a major contributor to the recent Fast Track ATO, which emphasises pen testing and threat/vulnerability assessment over compliance. Through her work with the DevSecOps community, Lauren saw a major gap in the way of training and retaining the most technologically savvy Airmen and has become a driving force behind the Computer Language Initiative and Digital University.

Lauren also acts as an champion for AFWERX and a connector across the Air Force community to enable projects, remove barriers to entry for best-inclass businesses, test innovative concepts, and bring new voices and capabilities to the table.

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

23

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US AIR FORCE

26

The US Air Force has been in the

of partners such as Pivotal and others

software business for some time, but

who had already found the solution to

until the past few years was almost solely

part of that conundrum. “We were for-

leveraging legacy, waterfall software

tunate to have such great partners, who

development practices. “Even as we

had already figured out how to develop

adopted agile development, we were

safe and secure code rapidly. We joined

still stymied by a ridiculously arduous

forces to create a secure Continuous

cybersecurity accreditation process

Integration/Continuous Deployment

that was ultimately not relevant to the

(CI/CD) pipeline and adopted the best

modern technologies in use. How could

practices of the DevOps Research

we ensure the code being delivered

Assessment. Our teams worked hard

was safe and secure, but could at the

to constantly improve and we used

same time be delivered at the speed of

penetration testing to assess our code

relevance?” She credits the importance

in production as well. The premise is

APRIL 2020

that if you design secure software, use

whiteboard’. Why? ‘Because the white-

a secure process, bake security into

board is how they planned all of their

everything you do, and have a robust

refueling operations. We had pilots flying

way to test and validate your code con-

all over the Middle East, refueling in mid-

tinuously, that accreditation should be

air at 350mph, while someone hangs out

done by the time the code is complete.

the back of an airplane…and it could be

So, the continuous authority to operate

defeated by a whiteboard eraser!’”

(cATO) was born. This was revolutionary

After hearing this, Schmidt was

in the department, and really incentivized

certain there could be an algorithm cre-

people to adopt modern DevSecOps

ated to combat the problem. “And he

practices. And it all started with a group

was absolutely right,” Knausenberger

of insurgents at Kessel Run.”

confirms. “Kessel Run was born out of

Kessel Run was the first true imple-

that problem – we turned a whiteboard

mentation of agile DevSecOps in the

into an algorithm, and amongst many

Air Force, and represented a departure

other successes we’re now saving

from the standard way of doing develop-

over $250k a week in fuel. This team

ment. “We joked we had to ‘smuggle’

of incredibly motivated, and relatively

agile development and cybersecurity

junior, personnel was creating such

accreditation into the Air Force to make

innovative software, and an Air Force

it happen,” says Knausenberger. “Kessel

cultural revolution to go with it. We have

Run first got started with refueling opera-

developed such an incredible insurgency

tions in the Middle East. Eric Schmidt

and have gained support by a broad part

and the Defense Innovation Board flew

of the organization that I don’t think we

over to Qatar and Schmidt asked one

can call it an insurgency anymore. We’ve

of the commanders what kept him up

won. It’s reached irreversible momentum.

at night. The commander said ‘I’m just

And that’s incredible,” she adds. “Since

terrified someone’s going to erase my

Kessel Run got its start, the Air Force has

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

27

Diabolically Diabolically Creative.

Creative.

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We employ security and We We have have developed developed a high-level a high-level C-ATO C-ATO We playbook have playbook developed in in a high-le penetration penetration testing testing techniques techniques to assess to assess penetration vulnerabilities vulnerabilities testing techniques towith assess cooperation cooperation with andvulnerabilities and informed informed

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Whereas Whereas many many in our in our industry industry trends. get get married Whereas married to to many in our industry get married to a particular a particular technology technology or methodology, or methodology, a particular we encourage we encourage technology or methodology, we encourage our our employees employees to explore to explore andand embrace embrace our theemployees the rapid rapid pace pace to explore and embrace the rapid pace of innovation of innovation andand technological technological evolution. evolution. of innovation and technological evolution.

Among Among our our experiences, experiences, DarkDark WolfWolf is proud Among is proud to our have to have experiences, Dark Wolf is proud to have supported supported Secretary Secretary of Air of Force/Office Air Force/Office supported of Information of Information Secretary of Air Force/Office of Information

US AIR FORCE

The Strategic Studies Group demonstrates the super hero pose

30 stood up a number of agile development capabilities - Platform One, Kobayashi Maru, LevelUp, BESPIN, SoniKube, Tron, Ski Camp, and others who are doing amazing work and reaching across the community to share best practices.

Finally, we have hired a Chief Software Officer, Nicolas Chaillan, who has been a great partner to drive forward so many of these initiatives.”

“The revolution didn’t stop at just software development though, it was actually much broader. Spark Tank is an excellent example of that,” Knausenberger continues. Established in 2017, Spark APRIL 2020

Tank acts as a catalyst for agile US Air

innovators with tools and connections,

Force engagement across the industry

and the senior-level support needed to

and encourages innovation and entre-

break down policy barriers,” she com-

preneurship. A partnership between

ments. “Airmen submit hundreds of

AFWERX and Airmen Powered by

ideas and we whittle them down to just

Innovation, Spark Tank allows Airmen to

six finalists for the live show. Many of

submit their ideas in a pitch competition

these Airmen joined at 18 and don’t have

format directly to their most senior lead-

college degrees, and they are some of

ers. Airmen share their ideas and the

the smartest, hardest-working problem

roadblocks they face to making them real.

solvers around. They know their mis-

“It brings together three key elements:

sion, and have unique insight into how

a powerful network of innovators within

it can be done better. This competition

the Air Force, a group of people who

showcases their awesome ideas and

are doing everything to empower those

also gives our senior leaders a chance to really model how we should be supporting innovators. Our Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force are inspiring leaders and never disappoint in their support and advice for these Airmen. And we have leaders like Darlene Costello and Rich Lombardi as senior advisors who really know how to get things done in the Air Force and help ensure projects can grow to appropriate scale.”

Knausenberger recognizes the talent at the US Air Force’s disposal and believes her organization is doing things that you simply won’t see anywhere else.

“We have incredible people that have w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

31

USAF Technology Transformation Google’s Innovation for Your Mission

Keith Hannah, Federal Account Executive 512-343-5324 | keithhannah@google.com

33

brought lots of intellectual firepower and

“THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO IN THE AIR FORCE THAT YOU CAN’T DO ANYWHERE ELSE”

who all work very hard,” she says. “We are doing some of the coolest things in the world, with software, airplanes, satellites, and technology that would blow your mind. There are things that you can do in the Air Force that you can’t do anywhere else. But one of the biggest lessons from Spark Tank was the value

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

of collaborators - the new superheroes in our Air Force.”

Knausenberger devised a ‘superhero chart’ to lightheartedly convey how w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

The Department of Defense trusts the cloud with the most tools, technology, and accessibility at the tactical edge.

www.BuildOn.aws

important it is to support warfighters.

“The Air Force has a hero culture. People join to make a real difference and put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” she explains. “Captain Marvel is our superhero - she’s off saving lives and on the frontline of the mission. There are also the sidekicks (think Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox) - the unsung heroes that support the superheroes to deliver those incredible mission effects. Then there are the supervillains (Megamind) and henchmen (Wormtail)!

35

In the world of innovation, the supervillains are those that sometimes get in the way of others trying to do good things – they are undoubtedly trying to keep people safe, but can get overly diligent in enforcing rules that no longer make

of innovation and put in place the con-

sense and are often misunderstood. I

structs to support innovative Airmen.

joke that we have a supervillain-to-

He inspires me too.”

superhero conversion program. By

Knausenberger values how people

harnessing all of that policy knowledge

can ‘earn their capes’ and understands

and enabling innovative warfighters, you

the importance of collaboration to help

can be a hero too.”

make others stand out and succeed.

We asked if she had a favorite a real

“A lot of the time it isn’t because you had

life super hero. “I have to say one of my

a great idea, it’s because you found

favorite unsung heroes is Air Force Vice

someone who had an awesome idea

Chief Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson. He

and you used all of your knowledge, con-

works very hard to perpetuate a culture

nections, and abilities to help make that w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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person shine,” she explains. “That’s actu-

“ANY CHANGE I MAKE MUST BE SOMETHING THAT CAN LAST AFTER I’M GONE”

ally even more important.”

Over the past few years, the US Air Force has made a concerted effort to widen its partnerships with the defense industrial base, having previously worked solely with a small stable of very large, long-standing partners. “Our Head of Acquisition, Dr. Will Roper, regularly

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

talks about our desire to expand our defense industrial base to organizations that have never done business with the Department of Defense, and even to drive deeper partnerships with the investor community,” she says. “In the United

A superhero culture at the US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

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1:51

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37

US AIR FORCE

38

“ THE AIR FORCE HAS A HERO CULTURE. PEOPLE JOIN TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE” Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

APRIL 2020

39

US Air Force: Harnessing the true value of DevSecOps CLICK TO WATCH

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2:00

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

41

States, we have some of the largest,

are jumping into government to support

most well-respected tech companies

the mission for three to five years. A few

in the world, and they didn’t work with

years ago, there were very few outside

the military for a long time. Now, all of

of DDS, and now we have a growing club

the household names are working with

and even a few alumni who have done

us. For the most part, I think that people

their stint in government and have now

within the tech companies realize that

returned to the commercial world with a

we’re on the same team and all want to

new perspective to bring to the mission.

be safe. And, of course, we want to con-

One notable alum is Chris Lynch, who

tinue to partner with our large defense

founded DDS, and has now launched

contractors and appreciate their efforts

Rebellion Defense to bring together the

to transform with us. The other cool

best of the valley with super smart engi-

trend is that more tech savvy outsiders

neers who really know DOD systems w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Top 6 Reasons DevSecOps is Now for the Federal Government Underpinning all modern technology — software and hardware — is a supply chain. The reality however, is that software is much easier to pollute than hardware. For federal agencies to better protect themselves and the American citizenry, they need to start shifting security practices left and playing better offense at the beginning of their digital supply chain.

1

Open Source is Powering Federal Software Development

3

85% of an application is comprised of free, readily available open source components.

There is a disconnect between development and security, with little transparency into the parts feeding today’s software supply chains.

2

Not All Open Source Components are Created Equal

4

Research shows that within the Java ecosystem, 1 in 10 contains a known security vulnerability.

JUN 2018 NTIA launches initiative to improve software component transparency

5

Agencies Don’t Know How Much Open Source They’re Using

Regulations Around Software Development is Coming

According to the DevSecOps Community Survey of 5,500 IT pros, 1 in 4 organizations confirmed or suspected an open source related breach last year.

AUG 2018 Deliver Uncompromised report published by Mitre Corporation

An unexpected threat comes from the contractors, inadvertently introducing vulnerabilities into the supply chain with an emphasis on cost over security.

6

Lack of Open Source Policies Lead to Breaches

MAR 2019 Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 introduced

Cost Emphasized Over Security Protocol

Savvy contractors and agencies are prioritizing security in their development process now.

DEC 2018 U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee releases its Cybersecurity Strategy Report

OCT 2018 FDA releases guidance on cybersecurity management of medical devices

Learn more at Sonatype.com/government

JAN 2020 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed

by U.S. Senate

The DoD releases its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

and are passionate about delivering

solved anywhere else. The startup com-

national security capabilities. This type of

munity is often telling us ‘we want the

cross-pollination is critical to our future

coolest, most wicked problems that you

success as a military and as a country.”

could throw at us’, and we have those in

In a bid to drive innovation, the US

spades! It ultimately makes for a great,

Air Force is determined to work more

synergistic relationship. “The Air Force

closely with startups. “They innovate

also finds incredible synergies with our

at a faster pace than anyone else,”

allies,” Knausenberger explains. “Our

Knausenberger affirms. “We’re working

Air Force’s Strategic Studies Group is a

with an increasing number of businesses

key part of the brain trust for for driving

with a startup mentality that are focused

innovation across the force, and includes

on innovation. It’s hard to survive in the

our Exchange Officers from Japan,

US tech market because every entre-

Germany, the United Kingdom, and

preneur thinks that they’re going to be a

France. And through those networks we

unicorn but, in reality, very few succeed.

The competition is tough.”

Knausenberger states that a key reason why the US Air Force wants to adopt this approach is to not only support small businesses but also to embrace an alternative type of talent. “It’s important we bring diversity into the defense industry,” she says. “And that’s diversity on every level: mindset, abilities and all aspects of background. It’s important to recognize that we’re not going to be able to achieve what we want if we always work with the same people. It’s also a really great business line for them, and we have really cool, complex problems that can’t be w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

43

US AIR FORCE

44

tap into much richer perspectives

5,328

Number of manned aircraft as of 2018

then we may otherwise get by looking at purely American views. We also have a great time working together on big ideas.�

In a bid to counter cyberattacks and increase resilience, the US Air Force has

1947

Year founded APRIL 2020

sought collaboration with another nontraditional source. In partnership with the Defense Digital Service, as well as cybersecurity firms such as BugCrowd,

HackerOne, Synack, and Dark Wolf, the

she explains. “Real world hackers don’t

organization is embracing the hacker

follow our checklist. We’d rather have

community. Each of those companies

friendly hackers who we’re paying to

has done large scale events, hacking

break systems, and that allows us to fix

the Air Force Cloud in addition to other

things as they find it. Our systems are

public facing websites for the Air Force.

stronger for it, and the hackers love the

“In the past, hackers looked at the Department of Defense and considered it a great prize to hack. But most people

chance to legally break into national security systems.”

While having much success today,

didn’t try it lightly because it’s also

Knausenberger understands how

a great way to get arrested,” explains

critical it is that any cultural change

Knausenberger.“ We’ve started to

implemented is built to last. “I’m very

embrace the hacking community

aware that any change I make must be

because although we have some great

something that can last after I’m gone,”

cybersecurity frameworks in place that

she explains. “I didn’t join the Air Force

lots of people benchmark against, we

intending to make a career of it – but my

wanted new partners who approach

intent was to make a huge and lasting

problems in different ways and who

impact. Therefore, it’s very important

could explore new threat vectors in a

that the things that we do aren’t just per-

creative way. It’s been invaluable - we’ve

sonality dependent. Not all software has

learned a great deal and it’s been a won-

to be sustainable. There are some things

derful partnership.”

that we use once and we throw away;

Knausenberger sees the true value

however, it’s vital that the organizational

in encouraging hackers to cause as

structures that support an innovation

much havoc as possible and believes it

culture have staying power. It’s impor-

is mutually rewarding. “I feel much more

tant that we’re able to do the simple

comfortable if I’ve had a hacker team

things well and that we put the right pro-

come in and see what they can break

cesses in place to replicate those early

without any rules, than if someone’s just

successes at scale. We have a dream

gone through the security checklist,”

team in place right now – from senior w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

45

US AIR FORCE

46

Empowering the Airmen of the US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

|

1:57

free them to focus on mission innovation.

And we’ll continue to do the awesome things that the Air Force is known for: maintaining superiority in the air, space, and cyberspace. There’s lots of cool stuff happening.”

What really excites and drives Knausenberger, however, is making life easier for Airmen. “I joke that we can hit the back end of a fly from half way around the world, but when it comes to deploying new tools – Whew, that’s tough! We have a phenomenal workforce that can do incredibly difficult things with ease. I can’t wait for them to not have to work so hard on the silly things that we take for granted in the leadership to key positions throughout

commercial world. We are so close to

the Force to make this happen.”

making that a reality. What really fuels

Looking ahead, Knausenberger has a

me is seeing the innovative power of

clear vision of what the future will hold for

these Airmen and the way they come

the US Air Force. “I’m very excited and

together to accomplish anything they

I see us finalizing a lot of the big IT mod-

need to do, despite the roadblocks.

ernization and transformation efforts

Our future is in great hands, and I see

that we’re currently going through, as

an inspiring next generation of leaders

well as deploying the next generation

ready to continue our work as the world’s

of mind blowing Air and Space technol-

most powerful Air Force, and move

ogy,” she states. “I expect we’ll more

beyond to new frontiers.”

aggressively leveraging automation to liberate Airmen from repetitive tasks and w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

48

HOW THE INDUSTRY CAN HELP OVERCOME THE TECHNOLOGY SKILLS ––––––––– GAP WRITTEN BY

APRIL 2020

WILLIA M SMITH

49

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

WE SPEAK TO LEE JAMES, EMEA CTO AT RACKSPACE, ABOUT THE ROLE THE COMPANY AND THE WIDER TECH INDUSTRY CAN PLAY IN CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP

50

A

gap exists in the technological skills demanded by employers and those possessed by potential employees.

According to research by the Society for Human Resource Management,

83% of HR professionals have expressed difficulty in finding suitable job candidates, with the talent

gap being most visible in roles requiring science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills such as data analysis or engineering.

The gap is not purely in skills, of course, with associated gaps in both racial and gender diversity.

For the latter, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report revealed that the largest gender gaps exist in the new, technological jobs driving the world’s economy. Duly, in cloud computing, men number 88% of employees, in engineering 85% and in data and AI 74%.

The key to narrowing the skills gap, and perhaps also making a dent in other inequalities, is in education.

But what form should this education take?

APRIL 2020

“ WHAT GETS PEOPLE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT COMING TO WORK HERE IS THE OUTPUT. WHAT WE ACHIEVE FOR CUSTOMERS” — Lee James, EMEA CTO, Rackspace

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

51

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Rackspace: Looking to fill your IT skills gap?

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0:54

53

Lee James, EMEA CTO at

lead. We’ve done work in local schools

multinational tech company

and colleges to go in and do coding

Rackspace, is of the opinion that the

for the day – to help them understand

tech industry itself has a responsibility

what coding can achieve. What is it?

to demonstrate the connection

What does it deliver? Why is it

between technological work such as

important? Why is it exciting?”

coding and the real-world output by

For Rackspace, demonstrating that

reaching out to the community. “We

importance has taken the form of a

need to do more of that. It can’t be a

number of different partnerships.

token gesture and I don’t think it is.

“We partnered with the British Heart

It should be part of the fabric in terms

Foundation, VMware and Amazon

of what you do and what you feed

and we went into a college to teach

back. That’s where absolutely tech

students. We helped them to create

companies need to drive and take that

some Amazon Alexa skills – simple w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

54

“ WE’VE DONE WORK IN LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES TO GO IN AND DO CODING FOR THE DAY – TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT CODING CAN ACHIEVE” — Lee James, EMEA CTO, Rackspace

APRIL 2020

things like turn on my favorite radio station, help me understand a particular recipe or just tell me whether the traffic is busy on my route this morning.” Another ongoing programme has involved working with King’s College School, where 40 year 10 students from disadvantaged backgrounds were invited to its offices as part of a drive to encourage the study of computer science. After that visit, the number of students choosing GCSE Computer Science doubled.

Earlier intervention in a school setting is, in James’ view, another necessity for closing the gap. “When I look at STEM, what’s really interesting for me is where it’s failed,” says James. “Generally, it’s been very much about the IT and the technology, and that is exciting - I mean, it’s why I got into it from a young age and why my career was in it. But what’s been absolutely missing around some of the STEM pieces is that we focus very much on the input. What gets people really excited about coming to work here is the output. What we achieve for customers.” w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

55

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

56

Such achievements have traditionally

The future is positive, however,

remained obscure, but James

with the technology leaders of

believes the possibilities enabled by

tomorrow having been influenced

companies such as Rackspace need

in more passive ways. Raised on a

to be promoted. “When you go on the

technological diet, creative video

underground and you tap a card at

games such as Microsoft’s Minecraft

one of the barriers, Rackspace is

or the Sony-owned Media Molecule’s

providing the systems underneath to

Dreams have a huge part to play in

run the oyster system. When you

proving the creativity inherent to

order a pizza, two for Tuesdays from

technological work. “My children,

a popular brand, and that pizza arrives

like many children, use a game called

at your door - that whole transactional

Roblox,” James explains. “Using a

process runs on Rackspace.”

piece of software called Roblox

APRIL 2020

“IT CAN’T BE A TOKEN GESTURE AND I DON’T THINK IT IS. IT SHOULD BE PART OF THE FABRIC IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU DO” — Lee James, EMEA CTO, Rackspace 57

Studio you can create your own world.

and the way it operates,” James

They use YouTube to understand

explains. “And then, when they press

some of the coding and how it’s put

play, they can see the output of that.

together and five or six of them have

That’s now so much more creative

created a world together.”

than it ever was. And I believe that

Together in culmination, such

is what’s now driving an uptake.”

efforts stand a chance of closing the skills gap and consequently creating a fair, more equal technology scene.

“There’s two girls in that group that have created that world as well, because they want to create an environment and see how it works w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

Special report:

58

THE ROLE OF BIG DATA IN HEALTHCARE WRITTEN BY

APRIL 2020

WILLIA M SMITH

59

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

Special report:

Gigabit takes a look at the evolving use of Big Data in the healthcare industry and its enormous value in both a monetary and clinical sense

60

W

e generate data about ourselves all the time, the acquisition and interpretation of which is big business. In many cases, this data may be fairly trivial or inconsequential.

In others, this may be the most private and confidential data of all – about our health, for example. Regardless of what type it falls under, there are businesses out

there that will want it.

The question of data in healthcare is timely considering the UK’s exit from the European Union, and the potential for healthcare data to be used as a bargaining chip in future trade deals with the United States and others.

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is one of the oldest and most established public healthcare systems in the world. Its practice of tying data to an individual NHS number means its data provides a broader account of patients’ health, and with the NHS increasingly digitising old records, a chronologically longer one too. EY has estimated the data to be worth almost £10bn.

APRIL 2020

61

“ Data is not purely useful to American tech giants, with the NHS and other health bodies themselves able to capitalise upon it�

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Reimagine the impossible

Bring together people, data, and processes to transform your organization.

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The potential value of that data led to

the NHS and other health bodies

raised eyebrows when, in December

themselves able to capitalise upon it.

2019, the UK government gave Amazon

One possible avenue of exploration

unfettered access to non-patient data

lies in opening up such data sets to AI.

for free, with Amazon’s Alexa voice

Matthew Gould, the CEO of NHSX,

assistant in turn providing health

the NHS’s digital transformation arm,

information via voice search. Elsewhere,

wrote in a recent blog post: “Artificial

other big tech firms are interested in

Intelligence (AI) holds enormous

acquiring medical data, with Google

potential for the NHS, if we can use it

doing a deal with Ascension, a company

right. It can reduce the burden on the

that runs 2,600 hospitals in the US,

system by taking on the tasks that can

which gave it access to patient data.

be converted into an algorithm. Many

Of course, such data is not purely useful to American tech giants, with

of these are in areas of greatest pressure, like radiography and

BBC Click: Can artificial intelligence ‘save’ the NHS? CLICK TO WATCH

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23:49

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63

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

pathology. It could improve patient outcomes, and increase productivity across the system, freeing up clinicians’ time so they can focus on the parts of the job where they add the most value.”

Google’s aforementioned interest in health data led to its acquisition of medtech wearables firm Fitbit.

Accordingly, we’ve seen a proliferation of wearable devices which give users the ability to track elements of their fitness. Whether that’s smart watches 64

that can track the distance you’ve run or portable heart monitoring devices, the data they generate is not purely useful to the end user, with the likes of Google Fit and Apple Health all sharing data by default. This mutual model of data generation and consumption is big business. Just look at the price Google paid for Fitbit: $2.1bn.

One fundamental question remains with this proliferation of highly sensitive and highly valuable data: its security. Tim Brown, VP of Security at infrastructure management software firm SolarWinds, says that the healthcare industry faces additional risk owing to two factors.

APRIL 2020

65

© Fitbit

“First, the information they have stored

amplified due to the industry’s

on patients is extremely valuable and

reputation. “In 2020, the healthcare

can be used for identity and insurance

sector will witness an increased number

fraud. The second is their core mission,

of sophisticated attacks,” Brown says.

and the high visibility of that mission—

“These will be targeted and well-

the health and safety of people—leads

coordinated; the bad guys will focus on

bad actors to believe the healthcare

attacking the overall environment, not

sector is more willing to pay a ransom

just individuals. The healthcare sector

when lives could be at risk.”

has shown in the past that they will pay,

The coming year will see such risks

which makes them a bigger target.” w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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

“ [The healthcare sector] needs to realise they are a more attractive target for attack and take precautions to not become a victim of opportunity” — Tim Brown, VP of Security, SolarWinds 66

Microsoft AI + Forus Health: Working to help eradicate preventable blindness CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

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1:00

The answer partly lies, Brown says, in a focus on ‘cyber hygiene’ across the healthcare sector. “This includes endpoint protection, access control, network segmentation and an aggressive patch program. They need to realise they are a more attractive target for attack and take precautions to not become a victim of opportunity.

Once good cyber hygiene is in place, they should be proactive in testing the environment and modeling cyber outbreaks. Just like a common cold or virus, the outbreak needs to be contained and limited to the smallest number possible.”

Assuming such security challenges can be overcome, medical data represents a potent force in the ongoing evolution of healthcare worldwide. While there are dangers of misuse, data, when used correctly, can demonstrably improve people’s lives, whether that’s machines learning from existing images of conditions to make diagnoses or the modelling of diseases to contain their spread.

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BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

SMART TECHNOLOGY TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN THE AGE OF EXPERIENCE 68

APRIL 2020

69

WRITTEN BY

JOHN KITCHINGM AN

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BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

70

Dassault Systèmes’ John Kitchingman on how ‘smart’ technologies represent the next step from digital transformation

A

As we enter a new decade, businesses are now thinking about what the trends of 2020 will be.

With the fourth industrial revolution evolving

technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things

(IoT) and machine learning (ML), we are moving into the age of experience and developing our understanding of these technologies in order to better harness their power.

APRIL 2020

71

Previously, businesses have been

‘Smart’ technology is expected to be

very focused on digital transformation.

the buzzword of 2020, with innovations

The integration of digital technologies

premiering in areas from household

into all parts of the business has

appliances to personal mobility. Smart

helped accelerate internal works and

technologies are allowing increased

reduce the reliance on hardware, with

control over appliances and systems

an increasing number of enterprises

from managing the temperature in

moving aspects of their business to

households to accessing more

the cloud. Digital transformation has

information through a smart assistant.

enabled sustainable innovation, and

This smart technology brings with it

this has been commercialised in many

masses of data, which is currently not

forms - through personal data, digital

being used to its full potential. In 2020,

health, AI and much more.

businesses need to harness the w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Digital Transformation.

Made real every day.

Find out how big advances in AI have made it easier than ever to unlock the power of data, create value, insights and a new level of intelligent security. From Individuals, to small organizations, to the Global Fortune 100, AI and machine learning are improving businesses and lives everywhere.

Learn More

Dassault Systèmes: The Only Progress is Human CLICK TO WATCH

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1:44

73

“ PEOPLE REQUIRE PERSONALISED EXPERIENCES AND THEY WANT TO ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH COMPANIES THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE” — John Kitchingman, Managing Director, EuroNorth, Dassault Systèmes

potential of data and technology to create innovations that improve peoples’ lives and provide them with personalised experiences, while also protecting their privacy.

MAKING DATA WORK FOR YOU The world is generating data in higher volumes than ever. This data plays a critical role in meeting consumer expectations and desires, which are centred less around owning a product and more with the experience that a product delivers. People require w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

personalised experiences and they want to associate themselves with companies that are sustainable.

Companies must gather, analyse and shape data to meet demands and report on their sustainability. Some examples of this include: monitoring and optimising transportation planning for shared mobility to reduce pollution; predictive maintenance of machines to ensure efficiency; the tracking and tracing of raw materials and using 3D printing processes and recycling equipment to 74

reduce waste. All these processes have an impact on our carbon footprint and ecological handprint.

Cloud based platforms are especially good for this as they can speed up product development, improve collaboration across teams, and reduce the need for multiple prototypes. With visualisation software, companies no longer need to create physical copies of their products; instead, they can design digital versions and test them in the virtual world, saving time and money in the process. Virtual prototypes can also be used to foster a more sustainable manufacturing process, reducing material waste.

APRIL 2020

“ SMART TECHNOLOGY WILL BRING US INTO A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION” — John Kitchingman, Managing Director, EuroNorth, Dassault Systèmes w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

75

BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

76

A TRUSTED TECHNOLOGY PARTNER

collaborate and strategically share and

Cloud-based platforms offer a unique

access information seamlessly.

opportunity to connect ideas, data,

Bringing your supply chain to the

people and solutions to create cutting

virtual world means that all

edge-personalised experiences for

components can be sourced and

every consumer. Being able to analyse

designed within one place. Whilst this

the data collected will give businesses

is all collated, it is possible to access it

the power to innovate sustainably. With

at any time and use it to make

a trusted technology partner, you can

products smarter. Being able to share

use this data to, for example, develop

this knowledge and expertise across

your supply chain and design it virtually.

the sector provides the foundations

A virtual supply chain ensures that

for an automated supply chain which

all partners within a project can

is more responsible and less wasteful.

APRIL 2020

Cloud-based platforms are also used to make processes more sustainable.

For example, manufacturers can assess the carbon emissions of each travel route, the composition of the material they use, and the productivity of their supply chains. Today’s consumer is sustainability-minded; the industry needs the right tools to help it show it is supporting this shift.

WHAT’S NEXT? Smart technology creates a mass of data which brings great responsibility for businesses, who must use it fairly and securely. Smart technology will

“ WE ARE MOVING INTO THE AGE OF EXPERIENCE”

bring us into a new era of innovation, and at Dassault Systèmes, we want to educate business leaders on how to extract this data and use it for bettering product design, development and deployment. We have the technology – now we need to find innovative ways to continuously build upon these creations.

— John Kitchingman, Managing Director, EuroNorth, Dassault Systèmes w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

77

AI

78

APRIL 2020

How AI is transforming the automotive industry WRITTEN BY

WILLIA M SMITH

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79

AI

IBM’s Dibbe Edwards discusses product lifecycle management, how AI can help reduce complexity and the software-based transformation of the automotive industry

80

W

ith the ever increasing complexity of the products around us, companies are finding a coherent strategy towards product

engineering has never been more necessary. Dibbe

Edwards is Vice President, Offering Management for IBM’s Engineering Lifecycle Management portfolio, a group of five products relating to the development lifecycle of systems and software. Explaining her team’s responsibilities, Edwards says: “We are responsible for everything from the strategy of the offerings that we deliver to client interaction. We really get involved in the industries and with our clients to ensure that our offerings meet their needs in the present and anticipate their needs for the future.”

Lifecycle management means a consideration of a product in all phases of its development, an already complex endeavour that has only become more head scratching as technology progresses. It is this problem that IBM’s platform is targeted. “What our solution does is support traceability across that entire lifecycle.

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“How do you test and validate a system that continues to learn?”

— Dibbe Edwards, Vice President, IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management

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So it allows you to be able to link

Watson, it’s little wonder the company

your models with your requirements,

also turns its capabilities towards this

with all of your change management

problem too. “We’re bringing our

and source code, and then also

Watson capability to the platform and

your testing.” That’s necessary for

to all of the available engineering data

a number of reasons, as Edwards

to help the engineers, whether they

explains. “First of all, they want to make

be test engineers, systems engineers,

sure that they’re building a product that

project leaders or executives, to help

meets requirements. In many industries

them make better decisions.” IBM

it’s necessary to prove compliance,

is also using its natural language

and that means they can have a single

processing capabilities to help

source of the truth for their global

engineers conform to the International

engineering teams to work from. The

Council on Systems Engineering’s

complexity, the global nature of these

standards on writing clear, concise and

transforming industries, means they

correct requirements. “We’ve embedded

really need a digital representation of

that AI assistant right inside of the

the products that they’re working on.”

requirements tool itself and it assists

As the proprietor of one of the more famous AI systems around, IBM

the engineers and helps them to make sure that their requirements are clear.”

“What we’re seeing is just going to continue to get more complex” — Dibbe Edwards, Vice President, IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management

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83

AI

“Our focus industries are those that are building complex systems.

Automobiles, airplanes, medical devices – anything with that level of complexity. What we see happening in those industries is that software is really becoming much more of a differentiator.” This is perhaps most perceivable in the automotive industry, with disruptors like Tesla considered the second most valuable car company in the world despite making a tiny fraction of vehicles compared to 84

competitors. Daimler is one of IBM’s

Work Smart:: Your Workflows and Watson CLICK TO WATCH

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1:16

85

clients and is, as Edwards explains,

their vehicles had been five plus years

responding to that trend. “They

in terms of coming out with new

believe, and are seeing that, the real

versions of their cars. They can’t do that

differentiation in the products and the

anymore. They want to be able to do

cars that they deliver in the future will

that in months, not years, and so they’re

be the experience that they offer to

looking for engineering strategies that

the driver. Their view is that that

allow them to accelerate their time to

experience is driven, not as much by

market while maintaining their quality.”

the more traditional, metal parts of the

That pressure is created by trends

car like the engine, but more by the

such as autonomous vehicles, and the

software that the engineers deliver.”

competition to bring the technology

Staying afloat in a changing industry

to the market, with significant

will require responding to such trends

ramifications for product development.

by increasing the pace. “The cycles of

“Think about the complexity of being w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

AI

“Software is really becoming much more of a differentiator” — Dibbe Edwards, Vice President, IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management

86

APRIL 2020

able to engineer deterministic systems like we have today, where we know how the system is supposed to behave. But as companies start to build systems that learn, how do you create requirements for that, how do you test and validate a system that continues to learn?”

This trend for ever increasing complexity in products shows no signs of abating, meaning the ways they are engineered has to change to match.

“What we’re seeing is just going to continue to get more complex. For many of these companies, from a DevOps perspective, Tesla has set the standard. Many of the more traditional automotive companies want to get to the point where they can be more agile.” Edwards is confident that IBM can provide the tools to make that possible. “We’ll continue to evolve the engineering process, infusing our tools with AI to help engineers to be able to work faster and smarter.”

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Global software innovators Technology magazine counts down the world’s largest software companies from outside the US, where the traditional tech giants roam, with reference to Forbes’ Global 2000 WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

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89

T O P 10

10

Shopify

O T TAWA , C A N A D A [R E V E NUE : $ 1.1BN]

Ecommerce platform Shopify is one of the younger companies on this list, having been founded in 2004. Its software allows companies an ecommerce presence, with Shopify emphasising the fact that its solution is a one stop shop for getting online. Operating on a softwareas-a-service (SaaS) model, the different tiers cater to different sized organisations. Shopify says that over one million businesses in 175 countries have made more than US$155bn in sales on its platform.

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Welcome to Shopify CLICK TO WATCH

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Atlassian + ANZ Bank: How an innovative bank is changing the way 50,000 employees work and think CLICK TO WATCH

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09

Atlassian

S Y DNE Y, A US T R A L I A [$ 1.1BN]

Sydney, Australia’s Atlassian Corporation was founded by two students from the University of New South Wales. Atlassian’s success is built on two main products, both of which are intended to boost collaboration in an enterprise setting. Jira is a bug tracking and project management system first released in 2002 when the company itself was launched.

Confluence, meanwhile, was launched in 2004 and provides a suite of tools such as messaging and knowledge management.

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Loved by users.

Loathed by fraudsters.

Identity verification through informed AI.

Learn how Jumio is using informed AI to deliver identity verification as it should be.

Visit jumio.com

Micro Focus: Hybrid Cloud Management with 2 levels of abstraction CLICK TO WATCH

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08

Micro Focus International NE W B UR Y, UK [$ 3 . 2BN]

The only British firm to make the list, Micro Focus International is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. As both a consultant and a software company, Micro Focus specialises in helping customers to achieve a digital transformation. It highlights four particular areas of speciality, jumio.com

namely DevOps, IT management, security and analytics, while customers include the likes of Fiserv, Accenture and BMW. Subsidiaries include the US-based Serena Software and Houston, Texas’s NetIQ.

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T O P 10

Spotify Ad Studio: How It Work CLICK TO WATCH

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07

Spotify

L U X E MB OURG [$6 . 2BN]

Spotify or, to give it its full name, Spotify Technology, is primarily a music streaming service, though it also provides a platform for videos and podcasts. Available as both an advertisement supported, free service or via subscription, Spotify’s success led to its 2018 listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Though legally based in Luxembourg, the company is run from Stockholm, Sweden, the country in which it was founded in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.

APRIL 2020

360 Total Security: Introduction CLICK TO WATCH

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2:59

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06

Qihoo 360

BE I JING , CHIN A [$ 1.9BN]

The only Chinese entrant on this list, internet security company Qihoo 360 is most closely associated with its antivirus software 360 Safeguard. Founded by Chinese billionaire Zhou Hongyi in 2005, it also provides an internet browser under the same 360 branding. The company is most active in the Chinese market, where it has also launched a smartphone. Qihoo 360 is also the owner of over a quarter of Norway’s Opera Software.

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05

Check Point Software T E L AV I V, IS R A E L [$ 1.9BN]

Israel’s Check Point Software has a specific focus on cybersecurity software. Since its founding in 1993 by a trio of Israeli entrepreneurs, the company has been active at the forefront of IT security developments, such as one of the first virtual private networks (VPNs). Its suite of products includes firewalls, VPNs and specialised security solutions for cloud, mobile and SaaS environments.

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Check Point Research introduces CPRadio, a new podcast channel CLICK TO WATCH

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04

Dassault Systèmes

VÉLIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, FRANCE [$4.1BN]

Part of the broader Dassault group which incorporates aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation and newspaper Le Figaro, Dassault Systèmes is best known for its 3D computer aided design (CAD) software. Its two largest products are CATIA, which it developed itself, and Solidworks, which it acquired in 1997, though it has branched out into areas such as business analytics and geologic modelling. Though founded in 1981, the group as a whole can trace its origins to the 1920s, making it the oldest company on this list.

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Dassault Systèmes: The Only Progress is Human CLICK TO WATCH

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How Amadeus technology moves the world forward (in numbers!)

CLICK TO WATCH

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03

Amadeus IT Group M A DR ID , S PA IN [$5 .8BN]

While perhaps not a household name, Amadeus IT group undoubtedly impacts a huge number of people, owing to its status as a provider of IT to the travel and tourism industry worldwide. A principal offering is its Amadeus computer reservation system, used for booking flights by the likes of Air France, British Airways, Qantas and more. Having been founded in 1987, the company today employs some 19,000 people.

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COMING SOON

FIND OUT MORE

T O P 10

02

HCL Technologies NOIDA, INDIA [$8.4BN]

Indian IT multinational HCL Technologies was founded in 1976 and provides, among other services, software development. The company’s ‘Mode 1-2-3’ strategy offers customers more or less involved assistance with digital transformation, from services to products and platforms. Originally a subsidiary of the wider HCL group, it is now the main business entity. The largest Asian company on this list, HCL employs 149,00 people across the globe.

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HCL Technologies: Ordinary Objects Defining Extraordinary Relationships CLICK TO WATCH

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T O P 10

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SAP Fiori and adidas: A Story of User Experience Transformation CLICK TO WATCH

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01

SAP

WA L L DOR F, G E R M A N Y [$2 9.1BN]

German multinational software giant SAP specialises in enterprise software. Since its founding in 1972 by former IBM employees, the company grew on the back of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. In more recent times, the company has embraced emerging technologies, with its latest SAP S/4HANA ERP platform featuring cloud capabilities. Its data analytics solutions encompass finance, human resources, operations, sales and marketing.

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

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

Future Datacentres and Amazon Innovation Day Cloud Infrastructure and AWS Summit Sydney Summit 31 MAR-2 APR 2020

106

NEW DATE: 14-15 SEP 2020

[ SYDNEY ]

[ DUBAI, UAE ]

This year, at a three-day event held in

The Future Datacentres and Cloud

the International Convention Centre,

Infrastructure Summit is set to explore

Sydney, Amazon Web Services will be

the technologies driving the trends

hosting educational and inspirational

in the data centre and cloud space.

keynotes, breakout sessions, and

With hybrid data centres increasingly

customer stories about how cloud

becoming the norm, challenges includ-

technology can help businesses lower

ing data traffic, security and speed

costs, improve efficiency and innovate

of implementation are all emerging.

at scale. Featured topics at the event

To answer these questions, the event

include: AI and Machine Learning, Big

is assembling over 35 experts, who

Data and analytics, containers, innova-

will participate in presentations, case

tion, serverless, migration and security.

studies and panel discussions.

APRIL 2020

13-15 MAY 2020

ITB China [ SHANGHAI ]

ITB China is a three-day business to business travel trade fair that focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel indus-

NEW DATE: 9-10 SEP 2020

try. As the largest B2B-exclusive travel

MOVE Asia 2020

trade show in China, ITB China brings

[ SINGAPORE ]

together top and hand selected buyers

MOVE Asia 2020 features a tagline of

with industry professionals from all over

‘mobility re-imagined’, describing itself

the world, and provides various net-

as “Asia’s most important mobility

working events and a unique state of

event”. The occasion will focus on the

the art matchmaking system to

disruptive technologies and innova-

enhance networking and maximize

tions driving change in the mobility

business opportunities. ITB China 2020

sector, in both an Asian and worldwide

will take place from Wednesday to Fri-

context. MOVE expects 2,000 attend-

day, 13 to 15 May, at the Shanghai World

ees, 350 speakers (including

Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre

delegates from Grab, Uber Elevate,

in Hall 1. The ITB China Conference will

Aptiv and others) and the participation

take place parallel with the show.

of 150 startups in the event.

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107

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

NEW DATE: 7-9 DEC 2020

DataCloud World Congress 108

NEW DATE: 2-10 SEP 2020

[ MONACO ]

London Tech Week

This year, Monaco will be home to the

[ LONDON ]

17th annual DataCloud World Congress,

Every year, London Tech Week brings

bringing together a variety of experts in

together nearly 70,000 attendees to

the cloud, data centre and IT infrastructure

learn, teach and network at one of the

markets. Touting itself as “the premier

biggest gatherings in the industry. Held

leadership summit for critical IT infra-

in a range of venues across the city, and

structure”, the event promises to cover

supported by the Mayor of London, the

everything from cloud challenges to

event draws the biggest names in tech

edge evolution. Speakers at last year’s

and politics – with last year’s proceed-

event included: Michel Fraisse, VP,

ings being opened by then-Prime

Europe, Huawei, Jeffrey Ferry, Director,

Minister Theresa May. This year, fea-

Goldman Sachs and Glenn Fitzgerald,

tured events will include: the Future of

Chief Technology Officer, Product

Work Summit, Leaders In Tech Summit,

Business, Fujitsu EMEIA.

the AI Summit and Createch 2020.

APRIL 2020

NEW DATE: 24-25 NOV 2020

2-5 NOV 2020

AI & Big Data Expo Europe

Web Summit

[ AMSTERDAM ]

Since moving to Lisbon permanently in

Boasting four co-located events, over

2016, Web Summit has gained a reputa-

300 speakers, more than 350 exhibitors

tion as one of the world’s premier

and predicted to attract in excess of

technology summits. In previous years,

10,000 visitors over two days, the 2020

speakers at the event have included

AI & Big Data Expo Europe is one of the

former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair,

year’s biggest events in the data and

Microsoft President Brad Smith and

analytics space. Topics that are going to

serial Entrepreneur Elon Musk, among

be at the heart of this year’s many talks

many other luminaries Although the

and keynote speeches include: Business

focus on internet technology sug-

Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine

gested by its name prevails, it has

Learning, AI Algorithms, Data & Analyt-

broadened its remit as it focuses on

ics, Virtual Assistants and Chatbots.

the technologies of the future.

[ LISBON ]

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109

110

EMBRACING A HUMAN-CENTRIC APPROACH IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

MANUEL NAVARRO

APRIL 2020

111

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SIEMENS AG

Gia Thi Nguyen, Head of Operational Excellence, discusses the importance of digital transformation and operating with a human-centric approach

“

M

y dear, here in Wonderland, we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere,

you must run twice as fast as that,” wrote Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.

While to many, it’s simply a quotation from a children’s novel, to Gia Thi Nguyen, Head of Operational Excellence, it’s a powerful mantra 112

for technological change. Thi sees the true value of the words in Carroll’s famous book and believes it accurately defines digital transformation as a whole. “Digital transformation is about agility, speed and even more importantly, it’s just 1% digital and 99% human,” affirms Thi. “This means that the human-centric approach is key in regards to any digital transformation.”

Thi has worked in five different countries including the UK, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Spain and Germany. That diversity of experience has provided him with a philosophy of operating with a human-centric approach that focuses on attributes that define humans such as: compassion, empathy, curiosity and creativity. Thi affirms that unlocking digital

APRIL 2020

113

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Unleash your spee with confidence Business applications at the speed of thought with assisted development Flowfactory assisted development platform will add speed to your digitalization capability, liberate innovation power, and help you master complexity over time.

ed

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SIEMENS AG

“ IT’S ABOUT MAKING THE MOST OUT OF EVERY SITUATION LIFE THROWS AT YOU” 116

— Gia Thi Nguyen, Head of Operational Excellence

transformation means harnessing the human touch. “You need to have a human-centric approach because it’s vital to ensure you empower and are empowered by technology,” explains Thi. “That’s why it’s essential to focus on the traits that define humans which will allow creativity to be unlocked and to ensure digital transformation becomes a positive story.” Due to the speed at which technology is evolving, there is the concern from some industries that robots and artificial intelligence (AI)

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Gia Thi Nguyen Having begun his career at Siemens 17 years ago, Gia Thi Nguyen started as a Process Analyst in the ERP environment in IT. Thi quickly progressed to become the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Siemens’ regional company in Vietnam before moving onto head up a number of financial positions, including becoming the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a Siemens subsidiary in Spain. Thi has worked in seven manufacturing environments in five different countries in total, such as the UK, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Spain and Germany. Moving into his current role as Head of Operational Excellence in January 2016, Thi has helped oversee the firm’s continued digital transformation interests.

APRIL 2020

The Umbrella Analogy – when Strategy meets Execution CLICK TO WATCH

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117

could replace humans one day.

to focus on what humans do best.”

However, Thi believes the more

Although the acceleration of AI

pressing issue is ensuring that

and Big Data is primarily considered

humans don’t become robots

a positive in all sectors, Thi acknowl-

themselves. “A big concern of

edges why people might be reluctant

mine is that humans are becoming

to embrace change. “The biggest

addicted to mobile phones and

challenge digital transformation

are reliant on technology in order

faces is fear. People are afraid they

to function from day to day,” he

might lose their jobs or are unsure

explains. “When I talk about redis-

how their job might be impacted.

covering humanity by the use of

However, fear is just an emotion

technology, it is really about how

and I can work with that,” he ex-

you can make use of the transforma-

plains. “I would be much more

tive power of technology to be able

worried if I were dealing with people w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Because making the world better is everyone’s business.

Š 2019 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved.

THE BEST RUN SAP. A great organization can do great things. For its shareholders.

Its employees. And for the world.

Together with SAP, you can transform your business and help it run better. And when businesses run better, communities, the environment, and people everywhere do too.

THE BEST-RUN BUSINESSES MAKE THE WORLD RUN BETTER. Learn more at sap.com/bestrun

SAP is uniquely positioned to deliver the Intelligent Enterprise to our customers The Intelligent Enterprise is more than just automated business processes.

64764enUS (19/06) © 2019 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. Information herein subject to change without notice.

It’s a vision of how we at SAP see the future of business for our customers, the future of work for our customers’ employees, and the future of experience for our customers’ customers.

Intelligence embedded directly into core solutions as part of customers’ standard road map, so they don’t need to create a separate data lake or purchase additional tools

Integration end to end across the processes that matter most to our customers, built on common master data, domain models, and platforms Industry expertise to help make sense of customers’ data in the specific context of their businesses, using insights about their own performance to optimize algorithms

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SIEMENS AG

who are apathetic. I believe you need to be very honest and recognise that you just don’t have all the answers, but you can offer an inclusive approach that says ‘Let’s find the answers together’.”

Thi believes that his success in Operational Excellence is down to a positive mentality of adapting to all situations. “There are so many things in life we can’t control. I don’t know if it’s going to rain or whether the sun is going to shine tomorrow, 120

but what I can control is whether I want to get wet or not,” he explains.

“My advice would be to bring an umbrella: if I bring one but the sun is shining, at least then I have an umbrella for sun protection. It’s

APRIL 2020

121

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Simplify.

Transform.

Accelerate.

Siemens teamed up with Pega, the leader in software for digital transformation, to tackle complexity with a unified architecture.

Digitization poses great challenges for organizations. That’s why it’s at the top of Siemens’ strategic agenda, as part of the “Vision 2020+” program. The partnership with Pega supports Siemens on its way into the digital world. Together they have successfully realized more than 20 projects together – Global Master Data Management, Order Management for Tomorrow, Cash Collection, Generic Workflow Self-Services, Customer Service, GraphicsPool, to name a few.

SIEMENS AND PEGA: A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP

20 + 50,000

projects worldwide

Siemens employees using Pega software

50%

shorter processing time

Up to

10x faster results

Learn more about Siemens´ journey to digital success.

Watch our video here.

We are Pegasystems, the leader in cloud software for customer engagement and operational excellence. For the past 35 years, our technology – CRM, digital process automation, robotics, AI, and more – has empowered the world’s leading companies to achieve breakthrough results.

Learn more about us at pega.com.

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SIEMENS AG

“ A HERO CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN BE A HERO” — Gia Thi Nguyen, Head of Operational Excellence

124

APRIL 2020

125

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Siemens’ End-to-End Partner for Digital Transformation

As a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation.

The multicultural company has more than 200,000 employees in more than 40 countries and has been Siemens´ partner since 2003.

Their numerous joint initiatives cover business innovation as well as optimizing operations and combining the expertise and know-how of the two companies.

Siemens´ partner since 2003

The information contained in this document is proprietary. ©2019 Capgemini. All rights reserved.

Capgemini developed and implemented digital strategies, new service business models, connected and integrated value chains, transformation journeys and innovation factories to generate new service revenues and to increase efficiency in operations across Siemens´ key businesses Gas and Power, Smart Infrastructure, Digital Industries, Siemens Healthineers and Siemens Gamesa.

Generating new service revenues & increasing efficiency

Joint successes: Optimizing Energy Consumption in Connected Buildings Enabling Smart Manufacturing through Smart Technologies Capgemini is a Key Partner of Mendix Low Code Software Development Platform Over the last 15 years, Capgemini helped Siemens to realize business growth and to increase operational efficiency ensuring strong alignment between business & IT, resulting in IT investments that lead to clear business benefits and pay-off in day-to-day business execution.

To find out more about Capgemini, please visit

www.capgemini.com

127

Ingenuity drives us CLICK TO WATCH

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1:27

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SIEMENS AG

OUR PARTNERS Thi has established several key, strategic partnerships that help him drive his digital transformation goals forward. These partnerships are with:

SAP Germany

128

“SAP Germany has been a trusted partner for many years. They are a powerhouse in the industry and a very good example of what sustainable partners really mean.

I don’t just choose to work with them because we’ve done business together for such a long time. We have reinvented different use cases on how we can help each other and attain what we need to do. While the robust core of transactional systems like SAP ERP for Order to Cash and Flowfactory for Offer to Order is in place, process mining by Celonis provides the transparency and proof of how global process performance in very complex environments can be shown, is also thanks to a corporate standard implementation of SAP HANA technology. It’s really impressive to know that I have hundreds of millions activities like “Create Sales Order item” or “Change Price” from all around the world sitting in one data lake that runs on SAP HANA.”

APRIL 2020

Flowfactory “Based on Flowfactory platform, we have created a robust yet scalable transactional system for the ‘Offer to Order’ processes with a blazing speed at a fraction of cost usually budgeted and spent for such endeavors. I needed an integrated and infinitely flexible platform that could handle the processing of my agreements, as well as pricing processes to the maintenance of complex pricing structures for the global customer base. Enabling flexible workflows with approval logics that could be implemented by business users themselves is not an easy task, so I’m happy to use Flowfactory as an elastic layer on top of the legacy — where we can co-create all of these things in a much faster, leaner and fun way.”

Pega “As SAP provides the foundation where all transactional and master data are created for ‘Order to Cash’ processes, Flowfactory handles the same for ‘Offer to Order’ processes. However, since these processes also involve people — internal stakeholders as well as external customers, we have partnered with Pega, who allows us to not only digitally engage and collaborate with all the stakeholders involved, but to also automate many use cases and even address new cases we haven’t been able to think about

before. To do this on a global scale across countries and continents is not a simple task, but the Pega framework allows us to do exactly this.”

are highlighted by the Digital Fit Rate, a KPI which we have established in the Order to Cash processes that tracks the number of manual interventions in an organisation on a global scale for every single country and portfolio unit.”

Capgemini “Capgemini has saved me many hours of unnecessary work by spurring my attention to initiatives with clear business benefits, externally as well as internally, some of which I didn’t even have knowledge of. It’s really great to have Capgemini as a partner”

Celonis “When I look at the partnership with Celonis for the last three years in my realm of responsibilities, it’s been an incredible ride.

Celonis has helped me find answers to questions I didn’t even dare to ask. With this ultimate transparency in processes, I could focus on solving painpoints. I believe that Celonis process mining is going to be such a normal thing to use, just as we use Excel today. It’s a toolset which I now can’t do without. I have digitalised my processes through the convergence of different kinds of technological aspects, such as process mining which provides a level of incredible transparency that allows us to formulate the necessary actions to improve processes.

This could relate to increasing the level of automation or reducing the amount of manual rework, all of these improvements

GetAccept “In terms of my relationship with GetAccept, a Swedish Silicon Valley based startup, it’s a very interesting journey because the partnership is relatively new, however, is truly an example of what it means when traditional companies meet smaller companies. Not everyone can be a hero, like GetAcccept, but a hero like GetAccept can come from anywhere — we don’t need to go to only the well-known IT vendors such as the big software players.

GetAccept allows me to communicate with my customers and to engage them in rich experiences. The platform provides an eSigning and document tracking capability in order to really drive sales growth, but also to understand customers much better.

From time to time, there are use cases that require me to challenge myself. wwPartners such as GetAccept are really important because it’s so easy to go for an established name, but it requires foresight and courage to engage with startups requiring them to deliver on enterprise level requirements.”

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129

Welcome to the Superfluid Enterprise Celonis turns business processes into extraordinary experiences, for your customers and your employees.

Get started with Process Mining today at www.Celonis.com

131

about making the most out of every

vision of the potential outcome is

situation life throws at you.” With

important to encourage perspective,

his positive analogies allowing

the ability of adapting to change

people across a variety of different

consistently is how success can

industries to relate to his messages,

ultimately be measured. “It’s impor-

Thi affirms that although a clear

tant to have a clear strategy of w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

€

SIEMENS IS USING GRAPHS TO GENERATE A 360° VIEW ON THEIR CUSTOMER DATA. What about you?

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Gia Thi Nguyen on Utilising Technology CLICK TO WATCH

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1:35

133

where you want to be, as well as having the confidence and the

“ THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FACES IS FEAR” — Gia Thi Nguyen, Head of Operational Excellence

understanding that it’s OK not to have all the answers before beginning the journey,” explains Thi. “A key learning of making any change stick is to have people with real know-how and not just general experience or a variety of different job titles,” explains Thi. “These often unsung heroes are the agents of positive change. These are the people that you should identify and support by having the courage to w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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135

follow them. A hero can come from

change,” says Thi. “I only think about

anywhere but not everyone can

what I’m going to do differently today

be a hero. Recognising and adopting

and then it’s up to other people to

this mindset is real leadership.”

decide whether it’s successful or not.

With the future in mind, Thi recog-

It’s not my place to say.”

nises he must only look forward instead of dwelling on the past.

“It’s easy for me to look into the past and look at what I could have done differently but there’s no point in worrying about what you can’t w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

136

THE MODULAR, INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE OF K2 DATA CENTRES WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

APRIL 2020

137

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K 2 D ATA C E N T R E S

FRED HO, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT K2 CRITICAL DELIVERY AND COLIN KELLY, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AT K2 DATA CENTRES DISCUSS HOW THE DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY IS BUILDING FOR THE LONG TERM IN THE FAST PACED WORLD OF DATA CENTRE OPERATIONS

138

T

he future of business lies in the cloud.

As the increasingly rapid progression of Industry 4.0 creates higher demand for

data and data centres, through increased cloud migration, internet of things (IoT) expansion and the explosion of business analytics, the demand for digital infrastructure is in danger of outstripping global supply. With studies predicting that 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020, and the feverish growth showing no signs of slowing, the data centre market has never held so much promise, or been so demanding.

The major obstacle faced by data centre operators lies in the fact that, on average, the effective lifecycle of cloud infrastructure lasts less than two years. Every 6-18 months, server rooms need to be torn out to make way for the latest generation of APRIL 2020

139

2017

Year founded

$350mn Revenue in US dollars

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Š2018 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric | Life Is On and EcoStruxure are trademarks and the property of Schneider Electric SE, its subsidiaries, and affiliated companies. • 998-20120074_GMA-GB

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PA R T N E R S

Vital partnerships for growth: Huawei and Schneider Electric Huawei and Schneider Electric: The prototype power pods are among several projects that K2 is working on, both in-house and in collaboration with trusted global partners like Huawei and Schneider Electric. One of the principal areas of research for the Dublin 2 facility is the deployment of lithium ion batteries. Ho has been working alongside Huawei and Schneider in order to solve the issue of lithium ion fires being difficult to extinguish. “We’re all doing the R&D to find the best way to suppress a fire in a mission critical environment,” he explains. “When we install these batteries, if there’s a fire, we’ll use the cooling system to circulate the gas, then be able to control, localize and extinguish the fire using a high pressure gas suppression system. That way, a fire won’t affect operations, or enter other parts of the data centre.”

Additionally, Huawei is working with K2 on flexible cooling solutions and Schneider is collaborating on smart box arrangement technology that allows for easier part replacement in the power pods.

Kelly recognises Huawei and Schneider as long-term partners that can help K2 remain industry leaders in the short term as well. “We identified Huawei and Schneider in particular as two companies that have full stables of technologies.

We feel that those companies will always remain ahead of the curve, and be able to introduce new technologies as they come along.

They also both have global footprints, and can support our business no matter which territory, or geography we expand to.”

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143

K 2 D ATA C E N T R E S

increasingly powerful banks that draw more energy and have different cooling needs. Data centre infrastructure is, as a result, in a near constant state of flux. However, a constantly changing playing field cannot eclipse the fact that the cloud is growing by orders of magnitude each year: “The infrastructure needed to support cloud growth obviously needs to be a very long-term investment,” says Colin Kelly, Commercial Director at K2 Data Centres.

144

This inherent contradiction at the heart of the data centre infrastructure might initially seem daunting, and officiating a happy marriage between long term investment and short-term technological acceleration is no mean feat.

Adaptability, agility and technical innovation need to be met with a measured approach and an eye fixed on a future 30 to 40 years down the road. K2 Data Centres, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kuok (Singapore) Limited, is embarking on a journey to apply the mature, forward thinking business values that are central to its parent company’s business philosophy, to the rapid-fire world of data centres.

APRIL 2020

“ T HE CHALLENGE IS HOW TO INVEST LONG TERM IN CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE WHEN THE INDUSTRY CHANGES IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME” — Colin Kelly,, Commercial Director, K2 Data Centres

145 We sat down with Kelly and Fred

respected multinational conglomer-

Ho, Technical Director at K2 Critical

ates, with subsidiaries at the forefront

Delivery, to discuss how K2 Data

of the maritime, property, logistics,

Centres, against the rising tide of

hospitality and agriculture industries.

demand for cloud, harnessing the

The Chinese character for crane is also

winds of exponential technical innova-

the generational name of Kuok Group

tion, and through the coming storms of

founder Robert Kuok. Embodying the

a growing environmental crisis, aims

values of fidelity, grace and longevity,

to embody the steadfast, long-term

the crane has become the conglom-

approach exemplified by Kuok.

erate’s symbol and the virtues it represents are at the very core of how

FIDELITY, GRACE AND LONGEVITY AT THE HEART OF KUOK GROUP

it does business. From its shipping

Over the last 70 years, the Kuok Group

ments, Kuok is a company that plans to

has grown into one of Asia’s most

see its projects continue into the next

businesses to its luxury hotel develop-

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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“ W E’RE NOT THE TYPE OF COMPANY TO BUILD SOMETHING AND THEN SELL IT A YEAR LATER. EVERYTHING WE BUILD, WE KEEP” — Colin Kelly,, Commercial Director, K2 Data Centres

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION: FROM POWER PODS TO MARITIME DATA CENTRES The successful coexistence of longterm data centre infrastructure and speedy delivery lies in the approach K2 is taking to the operation of its second Dublin hyperscale campus. The new 60MW development will combine with the company’s existing facilities to make K2 a 100MW data centre company – a rarity outside cloud service providers like Google and Microsoft.

In order to simultaneously cater to the rapid development cycles of the companies expected to take up residence

decade, or even the next century.

“We’re not the type of company to

in Dublin 2, and stay true to Kuok’s philosophy and methodology, K2 is using

build something and then sell it a year

a two-track process. The plan is to

later. Everything we build, we keep,”

operationally separate the data centre

says Kelly. Kuok has deep ties to the

hall from the rest of the facility itself;

sea, with industry-leading holdings in

K2 is constructing a facility built to

the maritime space and an extensive

stand the test of time, with a dynamic

coastal footprint. Operating busi-

data centre hall at its heart. “Over

nesses built for long-term operation

the years, the data centre hall can

on turbulent, tempestuous oceans is

develop flexibly, as it needs, to accom-

at the heart of Kuok’s identity. As K2

modate new technologies,” explains

looks to steady the ship on the chang-

Kelly. While the data centre building

ing seas of digital infrastructure, Kuok’s

and internal configuration is largely

legacy and values serve as a compass

placed within the control of tenant, K2

to keep the company on course.

“takes huge care internally over how w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

147

K 2 D ATA C E N T R E S

C OM PA N Y S TAT S

• Dublin 1 Data Centre: 18MW capacity built on a technical gross f loor area of 127,000 sqft • Dublin 2 Data Centre: 62MW hyperscale campu

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APRIL 2020

we deliver power and cooling to that space,” he continues.

Appeasing the two masters of longevity and frenetic development is, Kelly admits, a difficult process. The answer lies in K2’s reimagining of the power of modular construction techniques. Traditionally, assembling parts offsite was a quicker and cheaper way to get a roof on a new McDonald’s, or install bathroom units in a boxy modern development. Not, at first glance, the sort of technique expected from a company dedicated to ensuring the perpetuity of its infrastructure projects. However, Kelly enthuses that making products faster and more cost-effectively “only scratches the surface of the advantages we see in modular construction”.

K2 is exploring the benefits of modular construction through its new prototype Power Pods: modular units that combine multiple key elements of data centre power delivery: battery, UPS and transformer systems, as well as other essential power-generating technology “like an engine block,” Kelly says. The advantages of the modular blocks is that offsite assembly and a w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

149

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self-contained structure means better

The potential applications of the

quality control, which reduces risk and

modular Power Pods reach beyond

potential time lost to the project. The

K2’s Dublin project. As data demand

nature of their construction is also

rises, the need for hyperscale data

the solution to the rapidly evolving

centres that are closer to population

demands of the data centre’s tenants.

centres also increases. Ho notes that,

“We want to flex and change the den-

in addition to the new hyperscale

sity of the data centre as technology

centre in Ireland, K2 is exploring

evolves over the next 15 years,” Kelly

additional applications for modular

notes. As power demand rises, a 1MW

power generation in a way that further

solution can be replaced with a larger

embraces Kuok’s maritime identity.

capacity power supply, and densities

“We’re planning to employ our modular

can be reconfigured as halls are refit-

construction expertise to build a data

ted as the modular system makes the

centre on a floating platform, on the

whole facility more robust. “That ability

sea,” says Ho. Kuok’s strong coastal

to adjust and fine tune our infrastructure is very important to us, given that we’ve seen IT refreshes of data halls after as little as 18 months,” says Kelly.

The Power Pods will also increase uptime and reduce the disruption of a refit. Rather than change out multiple systems on site, a module can simply be replaced, or additional units can be installed. Maintenance that needs to take place offsite need not impact power supply, as replacement units can be delivered and installed in a matter of

“ I N ORDER TO CAPTURE THE MARKET DEMAND, WE NEED TO BUILD A PRODUCT FOR OUR END USER, COME TO MARKET, DELIVER AND DEPLOY IT VERY QUICKLY” — Colin Kelly,, Commercial Director, K2 Data Centres

hours, while damaged components are serviced and added to reserve supplies. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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K 2 D ATA C E N T R E S

152

“ W E’VE DESIGNED A SYSTEM THAT MEANS WE CAN REPLACE A POWER POD IN A MATTER OF HOURS” — Colin Kelly,, Commercial Director, K2 Data Centres

footprint – particularly in areas of Asia and Africa, where digital infrastructure is still developing – will allow the company to bring its sea-borne data centres close to population centres.

The advantages range from mobility to readily-available seawater for cooling.

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Planning for the long-term means facing tough challenges. At the core of K2’s brief is the pursuit of powering data centres more robustly, more

APRIL 2020

is looking to become more vertically integrated into the infrastructure operation process – exploring offshore wind projects and a more interactive relationship with the grid.

The future is inevitably uncertain.

However, there are ways in which it can be planned for, even shaped, and met with the right tools and philosophy to ensure it is a bright one. K2, embodying the values of the Kuok group, is not only planning for, but helping create a future in which the world’s ever-growing thirst for data is met by long-term, sustainable infrastructure solutions. “It’s common for data centre companies to find empty land, build a reliably and more sustainably. The

facility, flip it and make some money

company is committed to the Dublin 2

for the shareholders. It’s very transac-

facility running on a 100% renewable

tional. Because of our heritage, we’re

electricity power purchase order, as

not transactional at all,” says Kelly. Ho

well as installing significant photovol-

agrees, concluding: that “No matter

taic infrastructure to account for power

how the technology changes, we will

fluctuations in a sustainable way that

be here to support it for years to come.”

doesn’t sacrifice the quality of cooling.

“There’s no sun in Ireland, as you know,” laughs Kelly. “The only time it gets hot is when there is sun, so it makes sense to try and address those peaks with solar panels.” Looking ahead, K2 w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

153

154

The value communi APRIL 2020

e of nication WRITTEN BY

SHANNON LEWIS PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

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155

FONTERRA

We speak to Piers Shore, Chief Information Officer at Fonterra, about how the company’s IT team effectively communicates its directives across the company, gaining further insight into areas of opportunity and possible creative solutions 156

B

ased out of Auckland, New Zealand, global dairy co-operative Fonterra exports products to over 140 countries, reaching one

billion people every day. It employs approximately 20,000 people around the world and is owned by 10,000 New Zealand farmers and families, many of whose roots in the industry span generations.

Piers Shore has been the Chief Information Officer at Fonterra for over a year now. From life sciences, to heavy manufacturing to consumer products, he has worked across multiple marketing and IT roles that focus on international business and digital strategy and transformation. “The first thing you do as an incoming CIO is understand the state of play,” Shore explains.

Effective communication across the business is at the core of Shore’s strategy for Fonterra.

When he first joined, Shore and his team ran a APRIL 2020

157

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awsinsight.com.au

Fonterra Here to Everywhere CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:30

159 company-wide IT survey, asking all

strategy and business strategy should

employees to give feedback on the

be complementary, not competitive.”

current IT tools and services avail-

The main problem, according to

able to them. Their answers provided

Shore, was that Fonterra’s IT capa-

Shore and his team with strategic

bilities were “an inch deep and a mile

focus areas, and a baseline against

wide.” He and his management team

which they could measure future pro-

recommended an urgent transforma-

gress. “We had good response rates

tion programme, focusing on three

that indicated they really valued the

key areas. “We need to articulate IT

IT services and tools that enable their

in non-technical terms to ensure it

jobs,” he continues, “but it also high-

is understandable to anyone, at any

lighted areas of improvement. We then

level, from any department, rebuild-

articulated a very practical IT strategy

ing our infrastructure and operations

that was aligned with the overarch-

including a significant enhancement

ing business transformation. The IT

of our business partnerships, and w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

FONTERRA

160

improving our diversity and inclusion,”

reinforce a digital foundation to sup-

explains Shore.

port their transformation initiatives.

He is a firm believer in building

With the spread of COVID-19 now a

deep, long-lasting relationships with

reality for it’s people, communities and

key suppliers and strategic partners.

way of life, Fonterra’s new strategic

To this end, he has recently overseen

partnership with HCL is more impor-

a process to review and consolidate

tant than ever. Fonterra employees are

vendors across his Infrastructure,

now increasingly reliant on technology

End User Compute, Security, and

and mobility to do their work. The pan-

Service Delivery estate into a single,

demic highlights the critical need for a

long-term strategic partnership with

rock-solid infrastructure at Fonterra.

HCL. HCL Technologies will bring

This partnership will also extend

together Co-operative’s IT infra-

HCL’s New Zealand presence to three

structure under one umbrella and will

offices within the country and will bring

APRIL 2020

around 60 new jobs to the Waikato

Salesforce, SAP and Amazon, it brings

region, as the local support services

us much needed global technical exper-

for Fonterra employees will be based at

tise, which will also help the evolution

its Hamilton Delivery centre.

of the technology ecosystem of New

Fonterra is committed to adding

Zealand as a country,” Shore explains.

value not just to customers, but to its

“It’s very important when you are

surrounding community. “By partner-

on a transformation journey that you

ing with major tech firms like Microsoft,

communicate,” says Shore. “Not just

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Piers Shore Piers is the Chief Information Officer for Fonterra. He moved to Aotearoa in 2018 to join Fonterra after numerous technology and digital roles across the globe, mainly in life sciences.

During his time at Fonterra so far, he has led a comprehensive review and reset of the IT strategy, service delivery and operating model, including the following: •M anaging the IT budget and project portfolio with management remit •O ptimising infrastructure, architecture, ERP environment, data management and cybersecurity protocols to provide a robust, stable platform for future innovation •B uilding innovation capabilities to drive company-wide productivity and efficiency He has introduced three core priorities to strengthen Fonterra’s core infrastructure and operations, improve business partnerships and develop Fonterra’s people with a focus on diversity.

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161

Driven by humans, powered by technology, business transformation for a better working world.

ey.com #BetterQuestions

Š 2019 EYGM Limited. All Rights Reserved. ED None.

Should digital transformation be on your agenda, or running it?

“ It’s at the core of what we’re trying to do here: rebuilding our baseline infrastructure and foundation. Once you have that, it becomes something you can leverage to drive future transformation” — Piers Shore, Chief Information Officer, Fonterra

your stakeholders. It will vary based on their area and their drives,” he continues. “Just talking tech may not resonate with everyone, but application to business areas will.”

It is important to Shore that he is visible across the company as the CIO. This includes visiting manufacturing and R&D sites to understand how technology is used on a day-to-day basis and hearing directly from people how IT could be leveraged further. He also visited the company IT helpdesk and listened into calls to understand

with your own team of global, highly-

what people struggle with. Additionally,

skilled IT professionals, but with

Shore runs regular CIO dialogue ses-

stakeholders across the business. You

sions, both virtual and face-to-face,

can have an elegant, highly technical

with the global IT team. The feedback

strategy but if people anywhere in the

and suggestions that come from these

business, at any level, can’t articulate

interactions directly impact Fonterra’s

simply what your plan is, I would ques-

IT strategy. “It’s important that you have

tion the possibility of success.” Shore

the integrity to reach out to employees

takes a “cascade approach”, regularly

in a transparent fashion and ask them

interacting with Fonterra’s executive

to benchmark your performance,” says

management to ensure teams across

Shore. “At the end of the day, we’re all

the company are informed on the

one company and want what’s best. It’s

state of IT strategy and are able to

vitally important we work as a team.”

seek assistance in areas pertinent to

Shore’s focus on visibility extends to

them. “It’s important to communicate

how Fonterra presents to the world;

on the basis of the value IT adds to

he maintains positive relationships w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

163

FONTERRA

Explore how Fonterra is powering end to end business efficiency through digital transformation

with senior management and CEO’s of major global tech companies to ensure Fonterra has access to world-class innovative minds.

The global dairy co-operative relies on developing strong partnerships to ensure it is participating in the global tech economy. “In the life sciences industry, it is particularly important that you partner with selected strategic entities that progress your pipeline,” explains Shore. “I wanted to take the same approach with Fonterra.” By connecting with a tech giant like Microsoft,

“ You can have an elegant, highly technical strategy but if people can’t articulate simply what your plan is, I’d question the strategy’s success” — Piers Shore, Chief Information Officer, Fonterra

SAP and Amazon, Fonterra ensures its data strategy is optimised. Global brands also provide expertise around cutting-edge processes. EY has been a key partner in Fonterra’s integration of a Lean Six Sigma methodology into IT, training green belts, and assisting in framework implementation. “Having an internationally recognised standard that our IT employees can aspire to and get trained upon is phenomenal for development,” explains Shore.

“We’ve achieved some significant results, not only absolute financial savings, but time savings and significant productivity enhancement.” w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

165

FONTERRA

166

C O M PA N Y FACT S

Projects pioneered through a Lean Six Sigma framework have resulted in Fonterra reducing the number of unallocated laptops in the warehouse by around 40% and reducing the average time to approve project invoices by 70%

APRIL 2020

167

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FONTERRA

168

2001

Year founded

$20.1bn Revenue in US dollars

20,000 Number of employees

APRIL 2020

Projects pioneered through a Lean Six Sigma framework have resulted in Fonterra reducing the number of unallocated laptops in the warehouse by around 40% and reducing the average time to approve project invoices by 70%. Shore hopes to dramatically increase the usage of Six Sigma in IT to drive enhanced productivity and efficiency across the business.

Fonterra received a 2019 SAP Innovation Award for a joint IT-HR project called Project App. Alongside

169

SAP, it sought a way to improve the vis-

becomes something you can leverage

ibility of projects and initiatives at the

to drive future transformation.”

company so people with the right skill

In summary, Shore says “I am

sets could get involved. “The solution

extremely excited about the role IT

was to build an online tool that used

can play in helping to support the new

SAP cloud in which projects could be

Fonterra strategy. We are part of the

registered and the skill sets advertised,”

business and we wish to leverage

explains Shore. “It’s a simple idea:

technology to drive great value to our

we’re leveraging technology to match

stakeholders and Fonterra customers

opportunities with people. It’s at the

around the world”.

core of what we’re trying to do here: rebuilding our baseline infrastructure and foundation. Once you have that, it w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

170

A living laboratory for innovation and advanced tech WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

MICHAEL BANYARD

APRIL 2020

171

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KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Jason Roos, CIO at KAUST and Mohamed Abdel-Aal, Head of Digital Experience and Innovation at KAUST Smart, discuss the university’s living laboratory approach and research innovations

J

ason Roos has been the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at King Abdullah University of Science and

Technology (KAUST) for just under three years.

172

“Prior to coming to Saudi Arabia, I was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Vice President of a large cancer research centre in Southern California and the CTO and Vice President of Stanford University’s medical centre. A vast amount of my career has been within an academic medical setting.”

Reflecting on when he first started at KAUST, Roos explains that he was already familiar with the Middle East having lived in the UAE before.

“However, I had never lived in Saudi Arabia,” comments Roos, “it wasn’t until I was brought onsite to see KAUST that I was truly convinced of how incredible the place is. KAUST is very unique. We are currently in our tenth year of existence, with the ambition to build a world-renowned research and academic institute for Master’s, and doctoral APRIL 2020

173

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KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

“ We are a self-contained community – ‘a living laboratory’. It gives us the unique ability to develop and redefine smart cities and digital experiences”

degrees that is of the same caliber as MIT, the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

Therefore, over the last 10 years we have been working to build state-ofthe-art facilities that will ultimately help to change the economic landscape of Saudi Arabia.”

In addition to the research and academic institute, KAUST is surrounded

174

— Jason Roos, CIO, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

by what Roos calls “a mini Silicon Valley”, to drive a culture of innovation and technological advancement. “As CIO I am not only responsible for the institute, but also for the entire ‘smart city’, comprising thousands of homes, as well as restaurants, shopping centres, a police department and a small hospital. Within the ‘smart city’ we have research centres from multiple Fortune 500 companies including Dow, Aramco and SABIC. Essentially, we are a self-contained community ‘a living laboratory’. That gives us the unique ability to develop and redefine smart cities and digital experiences for the people that live, work and study within KAUST.” Currently, within the world of technology, Roos highlights that, globally,

APRIL 2020

This is KAUST CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:03

175 there is a strong buzz around utilising

we have the ability to control almost

artificial intelligence, machine learning

every variable to thoroughly test these

and high-performance computing in

vehicles to develop a usable service.”

order to leverage autonomous func-

In addition to these trends Mohamed

tions and high levels of intelligence

Abdel-Aal, Head of Digital Experience

to enhance an organisation’s capa-

and Innovation at KAUST Smart, has

bilities. “At KAUST we want to utilise

also seen an increased empowerment

these trends within our ‘living labora-

of knowledge and decision making,

tory’ to drive innovation in computing,

due to the way users interact with their

personalised and precision medicine,

mobile phones has evolved. “It adds

population health, traffic control and

to the situational awareness, which

mobility, to name a few. One area that

provides a level of intelligence that we

we are looking into at the moment is

can apply to automation,” adds Roos,

the application of autonomous vehi-

“in the past you could automate, but

cles. Being an entire ecosystem city

you couldn’t predict, which is where w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

178

artificial intelligence and machine learn-

the overall experience being provided

ing has really provided a difference in

to redefine and reimagine the basic

automation to customise the individual

portfolio. At KAUST we are looking

experience. This is something we are

to create a culture where people

looking to leverage to create an intel-

are allowed to experiment, to take

ligent and unique experience.”

risks and push boundaries to see

In order to achieve this Roos

what works and what doesn’t. If you

explains that there are multiple

don’t allow people to take risks - and

components to KAUST’s digital trans-

occasionally fail - then you won’t

formation strategy. “Although there is

encourage people to get out there

your traditional IT portfolio for basic

and try to push those boundaries to

applications to deliver your core busi-

create new innovations.”

ness functions, in order to go beyond

Currently at KAUST, Roos and

that and innovate, you need to look at

Abdel-Aal are working on a number

APRIL 2020

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jason Roos Jason Roos has more than 25 years of experience leading and managing information systems and technology organizations across the defense, healthcare, higher education, and high tech industries, including international experience in Europe and the Middle East.

He is currently the Chief Information Officer for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) located just north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Prior to joining KAUST in July of 2017, Jason served as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at City of Hope Cancer Research Center in Los Angeles after serving for several years as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Stanford Health Care at the Stanford University Medical Center where he led the overall technology direction and operational delivery for all of Stanford Medicine’s Adult Hospitals and Clinics. His career highlights include working as an executive for the leading cyber security firm Symantec, where he led the application development and production support teams supporting Symantec’s global e-commerce platform and experience as the Senior Director for Technology with the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Hospital located in the United Arab Emirates. Jason began his career serving in various leadership roles for over ten years at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. His military experience includes serving as an Electronic Warfare Signals Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Corps, and later as a Medical Service Corps Officer specializing in healthcare technology and biomedical systems management.

His formal education includes completing a healthcare administration postgraduate fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital, a MBA from Texas A&M University, a BA from the University of Houston, and a diploma from the Defense Language Institute’s school of Arabic in Monterey, California. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

179

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

“ If you don’t allow people to take risks – and occasionally fail – then you won’t encourage people to get out there and try to push those boundaries to create new innovations”

of innovation projects including autonomous vehicles, drone delivery, cashless pay and facial recognition. “Coming back to autonomous vehicles, we are assessing and experimenting with this technology for two different shuttles on a joint agreement that we’ve built with multiple companies,” comments Abdel-Aal who explains the complexity involved when innovating in this area. “The assessment of autonomous shuttles

180

— Jason Roos, CIO, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

APRIL 2020

includes multiple dimensions, one being the operational aspect. Can we run these shuttles? Can we charge them? Can we maintain them? Will

181

they withstand the heat? A second

Further detailing the current inno-

dimension is digital integration to

vations at KAUST, Roos explains

develop a smart experience which

the university’s development of its

poses questions such as, will users

computing and storage capabilities.

be able to look up the route on their

“When KAUST was first established,

phone? Can users book the shut-

our supercomputer “Shaheen” was

tles in advance? Can they interact

an IBM Blue Gene system which

with the experience using a smart

put KAUST on the map for high-

and interactive bus stop? The third

performance computing to support

dimension is the actual research of

our mission and research areas.

the vehicles, such as battery materi-

KAUST’s second generation super-

als and artificial intelligence sensor

computer – a Cray XC 40, which

technology. Finally the fourth dimen-

has been in place since 2015 - now

sion is optimised operational cost.”

supports the high-end research w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

182

APRIL 2020

that we do. KAUST’s supercomputing environment is managed by our Core Laboratories, ensuring that our researchers and scientists have access to high-end compute capabilities, which are commonly used for high-resolution modeling, simulations, cloud and GPUs.” Other innovations the university is

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mohamed Abdel-Aal Mohamed Abdel-Aal is the Manager of Research and Computing Infrastructure at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). KAUST is an international, graduate-level research institution on the shores of the Red Sea in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. In its eighth year of operations, KAUST is an ascending star of academic excellence with a mission to advance science and technology through bold and collaborative research. Mohamed oversees the University’s IT infrastructure, HPC cluster resources, cloud systems, data center facilities, and storage solutions. He also oversees strategic plans and initiatives to continuously improve computational capabilities and resources while introducing innovative solutions to the University’s faculty, researchers, and students. Mohamed holds an MBA degree and a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

183

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

working on include drone technology and cashless pay. “Currently at KAUST we are exploring the potential of using drones beyond basic surveillance. In fact, our team is working with our facilities and community life group to look at how we could leverage drones for delivery to our smart houses. To achieve this would require KAUST to replicate the layout of the city into a digital twin in order to create drone corridors to manage the flight patterns of the drones.

184

In terms of cashless payment, we are currently piloting various forms of cashless experiences, including

“ We have worked very closely with some of our partners and they have been valuable from the very beginning”

digital gateways and facial recognition to create a unique experience for the users. We are also looking to develop cashless stores—building an environment where someone could walk into a store, grab what they need and, via something like facial recognition, biometrics or barcoding, the person

— Jason Roos, CIO, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

is charged for what they have bought once they leave the store,” adds Roos.

Reflecting on the university, Roos believes its biggest strengths are its world-class facilities for high-level

APRIL 2020

2009

Year founded

5,000 Number of employees

185

tech research and innovation, and

worked very closely with some of our

its diversity in bringing the best from

partners and they have been valu-

around the world into one place. “I

able from the very beginning to drive

believe that KAUST, being only 10

innovation and develop technologies

years old and being world-renowned

and solutions. For KAUST, our part-

is a tremendous success. To achieve

nerships are critical for our success,”

this level of recognition after just

concludes Roos.

one decade is truly remarkable,” adds Roos, who highlights that this achievement has been a collaborative effort between the entire KUAST city, as well as its partnerships it has made over the years. “We have w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

186

APRIL 2020

187

VOLVO CARS: A NEW APPROACH TO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

CHARLOTTE CLARKE w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

V O LV O C A R S

Michael Perkins, Director of IDP Global Procurement at Volvo Car Group, discusses the evolution of the company’s holistic approach to strategic partnerships

S

tarting his career in the procurement industry in the early 90s, Michael Perkins has roughly 30 years experience in the sector.

Currently, Perkins is a Director at Volvo Cars in charge of the EMEA region, as well as setting the structure globally for the company’s digital and IT services, 188

marketing and sales, and professional services in procurement. “In 2016, following a 26 year career in procurement I was looking for new opportunities.

Whilst looking, I was contacted by a recruiter on behalf of Volvo Cars, who were looking to establish the company in South Carolina. I’d never worked in the automotive industry and saw this as an incredible opportunity - the thought of bringing a Swedish automaker owned by a Chinese holding company to the US intrigued me,” says Perkins.

“Volvo Cars is an amazing company,” comments Perkins. “We are a very progressive automotive manufacturer; we are agile, creative and extremely people-driven. We also have the ability to adjust our paths faster than other premium automotive manufacturers due to our size, however we are still big enough that people are taking notice of what we are doing APRIL 2020

189

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V O LV O C A R S

“ We are a very progressive automotive manufacturer; we are agile, creative and extremely people-driven” Michael Perkins, Director of IDP Global Procurement, Volvo Car Group

and wanting to be a part of it. Ultimately at Volvo Cars we strive to provide people with the tools to move in a sustainable and responsible way.” Further discussing sustainability, Perkins emphasises that this is something which to this day is at the core of Volvo Cars’ operations dating back to its founders. In order to drive sustainability within its operations, Volvo Cars has set what Perkins believes to be one of the most ambitious climate plans in the automotive industry. “We aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by 25%

190

per car by 2025, with a long-term goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040 across the full value chain.”

When it comes to sourcing and procurement trends within the automotive industry, Perkins has seen the expectation of greater margins emerging as a challenge. “With this in mind it is critical for us to create strong partnerships with our suppliers, when we work together it’s not just about cutting costs, it’s also about improving our cross collaboration between internal stakeholders and procurement,” comments Perkins. “It all starts with collaboration. For our sourcing and procurement strategy we need to establish trust between each other APRIL 2020

Volvo – Recharged

CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:00

191 and determine what is needed, in order

talking about is strategic, not favoured,

to ensure we source the right partners to

sometimes this can get blurred. I am

fulfil the requirements. We also have to

talking about someone that has our

be comfortable with the realisation that

interest in mind, but they will also chal-

we don’t know everything, and look to

lenge us and the status quo. We work

our suppliers to help improve cost opti-

jointly with our partners not only in the

misation and operational efficiency.”

successes but in the failures too,” com-

When searching for a strategic partner,

ments Perkins. When it comes to Volvo

Volvo Cars looks for companies that not

Cars’ approach to partnerships, Perkins

only have a proven track record within

describes it as holistic, “similar to what

the industry, but companies that also

I have previously discussed, when we

align with Volvo Cars’ beliefs and values.

look to source our suppliers we have a

“I think when we are looking for strategic

common target, something which we

partners - firstly they’re critical to our

are looking to achieve. Taking a holistic

success - but let me be clear what I am

approach creates a group of suppliers w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Building

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194

that we can rely on and innovate with in

on this new approach, Perkins has

the hopes to deliver ‘best-in-class’ plans,

seen Volvo Cars’ landscape supplier

processes and products.”

landscape change. “When we started

With this approach in mind, Volvo

this project we had hundreds and

Cars established a cross functional

hundreds of suppliers covering our

team. “I would say this was the first

11 areas that we were dependent on,

time in the organisation where we

creating dependency issues, lack of

approached mega sourcing in the

efficiencies, governance and supplier

proper way by establishing a cross

management tools. With this change

functional team of decision-makers,

of approach we were able to reduce

project leaders and subject matter

the majority of our supplier base to four

experts. This allows us to be flex-

main suppliers, which are helping us

ible and adjustable to meet desired

to remove dependency, improve effi-

results,” comments Perkins. Reflecting

ciency, and implement governance and

APRIL 2020

performance management tools.

holistic approach and collaborating with

This was a huge transformation for us.”

our partners will drive ‘best-in-class’

Volvo Cars’ four strategic partners

outcomes if we utilise each of them to

include Capgemini, HCL, Cognizant and

their strengths. Capgemini was selected

Infosys. “As a whole, any one of them

for our manufacturing, logistics, finance,

could have taken on the entire transfor-

hosting, HR, facility, legal and security,

mation project. However, like I previously

while HCL is our partner for product cre-

mentioned, we believe that taking a

ation, research development, IP assets,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Michael Perkins Michael has a wealth of experience in expense management within a multitude of industries, including Insurance, real estate, technology, Legal, human capital, and private equity, to name a few. For over 15 years, Michael was a partner with Profit Recovery Partners, a professional services firm that develops, implements, and manages cost-reduction solutions.

Michael joined Volvo Car Corporation in April 2016 to help establish and launch its first manufacturing plant being built in the US. This included the overall responsibility of Machinery & Tooling, Logistics, Facilities Management, IT, Marketing & Sales, Professional Services, etc. After two years in the US, and completing the launch, Michael moved to Sweden to join the indirect procurement management team.

In his current role, Michael is responsible for the EMEA region as well as driving global direction in the areas of Marketing & Sales, CED (IT), and Professional Services. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

195

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end user and collaboration environments, Cognizant is our partner for data management, analytics, monetisation and automation, and finally Infosys to support the delivery and transformation in our commercial operations.”

In addition to transforming its strategic partnership strategy, Volvo Cars has been digitally transforming its business functions and operations to become more agile. “Currently within the automotive industry, I would say there is a huge

“With this change of approach we were able to reduce the majority of our supplier base to four main suppliers, this was a huge transformation for us” Michael Perkins, Director of IDP Global Procurement, Volvo Car Group

focus on electrification, autonomous 197

driving, customer relationships and

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

V O LV O C A R S

CAPGEMINI

198

Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of our clients opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms.

Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organisations to realise their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations.

We have been working for more than 40 years with Volvo Cars, in different programs, supporting both the IT organisation as well as the Business side of Volvo Cars.

Since last year we have been chosen as the main Digital transformation partner for Enterprise Digital.

Our Motto for the partnership is “Guide – Enable – Deliver”. We guide Volvo Cars by leveraging our industry knowledge and expertise to provide insights to Volvo Cars on some of their strategic topics, we help enable Volvo Cars’ strategies

APRIL 2020

to make sure implementations can accelerate, and we strive to deliver current services as well help in transforming its IT landscape into a future proof and agile IT environment.

As part of the new agreement, Capgemini will deliver a wide range of transformation services including product orientation, DevOps and cloud. In addition, Capgemini will be a main provider of end-to-end SAP consulting and technology services (including new SAP S/4HANA® implementation projects, application management and support, and infrastructure/ platform services).

In the last few years the intensity of the relationship has started to change. Rather than just delivering IT services, our relationship with Volvo Cars has started to focus more on the business impact both parties could deliver through the IT services provided to the business.

— Frank Wammes, Global Account Executive, Capgemini

HCL

HCL Technologies (HCL), is a leading next generation global technology company that helps enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age. Our technology products, services and engineering are built on four decades of innovation, with a world-renowned management philosophy, a strong culture of invention, risk-taking, and a relentless focus on customer relationships.

HCL’s engagement with Volvo Cars is the expansion of a partnership that began in 2016 and will see HCL continue to support the global premium car company through its ongoing digital transformation initiatives. This large-scale transformation exercise includes organization-wide technology shifts that will help Volvo Cars capitalize on new opportunities to improve internal business processes and customer experiences.

The relationship between the two organizations is driven by the key tenets of trust-transparency-flexibility, value centricity and is based on HCL’s philosophy of relationship beyond the

contract™. The partnership is now expanding to the next level and is moving into digital transformation, including product orientation, DevOps and application integration.

As an industry-leading global engineering services provider, HCL Technologies will also help Volvo Cars strengthen their competitive advantage, through an integrated transformational strategy that facilitates continuous quality & cost improvement across the product creation value stream, while accelerating revenue growth t hrough innovation.

Leveraging HCL’s combined strengths in PLM and electronics and engineering IT, we are bringing together a blend of traditional and next generation global engineering services and global engineering solutions, enabling Volvo Cars to achieve productivity targets in coming days and race ahead of the competition.

— Anirban Dutta,, Client Partner, HCL Technologies, Sweden

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

199

V O LV O C A R S

vehicle communication. With these fast growing trends it is crucial for us to develop strategic partners with the expertise to develop and utilise innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and analytics in order to stay ahead of these evolving trends.”

Reflecting on the company, Perkins has seen Volvo Cars since 2018 evolve from manufacturing cars in Europe and China, into an auto manufacturer with systems and governance in global 200

positions. Perkins believes that Volvo Cars’ biggest strengths are its line-up of vehicles which have been completely

“ Taking a holistic approach creates a group of suppliers that we can rely on and innovate with in the hopes to deliver ‘best-in-class’ plans, processes and products” Michael Perkins, Director of IDP Global Procurement, Volvo Car Group

APRIL 2020

201

redesigned to remain competitive and lead the premium car market, as well as its commitments to sustainability with its electrification lineup and its leadership team that isn’t afraid to cause a disruption in the industry. “I would also say our biggest success is our strong presence within the industry maintaining our ability to sell over 700,00 cars in 2019 in a declining market, which I think is pretty incredible,� concludes Perkins.

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

202

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION TO DRIVE REFUGEES’ OPPORTUNITIES WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

MICHAEL BANYARD

APRIL 2020

203

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U N RWA

KAAN CETINTURK, CIO AND DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY AT UNRWA, DISCUSSES HOW TECHNOLOGY IS DRIVING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES

204

T

he plight of Palestine refugees represents one of the most enduring human tragedies of the modern world, such that

the mere mention of the region’s name now evokes imagery of wars, refugee camps, dead-end peace negotiations and young Palestinians who long to get the same opportunities as their peers elsewhere. While the geopolitical complexities of the situation limit a full resolution of the conflict to the future, incredible work is being done to support refugees in the region through education, healthcare and job creation. Humanitarian aid for displaced Palestinians across Gaza, Jordan, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Lebanon and Syria is conducted primarily by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which currently provides vital services to over 5.6 million people registered with the organisation.

APRIL 2020

205

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U N RWA

“ We need an IT infrastructure that matches our operations, and that’s able to function in unpredictable conditions even during emergency such as with power cuts and unstable terrestrial connectivity, all while keeping our data safe and protected”

Founded by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA has delivered primary and vocational education, primary health, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvements, microfinance, and emergency response in situations including armed conflict since it began operations on 1 May 1950. Over

— Kaan Cetinturk, CIO and Director of Information Management and Technology, UNRWA

the past 70 years, the organisation has come to operate 709 elementary prep schools and nine secondary schools (together educating 540,000

206

young refugees alongside technical and vocational training for a further 8,000), and 144 health centres offering comprehensive primary care. In 2019, UNRWA’s provided health services to 3.5 million refugees through 8.5 million combined patient visits over the course of the year.

Kaan Cetinturk, Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of Information Management and Technology at UNRWA, began his career with the UN in 2005 as a Business Process Manager for the World Health Organisation (WHO), progressing through roles in Geneva and Kuala Lumpur before joining APRIL 2020

#DignityIsPriceless Campaign CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:15

207 UNRWA in December 2018. In his

that matches our operations, mak-

current role, Cetinturk is the principal

ing sure that we are connected at all

advisor to the agency’s management

times. We are working together with

committee with regards to information

an experienced long-standing provider

management and technology, strate-

of reliable satellite communication

gic architectural governance policy

solutions enabling us to function in

and operational methods; thereby

unpredictable conditions and even

orchestrating the technological offer-

during emergency such as with power

ing for refugees and the continuous

cuts and unstable terrestrial con-

development of those platforms.

nectivity, all while keeping our data

“UNRWA is considered to be a huge

safe and protected. It is vital for us to

UN agency with 30,000 staff members

use satellite connectivity in addition

served by the IT department over five

to terrestrial connectivity to mitigate

field offices,” Cetinturk explains. “That

business continuity risks and to ensure

means we need an IT infrastructure

voice and video communications with w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

U N RWA

208

our field offices independent of local

says. “Due to a very difficult financial

infrastructure.” He adds that, despite

situation we experienced over the

its differences from for-profit organisa-

last few years, the digital environment

tions, UNRWA’s digital transformation

was obsolete. In order to drive digital

strives for the same goals: to remain

transformation we had to find sources

ahead of the curve, to be secure,

of funding, and so when I joined we

to provide solutions for end-users,

turned every stone for cost efficiency.”

to develop cutting-edge applications,

Having spurred bigger coffers

and to move to paperless operations.

through this approach, Cetinturk and

When he joined the organisation,

his team then turned to the six core

Cetinturk inherited a challenging digi-

strategies they sought to implement.

tal environment. “UNRWA is funded

“First was to drive engagement and

almost entirely by voluntary contribu-

value across our programmes and

tions from UN member states,” he

departments, second to improve the

APRIL 2020

strength of our cybersecurity, third

elaborates Cetinturk. “Our business

to drive process efficiency, fourth to

engagement team works to maxim-

boost cost-effectiveness, fifth to build

ise the value we deliver to UNRWA

staff capacity, and sixth to align tech-

departments and programmes by

nology and innovation.”

understanding their work and bring-

To facilitate these goals, the team

ing innovation to the table. We have

was restructured into “a flatter struc-

also significantly improved the way our

ture” to enable greater agility and

headquarters, field information man-

efficiency. “In this restructuring, we

agement and technology offices work

established individual offices under the

together towards the same objective.

CIO for information security, project

That alignment has been absolutely

management and enterprise architec-

essential for our digital strategy.”

ture, along with dedicated teams for DevOps and business engagement,”

The nature of the organisation, Cetinturk says, means that it does not

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Kaan Cetinturk Kaan Cetinturk is CIO and the Director of Information Management and Technology Department at United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) where he provides leadership to the Department and ensure that information management and technology (IMT) services across the Agency are efficient, effective and to the highest standards. Kaan has extensive leadership experience in United Nations organisations with expertise in IT, business process transformation, digital strategy, governance, organisational restructuring and people management.

He is f luent in Turkish, English and French. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

209

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“ First was to drive engagement and value across our programmes and departments, second to improve the strength of our cybersecurity, third to drive process efficiency, fourth to boost cost-effectiveness, fifth to build staff capacity, and sixth to align technology and innovation” — Kaan Cetinturk, CIO and Director of Information Management and Technology, UNRWA

UNRWA’s operations and services have all benefited exponentially from these comprehensive strategies, and this is perhaps best demonstrated by its healthcare and education platforms and the ways they have both aided millions of refugees. E-health, its proprietary healthcare management system, is connected to the organisation’s ERP platform and is thereby augmented with the medical data of all registered refugees. “Before the implementation of e-health, UNRWA’s health centres were very crowded with

have the luxury of sequential strategies

patients who had to wait a long time to

with the aim of serving each goal in

receive the services they need,” recalls

time. Instead, programmes are strate-

Cetinturk. “Contact time with doctors

gically aligned across all six objectives

was also relatively short because of

to serve them each in parallel. “These

the crowdedness.”

programmes include many cyberse-

A major factor causing these

curity initiatives, implementation of an

bottlenecks was the lack of digital

agency-wide service management

infrastructure, leaving healthcare

platform, a document management

providers to use paper-based records

system for digitalisation of our paper

whose receipt was delayed by the

records, adoption of business intel-

inherent slowness of inter-office

ligence technologies for transparency

transfers. “It was also very tedious to

and better decision-making, and mod-

extract reports about any of the func-

ernisation of our infrastructure,” he

tions in the health centres, including

says. “Along with this, we have finalised

statistics about services delivered and

the agency cloud strategy.”

the consumption of medicines, medical w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

211

U N RWA

212

APRIL 2020

supplies and other required resources.

Upon the introduction of e-health, there has been serious improvement.”

By conducting ongoing assessments of the system to ensure its value is maximised, some exciting statistical examples of e-health’s impact have been drawn out. “The daily medical consultations for doctors were reduced from 104 to 86 a day, the time needed to collect medication was reduced to three minutes, and the antibiotics prescription rate was decreased from an average of 27% to 24.7%,” says Cetinturk. Along with these improvements to patient care and operational efficiency, e-health also provides a remote dashboard detailing health centre status, daily operations and healthcare provided to patients, delivering a daily stream of comprehensive reports and statistics.

While figures such as these can mask the real-world approval of such systems, UNRWA’s healthcare providers have been overwhelmingly positive in their feedback. “89% of physicians surveyed expressed satisfaction with the new e-health system, particularly in terms of time saved and how it allows them w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

213

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“ Upon the introduction of e-health, there has been serious improvement” — Kaan Cetinturk, CIO and Director of Information Management and Technology, UNRWA

system offers similar benefits for students and staff across the organisation and the people it serves. As a result of its deployment, enrolment, registration, attendance, transfers, and achievements are all handled via the app, streamlining the administrative processes whilst democratising the services’ availability. In addition,

to provide more and better attention to

students can access their unique

patients, and they believe it manages

reports, student identification

the crowds in a timely and fair way.”

details and achievement certificates

In addition to the impact made at healthcare sites, e-health provides

through the app.

These efforts support one of

additional services through its inte-

UNRWA’s most ambitious projects: a

grated mobile applications such as

Gaza-based IT centre that has entered

e-MCH (maternal and child health) and

operations and seeks to capitalise on

e-NCD (non-communicable diseases).

the wealth of digital literacy among

E-MCH, Cetinturk explains, offers an

young Gazans. “The near-13 years of

Arabic language interface to enable

blockade has taken a huge toll on the

mothers to access the electronic

economy and on the prospects for

health records of both themselves and

young people to achieve their dreams,”

their children, push notifications for

says Cetinturk. “Their travel is tightly

appointments and reminders based on

restricted, business is difficult, the

either the stage of pregnancy or the

politics are very complicated, and the

ages of a mother’s children, along with

borders are nearly sealed. So what can

health education content.

a 20-year-old IT professional do under

Education forms a considerable

these circumstances? The economy’s

component of UNRWA’s services,

devastation has resulted in impover-

and its education management

ishment and retrogression of a highly w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

215

U N RWA

skilled and well-educated society.

In 2018, the average unemployment rate was over 50%, one of the highest according to the World Bank, and the number of Palestine refugees relying on UNRWA for food aid has increased from fewer than 80,000 in 2000 to almost one million in 2019.

With this in mind, Gaza should be turned into an opportunity.”

UNRWA has thus established an IT centre in Gaza to deliver offshore IT services. Employing young 216

Gazans, the centre leverages the global connectivity of the internet to provide service desk, application

“ I would like to emphasise that any company that would like to partner with us to drive our digital transformation should contact me” — Kaan Cetinturk, CIO and Director of Information Management and Technology, UNRWA

development and business management services for enterprises around the world. “I encourage businesses worldwide to explore ways to connect with young Gazans and see how much space there is to support young people in launching and managing businesses online. The centre is fully functional and has already delivered an agency-wide in-house development information system,” enthuses Cetinturk. “My next mission, from this point onward, is to make the IT service

APRIL 2020

1949

Year founded

5.5mn+

People we provide with assistance and protection

30,000 Number of employees

centre known to other UN agencies

for their prospects. “I would like to

so they can make use of it. We’re now

emphasise that any company that

in discussions with other agencies to

would like to partner with us to drive our

use it as their application development

digital transformation should contact

competency centre.�

me. It can start as part of their social

In the age of digital transformation,

responsibility initiatives, but we are

it is deeply encouraging to find such

keen and able to quickly develop part-

humanitarian efforts being delivered

nerships that benefit both parties.

through technology by passionate and driven teams such as that headed by Cetinturk, and indeed across UNRWA as a whole. For those who would like to get involved, Cetinturk is enthusiastic w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

217

218

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN CHEMICALS WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

APRIL 2020

219

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

CLARIANT

HOW CLARIANT MASTERBATCHES IS USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SPEED, EFFICIENCY, AND SUSTAINABILITY “

A

t Clariant Masterbatches we believe in a colourful world! Few people outside the plastics industry know what mas-

terbatches are. We are one of those obscure industries that are everywhere and in everything, yet no one knows of us,” says Chris Hansen, Head 220

of BU Masterbatches Asia Pacific. He, along with Gustavo Haruki Kume, Global Product Owner (InstaColr), and Sanjeev Sujan, Digital Program Leader for BU Masterbatches, are at the forefront of a digital transformation at the company.

“Our business develops and produces color and additive concentrates, which are used by producers of various plastic articles with the purpose of getting the right colour and functionality,” Hansen continues. Perhaps what most characterises the company is the complexity of its operations, serving over 20,000 customers across a range of industries, with products tailored to each customer’s specific requirements. Clariant Masterbatches at any point in time maintains more than 70,000 active products which are continually changing as customer’s APRIL 2020

221

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

CLARIANT

“ With InstaColr, we cut the lead time from weeks down to minutes in the best case” — Gustavo Haruki Kume, Global Product Owner (InstaColr), Clariant

update their products - from shampoo bottles to fabrics, smart phones and cars, they consequently request new colours and functionalities from Clariant. Clariant Masterbatches is very much revered for the breadth of its product portfolio and capabilities, the quality consistency, product stewardship and sustainability.

However, the business has traditionally struggled to be as fast as the many small local competitors. “This need to increase our speed and make

222

it faster and easier for customers to

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Gustavo Kume Gustavo is the Product Owner and has overall responsibility for InstaColr in Clariant since 2019. He joined Clariant in 2002 in Brazil as a chemist in the Home Care application laboratory. He was then invited to take care of the LATAM Regional Marketing in 2010, where he for the first time engaged with the digital world by developing digital campaigns and tools for new product launches. In 2013, Gustavo went to Switzerland as Global Marketing Leader for Home Care and in 2017, following his passion for the digital world, he joined the Digital4Clariant initiative, developing web-based software for the Home Care industry until his transfer to Masterbatches Singapore and InstaColr in 2019.

APRIL 2020

The Beauty of Chemistry CLICK TO WATCH

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0:39

223 do business with us was the main

“InstaColr is a customer facing project,

inspiration to start our digital journey”,

where we intend to replace our exist-

reflects Hansen.

ing product development process, our

“There are two main projects con-

color matching process,” Kume says.

stituting Clariant Masterbatches’

“In our current process a salesperson

digital transformation efforts: InstaColr

goes to a customer, talks to them,

and Smart Factory”, Sujan explains.

collects some information about the

“Individually and collectively, these two

colour and performance character-

products will set us decisively apart

istics that the customer wants, then

from other players in our industry and

passes all this to our labs.” After this,

have the potential to revolutionise the

the lab starts working on matching the

way the masterbatches industry works.”

customer’s colour and other require-

InstaColr involves a completely

ments. This often takes more than a

new approach to meeting

week to be finalised, at which point

customer’s expectations.

they go via the sales person back to w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

CLARIANT

224

the customer. Not infrequently is there

the target color on the spot after which

the need to repeat the process, if the

the application engine develops up to

result is not entirely what the customer

three relevant and tailormade matches

wanted, or the requirements subse-

with associated price and specifica-

quently changed.

tions on the spot. Often, the customer

With InstaColr the company turns

just needs to know that we can do it

that process decisively upside down

and what will be the cost, so that he

and cuts the lead time from weeks

can quote his customer. This is now

down to minutes in the best case.

instantly possible. After the customer’s

“Via the InstaColr iPad app, our sales

choice, the underlying formulation

person collects all technical and

and other requirements is transferred

commercial requirements on the spot

immediately to a regional lab, which

and confirms the colour”, Kume says.

produces a corresponding sample for

“InstaColr allows the customer to adjust

the customer’s own sample production.

APRIL 2020

“ By optimising and synchronising process steps and resources via the Smart Scheduler, we will move much closer to a performance frontier and consequently reduce both lead times and cost” — Sanjeev Sujan, Digital Program Leader for BU Masterbatches, Clariant

This sample is with the customer within two to three days. The chief benefit is time saved, and time is money.”

InstaColr launched in the middle of last year in Southeast Asia. To date, 25 sales colleagues have undergone training and certification to become InstaColr Consultants. This process has been important, as the role of our sales representatives changes significantly with InstaColr. As indicated by their title, they go from selling to color consulting. “This binds us closer to our customers,” emphasizes Kume.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Sanjeev Sujan Sanjeev is global Digital Program Leader for Clariant Masterbatches. An ardent technology lover, he has been with Clariant since 2013. He started as Clariant Production System Change Leader for Asia Pacific & IMEA. He subsequently took over Operations of IMEA before taking up his current role in Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Clariant, Sanjeev worked with McKinsey & Company from 2009 to 2013, working across oil and gas, manufacturing and technology, covering lean optimisation and strategy. Sanjeev holds a Master’s degree in Finance and IT & Operations from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, in India. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

225

BUILDING THE REAL-TIME DATA-DRIVEN MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEM With a mission to accelerate the digitization of the global supply chain, Arcstone is a manufacturing solutions company providing the tools for Industry 4.0 and beyond.

We empower manufacturers to gain better visibility, control and optimization over their production processes and entire supply chain through unlocking the hidden value of real-time data.

By leveraging Arcstone’s solutions, Clariant has been able to kickstart their digital transformation and is preparing to scale their efforts to be a leader in the data-driven manufacturing space across all their facilities globally.

“Complete manufacturing transparency across the entire supply chain is what Arcstone ultimately strives for. By digitalizing and integrating manufacturing operations from the shop f loor right to the hands of consumers, we aim to enable a more responsive, responsible, and sustainable manufacturing ecosystem for us all.”

Willson Deng, CEO

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Manufacturing Supply Chain Ecosystem - Complete manufacturing supply chain visibility down to the raw material

CLARIANT

228

The electronic capture of customer

is to roll it out to more than 50 sites

requirements has also allowed the

globally. Smart Factory spans every-

centralization of the sample produc-

thing from the receipt of customers’

tion into one regional lab, which allows

purchase orders to the final shipment

scale advantages and yet faster sam-

of the corresponding products to

ple delivery to customers throughout

the customer. “Our aim is to make

South East Asia. Clariant is now pre-

everything along this process smart

paring the roll-out of InstaColr to other

or smarter than today – thus the title

regions, which will commence over the

Smart Factory,” Says Sujan. “We

course of 2020 and 2021.

do this by digitising, streamlining

Where InstaColr ends, Clariant’s

and automating process steps. This

Smart Factory begins. Smart Factory

includes automating previously

is currently running as a pilot project

manual SAP processes as well as

in Singapore. Subsequently the plan

digitising the shop floor’s information

APRIL 2020

“ 2019 was the year where sustainability became a real topic for our customers.”

— Chris Hansen, Head of BU Masterbatches Asia Pacific, Clariant

flow by leveraging user-friendly tablet interfaces and linking up the back-end manufacturing execution system with the physical production equipment and programmable logic controllers.

We thus get data into and out of equipment, control the equipment and track material flows via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).The transparency and insights are the basis for direct process improvements and support a more effective performance follow-up and corrective actions.”

229

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Chris Hansen Chris Hansen is Vice President and Head of Clariant Masterbatches in Asia Pacific since 2015. In addition, Chris is the global executive in charge of the digital strategy programme within Clariant Masterbatches. Chris has a passion for rethinking traditional approaches and driving impactful changes throughout the business. Chris joined Clariant in 2009. His first role was to build and roll-out a standardised Clariant Production System for the business unit’s more than 50 sites globally.

Prior to joining Clariant, Chris was an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Management from Aarhus University in Denmark. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

CLARIANT

ACCEN T U RE

“Accenture played a key role in the InstaColr development.

As a chemical company, we had never developed an iPad app before, or any software system. That’s why we decided to go with a reliable company like Accenture. They taught us how to develop the software and how to work in an agile way using scrum methodology.

“They came in with their developers, with a scrum master and with IT managers. We learned as much as possible from them before hiring our own developers, with a handover period where Accenture helped to stabilise the system.”

- Gustavo Haruki Kume, Global Product Owner (InstaColr), Clariant 230 ARCST O N E

“Arcstone is a Singapore-based company that we have been working with for the last two years now. They’ve played a major role in our Smart Factory development. Arcstone comes with an ecosystem of existing MES modules that it has been tailoring for us with specific processes. They’ve ensured that it works based on our specific requirements.

“Equally important is the fact that we work very closely in terms of collaboration. It’s not a vendor and a customer relationship in this case - we share our office space, as often as we can and, if not, they remain available to work remotely with us when we have any urgent issues.” - Sanjeev Sujan, Digital Program Leader for BU Masterbatches, Clariant

APRIL 2020

“The core engine of our Smart Factory is the Smart Scheduler,” Sujan says.

“The minimum viable product is already on the shop floor. In the next version we will be able to dynamically schedule all tasks, equipment and manpower for a synchronised and optimised end-toend workflow both within a site and across geographies. Also, the Smart Scheduler will allow us to quantify and thus decide on the specific trade-offs between service, cost and working capital on a continuous basis.”

“By optimising and synchronising process steps and resources via the Smart Scheduler, we will move much closer to a performance frontier and consequently reduce both lead times and cost,” emphasises Sujan. At the same time, the measures will further improve Clariant’s industry leading safety record by reducing firefighting and rushing stress levels amongst the staff.

Alongside the focus on technology, sustainability is a very central topic for Clariant and has been so for the last seven years at least, with many specific efforts and recognitions as a result. That’s due not only to a sense of moral responsibility, but because it w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

231

CLARIANT

is good for the business. “2019 was the year where sustainability became a real topic for our customers,” says Hansen.

“In the years before, it was often a final, courtesy agenda point at customer meetings. Now, it is more often than not the first and primary agenda point.”

There is huge pressure on the plastics industry from governments, consumers and NGOs. “Topics like the circular economy, recycled polymers and the whole issue of ocean plastic waste are very high on everybody’s agenda,” 232

Hansen explains. “This is our opportunity.

We have the capabilities and solutions to help our customers.”

Clariant backs up these words with actions. Specific projects undertaken in

again allows us to help our customers

the sustainability space include looking

very specifically on how to improve the

into achieving more consistent colours

sustainability of their products.

with recycled polymers, as well as

Developing and implementing digital

building sustainability options such as

solutions in a traditional manufacturing

recyclability and compostability into its

company is not an easy journey. Clariant

InstaColr app to help customers make

Masterbatches spent considerable

informed decisions. Clariant is also pilot-

effort in building up its in-house Digital

ing a recycling plant in Italy known as

Innovation Center team. “Initially, candi-

CycleWorks, as Hansen explains: “That

dates are skeptical, as our environment

plant is, for example, doing extensive

is very different from that of, for exam-

testing on how colourants and additives

ple, an IT company. What in the end

impact the recyclability of plastics. This

attracts and continues to excite people,

APRIL 2020

1995

Year founded

CHF4,399m Revenue in Swiss francs

17,000 Number of employees

though, is that we remain a small team

and takes away past flexibility and

where everyone plays a central role in

autonomy - either real or perceived.

trailblazing game-changing new ways

Our experience is that one needs a

of working in our business. People real-

lot of positive encouragement and

ize that they are having a real impact”,

support, but in cases also the threat

explains Hansen.

of consequences if people do not line

While it is a lot of work to develop the

up behind the new way of working,”

new digital solutions, the biggest effort

explains Sujan. This is all about change

and success is to actually make the

management and that is how InstaColr

organisation at large adopt and change

and Smart Factory is driving true

their way of working around the new

impact within Clariant Masterbatches.

solutions. “Digitalisation fundamentally changes previous ways of working w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

233

234

DATA CENTRE IS THE EPICENTRE OF CLOUD AND DIGITAL TSUNAMI WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE

APRIL 2020

PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

235

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SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

HOW SIFY TECHNOLOGIES HAS TRANSFORMED FROM BEING A STANDALONE NETWORK AND DATA CENTRE-HOSTING SERVICE PROVIDER TO A FULLY-FLEDGED DIGITAL ICT SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES COMPANY

236

S

ify Technologies (Sify) was founded in 1995, as India’s first private internet services provider (ISP). Driving the nation’s consumer

internet revolution was the main focus during the late

1990s and through the company’s fledgling years as a consumer services focused business offering hubs across the country to handle cyber traffic.

At the turn of the millennium, Sify launched the country’s first commercial data centre (DC) and first MPLS network, beginning a transition towards enterprise services as India’s first commercial internet provider. The country’s emerging network requirements saw the business enter its third phase (from 2006-12), undergoing a full transformation into an enterprise services company. During this period, Sify moved out of the consumer broadband services space, focusing instead on internet-as-aservice for businesses and the launch of its cloud services offering.

APRIL 2020

237

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SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

“It has been a fruitful journey across

“ WE HOST AND BUILD DATA CENTRES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS ALONG WITH THE IT, NETWORK, SECURITY AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE THEY NEED. WE’RE MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO MANAGE THEIR IT REQUIREMENTS WITH ONE PARTNER” 238

— Kamal Nath, CEO, Sify Technologies

25 years of transformation,” confirms CEO Kamal Nath, who joined Sify in 2012. Overseeing the transformation of the company from a standalone network and data centre hosting service provider to a fully-fledged digital ICT solutions and services company, Nath’s stewardship heralded a fourth transition in 2017. The addition of further portfolios to Sify’s data centre and cloud offering set the framework for the company’s “Cloud@Core” approach, which began in 2018.

INDIAN EXPANSION Looking back at Sify’s genesis and how the company became a major force in the Indian market, Nath recalls a time when most of the data centre players were telco service providers operating data centres at their point of presence (POP). “It was a natural extension of our telco business,” he says. “However, we didn’t follow the traditional path as we thought it was important to develop data centre hubs in major cities like Mumbai, where we set up our first commercial data centre in 2000. This was the key to our APRIL 2020

Sify Hybrid Multi Cloud with Cloud Adjacency CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:55

239 expansion across India. Today, we

to diversify its suite of services is

have nine DCs across the country:

part of the Sify philosophy. “Over

four in Mumbai, and five spread

time,” he adds, “the data centre has

across Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi,

become the epicentre of Cloud and

Hyderabad and Kolkata. And we’re

Digital transformation.”

planning more in the near future.”

Sify now offers a host of man-

When Nath joined in 2012 the network to non-network revenue

aged, migration, assessment and

was approximately 80:20. Today it’s

security services for DCs. “We’ve

50:50. “We’ve grown the DC and

interconnected 48 DCs across the

DC-centric IT services business

country, not only our own but third

beyond simply being an IT services

party DCs,” adds Nath. “We’re creat-

provider,” he notes. “Both areas of

ing more value by offering extended

the business have grown, with our DC

service portfolios on top of our DCs

offering triggering a range of services

as a platform.” The constant quest

including, hybrid IT and multi-cloud.” w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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DRIVING DATA CENTRE GROWTH

need to expand existing IT networks.

Sify’s Head of Data Centre and Cloud

Similarly, the growing use of social

Services, Sushant Purushan, notes

media and online platforms demands

that India’s DC market is currently

that the needs of high compute net-

pegged at $2bn and expected to grow

works be met to support the likes of

22% to 24% CAGR. “This includes

content providers and gaming portals.

hyperscale DC, managed colocation at

Elsewhere, the rise of elearning and

service provider location, captive DC,

the country’s growing insurance sector

DC offshoring, disaster recovery-as-a-

is increasing its investment in IT, while

service, DC managed services and DC

regulatory compliance across indus-

applications implementation,” he adds.

tries is ramping demand for the digital

Driving that demand across India is

backup and archiving of information

the rise in ecommerce and digital pay-

sensitive services. Collectively, this

ment solutions. Banking services such

drive towards digital is aligned with gov-

as ewallets and payment gateways are

ernment initiatives such as the Smart

increasing transactions, triggering the

Cities programme and Digital India with

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Kamal Nath An Electronics and Communications graduate from a premier Technology school in India, Kamal has the enviable distinction of building business from their infancy or turning the corner in others. The architect of Sify’s digital transformation journey, Kamal prefers an entrepreneurial approach to engaging with industry verticals. This disruptive, zealous methodology has seen him build a billion dollar business in his earlier organisation. Going by the reception that Sify is receiving in the market, he is on track for an encore.

w w w.teacshno ia . bl ougyma s in e sga s czhie in e. f. ccom om

241

SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

public sector companies, especially across the energy and manufacturing verticals, aggressively adopting digital.

“Under the Indian government’s National Digital Communication Policy, the three pillars – Broadband India, Secure India and Connect India – aim to connect the country’s villages and rural communities via local institutes while targeting fixed line broadband services in 50% of households, along with 10 million public WiFi hotspots,” explains Nath.

India’s digital economy is expected to reach $1trn by 2025. An entire 242

ecosystem of primary and associated services is benefiting from this Tsunami of change. This applies to core DCs, DC interconnection, edge DCs and network services for both enterprise and consumers. “In the near future, technologies in their infancy in India – IoT, AI and machine learning applications, Big Data, analytics and their application ecosystems – will see an upward associated consumption,” reasons Purushan.

EVOLUTION Sify has evolved in anticipation of this rise of digital to offer a mix of services. “We build and host data APRIL 2020

“ SIFY HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON ADAPTING TO THE CUSTOM NEEDS OF HYPERSCALE USERS, CREATING A COMPLETE ECOSYSTEM OF CLOUD PROVIDERS, INTERNET EXCHANGES, CONTENT PROVIDERS, CDN PROVIDERS, ISPS…” — Sushant Purushan, Head of Data Centre and Cloud Services, Sify Technologies centres for our customers along with the IT and network infrastructure they need,” confirms Nath. “We’re making it easier for them to manage their IT requirements with one partner. We’re replacing legacy service providers for customers who want managed services (on-site or remote) addressing all the required models with a hosted data centre plus cloud. And through our network portfolio we not only provide data services to our clients, but also transform their network landscape influenced by adoption of cloud. They don’t need to look elsewhere, we offer w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

243

GROWTH

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Galaxy™ VX UPS EcoStruxure IT

it in a full stack – from DC hosting to

capacities were server hall floors in

custom-build and cloud services, we

buildings. Selection and deployment

can manage the whole piece. This is

criteria then changed to dedicated

how we’re evolving into a converged

buildings, POD-based design fea-

ICT ecosystem player offering hybrid

turing power substations within DC

IT and DC with integrated security ser-

premises offering multiple fiber paths

vices to meet the needs of businesses

for adaptive approaches to security

across verticals.”

and safety requirements. We now

The philosophy behind Sify’s DC business has evolved to support the

focus on creating DC campuses housing multiple towers.”

changing market. Sushant elaborates: “Sify has been focusing on adapt-

DC DESIGN-BUILD AND OPERATIONS

ing to specialised custom needs of

Sify’s Head of Project Design,

hyperscale users, creating a complete

Roopesh Kumar, explains that the

ecosystem of cloud providers, internet

company’s design philosophy is flex-

exchanges, content providers, CDN

ible and hybrid to cater to the needs

providers, ISPs etc. Our initial DC

of all requirements: “Both IT and

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Sushant Purushan A veteran IT professional, Sushant has been in the thick of the evolution of the Indian IT industry from a provider focused on application to one that evolved into infrastructure for the DC and the Cloud. He wet his feet with some of the big names in the industry donning roles across sales, operations, service lines & practice management, strategy and presales. At Sify, he puts a combination of these roles to play, architecting some of the unconventional solutions to Enterprise problems.

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

245

SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

non-IT facilities are catered to in a way

key criteria including the availability

that enterprise and retail customers

of quality power, physical connectiv-

can partake of the same colocation

ity and telecom infrastructure. “The

facility.” Sify’s approach to design has

platform to innovate is centred around

moved on from low density retrofits

the design philosophy of our infrastruc-

in shared IT spaces to purpose-built

ture,” says Roopesh. “The modular and

facilities and now a third generation of

scalable backplane design can grow

custom designed and built greenfield

with the business and also multiply

projects following an inside out design

capacity in a single floor to meet high

where the whole building is based on

demand customer requirements. The

the server hall design to support large

design allows us to increase the power

hyperscale colocation requirements.

density in a single floor by adding com-

Physical site selection is driven by 246

APRIL 2020

ponents without disturbing the working

backplane infrastructure. The SCADA

flexibility to use this total power in multi-

based building automation system is a

ples of standard POD configuration. We

new initiative we have implemented in

have floors supporting 800KW for very

the past year.”

low density to 4800KW for high density

Roopesh highlights that Sify’s DCs

customers. These flexible PODs are

are built to accommodate scale and

defined during the initial master design

flex. “Each facility may have an overall

stage, allowing the business flexibility to

capacity limited by infrastructure space

design products accordingly.”

for transformers, generators and chilldesigned, this total capacity is defined

CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTING THE FUTURE

and accordingly the base building infra-

Sify is responding to a maturing

structure is planned. The design allows

Indian market demanding hyperscale

ers, but when a new facility is identified/

247

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Roopesh Kumar Roopesh Kumar leads the data centre engineering and projects. Having built a number of large data centre facilities for Sify in the past, he is working on their “new generation” data centre facilities projects now. He brings over 20 years of experience in handling network and data centre infrastructure and projects. A technology enthusiast, he is keen to explore new technologies and products focusing on efficiency in energy and operations.

Roopesh is a computer engineering graduate and an executive MBA in information technology management. He is well acquainted with data centre standards and technologies and certified under various industry modules like uptime institute ATS, PRINCE2 project management, ITIL v2 service delivery, CCNA network basics and more.

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

DCs. “Moving forward from being a service provider, India has become the offshore destination-of-choice for DCs for multiple players,” reveals Purushan, highlighting that Amazon, Walmart, Oracle, Microsoft, Alibaba and a diverse cohort of other content providers and software companies are building their cloud infrastructure in India. “The availability of disparate business segments across different seismic zones, a proactive government approach to remove the gremlins in builds, a back-office-to-the-world 248

environment, along with abundant land and power have proved to be great

“ THE PLATFORM TO INNOVATE IS CENTRED AROUND THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE” — Roopesh Kumar, Head of Project Design & Operations, Sify Technologies APRIL 2020

inducers for the largest hyperscale DC players globally.”

Purushan notes that, both on the government and private enterprise side, there is a concentrated effort to build data farms within networked distance of the specific business. This has helped build a secondary market of DC and infra specialist providers around the facilities. “Prospective buyers are being driven by the urgency to adopt digital forms of doing business in order to retain their

249

customers in the face of increased

workload from enterprise to hyper-

threats from new age startups,” he

scale, Nath explains Sify is partnered

adds. “By themselves, startups at the

with AWS, Azure and Oracle, while in

top of the consumption chain for DCs

negotiations with Google to broaden

are the drivers for large scale automa-

the support it is able to offer custom-

tion and hence the increasing demand

ers who need to boost the digital

for hyperscale DCs. Sify has been

literacy of applications in sectors like

closely following these demands and

banking and eCommerce and main-

quickly ramping up the availability of

tain 100% infrastructure availability.

infra specialism across the country.”

“We are the only ISP who started

In creating services capable of

out in the 90s in India, survived the

managing hyperscale clouds, and

Dotcom bust and completely reen-

helping customers migrate their

gineered the business,” says Nath w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES

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APRIL 2020

1995

Year founded

$312mn Revenue in US dollars

2,700 Number of employees

251 proudly. “Today, with every passing quarter we are more relevant to the market than ever before. We now compete against international technology companies with a complete digital portfolio built to meet the future demands of the Indian market and beyond.�

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252

Shining a light on digital transformation

APRIL 2020

253

WRITTEN BY

MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY

JAMES PEPPER

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TELSTRA PURPLE

Telstra Purple was set up to solve the many issues businesses face when undertaking a digital transformation project, as Matt Williams and Adrian Spink explain

T

elstra Purple is a technology services business with a team of 1,500 technology experts across the globe specialising in

network, security, cloud, collaboration, software, data and analytics, and design. Bringing together Telstra Enterprise’s business technology services capabilities and a number of recently acquired 254

companies, Telstra Purple was set up to solve the many issues businesses face when undertaking a digital transformation project. It is focused on outcome-based, transformative tech solutions.

Whilst digital transformation is the strategic priority for most businesses today, there are a vast number of opportunities as well as stumbling blocks to consider at the planning stage. The proliferation of new technologies, the migration to the cloud, increasing volumes of data and the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape makes it an ever more challenging headache for business leaders. Cloud, the foundation for the agile business world, allows organisations to scale infrastructure as needed to support changing business priorities and host new digital services. Getting cloud right is a critical part of transforming a business, but it isn’t easy.

APRIL 2020

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TELSTRA PURPLE

Introducing Connected Intelligence for Mobile, Web, IoT, and 5G • Accelerate development and innovation • Optimize performance and functionality • Ensure digital business success

Mobile

5G

IoT

Web

Learn More

257

“ Technology is driving massive change in business, more so now than at any point in my 24-year career” — Matt Williams Head of Telstra, EMEA Telstra’s 2019 “Disruptive Decision-

people think, most businesses are still in the early stages of digital transformation. The report also reveals that the most digitally mature companies are set apart precisely because they are more likely to focus on people and processes than technology.

RESISTANCE TO CHANGE Successful transformation initiatives

Making” research report looks at the

must of course be underpinned by the

challenges IT leaders face today when

foundational technology pillars of cloud,

making the right decisions on how

security and networks, but it is never

to approach digital transformation.

solely about the technology. Technology

It reveals that despite what many

is redundant without people and w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

TELSTRA PURPLE

purpose. Any new business transfor-

roles, CIOs often face and have to deal

mation project must begin with a

with conflicting advice, resistance to

proactive and adaptive culture across

change and poor decision-making

the organisation — embraced by the

from across the business.

board, business leaders and employees.

Yet, it is reported time and time again

258

“Technology is driving massive change in business, more so now than at any

that the biggest challenge with any

point in my 24-year career” says Matt

transformation project is organisational

Williams, Telstra’s Head of EMEA.

resistance to change. Apart from having

In EMEA, Williams has considerable

the technology skills and responsibility

experience of working with leading

for driving new growth, entering new

organisations through their transforma-

markets and innovating, IT leaders are

tion journeys. “We’re seeing enterprises

now expected to play a critical role

increasingly grapple with what this

in influencing mindsets and steering

level of change really means, and

new workplace behavioural practices.

how it impacts their business.”

As part of this changing nature of their

PEOPLE, PURPOSE AND TECHNOLOGY Coupled with this, as business and technology becomes even more connected, CIOs are starting to take ownership of new disciplines.

According to The 2019 State of the CIO research, 77% of responding IT leaders plan to devote more time to business strategy over the next three years compared with transformational work (74%) such as implementing new systems and architectures or functional responsibilities (58%) like security management or cost control initiatives.

APRIL 2020

People Bringing Purpose to Technology -Telstra Purple EMEA CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:45

259 Telstra’s Disruptive Decision-Making

as a whole. Business leaders need to

report investigated how the four key

take a step back for a broader, objective

factors of people, processes, technol-

view. Only once business goals are

ogy understanding and partnerships

defined, can a coherent technology

contribute to organisations’ decision-

strategy be built.

making ability and effectiveness in

The focus on people and the broader

digital transformation. Many companies

culture, which enable any successful

that struggle digitally are those that lack

transformation, is deeply rooted

visionary executives who are clear on

in Telstra Purple’s approach. It’s also

what needs to be done for the business

a subject that resonates deeply with

“ It’s all about the people and those people bringing purpose to technology”

Adrian Spink, Head of Telstra Purple

— Adrian Spink Head of Telstra Purple, EMEA

in EMEA. “It’s all about the people and those people bringing purpose to technology,” states Spink. “Despite my background, I’m not a huge fan of the term w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

TELSTRA PURPLE

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APRIL 2020

CASE STUDY

How Telstra Purple helped London City Airport initiate a ‘Smart Airport’ experience One example of the Telstra Purple

basic elements that had to be

team’s digital transformation work

addressed first, so that initial stage

is an extensive programme with

was about ensuring everything

London City Airport to help the

was stable, robust and resilient.

airport achieve record passenger

In collaboration with the airport,

numbers. The work involved business

we carefully planned the full digital

case development, enterprise

transformation journey in order to

architecture work, operating model

roll out a truly ‘smart’ airport, which

design, business continuity and

resulted in passenger growth and

security strategy.

enhanced customer experience.

With the aim of attracting more passengers and dynamically managing traffic through the terminal, the ‘Smart Airport’ programme uses business intelligence and analytics from 190 cameras across the airport to make smarter decisions and prioritise investment.

“The work goes back some seven years, so it’s been a real journey in the truest sense of the word,” explains Adrian Spink, Head of Telstra Purple in EMEA. “The airport was working with legacy technology across many of its key areas, to the

This included some really groundbreaking technologies, including check-in screen systems, sensor technologies to manage passenger flow through the terminal, work on expanding both airline partners and the physical building and, most recently, the deployment of the UK’s first digital air traffic control tower which will go live later on this year.”

This wide-ranging transformation project led to an increase in passenger numbers of 25% over the past four years and helped reduce overall turnaround times.

point where there were some really

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261

TELSTRA PURPLE

262

Supporting your strategies to get you where you need to be ‘consulting’. It’s too broad — and dare

to come together, and Telstra Purple

I say — smacks of slick presenta-

is experienced in making it happen.”

tions and boilerplate reports. We

To support this ‘people-first’ effort,

have very strong capabilities in the

CIOs should look to create a cross-

advisory space, of course, as well as

departmental team of ‘digital natives’

in working with some of the largest enterprises in the market.

“But really, we are a people-first

— individuals who exhibit traits like cooperation, openness and selfmotivation who will support the

services company. We deal in digital

culture of change and help others in

and technology transformations, but

the organisation to recognise the

you simply can’t do anything in the

benefits too. They must also con-

world of technology today without a

tinue to oversee the adoption of a

massive focus on people and culture.

measured and considered approach,

CIOs, employees and the board need

counter-balancing new technologies

APRIL 2020

“ The threat landscape is ever changing, and there are still many organisations out there that have yet to invest in a permanent security executive or leader” — Matt Williams Head of Telstra, EMEA

and ways of working with information security implications and risks.

CREATING STRONG FOUNDATIONS: CLOUD, NETWORK AND SECURITY Telstra’s Disruptive DecisionMaking Report found that the top digital transformation priorities for senior decision-makers were security and protecting digital assets, followed by optimising existing technology in order to move faster than the competition.

Matt Willams

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

263

Matt Williams is Head of EMEA for Telstra, based in London. He is responsible for developing and driving the business strategy for three divisions in Enterprise, Wholesale and Professional services across EMEA, and delivering upon the company’s financial goals. Matt joined Telstra in 2009 and was most recently Director of Enterprise Accounts for the EMEA region. In this role he was accountable and responsible for retention and sales growth for the Enterprise customer base. Matt has over two decades of experience in telecommunications and technology markets, having held several senior sales leadership positions throughout his career. Matt holds a BA in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of East London. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

#BREACH&ATTACKSIMULATION AttackIQ, a leader in the emerging market of continuous security validation, provide enterprise customers insight into the efficacy of their security and leverages the industry standard post breach framework, Mitre ATT&CK.

UNLOCK THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION With Telstra and Equinix on your side, you can bring to bear the industry’s most powerful cloud ecosystems, network connectivity solutions and multicloud interconnection services wherever in the world you need them.

Combined, our technology, global reach and industry knowledge make us the right partners to help businesses transform their infrastructures to exploit the opportunities of the digital age in full.

For more information on how Telstra and Equinix can help enable your digital transformation, visit Equinix.co.uk/partners/telstra/

LEARN MORE

For the majority of CIOs, finding

in EMEA experiencing a security attack

the time for transformation projects is

in 2019. This was a finding in Telstra’s

not easy when their day job is managing

2019 Security Report, which is based

the essential infrastructure pillars of

on interviews with around 1,300 profes-

cloud, network and security. These ele-

sionals across 13 countries. Thus, time

ments are the foundations that allow

is sucked into reactive work rather

a business to scale, host and deliver

than proactive initiatives, meaning

new digital services and applications

businesses have to take their eye off

across the globe and are complex

the prize and transformation projects

and time-intensive to get right.

are delayed.

Just getting security, privacy and

According to a survey by the Harvard

compliance right is a full-time job, with

Business Review, one of the biggest

more than half (52%) of organisations

hurdles to digital transformation is

Adrian Spink

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

265

Adrian heads Telstra Purple across EMEA, where he is responsible for the growth of the business in the region and aligning it to Telstra’s strategy. He has over 30 years’ experience in running IT infrastructure and security services across the automotive, oil & gas and financial services sectors and in working with blue-chip CIO clients to deliver strategic change to their organisations. Prior to joining Telstra Purple, Adrian was the CEO of Company85 which was acquired by Telstra in 2017. His consulting experience includes CSC, IBM and Symantec, where he led the EMEA services organization through a management buyout to create Company85. Outside of work, Adrian enjoys skiing with his family and occasionally dreams about still making it as a creative midfielder for Leeds United. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

TELSTRA PURPLE

C O M PA N Y FACT S

• A team of 1500 technology experts across the globe specialising in network, cloud, security, collaboration, software, data and analytics and design.

266

• Built on a foundation of acquisitions we are a powerhouse of demonstrable experience and expertise.

• We’re committed to collaboration. We bring the best people across our organisation together with yours to design, build and deliver outcomebased solutions.

• We’ve built strong partnerships with industry leaders including Microsoft, AWS and Cisco but always deliver purpose-built solutions with people at the centre.

APRIL 2020

267

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In today's interconnected world, you're only as secure as your most vulnerable partner, and you can't secure your third-party network if you're using traditional Third-Party Cyber Risk Management methods like security ratings and spreadsheet assessments.

Whether you're preparing for APRA CPS 234 or simply looking to protect your data from third-party breaches, join our movement for innovative TPCRM. Learn more at CyberGRX.com.

a company’s inability to experiment

driving technology change. It’s more

quickly, with more than half (53%) of

about using technology in an efficient

senior executives maintaining that

way to bring about wider changes to

it is a key barrier of success.

the way business is conducted.”

Spink agrees: “It’s never just about introduced. Pushing technology for tech-

HIRE EXPERTISE TO REDUCE THREAT AND COMPLEXITY

nology’s sake leads to failure quickly.

With deep expertise in cloud, networks

CIOs face the challenge of increasing

and security as well as technology

operational efficiencies and delivering

change planning, Telstra Purple’s point

more consistent and stable IT perfor-

of difference is its multi-faceted

mance to the business. But we have

approach to digital transformation

transitioned from a ‘tech-first’ approach

problem solving. Fundamentally,

to an environment today in which we see

the business draws on its technical

employee and consumer behaviour

knowledge and project management

the actual products or solutions being

APRIL 2020

“ Unlike many consultancies which offer ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions to very typical business-driven problems, our engagement comes in the form of close, collaborative partnerships” — Adrian Spink Head of Telstra Purple, EMEA

produces a high-risk and complex decision-making environment that requires deep expertise. Telstra’s vast global network spans nearly 400,000 kilometres and has 2,000 points of presence connecting enterprises to the world’s fastest growing markets, especially in Asia Pacific.

As all CIOs and CDOs are aware, one consequence of the increasing use of technology by enterprises is the

experience in deploying a well-planned

exposure to new forms of cyber risk.

transformation strategy that delivers

According to Williams, one consequence

against organisational and operational

of the greater use of technology by

objectives such as cost saving,

enterprises is exposure to new forms

efficiencies and the ability to scale.

of cyber risk. “The threat landscape is

Based on decades of advisory and

ever changing,” he says, “and there are

delivery experience, Telstra Purple

still many organisations out there that

reduces the complexity of choice

have yet to invest in a permanent secu-

and makes cloud easier to consume.

rity executive or leader. We can deliver

Whether moving a single application or

skills and expertise at every stage of the

hundreds, Telstra Purple, helps find the

security lifecycle, working with busi-

right target operating model for each

nesses to help them set the appropriate

organisation, speeds up platform trans-

standards and build out that intrinsic cul-

formation and ensures a smooth and

ture of compliance and security that’s

secure transition with minimal impact.

necessary in their organisations.”

Matching the rise in cloud applications,

Spink adds: “Unlike many consultan-

the network becomes increasingly busi-

cies which offer ‘out-of-the-box’

ness-critical. The need to secure

solutions to very typical business-driven

application delivery to a network of dis-

problems, our engagement comes in the

tributed enterprises and mobile workers

form of close, collaborative partnerships. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

269

TELSTRA PURPLE

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APRIL 2020

We roll our sleeves up and deliver, and that’s the big differentiator for Telstra Purple — we don’t just consult or offer a standard solution, we stand by what we promise. We consider ourselves a true partner and we work with everyone in the organisation to solve the challenge.”

Williams sums up: “Transformation strategy is so important. The expertise we have across our organisation means our approach is focused more on advice, guidance and the provision of purposeful, tailored solutions. To fully realise the transformative benefits, it’s essential to partner with companies that have deep experience in both the pitfalls of transformation projects as well as the recipes for success. Our difference is our focus on the people within the business and the purpose behind the evolution — it’s the people that give the purpose to any technology.”

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272

Kansas City Public Schools: creating the classroom of now WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

APRIL 2020

273

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K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, shares the leapfrogging that KCPS is undertaking in order to create greater student equity

D

igital transformation takes time and a considerable amount of resources, but for Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS),

Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, asserts that his students cannot afford to wait. Few people understand the technological needs of the students more 274

than Phillips, who grew up in Missouri, knowing first hand the disparity in educational support provided to children across the state.

Before he came to his current role, Phillips spent 16 years in the army as a Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Information Officer. Following an injury in Afghanistan he was medically retired in 2015. “Leadership breaks down into three components: purpose, direction and motivation,” explains Phillips, “and my time in the army really prepared me for my current position at KCPS in providing direction and leadership to our team.”

Prior to his time at Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), Phillips was the Manager of Technology Support Services at Park Hill School District, where he received the 2018 Spirit Award. Just recently he was nominated for the CoSN CTO of the year award APRIL 2020

275

1867

Year founded

$100mn Revenue in US dollars

2,500 Number of employees

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K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

276

for his work at KCPS. Yet Phillips is far

Classroom of the Future’, but our kids

more occupied with the achievements

don’t have time to wait for this,” he says.

of the district. “My key responsibil-

Phillips shares that there are currently

ity in this role is to use technology to

42 technology projects underway to

improve the lives of our students, and I

improve upon the district’s infrastruc-

am particularly invested as I know how

ture, cybersecurity and classroom

our kids feel and what they face every

experience. “Our largest project is the

day. They can’t wait several years for

district-wide refresh of technology,

change, they need it now in order to be

so that our students can get the best-

equipped for the future.”

of-the-best and our teachers aren’t

The key way in which Phillips is

hindered by technological difficulties.”

doing this is via a project he calls

At the core of these edtech initiatives

‘The Classroom of Now.’ “Many other

is a clear goal: to become the go-to

districts may have projects called

strategic partner across the entire

‘The Classroom of Tomorrow’ or ‘The

organisation. “If we can help every

“ Many other districts may have projects called ‘The Classroom of Tomorrow’ or ‘The Classroom of the Future’, but our kids don’t have time to wait for this” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS APRIL 2020

Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS): New laptops CLICK TO WATCH

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1:20

277

department improve upon their pro-

students when they go to college, or

cesses, procedures and technologies,

enter their career. We can’t simply keep

then we can truly improve the experi-

pace with other school districts; we

ences of our students.” This assistance

need to leapfrog our technologies so

may range from the effective technology

our students can remain competitive.

training of teachers, through assist-

Outdated technology won’t equip our

ing in the selection and deployment of

students for the future.”

active shooter simulation technology

KCPS is currently in the first year of

for the security department. “All of this

a five year edtech plan which aligns

comes down to equity: identifying the

with the district’s strategic plan and

challenges faced by our students in our

goals. “Often, an issue that you see

district, and helping them to overcome

with regard to others in my position

these challenges so that they can have

is that they decide on technology

the same opportunities as higher-SES

that they believe should be in place, w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

Safe students at school, home, and everywhere in between.

Learn More

Relay helps Kansas City Public Schools and 6,500 other districts protect their students and devices—in the classroom and at home.

Learn more at lightspeedsystems.com/kcps

they don’t necessarily work from the

To really articulate the scope of this

needs of the educators,” he explains,

transformation, Phillips details the

“This is where our team differs. We

conditions of the classrooms when he

see what our educators would like to

first started in his role in 2019. “One of

achieve in the next five years and we

my first initiatives was to ensure the

work backwards from there to pro-

implementation of iReady, however

vide the best processes and needs in

the elementary schools in the district

order to become aligned.”

had exceptionally poor technology.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Joe Phillips Before entering Educational Technology, Joe served as both an enlisted soldier and an Army Officer. During his tenure, Joe served in numerous positions including 10 years as a Chief Human Resources Officer and later as a Chief Information Officer. In both roles, Joe’s specialty was building new, and turning around poorly performing, organisations and departments for the Army. Joe retired from the Army in 2015 and joined the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, MO as the Manager of Technology Support Services. In 2018, Joe accepted the position of Director of Technology for the Kansas City Public Schools District and has spent the past two years completely transforming the department. Joe has numerous technology certifications, a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri, a Master’s Degree in Business and Organisational Security Management from Webster University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Liberty University’s Ed.D in Educational Leadership programme. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

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APRIL 2020

The laptops couldn’t hold a charge and the students didn’t have power outlets at their desks,” he explains.

On Phillips’s 90th day as Director of Technology he approached his superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell and requested US$2mn. “Dr. Bedell and our board members are very supportive of the work we are doing and the project was easily approved.” After the first winter break, all students in grades three to six received new laptops, shortly followed with iPads for Kindergarten through to grade two.

“This upgrade has made a huge difference on our ability to use technology to teach our kids as well as individualising our teaching for each student. We have also focused on reducing our average ticket time for IT problems and have been able to get it from 46 days down to under 48 hours.”

In addition to this, the vast number of projectors are being replaced with OneScreen interactive flat panels, which were provided by Clary Co, a company Phillips cites as pivotal in standardising teaching for staff across all schools in the district, which, when paired with strong w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

281

OneScreen It's why students stay in class even after the bell rings.



(800) 992-5279

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training in technology, has positioned

the technology, allowing for feedback

staff to be able to become more crea-

and amendments prior to the district-

tive and attentive with their classes.

wide rollout.

“Technology anxiety has the power to

As technology evolves, naturally so

undermine and destroy a whole trans-

does cybersecurity. “We have a layered

formation, so working with our Digital

approach to cybersecurity,” explains

Learning Team and making sure our

Phillips. “We have solid firewalls and

staff are trained and comfortable with

end point detection and response

these new technologies is paramount

software. We’re also following all NIST

to our greater strategy,” he says.

cybersecurity standards, CIS controls,

Phillips references Fred Davis’ 1989

CIPA, HIPPA, and FERPA where we

Technology Acceptance Model, which

modify it by grade range and the topics

was used as the framework for the

studied by students as needed.” KCPS

staff training. He adds that for every

also adheres closely to the Children’s

rollout, a school in the district will pilot

Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA),

APRIL 2020

“ CTOs need to move from the basement to the boardroom: we need to be out across the schools and departments building strategic partnerships and really trying to understand what our schools and departments need from us” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS

which ensures stricter security levels for children under the age of 13. “It is so crucial that educators understand cybersecurity and the threat it poses,” he says. To illustrate the gravity of the situation, Phillips shares that on the dark web, a student’s information is worth around $30 a transaction, as opposed to that of an adult, whose data is worth around 30 cents. “It’s important to understand that simple solutions can have a massive impact.” He goes on to share that KCPS has an email address for students and educators to forward

Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS): IT Department CLICK TO WATCH

|

4:04

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283

K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

suspect emails onto, as well as a warning banner that heads suspect emails external to the district. “From these solutions alone we have seen a massive decrease in phishing attempts across the district,” he remarks. A partner that has been integral to cybersecurity is Lightspeed Systems, which has assisted in a number of ways: piloting classroom management, staff monitoring and controlling what students see as well as the projection of work. Lastly, it provides a safety check that centers 284

around self-harm, bullying and anything else that may place students at risk.

KCPS has already made great strides in the first year of this transfor-

education is valuable, and that they

mation and Phillips takes pride in this.

are valuable. Yet in my role, I need to

“My favorite part of this transformation

ensure that the best-of-the-best tech-

is seeing the impact. I grew up in this

nologies feel normal for our students

district and I remember how easy it is

and that they never feel that their

to succumb to feelings of inferiority

education isn’t as valuable as their

when relating to suburban districts.”

suburban counterparts.”

“Seeing our students, who have been

Looking ahead, Phillips makes his

using these depleted laptops, unbox

intentions clear: “It’s no secret that I

a new chromebook halfway through

want us to be the best K-12 technol-

the academic year was absolutely

ogy department in the world. I want

incredible. They’re durable and cut-

KCPS to be the first thing that people

ting edge and the students’ reactions

associate with K-12 EdTech, and not

were amazing; they realise that their

for personal ego, but because our

APRIL 2020

“ We can’t simply keep pace with other school districts; we need to leapfrog our technologies so our students can remain competitive” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS

285

students truly deserve the best.”

Phillips also wants to harness VR in

building strategic partnerships and really trying to understand what our

the classrooms, to take students on

schools and departments need from

virtual field trips. He is also interested

us.” Phillips says that KCPS is in an

to see how the role of 3D printing will

excellent position to accelerate to

evolve. “3D printing has been some-

transform from what he describes as

thing of a novelty, but I believe it has

“the underdog of school districts” to

the potential to serve a greater pur-

a Missouri leader, in time a regional

pose in helping students learn.” When

leader, and eventually a global leader.

considering his position in the wider industry, Phillips comments, “CTOs need to move from the basement to the boardroom: we need to be out across the schools and departments w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

286

SAP Cloud for Utilities: an integrated industry solution WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

APRIL 2020

PRODUCED BY

BEN MALTBY

287

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SAP

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

S

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

to-Cash process employed by utilities companies.

Three individuals from the wider SAP organisation are guiding its market introduction. Klaus Lohnert 288

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

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

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

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SAP

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

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

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

The complexity of the behind the

Klaus Lohnert, Program Director SAP Cloud for Utilities, SAP 290

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

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

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

APRIL 2020

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

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4:21

291 modelling through to the market, as

terms of reducing costs and adoption

well as demand prediction, monitoring

time.” Engelhardt adds that the offer-

of customer behaviour, managing bill-

ing is flexible to the specific needs

ing, customer service and adherence

of customers. “The architecture is

to regulations. “It’s a suite that covers

modular,” he says, “so we leverage the

the entire end-to-end process,” says

independent cloud components that

Munar. ”We provide a software-as-a-

SAP offers. For service, for instance,

service, cloud native solution.

for sales, for marketing, for commerce,

It’s a unique service, with no competi-

for billing and revenue management.

tor offering such a complete suite in

We’re bringing them together, extend-

the cloud. It’s important to emphasise

ing them from an industry perspective

the technological approach, because

— but you still have the option to buy and

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

run them separately.”

Motivating customers to require a solution such as SAP C4U is an w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

SMART SOLUTIONS FOR SMART CUSTOMERS

PROLOGA and PROLOGA Energy are software development and consulting companies serving utilities worldwide. Customer profit from a comprehensive consulting and system competence that prepares the ground for a big variety of modern industry-specific solution extensions.

MODERN UTILITIES: LEVERAGING NEXT LEVEL APPLICATIONS ON SAP® CLOUD PLATFORM It does not take a crystal ball to predict that the days of traditional utility companies are numbered. Both in terms of changing customer behavior and in terms of social trends such as digitalization: the industry is facing huge dynamics while being under fire from new technologies, complex IT systems and inconsistent processes. However, automation will continue to significantly change people’s lives in the years to come.

Robots and artificial intelligence are already part of our everyday lives: our goods are sent by drones, chatbots support our customer service and soon our cars will drive autonomously. Ideas about what the utility company of the future can look like are already becoming outdated because the future of this industry has long since begun.

More importantly, utility companies should ask themselves – do we want to play an active part in shaping these changes?

Digital transformation with intelligent solutions: SAP® Cloud Applications Is there a way for utilities to be both reliable and disruptive at the same time? Part of the answer might be software solutions such as SAP® Cloud for Utilities, the nextgeneration industry business solution that supports end-to-end industry processes across all business functions, at scale, in the cloud, and in real-time.

But even a solution as comprehensive as SAP® Cloud for Utilities cannot cover all the detailed areas and requirements of a modern utility company. These gaps are closed by industry-specific solution extensions, such as those offered by PROLOGA. Automated planning, execution and confirmation of services, the reading of consumptions and on-site billing are only some examples. Another one is the highly

sophisticated Capacity and Nomination Management solution that provides efficient means for gas transport management companies to monitor the execution of capacity contract bookings and validating received nominations. And last but not least, PROLOGA also provides enhancements on SAP® Cloud Platform that complement the solution portfolio.

PROLOGA and SAP: 15 years of experience, competence, and reliable partnership For more than 15 years, PROLOGA is serving SAP customers worldwide, delivering high-quality industry solutions and add-ons. The close collaboration with SAP ensures that solution extensions

by PROLOGA are perfectly matched to SAP’s products and follow the strategic direction set by SAP. Smart solutions for smart customers is much more than a slogan; it is our daily motivation to both rethink our established solutions and adapt them to the evolving markets.

Many companies have long since started the journey to an automated era, while utilities still seem to defend the market instead of attacking it. Together let’s take a clear view on the way in which your market is likely to evolve and how modern solution extensions can pave the way to it.

SAP

294 E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

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

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

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

APRIL 2020

evolving energy market, influenced by

growth, they will have to look to new

factors such as the rise of renewables

business dimensions, which is why the

and the decentralisation of power

platform supports non-commodity and

production. “The traditional commodity

multi-service capabilities,” Engelhardt

business no longer provides the mar-

adds. “We leverage elements and

gins or the revenue that is required,”

know-how from the 26 industry solu-

Engelhardt warns. “Utilities have to

tions we have at SAP such as telco,

extend their scope. They have to go

automotive and so on, bringing them

beyond the traditional energy business

together in order to allow utilities to

in order to offer value added or even

offer new bundled business services.

completely independent service offer-

Of course we also automate the tra-

ings.” SAP C4U is uniquely equipped

ditional processes of the commodity

to enable those in the industry to

business. That is the way towards what

compete in this brave new world. “For

Klaus calls the ‘self-running enterprise’.”

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

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

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How SAP S/4HANA can accelerate your energy transition

By David Townshend EY Global Power & Utilities SAP Leader

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

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

At the same time, energy and resource companies must move

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

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

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

David Townshend EY Global Power & Utilities SAP Leader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will 2020 be the year you accelerate your transformation?

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

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

SAP

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

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

298

APRIL 2020

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

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

It’s not just about delivering growth.

C4U can also help companies achieve increased efficiency, and with efficiency comes more sustainable ways of doing business. “Utilities are at the heart of w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

299

SAP

the energy revolution that is going on globally,” says Engelhardt. “They are in the driver’s seat to optimise, manage and build value added services in order to achieve efficiency and to benefit from new business opportunities. That is a key focus for us as we shape and develop the solution portfolio.” While SAP C4U is a business suite rather than a technical system, it still has a part to play in this transition. “What’s happening at the moment is a tremendous infrastructure programme, going 300

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

Having cultivated a successful rela-

to buy a solar panel or a heating sys-

tionship with professional services firm

tem or charging stations.”

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

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

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

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

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

1972

Year founded

$24.7bn+ Revenue in euros

96,000+ Number of employees

adding that “we have many equally

coming from other areas and enter-

important partners, such as rku.it,

ing the space. Maybe our customers

smartservices, Cronos, bpc, Natuvion,

of the future are not just utilities, but

E&Y, Atos or IBM.”

other service providers who start to

Going forwards, the aim for C4U

complement services with energy.

is clear, as Engelhardt articulates.

Our platform should provide both with

“There is one simple goal. We want

the necessary tools and processes

to help our customers to transform

to be successful.”

their business into the next dimension, and we’re doing the same on our side. At the same time, I think what we are seeing happening that is interesting for us is more and more players w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

301

Digital transformation in money lending WRITTEN BY

302

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

NATHAN HOLMES

APRIL 2020

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UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

Akihiro Nagahara, Managing Director and CEO of consumer finance company United Asia Finance Limited, discusses the technologies maintaining the company’s position as Hong Kong’s largest money lender

304

U

nited Asia Finance Limited (UA) is the biggest money lender in Hong Kong.

Founded in 1993 by Managing Director

and CEO Akihiro Nagahara, who introduced the concept of unsecured personal loans into the Hong Kong market in 1977, earning Nagahara the nickname ‘Father of Personal Loan of Hong Kong’. UA Finance is now the biggest finance company in Hong Kong, with the largest variety of all-round personal loan products and the most comprehensive online and offline channels, including the most extensive branch network of a total 49 branches located at different locations throughout Hong Kong.

Born in Taiwan, Nagahara joined a company after graduation in Tokyo in 1976. He initiated and helped to start up the consumer lending business

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UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

“ UA is the first finance company in the market to introduce online personal loans, namely the ‘i-Money’ internet personal loan as early as the year 2000, at a time when even many other finance companies had not yet joined the market. In 2015, our mobile app ‘One Click to Loan’ was launched, further offering convenient and hassle-free loan experiences for customers”

306

— Akihiro Nagahara, Managing Director & CEO, United Asia Finance

for his company in Japan which turned out to be very successful. Despite not speaking Cantonese at that time, in 1977, Nagahara was dispatched to venture to Hong Kong by his boss at the time, bringing the idea of the unsecured personal loan to the city.

He was able to do so thanks to the deposit-taking companies ordinance instituted in 1976, allowing an overseas company with a minimum capital of HK$2.8mn to set up JCG Finance in Hong Kong. The personal loan business grew fast and successfully until being sold in 1990, at which time there were 30 branches.

In 1993, with investment by Allied Group, Nagahara opened United Asia Finance Limited, with profits recorded from the very first year. In 2007, the company achieved the milestone of expanding to Mainland China, with the first branch opening at Shenzhen, thus becoming the first Hong Kong finance company to start a consumer finance business in the Mainland.

Now, there are branches in 15 cities throughout Mainland China. Since 1996, ITOCHU has been a shareholder. In 2005, a majority stake in the

APRIL 2020

UA CLICK TO WATCH

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0:32

307 company was acquired by Sun Hung

again showing its continuous promise

Kai & Co. Limited from Allied Group.

and commitment to offer the best con-

Having recently celebrated its 25th

sumer loan services for customers.

anniversary, the company is gear-

Lee’s role actually comprises two

ing up to ward off the rise of virtual

complementary halves, as he explains.

banks, as CIO Aaron Lee emphasises.

“My role is CIO at UA, yet I supervise

“Keeping the business model competi-

different responsibilities for the com-

tive with virtual banks is the reason

pany. I oversee traditional IT functions

we have to be ready to transform for

and make sure the IT operation runs

the digital generation.” A sentiment

harmoniously, while simultaneously

shared by Nagahara, the Fintech and

implementing digital strategies to

Innovation Department was officially

enhance the competitiveness of our

set up in January 2019 by UA, being

business to keep our leading position

the first and only finance company in

in the industry.”

the market to set up such department,

One of these strategies consists of w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

308

a move towards an “open consumer

requirements of respective statutory

loan platform”, which in practice means

and regulatory government institutions

providing greater transparency to

of the industry, and the representative

customers and improving the access

industry associations Licensed Money

of third party services via APIs. “We

Lenders Association. “One example of

have our API gateway to talk with our

the requirements is in customer informa-

external business partners. Our organi-

tion protection, because Hong Kong has

sation’s architecture is based around

very strong requirements regarding the

Kubernetes, and we’re setting up a new

handling of such information. Another

generation of online app, web and legacy

is in anti-money laundering. The money

applications using the Pivotal Container

lenders’ regulator has very detailed

Service as an integration platform.”

Electronic Know Your Customer

UA has to remain on top of the APRIL 2020

(EKYC) due diligence procedures.”

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Akihiro Nagahara

Mr Akihiro Nagahara is the Managing Director and CEO of United Asia Finance Limited, with over 40 years of experience in the consumer credit market in Japan and Hong Kong. Mr Nagahara introduced the idea of unsecured personal loans from Japan to Hong Kong in 1977. With his inf luence and contribution in the consumer finance industry in Hong Kong, the nickname of “Father of Personal Loans of Hong Kong” is given to Mr Nagahra.

Mr Nagahara established the first personal finance company with scale in Hong Kong and is the Founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Licensed Money Lenders Association.

Mr Nagahara is keen on servicing the community and very supportive of charities and has been the Director of Po Leung Kuk. Mr Nagahara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from National Taiwan University and a Master’s degree in Law from Japan Hitotsubashi University; he then completed a Doctoral degree at the same University. Mr Nagahara has been conferred Honorary Fellowship by The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the University and the community.

In 2012, Mr Nagahara was awarded “Person of the Year in the Chinese Microfinance Industry” by the China Microfinance Association; and in 2013, was awarded “CAPITAL Leaders of Excellence” by the Capital Magazine in recognition of his continued and outstanding contribution to the consumer lending industry in Hong Kong. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

309

Simplify cloud with consistent security and operations.

Visit us at www.vmware.com/hk © 2019 VMware, Inc. VMware and Realize What’s Possible are trademarks of VMware, Inc.

“ We aim to keep our leading status as the most influential and largest money lender in Hong Kong” — Akihiro Nagahara, Managing Director & CEO, United Asia Finance

The EKYC requirement itself serves as an opportunity, as Lee explains. “In Hong Kong, we use the EKYC approval with a Hong Kong ID. As part of the licensing process, this Hong Kong ID card is associated with the likeness or image and then we can detect abnormalities or approve loans. We plan to launch the latest ‘Yes UA’ app in 2020 with the EKYC solution associated. We first launched the app in August, 2019, which was a huge success, significantly increasing our digital business volume by 20%.”

APRIL 2019

The philosophy underpinning the

app with their Hong Kong ID card,

success of the app is based around

even the newly-issued one for part

ease of use. “We would like to use

of the population, with its embed-

our online apps to enhance the ulti-

ded hologram.” says Lee. “The Hong

mate convenience of the customer

Kong ID card is the key and eases

experience, and put the structure of

the whole application process. You

loan processing purely online.” Hong

apply for the loan and then go

Kong citizens will be able to use the

through the application procedure

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Aaron Lee Aaron Lee is responsible for formulating digital transformation services strategies and deploying fintech and DX solutions, including, but not limited, to digital and online, AI, Big Data, blockchain, cognitive and machine learning and robotic process automation, to transform UA’s capabilities in finance services innovations, strengthening the company’s market leading and drive business revenue.

Since 1998, he has occupied senior regional management roles in firms such as Atos, Microsoft and Sybase, in which provided enterprise advisory consulting and business services to a portfolio of sizable clients within the Asia Pacific and Greater China regions. He is an expert in digital transformation, with more than 24 years of experience in IT strategic planning, project management and strategic partnership and alliance formation with first tier IT Solution providers.

He graduated from the Said Business School of Oxford University and Staffordshire University.

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311

UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

to approval. Once that’s done you receive the money directly through the Faster Payment System, transferred to your account. Everything is done without annoyance to you.”

The approval part of the process relies on data, and Lee is overseeing the transformation in both the format of data UA collects and how it is analysed. “We are going to build up a 360-degree view of customer information.” Currently UA collects customer information for process312

ing the loan, much of it from credit reference agency TransUnion. From this information, however, only the transaction data at the respective financial institution can be gleaned.

“Traditionally we only get the loanrelated information. We grab your financial data, your address, your name and so on, and then you apply for a loan. Then we’ll collect your financial information and consolidate it with the rest. We would like to know our customers more by referencing data derived from online channels, and we’re considering it a multi intelligence platform that we can use with our attribution customer data.”

APRIL 2020

“We try to understand each customer that comes to us, their problems and needs, then our experienced staff will share professional advice with them regarding the options of the best loan solution plan to solve their problems” — Akihiro Nagahara, Managing Director & CEO, United Asia Finance

It’s a direction that Lee is hoping to further explore, collecting data from new and varied sources. “We would like to associate more of the social information with traditional customer information. Maybe we can understand our customer more from different aspects of their online behaviors like their online browsing. We would like to consolidate it together to build up that 360-degree view and offer the most suitable loan services for each single customer to best serve his financial needs.”

The complexity of such a system has required the support of a number of expert partners. “Because we would like to acquire more data, we use an enterprise scale database as our traditional database. Our relationship with Oracle has lasted over ten years, which is why we choose them as our transactional database and data warehouse platform.” Owing to the volumes of data created, UA has also found it necessary to move to the cloud. “As we convert data into a big data platform, we’re moving it to big PaaS players. Again, the relationship is there. While Oracle is our w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

313

UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

Simplify cloud with consistent security and operations.

Visit us at www.vmware.com/hk © 2019 VMware, Inc. VMware and Realize What’s Possible are trademarks of VMware, Inc.

315 traditional database platform, we’re extending it to an object database meaning we can move all of our reasoning and other 360 degree data into a single platform.”

The transformation of its technology offerings is an ongoing process and is in service of retaining its prime position, as Lee emphasises.

“We aim to keep our leading status as the most influential and largest money lender in Hong Kong by further enhancing our capability.

This is our vision. The feedback we have received for our technology w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

UNITED ASIA FINANCE LIMITED

has been very positive so far,” reasserted by Akihiro Nagahara.

Thanks to Akihiro Nagahara’s insight and understanding of the market with his rich experience, the innovative loan products UA has pioneered over the last 27 years will continue to serve it in good stead for the future, from debts consolidation loans to property owner’s loans to personal loans which can be processed entirely over the phone. In 2000, UA pioneered the “i-Money 316

Internet Personal Loan”, becoming the first money lender to introduce online loan services in the market.

“ Keeping the business model competitive with virtual banks is the reason we have to be ready to transform for the digital generation” — Aaron Lee, CIO, United Asia Finance Limited

The whole loan application, from approval to disbursement, could all be completed online without the need to show up in person.

The service motto of UA is to always offer caring and personalised services for customers. “We try to understand each customer that comes to us, their problems and needs, then our experienced staff will share professional advice with them regarding the options of the

APRIL 2020

1993

Year founded

630+ Number of employees

best loan solution plan to solve their

and loyal staff and company service

problems, helping customers to let

that puts the customer first, inspiring

go of their worries and enjoy life

the slogan: “Let go of your worries.

again,” says Nagahara. “This human-

YES, UA!”

ised and caring approach, together with the pace we keep up with technology and the outside world makes UA different and outstanding, with the support and recognition of the public and customers for more than a quarter of a century in Hong Kong.”

Alongside this stand experienced w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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318

PGS Software: enabling industry 4.0 with machine learning WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

APRIL 2020

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P G S S O F T WA R E

PGS Software’s Maciej Mazur, Chief Data Scientist and Lukasz Panusz, Chief Solutions Architect, discuss technology’s role in the manufacturing industry

P

GS Software is a Poland-based softwarehouse with a team of 700 experts working in R&D centers in three major

Polish cities and in additional offices in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

320

Meet the company’s two key players: Maciej Mazur, Chief Data Scientist, who leads the data science team and works on projects related to computer vision, IoT and edge computing, and Lukasz Panusz, Chief Solutions Architect, who has a particular interest in designing cloud solutions.

Currently, one of PGS Software’s areas of expertise is providing tailor-made IT solutions for the manufacturing industry to aid the transition to the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

Mazur says: “We’re using advanced automation, Internet of Things (IoT), fast networking and AI in order to optimise production processes. What’s behind Industry 4.0 from a technical standpoint is a cyber-physical system where you collect complete data on the process and then optimise it in the digital realm. These improvements can APRIL 2020

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P G S S O F T WA R E

“ Stay tuned there are a lot of interesting things coming out this year” — Maciej Mazur, Chief Data Scientist, PGS Software

then be applied back in the physical world. The goal might be energy efficiency to have more green production or improving the production timing, or whatever is a priority.” Mazur is clear that this is not purely a technological transition, but PGS Software’s work frees up companies to focus on that other side. “Industry 4.0 is also about the people, about augmented operators and other areas where you need to change not only the technicals behind your factory but the culture

322

and the way of working”, he adds.

One of the main challenges of transitioning to the latest industrial revolution is simply getting visibility of what is occurring in the factory setting. Enter the digital twin. “A digital twin is just a visual replica of a physical object or process or product, and it’s usually updated in real time in order to match reality,” says Mazur. “This is, in my opinion, the best way to connect the physical world with the digital realm. Thanks to the fact that you can have digital twins at different levels, from a single sensor to a machine, you can make the whole production line one big digital twin composed of the APRIL 2020

Introducing: Mesh Twin Learning @ Digital Twins 2019 in Frankfurt CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:55

323 smaller levels. There’s a lot of freedom

is a combination of digital twins, IoT,

to emulate and use machine learning

machine learning and the cloud, which

algorithms to improve production.”

addresses the connectivity and flex-

PGS Software goes above and

ible automation problems that you

beyond the traditional conception of

usually have in such setups. What it

the digital twin, however, with its vision

allows in reality is doing micro-step

of Mesh Twin Learning (MTL). “Mesh

optimisation. This stems from the

Twin Learning is a concept that I and

Taguchi methods from the late fifties —

Lukasz designed together,” Mazur

well known in the manufacturing world

says. “We had a customer in Germany

— where you can, by changing a pro-

who was asking us to help to improve

cess with a very slight step, observe

production efficiency. We started to

the results and see if changing a

think about how to combine what we

single parameter, like a temperature

were working on into one concept and

on a baking furnace, is moving you

implementation. Mesh Twin Learning

in the right direction or not. You can w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

P G S S O F T WA R E

see whether the trend is going in the right direction and, thanks to machine learning, you can run these distributed experiments across many devices, production lines or even factories.”

PGS Software’s approach also overcomes some of the problems inherent to digital twins. “Normally, when you have a production line and digital twins you are sending the data from the machine to the cloud, but this means you have to deal with latency issues and is also a security risk. However, 324

in the MTL concept we are using something called local, small machine learning models which can then be exported from devices and imported into the cloud, meaning you are only sharing a model of the data.”

Achieving such projects would be impossible without the use of the cloud, which serves as a great enabler for PGS Software’s endeavours; as Panusz emphasises: “About 98% of our projects, not only in manufacturing but overall, are done with one of the cloud providers. In the context of MTL, let’s choose one example like Amazon Web Services. We use edge devices and AWS Greengrass APRIL 2020

2005

Year founded

2,835

Successfully completed projects

650+

Professionals

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E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Maciej Mazur Chief Data Scientist - As Chief Data Scientist at PGS Software, Maciej is the technical lead of the data team and implements ML-based solutions for clients around the globe. In his 10 years of IT-experience, he’s worked for major players like Nokia and HPE, developing complex optimisation algorithms even before the term Data Science was coined. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

P G S S O F T WA R E

to build up the digital twins. We also

have the processing power to achieve

use Amazon’s SageMaker Neo, which

solutions on that scale.” Aside from

allows us to train models which are

its work with Amazon, PGS Software

optimised for edge devices. We also

is also a Microsoft Gold partner and

use the cloud to build a device shadow

a certified Google Cloud partner.

farm, which is basically a set of digital

“Besides the cloud, we also partner

twins which allows us to simulate the

with several hardware providers,” says

whole production process. We also

Mazur. “Balluff, for example, provides

use the analytics and machine learning

IoT sensors and devices, and together,

engines which are available in the cloud.

we provide an end-to-end solution.”

From my perspective, the cloud is the

Alongside the technological con-

only thing that makes what we do

cerns, PGS Software professes a

possible — otherwise you just wouldn’t

keen attention to cultural matters.

326 E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Łukasz Panusz Chief Solutions Architect - Łukasz Panusz is Chief Solutions Architect at PGS Software. A passionate technical leader with over 15 years of experience from various business sectors and regions. Over the years strongly involved in numerous enterprise-grade solutions in different roles.

Supporting organizations with digital transformations by evaluation of the culture, technical solutions, product design, and strategic planning. Techie focused on delivering cutting-edge solutions using Cloud, modern technologies and DevOps culture of work. Currently concentrated on emerging technologies, and ways of connecting them into bigger wider distributed solutions

APRIL 2020

Introducing: Mesh Twin Learning CLICK TO WATCH

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“ The cloud is the only thing that makes what we do possible” — Lukasz Panusz, Chief Solutions Architect, PGS Software

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P G S S O F T WA R E

O U R 3 P RI N CI P LES 1. We will understand your needs Addressing your business requirements is our top priority and we go to great lengths to better understand them. This careful preparation makes our software well-targeted, future-proof and cost-effective. For us, your project is a new, intriguing story awaiting to be written in the right programming language, regardless of whether you are a big international enterprise or an independent entrepreneur.

2. We know our job We will not pretend to know more about your industry than you do. What we will do is embrace your ideas and creativity while we tap into our experience in programming, testing, graphic design, business analysis, and effective project management. We are not here to sell you technology or infrastructure that you do not really need. We aim to enhance your business in the most efficient possible way.

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3. We build great teams We recruit passionate professionals from Poland’s best engineering institutes. Java, PHP, .NET, mobile, and beyond — there are no technologies hiding under our radar. Our diverse talents coupled with in-depth business experience, exceptional infrastructure, and three modern development centres are what makes us the winning team..

Through following the Agile software development practices and Scrum methodology, we make sure that everyone involved in bringing a project to life is on the same page, at each step of the way.

APRIL 2020

“We have a unique program we call Upscale,” Panusz says. “We motivate our employees to constantly develop themselves via the program, which means we identify specialists in our team that are authorities in a technology to become mentors. They then prepare programmes to help others to become proficient. Currently, 20% of the company is participating in one or more of those programs, developing new competencies as well as mentoring others.” The company also benefits from its location in Poland in terms of recruiting, with three famous academic facilities located nearby, such as the Wrocław University of Science

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P G S S O F T WA R E

“ Industry 4.0 is also about the people” — Maciej Mazur, Chief Data Scientist, PGS Software 330

APRIL 2020

and Technology — first in the country to offer a Master’s in Data Science.

As for the future, PGS Software is keen for its work to benefit the wider community. “We are constantly growing as a data science department,” says Panusz. “We want to make our locations a central place of knowledge and experience to educate the other people in the data science community. We also try to provide leadership content and research papers. We are trying to share what we are doing and make our research public.” In pursuit of this objective, PGS Software is active in many different channels, as Mazur explains. “We would encourage everyone to follow us on social media to find the articles we put on our blog. This year we’re also starting a podcast and we have two ebooks on the way. So stay tuned — there are a lot of interesting things coming out this year.”

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332

APRIL 2020

PCL Construction: transformation through people and culture WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

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333

PCL CONSTRUCTION

Mark Bryant, CIO at PCL Construction, describes how the company’s vision and “innovate or die” philosophy is helping to shape the modern industry

F

ounded in 1906 in Stoughton, Saskatchewan, PCL Construction is a construction company operating primarily

in Canada, the US, Australia and the Caribbean.

Now headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, the 100% employee-owned company currently 334

employs over 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople. Operating primarily on heavy industrial, civil and building construction, PCL has attained consistent results and broad geographic diversity to ensure its continued success. The company works on 700-800 projects each year, and is the largest contracting company in Canada and the seventh largest in North America overall.

Mark Bryant, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at PCL, joined the company seven years ago with the aim of helping the business understand how IT-based solutions could bring benefits and drive efficiencies. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology,” he explains.

“I’m one of those guys that’s always bridged IT

APRIL 2020

335

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PCL CONSTRUCTION

“ There’s a lot of opportunity for change.

If you’re open to change, it’s a pretty cool place to be right now” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

and business, even when I started at Toronto Dominion Bank, where I spent the first nine years of my career.” Having the fortune and talent to work for some of the largest, primarily Canadian, companies in the market — Davis & Henderson, and WSP — Bryant found that one thing consistently attracted

336

him: great work culture and great colleagues. Regarding the honour of being named the 2019 ‘Canadian CIO of the Year’ by ITAC, Bryant was clear on what he regards as the key to his success.

“It’s a pinnacle award for me from a career perspective,” he says. “But if you don’t have an amazing team around you, you don’t win ‘CIO of the Year’. My team at PCL has been instrumental in executing the vision that I’ve had.”

For PCL, that vision meant making a fundamental shift away from ‘legacy IT’ and towards becoming an integrated business technology group. “Initially, IT was focused on keeping the lights on,” APRIL 2020

PCL’s Digital Transformation CLICK TO WATCH

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2:22

337 says Bryant, describing the limitations

management applications, the com-

of the previous tech culture’s scope.

pany has striven to be an active

“One of the things that I’m most proud

participant in the change, rather than

of is my team’s transition to realise our

merely reacting to it. According to

new strategic vision.” More specifically,

Bryant, there is a reason for this. “The

Bryant has spearheaded a new range

construction industry historically has

of products and services for PCL to

been underserved by the software

drive productivity, efficiency and safety.

development community. As one of the

This approach has proved crucial

oldest industries in the world, a lot of

in an industry that is typically slow to

practices in construction haven’t

adopt the latest trends in digitisation.

changed.” Due to the nature of the work,

Bucking the trend, PCL has been

which requires a vast amount of manual

focused on developing this aspect of

processes to function, cvonstruction

its operations for over 30 years. From

has been among the last industries

homegrown estimating software to staff

to embrace the digital revolution. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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PCL CONSTRUCTION

However, with investment capital

340

for efficiency, as was integrating its

starting to flow into the industry,

technology more intelligently to allow

a huge influx of new thinking has

innovations a quick gateway into daily

opened doors for IT and business

operations. “If something new comes

professionals. “There’s a lot of oppor-

along that’s better, faster, or makes

tunity for change. If you’re open to

more sense for our business, we can

change, it’s a pretty cool place to be

rip out the incumbent technology and

right now.” The digital transformation

plug another one in. An integration

for PCL began with what Bryant calls

framework allows us to be very agile.”

the ‘four pillars’: cloud, integration,

This shift away from a ‘waterfall

mobility, and data analytics. Shifting

development cycle’ also means that

the company’s large volumes of data

applications and services can be

from its hundreds of yearly projects

brought out in weeks or months,

to the cloud was a significant move

rather than years.

E XECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Mark Bryant As CIO, Mark is responsible for the strategic and innovative advancement of information technology (IT) within the PCL family of companies.

Mark has over two decades of IT expertise, having served in the financial services, software, manufacturing, and AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industries.

Prior to joining PCL, he led the technology operations at a century-old financial services firm and was CIO at a leading planning, engineering and consulting firm.

Mark received his business administration accreditation from Sheridan College in Ontario and additional credentials related to ecommerce from the Ivey School of Business.

He completed his CIO MBA at Boston University.

APRIL 2020

341

Mobility and the ability to collect

and utilised in fascinating new ways,

data from the field is also crucial to

such as monitoring conditions at the

PCL’s operations. With the advent of

work-face of construction. “The IoT

smartphones and tablets, the company

platform is 100% data driven, enabling

was able to find a way to gather this

real time alerts to anomalies and is

information more simply. More data

extremely extensible, allowing for the

also meant that an overhaul of the way

addition of new capabilities quickly.

the company performed data analysis

It allows us to make better decisions

was crucial. The launch of PCL’s smart

because now we’re doing something

construction platform Job Site Insights™

with data that wasn’t historically avail-

— a key Internet of Things (IoT) based platform and one of the core focal

able.” says Bryant.

Another great example of data

points for the company in 2020 —

being an enabler is a hazard inspection

meant that data could be collected

safety application exploiting AI w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

PCL CONSTRUCTION

“ PCL Construction is a juggernaut of innovation in the industry” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

342

Taking Safety into the Digital Realm CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

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PCL CONSTRUCTION

technology to scan photographs and identify hazards. PCL has been able to reduce the time and labour spent on a crucial task — safety inspections — without sacrificing quality.

His goal is nothing short of the total digitisation of the construction industry, including how it measures quality, safety, financials, work schedules, performance and more. Data is the essential element of the large-scale

“ Our people and our culture really are the difference. I am passionate and excited about what we’re doing.

I couldn’t find a better company to do it at” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

improvement PCL is striving towards, as are close relationships with the

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Providing Project Insight CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:24

345 partners and suppliers with which

a partner with a vested interest

the company works. Emphasising the

in helping us drive efficiencies.”

collaborative nature of the construc-

Microsoft will also be instrumental

tion industry, Bryant believes that

in PCL’s integration of blockchain into

PCL’s business relationships in 2020

its logistical operations, as well as

are going to be of paramount impor-

billing and receiving.

tance. “I’m really focused on continuing

Similarly, Pype has a special

to build a partner ecosystem of compa-

relationship with PCL; the company

nies that want to share our vision and

leverages Pype’s ‘AutoSpecs’ product

success as we digitise construction.”

to enhance operational efficiencies.

“We have a fantastic relationship

“They’re a great example of a startup

with Microsoft,” he explains

in the construction industry that is

(Microsoft provides PCL’s cloud-

using artificial intelligence (AI) to

based services). “They’re not

review submittals and show us areas

a supplier to us, frankly. They’re

that we should focus on.” w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

PCL CONSTRUCTION

346

D I D YO U KN OW ?

• The IoT platform is 100% data driven • PCL work on between 700-800 projects each year • 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople

APRIL 2020

“ I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

Another partner offering exciting solutions to PCL is Australian company Willow, providing ‘digital twin technology’ to create a virtual model of assets, processes, systems, and other entities.

“The concept of a digital twin has been in the airline and automotive industries for years,” says Bryant. “It has not been applied to construction, so Willow will be a significant partner for us in their smart building strategy.”

Even though he has established an exciting technological vision, Bryant hasn’t forgotten that changes in the construction industry are not easy to introduce. With new technologies being introduced at breakneck speed, it’s possible that staff will reach a saturation point in their ability to adapt.

However, it is by fusing the knowledge w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

347

PCL CONSTRUCTION

348

“ Digitisation is not an option.

Digitisation is an absolute necessity” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction APRIL 2020

and experience of its field staff and technology staff, who have been working on-site for 40+ years, with the latest IT tech that PCL hopes to gain a major advantage in the market. Adopting a ‘crawl, walk, run’ philosophy of introduction, Bryant is confident that PCL will add new digital aspects at an appropriate pace. “It blows my mind how complicated our business is and how our people do such an excellent job,” he states.

1906

Year founded

$6.95bn Revenue in US dollars

4,000+ Number of employees

This represents the crux of PCL’s

difference between those companies

digital transformation for Bryant: “Our

that realise this and those that don’t.

people and our culture really are the

PCL Construction is a juggernaut of

difference. I am passionate and excited

innovation in the industry and, to me,

about what we’re doing. I couldn’t find

that’s super exciting.”

a better company to do it at.” Thinking about the journey that PCL is embarking upon, Bryant considers the upcoming change to be inevitable. “Digitisation is not an option. Digitisation is an absolute necessity. You’re going to see a big w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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APRIL 2020

Enabling the future of education with technology WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING

351

PRODUCED BY

MICHAEL BANYARD

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E M I R AT E S N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S

Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of Information Technology (IT) at ENS, explains how the school’s digital transformation is driving its next-generation educational capabilities

I

t was in 2002 that Emirates National Schools (ENS) first began its journey to become a leader in the UAE education

sector. Based in Mohamed bin Zayed City, ENS was already the recipient of prestige early on, 352

as it had been commissioned by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s presidential decree. The organisation soon expanded to five campuses (Mohamed bin Zayed City, Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi City, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah) and currently teaches more than 12,000 students across the country. Combining elements of curricula from the UAE Ministry of Education, USA Next Generation and Colorado Academic Standards, ENS prides itself on providing its pupils with a rigorous and exceptional educational standard.

However, like many organisations seeking to modernise their daily operations, ENS needed help from someone who understood how to harness digital transformation. Abdulrahman Khaiwi joined the company in 2017 after many years

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E M I R AT E S N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S

working in the telecoms industry.

“Etisalat was a big chunk of my career,” he explains. “For the last nine years, I was handling the senior manager role and gaining exposure to a lot of the latest and greatest technologies.”

Looking for a fresh challenge brought Khaiwi to a sector he hadn’t previously considered: education. “I was thinking to myself, ‘schools, what do they need?’ Then, when I investigated ENS further and saw the size of the school, its multiple locations, its data 354

centre, I realised the opportunity.”

After becoming the Head of Information Technology (IT), Khaiwi began a thorough survey of the school’s digital infrastructure.

APRIL 2020

“ When I investigated ENS further and saw the size of the school, its multiple locations, its data centre, I realised the opportunity” — Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of IT, ENS

Emirates National Schools ( ENS ) — 17 Years of Achievements CLICK TO WATCH

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355 Scheduling multiple meetings with

of working so that the culture shift

school principals, campus directors

could align itself with the people.

and teachers, he started to build

The main challenge, he explains,

a holistic strategy for implementing

was changing the perception of IT

the changes he saw as necessary.

from its ‘legacy’ origins to a more

“I really like challenges; I really adapt

contemporary understanding. “It was

to changes,” he says. “I had to break

seen as only computer and printer

through barriers and shape the

support. They’d have one or two

leadership to the desired culture.”

members of staff on campus and just

Establishing understanding was a

call them for anything.” It was a reac-

critical part of Khaiwi’s plan, as was

tive operating style and one which

fostering ownership and pride in the

never quantified problems or high-

new ways of working to ensure that

lighted areas for improvement with

changes were retained. Then, it was

hard data. “We realised that we could

a case of broadcasting the new way

add value to services and become w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

E M I R AT E S N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S

356

“ We listen to others’ experiences and then imagine how it could help us.

The main target is keeping our focus always on education” — Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of IT, ENS

APRIL 2020

part of ENS’ overall mission,” he says.

build a completely modern IT team.

After this revelation, Khaiwi became

After briefing upper management

determined to deliver a smarter, more

about his findings and receiving

efficient way of delivering IT to the

approval, he was able to do just that.

classroom. Using a ‘four-pillared’

Focusing on driving efficiencies,

scheme to focus the transformation

Khaiwi implemented a centralised

(planning, people, vendor manage-

system to allow for an easier way to

ment and customer-centricity), he

manage, monitor and provide solu-

came up with a plan to shape the

tions. Designing simple applications

development. “Without planning you

which empowered teaching staff to

will never achieve any of your targets,

solve their own issues — such as a sin-

or whatever you achieve will be just

gle sign on and self-service portal for

by luck,” he states. His vision was to

changing their own passwords — has 357

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Abdulrahman Khaiwi My career started in Lebanon, working six years in IT Operations in a bank. After, I moved to UAE, Sharjah Municipality as computer operator and programmer for two and half years. From there, I joined Etisalat as Chief Supervisor IT. I spent 25 years of my illustrious employment garnishing accolades and growing my career. The last nine years at Etisalat, I held the position of Senior Manager in charge of operations for all Etisalat Data Centers across the UAE. In early 2017, I joined Emirates National Schools as the Head of IT. My métier is visualising and executing a strategic plan for digital transformation covering all aspects and layers of services. w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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enabled ENS’ IT department to focus

Regarding the partner companies

on developing more complicated and

that are enabling ENS’ digital trans-

exciting projects: internet of things

formation, Khaiwi says that there

(IoT) integration, augmented reality,

some, like Microsoft, have an influ-

virtual reality, artificial intelligence

ence so widespread that adoption of

(AI) and more. However, of paramount

the technology is simply a necessity,

importance to Khaiwi and the school

not a choice. However, one partner

is the proper implementation of new

providing equally essential and mod-

tech. “We do not just implement

ern technology to ENS’ classrooms

‘hyped’ technology for the sake of

is BenQ, a Taiwanese consumer

it,” he remarks. “We listen to others’

electronics company. Supplying inter-

experiences and then imagine how it

active flat panels (IFPs) which allow

could help us. The main

the exchange of information, video

target is keeping our focus always

capabilities and interactive features

on education.”

not previously available, Khaiwi isn’t

APRIL 2020

“ The domain of education is a noble one and needs to be respected, as this is how we prepare the future of our communities”

hesitant in lavishing BenQ’s products with praise. “From day one, I realised they were an extremely helpful tool in the classroom for everyone,” he explains. “They enable the students to open gateways to vast educational resources, truly taking their education to the next level.”

With ENS’ digital culture brought up to date and exciting technolo-

— Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of IT, ENS

gies being trialled for use, Khaiwi is pushing forward with creating new applications. One such development currently in the works is remote

We prepare them to be future leaders CLICK TO WATCH

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1:00

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E M I R AT E S N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S

2002

Year founded

1,000+ Number of employees

360

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361

“ I had to break through barriers and shape the leadership to the desired culture” — Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of IT, ENS

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E M I R AT E S N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S

362

learning or ‘proximity’ learning.

the students and adhere to cultural

“Students in a different classroom

and regulatory guidelines.

can listen, interact and work with the

Proud of ENS’ accomplishments

teacher as if they were standing in

and the work it continues to do, Khaiwi

front of them,” says Khaiwi. “This is

explained what fuels the organisa-

not simply video conferencing; this

tion’s ongoing passion for excellence.

is a complete collaboration enabled

“The domain of education is a noble

by an audio-video solution that can

one and needs to be respected,

even record the session.” However,

as this is how we prepare the future

true to ENS’ philosophy, he is cautious

of our communities.” For Khaiwi, IT

to ensure that all new projects benefit

has an essential role to play in this

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363

“ We realised that we could add value to services and become part of ENS’ overall mission”

mission. “This is how we shape the future, by giving the new generation an enhanced route to information; to help them improve the world and to make it better.”

— Abdulrahman Khaiwi, Head of IT, ENS

w w w.te c hno l o gyma ga z in e. com

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