Business Review Europe - November 2016

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THYSSENKRUPP

INTERVIEW WITH UK ELEVATOR CEO ON THE SIDEWAYS MOVING MULTI

The lifeblood of

HEALTHCARE HOW TECH IS IMPROVING PATIENT OUTCOMES AT NHSBT

SWITZERLAND’S DRIVERLESS

BUS NETWORK

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OPEN FOR ENTRIES

The17th Annual Banking Technology Awards Thursday 1 December | The Tower Hotel, London

The Banking Technology Awards 2016 are open for entries!

Now in their 17th year, Banking Technology Awards recognise the best of the best in financial services technology worldwide.

The winners will be announced at our gala dinner on Thursday, 1 December 2016 at the Tower Hotel in London.

Visit us online at www.bankingtech.com/awards for all the categories and details on how to enter.

Award sponsorship opportunities The award sponsorship package includes your logo in all Banking Technology Awards promotions in print and online.

You will also get a full page advertisement in the awards brochure and a table of ten guests.

For sponsorship enquiries, please email Judith McInerney at judith.mcinerney@knect365.com or call +44 203 377 3506

For general event enquiries, please contact: awards@bankingtech.com

EDITOR’S COMMENT

LIFE SAVERS HELLO AND WELCOME to November’s edition of Business Review Europe.

On the cover you will see we have a focus on health this month, with our lead feature being with NHS Blood and Transplant’s Chief Digital Officer Aaron Powell. He explains how digital is at the heart of everything it does, from its customer-facing website and blood donor portal, to the ways that transplant surgeons receive information and make decisions.

InHealth is another organisation helping to save lives. Key supplier of managed diagnostic services and healthcare solutions to the NHS and the independent sector, we asked its CIO Marc O’Brien about the group’s latest technology investments.

Before all of this you will find features on thyssenkrupp’s sideways moving elevator MULTI, along with a look at how the city of Sion in Switzerland is integrating a driverless bus network into its transport system. There is also some sound advice on how businesses can prepare themselves for extreme weather.

I hope you enjoy the read. As ever, join the debate @BizReviewEurope

Enjoy the issue!

Tom Wadlow Editor tom.wadlow@bizclikmedia.com 3

CONTENTS

F E AT U R E S

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PROFILE

The sideways elevator: How thyssenkrupp’s MULTI can transform the urban landscape TECHNOLOGY

Sion’s driverless smartshuttle

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November 2016

TOP 7

Amusement parks in Europe

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C O M PA N Y PROFILES

InHealth Healthcare

NHS Blood and Transplant

Technology

26 78

Swan a.s Technology

Arriva Trains Technology

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68

Strutt & Parker Technology

88

PayGate Technology

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The sideways elevator:

How thyssenkrupp’s MULTI can transform the urban landscape A new Willy Wonka-style elevator that moves horizontally as well as vertically is set to revolutionise access to metro stations and new architectural designs Wr i t t e n by : TO M WA D LOW

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PROFILE “ELEVATOR IS OF course the most beautiful part of thyssenkrupp,” humours Dr William Nehring, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator UK. Although said light-heartedly, the delivery was filled with an undeniable belief that the statement is right.

And with good reason. Of the thyssenkrupp group’s €43 billion revenue, Elevator accounts for €7.2 billion and employs 50,000 of the 155,000 group employees, spread over 900 locations worldwide. It is one of the fastest growing parts of the business and continues to innovate solutions that have the potential to change the face of urban landscapes.

Meet MULTI, a rope-less

elevator that travels horizontally and vertically with multiple cabins running in the same shaft. Using linear motor technology already deployed on an airport shuttle in Shanghai, thyssenkrupp predicts the transport capacity of a single elevator shaft can increase by 50 percent, reduce a building’s elevator footprint by 50 percent and increase usable floor space by 25 percent.

If proved correct, architectural design and buildings of the future may look markedly different to those forming the vertical cities of today.

“It is very exciting to see after years of conceptual designs and studies made by our employees

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PROFILE that this is nearing the real world application,” Nehring says. “We launched a real world model in Spain last year which demonstrated it works, and now we are putting it in our test tower in Rotweil, Germany.

This will change the industry.”

Access to the inaccessible The design and new and modification of existing metro stations has emerged as major area of potential for MULTI, despite the fact thyssenkrupp Elevator designed it without the underground in mind. Transport for London (TfL) picked up on the idea.

“The idea came from an architect at TfL who, while talking about other projects we are doing

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together, said that MULTI could work in tube stations,” Nehring explains. “He said ‘why are you only thinking about skyscrapers when you can go underground?’, so we took on the idea.”

Elevator has since held other meetings with TfL, which has been increasingly receptive to MULTI as a solution to one of its biggest problems with London Underground – access to stations.

Nehring adds: “We have discussed with TfL how the MULTI could allow an accessibility to the London Underground that currently isn’t there – it is the biggest problem of the tube, trying to access stations with pushchairs, wheelchairs

T H Y S S E N K R U P P ’ S M U LT I

“It is the biggest problem of the tube, trying to access stations with pushchairs, wheelchairs and other heavy items” – Dr William Nehring, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator UK

and other heavy items.

“The great thing about TfL is that they are thinking long term and how they design their stations, and we can help with innovations like MULTI. The question is where to start – the reliability is key, and we need to perhaps trial some smaller stations and see if the solution works as well in the real world as it does in theory and on PowerPoint.”

Sci-fi cities Flexibility and what MULTI opens up for architects in terms of creative

building design Nehring believes could change the way urban spaces are developed. He cites numerous conversations with architectural experts and potential customers lined up to take on the innovation.

“It feels like every six months a new idea emerges because architects are into the idea and design buildings with this in mind. This is whole new world to them. Unfortunately, the traditional lift systems are what is limiting their designs. Vertical cities are the norm partly because of these restrictions, and who knows what can happen if 9

PROFILE

“We can have several cabins operating at once on the route – it is almost like having the Circle Line inside a building” – Dr William Nehring, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator UK

MULTI-style designs open this up - we may see science fiction cities from the movies in the future. If you look at places like Singapore there are sky bridges popping up in buildings, and that is something MULTI can add to.”

The main advantage is the lack of ropes and horizontal motors – there will still be lift shafts but these can move sideways into buildings like a Willy Wonka-style elevator. Nehring doesn’t see it as a complete overhaul and replacement of all conventional lift systems, but a solution that can work 10

November 2016

alongside existing elevators where there is a necessity to go sideways.

“The idea behind the MULTI is to increase the people flow in these systems, to speed up the process,” he adds. “You can imagine that every 10 or 15 seconds a small cabin would arrive and take you to the next station at the same speed or quicker than a vertical lift. We can have several cabins operating at once on the route – it is almost like having the Circle Line inside a building.

“Installation-wise there is no

T H Y S S E N K R U P P ’ S M U LT I

reason why this can’t be as easy as it is to install lift shafts in buildings now. This is about scale and moving more people with similar amounts of energy. Based on the planning we’ve done so far, we anticipate a significant environmental advantage.”

Points to prove With such promising interest in the MULTI, it must be tempting for Nehring and thyssenkrupp Elevator to rush the new lift system to market as quickly as possible. However, the

CEO has his feet firmly on the ground.

There are many questions to answered, from health and safety to maintenance routines and comfort for the passengers.

“The software and controls of the individual lift cabins have to work – if one cabin fails then where do we put it before repairing it?” asks Nehring.

“Do we make side shafts every few floors for this purpose? Do we have another lift car to come and pick the broken cabins up? These are all things we will be looking at very closely.

“There is also the smoothness of the ride and combining this with speed. We want to move people quickly and efficiently but not in discomfort. The braking system may need to be tweaked in a sideways moving shaft as well as the acceleration. A sudden sideways movement may be uncomfortable, like it is when a tube pulls away.”

Despite the challenges that lie ahead to get this installed in the test tower next year and into the real world by the end of the decade, Nehring is confident that it can be done. “The most exciting thing is that we are far ahead of where the industry is now and this is a real game changer,” he concludes.

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Sion’s driverless SmartShuttle

FOR THE FIRST time in Switzerland, autonomous shuttles are running in a city centre and moving passengers as part of the existing transport system. The two shuttles, created by the French manufacturer Navya, are part of the project lead by PostBus and bringing together the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and BestMile.

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We spoke to BestMile CEO and Co-Founder Raphael Gindrat about the project.

What is the rationale behind the project in the Swiss city of Sion?

The public transport sector is on the verge of a revolution. Most cities have reached their saturation point in terms of traffic and pollution. In addition,

TECHNOLOGY

Can a driverless bus system integrate with a city’s existing transport network?

Wr i t t e n by : TO M WA D LOW

indefinitely increasing the number of traditional transport vehicles is not possible without consequently raising the operating costs which would in turn affect the price paid by the users. It is a necessity to change the way we move in cities.

The goal of the project is to find out if and how the service of autonomous shuttles in the public sphere is

technically and operationally feasible and if it offers an added value to the customers. Whether or not it is possible to use the autonomous shuttles in public areas, e.g. in pedestrian and car-free zones, or on company premises is being specifically called into question.

The transport operator, PostBus, also wants to gain experience in 13

TECHNOLOGY

working with new personal mobility types and make it possible to connect places that were not previously serviced by public transport. However, the objective is not to replace buses on existing routes with autonomous vehicles, but rather to diversify the transport modes in order to cover as many passenger mobility needs as possible. The hope is to find new mobility solutions for public transport, at the interface with private transport options.

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How has the service been received by passengers?

So far we’ve only received positive feedback on this project and people are thrilled to try out the shuttles.

Passengers are very curious about the technologies and how the whole system operates.

The questions revolve around the same topics: Does it really work without any human operator? How does it detect obstacles? Passengers are impressed like they would of a magic trick, but they know it is not magic but advanced technology.

SION’S DRIVERLESS SMARTSHUTTLE

In addition, many other cities and transport operators have reached out following the announcement of the project in Sion to discuss the possibility of using autonomous shuttles combined with our solution to offer a comprehensive autonomous transport system. We are convinced that even before the end of the project in Sion (two years from now) numerous cities and private sites will be equipped with their own autonomous transport system.

Describe the technology BestMile developed and how this works.

BestMile is a Swiss startup (with a subsidiary company in the US) developing cloud technology that leverages the full potential of autonomous vehicles to tackle urban mobility challenges. A spin­off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), BestMile is the first company to provide a fleet management platform designed to connect, operate and optimise any fleet of autonomous vehicles.

It manages both scheduled trips and on-demand service, and is independent of any vehicle

“The objective is not to replace buses on existing routes with autonomous vehicles, but rather to diversify the transport modes in order to cover as many passenger mobility needs as possible” – Raphael Gindrat, cofounder, BestMile

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TECHNOLOGY

manufacturer, thus allowing customers to remotely manage heterogeneous fleets composed of autonomous vehicles of different types and brands.

With its cutting-edge technology, BestMile is shaping “individual robots� into an intelligent, innovative and flexible mobility system.

Unlike other monitoring systems that are passive, BestMile B2B2C platform translates schedules and real-time demand into executable missions for autonomous vehicles.

As well, the platform takes care of dispatching and sending active 16

November 2016

commands to the right vehicle at the right time. BestMile technology acts as remote intelligence for autonomous vehicle fleets that brings on-demand autonomous mobility to people.

Using cutting-edge algorithms and machine learning techniques, BestMile empowers customers to increase the efficiency of their fleet with a reduced number of vehicles while ensuring compliance regarding frequency and schedules or real-time demand.

Thanks to its flexible and modular platform, BestMile provides either a turnkey solution, including

a smartphone application, or interfaces with customers’ existing infrastructures and applications.

BestMile posits that in the long run, and at the scale required to support thousands of autonomous vehicles, there is an even greater need for a global fleet management solution to optimise real-time dispatching and routing, network between fleets, and reduce the ecological footprint.

The cloud platform is operating as the backbone for various mobility providers – both public and private – to integrate and offer effective mobility

services for wide-ranging applications, including public bus and shuttle services, taxi fleets, ride-sharing and car-sharing services, among others.

What sort of testing took place before SmartShuttle fully launched?

The statutory regulations for the use of autonomous vehicles on public roads have not yet been finalized.

As a result, special permits were required from the authorities in order to carry-out “SmartShuttle” in Sion.

In order to have this authorisations 17

TECHNOLOGY delivered, the shuttles were put to the test during six months in a private area near the city (Sion).

PostBus collaborated closely with the manufacturer and the relevant authorities at the federal, cantonal and municipal levels.

Passenger safety was the top priority for all the companies and institutions involved in the test.

To meet the requirements, the two autonomous vehicles had to undergo further development. They now have air conditioning, and feature permanent ventilation and windscreen wipers for optimum visibility through the windshield. A second battery with an output of 16.5 kW ensures greater autonomy of the vehicles, and thanks to a ramp, people with limited mobility can also use the shuttles.

For legal reasons, during the first phase of the project a groom will be present on the shuttles to welcome passengers, answer any of their questions and ensure safety but, in the long run, there won’t be a groom in the shuttles.

What are the early findings suggesting about the integration of driverless vehicles into urban areas?

The early findings suggest autonomous vehicles are well accepted by users, who prefer using the shuttles over walking.

Nevertheless, there are still some steps to be taken before having a competitive transport service.

The fleet’s size will increase, vehicles will evolve at higher speed and most importantly the area deserved will be bigger and denser.

Technologic improvements come at a fast pace, these steps will be overcome in the next months.

What are your future plans regarding SmartShuttle?

Since the approval of the pilot project

SION’S DRIVERLESS SMARTSHUTTLE

by the responsible authorities in June, the autonomous shuttles have been operating in public areas and are transporting people in the pedestrian zone and shared space in Sion’s old town. If the tests in this area are successful, the vehicles may also be introduced on other routes in the city of Sion.

Do you believe that, one day, driverless vehicles will fully and safely integrate with humancontrolled vehicles? What dangers need to be overcome?

The driverless vehicles on the market today are safe around humancontrolled vehicles given their embedded technologies and speed.

In fact, in Sion, the shuttles are driving partly on public roads and interact daily with human-driven vehicles.

But in order to have a fully integrated autonomous transport system, there is the need for a global supervision and management solution.

BestMile’s platform will soon take into account not only the driverless vehicles, but also the location and status of other cars / buses etc.

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LIST

TOP 7 amusement parks in Europe Business Review Europe looks at some of the best theme parks from around the continent Written by: TOM WADLOW

LIST

7

PAULTONS PARK

ROMSEY, UK

Home to Peppa Pig World, a massive favourite with young children and parents alike, Paultons Park is based in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. With 60 rides and attractions in total, the site caters for various interests, from the exclusive Peppa’s Big Balloon Ride to Water Kingdom Splash Park. In terms of reviews, two thirds of visitor ratings are ‘excellent’ with the 4,629 reviews producing a four and a half star average. www.paultonspark.co.uk

6

GARDALAND PARK

CASTELNUOVO DEL GARDA, ITALY Situated in central northern Italy, around 15km west of Verona, Gardaland Park offers visitors a range of thrill rides, family attractions and even a fairy-themed hotel. More than three quarters of visitor ratings are either ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’, with 10,739 reviews producing a four star overall rating. Evening tickets are recommended, especially in the summer months. www.gardaland.it

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T O P 7 A M U S E M E N T PA R K S I N E U R O P E

DISNEYLAND PARIS

PARIS, FRANCE

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PORTAVENTURA WORLD

SALOU, SPAIN

Visitors to Spain’s northeast coast may wish to take a trip to PortAventura World. Praised for offering attractions suitable for all ages, The Shambala, Tutuki splash, the Stampida and Khan are rides which have proven particularly popular among the park’s guests.

The resort offers more than just family entertainment – fine restaurants, sport, stunning scenery and business facilities are all on offer. Again, evening passes are recommended over daytime tickets to avoid queues and extreme summer heat. A brand new park, Ferrari Land, is opening in April 2017 and is sure to lure many a motoring fan to the resort.

Arguably Europe’s most well-known theme park, Disneyland Paris celebrates the stories and characters which have helped shape the upbringings of generations of book and movie lovers. Its special shows and fireworks displays are unrivalled, with the reviewers’ consensus being that the steep expense is worth it.

It is also one of the most reviewed amusement parks, with almost 24,000 visitors providing feedback, generating an average rating of four stars. The park opened in 1992 amid protest, however it is now responsible for bringing millions of tourists to France and is a significant economic contributor. www.disneylandparis.co.uk

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www.portaventuraworld.com

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LIST

LE PUY DU FOU

LES EPESSES, FRANCE Opened in the 1970s in Les Epesses, western France, this historical theme park draws in two million visitors a year making it France’s fourth most popular attraction.

It is split into five separate show-based attractions lasting around 30-40 minutes each, exploring different periods of history. The main show, The Cinéscénie, tells the story of 700 years of history in the area and is set on a massive outdoor stage behind the ruined castle. Guests can experience the different centuries surrounded by unspoilt countryside and can stay in one of the Puy du Fou’s four original hotels. It has been immensely well reviewed on Trip Advisor, averaging four and a half stars and having more than 80 percent ‘excellent’ ratings. www.puydufou.com

TIVOLI GARDENS

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Open from the middle of April to the middle of September, Tivoli Gardens comes to life in the centre of the Danish capital city. Between 20 and 30 rides are on offer along with live entertainment and more than 30 different places to eat. Tivoli has been praised for its appeal to consumers who are not natural amusement park enthusiasts, helping it receive 12,400 reviews at a four and half star average.

It is also conveniently located versus other theme parks, which often require transport from the nearest city centre. www.tivoli.dk

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EUROPA-PARK

RUST, GERMANY

Rated as “the benchmark for theme parks”, Europa-Park’s 6,800 reviews average out at five stars. The park is one of the most scenic in the world, set between the Black Forest and Vosges, and houses more than 100 attractions and shows. The park is unique in the sense it has numerous themed areas based on different countries in Europe, from Iceland and Austria to Greece and Russia. There are 13 rollercoasters and 23 hours of shows every day, drawing in more than five million visitors each season. The park has been open since 1975, the themed areas being added throughout the 1980s and 1990s with more being added in recent times. A measure of its success can be found in the park’s hotel occupancy rate which is constantly above 90 percent all year round. www.europapark.de

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Putting digital at the heart

Written by Lucy Dixon Produced by Andrew Lloyd

For NHS Blood and Transplant, digital is at the heart of everything it does, from its customer-facing website and blood donor portal, to the ways that transplant surgeons receive information and make decisions

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HS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) facilitates organ donation and transplantation across the whole of the UK and also manages the supply of blood and tissues, as well as a range of specialist blood testing, for England. And, as Chief Digital Officer Aaron Powell explains, technology is making an incredible impact on the work it does, ultimately improving patient outcomes and saving lives. “What we’re doing has a direct impact in saving and improving people’s lives. It’s what we’re about as an organisation.

Whether it’s providing services to blood donors that enable them to make appointments to come and give blood or providing services that allow us to accurately and efficiently allocate the precious gifts that people

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donate to us to the right patient, my job is to make sure the technology services that we offer are resilient and robust to enable the team to do the best possible job that they can do.”

Powell’s appointment as CDO for NHSBT in 2015 coincided with the organisation’s shift towards a more digital operation. “My appointment heralded the beginning of a real focus on digital and what digital can mean for what we do as a blood and transplant organisation,” he explains.

“We had already started to explore digital opportunities but, in line with many public sector organisations, we’d focused initially on our customerfacing activity.” So the website and portals for potential blood donors were already developed, making the next step thinking about what NHSBT might do differently as an

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www.scc.com

Driving Digital Transformation NHS Blood and Transplant has partnered with SCC, Europe’s largest independent IT services business, and HP Inc., to deliver innovation in a way that will change healthcare.

SCC and HP Inc.: Driving digital transformation with NHS Blood and Transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant delivers an essential service, saving lives on a daily basis.

At any given time, NHSBT employees need visibility of exactly where blood products are, exactly where they’ve been and exactly who they’ve gone to, so it is critical that allows them to access this information in a timely manner.

With a view to become asset-free in the next 3-5 years, NHSBT recently underwent a large scale transformational project to move away from their legacy infrastructure and begin transitioning services into the cloud.

To support this, SCC, Europe’s largest independent IT solutions provider, teamed up with HP Inc. to design and execute a solution to refresh their desktop estate and provide futureproof technology to support desktop modernisation.

The introduction of HP Elite 1012 devices between tablet and laptop mode, allowing them to securely access information and applications from the cloud, even when on the move.

Using HP’s T630 thin client devices, NHSBT employees can now connect to SCC’s secure cloud network to remotely access their desktop applications from any device. This increased business mobility infrastructure.

The whole project is funded using SCC’s

Following a successful hardware rollout, SCC provides ongoing managed services, with teams of HP accredited device experts on hand to provide maintenance to all NHSBT sites across the UK and 24x7 support from SCC’s award winning customer service centre.

The 30 year partnership between SCC and HP Inc. combines SCC’s end to end technology solutions and secure cloud services, with industry-leading HP devices to provide NHSBT with the technology they need to support the delivery of services which save lives.

total cost of ownership. Flex Start consolidating all invoices for purchased equipment into one predictable quarterly statement, reducing administration and making it easier to audit.

HP Elite x2 1012 G1

People do business. We make it work.

Plan | Supply | Integrate | Manage

NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT

organisation if it was able to take full advantage of the capabilities that digital technologies provide.

NHSBT enables over 4,000 transplants to occur across the UK every year and has over one million blood donors registered to book appointments via the organisation’s online portal. It processes around 6,000 units of blood every day, supplying 200 hospital trusts in England with essential blood

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for surgery, trauma and blood transfusions. “We maintain a regular supply of blood across the country and then we have a diagnostic and therapeutic services division, which is an essential collection of business units, providing specialised testing capabilities and therapeutic apheresis services,” Powell adds.

The digital transformation that is now framing everything NHSBT does is all about connectedness and

TECHNOLOGY

personalisation – focusing on how it can connect information across the different business units in order to provide a better service. “We’ve been working on understanding what a connected health service and a personalised health service actually means. How we can provide a more joined-up service to people with other parts of the NHS? And how can we ultimately connect that information to someone outside of the health sector, to make sure that the service we’re providing is one that is designed around the needs of individual donors and suits their lifestyle and the way they wish to donate?”

Although Powell describes this as a ‘journey that we’re on rather than a destination we’ve reached’, the work it has carried out on the online blood donor portal has led to over 50 percent of all bookings being made online and a three percent increase in attendance in just two years. “We’re looking at the data, the processes and technology we use to understand how we can connect across NHSBT and beyond in order to rethink the services

We’re looking at the data, the processes and technology we use to understand how we can connect across NHSBT and beyond in order to rethink the services we offer we offer,” he adds. The donor portal’s primary purpose is to give donors a better experience in terms of allowing them to make and view appointments at a time convenient to them, and it has additional benefits for NHSBT. “In terms of our own processing, it has significantly reduced the overhead of management appointment bookings and we have saved around £1.4 million just in terms of the paperwork associated with donor appointments as a consequence,” Powell says.

NHSBT’s technology strategy needed a complete rethink in order to deliver this digital-first approach, says Powell. “Like a lot of organisations we have got very good legacy systems that we have been running for a number of years that were essentially

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Ready means getting blood to patients in time Vodafone Power to you

“

It’s no exaggeration to say that our ability to provide hospitals across England and North Wales with the blood they need depends on Vodafone services.

NHS Blood and Transplant

”

Our extensive global network, covering more than 150 countries can help your organisation be ready for anything.

We provide the infrastructure backbone across fixed, mobile and cloud that enables digital transformation both in the private and public sector.

It’s this network that enables NHSBT to be more agile, responsive and operate securely.

We partner with award-winning suppliers such as Cisco to provide UK organisations with a fully unified all-in-one communications solution that keeps people connected and supports the delivery of critical services.

See our work with NHS Blood and Transplant here

TECHNOLOGY

developed in either the late 90s scalable and flexible solutions or early 2000s. Sharing data and that we can integrate using open processes on these systems has been standards and open interfaces into hard so we framed a strategy around other applications that are delivered this – we knew that we needed to to us primarily as SaaS.” This means do technology differently but we that NHSBT doesn’t need to think hadn’t really thought through how about the infrastructure and the differently so, as a consequence of technology, but can focus on the that, a number of our systems were business functionality and usability. at risk of becoming unstable and we “We think about how we can leverage needed to shore them up. the technology to save So the watch words and improve lives, around the strategy which is ultimately were that we would what we’re about as stabilise, protect an organisation.” and migrate the So NHSBT has existing systems.” been working Number of employees A significant part of with SCC closely at NHS Blood and that stabilisation was on this issue of Transplant achieved by securing operational stability of its hosting arrangements applications, for the future for SCC data centres that put NHSBT’s all of the services it operates. “We also systems on a sound footing. Powell worked with Microsoft quite heavily adds: “And then we’re looking to to explore the possibilities of cloud protect those systems by bringing in services and how we can have those the latest versions of the technologies flexible services that allow us to scale that we currently operate as we up in times of peak activity but also migrate them to the new world, scale down in times of reduced activity as we call it, which is about using and have confidence that those cloud services to provide resilience, services are available and they’re

5,000

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NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT

supported in safe environments, with other people worrying about the underlying technology.”

Another crucial partner has been Vodafone, Powell says, which provides all of NHSBT’s connectivity and telephony contracts.

“Our collaboration with Vodafone gives us the network capability to access these services and to access them in a reliable way, and

the bandwidth across our network to allow us to access and make heavy use of cloud-based services.”

On the organ donation and transplantation side, NHSBT has started to use the intelligent computing capabilities of the IBM Business Process Management Solution in order to develop a set of allocation rules. “With this we can change more flexibly over

Next Generation Digital Transformation T-Impact is NHSBT’s strategic delivery partner for Business Process Automation and Business Rules Management using IBM BPM and ODM. We’re helping to deliver NHSBT’s 2020 transformation strategy by improving the process and efficiency of organ donation and transplantation across the UK. It’s a partnership delivering world-class technology to a vital service, and we’re proud to be a part of it.

See how T-Impact can accelerate your digital transformation journey and deliver up to a 40% uplift in performance and cost efficiency whilst improving customer experience and regulatory compliance. www.t-impact.com | 01235 854044

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The IBM logo and the IBM Member Business Partner mark are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

TECHNOLOGY

time to respond to clinical needs and clinical practices around organ allocation, to ensure that the maximum number of people have access to organ transplantation as a therapy and we make best use of the organs that are available to us from donors.”

Organ allocation schemes are designed to balance equity and utility – fundamentally to make sure that everyone in need has a fair chance of an organ transplant.

When you consider that organs are in short supply, and on average three people still die every day in need of a transplant, it is easy to see that every efficiency allowed by

technology can make a difference on the number of lives extended through organ transplantation. “It’s about making sure that we match the donor organ with the transplant recipient in a way that is safe and will result in a positive outcome to the transplant, but also make sure that the allocation scheme maximises the number of people who will receive a transplant and the number of years that they will live with a donated organ,” Powell adds.

The allocation scheme works behind the scenes in conjunction with DonorPath, which is an iPad app created for the specialist nurses.

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NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT

We have another digital service called our Electronic Offering Services which is available to transplant surgeons on a range of mobile devices that gives them the critical information they need in order to make that decision in real time Powell says: “The nurses can collate all the information they need about an organ donor in order to provide information to the transplant surgeons to make a decision about whether or not to accept an organ.

That’s a risk-based decision based upon the factors of the recipient they’re dealing with and the donor.” This transforms 75 pages of paper forms that the nurses fill in into a risk profile that the transplant centres can make a decision on.

“We have another digital service called our Electronic Offering Service (EOS) which is available to transplant surgeons on a range of mobile devices that gives them the critical information they need in order to make that decision in real time.” And the nature of organ donation and transplantation means these decisions need to be made

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quickly. Once again, this illustrates how technology – in this case, the processing of information, can make a difference by reducing delays and helping the transplant teams manage the logistics more efficiently.

Powell highlights the multiple benefits his team provides to the wider organisation with its core delivery programmes, such as the ODT (organ donation and transplantation) Hub programme.

“This is effectively creating a central command and control centre for organ donation and transplantation that uses intelligent technology such as the IBM business process management system to allow us to manage the real-time logistics.” There is also a Core Systems Modernisation programme, which is replacing the traditional blood control systems with an intelligent CRM capability

TECHNOLOGY

using Dynamics CRM, and a supply chain management capability using Dynamics AX. Another core programme is updating the infrastructure and desktop operating system.

“Balancing how we interact between SCC data centres and Microsoft cloud services, we are relying much more on needing connected systems, so we also have a network improvement programme with Vodafone that is looking to improve the bandwidth to all of our sites and all of our locations over the next 12 months,” Powell says, concluding that NHSBT is currently investing more heavily in technology than it has for some time, meaning that this complex organisation is making steady improvements. “The technologies that we’re using allow us to both provide convenience to our donors and to clinicians, and also gives significant overall operational efficiency to NHSBT. Ultimately, it all contributes to what we are about as an organisation – enabling our donors to do something amazing, to save and improve the lives of others” Powell says.

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THE DIGITAL

PATIENT

Written by Nell Walker Produced by Andrew Lloyd

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Marc O’Brien CIO Marc O’Brien was born and schooled in Bootle on Merseyside, and undertook a Psychology degree at University of East London. He started in IT as a trainee programmer and began his professional career as a consultant with PwC, where he worked with many multinational clients.

O’Brien moved to Legal & General where he eventually led the programme team that launched Legal & General Direct, an early player in the emergent ‘digital’ world. Moving to BAA, the airports company, he held several senior IT positions including managing the implementation of a significant Oracle implementation across all seven airports.

O’Brien joined the health sector in 2006, as a member of the team that launched Spire Healthcare and joined InHealth in July 2014. He is married with two children and a large dog. He has a particular interest in Organisational Transformation and Change Leadership.

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Marc O’Brien, CIO of InHealth, describes the ways in which his team has added flexibility and reliability to the patient’s healthcare experience

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arc O’Brien is CIO of InHealth, having taken the helm just over two years ago. He began his career consulting with PwC, later moving on to financial services and then spending a decade in aviation. He then joined the buyout team to create Spire Healthcare – and thus O’Brien entered the world of health.

InHealth itself was established over 20 years ago and in that time has undergone two major changes.

The first was five years ago, and the other is ongoing since O’Brien took over as CIO. “We started out as an MRI provider; we would only scan for the NHS,” he says. “Now, we supply multiple diagnostic and healthcare services to the NHS and independent providers, ranging from MRI and X-ray to audiology, endoscopy, and cardiac services. Ultimately, we are focused on collaborating with the NHS and other partners to provide high quality diagnostics and

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healthcare solutions in hospitals and accessible community settings.

“Of course, much of what we do is highly dependent on technology and that’s where I come in. I’m accountable for all our IT, ranging from day-to-day service, through to projects and development of new services.”

The software journey The main challenge, O’Brien says, was creating a patient relationship management system that met InHealth’s specific needs.

“Within a diagnostic services organisation there are two key applications,” says O’Brien. “One is called RIS – radiology information system – and the other is PACS – the picture archiving communication system. The former stores information about the patient, and the latter stores images of scans. About five years ago, InHealth realised that the RIS’s available off the shelf didn’t meet their needs. We see a million patients a year across 350 sites, very different to an acute trust, where you might see a lot of patients, but you’re in one place with the same team. We were different because of the

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breadth and reach of the organisation.”

InHealth’s solution to this issue is based on Microsoft Dynamics, but the IT team needed to design its own patient management system. The customised system allows the team to book slots in all clinics, access patient referrals, contact the patient and offer a number of appointments, book appointments, record outcomes and ensure the report gets back to the referrer. The new system has been live for six months, and InHealth is processing around 1,300 patient referrals per day, 25 percent more than with the previous system.

Patient focus It is the patients who are truly at the core of everything InHealth does, and its Patient Referral Centre, which O’Brien oversees, ensures the greatest possible flexibility for customers and medical professionals alike.

“For all intents and purposes, the Patient Referral Centre looks like a call centre, but we use very different techniques,” O’Brien explains. “We use call centre technology, but we’re not interested in how quickly

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someone can move onto the next patient. If you’ve been referred to us, you may be very ill, so the patient care advisors have to know how to speak to potentially anxious individuals to put them at their ease and organise their appointment with minimum anxiety.”

The Patient Referral Centre exists to ease patients through their journey. The new system facilitates this by incorporating all required clinical information on the screen and taking the patient care advisor through the necessary workflow. This enhanced technology extends beyond arrangement of appointments.

“Flexibility is the key to what we’re trying to do,” O’Brien explains. “Where possible, we use a system generated email rather than post. We also send reminder texts, and we offer a patient portal, which allows patients to make changes to their own appointment online. This isn’t instead of using the telephone – it’s as well as. A lot of the patients we communicate with are quite elderly and may not be as tech savvy as others, but we are seeing a demographic shift with the number of older people using

computers increasing all the time.”

The wider network The other advantage of the portal is that it works as an alternative for patients with hearing difficulties.

According to O’Brien, a frequent issue for patients contacting the centre is the need for new hearing aid batteries, and the portal allows them to order new ones easily.

While the patient is the focus for InHealth, it also wants to make everything easier for both the commissioners, who pay for the treatment, and for GPs. O’Brien and his team offer a commissioner portal to automate information flow between them and InHealth, ensuring that all information regarding the patient and their treatment is readily available.

“Maintaining a connection to the GPs is attractive to their community,” O’Brien continues. “While they may not ask for a service that specifically makes things easier for them, that’s what our system does. We use the Docman service which allows GPs to organise their files electronically. GPs are overworked, and this is just one

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thing that makes their lives simpler. hopes that this will eliminate the last “The NHS is a particularly intricate remnants of clinical risk by removing customer and the general public human error: “If we can enable the GP thinks of it as one entity, but of course to link a referral to us electronically, it’s not – it’s a myriad of different we would significantly reduce risk,” organisations. It’s a complex mix, and he says. “The rest is streamlining our each individual piece of integration we processes. All the work we’ve done undertake is a mini project in itself.” in the last two years has been really A digital overhaul of this magnitude is patient-focused and I suspect once a huge project for a company it’s completely stable, it’ll give of InHealth’s size, but us more time to look at our O’Brien is pleased back office systems.” with the results: “It O’Brien considers has had a couple InHealth’s of bumps along relationships with the way, but we’ve suppliers to be one delivered a really of the lynchpins Number of great solution of its success. employees at that everyone is The organisation InHealth really pleased with. treats suppliers like We have management business partners and information instantly available, which achieves the best possible result is something we used to struggle thanks to this positive relationship. to collect, and we can manage “We’ve partnered with EE to assist patient workflow effectively.” with connectivity,” says O’Brien. “We can connect up a new site within days InHealth’s future rather than months, which would be O’Brien and his team now plan to the option with a standard leased line. extend the system outwards and do The EE project is a game-changer; away with the paper trail entirely. He without connectivity you have to move

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Richard Bradford - Chief Executive Richard Bradford was appointed as Chief Executive of InHealth in 2011. He has a background in leading businesses which provide solutions and services to both private and public sectors. He began his career in logistics and facilities management working with Exel Logistics (now part of DHL).

More recently, Bradford spent an 11 year period as Chief Executive of Carlisle Group, leading the group through an AIM market listing and a subsequent merger to create Impellam Group. He is also a non-executive director of the NHS Partners Network.

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CDs around with patient information on, which is a very outdated process. The EE offer will be deployed into all of our mobiles next year.”

Another essential supplier is InHealth’s data centre provider, OCSL, which has stabilised the operating platform and allowed it to iron out any previous issues: “When I first joined InHealth, I had some concerns because we had a number of IT operational issues,” O’Brien admits. “As a CIO, that can be a little scary.

Now, it’s been many months since we had a failure like that, and that’s due to some great effort by OCSL and the InHealth IT Team.”

O’Brien also praises Gap Consulting for configuring the CRM suite and allowing greater flexibility. This CRM system – actually called XRM by InHealth – facilitates the seamless throughput of referrals.

“We’ve increased the volume of referrals by 25 percent with no increase in headcount.

Under our old system it would take between four and six weeks to get a patient care advisor within the Patient Referral Centre up to speed, and thanks to the more advanced system, we can now do it in about two weeks. We’ve achieved so much, and despite of all of the bumps in the road, it’s been really rewarding.”

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Connectivity an Arriva UK Trains and the

nd the customer: e digital train programme Written by Alice Young Produced by Andy Lloyd 53

Arriva UK Trains, one of the largest train service providers in the UK, is a powerhouse in the transport service industry, so what’s the next step? A Digital Train program – transforming passenger connectivity

A

rriva UK Trains is transforming rail journeys with digital innovation, and a firm commitment to providing an industry-leading experience for passengers through its Digital Trains programme.

The programme is all-encompassing, including onboard connectivity for passengers and staff, data analysis and even an entertainment pilot.

Kevin Ives, Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains, is heading up the programme, and he explains how it is putting the focus on the customer: “The transformation programme uses emerging technology to add value to the customer experience. We are changing how we deliver passenger connectivity, and how we use connectivity and aggregated information to drive both internal and external change in the quality of the experience felt by our customer.

“From a passenger perspective, the change in use of mobile technologies means people expect to be connected when they travel. People expect to have those services as a minimum.” Ives believes that with a huge increase in the number of mobile devices and services available to passengers, the Digital Trains programme is fundamentally about

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Kevin Ives, Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains w w w. a r r i v a . c o . u k

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WiFi SPARK: SPARK: for for aa continuously continuously connected passenger passengerjourney journey WiFi SPARK has developed a cutting WiFi SPARK has developed a cutting edge edge product, specifically for the passenger product, specifically for the passenger transportation transportation industry, to enable Train (and industry, to enable Train (and Bus) Operating Bus) Operating Companies to deliver continuous Companies to deliver continuous connectivity to connectivity to their passengers, from station to their passengers, from station to train and train to train and train to station. station.

WiFi SPARK is the leading specialist in public WiFi SPARK is the leading specialist in public wireless solutions. The company is the owner and wireless solutions. The company is the owner and developer of the unique SPARK® platform which developer of the unique SPARK® platform which delivers the most flexible, feature rich and scalable delivers the most flexible, feature rich and scalable solution for guest access WiFi on the market today. solution for guest access WiFi on the market today.

WiFi SPARK offers: WiFi SPARK offers: Passenger Satisfaction Satisfaction –– Customers Passenger Customersexpect expect internet connectivity when they are mobile internet connectivity when they are mobile -- itit is considered considered the is the fourth fourth utility utility and and isis aa modern modern requirement for any public space where requirement for any public space where large large volumes of people are congregating. volumes of people are congregating.

Robust Data Collection - Passengers Robust Passengerscan canbebe authenticated in authenticated in aa variety variety ofof ways, ways, and and the the data data collected and collected and posted posted to to the the TOC's TOC’s CRM CRMtotoenable enable better passenger ROI. better passengerengagement engagementand anddrive drive ROI. Customer Data isis presented presented Customer Analytics Analytics -- Data in to understand understand reports. reports. Customers Customers have have in easy easy to the to enrich enrich the the data data to to get get further further the opportunity opportunity to customer demographic insight, insight,to tounderstand understand customer socio socio demographic passengers’ journey analytics, analytics, behaviours, behaviours, and and passengers’ journey trends. trends.

Return On Investment - SPARK® provides Return On Investment - SPARK® provides numerous opportunities to use the passenger data numerous opportunities to use the passenger data

intelligence to develop tailored engagement with intelligence to develop tailored engagement with passengers to upsell tickets and generate reve passengers to upsell tickets and generate revenue -nue from advertising and sponsorship. from advertising and sponsorship.

Corporate And Guest WiFi - WiFi SPARK Corporate And Guest WiFi - WiFi SPARK offers the option to have secure corporate/guest offers the option to have secure corporate/guest WiFi, with no need for additional infrastructure.

WiFi, with no need for additional infrastructure.

Single Passenger WiFi Sign On - For a Single Passenger WiFi Sign On - For a continuously connected journey. Roaming enables continuously connected journey. Roaming enables the passenger to move between station and the passenger to move between station and train ensuring that their devices are connected train ensuring that their devices are connected continuously. continuously.

Train Data On And Off-Loading As the train Train Data On And Off-Loading - As the approaches the station, the train connectivity train approaches the station, the train connectivity is offloaded onto the station WiFi, ensuring that is offloaded onto the station WiFi, ensuring that passengers have the best connection available passengers have the best connection available and so that train systems and infotainment can and so that train systems and infotainment can be be updated. This means a cost saving for the updated. This means a cost saving for the TOC TOC as it makes use of the more cost effective as it makes use of the more cost effective station station connectivity compared to cellular. connectivity compared to cellular.

Proprietary Data - Any data collected is the Proprietary Data - Any data collected is the property of the TOC, WiFi SPARK does not use property of the TOC, WiFi SPARK does not use or or sell this data. sell this data.

WiFi SPARK has recently introduced this WiFi SPARK has recently introduced this service service to 28 stations and 3 depots for Chiltern to 28 stations and 3 depots for Chiltern Railways, Railways, completely overhauling the station completely overhauling the station connectivity and connectivity and developing a continuously developing a continuously connected passenger connected passenger journey. WiFi SPARK journey. WiFi SPARK delivers world class connectivity delivers world class connectivity across a breadth across a breadth of sectors including Healthcare, of sectors including Healthcare, Retail, Town and Retail, Town and City Centres and more.

City Centres and more.

Contact details: Contact details: www.wifispark.com spark.com || info@wifi info@wifispark.com spark.com | | +44 +44(0)(0)344848 3448489555 9555 www.wifi

TECHNOLOGY

improving the passenger experience.

EE, part of BT Group, has been working closely with Arriva. Andy Summerfield, MD Corporate, BT Business and Public Sector, comments: “Passenger expectations, requirements and demands, along with those of any mobile user have changed dramatically in recent years. People now depend on data connectivity for many aspects of their lives. In the near future, this dependency will become absolutely critical to all aspects of our lives, inside or outside work. Once seen as a luxury, data is now a necessity.”

Fulfilling customer need The Digital Train initiative could be perceived purely a service providing Wi-Fi to passengers, but it is so

much more than that. Making use of innovative technologies, the programme will provide real time information and entertainment to the customer. There will also be crucial reporting and monitoring of passenger numbers, to allow Arriva to make short and long term operational and customer experience improvements.

Ives adds: “There’s an appreciation that no two customers are the same – they all want slightly different things from their day to day experiences.

As technology has improved, we are able to think more about the specific customer needs and adopt our offering to reflect that.

“Addressing and fulfilling customer need is central to the Arriva strategy.

At any one time there are at least

“We are changing how we deliver passenger connectivity, and how we use connectivity and aggregated information to drive both internal and external change in the quality of the experience felt by our customer” – Kevin Ives, Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains

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THE UK’S FASTEST NETWORK With onboard connectivity from EE on Chiltern Railways, commuters will be able to stay connected better than ever before.

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The UK’s fastest network: Mobile only. 4G speeds depend on location & number of users. Check your coverage at ee.co.uk/coverage. Network Speed based on results from the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: Jan – June 2016. Tested at locations across the UK with the best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types, conducting over 33,000 test cycles. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of EE. Visit www.rootmetrics.co.uk and ee.co.uk/why-ee/network for more details.

TECHNOLOGY

30 separate projects across our Division working to enhance services in line with customer demand.”

Connectivity powered by partners Ives believes that bringing on board a new supply chain and collaborating with key partners who have the same aims and objectives has been crucial. Arriva’s commitment to transformation with the Digital Trains programme has attracted technology innovators, keen to work on such a groundbreaking project.

“We’ve signed a series of framework agreements with partners that have helped deliver the connectivity-based initiatives. They’ve really supported us to build a programme that will deliver a step change in what is

provided to customers,” says Ives.

These key partnerships have helped Arriva transform the digital experience for passengers, both on board and at stations, providing leading edge insight and innovative technology.

Partners who are driving the innovation within the project include EE, Wi-Fi Spark and Icomera. Wi-Fi Spark is supporting and implementing the station Wi-Fi, working closely with Icomera to allow the customer to take this service with them onto the train without having to log in again.

“Working with Wi-Fi Spark has supported our aim to make the process of being connected during travel as easy as possible,” Ives adds. “Passengers need only to log in once as they arrive at the station

“Providing signal into train carriages has always been a challenge for any network provider, but for the first time this partnership between EE and Arriva will help keep passengers connected throughout their journey” – Kevin Ives, Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains

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and they will remain connected until they leave their destination station.

“Station Wi-Fi enables a seamless passenger journey without disruption to their Wi-Fi. Another key benefit is when trains are stopping at stations that have this interconnectivity the passenger actually gets a much higher throughput and faster service that you receive when you’re on train.”

Another close partnership involves EE and Icomera, who are working with Arriva on improving the consistency of connectivity, particularly by improving the quality and coverage of the cellular network along the rail routes.

“We’ve worked together to provide communications technology that removes those ‘not spots’ and we’ve also been able to optimise the existing signals so that effectively the overall services now offer a more consistent coverage for users,” Ives explains.

The partnership with EE, which was announced in February this year, will see EE add extra network capacity and coverage through a wireless trackside network. This will transform the ontrain working experience for

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customers providing constant highspeed connectivity and the removal of black spot phone call drop outs.

BT’s Andy Summerfield adds: “Providing signal into train carriages has always been a challenge for any network provider, but for the first time this partnership between EE and Arriva will help keep passengers connected throughout their journey.

People expect great connectivity wherever they go, and EE is helping to keep customers connected through innovative partnerships like this and building its’ 4G network out to cover 95 percent of the UK geography by 2020 – farther than any network has ever gone before. “ Business benefits Innovation is not a new concept at Arriva – it was one of the first train companies to introduce free Wi-Fi around five years ago, on its London to Birmingham Chiltern Railways trains. Ives says: “Since then we’ve invested in 4G capability, however due to black spots on the line the service was limited in places. It was always

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“We’re planning interesting customer experience developments for passengers and this program is about taking it to the next stage” – Kevin Ives, Digital Transformation Director at Arriva UK Trains

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our vision to deliver truly connected opportunities. We believe it will drive mobility and now, thanks to our major operational benefits in terms partnership with EE, we will have of us running a railway service, the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi in but ultimately it’s about how those the country. We’ve just made it far operational experiences impact on the easier to do business on the move.” passenger that’s important,” Ives says.

And it doesn’t stop there. Arriva has A good example of this is the work been experimenting with the range of of Vivacity – a technology start-up services it can off offer, including supported by the HackTrain a recent pilot project of RailTech Accelerator – infotainment solutions. which is providing “We are smart, hyper-local experimenting with data through its a variety of movies intelligent transport and series cached systems. Its The year that on board. These camera systems Arriva UK Trains can be watched have real-time was founded and downloaded analytics capabilities, on train. So far, we’ve meaning it can give received some strong, Arriva detailed information positive feedback,” Ives says. about the number of people in a train station or carriage, helping it deal Passengers in the driving seat with congestion and overcrowding.

The heart of the Digital Train Arriva also won an RSSB programme is driven by the competition for the development of passenger needs and this inspires innovative projects, one element of the entire connectivity journey. “It’s which is the trial of the MyJrny app. about making the right investment The app uses individual passenger with our partners to open up new data, creating a personalised travel

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service using real-time information.

It uses Bluetooth technology to pay for journeys – again making the customer experience smoother.

Next stop Looking ahead to the future and connectivity across the industry, Ives believes that with the consumption of data increasing more and more through multiple innovative consumer hardware, Arriva will continue to collaborate and innovate to help develop increased digital capabilities.

The Digital Train programme seeks to draw these streams of activity together and incorporate them alongside the services that Arriva already offers to passengers, to help inform the passenger journey.

“We’re planning interesting customer experience developments for passengers and this programme is about taking it to the next stage,” says Ives. This focus on the passenger, exploiting every opportunity that technology can offer for improved services, is driving Arriva UK Trains towards a truly digital future.

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Agile adaptations How Strutt & Parker is leading the property pack Written by Jennifer Johnson Produced by Andrew Lloyd

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In the world of luxury property, customer expectations will be equally high-end.

Strutt & Parker has put an IT strategy in place to ensure that the buying process is seamless from end-to-end

T

he sale of a property is a major transaction, regardless of whether the commodity to be exchanged is a piece of commercial farmland or a new home. Many prospective buyers and tenants will be accustomed to the seamless integration of technology into their personal and professional lives.

Photos and videos can be sent with a few swipes of a thumb, and business emails can be drafted on the commute to work. Strutt & Parker, one of the UK’s largest and most successful independent property partnerships, has recognised that clients will anticipate an equally seamless experience when it comes to their property transactions.

And they have designed and implemented an IT strategy to continue to exceed their expectations.

“Our clients justifiably expect the highest possible levels of service from us, across all areas of our business”, says Shaun Spalding, the Head of IT at Strutt & Parker”. When it came to building the business’s new IT strategy, Spalding and his team kept this in mind. “We started with the high end

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Shaun Spalding Head of IT Shaun Spalding is a Chartered Accountant and Cranfield MBA. He has worked on formulating and delivering business change; both to clients as a consultant within a Chartered Accountancy practice and from working within businesses, including a spell with a technology company in Moscow. He brings experience of linking business and end-user needs back to the formulation of IT strategy and applications deployments, together with being able to clearly present a business case with both soft and hard ROI benefits.

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TECHNOLOGY

experience that we want to give says Jonathan Collins, Associate to clients, and asked how does Director of 3Gi Technology. “What that translate to what we need to we were looking for, and what the give to our consultants in the field business requested, was to have a and in the front offices in order much more fluid approach toward to deliver that experience?” its technology environment, where it Strutt & Parker is currently in the can change-manage very quickly.” midst of a migration to the Microsoft The process of data migration is one Azure public cloud as it simultaneously that is notoriously rife with stumbling seeks to incorporate the use of the blocks, and technology users can be Office 365 suite of left to feel the effects applications. For of a chaotic migration. the past five years, Spalding credits 3Gi the firm has utilised with cultivating a an outsourced data crucial combination centre solution with a of forethought and traditional managed problem-solving.

Number of Employees service ‘wrapper’.

“We couldn’t have at Strutt & Parker 3Gi Technology, a done what we’re cloud specialist, doing without 3Gi,” he has been recruited to execute the explains. “We’ve been given warnings migration — a movement of data that there is going to be pain when into the cloud — and provide a you go through migrations. But so far, new managed service wrapper. there has been minimal user pain, and “When we initially engaged with that’s a testament to all of the rigorous Strutt & Parker, I think what they were testing and planning that 3Gi has been looking for is fluidity and the ability doing in the background, before we to access data, information and get anywhere near an end user.” documents ‘on-the-fly’, without being Gamma was also brought on tied to a rigid legacy infrastructure,” board as a key partner in Strutt &

1,000

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Parker’s IT upgrade. The communications services provider has built a new wide area network (WAN) for the property adviser and supplied it with routing into Microsoft’s Azure Express system. Gamma has further provided ‘fixed’ and mobile telephony systems, with the latter aided by its new multinetwork solution. ‘Gamma MultiNet®’ enabled mobile phones will utilise Three as their host network, but when the connection is lost or unavailable the Gamma product roams to find another provider’s signal. This allows Strutt & Parker’s consultants to maintain a voice and data signal where available when travelling or meeting with clients in rural locales.

Spalding says. “We’ve always been mobile, always out in front of our clients. It’s about having tools readily at your disposal when you are in front of those clients.”

Naturally, corporate data security is of paramount importance when constructing a new IT strategy.

Between Gamma, 3Gi and Strutt & Parker, a robust solution was developed, that addressed what Spalding refers to as a “trilemma”: the balance between security, cost and usability.

Ultimately, a trifecta of solutions providers — 3Gi, Gamma and Microsoft — have supplied the technology that Strutt & Parker needs to stay ahead of its competitors.

“We are trying to be much more agile as an IT function,” Spalding says. “When the business says ‘right, here’s a client need that has emerged and developed’, we can meet that need without going 74

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through the whole change cycle.”

Uncertainty is part-and-parcel of today’s swiftly-evolving IT landscape.

Customers’ needs are changing as rapidly as the methods and productivity tools which are used to manage them. The only way to ensure that a business is capably agile is by adopting a forward-looking strategy.

“You don’t have the luxury these days to say ‘we’re going to wait around a year for everyone else to do it’,” says Spalding, referring to adopting new technologies within Strutt & Parker. “You have to do it in a careful and controlled manner, but do adopt quite early so that you’re able to build your networks, build your algorithms and your data that results.”

“In technology, and in business, unless you keep up, you will get left behind,” says Collins. “That is what Strutt & Parker has done very strategically: taken advantage of the rest of the technologies that are available before the competition catches up.”

“Our clients justifiably expect the highest possible levels of service from us, across all areas of our business. We started with the high end experience that we want to give to clients, and asked how does that translate to what we need to give to our consultants in the field and in the front offices in order to deliver that experience” – Shaun Spalding

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Connecting innovation Written by Nye Longman Produced by Danielle Harris

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For the last 16 years, Swan a.s has been at the forefront of innovation, bringing about a sea-change in a sometimes difficult market for telecommunications

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ager to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit that first propelled Swan a.s to its competitive standing during Slovakia’s market liberalisation in the 1990s, CEO Martin Mosny is casting a wide net. While ensuring his customers have access to innovative, affordable products and services, he and his team at their Bratislava HQ are also going against the grain to introduce a new mobile offering to the market. Business Review Europe catches up with him to explore these aspects in more detail, as well as how the company is ensuring its creativity and dynamism will last for foreseeable future Operations Voice, data, and internet services make up the core of Swan’s offering to the Slovak market. Specifically, it is able to deliver these verticals using Wireless Access Networks FWA 3,5 GHz (WiMAX/LTE) and FWA 26 GHz, Point to Point radio-relay connectors and optical routes, as well as fixed telephone lines and services.

The breadth of Swan’s expertise enables it to cater to a range of industry segments including

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TRANSFORMING REVENUE AND CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT Cerillion is a leading provider of mission critical software for billing, charging and CRM, with more than 75 customer installations worldwide.

Proud BSS/OSS Partners of SWAN, a.s. www.cerillion.com | info@cerillion.com

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customers all the way from public fighting back. We are still having a bodies, financial services companies problem with the DSL connections and multinationals, down to local where the incumbent is holding businesses and residential end-users.

90 percent of the market. That has It is also works as a trade partner with been actually recognised in the a number of large international telcos, EU/EEC ruling as anti-competitive including Interoute, AT&T, Telefónica behaviour. It wasn’t easy by far.”

Czech Republic, a.s. and A1 Telekom “In the past 16 years we have Austria. Swan is part of the Danubiatel been present in the market for fixed holding consisting of three services,” Mosny explains. major ICT companies – “We entered the market one running its fixed as a challenger to the network services, incumbent operator one for its data and have always tried centre services, to find more cost and the other effective or efficient is responsible ways delivering Number of employees for its growing services to our clients.” at Swan a.s mobile business.

A major change for Mosny explains Swan came in early 2014 that Swan had to seize the when the company successfully opportunity in order to grow as tendered to obtain two 15-megahertz it has done: “Sixteen years ago, blocks, which enabled it to start market liberalisation gave us the work on providing mobile services chance to grow. Considering the for the entire country. Mosny says: high prices the incumbent operator “That’s been the biggest challenge were asking for their services, – the decline in average revenue for there was a really good opportunity each user and at the same time the to grab a part of the market. increase in demand expectations.

“The incumbent has really been “We have a segregated market with

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these trends working against each other – we have actually tried to stick in between the big players in the market and try to gain our market share – that’s the biggest challenge for us.”

Recognising early on mobile’s potential for rapid growth and upscale, Mosny is confident that this offering will quickly become recognised in the market: “We aim to achieve 10 to 20 percent market share in the next few years. There are plenty of examples in other countries where an operator has entered the market and proven that this is a reliable business case.”

Innovation culture Like all telcos, Swan a.s regards technology and innovation as inseparable conditions for success.

Faced with the onset of falling data and technology revenues, coupled with stiff competition from other players in the market – the pressure to innovate is immense. Furthermore, older operators have a “cash-cow of legacy services”, according to Mosny.

He has therefore led Swan towards a more service-based offering that also includes OTT applications.

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One key way Swan is achieving innovation is by targeting its mobile offering to appeal to the younger generation in Slovakia, where there is not only a high penetration rate, but also a strong demand for next generation-technology and the latest service offerings.

Mosny adds: “Technology is still important because costs - the capital and operating costs - are declining over time because technology is becoming increasingly cheaper. At the same time technology also determines what new services we can provide to customers.”

This thinking was fully vindicated when, in 2008, the company built the country’s first tier 3+ data centre in anticipation of the increasing uptake of cloud-based services – a trend that is growing stronger by the day. Educating the market to improve demand was crucial here, Mosny explains, and Swan is now poised to lead in this segment.

The telco space in Slovakia is relatively small, and competition for innovative workers is fierce. But Swan’s unique corporate structure has ensured that bright employees are empowered to achieve over and

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“One key way Swan is achieving innovation is by targeting its mobile offering to appeal to the younger generation in Slovakia” – CEO Martin Mosny

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Million

The amount of Revenue generated

by Swan a.s in Euros

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above what would be expected in other companies – a facet of the company that ensures that it can both attract and subsequently retain a brilliant workforce. “Sometimes you have to challenge them with a task impossible for them to achieve, and they will surprise you,” Mosny laughs.

“The culture is different to most of the other companies in the market. That’s certainly due to the fact that the original owners of the company are still present in the company and party in the key decisions.

“When we reached the critical mass of talented people, they started to attract many others. We are trying to create an environment with a good atmosphere so that people can pick up any challenge on the ground and do something with it.”

Having secured its place in the often difficult Slovak market for the foreseeable future, the only way for Swan a.s. is up. With an increasingly innovative range of services, propelled to market by an empowered workforce, there is little doubt of the company’s continued success. “We are focusing on cloud services as a main growth market and that’s why we are investing in our data centre and in value added services and applications,” Mosny concludes.

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