Business Day Focus 4.0 2021

FOCUS 4.0

Future proof your business through Digital transformation

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Editor’s Letter

Thought Leaderships:

Dear Colleagues,

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Just two years ago, digital transformation was simply a buzzword that many CEOs glossed over – something to look at in the future.

Then Covid-19 happened, and suddenly digital transformation was on everybody’s lips. There was no gentle transition to remote working, online meetings and the like. To survive, companies needed to immediately transform to digital.

Those who had embraced digital transformation before the Covid-19 pandemic were able to adapt. But there were many companies out there who had no idea on the first steps to take to accommodate remote workers, secure their online communications and host meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and the like. How to run a business remotely has been a challenge for everyone. Success has required buy-in from employees at every level of an organisation. Businesses have had to pivot to stay relevant and adopt new ways of doing business. Even those business owners who had implemented a digital transformation strategy suddenly had to cope with managing employees remotely, which brought its own set of challenges. And everyone is still trying to navigate this new digital environment to find the ideal solution.

A successful digital transformation strategy in this ‘new normal’ is only possible by taking an employee-centric approach. In this work-from-home era, soft skills are critical for employees, who need to be customer-centric more than ever before. For our country to succeed, we need to collaborate, upskill our employees, and take advantage of the opportunities provided by digital transformation to build an inclusive economy in South Africa.

Regards

Cold Press Media Director: Jennifer Potter

losing the digital divide will be essential to South C Africa’s recovery frica’s adoption of chat commerce pays off with A significant ROI

igitisation – a blessing or curse for township rural D communities

New technology drives Cummins innovations

021 will demand continued UX and change 2 management focus

T he transformative impact of digital tech in engineering Creating an online presence – do’s and don’ts F ive critical steps on the digital transformation journey Digital disruption drives logistics along new paths

Five steps to help you automate the financial close

E mpowering managers to effectively manage a remote workforce T he Power of Cloud Accelerating Digital Transformation T he cloud can help South Africa’s public sector meet its PoPIA obligations D igital transformation’s secret weapon to building back better T he challenges and opportunities for manufacturing CFOs now and in the future T he Journey of Adaptation and Disruption in a Digital Age #thinkingforward

Business Day Focus 4.0 is published by Cold Press Media (Pty) Ltd for Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. Copyright ©: Cold Press Media and Arena Holdings 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Board of Management of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. All correspondence about Business Day Focus 4.0 should be directed to Cold Press Media.

CONTENTS

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE

Xero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 6 BIOMETRICS

Ideco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Communication

Clickatell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9 EDUTECH

Tshwane University Of Technology . . . . . . . . 10 EDUCATION

University Of Pretoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 University Of Johannesburg – Business School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 ENGINEERING

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

e4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 FINANCE

Innovent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ICT

Africa Beyond 4IR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Zutari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21 INFORMATION SECURITY

Simphiwe Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 INTERNET COUNTRY CODE MANAGER

ZA Domain Name Authority . . . . . . . . 23, 24, 25 IT SERVICES

Triple4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27 LOGISTICS

DSV South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 SOFTWARE

Oracle SA . . 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 Aveva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 41 Jumpco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45, 46 Syspro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 43

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Closing the digital divide will be essential to South Africa’s recovery

By Colin Timmis, Country Manager for Xero South Africa

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espite the challenges that businesses have faced over the last year, thousands of SMEs are making radical changes to their working models through digitisation.

One positive to come from this crisis is that it has compelled businesses to adopt more advanced technologies than they may otherwise have considered. Those that have been traditional at the core are now discovering that digital processes offer far greater scalability and resilience.

For example, the pandemic has hastened the use of contactless technology with traditionally cash-only shopkeepers and pushed many to grow their e-commerce services. Other ways of working like managing finances are also starting to be replaced with modern alternatives.

Many businesses are replacing paper receipts and invoices with digital alternatives. Desktop financial software is being replaced by cloud tech for greater flexibility, and processes like VAT and tax are being streamlined with new tools.

We’re already seeing a sharp shift towards these new ways of working. Xero research shows a 50% increase in cloud adoption amongst SMEs over the last three years, and 70% want to adopt tech that helps remove repetitive manual tasks.

Looking more widely, we’re seeing tech adoption and new habits accelerate amongst consumers too - PayFast saw a 412% growth in QR code payments between March 2020 and February 2021, and there has been a sharp rise in e-commerce purchases during the pandemic.

Colin Timmis, Country Manager for Xero South Africa Whilst Covid-19 has created a profound shift, there is still a long way to go. To survive and grow in the future, businesses will need to adapt to become increasingly digital at the core rather than at the edge.

The government has reiterated the importance of boosting digitisation, but many of its own processes still rely on traditional methods. It’s positive to see this starting to change in some areas. It recently committed a further R3 billion to fund the modernisation of SARS’ tech infrastructure.

SARS has already been innovating and collab-

One positive to come from this crisis is that it has compelled businesses to adopt more advanced technologies than they may otherwise have considered.

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orating with tech companies to digitise and simplify one of the most time-consuming processes for businesses, VAT returns. For example, we recently launched an eFiling beta with them, enabling businesses to directly file their VAT201 form electronically to SARS from Xero in just a few clicks.

Technology has the potential to transform the way South Africa’s SMEs do business and puts them in a position to grow. We already see its potential, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We need to see an urgent commitment to digitalisation from the government and the wider business community.

There are still tough times ahead, but we need to shift the conversation towards what we can do to support businesses and increase their productivity by closing the digital gap. Only then can we move forward to create new jobs and rebuild the economy.

IDECO

www.ideco.co.za

Identity 4.0 – Digital Identity considerations for trusted online transactions in the digital economy

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emember the days when a mere handshake between two people sealed an agreement, when the store owner simply noted down the value of the goods taken on credit and when your bank balance was manually recorded in a little book each time a deposit or withdrawal was made? Those were the days when integrity was still a virtue and trust the cornerstone of commerce.

A digital identity relates to a unique private cryptographic key that irrefutably unlocks a set of attributes that represent who you are.

It is a fundamental mistake to assume that a digitised version of your fiat identity (such as a Smart ID card or driver’s licence) or even a glorified centralised FICA bureau would meet the true requirements of a Digital Identity.

Today, organisations in South Africa spend more than R2 billion a year in an effort to profile the risk in their customers and comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) or Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations. The collection, processing, verification and safeguarding of personal information has not only become the currency of the new economy but is also a major liability should this data be compromised or breached.

Although a true Digital Identity has at its core a strong focus on trust and privacy, it also offers complete flexibility through: • unique service-specific identifiers that define the identity authentication protocol based on predetermined parameters.

• d ifferent levels of confidence on a per transaction basis, tailored to the risk appetite of the service provider.

There is however, a new standard emerging in the field of Identity that is driven by the demand for security and trust, greater interconnectivity, and the accelerated shift to online services. According to the WEF Davos 2019 (https://youtu.be/1V7lyxrOmw), more than 60% of the global GDP will be digitised by 2022, with Digital Identities the primary enabler of these digital economies and societies.

With a true Digital Identity that is legally recognised, you can definitively prove your identity, sign a contract, participate in an election, complete application forms, securely sign on to online services or even redeem your boarding pass. Citizens can enjoy the greatest freedom in the digital economy while keeping their personal information secure.

IdecoBiometrics

Ideco Ideco Biometrics has been at the forefront of strategy in the field of Identity Management for more than 15 years.

Our technologies include best-in-class biometric equipment (fingerprint, face, iris, palm-vein and voice), personal data processing (switching, matching and analytics), data security (cryptography, encryption and public key infrastructure) as well as new technologies such as AI, IoT and Blockchain.

As the enabler of smart identity solutions, we create certainty in every identity transaction. +27(0)12 749 2300 • contact@ideco.co.za

Ideco Biometric Security Solutions

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

Africa’s adoption of chat commerce pays off with significant ROI

By Pieter de Villiers, CEO and Co-Founder of Clickatell

ovid-19 has rapidly accelerated many global organisations’ digital transformation, but even with this boost, Africa still enjoys a lead in chat commerce adoption. When firms add WhatsApp, for example, as a support or commerce channel, they may reach their customers on the messaging app they already actively use on a daily – even hourly basis.

The adoption of chat commerce is setting local firms apart as they see results in cost reduction, return on marketing investment, and revenue growth.

using chat as they tap into a more holistic and contextual view of their customer needs.

In fact, those using chat-enabled commerce see a 20x improved return on marketing investment (ROMI) as marketing departments reap the benefits offered by the true power of omnichannel customer experience.

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The results of this report reflect the reality of what we are experiencing on the ground.

Clickatell has seen that companies using chat enjoy an increased average revenue per user due to the convenience and always-on accessibility of the services.

A recent Aberdeen research report outlining the results of a survey of more than 400 global businesses shows that firms in the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions are leading in chat adoption, with a respective 77% and 76% using it.

We believe chat commerce represents one of the most significant opportunities of the twenty-first century, as both the consumer and brand gain improved convenience and improved engagement respectively.

Chat commerce is a relatively new but growing category. It refers to brands using messaging or chat channels to connect and transact with their customers via menus, chatbots, voice assistants and assisted chat, among others. This supports their customers’ interactions as they search for and learn more about products and services, resolve queries and disputes, place orders, make purchases, and track or return their orders.

Clickatell and Absa deployed the world’s first chat banking solution in 2018. Since then, chat-enabled commerce has quickly taken off, with strong interest from the retail banking, insurance, and telco sectors.

The impact of this early chat commerce adoption is evidenced in a number of business indicators. Aberdeen’s report shows that

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companies incorporating chat capabilities enable an effortless customer experience and enjoy a 75% higher year-on-year growth in annual revenue than those who don’t. What’s more, chat-enabled commerce users are 27% more likely to reduce overall service costs.

The report also points to an 89% growth in cross-sell and upsell revenue for those

Another key driver of chat commerce adoption is the ability for a brand to expand its customer reach on digital channels. From our work over the past two decades, we know that a brand in South Africa, for example, will reach between 18% to 24% of their customers via a mobile app. However, that means that up to 82% of customers are still not reaping the rewards of rich digital channel experiences.

Clickatell’s low-code tooling interface enables even the largest brands with the most complex use cases to orchestrate chat commerce journeys within days without bogging down the brands’ already strained in-house engineers.

While the trend of chat commerce adoption is a global one, Africa and other emerging markets have a first-mover advantage and something to celebrate as they are already reaping the rewards.

CLICKATELL

www.clickatell.com

Moving your customers from chat to transact with one click, in one place

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oday’s consumers choose chat as their preferred method of communication. This can be over text, Instagram, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. They also expect a high degree of convenience in the way they are served as well as how they purchase goods and services. Clickatell makes this possible by offering real-time customer engagement and transaction platforms that enable businesses to connect, interact, and transact with their customers via mobile chat and other digital channels. As a leading provider, Clickatell can ensure your customers can engage and transact over the same channels.

Chat is powering digital transformation The Covid-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated the need for digital transformation, especially when it comes to enabling simpler, faster ways for businesses to communicate with their customers. More importantly, as in-person commerce is disrupted by health restrictions, businesses understand that they must enable a frictionless way for their customers to transact - both as an immediate solution and as a way to future-proof their income.

one. Chat commerce turns chatting with customers into purchases. Chat commerce takes businesses’ services to where their customers are the majority of the time - in chat apps.

Mobilesquared estimates that businesses using the WhatsApp API will grow more than 5 400% to almost 55 000 by 2024. With its large mobile-first population, Africa is perfectly poised to lead the chat commerce charge.

The benefits of chat Unlike most other forms of communication (like in-person interactions and phone), chat is asynchronous— meaning that chat threads can be read and responded to at any time. This means that chat commercial interactions can transpire over time, allowing a consumer to inquire, consider, and purchase goods and services when desired and without needing

to redo steps in the process.

Chat commerce is also incredibly secure.

Through the linking of the chat app to a user’s mobile device through a unique number and a verification process, security breaches are dramatically minimised and user banking and personal information assured.

With offices in the US, Canada, South Africa, and Nigeria, Clickatell has 15 000 customers, ranging from Fortune 500 organisations to well-known consumer brands and small businesses. Clickatell connects businesses to 6 billion mobile phone users in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and is perfectly positioned to help your organisation take the leap into the world of chat commerce and all that it offers.

Visit Clickatell at www.clickatell.com.

Consumers spend 90% of their screen time on five mobile apps, and chat apps rank number

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TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

www.tut.ac.za

Digital Transformation – the ‘new normal’ at higher education institutions – The TUT experience

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he COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted higher education globally. Traditional models of learning, teaching and assessment have been rendered obsolete by the new realities imposed by pandemic’s virulence and its impact on the social, economic and health sectors.

adoption of digital learning, moving beyond the mere publishing of online content.

for the synchronous sessions – either online or in person.

The move towards digital solutions accommodated the impact on learning outcomes, social well-being, digital competencies, and overall, on remote work and learning.

TUT – given its size, shape and complexity, with more than 64 000 students across 11 sites – adapted quickly to the new realities without compromising the quality of its academic offerings.

Moving towards digital platforms

The University has fortuitously partnered with Haaga-Helia University in Finland to rapidly build academic staff capacity with regards to pedagogical and epistemological shifts in higher education. While the focus has been on developing relevant curricula and attendant methodologies to accommodate the 4IR world(s) of work, the programme has provided a firm foundation to navigate the COVID and post-COVID world.

Implications of the ‘new normal’

TUT has moved from an online learning management system to a Digital Learning Environment (DLE). The DLE is next generational as it incorporates theoretical and practical module components.

Despite being primarily a contact institution, TUT pivoted quickly to a remote multi-modal learning, teaching and assessment approach.

This approach combines analogue and digital solutions by ensuring that students receive print and digital resources to continue their studies. The ‘new normal’ has accelerated the

The University views the future as leading in bi-synchronous learning – a combination of asynchronous and synchronous, as well as onsite and remote learning. Students can participate in ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning during the asynchronous part of the course but can also participate in real-time activities

TUTCommunications

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channel/UCD4jxDpRYTarILQ jtsEQv 9Q /videos

Academic staff are continuously adapting to new pedagogical approaches that shift from in-person to bi-synchronous learning.

In addition, the move towards a DLE mitigates the negative impact of large classes on student-centred learning. The DLE enables economies of scale while allowing student cohorts of varying sizes to alternate between in-person and digital learning.

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

www.up.ac.za

Smart cities: UP researchers help turn dreams into reality

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or researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP), smart cities become a reality when different parts of the metropolis work together to create a better place to live. This is achieved by gathering and using data in the best way possible to solve African urban challenges like food insecurity and energy vulnerability.

UP researchers in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology use artificial intelligence with big data to tackle humanity’s biggest threats, from inequality and poor health to climate change. By looking at greener technologies, all of this is within our reach, without us having to steal from future generations.

Data is everywhere, trickling in and out of our smartphones and through sensors monitoring various aspects of city living. At UP, we use computer models and diplomacy to bridge gaps between those who hold the data and those who need it by making it easy for everyone to talk to one another.

In our research, we make use of models that help mismatched data sets work together to solve problems using artificial intelligence.

If you have models of the problem, you can determine the kind of data needed to deal with that problem, and start building from there. We also work with a team of experts from different disciplines, including social and environmental scientists, economists, urban planners, architects and lawyers.

spaces to promote social cohesion, and restructure urban planning so that people can live closer to work, reduce travel expenses, take the pressure off the roads and lead more affordable, environmentally conscious lives.

Smarter roads mean we could transform the daily commutes that grind the gears of all city dwellers, as better road maintenance reduces potholes, vehicle damage and even fuel consumption.

We need to create smart cities where cars are safer and traffic congestion is a thing of the past. Road infrastructure needs to ‘talk’ to the vehicles driving on it. For example, high-tech sensors within trucks and on the roads they travel can tell researchers a lot about how road conditions affect the shelf life of freshproduce cargo by tracking the effects of the road and the vehicle on the cargo during the trip. Our team has developed a model that draws a correlation between the shelf life of fresh produce and the condition of roads.

Smart cities can be used as vehicles for the world to move towards a sustainable, smarter future, free from the threats of food insecurity, climate change and inequality.

We need to redesign and integrate living

Primarashni Gower: Public Relations Manager, University of Pretoria Primarashni.Gower@up.ac.za, 083 2299 011 UnivofPretoria

universityofpretoria

university-of-pretoria

@UPTuks

UPvideolibrary

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T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

Digitisation – a blessing or curse for township rural communities

By Stella Bvuma

hen President Ramaphosa recently said, “digital transformation has to be harnessed to change the way we live, learn, work and govern” I had no doubt that he was including township and rural communities of South Africa. These areas should not be viewed as strangers to the digital revolution that is currently making waves across the globe, and essential for the economic growth of the country. Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies have in one way or another ‘touched base’ with the rural and township communities and are seen to have the potential to develop and improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions. These technological changes we are experiencing, led by the digital revolution are not necessarily new. They have advanced from hardware and software to digital platforms driven by artificial intelligence.

digitisation in every corner of the country. We cannot continue to have rural and township communities disproportionally left behind, particularly in this 4IR era.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the unbalanced distribution of digital technologies where many sectors have changed their strategy to accommodate these shifts. Various organisations have embraced working remotely, shifting operations to digital platforms. However, the shifts have also exacerbated the digital divide.

This is by no means a new phenomenon, but it is magnified by the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on the economy, bringing some sectors to their knees.

One cannot help but think of SMMEs operating in townships and rural areas, which highlights the issue of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. If you do not have ICT infrastructure, you may as well forget about digitally transforming your business. It stands to reason that technology and education are the main equalisers and that they both carry positive transformation. If we are to develop enabling environments and an inclusive economy, we need to create inclusive

We are in dire need of a digital ecosystem that will foster innovation and growth, with emerging technologies providing new insights and allowing for new ways to scale and leverage innovation. The digital ecosystem needs to ensure our communities are equipped with the technologies, alongside lifelong learning, to efficiently address our socio-economic challenges. Township and rural communities can only be meaningfully considered as part of the economy if such communities are connected to the digital grid.

Stella Bvuma is the Head of Department: Applied Information Systems in the School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg.

Now is the time to face reality and tackle many of our enduring challenges intensified by unequal digital access. When we digitise, we may have a unique opportunity to bring government closer to communities and improve service delivery. To realise this opportunity, we need the private and public sectors to work together to increase access to affordable, reliable technology for the entire South African population, not just for the urban few. We also need to involve trade unions, the technical community, private and other stakeholders in our quest for a digitallyenabled recovery that strengthens the inclusiveness and resilience of our economy.

Township and rural communities can only be meaningfully considered as part of the economy if such communities are connected to the digital grid.

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https: //af rica.cummins.com

New technology drives Cummins innovation

By Deeshon Munshi, Cummins Africa Middle East – Business Manager – Data Center & Telecom

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s the global leader in engine and power generation manufacturing and supply, Cummins is at the forefront innovation and digital transformation of these industries.

The organisation has manufactured engines for 101 years, and was an early adopter of new technologies in its manufacturing business.

It has long-embraced 3rd Industrial Revolution technologies at its manufacturing plants worldwide, which are heavily automated and employ many advanced technologies.

Cummins sees the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies as a natural evolution. We are introducing these technologies into our

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manufacturing operations where we believe they add value to our processes and products and maximise the benefits to our customers.

Our global digital transformation team is constantly on the lookout for technological innovations that can be applied in our business such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a network of wireless sensors linked to a central processing system that makes sense of the data sent by these sensors and takes programmed action based on those inputs.

Imagine a power generation system that can monitor its own condition and request a service

or order a replacement part. The initial stages of IoT are already here. We will soon see generators ordering their own fuel!

Innovation drives Cummins’ customer-centric operations Internally, Cummins’ high-tech ERP systems enable the streamlining of multiple operations to the benefit of customers. Advanced technologies enable the company to anticipate customer demands, plan and be ready for these so that when a customer requests a product, a part or a service, Cummins can immediately fulfil the request.

The mammoth task of manual stocktake in our massive parts distribution centres around the world is thankfully a thing of the past.

Technology has revolutionised stocktake.

Our next-generation distribution business system provides real-time, accurate data

CUMMINS

Deeshon Munshi: Cummins Africa Middle East – Business Manager – Data Center & Telecom. enabled increased visibility at their locations, such as the amount of fuel consumed by their generators and optimal load factors.

New technologies are driving product innovation at Cummins Technology advancements have enabled Cummins to make significant improvements to its products, providing superior solutions for its customers.

on our entire global inventory. The moment we have a request, the system checks the inventory on hand, the locations where it’s available globally, and efficiently re-orders parts and products when stocks reach a minimum level. Automation has ensured a smoother, more efficient, hassle-free experience for our customers.

MEA region sees large-scale adoption of advanced technologies Power generation is one of Cummins’ core businesses across Africa and the Middle East. We have seen the large-scale adoption of digital technologies across the region, particularly when managing fleets of generators and in the telecom space. Over the past decade, the focus of our client’s operations teams has been very much on optimisation and making data-driven decisions. Cummins has given them the technological solutions that have CumminsAf ricaME

Cummins_ Af rica

Utilising technology, we were able to push the power output of a 60-litre diesel generator set to a class-leading 2,750 kVA, and get 500 kVA out of a 13-litre engine through mechanical and technological improvements – now the most powerful 13-litre engine in the world for its application. We’ve also seen the benefits of advanced microchips, which are much faster and operate mechanical parts with greater precision. These microchips are the ‘brains’ that decide on the precise amount of fuel and air mix to inject into each chamber of the generator to get optimum combustion – something impossible for the human brain to calculate. The ability to collect and analyse this data over the internet means that we expect to be able to communicate back to the microchip to improve performance further in the future.

About Cummins Inc A Fortune 500 organisation listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Cummins Inc. started life off as an engine manufacturer. Over the past 101 years, the company has become a global leader in engine manufacture, power generation and related industries. At the forefront of innovation utilising advanced technologies, Cummins manufactures engines for the automotive, marine and transportation industries. Its power solution business provides primary and backup power to every conceivable segment from hospitals, schools and data centers to mines and apartment blocks.

Cummins also manufactures the cutting-edge components it uses in its product lines, which improves performance and efficiency while reducing carbon emissions. As a leader in green technologies, Cummins has invested heavily in its hydrogen, fuel cell and electrified power business lines and has some of the largest deployments of such technologies around the world.

At Cummins, we pride ourselves on our technological innovation and digital insights that bring a better quality of life for all. Our software, mobile applications and digital hardware are designed to optimise the performance and reliability of all Cummins-powered equipment. cummins-af rica

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2021 will demand continued UX and change management focus

By Grant Phillips, CEO of fintech specialist e4

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he Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked industry-wide havoc, the headwinds of which will continue to blow for years to come, leaving businesses in an almost permanent state of evolution and change. I believe that a dogged commitment to change execution is the only way businesses will survive in 2021.

Broader collaboration between traditional service providers and innovation experts is yielding faster, more relevant change in much shorter sprints. These partnerships enable traditional players to focus on their core capabilities while co-piloting a genuine UX focused evolution that only a few months ago felt too big, too expensive and way out of the real sweet spot.

Despite the negative impact of Covid-19, we have seen several unique responses to the extraordinary challenge it created. This has led to many new opportunities and with it, ingenuity and creativity across several sectors.

Macro-economic responses like interest rate management, changes in consumer buying behaviour, reduced local and global mobility, and a worldwide shift to low or no touch engagement all have very different but marked impacts on many industries globally.

Necessity has ultimately become the mother of all re-invention. The shift has forced several businesses to realise that while digital transformation is a necessity, it needs to address improved UX and the change management associated with this approach.

We see demand for less friction in internal processes and systems due to the more virtual existence we are becoming familiar with now. This has led to low or no touch as non-negotiables for many interaction points. The client-driven agenda and an organisation’s ability to meet that expectation will be paramount as companies look to expose all the other innovative investment outputs to their chosen, often new, client base.

The realisation that the usual ways of operating are no longer fit for purpose has created a wealth of new opportunities and channels for diversification and differentiation. For business to embrace these opportunities, fundamental shifts in mindset and focus need to take place immediately.

While digital transformation and organisational resilience have been touted for several years, 2020 and Covid-19 made it evident that without a focused commitment to change execution, the view for 2021 and beyond will be bleak.

Seeking out strategic partnerships and proprietary investment in new ways of engaging are critical to sustaining market relevance and long-term sustainability.

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Grant Phillips, CEO of fintech specialist e4

However, digital adoption, urgency around fit for purpose innovation, and persistence are not necessarily enough. The ability to succeed requires a constant focus on what is meaningful to clients while ensuring the business has a disciplined organisational culture – a culture comfortable with change and always ready to pivot in these unpredictable times. Becoming accustomed to change and addressing its needs head-on will win the day.

e4

www.e4.co.za

e4 celebrates 21 years as a key digital transformation specialist

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n 2021, e4 celebrates 21 years as a leading digital transformation specialist. Reflecting on the company’s milestone, Group CEO Grant Phillips says e4 has firmly established itself as a leading fintech partner in South Africa. The next 24 months will be definitive in the organisation’s journey as it looks to embed its more diversified strategic roadmap.

We b e l i eve t h a t a b ro a d e n e d va l u e proposition, together with a diversifying client base, are the fundamental enabling blocks we have built to drive the next chapter of e4’s compelling growth story. Living up to the company’s philosophy around the importance of digital enablement, we will continue to focus on client satisfaction rather than market disruption. We build solutions that enable us to genuinely partner with our clients, solving complex yet fluid challenges that inevitably arise in this fast-developing digital landscape.

A pioneer of digitalisation, e4 has since proven itself a leading fintech partner within niche verticals such as financial services and Proptech. We will continue to innovate and service this vital sector while investing in several other innovative areas, including platforms, data analytics and Regtech.

With a firm grasp of the current and potential role of technology, e4 recognises the value of its technology and its approach and understanding of digital transformation. We are repurposing our early-stage technology to develop solutions that address different industries and adjacent geographies.

Grant Phillips We see many of the core capabilities developed nearly 21 years ago still adding value in our clients’ businesses today.

As we execute on the next phase of our journey, we remain confident that our next generation solution stacks make absolute market sense. Covid-19 has provided the opportunity to stress-test our strategic approach, assumptions and tactical execution disciplines. It has reaffirmed that our strategic direction is sound and that we are on the right path to ensure continued value creation for our clients and shareholders.

In chess, e4 is the most popular opening move. It has many strengths and immediately stakes a claim in the centre. I believe that our group has done just that, firmly entrenching its position at the centre of numerous transactional ecosystems and, in doing so, given itself permission to enhance value creation across a much broader spectrum for many years to come.

About e4 e4 is a technology company specialising in digitalisation. By understanding the complexity of a digital journey, e4 partners with its clients to provide innovative solutions that suit their unique needs.

e4-strategic

Working across financial services, data and the legal sector, e4 understands the intricate requirements in these sectors and uses its expertise to assist clients in effectively managing their businesses.

e4Strategic_SA

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AB4IR

www.ab4ir.org

ACCELERATING DIGITAL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN TOWNSHIP COMMUNITIES

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outh Africa’s digital creative industries are slowly awakening to the opportunities the sector presents. With Gaming estimated to be worth US$256.97bn by 2025, animation US$300bn and Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality (AR/VR) US$161.1bn it is hard to ignore the potential presented by the digital creative sector. Sadly, most small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups do not have access to opportunities in this sector, which has high barriers to entry such as high capital costs.

The resultant start-up failure rate is alarming and worrisome. Eight out of 10 small businesses in the creative sector are likely to fail within the first five years. These businesses cite a lack of the necessary technology equipment required, lack of funding and support, licencing issues and limited or no access to resources and markets. As a digital innovation hub, Africa Beyond 4IR (AB4IR) aims to bridge the digital and gender divides in previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa. Established partnerships with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the Tshwane South TVET College in Mabopane, AB4IR exposes disadvantaged communities to gaming, animation, drone technology, and VR (Virtual Reality) business opportunities by assisting them to develop and commercialise innovations and technologies in these sectors.

Augmenting success for business The AB4IR innovation hub is committed to assisting digital creative industry startups. We offers empowering programmes that includes our 24-month business incubation programme, the Umbokoda initiative, and our Drone Technology Programme in partnership with the Drone Council South Africa. Umbokoda encourages, develops, and supports female participation in the ICT sector.

ab4ir

ab4_ir

Discovering, connecting, and growing South Africa’s digital creative enterprises in townships.

To date we have interacted with more than 5 000 youth online and offered regional, national, and international programmes. A highlight was the Worldwide Women in Innovation, Incubation and Technology Summit (W-WIITS), which was hosted virtually and included 26 speakers from 12 countries and five continents. This year’s Summit will take place from August 24-26, 2021. We are also looking forward to hosting our inaugural Digital Youth Festival in June, 2021, which aims to encourage youth participation in the sector, raise awareness of 4IR and highlight the opportunities available in the digital creative sectors.

“We are grateful to our current partners and invite more partners to help us in fostering entrepreneurship, generate knowledge-based companies, uplift communities, attract digital creative companies and expand our services to more areas.”

AB4IR CEO, Kelebogile Molopyane

Connect with us on social media and website for the latest news and more opportunities Contact: Katlego Segole Tel: +27 12 023 1761 email: Admin@ab4ir.org • www.ab4ir.org

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Giving infrastructure a digital heartbeat.

Digital transformation is not only about working faster and smarter. It’s about bringing steel and concrete to life. Enabling us to listen better. To connect the dots. To deliver solutions.

It’s about co-creating environments in which people’s lives are improved with every pulse.

And that’s why digital is at the heart of everything we do.

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

The transformative impact of digital tech in engineering

By Richard Matchett, Digital Practice Lead at Zutari

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dvancement in digital technologies is disrupting both society and industry.

While the engineering industry has been among the slowest to embrace digital transformation, the tide is turning. It’s become apparent that accelerated change is on the cards. Harnessing digital technologies is set to significantly transform the engineering profession.

Engineering professionals are focused on delivering an improved quality of life for their country’s citizens by developing economic and social infrastructure such as utilities, transport systems, water supply, schools and hospitals. The adoption of digital technologies has boosted the capacity to deliver solutions and meet the ever-growing demand for such infrastructure. Through increased computing power and integrated work methods, it is now possible to do in a day what used to take months to accomplish.

But digital transformation is about more than merely working faster or producing more. It is about making things work better. Owners and operators of buildings and infrastructure use technology to increase the functionality of those facilities by harnessing performance data captured by various data collection technologies. Statistically –informed, evidencebased rules now drive decisions that in the past were based on intuition and limited information. In short, digital technology helps asset managers to ‘see’ better, which results in better decision-making.

A beautiful way of thinking about this is to say that digital technology gives a heartbeat to infrastructure. The heartbeat is the real-time data that is collected and analysed to describe how the infrastructure is performing. Digital technology is bringing infrastructure to life, enabling us to look, listen and respond better.

But digital transformation also translates into new opportunities. The data required to manage our new smart infrastructure must be gathered, processed and managed. Existing infrastructure that was previously documented on paper drawings and blueprints must be digitised by teams of data capturers, 3D modellers and digitally-enabled surveyors.

Data-based asset management solutions must be developed and managed by an emerging workforce to ensure that things run smoothly and enable society to prosper.

Richard Matchett, Digital Practice Lead at Zutari At the centre of this transformation are people. For those straddling this transformation, the change is challenging and requires fundamental shifts in how we think.

Some jobs are becoming redundant, replaced by new ways of doing. Out-of-date analogue skills need to be upgraded in line with the use of computer-based workflows. Adapting to this change is not a choice. Change is the new normal.

The next generation is growing up in this new digital world. In schools, our children are taught through digital means and are growing up as digital natives. When they enter the workforce, they will be well prepared to integrate into the digital world we are creating for them today – a world that is smarter, more connected and more integrated – a world in which we can better see how things are working to respond to the many changes and challenges we face daily.

Digital technology is bringing infrastructure to life, enabling us to look, listen and respond better.

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SIMPHIWE SECURITY CONSULTING

www.ss-consulting.co.za

Building Cyber Resilience in 4IR Era

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imphiwe Security Consulting (PTY) LTD (SS-Consulting) is a 51% Black femaleowned consultancy based in South Africa. It specialises in strategic and technical consultation in the fields of Information Security, IT Governance, Risk and Compliance.

Our company is built on the assumption that the enterprise technology landscape is forever changing. This presents presents challenges of ensuring that Security, Governance, Risk and Compliance are well entrenched within business processes, systems, products and infrastructure.

The current move to remote working has given rise to ‘COVID-19 focused attacks’ over the past couple of months. Most companies have responded by implementing remote worker systems comprised of an endpoint VPN client and an online teleconferencing system such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. However, we need to be mindful that this move has somehow increased the cyber-criminals’ attack vector in that cyber-criminals are not only targeting the remote worker, but even their children who are now being schooled at home using e-learning, in an effort to compromise home networks. Attackers are aware that this move to remote working is rushed (by virtue of it being an emergency) and will therefore have gaps in security, so they will try to take advantage of this unplanned transition and inexperienced teleworkers. Attackers are also taking advantage of insecure online teleconferencing systems.

SS-Consulting provides a robust solution to end-user devices that can go a long way towards addressing these challenges. Through our partners, we offer endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions that come with advanced antivirus functionality as well as both pre-infection and post-infection defence to keep endpoints – and your network – clear of malicious malware. Even if the remote worker’s device has been compromised, we are able to detect, defuse, and remediate live incidents, thereby enabling remote workers to stay on task. simphiwe-security-consulting

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In general, SA’s cybersecurity practice is invaded with excitable technology vendors whose main interest is pushing unconnected technologies ‘bottled’ and sold as commodities, which creates a complex and weak cybersecurity posture with no value for money. On the other hand, we have inexperienced CISOs who buy security solutions with no underpinning plan. This has unfortunately resulted in a phenomenon where the cybersecurity industry is now a ‘platform’ for the buying and selling of technology wares and not advancing or securing business value! Consequently, there is an inversely proportional relationship between spend and business confidence in security.

SS-Consulting overcomes these challenges by understanding that all companies are unique in their own right. As such, we strive to acquire an in-depth understanding of our clients’ business objectives, goals and vision in order to ensure that our solutions do not only support critical business initiatives but are also an enabler to our clients’ business objectives. Our unique, holistic and integrated business-driven approach resolves these piecemeal problems through a better understanding of business requirements that include, inter-alia: • The need for cost reduction • Modularity • Scalability • Ease of component re-use • Operability • Usability • Inter-operability, both internally and externally • Integration with the enterprise IT architecture • Legacy systems SS-Consulting, therefore, provides customised on-site consulting services and assistance in the assessment of business risks, key business requirements for security and the development of security policies and processes. Our on-site consulting services include comprehensive security architecture assessments and design (including technology, business risks, technical risks and procedures).

Simphiwe Mayisela – Chief Security Strategist OUR SERVICES We are driven to deliver proficient, pragmatic and practical solutions to our clients to meet their business needs and to ensure that the solutions are in keeping with our clients’ risk profile. We aim to secure our clients’ information and intellectual property from leakage, theft or cyber-attacks. Our services include: • Security Training and Awareness • Information Security Policy Development • Security Assessments and IT Audits • Managed Vulnerability Services and Penetration Testing • Security Architecture Services • Network Infrastructure Management (e.g. Next Generation Firewalls) • Information Management • Compliance Services (e.g. POPIA) • Cloud Services

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

Creating an online presence – do’s and don’ts

By Molehe Wesi, CEO of .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA)

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he COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating socioeconomic impact on South Africa. We’ve seen mass business closures, a rise in unemployment and plummeting tax collection, which has placed the country in a significantly compromised position. What has become apparent amidst the turmoil is that businesses have to fast-track their transformation to digital to improve their resilience – be it in part or the adoption of a more comprehensive digital strategy and solution.

There is much for businesses to consider when moving to digital, such as how the move will change their business models and what the best strategy is moving forward. The one critical element is having an online presence – whether via a website or an off-the-shelf online platform. An online presence is facilitated by acquiring a domain name – the business’s internet name.

Do’s and Don’ts when creating an online presence • Do choose your domain name wisely Apart from choosing your business’s domain name, you also need to consider which top-level domain will best benefit your business. For example, .za country code top-level domain, as this will determine how you resolve any infringements against your brand and businesses, more so, pre-emptively to protect it.

which they can attract customers. Good and relevant content will not only attract new customers to your website but will keep existing customer and visitors interested and returning to the site.

Importantly, well-optimised content positively affects how your website is ranked in search engines, which improves the business’s online reach and accessibility.

Molehe Wesi, CEO of .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) South African laws and regulations protect domains ending in .za through the .za Alternative Dispute Resolution, whereas international laws have to be applied to resolve infringements when it comes to the other 1 568 top-level domains globally.

• Don’t sweat the small stuff. Content is key New business owners often get sidetracked by the little things that are important to them but won’t necessarily take the business forward. They usually don’t recognise the value of their website and the content they post on it as their display window to the world – the window through

• Don’t ignore the customer experience Online business transacting is similar to contact or in-person business transacting in that the importance of customer relationships and the customer experience cannot be under-estimated. It can be argued that these are even more critical for online businesses considering the hypercompetitiveness of online companies.

Always follow through with queries and completed transactions, and ensure you engage with your customers without being intrusive.

Also, monitor reviews and social media platforms for brand sentiment and address any issues of dissatisfaction.

• Do add social media platforms to your online presence The influence of social media platforms cannot be ignored. Focused social media usage that compliments your existing online presence has proven to help businesses grow and flourish.

Good and relevant content will not only attract new customers to your website but will keep existing customer and visitors interested and returning to the site.

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.ZADNA

DOMAIN NAME SCAMS ON A RISE Fraudulent domain names pose a threat to brands and the community

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any legitimate businesses have been affected by an increasing number of fraudulent domain names. The fraudulent activities and abusive practices of domain-name scammers can damage a brand’s identity and/or reputation.

Domain-name scammers are constantly creating domain names aimed at misleading the public. In most cases, the intent is to defraud a potential customer.

In SA, an ongoing trend is one where fraudsters impersonate well-known brands by registering a domain name similar to that of an authentic brand.

An example: A scammer creates a website that mimics a particular government department and calls for tender submissions from unsuspecting businesses. The scammer uses government departmental letterheads to send fake tender documents to potential bidders.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ABUSIVE PRACTICE OR USE OF A DOMAIN NAME? Distribution of Child Pornography Phishing: The use of fake websites to commit theft or fraud by tricking recipients into divulging sensitive information such as usernames or passwords.

Pharming: The redirection of unknown users to fraudulent sites or services, typically through DNS hijacking or poisoning.

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Fraudulent Websites: The use of websites designed to mislead users as part of a fraudulent scheme, such as an ‘advance-fee fraud’.

Wilful Distribution of Malware: The dissemination of software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. Examples include, but are not limited to, computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, key loggers.

Malicious Fast-Flux Hosting: Use of fastflux techniques to disguise the location of websites or other Internet services, to avoid detection and mitigation efforts, or to host illegal activities. Fast-flux techniques use DNS to frequently change the location on the Internet to which the domain name of an Internet host or name server resolves.

Botnet Command and Control: Services run on a domain name that are used to control a collection of compromised computers or ‘zombies’, or to direct denial-of-service attacks (DDoS attacks).

Spam: The use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, whether commercial in nature or not, transmitted by email, instant messaging, website or Internet forums, or any other means.

Illegal Access to Computers or Networks: Illegal accessing of computers, accounts or networks belonging to another party or attempting to penetrate security measures of a system to which access has not been granted.

THE ROLE OF THE .ZA DOMAIN NAME AUTHORITY The .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) is established in terms of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 to regulate and administer the .za domain namespace. .ZADNA is also responsible for determining overall general policy and strategic direction of the .za domain namespace. Numerous policies have been implemented with the aim of seeking to ensure that .za is safe, resilient, robust and in compliance with international best practice.

www.zadna.org.za

HOW TO LODGE A .ZA DOMAIN NAME DISPUTE? .ZA has a proven alternative dispute resolution (ADR) against cybersquatting and intellectual property abuse in co.za, net. za, org.za and web.za domains.

The .za Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR) is informed by section 69 of the Electronic Communications and Transaction Act (ECTA).

contact any of the accredited ADR Providers such as the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIPPL) or Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA). Further details on the .za accredited ADR Providers can be obtained here: https://www.zadna.org.za/content/page/adr-faq/

In terms of the regulations, a complainant can lodge a complaint against a domain name registrant if the complainant believes that the domain name is abusive or offensive.

To lodge a .za domain name dispute, the complainant can

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

Five critical steps on the digital transformation journey

By Kevin Mortimer, Triple4 CEO

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ne defining trait in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry is the ability to create hype around buzzwords and three-letter acronyms.

and what the future could look like – you then need to analyse your identified change areas in the business and carefully consider the impact that these changes will have on organisational efficiency.

One could argue that 4IR, or Industry 4.0, is just that – hype and buzz.

Coupled with that is the movement called Digital Transformation.

Repeat your planning and checking until satisfied that you will have the desired outcome, and then implement.

The reality is, digital transformation is not just costly hype. There is a real and significant cost to its implementation and the adoption of processes around it. Much of the pain on the digital transformation journey can be alleviated by rational, methodical thinking and taking one’s time to get it right.

3. Communicate Change rarely comes without stress and painful challenges, and disruption can cause anxiety and stress. Take the time to prepare your teams for the changes to come and avoid push back.

Triple 4 recommends five key steps organisations should follow to have the best chance of success when implementing a digital transformation strategy.

1. Be clear on your motivations There is no doubt that successful digital transformation can improve a business. It’s critical to have a clear understanding of why your organisation is pursuing a digital transformation strategy and what it stands to gain from it. This makes the rest of the process simpler and far less daunting.

2. Plan and check twice. Change once Once you know why you want to bring disruption to your organisation – you have a clear vision of the benefits this disruption will bring

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Steven Hawking famously said: “For millions of years, man lived just like the animals, then something happened that unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk.”

Communicate frequently and clearly on the changes to come. Explain why you are investing in new digital technologies and what the many benefits will be. This will drive engagement and expand your scope to include any transformation opportunities you may have missed.

Kevin Mortimer, Triple4 CEO

Manage the change and adoption to guarantee success.

as a catalyst for further transformation and transform any doubters into believers. Identifying the quick wins should be easy if you followed the previous three steps.

4. Start with the quick wins Start with the changes that deliver the most business value with the least amount of effort and disruption. These quick wins will act

5. Measure the results before moving on Lastly, measure the results on your efficiencies post your first tentative disruptive transformations. Knowing your motivations will help you quantify success and pave the way towards the ultimate end goal.

TRIPLE4

www.triple4.co.za

What is Change Management?

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hange Management is the process of guiding individuals, teams or organisations through change. It is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change to drive organisational success and project outcomes.

Project Management is the technical side of moving from current state to future state.

Change Management is the people side of moving from current state to future state.

The Change Management team will work with the Leadership/Sponsorship team and Project Management teams to ensure that the project meets its objectives, finishes on time and within budget and that ROI (Return on Investment) is realised.

In the Prosci Change Management process, there are three phases: • Phase 1: Preparing for change. This involves defining the change management strategy, preparing the change management team and developing a sponsorship model. This is achieved through various organisational and team readiness and competency assessments.

• Phase 2: Managing change – this includes five change management plans that are integrated into the project plan – communication, triple4

Triple4

Technical side of moving from current state to future state Project Management

Current State

Transition State

Future State

Change Management

People side of moving from current state to future state coaching, training and resistance management plans, and defining the sponsor roadmap. This is achieved using the ADKAR model – creating Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement of changes within individuals.

• Phase 3: Reinforcing Change – this is an ongoing process of collecting and analysing feedback, diagnosing gaps, managing resistance, and implementing corrective actions.

There are several change management methodologies. No single methodology fits every company but rather a set of practices, tools and techniques that can be adapted to a variety of needs or situations.

Regional Head Office Johannesburg 4 Karen St, Bryanston, Lyme Park +27 11 265 9800 Regional Head Office Cape Town 11 Imam Haron Rd, Claremont +27 21 003 8702 Regional Head Office Dublin Level 1, The Chase, Carmanhall Rd, Sandyford +353 01 536 3066 sales@triple4.co.za

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

Digital disruption drives logistics along new paths Nicholas Diemont - General Manager, Business Change Management, DSV

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ovid19 challenged the global economy, and supply chains, in many ways. In part, it accelerated the digitalisation of economic life, with consumers turning in rapidly increasing numbers to the safety and convenience of online shopping.

This in turn created new opportunities for the logistics industry which moves a staggering 85m packages or documents around the world every day.

Demographic and digital trends had already been driving the growth of ecommerce, but its pandemic-induced spurt has been significant and irreversible, and we have seen ecommerce grow upwards of 1,000% across our client base.

The new opportunities which flowed from the disruption are all about meeting changing customer needs, and that is what drives innovation at DSV. We track business and technology trends so we can use technology to make life better for a business and its customers.

We believe that customer-centric innovation and digitalisation must improve customer experiences. The experience of 2020 pushed businesses to ask for more real time visibility of their products so they could more easily manage their customer expectations and experiences.

Supply chains were already dealing with shorter product lifecycles, rising consumer expectations and online trading before Covid19 literally changed the flow of goods and flagged many other challenges, from resilience and design to visibility and renewed emphasis on managing costs and inventories.

All this means constant innovation – introducing something new or different to meet new or different needs – has become a necessary part of the logistics business.

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Nicholas Diemont, General Manager, Business Change Management, DSV Our commitment to innovation – either incremental (a step at a time) or radical (disruptive activity which signals major change) – drives both competitive advantage and operational sustainability, and we are working across many inflection points to deliver benefits to our clients and their customers. By innovating on both horizons we are able to create both more efficient solutions and reduce costs for our customers, and invent new products and services that improve customer experience and offer growth opportunities.

Supply chain design and mapping has never been more topical, and it is a competency we have been evolving over time to ensure every material, process and shipment is documented and integrated into a compelling customer supply chain strategy.

Then, our electronic data interchange (EDI) or Application Programming Interfaces (API) automate the exchange of data between DSV and our customers’ transport and warehousing systems, handles invoices and enables customer partners to book transport with DSV. It is simple and efficient, reduces administrative time and increases security and efficiency and improves effectiveness for both customers and ourselves.

DSV’s Africa Innovation Hub is working on exciting projects which are changing – or might change – the way we and our customers work, at least for a while. They include: • Applying the Internet of Things via our visibility platform to logistics to counter increasing risk of theft and pilferage. Its again an example of evolving use to need – whereas elsewhere in the world there is a greater demand for real time information for planning, in SA risk mitigation takes precedence where we need to move cargo which is temperature, light or shock sensitive, and where we need to secure the monitoring and tracking of cargo across the supply chain.

• Developing and launching the DSV Locker, which has quickly become a favourite way for consumers to send and receive parcels.

• Using biometric verification to validate an identity without the need for physical identification.

• Automating mundane, repetitive tasks and enhances efficiency and accuracy through Robotics Process Automation in our offices and Automated Guided Vehicles in our warehouses.

• Introducing an automated ETA service in South Africa for Road distribution deliveries, and this follows its success in Europe. The service was developed to meet specific customer needs, and proactively provides ETA to consignees and vastly improves our customer service.

• Introducing automated drones to help manage warehouse efficiencies. We experimented with an inventory control process a few years ago but drones driven by humans didn’t yield the efficiencies we were looking for – which the autonomous drone offers.

• We have cost effectively produced hygiene products by using 3D printing.

• We developed a digital HR tool to help manage 10,000 employees across 100 sites in the first month of the lockdown. It gave us full visibility of all employees while observing protocols and enabled us to better manage our way through a disruptive time.

www.dsv.com/en-za

Supply chain certainty in a digital world You need supply chain certainty more than ever during these turbulent times. Our understanding of changing business priorities helps us provide resilient and robust solutions. And our flexibility and customer-centric innovation means we anticipate shifting needs, and adapt quickly.

This is especially needed as digital transformation and e-commerce changes the way business is done, and increases the need for real time visibility of supply chains, from point of origin to final destination.

Covid19’s disruption of the global economic landscape reinforced the primacy of the customer – and accelerated our relentless commitment to incremental, adjacent and radical innovation as we seek new ways to meeting evolving customer needs.

Our innovative use of technology, world-class systems and hands-on approach by our people on the ground in more than 80 countries around the world gives us the real-time intelligence to make sure we stay ahead of your logistics needs.

Most importantly, end-to-end supply chain visibility is key to mitigating risk and enhancing your customer’s experience.

Visit www.dsv.com/en-za to see how customer-centric innovation and supply chain reliability help your business, especially during the most uncertain of times.

DSV – Global Transport and Logistics We provide and manage supply chain solutions for thousands of companies every day – from the small family run business to the large global corporation.

Our reach is global, yet our presence is local and close to our customers. 55,000 employees in more than 80 countries work passionately to deliver great customer experiences and highquality services.

Read more at www.dsv.com/en-za

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

Five steps to help you automate the financial close

By Aarti Mohan, Oracle’s MEA ERPM Strategy Leader

“I’d love to have everything touchless and close the books in one day, so that we can use the commodity of our people to do what they were hired to do.”

– Lisa Blackwood-Kapral, Chief Accounting Officer, Lyft he above quote is one of my favourites from the Oracle Cloud ERP Virtual Summit. I love it because it’s visionary and ambitious. A touchless close in one day? It sounds too good to be true. Yet it’s precisely the goal that leading finance teams aim for, month by month, step by step.

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As companies contemplate their next big move, from embracing new business models to capitalising on acquisitions or divestitures, they can’t afford to be slowed down by manual processes and inaccuracies. An automated close that connects stakeholders and systems is critical for getting timely, accurate information into the hands of decision-makers.

With that in mind, let’s look at five best practices that can help speed up your journey to an automated financial close.

Best practice #1: Address the extended financial close process It’s important to address the ‘extended’ financial close, which can include the subledger close, identifying irregularities and errors, account reconciliation, tax provision, and submitting filings to the appropriate regulatory body. It’s impossible to improve and automate the financial close process without a clear understanding of dependencies and task durations.

Best practice #2: Focus on key improvements to streamline and connect Once the entire close process is understood and documented, finance can focus on the areas that can be simplified, standardised, and connected. Consider areas where there are repetitive or lengthy tasks, such as inter-company eliminations, account reconciliation, cash flow, foreign exchange, and minority interest.

Best practice #3: Create a shared, detailed close schedule It’s critical to share and track the close process anytime. Visible dashboards, often delivered as part of cloud solutions, help improve collaboration and provide timelines.

Visibility and predictability are crucial to executives and stakeholders.

Best practice #4: Use intelligent process automation (IPA) and machine learning to improve the extended close IPA can significantly improve many tasks in accounting and finance that are currently manual, such as account reconciliations, financial close process management, and statutory reporting. IPA is considered the next evolution in robotic process automation (RPA). It layers in artificial intelligence; can observe and analyse data, its history, and its context; can identify new patterns or recommend new rules; suggests how existing rules can be reconfigured to be more efficient - and then applies human judgment.

IPA can also help automate much of the close orchestration and track the status of task completion across multiple systems, automatically kick off close processes as soon as dependent tasks are completed, and update the close calendar so you can stay

apprised of where you are in the financial close process.

Best practice #5: Provide timely, self-service reporting Getting timely and accurate information to decision-makers is the ultimate objective. It’s a best practice to deliver flash and automated reporting in a self-service system where users have secure, remote, 24/7 access. Decisionmakers will appreciate the interactive dashboards and the ability to get information ad-hoc. Finally, take a collaborative approach so contributors can provide commentary and see the progress of financial and management report packages.

Some final tips Look for areas where there are constant delays and figure out why. Are there constant system kick-outs due to improperly mapped transactions? Are there task dependencies that rely on one person or are not clearly managed? Areas with highly manual or error-prone tasks (such as importing or exporting data via spreadsheets) could be improved with integration or enterprise data management (EDM) solutions.

An automated and connected financial close can help finance teams provide faster, more accurate, and transparent reporting. Companies with an automated close instil confidence in their employees, customers, and investors. Ultimately, a streamlined process can help companies focus their time on strategic analysis to find new growth opportunities such as shifting or creating new business models or making acquisitions or divestitures.

Learn more about the Oracle Finance Starter Kit: Accelerate an Automated Financial Close https://explore.oracle.com/big-moves-na/ bm-auto-close-starter-kit

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Embrace Business Model Innovation Pivot your nance strategy and resources toward new business models, products, and services. In a time when cash is limited for most companies, how do you make sure your innovation investments will pay oo?

Scan the QR code to nd out ve best practices for business model innovation.

The New Rules for Survival, Innovation, and Growth Scan the QR code to learn more about Oracle Cloud SCM and how it works.

Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing (SCM) helps you orchestrate orders and returns, deliver with agile logistics, and eeectively manage global trade requirements.

TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

Empowering managers to effectively manage a remote workforce

By Rob Bothma, Strategic Business Solution Architect at Oracle

year ago, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations were forced into the situation of having their staff working from home. Most organisations anticipated that this situation was temporary and would be short-lived. Now, nearly 12 months on, working from home has evolved into the norm, with many organisations having a more formal and permanent workforce working from home.

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With the now seemingly long-term expectations of needing a remote and digitally enabled workforce, organisations are being challenged to become more agile and resilient to the risks and challenges this pandemic has brought upon us.

Rob Bothma, Strategic Business Solution Architect at Oracle. Fellow of the IPM. Co-author of the 4th Edition of Contemporary Issues in HRM

It should be noted that gearing up to become a resilient organisation requires the implementation and embedding of iterative processes and not just some once-off knee-jerk reaction.

This requires a change in the culture of the organisation, especially when looking at how to empower managers in managing their teams remotely.

Usually resilience within an organisation is built over time, in times of crises, such as what we are experiencing today, forcing organisations to think outside the box and take immediate actions to avoid disastrous consequences.

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One of the biggest impacts the pandemic has had on the workplace are the challenges now facing line and middle management.

The job of a manager has predominantly been to manage office-based teams. All their processes and procedures have been modelled within this framework.

Even within an office-based working environment, many managers have paid scant attention to conducting true talent management with their subordinates. Many of the HR staff I speak to admit that the amount of time they spend chasing management to complete their HR functions is limited. Such functions include: • Workforce planning and scheduling • C reation and completion of the Annual Performance process • Ensuring succession plans exist for key jobs • C onducting meaningful career planning • Ensuring all team members have a proper learning and development plan in place.

With employees and managers working remotely, this challenge has now become even greater. Fortunately, we have had the simultaneous advent of sophisticated HR solutions with embedded emerging technologies, which are now designed to keep all the various end-users needs in mind, as opposed to traditional designs that catered only to the needs of core HR users.

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

As managers now need to manage their teams remotely, there is a need for increased levels of assistance from HR. However, with many HR staff also working from home, the burden has shifted to the organisation to ensure that the solutions in place are able to better meet these needs.

Intuitive and self-driving HR solutions incorporating all the latest artificial intelligence functionalities, provide a greater focus on employee engagement, driven through emerging technologies such as: • Chatbots • Machine Learning • Predictive Analysis • Real-time Dashboards • I n t e l l i g e n c e d r i v e n w o r k f l o w processes

Through these, HR teams can empower managers to begin fulfilling their line HR functions in ways that have an impact on the organisation and on the efficiency and effectiveness of their teams.

For example, by providing a manager with an intelligent self-driving process for a promotion or transfer, he or she is empowered to perform this function without the assistance of an HR representative. HR would have already configured the system processes and logic flows to the system rules.

All the manager is required to do is to process the transaction. As they move through the various guided steps of the process, relevant prompts will appear to guide them in completing all aspects of the transaction.

In addition, with the latest technologies available, managers now also have access to real-time data displayed on graphical dashboards providing them with insights into the workings of their teams and empowering them to start having meaningful talent management conversations.

To ensure success within their teams, managers need to have the right skills to conduct more in-depth talent-related conversations with their subordinates, made more challenging by having to do them remotely via video call.

It’s a very easy discussion when you are dealing with an employee who is either meeting or exceeding their performance goals and objectives. A different set of skills is required when having a discussion with an employee who is either displaying unacceptable behaviour or whose performance level is below par. The manager now needs to encourage the employee to change his or her behaviour at home rather than in the formal office environment.

When a manager is provided with a toolset that provides a more holistic view of the employee, showing an integrated view of the talent and other HR-related data, he/she is empowered to make far more informed decisions.

When looking at an employee’s performance, for example, it’s critical to be able to look at

the performance trends of the employee over a protracted period of time as one poor period of performance does not make for a poor employee. There could be many mitigating factors contributing to their sub-standard performance, such as struggling with new responsibilities, getting to grips with new skills, lacking experience, or dealing with a change in their own personal situation. All or some of these could be contributing to poor performance.

By comparing the employee’s current performance to that of previous periods, one can determine whether this is a once-off situation or a trend. The manager then better able to identify the root cause of the issue and the steps needed to assist the employee in rectifying the situation.

Ultimately a manager’s success depends on the success of his/her team. The more that managers can empower their employees to achieve, the more they themselves will grow and thrive, thus enabling both their teams and their organisations to succeed.

In summary, the current pandemic is forcing HR to empower their management teams to successfully manage their teams remotely, thereby assisting their employees in meeting or exceeding their performance and development goals. It’s no longer viable for HR to just play an administrative “push” role and expect managers to execute their line HR functions.

Managers require the right tools and skills to assist them in their decisionmaking processes.

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The Power of Cloud Accelerating Digital Transformation TripleTech leverages Oracle cloud services for efficient and optimised IT business services

By Alex Gukool (CEO, TripleTech) and Vishal Soockeea (Sales Manager for Technology, Oracle SADC)

C

Cloud technologies, especially the latest Oracle Cloud solutions, are accelerating digital transformation and supporting business efficiency and continuity in a more challenging, Covid-stricken world. Alex Gukool, Chief Executive Officer for Mauritius-based TripleTech IT services company and Vishal Soockeea, Sales Manager for Technology, Oracle SADC, expand on this.

TripleTech is relatively new in the IT solutions provider market but already has an impressive portfolio of clients and partners. Tell us more about the company.

Alex Gukool: TripleTech is a Mauritius-based IT management company founded in 2017. We are relatively new but have very high expertise and an impressive track record on projects in Africa and beyond. We use the latest and most efficient technology from world-renowned names such as Oracle. We specialise in IT management, IT infrastructure, disaster recovery and audit services. We are here to help businesses of all sizes in Mauritius, in mainland Africa and across the globe in optimising their IT. We firmly believe that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and we provide customised services to our customers with the support of our technology partners.

We have successfully implemented IT projects in many areas of business and industries by leveraging the skills and experience of TripleTech’s team and the efficiency and reliability of our partners’ solutions. We have served major companies in real estate, hospitality, financial services, Business Process

Outsourcing, construction, shopping and leisure property, healthcare, legal services and aviation. Our footprint covers 12 countries, mainly in Africa but also in the Caribbean. We needed to transform the company’s business model to offer our customers business IT services via the cloud – hence our collaboration with Oracle.

Why the choice of Oracle to deliver your cloud solutions?

Alex Gukool: Every business is unique, but their technology demands are no different.

Cloud technology needs to enable consistent delivery of services, in a cost-effective way.

Oracle’s Cloud offering made it possible for cloud technology to be structured and tailored to TripleTech’s environment through its interoperable and open-cloud solutions, bringing affordable and flexible cloud to our organisation.

Choosing the right partner is crucial for businesses to successfully embrace cloud technologies and unleash their potential for business continuity and growth — an even more difficult challenge in a Covid-19-impacted local, regional and global economy. TripleTech is here to guide and support businesses in implementing the most efficient cloud solutions built on the latest technologies such as Oracle’s.

The past year has driven immense change, fast-forwarding the future into the present in no uncertain terms. We’ve seen that the more digital an organisation is, the better it can adapt. While the Indian Ocean Islands region has previously been a bit slow in terms of its cloud maturity levels, this has now changed

dramatically and adoption has become much more prevalent. TripleTech was the first service provider to implement the latest generation of Oracle cloud solutions in Mauritius.

What value-add does the latest Oracle cloud solutions bring to businesses?

Vishal Soockeea: In the quest for digital transformation, cloud is providing many of the answers. It enables access to the storage of an explosion of heterogeneous data and the power to process it for business-benefiting insights. It’s a platform that enables organisations to pivot and adapt as new changes unfold. Our customers can build the cloud solution that best fits their requirements and budgets. Companies of all sizes have moved to Oracle Cloud for its superior technology, price-performance advantages, and dedication to partnering with businesses on their cloud journeys. First-generation clouds are built on decade-old technologies. Oracle’s second-generation cloud provides significant advantages, including the world’s first and only autonomous database, multi-cloud strategy, a unique shared-responsibility security model, and efficient architecture, which, when paired with superior economics, is saving customers millions of dollars.

Alex Gukool: Using Oracle technology and support was a smart choice for TripleTech in our endeavour to serve our customers.

Choosing the right technology partner for the digital transformation and cloud migration journey is critical. Oracle has the vision and capabilities that TripleTech needs to achieve its objectives.

Business Day - Focus 4.0

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24,000+ Companies Run Their Business in the

Oracle Cloud More Enterprise Cloud Applications Than Anyone Else

oracle.com/customers

Copyright © 2018, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

The cloud can help South Africa’s public sector meet its PoPIA obligations W

hen the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) came into effect last year, organisations had a year’s grace to become compliant. This grace period ends on June 30, 2021, leaving the public sector with a looming deadline it will find hard to meet, says Gomedi Makhongoana, Public Sector Director, Oracle South Africa.

“The public sector holds large volumes of data, much of it extremely sensitive, but lacks many of the resources needed to protect that data in line with PoPIA’s requirements,” he says. “The impact of Covid-19 on the state’s readiness for PoPIA also cannot be underestimated. Personnel have been diverted to the immediate task of getting more business processes online and enabling people to work from home. Budgets have also been adjusted substantially to accommodate Covid-19 relief spending.”

He says that technology, and particularly the cloud, is the enabler that will help the government overcome its challenges. “The smart thing to do is leverage the experience and skills of vendors like Oracle.”

A widely held misconception about data sovereignty has played a role in the initial reluctance of public sector organisations to use the cloud, adds Sandhya Ramdhany, Legal Director, Oracle South Africa. “PoPIA does not prohibit sensitive personal data from being held in datacentres out of the country. Section 72 of the PoPI Act explicitly allows it, subject to certain safeguards.

Provided the data is held in a jurisdiction that has similar (or stronger) legislative protection for data, there is no problem,” she says.

For example, European Union (EU) data centres can safely and legally hold sensitive South African data because the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was, in fact, the basis for PoPIA.

Sandhya Ramdhany, Legal Director, Oracle South Africa

Gomedi Makhongoana, Public Sector Director, Oracle South Africa

“The public cloud offers government entities a cost-effective way to manage large amounts of data in a PoPIA-compliant environment,” she adds.

without undue delay, and at the latest within 24 hours.

Key steps to PoPIA compliance When it comes to protecting sensitive data, the first challenge is to evaluate what data is stored by the organisation, and identify what the sensitive data is and where it can be found, says Makhongoana. Once that primary analysis is completed, the next step is to protect the sensitive data through data anonymisation.

The remaining steps are detection, which will require centralised monitoring to identify suspicious activity and alert the responsible individuals, and access control so that individuals can only access the data they need to do their work.

According to Makhongoana, the government can take up to 180 days to realise it has had a personal information breach, whereas customers in Oracle Cloud are notified of a confirmed breach

“When it comes to PoPIA, the ability to be proactive is critical. Getting early alerts of a breach is essential, but knowing where your data is and protecting the sensitive data is even more important,” he points out.

Ramdhany believes that one of the unexpected benefits of Covid-19 has been to force a change in government’s attitude towards the cloud and to forming public-private partnerships with leading technology vendors—just as it has done with the private sector.

“One thing the government must guard against is trying to adopt a shortcut like, for example, trying to encrypt everything. That approach will make the data inaccessible and prevent organisations from using data analytics to improve business processes. The hard work of classifying the data and managing access rigorously has to be done, and Oracle can help,” concludes Makhongoana.

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

Digital transformation’s secret weapon to building back better

By Dr Tariq Aslam, Head of MEA, AVEVA

I

n February, South African Finance Minister Tito Mboweni vowed in his first post-pandemic budget speech that the government would not rest until the structure of the economy had been fundamentally altered through lower barriers to entry, improved productivity, and a reduced cost of doing business.

Digital transformation offers a shortcut to those goals for South African companies looking to build back better in the wake of a life-altering pandemic.

when it will arrive at its destination.

But unless digital solutions are embedded at the very core of the value chain, their transformative capabilities will not fully benefit organizations.

When Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, the cloud and the internet of things are deployed concurrently, they can deliver accelerated benefits such as optimized business processes and value efficiencies while improving staff productivity.

With a single-window view into their operations, businesses gain functional intelligence that ignites innovation and increases enterprise value in many ways. Predictive analytics results in improved operations and maintenance, generating billions in cost savings, either directly or by avoiding downtime. Moreover, the technology offers the opportunity to model what-if scenarios that comply with safety and regulatory requirements, calibrating the highest-value route to nextgeneration products or processes.

At the heart of this clutch of technologies sits the Digital Twin. As a live replica of potential and actual physical assets, processes, people, systems and devices, a Digital Twin presents deep data insights, highlights process efficiencies, and accelerates worker automation.

Across the industrial sector, companies use Digital Twins in several ways, from trialing new assets and processes to operational improvements and training systems.

The Digital Twin at work In manufacturing, a Digital Twin can track the effectiveness of plants, machines, and other fixed assets on the factory floor in real time. Overlaying the technology with machine learning and IoT capabilities delivers a holistic view of the asset and predicts maintenance requirements well in advance, avoiding unscheduled downtime.

When used across a supply chain, the technology can offer end-to-end visibility so producers and customers know at all times exactly where a shipment is, the route it has taken and exactly 40

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Similarly, when put to work in mining, a Digital Twin provides visual intelligence across the asset lifecycle. By virtually simulating extraction operations, it can provide readings on asset temperatures, electricity consumption, pump pressure and flow rates, while allowing engineers to remotely model virtual scenarios around blasting, metallurgy, and process control for optimum performance.

Dr Tariq Aslam, Head of MEA, AVEVA

In the race to rebuild, Digital Twins can ignite industrial innovation through optimized business processes, value efficiencies and improved staff productivity, says Dr Tariq Aslam, Head of MEA, AVEVA Four steps to Digital Transformation Using a four-pronged strategy, Digital Twins contextualize new and existing data by into new insights that help enterprises close the loop towards continuous process improvement without the burden of risk.

• Establish a Digital Twin model powered by accurate data feeds to pinpoint asset performance and modify key control points for shortand long-term value.

• Ascertain how Digital Twin simulations and predictive analytics can improve enterprise-wide value through operations or process improvements and risk control.

• Draw up a Digital Twin strategy to map out

program and project planning for digital transformation.

• Deploy the Digital Twin to map out connections between current and future developments and determine how the enterprise or project responds to internal or external changes.

Gartner estimates that by 2021 Digital Twins will exist for potentially billions of scenarios.

In South Africa and elsewhere, companies that leverage the intelligent master data management of Digital Twin technology will realize the trifecta of business innovation, bottom-line improvements, and stakeholder value for generations to come.

AVEVA

www.aveva.com

Industry 4.0 Demands a New Approach to Asset Management

By Kim Custeau, Vice President APM Business at AVEVA

I

t is critical for organisations to manage their asset base with future flexibility, scalability and control. Businesses acquire other businesses, sites are extended, and new buildings and production lines are created as obsolete ones are closed.

of the technology pillars are already part of a plant’s portfolio today. All that is needed to get started pursuing APM 4.0 is the vision, a defined architecture that supports APM 4.0 and the decision to make future technology investments that align with that architecture.

This is where current technology makes things very exciting. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), organisations can do much more than understand their asset structure and relationships. Because assets can talk to each other and communicate data, businesses can understand cause, effects, faults and performance on a much broader and more detailed scale - commonly known as Asset Performance Management (APM) 4.0.

For more information on AVEVA and its APM 4.0 expertise, please visit sw.aveva.com/ asset-performance.

Endless possibilities of APM 4.0 Because of APM 4.0, companies can exploit asset usage in a more end-to-end way.

This leads to a range of new possibilities with immediate benefits: saving costs and enhancing ecological footprints, reducing asset downtime and increasing the return on investments.

When you add the development of digital technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins and both predictive and prescriptive maintenance, APM 4.0 is transforming the way companies produce goods to achieve the maximum level of production efficiency while also increasing sustainability. It funnels multiple silos and formats of information into a single view.

Visualisation capabilities garner real-time, actionable insights. Some of our customers have reported improvement in workforce effectiveness by 25%, increased asset availability by up to 15% and reduced maintenance and inspection costs by 50% by using APM 4.0 strategies.

aveva

@AVEVAGroup

Kim Custeau, Vice President APM Business at AVEVA A game-changer for businesses The combination of visualisation tools, simulation, modelling and real-time data acquisition is a game-changer for businesses.

Using these tools in the cloud means data can be shared across the global community of suppliers, sales, operations, and customers, so that decisions can be made collaboratively and efficiently.

And the good news is that organisations don’t need to take on a massive redesign or make huge investments to achieve value from pursuing APM 4.0. In many cases, portions

About AVEVA AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, drives digital transformation for industrial organisations managing complex operational processes. Through Performance Intelligence, AVEVA connects the power of information and artificial intelligence with human insight to enable faster and more accurate decisionmaking, helping industries to boost operational delivery and sustainability. Our cloud-enabled data platform, combined with software that spans design, engineering and operations, asset performance, monitoring, and control solutions, delivers proven business value and outcomes to over 20,000 customers worldwide. It is supported by a large industrial software ecosystem that includes 5,500 partners and 5,700 certified developers. AVEVA has its headquarters in Cambridge, UK, with more than 6,000 employees at 90 locations in more than 40 countries. For more details, visit www.aveva.com

@avevasolutions

Business Day - Focus 4.0

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How Will Industry 4.0 Look?

Do You Even Need to Ask?

“CFOs will be playing a key role in making it happen and in shaping this new business reality.”

The SYSPRO Manufacturing CFO 4.0 Survey That’s just one of the findings from the SYSPRO Manufacturing CFO 4.0 Survey.

We’ve also gathered valuable insights into investment priorities and expansion strategies in a post-COVID world.

To understand and benefit from these trends, download the full report using the QR code below.

Learn more at za.syspro.com or contact us on 011 461 1000.

722531 OSFF

SYSPRO AFRICA

@SYSPRO_Africa

Copyright © 2021 SYSPRO (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

T HOU GHT LEADERS H I P ARTI CLE

The challenges and opportunities for manufacturing CFOs now and in the future Mark Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at SYSPRO EMEA&I

The role of CFOs in the future

ntegral to the success of a business is the chief financial officer (CFO), who must navigate the current complexities of Covid-19, while ensuring a company is equipped for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4.0) of the future.

I

While financial management remains important for CFOs, with 70% listing maintaining margins and 68% managing cash flow as top priorities, their role in manufacturing is also to optimise processes for sustainable returns.

In a survey for the Syspro Manufacturing CFO 4.0 Series Campaign – which questioned CFOs about their business situation and role in the future – 47% of businesses had recovered by the end of 2020. A further 30% expected to recover by the second quarter this year, with a fifth only foreseeing recovery in the longer term.

As industry gears up for 4.0, technology provides data-driven insights that support business growth and strategy. The survey cites 40% of CFOs wanting to improve visibility, where data analytics make this easier. CFOs say they will continue to invest in BI, ERP, CRM, and warehouse automation solutions in the next five years, to build a more efficient business model, where SYSPRO can advise on technology suited to a company’s needs.

Despite this business confidence, the impact of the global economic downturn is a concern for 70% of CFOs, with half worried about global supply chain distribution. To drive recovery, manufacturers are seeking opportunities such as new revenue streams (44%) or concentrating on the timing of investment decisions (41%).

Steps taken by manufacturing CFOs in the current climate To reduce costs and free up cash flow, 83% of respondents in the survey said they are now addressing areas in the business where they can save money. For 66% of CFOs, maintaining customer engagement is vital for cash flow, as is finding other income sources.

According to the survey, enterprise technology is now one of the key investments for over half of CFOs. This includes implementing business intelligence (BI) and enterprise resource planning (ERP), which enable digitalisation to help with overall business performance management. Tied in with this is, 42% of the CFOs said they are allocating spend on automation.

Mark Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at SYSPRO EMEA&I CFOs are also taking steps to support employees in a changing workspace. In the report, 71% of CFOs are restructuring and investing in skills and training of employees, with almost three-quarters of the CFOs upskilling their employees in the next five years.

An agile workforce prepared to adapt with the aid of technology offers enormous potential to increase productivity and therefore revenue.

The transformation to a more digital future combined with economic challenges means CFOs must adapt their own skillset if they are to keep ahead. No longer just a numbers game, 78% of CFOs believe that strategic business knowledge will ensure the business stays competitive. The ability to build predictive models and accurate insights into managing risks into opportunity cited by 62% – will give CFOs a leading edge.

CFOs remain confident that businesses will recover from the Covid-19 crisis, but this will not be without its challenges. Strategic shifts in investments in the company, including accelerating digitalisation and upskilling a flexible workforce, and themselves, can help to ensure success.

An agile workforce prepared to adapt with the aid of technology offers enormous potential to increase productivity and, therefore, revenue.

Business Day - Focus 4.0

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P A RTI CL E

The Journey of Adaptation and Disruption in a Digital Age

#thinkingforward

By Stephen Mahony – CEO JumpCO Group

Dear sir I hope this email finds you well…

I am pleased to inform you that I have finished the Python course on Udemy ….

So began an email I received recently in my inbox. The sender is a young South African learner, Tshepo, who recently graduated from our SETA-accredited Software Engineering Programme. Python is not part of the curriculum. So, curious, I replied and asked him what put him on the Python path? Tshepo responded by reminding me of my opening address at that year’s intake of learners, where I had given a sweeping overview of industry trends. I had described the rapidly approaching tsunami of digital disruption, which would shake many economies to their core, impact millions of traditional jobs, blur consumer value chains and see the merging of disparate industries.

S

Tshepo is one of many JumpCO Lab graduates since 2002. Smart, hungry to learn, to adapt, and already embracing a journey of lifelong learning so key to the modern career path of our generation. This last year, he and many of his fellow learners complimented their formal course curricula with additional certifications in Critical and Creative thinking, Problem Solving, Application Development and Web Services - all self-initiated during a difficult year of pandemicenforced lockdown. For Tshepo, however, the classroom stays open. Thinking forward is second nature.

Tshepo epitomises for me much of the challenge and opportunity in our complex digital world.

When I started JumpCO in 2000, the Software Lab was a parallel initiative. Through the Lab, we shadow the technologies and services offered within JumpCO and invest in emerging technologies and skills to bridge the skills shortage in the ICT sector. Creating jobs, solving critical problems for our customers, and always thinking forward to the next wave of disruptive opportunities has been our modus operandi for 20 years. We’ve delivered banking solutions across Africa, renewed legacy systems while migrating businesses to integrated cloud services and built a digital platform to provide a truly adaptive and alternate learning experience. We have developed our own proudlySouth African Learner Management Solution, infused with AI, data-driven analytics and SMART marking tools.

Digital disruption is certain to continue and will accelerate. It will address challenges in our communities and our organisations, affect quantum shifts in our perspectives and demand new behaviours to accompany them.

It will catalyse new ideas on how we view our world and enable fresh approaches to its new and traditional problems.

Socrates is credited with having said, “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”. And to that we add, think forward.

Stephen Mahony, CEO JumpCO Group

There will be many like Tshepo who will follow us, then leapfrog us and take our organisations forward into tomorrow. Let our continual evolution be to embrace change, to encourage lifelong learning, lateral thinking, and creative collaboration, and to realise the best of technology and our humanity for a world tomorrow as we dream it possible. We call this thinking forward. Join us – https://jumpco.io/contact-us/.

Digital disruption is certain to continue and will accelerate. It will address challenges in our communities and our organisations, affect quantum shifts in our perspectives and demand new behaviours to accompany them.

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A Africa Beyond 4IR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Aveva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 41

INDEX

C Clickatell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9 Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15 D DSV South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 E e4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 I Ideco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Innovent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 J Jumpco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45, 46 O Oracle SA . . 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 S Simphiwe Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Syspro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 43 T Triple4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27 Tshwane University Of Technology . . . . . . . . 10 U University Of Johannesburg – Business School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 University Of Pretoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 X Xero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 6 Z ZA Domain Name Authority . . . . . . . . 23, 24, 25 Zutari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21

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The New Rules for Survival, Innovation, and Growth Customer satisfaction goes hand in hand with perfect delivery.

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