Business Chief North America - August 2020

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AUGUST 2020

ELEVATING HUMAN POTENTIAL THROUGH AUTOMATION

RESILIENCE IN FLEXIBILITY MOST VALUABLE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY BRANDS

Jeff Richardson, CDO on its state of the art cloud infrastructure

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FOREWORD

W

elcome to the August edition of

been very difficult to predict outcomes in

Business Chief North America.

terms of where the world is going. These

This month’s cover features Jeff

are unprecedented times and investor

Richardson, CDO at Bentley Systems,

management is front and centre.”

on the state of the art cloud

Elsewhere, we explore the HR

infrastructure which benefits internal

technology trends of 2020 and look

and external stakeholders. “Living in

more closely at the benefits they can

a cloud-focused world, security is huge

provide an organisation that is looking

for us,” he tells us. “Our CIO, Claire

to digitally transform its HR operations.

Rutkowski, came on board in October

In addition, we speak to Max Cheprasov,

2016 and has been heavily focused on integrating a robust and industry-leading cloud security platform. Along with instituting a security office, we have beefed up our security staff and infrastructure by around 800% in the past five years.”

Other leaders we speak with in this issue include Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets at Capgemini, who discusses the investor management landscape prior to and post COVID-19, “Since World War II, I would say we have never had a situation like this where it has

Chief Automation Officer at Dentsu Aegis Network on why developing an AI and automation strategy is essential to modern enterprises’ future, and our Top 10 ranks the region’s most valuable digital technology brands.

Do you have a story to share?

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming issue of Business Chief North America, please get in touch at georgia.wilson@bizclikmedia.com Enjoy the issue!

Georgia Wilson b u s i n e s s c h i e f. c o m

03

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PUBLISHED BY

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Owen Martin DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Georgia Wilson

Jake Megeary Nicholas Bochmann Ryan Hall

Kieran Waite Sam Kemp

James White

MARKETING DIRECTOR

DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR

Leigh Manning

Jason Westgate

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

EDITORAL DIRECTOR

Matt High CREATIVE TEAM

Oscar Hathaway Erin Hancox Sophia Forte Sophie-Ann Pinnell PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

Georgia Allen Daniela Kianickovรก

Shirin Sadr DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Kayleigh Shooter

Stacy Norman PRESIDENT & CEO

Glen White

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Mike Sadr PROJECT DIRECTORS

Arron Rampling Craig Killingback b u s i n e s s c h i e f. c o m

CONTENTS

12

30

60

HR operations and platform technology trends

44 74

AI:

ENTERPRISE CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

88 102 MOST VALUABLE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY BRANDS

122 AltaMed Health Services

150 Digital Realty

136 166 COLOTRAQ

Interstitial Systems International Inc

198 Estruxture Data Centers

176 McDermott International Inc.

212 WSIB

236

252

SAP Global Center of Excellence

NIH STRIDES Initiative

You see a shipping terminal.

We see the missing container that will shut down production.

C3.ai transforms Manufacturing. Š 2020 C3.ai, Inc. All Rights Reserved. is a mark of C3.ai, Inc.

268 SMC

286 Bentley Systems

300 World Vision

314 342 Mastercard

328 MSU Federal Credit Union

OTIP

360 T-Systems

12

Dentsu Aegis: elevating human potential through automation

WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

AUGUST 2020

13

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

Max Cheprasov, Chief Automation Officer, explains why developing an AI and automation strategy is essential to modern enterprises’ future

D

entsu Aegis Network prides itself on being a company with a talent for innovativethinking and being thoroughly in-tune with

the technological zeitgeist. When we last spoke with the global marketing group which operates in over 145 countries, we learned how a highly client-centric approach was defining its mission to introduce 14

digital transformation and lay the foundations for a next-gen way of operating. Despite the discussion occurring at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dentsu Aegis demonstrated the confidence and optimism that only great teams guided by visionary leadership can achieve under such duress. Now, we revisit the company to explore one of the prevailing tech trends in modern business: artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

Having spent six years (2011 to 2017) as Senior VP and Head of Operations and Technology at iProspect – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dentsu Aegis – Max Cheprasov took on the role of Chief Automation Officer for Dentsu Aegis Americas in November 2017.

Considering himself a “digital native”, Cheprasov says that his transition into the role was a natural one and

AUGUST 2020

15

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

“ There’s always a need for creativity and ingenuity when designing your own unique and differentiated business strategy” — Max Cheprasov, Chief Automation Officer, Dentsu Aegis 16

was a decision guided by a long-term mission: “I transitioned into this new role to focus on acceleration of intelligent automation solutions and to promote best practice across Dentsu globally.”

In a career clearly defined by his commitment to finding new and better ways to service clients and enable employees to do their best work, Cheprasov is a believer in going beyond convention and working out cutting-edge tech solutions to everyday problems. “There’s always a need for creativity and ingenuity when designing your own unique and differentiated business strategy,” he says. It is this attitude that he brings to bear on his daily activities at Dentsu Aegis.

An early enthusiast of AI’s potential in business, Cheprasov embarked on his first automation-related project in 2016 by experimenting with natural language processing (NLP) and natural language generation (NLG) technology for data analysis reports and insights.

It was because of this project that he and Dentsu Aegis’ leadership team became convinced that it was an avenue worth exploring with high priority.

Certain that AI could lead to a dramatic boost in business performance and

AUGUST 2020

The future of AI and your business CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:26

17 customer experience, Cheprasov

functions to optimise the working lives

established an eight-year road map

of a company’s employees. Capable

(2017 to 2025) and the company for-

of augmenting workloads by automat-

mally established the Dentsu Aegis

ing a boring or repetitive task, Dentsu

Automation Centre of Expertise

Aegis can help mitigate or eliminate

(CoE). “Today, we have over 400 peo-

the laborious strain caused by routine

ple engaged with the CoE as part of

tasks, approval turnarounds and bot-

our global community of automation

tlenecks. “We can automate a process

champions and experts. But, as far

end-to-end and give that time back

as I’m concerned, this is still only the

to employees to handle more critical

beginning; the future of automation

tasks that cannot be automated, such

should be placed in the hands of every

as creative, critical, strategic thinking,

single employee,” he states. With the

complex problem solving and more.

goal of making teams as efficient, pro-

Our mission is to elevate human poten-

ductive and happy as possible, the CoE

tial,” says Cheprasov. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

18

AUGUST 2020

“ Our mission is to elevate human potential” — Max Cheprasov, Chief Automation Officer, Dentsu Aegis

19

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

20

Of course, this aim would be very dif-

incorporating the trend-setting new

ficult without a suitably agile workforce

ideas of the startups and other firms

behind the scenes at Dentsu Aegis,

it has acquired. “We operate without

and this is exactly what Cheprasov

borders and limitations as one enter-

says the company has. “I think we have

prise across 145 countries, where highly

a unique workplace culture. One word

collaborative teams of highly intelligent,

to describe everybody in the business,

optimistic and passionate people are

across 65,000 professionals, is that

working together and willing to take

we’re ‘entrepreneurial’ by the nature of

calculated risks to achieve impres-

how we’ve grown.” Having expanded

sive results for Dentsu Aegis and our

rapidly over the last five years due

clients,” he continues. Indeed, with over

to a fast-paced M&A (mergers and

150 acquisitions made and a growing

acquisitions) strategy, the company

capacity for innovation, talent and scale,

has continually rejuvenated itself by

Cheprasov’s observation that “there’s

AUGUST 2020

no future in staying the same” certainly

UiPath as essential partners: “We used

rings true.

Catalytic’s AI-enabled platform to

As well as its robust internal collabo-

design an automated RFP (request for

ration, Dentsu Aegis also prides itself

proposal) workflow, in combination with

on working well with other companies

NLP and ML (machine learning). As a

which share its vision and mission.

result, we reduced the time it takes to

With regard to the company’s pursuit

compile the initial draft of the response

of automated superiority, Cheprasov

from two weeks to just several minutes.

highlights FortressIQ, Catalytic and

Our most recent project with UiPath

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

Max Cheprasov Title: Chief Automation Officer Company: Dentsu Aegis Network Industry: Marketing & Advertising

Location: New York

As Chief Automation Officer at Dentsu, Max Cheprasov leads the Automation COE on a mission to “Elevate Human Potential”. Dentsu, with its 65,000+ employees, is a global media and digital marketing communications company focused on innovating the way brands are built. The COE harmonizes Operational Excellence with AI and Automation to create the never-before digital exoskeleton for the enterprise.

Max has 20+ years of experience within the Digital Economy, specializing in digital transformation, operational excellence, and AI-powered automation. Prior to his current role, Max served as the Senior Vice President of Operations, PMO, BPO, and Technology for iProspect between 2011-2017. Max holds an MBA degree from JWMI and professional certificates from Stanford University, MIT, and PMI, among others. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

21

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“ I think we have a unique workplace culture.

One word to describe everybody in the business, across 65,000 professionals, is that we’re ‘entrepreneurial’ by nature of how we’ve grown”

required a deeper partnership with their Professional Services group, as we needed to temporarily add 10 RPA (robotic process automation) experts to our team to help us build 60 bots in six weeks. As a result, the software bots have automated 157,000 hours of work during their first deployment, completing over 600,000 tasks. Finally, FortressIQ helps us accelerate process mining and process discovery, exponentially improving our ability to identify new

— Max Cheprasov, Chief Automation Officer, Dentsu Aegis

use-cases for automation and process reengineering. Additionally, the time and motion analyses led to improved FO RT RESSI Q

Founded in 2017, FortressIQ is the creator of a cognitive automation platform which is capable of accelerating digital transformation through a combination of ANN, NLP and ML, as well as OCR. Able to quickly grasp the fundamentals of a business’ operations, the platform enables the collection of swift insights which can be used in the development of an automation strategy.

Commenting on the relationship that Dentsu Aegis shares with FortressIQ, Cheprasov praises the company’s technology and states that without its partnership “it would have taken over 30 business analysts to gather the same level of detail and insight that [FortressIQ’s] AI was able to capture if it was done manually.”

Pankaj Chowdhry, Founder & CEO, FortressIQ

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

23

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

SOPs, compliance and training. Using FiQ’s artificial neural network (ANN), NLP, and ML models, in combination with advanced computer vision (OCR), we automatically mined, modelled and documented data for over 2,200 processes in five months with just two people operating the system.”

On the subject of automation, Cheprasov is evangelical about its growing importance, not only for Dentsu Aegis but for its clients and modern business generally. “Automation is just a natural 24

evolution from operational excellence,” he explains. “Traditional operational workflows are no longer sustainable; the workforce is changing rapidly, yet very few global companies are ready to manage their workforce with people, bots and AI working side by side.” He asks every company to consider the subject of advancing technology seriously; it is an aspect of business which is both exciting and intimidating – staying on top of it and processing the large amounts of data accessible requires automation integrated into every process. It was because of this that Cheprasov formulated his seven-year roadmap.

“It’s in response to client demands for AUGUST 2020

The transformation of AI & Automation CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:11

25

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

2013

Year founded

50,000 Number of employees

26

Covid 19 and the impact of technology CLICK TO WATCH

AUGUST 2020

|

3:01

27

higher levels of agility and consistent

When considering the future, not just

operational excellence,” he explains.

of Dentsu Aegis but also automation

As such, Dentsu Aegis plans to go

generally, Cheprasov identifies two

beyond traditional forms of automa-

key trends: hyperautomation and the

tion (AI, ML, RPA, etc) to fulfil its quest

democratisation of AI. The former,

for ever-greater heights of operational

a term with Industry 4.0 connotations,

efficiency. This brings the conver-

imagines an operational state which

sation back to the importance of

combines digitisation with connectivity

collaborating with startups in the sec-

and AI to create a supremely auto-

tor: “We continue to monitor who the

mated system capable of seamless

emerging players are; there’s a lot of

interoperability; regarding the latter,

new startups that have fantastic ways

he adds this: “The future of automa-

of applying AI to different problems

tion should be placed in the hands of

in business,” he says.

every employee, giving them access b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK

28

to low-code or no-code platforms and

into the less overt considerations that

providing the necessary training and

furthering automation entails, such as

support.” This, Cheprasov anticipates,

its CSR activities with AutonomyWorks.

will lead to unprecedented efficiency

“Their goal is to create new job opportuni-

gains for workers and unlock the human

ties for individuals with autism and similar

potential in a way which was unfeasible

disabilities. At Dentsu, we recognise

previously. As the post-COVID-19 world

society as one of our key stakeholders

continues to make companies re-exam-

and one of our key objectives right now

ine their relationship with technology,

is to upskill the organisation’s workforce

Dentsu Aegis is already expanding

with the necessary automation skills to

AUGUST 2020

accelerate the work that they currently do for their clients.”

Considering what the rest of 2020 might hold for Dentsu Aegis, Cheprasov summarises its goal as continuing to help its clients win, keep and grow their own customer bases.

If the COVID-19 disruption has taught the company anything, it’s that close collaboration, an agile mindset and an innovative attitude will help Dentsu Aegis navigate the lingering aspects of disruption, which, in turn, will help its clients. “Every business today needs to have an AI and automation strategy and plan,” Cheprasov concludes. “By 2025, AI-powered companies will be 10 times more efficient and hold twice the market share over organisations that fail to embrace the technology

“ Automation is just a natural evolution from operational excellence”

today. I think we have reached a point in the evolution of intelligent automation when you can no longer delay this decision.”

— Max Cheprasov, Chief Automation Officer, Dentsu Aegis

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

29

L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

32

AUGUST 2020

33

COVID-19: THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF INVESTOR MANAGEMENT WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON

busi ne ssc hief. com

L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets at Capgemini, discusses the investor management landscape prior to and post COVID-19

“S

ince World War II, I would say we have never had a situation like this where it has been very difficult to predict outcomes

in terms of where the world is going. These are unprecedented times and investor management is front and centre. In some ways it has taken a beat34

ing, but in others it’s trying to correct itself,” states Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets, Capgemini. Over the last four months, the entire investor management ecosystem has been significantly disrupted which is creating new challenges for organisations and how they effectively maintain open communication with shareholders relating to company performance and guidance for the future, as well as providing a deeper understanding of the industry.

THE BEST STRATEGY FOR EFFECTIVE INVESTOR MANAGEMENT Prior to COVID-19 Krishnan believed that the best strategy for effective investor management was “transparency, followed by leaders providing

AUGUST 2020

35

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L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

36

a consistent strategy, followed by a

that brought together the consum-

measurement process that gives a

ers, the asset management industry,

true representation of how an organi-

the wealth management industry and

sation is doing compared to what was

investment management industry,

discussed in the previous sharehold-

and from an investor management

ers meeting. This approach has an

perspective, the better CEOs, are

effective impact on an organisation’s

also the better communicators.”

valuation and velocity in the stock

However, post COVID-19 Krishnan

market. I believed that this was a very

details that, although “due to nobody’s

good model because you could easily

fault, there are a lot of unknowns.

compare a company’s performance

We don’t know much about this virus

based on previous history. This was

in terms of when it will disappear or

a good system across many sectors

when there will be a vaccine. As a

AUGUST 2020

“ I think overall it is about finding out how traditional companies can save a lot of costs as they get called upon to invest more and more in digital for the rest of the year” — Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets, Capgemini

result it is very difficult to predict the

the first phase with more to follow. As

future of any organisation or industry

a result, it is very difficult to predict

at the moment. Therefore, from an

business outcomes, therefore some

investor management perspective

have decided that to give this guid-

we are witnessing on average a 95%

ance after a time of total economic

to 97% work from home raito, as well

uncertainty would be wrong due to

as a lot of organisations unable to

there being so many variables.” Giving

predict with any accuracy the future

examples of these variables Krishnan

cash flow, with COVID-19 costing

explains that “we do not know when

them between 10 and 25%, as well as

a vaccine would be ready, in a coun-

entire economies being propped up

try like the US even if a vaccine is

by their governments - the US alone

developed, what will be the process

has announced close to US$2.3trn in

to reach over 250 million Americans? busi ne ssc hief. com

37

L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

38

We also don’t know if there is going to

However, “the models are not able

be a variation of the virus that comes

to produce the outputs with a high

in winter and what the retail sector is

degree of probability. At best you can

going to look like. A lot of the tradi-

give a range or a best guesstimate,

tional companies have fallen down

because investor management is

due to being replaced by technology

facing global impact that crosses

companies that can meet the change

industries, companies, consumers

in customer behaviour and demands.�

and governments. While the virus

Ultimately, Krishnan highlights

may affect regions differently, there

that all of these inputs in the investor

is no doubt that each country and

management models would provide

industry will be impacted considerably,

outputs, which would be shared with

unfortunately a lot of the survivors will

the entire investment community,

depend on having at least an 80% to

fostering good investor relations.

90% capacity utilisation. This creates

AUGUST 2020

What is investor management/ investor relations?

Investor management/investor relations (IR) is defined by the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) as “a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to a company’s securities achieving fair valuation.”

— Source: Institute for Public Relations

39

What the average investor should be doing during the coronavirus economic crisis CLICK TO WATCH

|

3:33

busi ne ssc hief. com

L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

“ We don’t know much about this virus in terms of when it will disappear or when there will be a vaccine, as a result it is very difficult to predict the future of any organisation or industry” 40

— Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets, Capgemini

AUGUST 2020

problems for the investment management industry, because you are faced with the challenges of not being able to give guidance on any aspect of it, but life must go on. You have to make some assumptions and carry on, and I’m sure the public will understand if you’ve got some elements wrong. But I think we’ve got to deal with fighting the virus at the moment and I have no doubt that things will get better however this is the current landscape for the investor management industry.”

41

EMERGING TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS AS A RESULT OF COVID-19 Krishnan believes that “every cloud has a silver lining”. First and foremost, Krishnan highlights that the drive to digital has been extremely fast. “I think a lot of the industries due to COVID-19 have become digitally savvy and responsible. A record number of people have begun to use digital apps - at Capgemini we conduct a lot of research reports relating to retail, banking and fintech - interestingly 80% of people surveyed do not want to go into a bank, and will not choose a bank if they are not able to use a digital way busi ne ssc hief. com

L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

“ I think a lot of the industries due to COVID-19 have become digitally savvy and digitally responsible” — Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets, Capgemini

to access the bank’s products. As a result we are seeing new business models are emerging, such as massive organisations moving to a 95% to 97% worked at home situation which was not easy to achieve. I believe we are also seeing improvements in business contingency planning, as people return to work we are seeing a lot of new technologies emerging as well as ways of working. It is interesting to see different sectors adapting to the current environments such as restaurants

42

becoming drive thrus or takeaway only;

AUGUST 2020

What makes a leading investor relations team?

To ensure that an investor relations department provides value to the organisation, those within the team need to ensure that they are consistent, clear and honest with their communication. However, leading experts within investor relations explain that while these are the fundamentals to drive true value within an organisation, it is vital for a investor relations department to: Have a financial orientation “15 or 20 years ago, you could probably successfully work in IR with a strictly communications background. Now, though, you must have that financial background,” explains Regina Nethery, VP of Investor Relations for Humana.

Foster deep knowledge of the company, industry and sectors, as well as constructive dissatisfaction.

“You should never assume that what’s worked in the past is appropriate for the present or future,” says Chris Jakubik, VP of Investor Relations at Kraft Food Know who the go-to sources are “Don’t worry about organisational layers or protocol and deal directly with the people who have the information you need,” comments Dexter Congbalay, VP of Investor Relations at Mondelez International.

Know the three Ts: Timeliness, transparency and trust, “The investment community values an IR organisation that demonstrates its commitment to building relationships based on trust and candor,” says Charles Triano, SVP of Investor Relations at Pfizer – Source: Deloitte

busi ne ssc hief. com

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L E A D E R S H I P & S T R AT E G Y

“ These are unprecedented times and investor management is front and centre” — Sankar Krishnan, EVP and Industry Head, Banking and Capital Markets, Capgemini 44

the healthcare industry adopting 3D

believes that this increase in use of

printing capabilities to mass produce

digital solutions for investor relations

personal protective equipment (PPE);

due to COVID-19 is an interesting

the insurance industry using drones

concept to see how these disruptive

to survey damages; and the finance

technologies will be used in day to

industry using chatbots to continue its

day operations. “Given the fact that

services to customers. Across each

2020 is pretty much written off, it is

industry, we are seeing these kinds

not going to be so much about 2020,

of deployment, resulting in business

it will be more forward looking at 2021

operations, as we know them, evolving

and beyond. One of the good things

very quickly and out of this will come

that have come out of the virus is the

new business models.”

lowering of interest rates. So even

With digital innovations and implementations on the rise, Krishna AUGUST 2020

though you may lose 2020, 2021 and beyond will have low interest rates for

45

discounted cash flow, the challenge

for the last four months and how that

however is to show this in your digi-

shows on the balance sheet. These

tal model. I would also say that now

are some of the things I see from an

digital channels are the single largest

investor relations perspective - how

revenue channel for most organisa-

will the investor management teams

tions, it will be very interesting to

be able to digitally communicate with

see from an investor management

the shareholders and how you can

viewpoint, the impact that this has on

make the information digitally availa-

an organisations performance, and

ble. I think overall it is about finding out

whether a more digital approach will

how traditional companies can save a

be a model of choice post COVID-19.

lot of costs as they get called upon to

Then there are aspects such as nego-

invest more and more in digital for the

tiation of contracts for office space

rest of the year.�

where companies have been vacant busi ne ssc hief. com

2020 H U M A N C A P I TA L

HR operations and platform technology trends WRITTEN BY

46

AUGUST 2020

GEORGIA WILSON

47

busi ne ssc hief. com

H U M A N C A P I TA L

Business Chief explores the HR technology trends of 2020 and the benefits they can provide an organisation looking to digitally transform its HR

•••••••

O

ver the last five years, digital transformation has redefined the ways in

which organisations operate and seen an

48

increasing number of companies deploy digital solutions rapidly and at scale. As a result of this shift in mindset towards a digitally led culture, talent management and the need for new skills is changing how ‘traditional’ HR systems operate.

“In a recent survey, two-thirds of business leaders told us that if their company does not digitalise more by 2020, it will no longer be competitive. But in HR, digitalisation is changing everything, from core functions like the way we hire and develop talent, to introducing new burdens such as raising performance. We found that 88% of chief HR officers say they need to invest in three or more technologies over the next two years. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s no AUGUST 2020

49

busi ne ssc hief. com

Digital Transformation.

Made real every day.

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

50

Learn More

Accenture Software: Simplifying HR Reporting with SAP HANA Cloud Platform CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:05

51

surprise many executives feel com-

human, Emily He, SVP of Global

pletely lost,” says Brian Kropp, Group

Marketing at Oracle, states that “the fas-

Vice President at Gartner.

cinating part of this AI revolution, is how

With organisations facing being left

automation is actually pushing the work-

behind if they do not ramp up their

force to become less techy and more

efforts to digitally transform, here are

human.” Agreeing with He, Ben Eubanks,

the top HR technology trends that

an HR industry analyst and influencer

could help them do so.

believes that “Every time work has been automated in the past, the resulting jobs

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION (RPA)

and tasks have been more human in

Whilst it may sound conflicting to sug-

aspects. These core human skills are

gest that implementing more technology

important today, but they’ll matter even

can make operations increasingly

more in the future.”

nature as we automate the less human

busi ne ssc hief. com

H U M A N C A P I TA L

Top 10 benefits of Cloud platforms for HR operations • Reduced paperwork • Real time and accurate analysis • Increased employee engagement • 24/7 access to information • Fast deployment 52

• Cost effective solutions • Improved security and GDPR policies • Easier to innovate, a more flexible solution • Ensuring that HR operations keep up with innovation across the organisation • Predictive analytics

Source: TrustRadius

AUGUST 2020

Key areas within HR that have benefited from AI include analysis of employee surveys - known as voice of employee (VOE) analytics - and removing human bias. “Our new research shows that AI tools are better than humans at analysing employee surveys,” comments Eubanks, while IBM states that “as we work to develop AI systems we can trust, it’s critical to develop and train these systems with data that is unbiased and to develop algorithms that can be easily explained.”

When it comes to robotic process automation (RPA) the technology encompasses the likes of chatbots, natural language processing (NPL), machine learning, and AI. These capabilities can improve communications and increase productivity via access to the right data at the right time. Future trends for RPA within the HR sector include chatbots, with predictions that HR chatbots will be implemented at more than 50% of companies by 2022.

Common questions asked to chatbots relate to payment, holiday leaves, social benefits and employee general rights. By having the technology busi ne ssc hief. com

53

H U M A N C A P I TA L

54

answer these simple questions compa-

(VR) and augmented reality (AR).

nies can help to alleviate the burden on

The technology can help recruiting and

HR departments. “These bots can act

onboarding processes by establish-

as self-service platforms that allow the

ing simulated environments that test a

HR personnel to focus on responding

candidate’s job-specific skills, sharing

to more complex and urgent questions

a virtual tour of your office space and

that warrant their attention,” comments

bolstering recruitment efforts.

Jeremy Nunn, Forbes Council Member.

According to a study conducted by Dr. Candice Lanius of The University

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY AND WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

Lanius recorded more than 140 stu-

One technology gaining momentum in

dents’ speeches while monitoring their

the HR sector is the use of virtual reality

heart rate via wearable technology.

AUGUST 2020

of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Dr.

“In a recent survey, two-thirds of business leaders told us that if their company does not digitalise more by 2020, it will no longer be competitive”

•••••••

55

Brian Kropp, Group Vice President, Gartner Based on the data, Dr. Lanius adjusted

employee experience was one of the

the curriculums to better prepare

most important aspects of their initia-

students to combat public speaking

tives, and will remain as a top priority

anxiety. This trend is predicted to

through 2020 as they look to drive

emerge within HR to track heart rate,

engagement and foster employee-

body temperature, pupil dilation and

centric cultures.

other factors to provide an insight into employee stressors.

“Put systems, tools, and processes in place that enhance, not limit, their employees’ daily tasks and

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, HR GUIDANCE AND REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK

schedule but beyond the tools the

It was reported by Gartner that

relationship and the respect to your

among HR professionals in 2019,

people. Your employee is your first

most important is the value of the

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H U M A N C A P I TA L

customer,” noted François Bornibus, the President of Lenovo.Such tools can include the use of real time performance feedback to allow employees and employers to receive regular, consistent feedback in real-time. This allows managers to have meaningful forward-looking conversations relating to employee development, which can increase engagement and productivity.

The concept of HR guidance via an Organisation Guidance System (OGS) is also predicted to 56

grow. Dave Ulrich, speaker, author, professor and thought partner on HR, leadership, and organisation sees “HR delivering value by offering more ‘guidance’ rather than simply scorecards, dashboards or predictive analytics.” Such systems would identify not only the desired outcomes of organisation investments but the roadmap to reach the outcomes and the requirements for sustainable progression. An OGS allows an organisation to identify desired outcomes relating to talent, organisation, leadership and human resources allowing HR professionals to provide a framework for solutions.

AUGUST 2020

Digital HR saving facts and figures • Organisations can save 40% of their data load time when using a data conversion and migration extension to reduce errors during mass uploads • US$80,000 can be saved with a test data and optimisation extension to secure personal data, avoiding penalty payments • US$100,000 can be saved with a data validation and monitoring extension for defensive reporting efforts due to reducing the number of queries • A document creation extension can help users to build and manage templates easily Source: Accenture

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H U M A N C A P I TA L

“ 88% of chief HR officers say they need to invest in three or more technologies over the next two years”

•••••••

Brian Kropp, Group Vice President, Gartner 58

NEW WORKING MODELS AND GENERATION-Z

as well as ensuring they have the

New working models are changing

correct policies in place to effectively

the way in which organisations adopt

support their remote workers. This

technology. While more flexible

new style of working is only further

working environments and remote

being driven by the technologically

working is not a new concept with the

savvy, Generation-Z which are begin-

outbreak of COVID-19, the increase

ning to enter the workforce.

like Zoom and Microsoft Teams,

in remote working has been expolooking to rapidly adopt remote work-

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS AND CLOUD TECHNOLOGY

ing capabilities such as cloud and

With the average HR function using 11

digital communication technologies

different systems just for recruiting,

nential. As a result, organisations are

AUGUST 2020

59

and the continued rise of digital

as the company grows, which will ulti-

transformation, the importance

mately improve a HR team’s reporting

of integrated systems to maintain

and analytics capabilities.

accuracy and efficiency continues

However, “from an HR perspec-

to grow. In addition to integrated

tive, any changes to existing systems

systems, high quality software is also

must be carefully considered and

critical. The ability to process large

skillfully executed,� highlighted Venky

amounts of data via the integrated

Seshadri, Senior Sales Director and

system is a valuable capability for

Product Manager at Accenture. While

HR professionals in order to save

some capabilities will be more critical

time and resources. This capability is

than others and will vary depending on

driven by having a robust and reliable

the business, one thing is for certain,

software solution that is adaptable

that when digital technologies are busi ne ssc hief. com

H U M A N C A P I TA L

60

“ From an HR perspective, any changes to existing systems must be carefully considered and skillfully executed

•••••••

Venky Seshadri, Senior Sales Director and Product Manager, Accenture AUGUST 2020

effectively adopted the capabilities bring value to organisations to drive sustainable and efficient operations.

Within HR innovative technologies can help to better deliver an organisation’s HR, services. “Digital technologies remove some of the mystery behind HR processes,” adds Seshadri, by involving the workforce in recruitment, onboarding, performance review, learning and career development procedures, as well as opening up the ‘anytime-anywhere’ services with the use of mobility, social media platforms and smartphones.

While HR platforms can be built inhouse, utilising a cloud platform is a more cost and time effective solution.

The technology also provides flexibility and control for HR professionals to effectively customise applications to suit requirements, as well as the ability to make better decisions, improve efficiency, improve employee experiences, and improve HR compliance.

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

62

DESIGNING A DIGITAL STRATEGY AND THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 Business Chief takes a look at McKinsey’s 10 factors for a successful digital transformation strategy and the impact of COVID-19

WRITTEN BY

AUGUST 2020

GEORGIA WIL SON

63

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

W

hen it comes to designing a digital transformation strategy, McKinsey explains that “clear targets, man-

agement buy-in, and targeting easy wins early are just some of the key aspects of a successful digital transformation. Firms should also look to rapidly up-skill the digital expertise of their workers, and deploy agile

ways of working.”

REALISING DIGITAL POTENTIAL – 10 FACTORS FOR A SUCCESSFUL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FRAMEWORK 64

While it is no secret that digital transformation and industry 4.0 are providing organisations with a multitude of opportunities for customer experience, growth, innovation, optimisation, transparency and agility, to drive sustainable and efficient operations.

“However, mounting evidence shows that digital transformations are easier said than done, with more than half of all UK projects estimated to fail at realising their desired goals,” says McKnisey. To help organisations navigate the challenges of developing a successful digital transformation strategy, McKinsey outlines 10 factors that can help an organisation realise the digital potential for an effective strategy.

AUGUST 2020

65

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This means greater savings and shorter time to market.

First on the list is senior manage-

investment. When it comes to invest-

ment buy-in. When it comes to budgets

ing in a digital transformation strategy,

and decision making, having execu-

McKinsey explains that “investment

tives onboard and taking a proactive

is likely to result in lower profits for a

approach will drive quicker decision

while. But without it there is a serious

making and gain support across the

risk to profits in the longer term”.

entire organisation, as well as a smooth

Organisations willing to truly commit

transition process and clear priority

to the investment needed will be able

focus. “The CEO cannot simply sanc-

to pull off a digital transformation

tion a digital transformation; he or

strategy. While investment is a core

she must communicate a vision of

element of designing a digital trans-

what needs to be achieved, and why,

formation strategy, resources are not

in order to demonstrate that digital

unlimited and particularly in the cur-

is an unquestionable priority,” states

rent climate it is important to manage

McKinsey, this clear communication

the risk when investing in projects.

is crucial to maintain momentum and

McKinsey therefore, highlights the

reduce failures when digitally trans-

importance of sequencing initiatives.

forming operations, which leads to

As the more value a digital transfor-

the importance of identifying key mile-

mation captures, the more it becomes

stones and targets to aim for, with a

self-funding and builds great support.

clear roadmap and regular progress updates. “Targets are needed for each source of value creation – cost savings, revenues, improved performance of agents, and satisfaction of employees and customers—and for new ways of working and the new capabilities required,” adds McKinsey.

Another key element to designing a digital transformation strategy is busi ne ssc hief. com

67

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

“A company’s financial pressures

the projects – known as a ‘lighthouse

will shape the sequencing to some

project’ – could be a key way to build

degree. So will its IT, if legacy systems

support. These short term and well

restrict initial choices. Companies

defined projects act as a measurable

must be more flexible. It could prove

model for projects going forward that

hard to recruit the particular people

are perhaps more broader.

needed, while technology and cus-

68

As an increasing number of organi-

tomer behaviour will continue to

sations look to design a digital

evolve. When initiatives are successful

transformation strategy, there has

and deliver the intended financial ben-

also been a rise in the need for skilled

efits, the board and top team should

talent, in particular a Chief Digital

be emboldened to push to achieve

Officer (CDO) to lead the digital

more,” states McKinsey. As a result

disruption and innovation. Recent

the establishment of ‘easy win targets’

statistics show that 19% of top global

in order to build the momentum for

companies now have a CDO – 60%

AUGUST 2020

How Coronavirus is Impacting Big Tech CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:03

69 of which have been hired since 2015.

speed and autonomy at its core,

“The importance of securing a high-

agility as a process is defined as the

calibre launch team, often under a

division of tasks into short phases

CDO, cannot be overstated. A CDO

of work and the frequent reassess-

can prove invaluable in co-ordinating

ment and adaptation of plans. CDOs

a transformation – avoiding duplica-

and executive leaders can help to

tion by devising a methodology for

promote new ways of working within

the redesign of customer journeys

an organisation that are essential for

that can be replicated across the

digital success, including: agile prod-

organisation as digitisation efforts

uct development, maintaining focus

are extended.”

on customers, and cross-functional

With this in mind, the importance of

teams. McKinsey does however, high-

having a central launch team manag-

light that “separating a digital component

ing the overall operations leads into

from the rest of the organisation is

the need for agile ways working. With

not entirely the answer. They can start busi ne ssc hief. com

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

to create channel conflict, particularly if innovations threaten to cannibalise revenue streams. The digital unit therefore needs to be reintegrated at some stage, and that becomes more difficult as time passes. Whatever the choice, the ultimate goal has to be to enmesh the old and the new.”

A recurring theme within these key factors is the need for a digital mindset to maintain momentum. It is important for organisations designing a digital transformation strategy to 70

encourage a digital culture. One way to develop such culture is through education. It is important for employees to understand the changes that

reach the stage when only a funda-

are happening within the organisation

mental organisational redesign will do,”

and how the changes will impact their

comments McKinsey. Organisations

way of working. It is also important

will need to redesign many fundamen-

when it comes to education to boost

tal aspects of its operating model

the skills and system. The success

in order to realise the true potential

of a digital transformation strategy

of a digital transformation strategy.

requires the ability to acquire and

“Silos drawn along functional lines

develop competencies relating to

have always been a drag on collabo-

digital skills, technologies, processes

ration and performance in large

and operating models to avoid skill

organisations. In the digital age, when

gaps and shortages.

companies need to reinvent the way

Ultimately, “whatever structures a company chooses initially, it will AUGUST 2020

they work on the fly, an inability to connect all parts of the organisation to

71

share data, expertise, and talent can

organisations had a digital transfor-

be crippling,” concludes McKinsey.

mation strategy in place, most were not far enough ahead to make the

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON DESIGNING A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY

As a result, organisations have been

When it comes to the future of digital

mation in order to adapt to new

transformation, organisations, when

working constraints as a result

asked ‘who led your digital transfor-

of lockdown measures.

mation?’ will answer, ‘COVID-19’.

It is no secret that since the outbreak

impact of COVID-19 a non-issue. forced to drive rapid digital transfor-

“This is certainly a before-and-after moment in the history of the economy

of COVID-19, organisations all over

and the digital transformation,” noted

the world have had their operations

Andrew Filev, a Forbes contributor.

impacted by the virus. While 70% of

“Even when the COVID-19 outbreak busi ne ssc hief. com

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

72

is contained, it’s unlikely things will

adopted change due to the outbreak

return to normal. Instead, we’re seeing

of COVID-19. “Whatever objections

the forced acceleration of previously

businesses have previously had to

slow-moving trends that are likely to

telecommuting, COVID-19 may be

shape the future for the long haul.”

the moment that brings it into the

Accelerated adoption of digital trends as a result of COVID-19 include:

mainstream and shows leaders that with the right technology, culture, and expectations, employees can

TELECOMMUTING

be just as productive and effective

While remote working is not an unfamil-

from home,” says Filev.

iar concept, a recent survey revealed that 49% of workers have never worked

ON-DEMAND FOOD AND SERVICES

from home. As a result, telecommut-

With thousands of businesses due

ing technology has been the most widely

to social distancing guidelines forced

AUGUST 2020

to close, the on-demand economy has further reinforced its importance as part of digital transformation. With the likes of Uber Eats and Just Eat, digital delivery apps are providing revenue for those who had to close their brick and mortar stores.

“If it works for restaurants, we may see new aggressive adoption of driveup or on-demand local delivery of

“communities and surrounding busi-

essential goods as a result. Some

nesses may need to compensate

businesses might even find this model

for a decrease in foot traffic in certain

provides lower costs, helps manage

anchor locations, and it could also

inventory, and makes revenue more

mean the painful loss of jobs in the

predictable,” believes Filev. However,

retail and service sector.”

F I V E D I G I TA L T R AN SFO RMAT I O N FACT S • 70% of companies have a digital transformation strategy in place or working on one • Top industries for digital-first business strategies include: services (95%), financial services (93%) and healthcare (92%) • Top benefits of digital transformation include: improved operational efficiency (40%), faster time to market (36%)

and the ability to meet customer expectations (35%) • 27% of organisations believe digital transformation is a matter of survival • 55% of organisations without a digital transformation strategy believe they have less than a year before they begin to lose market share Source: Forbes

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

W H AT D I G I TA L TR A N S F O R M AT I O N MEANS TO OR GA N I S AT I O N S • 52% believe it enables worker productivity, via tools such as artificial intelligent (AI) assisted processes • 49% believe it has the ability to better manage business performance with data availability 74

• 46% believe it helps meet customer experience expectations Source: FinancesOnline

VIRTUAL EVENTS

their physical event into a virtual one,

Events is an industry hit particularly

something “which in the end may not

hard due to the impact of COVID-19,

just be a 2020 phenomenon but the

alongside the travel and hospitality

new standard for experiences,” high-

industry that supports it. As a result,

lights Filev. It is unknown yet as to

conferences and trade shows have

whether virtual events will drive busi-

been cancelled or postponed due

ness to the same extent that a

to mitigate the spread of the virus.

physical one can, “but if they can, their

However, some of these events are turning to technology, transforming AUGUST 2020

appeal may be lasting. With lower costs for attendees and promoters

75

and more flexibility in content formats,

provides organisations with instant

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some

communication from any location.

events remain virtual in the future.”

Ultimately, “digital transformation has already saved millions of jobs,

THE CLOUD

helped slow the spread of the virus,

The cloud is the driving force that

and allowed businesses to maintain

has allowed organisations to rapidly

a level of normalcy amidst a chaotic

adapt their operating models as the

situation,” concludes Filev.

disruption of COVID-19 impacted their operations. Cloud technology busi ne ssc hief. com

TECHNOLOGY

76

AI:

ENTERPRISE CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES WRITTEN BY

AUGUST 2020

MARCUS LAWRENCE

77

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TECHNOLOGY

AI and machine learning pose major questions for nations at all stages of development we look at some of the challenges and opportunities AI provides

A

rtificial intelligence (AI) has no universal definition, though its

applications are perhaps its best descrip-

tors. As computing speed and power rise 78

while purchasing costs fall, the accelerated development of AI systems, those capable of completing actions typically reliant on human cognition to be accomplished accurately or at all, shows no signs of slowing down. Businesses are integrating technologies capable of automating simple tasks across their operations, from data collation, entry and analysis to payroll systems that can accurately and securely calculate an employee’s earnings against the myriad factors that could affect them month to month. The desire to work smarter rather than harder, repurposing existing staff freed from repetitive tasks so that they can contribute to value-added activities, is steering global business AUGUST 2020

79

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TECHNOLOGY

AI & Manufacturing in Asia — Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions: Microsoft Asia CLICK TO WATCH

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3:02

81

towards a mindset that, if something

“ BOTH SKILLED AND LOW-SKILLED ROLES ARE UNDER PRESSURE AS AI’S CAPABILITIES GROW AT AN EVER ACCELERATED RATE”

can be automated, it should be.

This is a stance that’s not without its problems, of course, and in Asia the challenges of AI adoption are perhaps more stark than elsewhere.

McKinsey Global Institute’s (MGI) ‘Artificial Intelligence and Southeast Asia’s Future’ report from 2017 cited earlier research which found that 50% of work activities conducted across the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia could be automated.

This work, cumulative across the four busi ne ssc hief. com

TECHNOLOGY

FACTS

“For their part, most of the companies across ASEAN will need to make fundamental changes in management culture, including adopting a data-driven style of decision making, and most importantly, striking innovative partnerships with specialist firms to incubate the scarce skill sets needed for AI efforts; a thoughtful approach to strengthening the data infrastructure is also needed to prioritise effort and investments” — McKinsey Global Insights

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AUGUST 2020

biggest Southeast Asian (ASEAN)

the ASEAN region, the threat to low-

economies, accounted for around

skilled work from AI is compounded

US$900bn in wages in 2017. On the

by the nature of those economies:

one hand, companies across those

delivering quality education and inclu-

four economies could stand to save

sion at all levels is a challenge across

almost a collective $1trn by adopting

these populations and substantial

AI and automating those processes.

swathes of the countries’ poorest

On the other, workers across those

stand to be left behind.

companies, industries and economies

Both skilled and low-skilled roles

may either find themselves reas-

are under pressure as AI’s capabili-

signed or made redundant as the

ties grow at an ever accelerated rate.

money is invested elsewhere. In devel-

McKinsey’s 2017 report found that

oping economies such as those in

at least 30% of activities carried 83

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TECHNOLOGY

out across 60% of all occupations could be automated, though it noted: “Because automation applies at the task level, AI seems likely to change more occupations than it will eliminate outright.” And, while the aforementioned automation of around 50% of tasks at a cost saving of $900bn is staggering to consider, “this does not mean that companies will replace workers with machines overnight just because it is technically feasible to do so. The pace and extent 84

of automation will be determined by how companies view the business case, weighing considerations such as the cost of these technology systems, their ease of use, labour market dynamics, the value that could be created, the customer experience, their own capabilities and regulatory and social acceptance.”

The latter points made here are perhaps the most vital impediments to the potential havoc that AI could wreak on labour markets ill-prepared for its introduction: it won’t happen immediately and there is time to integrate the technology thoughtfully across economies. In short, as has AUGUST 2020

“ WHERE AI’S IMPLEMENTATION COMES WITH RISKS, IT ALSO COMES WITH THE PROMISE OF BENEFITING INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES IN WAYS BEYOND EFFICIENCY IN BUSINESS” been typically accomplished during previous industrial and technological revolutions, societies, government spending and education can adapt to the new normal as productivity rises and wealth blossoms through gradual adoption. What sets AI apart from previous technological overhauls of working life is its propensity to extend beyond automation of repeatable, predictable tasks. Where AI’s implementation comes with risks, it also comes with the promise of benefiting individuals and societies in ways beyond efficiency in business. busi ne ssc hief. com

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TECHNOLOGY

86

McKinsey highlights some of the

records and observations of physical

key areas in its report, with the abil-

changes caught on camera to assess

ity for machine learning to “enhance

whether a disease has taken hold

credit models and financial inclu-

or progressed. Ophthalmic care, for

sion”, as well as its applications for

example, is limited for people in geo-

healthcare, having clear and direct

graphically remote areas by the need

benefits to populations across

for specialist equipment and limited

developing countries. Preventative

availability of doctors specialising in

and remote healthcare will be

eyecare. Bangladesh is one example

supercharged by machine learning’s

where a patient may only need to

ability to cross-reference medical

have photos taken of their eyes and

AUGUST 2020

FACTS

McKinsey highlights five McKinsey highlights five elements that must be tackled elements that must be for AI adoption within tackled for AI adoption enterprises: within enterprises: • Clearly defined use cases or • Clearly defined use cases or sources of value sources of value • Robust data ecosystems • Robust data ecosystems • A workforce that is adept at using • A workforce that is adept at systems and tools using systems and tools • Clear integration with workflows • Clear integration with in the core business workflows in the core business • A n open culture that embraces a • A n open culture that embraces ‘test and learn’ approach a ‘test and learn’ approach

have them uploaded to a machine

infrastructure and data ecosystems to

learning-enhanced platform for a

realise these types of opportunities,”

diagnosis to be made based on learn-

McKinsey says.

ings from other patients. Changes

It is clear that Asia and the

over time may be minor and difficult

ASEAN region is both replete with

to detect by a human being, but such

opportunity and risks that must be

signs can be caught and flagged by

addressed when it comes to the

the system as new images are sup-

implementation of artificial intelli-

plied. But, of course, for such ideas

gence and its technological brethren,

to become reality, “most of the region

machine learning, deep learning, and

will need to build foundational digital

RPA. Governments and enterprises busi ne ssc hief. com

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TECHNOLOGY

“ THE SKILL SETS NEEDED FROM WORKFORCES WHOSE TRADITIONAL ROLES HAVE BECOME AUTOMATED MUST BE DELIVERED BY BOTH BUSINESSES SEEKING TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL FOR ABSTRACT HUMAN INPUT AND VALUE-ADD ACTIVITIES”

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AUGUST 2020

must face down considerable challenges in order to unlock its capacity for accelerated efficiency and economic growth, improved availability of credit and financial inclusion, enhancements to healthcare and more. The skill sets needed from workforces whose traditional roles have become automated must be delivered by both businesses seeking to unlock the potential for abstract human input and value-add activities, and governments who stand on the verge of enormous potential for growth and prosperity.

As the dust settles on a global pandemic that has called computational power to arms like never before, it will be interesting to see how the likes of the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia shift to take advantage of AI.

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D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

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AUGUST 2020

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN CORPORATE FINANCE WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENE AR

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91

D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

From AI and RPA to advanced data analytics, digital transformation in the corporate finance sector is poised to reach maturity There’s no denying it: we’re in the midst of a digital revolution. From remote telemedicine to blockchain apps that stop blood diamond smugglers, and artificial intelligence (AI) that verifies the freshness of high-grade tuna, nearly every aspect of our lives is becoming more and more saturated with technol92

ogy. Digital transformation is affecting every vertical in every market across the globe. While some industries have moved faster than others, each transformation has followed an inflection point: the technologies required to power significant transformation reach a level of maturity and availability that allows for change. The companies that are able to embrace these technologies and successfully use them to drive their operational and digital transformations will gain a critical advantage over their peers.

“The technologies needed to reimagine finance are here and they will only get better,” observes a recent report by global consultancy and accounting firm Deloitte. "Plus, we can learn a lot from other business functions. Modern factories give us a

AUGUST 2020

93

“The technologies needed to reimagine finance are here and they will only get better” — Deloitte

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“[Automation applications] are evolving from simple individual task automation to full process automation that could improve the accuracy of financial analysis and forecasts” — Gartner glimpse of what automation can deliver.

INCREASED AUTOMATION

Smart contracts show us new ways of

From manufacturing to supply chain

tracking assets. The lessons are out

and logistics operations, automation is

there. We don’t have to reinvent the

the technological trend that is shaping

wheel. We can focus instead on adapt-

up to define the century. In the finance

ing and adopting.”

sector, robotic process automation

The report continues, however, to

(RPA) has the potential to reshape

note that although the technologies

the role of the finance professional,

necessary to effect seismic change

as well as dramatically increasingly

across the industry are appearing (typ-

the potential for value creation across

ically in the form of pilot programs and

entire businesses.

localised trials) there has yet to be

It’s estimated that financial planning

much evidence of scalable transforma-

and analysis (FA&P) professionals

tional change. “The roadmaps to that

spend as much as 80% of their workdays

future are still being drawn.” This month, Business Chief breaks down three of the key trends affecting the relationship between digital transformation and the finance operation, and looks at how companies can best adapt and thrive under these new conditions. busi ne ssc hief. com

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D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

on manual data gathering, consolidation, verification, and formatting, leaving just 20% for high-level analysis and strategic planning. Significant RPA adoption across the industry could change all that. RPA uses AI to train software bots to perform increasingly complex yet repetitive digital tasks, from processing claims and transactions, to monitoring compliance and auditing processes.

This technology is primarily manifesting through a phenomenon known as 96

“co-bots”. Rather than removing humans from the equation, the goal of a co-bot deployment is not to replace the human worker, but rather to augment that worker’s abilities through repetitive task automation, superior analysis, and workflow management. For example,

“The modern CFO is evolving from being a backwards-looking number collector to a trailblazing strategic leader who uses data and emerging technologies” — Marc Linden, EVP, GM of Medium Segment Native Cloud Solutions, Sage AUGUST 2020

97

process automation is having a signifi-

Automation in finance is gaining

cant impact on invoice management.

a good amount of traction in some of

According to Manoj Shroff, MD,

the more developed markets. In the

Finance and Accounting Business

US, for example, a report released

Process Lead at Accenture, using

in June by ISG found that around 83%

AI-powered predictive technology,

of enterprise finance functions have

finance departments are now able

deployed RPA in some way, and

to know with almost 95% accuracy

around 95% are experimenting with

when a particular invoice will get paid.

or have deployed machine learning busi ne ssc hief. com

D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

technologies in their finance and

“at the same time finance robotics must

accounting processes.

be scaled out of shared services and

Automation in finance has almost unlimited potential to increase efficiency,

into other finance sub-functions such as procurement and tax".

agility and ROI. As the technology

98

increases in sophistication, its applica-

POWERFUL ANALYTICS

tions are “evolving from simple individual

A technological trend that remains

task automation to full process automa-

closely linked with the increase in auto-

tion that could improve the accuracy of

mation deployments across the sector

financial analysis and forecasts,” accord-

is the growth and changing nature of

ing to Gartner’s report on automation in

analytics. The ability for finance depart-

finance. Gartner also notes, however,

ments to shift their energies away from

however, that the finance industry still

back-office reporting, and towards

faces pressure to increase ROI from

forecasting and predictive analysis,

automation deployments, adding that

has powerful implications for industries

Digital Finance – Finance Transformation at Deloitte CLICK TO WATCH

AUGUST 2020

|

3:55

like insurance and investment. The

finance analytics can cost a business as

power of data analytics to harness

much as 1% of its revenue, a figure that

and draw insights from vast pools of

can mount dramatically over the course

data (that would simply not be feasible

of an unsuccessful transformation.

for humans to manually evaluate) is a game changer for the industry.

“CFOs must ask what technologies will enable finance to deliver on-demand

However, the game hasn’t been

reporting, how should data be gov-

changed yet. A report released earlier

erned as reporting expands to inte-

this year by FSN, a mere 14% of financial

grate financial and nonfinancial data,

organisations are successfully harness-

and what skills finance will need to

ing the large volumes of transaction data

deliver insight in an on-demand report-

they accumulate. These organisations

ing environment,” commented Craig

are either laden down by too much data,

Wilton, Senior Director, Advisory,

constrained in accessing their data,

Gartner. “Finance must balance the

or hindered by the technology they are

need for accuracy with the need to

using to analyse the data. The stakes

make a huge volume of data available

are high, as well; Gartner estimates

for decision-making, which is a new

that each incorrect decision regarding

muscle for many finance teams.” busi ne ssc hief. com

99

D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

T H E E R A O F T HE DI GI TAL CFO

As digital transformation touches every aspect of a business’ organisation, the need for digitally forward-thinking executives is extending beyond the CTO, CSO and other, traditionally techfocused roles.

100

A report from January of this year

by Sage found that 98% of CFOs say their job has significantly changed in the past five years, with around 75% claiming that they now play a critical role in driving digital transformation across their organisations.

“The modern CFO is evolving from being a backwards-looking number collector to a trailblazing strategic leader who uses data and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, to create a vision for the future of their business,” said Marc Linden, Sage EVP and GM of Medium Segment Native Cloud Solutions, in a press release.

“The digitalisation of business is fundamentally changing the way finance leaders work and

AUGUST 2020

embracing technological evolution will separate the leaders from the laggards in this new era. However, a lack of cultural readiness in the office of finance may slow adoption of new technology and hinder achieving optimal results with any digital transformation.”

Simply being a tech-savvy leader is not enough for the modern CFO; the most successful executives in this area need to be drivers of both cultural and digital transformation throughout not only their own finance departments, but the entire company. “Company culture plays a vital role in the effective integration of any technology,” cautioned Nancy Harris, Managing Director, Sage North America. “As CFOs are driving digital transformation forward, they must not overlook the critical role they play in ensuring teams have the skills necessary to optimise these solutions and allaying any misperceptions and fears about

101

AI and automation across the wider organisation.”

However, if the modern CFO can combine cutting-edge digital adoption with smart, agile strategic decision making, while working to successfully create cultural change and readiness for Industry 4,0 throughout their organisation, they can be a formidable agent of change. “CFOs have access to the most important data in the business and the insights pulled

from this data are critical to driving the company forward,” commented Marie-Helene SimardBrown, CFO, Costa Farms. “Data such as inventory management, compliance changes and financial forecasting must be set up and gathered properly in order to glean the right insights and operational efficiencies. This creates a real opportunity for CFOs to be innovation ‘change agents’ in the digitalisation journey of the business.”

busi ne ssc hief. com

D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

“Finance must balance the need for accuracy with the need to make a huge volume of data available for decision-making, which is a new muscle for many finance teams” — Craig Wilton, Senior Director, Advisory, Gartner 102

THE CHANGING ROLE OF CORPORATE FINANCE

According to Deloitte, with digital solu-

As automation and analytics steadily

tions compensating fro routine work-

take on a more mature role in the oper-

loads, finance departments will have

ation of corporate finance divisions,

increased opportunities to proactively

the roles of those business units, and

create value and direct strategy.

the finance professionals working

These new roles will include functions

within them, is set to change dramatically.

like “scenario planning, advanced

This trend can best be described as

roles for their partners and clients.

forecasting, and better visualisation.

an upstream migration. As functions

Teams of business partners will come

like budgeting, processing and report-

together to focus on the most complex

ing begin to approach full automation,

commercial decisions, moving around

finance professionals will fulfil new

the business as needed”.

AUGUST 2020

103

In essence, the digital transforma-

will double down on business insights

tion of a finance department’s more

and service,” predicts Deloitte.

mechanical functions will create a

“Whether Finance continues to direct

world where the lines between the

the resources currently under its

finance discipline and other business

control will be dependent on its ability

functions like leadership, supply chain

to add value. That will require quality

and HR are increasingly blurred. This

insights and exceptional customer

interdisciplinary world will require

service. Some finance organisations

a shift in both attitude and training

will evolve into full-fledged business

focus for these departments, but has

service centers.”

the potential to promote agility and cross-company communication.

“With operations automated, finance busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10

104

Most valuable digital technology brands WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON

Business Chief North America ranks the region’s top 10 most valuable digital technology brands WRITTEN BY

AUGUST 2020

WILL GIRLING

105

busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10

CEO

SAFRA CATZ

1977 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

REDWOOD CITY CALIFORNIA

Photo © Oracle PR 106

10

Oracle US$32.2bn

Founded in 1977 by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates, Oracle began its journey under the name Software Development Laboratories. Between 1977 and 1982 the company took on one more name – Relations Software Inc. – before becoming Oracle Corporation in 1982. In 1986, the company went public and became one of the largest database management companies the following year in 1987.

Oracle provides multiple industries with products and services that address a wide variety of aspects in the corporate information technology environment. Its expertise include cloud infrastructures, cloud applications, on-premise infrastructure, data clouds and on-premise applications.

AUGUST 2020

09

General Electric (GE) US$34.3bn

Founded in 1892, General Electric (GE) has over 125 years of experience in innovating and pioneering technology. Reflecting on its heritage, GE highlights four areas where it has led the way for technological transformation over the years.

• Transportation: “For over a century, GE’s creations have powered vehicles in the air, at sea, and on land.”

• Power: “GE’s co-founder Thomas Edison created the first electrical grid in 1882. Ever since, GE has played an integral role in generating and delivering power.”

• Devices: “Our revolutionary breakthroughs have fundamentally changed aspects of industry and daily life in manufacturing, healthcare and materials science discoveries.”

• Environment: “We know that our company’s future success depends upon our ability to create safer, cleaner, more efficient power, products, and processes.”

CEO

H. LAWRENCE CULP, JR.

1892 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS

busi ne ssc hief. com

107

T O P 10

CEO

CHUCK ROBBINS

1984 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA

Photo © Gunawan Kartapranata

08

109

Cisco

US$34.5bn

Since its founding in 1984, Cisco has been striving to “seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the unconnected. An integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships, working together to identify our customers’ needs and provide solutions that fuel their success.” Cisco works to build technological bridges to solve business challenges via network, security, collaboration, internet of things (IoT) data center and service provider capabilities.

busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10

CEO

ROBERT SWAN

1968 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

SANTA CLARA CALIFORNIA

110

07

Intel

US$38.8bn

Founded in 1968, Intel strives to shape the future of technology, by creating “world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth.” With the rise of devices, data, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and intelligent edge, Intel is focused on “unleashing the potential of data to unlock Brand value for people, business and society on a global scale.” Intel strives to “create world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth. We believe technology must constantly evolve to make more things possible and all things easier, smarter, and more connected than ever before.”

AUGUST 2020

08

AT&T

US$41.3bn

Since 1876, AT&T has been striving to transform the way people live, work and play. AT&T’s journey started with Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. “Since then, our legacy of innovation sparked the invention of the transistor, as well as the solar cell, the communications satellite and machine learning.” Throughout its history AT&T has been driving innovation, but today, the company is striving to shape the future with “premium content, high-speed networks, direct-to-consumer relationships and an advanced ad technology platform. AT&T and its employees are united by a shared desire to inspire progress and change the world for the better.”

CEO

JOHN STANKEY

1876 YEAR FOUNDED

111

HQ DALLAS TEXAS

busi ne ssc hief. com

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T O P 10

CEO

MARK ZUCKERBERG

2004 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

MENLO PARK CALIFORNIA

Photo ©Anthony Quintano

05

113

Facebook US$88.9bn

Co-founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook is “committed to building technology that helps people find ways to be together.” Facebook is built on five core principles: giving people a voice; building connections and communities; serving everyone; keeping people safe and protecting privacy; and prompt economic opportunities. Facebook’s mission is to “give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” It is a key reason why the company constantly iterates, solves problems and promotes collaborative working to connect people all over the world.

busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10

04

Amazon US$97bn

Founded in 1994, Amazon strives to have a positive impact on customers, employees, small businesses, the economy, and communities. Guided by its four principles; customer obsession rather than competitor focus; a passion for invention; commitment to operational excellence; and long-term thinking, Amazon operates in a variety of sectors including, ecommerce, logistics, cloud technology and web services. As part of its commitments, Amazon is striving to make big changes to protect the planet. Its commitments to the Paris agreement include: 100% net zero carbon by 2040; 80% renewable energy by 2024; 100% renewable

114

energy by 2030; and 50% shipments net zero carbon by 2030.

CEO

JEFF BEZOS

AUGUST 2020

1994 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

SEATTLE WASHINGTON

CEO

ATYA NADELLA

1975 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

REDMOND WASHINGTON

03

115

Microsoft US$125.3bn

Since its founding in 1975, Microsoft has been striving to transform the way that people live, work, play, and connect through technology.

“We are inspired every day by the genuine belief that we can change the world for the better”, it says. Microsoft’s journey began in Albuquerque with Bill Gates and Paul Allen developing software for the Altair 8800, under the name Micro-Soft, for microprocessors and software. In 1980, Gates and Allen struck a deal with IBM to provide the operating system for the company’s first personal computer. In 1985, Microsoft released Windows and by the late 1980s, the company was one of the world’s largest personal-computer software companies.

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T O P 10

Grow stronger with Google CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:22

118

CEO

SUNDAR PICHAI

1995 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

MOUNTAIN VIEW CALIFORNIA

AUGUST 2020

02

Google US$167.7bn

In 1995, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin – at Stanford University – built a search engine that used links to determine the importance of individual pages on the World Wide Web, giving it the name Backrub. Soon after ‘Backrub’ was renamed Google – a play on the mathematical expression for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. Today, Google’s mission remains the same as it did in 1995, “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

119

busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10 AC C E N T U R E ’S T OP FI VE T ECH T REN DS I N 20 20

• Personalisation “Redesigning digital experiences with new models that amplify personal agency, transforming one-way experiences into true collaborations.”

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and human collaboration Business operations will be reimagined with human and artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration. Taking “a new approach that uses artificial intelligence to bring out the full power of people.”

• Moving away from the beta stage “Overcome the ‘beta burden’. Addressing the new reality of product ownership in the era of ‘forever beta.’”

• Moving beyond the walls of the enterprise “Companies in every industry will unlock new opportunities by introducing robots to the next frontier: the open world.”

• Innovative DNA Accenture sees organisations building upon their capabilities and ecosystem partnerships to assemble a unique innovative DNA. Source: Accenture

AUGUST 2020

U S E C AS E S O F T R EN DI N G T ECHN O LO GY – I O T, A RT I F I C I A L I N T E L L I GEN CE AN D BLO CKCHAI N – I N G LO BAL SECT O RS

• Automotive

• Education

IoT: crash avoidance, fleet management and smart factories.

Artificial intelligence: autonomous driving, driver assistance and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Blockchain: vehicle title management, counterfeit detection and origination identification.

IoT: facilities management, personalized student experience and student security. Artificial intelligence: student enrollment, personalised learning plans and student success. Blockchain: student records, digital rights management and learning marketplace.

• Manufacturing

• Finance

IoT: service monitoring, production monitoring and product insights. Artificial intelligence: predictive maintenance, intelligent manufacturing and demand sensing. Blockchain: compliance management, IP management and product traceability.

IoT: wearable technology, insurance as a service and trade finance. Artificial intelligence: risk management, financial planning and fraud prevention.

Blockchain: cross border payment, identity management and settlement trading.

• Communication

• Healthcare

IoT: connectivity, delivery and monetization of iot services and asset tracking and remote workers.

Artificial intelligence: network maintenance and troubleshooting, dynamic resource allocation and customer experience. Blockchain: roaming charge settlement, media and game streaming, and security and fraud.

IoT: remote patient monitoring, asset management and medication adherence. Artificial intelligence: fraud detection, pattern based cybersecurity and virtual nursing assistant.

Blockchain: claims management, medical traceability and credential validation.

Source: Oracle busi ne ssc hief. com

T O P 10

01

Apple

US$205.5bn

Founded in 1976, Apple is a multinational technology company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. “We’re a diverse collective of thinkers and doers, continually reimagining what’s possible to help us all do what we love in new ways. The same innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices — strengthening our 122

commitment to leave the world better than we found it.”Driving business growth under one common goal – to create the best customer experience, it explains that, “every new product we invent, service we create, or store we open is the result of people working together to make each other’s ideas stronger.”

CEO TIM COOK

AUGUST 2020

1976 YEAR FOUNDED

HQ

CUPERTINO CALIFORNIA

123

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124

AltaMed’s digital healthcare transformation AUGUST 2020

125

WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at AltaMed Health Services, discusses clinical system transformation and remote working

N 126

on-profit healthcare company AltaMed Health Services was founded as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in

1969, with a mission to provide healthcare to the underserved Latino and multi-ethnic population of east Los Angeles. There was a lack of healthcare available in this area and today they’re one of the largest community health centres in the country, serving nearly 300,000 patients with more than 1,000,000 visits a year.

AltaMed serves everyone and anyone independent of their ability to pay or their immigration status. “We welcome everyone at AltaMed and we are here to help them with primary care and their health concerns, providing quality care without exception” Lowe says. “At our core is social justice.”

Lowe joined AltaMed in January 2018. The company had been going through a decade of “explosive growth”, with the number of patients they serve having increased tenfold.

AUGUST 2020

127

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

“ Through our digital transformation our patients will have access to healthcare through mobile devices, when and how they want it” — Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services 128

He launched its digital transformational journey with a focus on healthcare’s quadruple aim: improving quality, improving patient experience, improving provider satisfaction, and lowering costs. In order to do this Lowe set about developing a comprehensive plan that was rapid, agile and included input from business stakeholders in clinical and financial operation areas. “A DevOps initiative or technology without operational buy-in will likely not deliver the right outcomes,” Lowe says. “I always keep in mind what the corresponding workflow is and what the KPIs are that we need to meet for the organization, thinking not just in terms of technology, but from an operational perspective.

“Digital transformation is not easy,” he adds. “Aligning the organization requires flawless delivery of operations.

Good IT requires detailed planning and strong operations to ensure the organization will be successful. Ultimately, I think IT needs to run like magic.”

The last two years have certainly produced many benefits. AltaMed has hardened core services, particularly uptime and critical services,

AUGUST 2020

AltaMed Health Services CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:00

129 implementing cyber solutions to

make our data centre to UTI tier III,

address threats that arise with

and we’ve added 350 new virtual

increased remote working and tel-

machines and 33 hosts in the last

ehealth solutions. The company has

two years within the VMware envi-

further been able to extend meeting

ronment,” Lowe explains.

services so remote workers can col-

To upgrade its network and cyber-

laborate seamlessly regardless of

security AltaMed has relied heavily

location and the number of attend-

upon its partners. Lowe explains that

ees. As well as managing televisits

there was technical debt when he

and increased traffic to their patient

first joined, and he needed to bring

portal, they’ve deployed the Epic

the corporation to an enterprise class.

electronic medical record system, a

“Fortunately I have a good partner

new managed care software solution.

network with Cisco and Presidio,

Virtualization has also been a key element. “We’ve been able to

having worked with them previously at Dignity Health, and Red8 is an b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

130

existing partner at AltaMed. We

cybersecurity. My entire digital, video

did a baseline gap analysis to plan

and telehealth strategy is built upon

how to correct the environment so

this framework and we are able to

we could be at an enterprise level.

work fast - taking the time to lay the

This involved collaborative working

proper foundation allows you to move

both with my technology team and

fast and perform transformation at

my partners, and through that we

the speed of light. We also entered

developed a remote multi-phase

into enterprise licensing agreements

programme. Ironically, most of it was

in the Collaboration (Webex) and

actually completed prior to COVID-19.

Cisco’s Security Umbrella.”

“The partnership with Cisco and

A partnership with NetApp and

Presidio allowed AltaMed to trans-

Red8 allowed AltaMed to simplify data

form the network, switch route,

management and non-disruptively

hyper converged infrastructure and

scale capacity, while cost-effectively

AUGUST 2020

supporting its general-purpose business applications. Red8 also worked with Lowe’s team consolidating fragmented infrastructure, allowing it to stabilize and grow the core of its managed care business. They also assisted in overall design and deployment of data protection, retention, and encryption.

“Partners really help to shorten the time to market. No organization has all the talent that’s necessary, and great organizations are built on great opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate to have a very strong partner network that has been an extension of my team.” Lowe says.

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

Raymond Lowe Title: Senior Vice President / Chief Information Officer Company: AltaMed Health Services Industry: Healthcare Location: Los Angeles, USA Ray Lowe serves as the Senior Vice President / Chief Information Officer of AltaMed Health Services. Ray started at AltaMed Health Services in January of 2018. Ray currently resides in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

The COVID-19 outbreak has substantially changed the way the company works. In keeping with social distancing guidelines, AltaMed has expanded video and telephonic appointment it opened nine outdoor testing sites including in some places where there was no power or network services. “We had to figure out how to deploy corporate wireless out into a parking lot to support a clinic,” Lowe explains. “From an application and DevOps perspective, in days b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

131

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

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NETAPP AND RED8: POWERING ALTAMED’S TRANSFORMATION NetApp’s Dave Nesvisky and Red8’s Eric Sarraf, Luke Lederman and Brandon Kaier discuss their partnership with AltaMed and the services they provide.

Red 8 and NetApp have played a crucial part in non-profit healthcare company AltaMed Health Services transformation.

Red8 is a system integrator and consulting firm, specialising in areas such as data centres, cybersecurity, DevOps and operations. For more than 20 years, it has helped customers streamline operations and roll out new technologies.

NetApp is a specialist in data management and storage, dedicated to helping customers solve their data challengers whether on-premise, in the cloud or hybrid. It serves organisations of every size in the context of healthcare, from community access hospitals to national health systems.

Working together with AltaMed and its CIO Raymond Lowe, the two companies have helped to simplify data management and scale capacity in a nondisruptive manner, while cost-effectively supporting AltaMed’s general-purpose business applications.

“Our relationship with AltaMed started around eight years ago,” says Eric Sarraf, Senior Account Executive at Red8. “We deployed their very first data storage systems, and since then we have rolled out a number of NetApp systems. Once Ray joined the organisation, we were really able to expand our services.”

Accordingly, Red8 has worked to consolidate fragmented infrastructure, allowing AltaMed to stabilise and grow the core of their managed care business. They also assisted in overall design and deployment of data protection, retention, and encryption systems.

NetApp, meanwhile, provides the crucial data management and storage infrastructure, as Dave Nesvisky, Executive Director - Healthcare, explains: “As the relationship has matured and as the use cases have expanded, AltaMed has enjoyed the benefit and the simplicity of being able to manage all of their data using a common interface - instead of having islands of information and a large portfolio of disparate

NetApp & Red8

products. It takes risk out of the equation, and ultimately also saves considerable training costs in different technologies and platforms.”

The work they’ve done together has had the effect of streamlining operations, and freed up employees to spend less time managing the day-to-day.

“Before, several people were dedicated to just infrastructure,” says Red8’sSenior Systems Engineer, Luke Lederman. Today, they’re in a position where not only can they spend less time managing it, but also where they can scale much more easily as the business grows.”

According to Red8 Field CTO Brandon Kaier, It’s a relationship born of a keen understanding of the ways technology is transforming the industry. “Digital transformation for organisations is, at the end of the day, pretty simple. It’s gaining unrealised value out of a physical asset through the use of technology. Why the partnership with NetApp and AltaMed is so important is the rise of cloud and cloud applications. Everybody, not just born-digital companies, is trying to figure out how they can accelerate their application development.”

The partnership, then, has brought reliable, scalable benefits to the mission critical healthcare environment in which AltaMed operates, doing more with data and freeing up its employees’ time.

Red8.com/Healthcare

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

“ Taking the time to lay the proper foundation allows you to move fast and perform transformation at the speed of light”

134

— Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services

AUGUST 2020

we deployed a brand new build for COVID-19 to support the testing sites”.

We needed increased infrastructure uplift for virtual meetings to provide rich video experience for our patients, providers and employees.

For social distancing and remote work we deployed 800 laptops over a three-week period. Working with Cisco and Presidio helped us accelerate the implementation of a thousand remote workers, which happened in a matter of days.”

Lowe says this was a real test as to nimbleness and agility. “Our teams excelled during this crisis, meeting the needs of our employees and continuing to care for the underserved population of Southern California.”

Looking ahead, he says some of these changes will remain in place.

“Social distancing is now the norm, and certain jobs may not return to the office. From a technical perspective we need to ensure that we have a highly reliable network, connected in a secure manner, allowing employees to be productive either on site or remotely.”

“From a patient perspective, many b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

135

A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

people are very concerned about being in crowds, so we are looking at shifting the way we provide care with a much heavier emphasis on video and telephone services.” We are deploying patient-centric care with flexible walls, meaning our patients won’t have to come to a clinic to see a provider. They will be able to obtain care from their location on their schedule. Also for COVID-19 testing we are deploying temperature kiosks that prompt patients and employees 136

to answer CDC guideline questions to ensure the safety for everyone.”

AltaMed’s digital journey has already

“ A DevOps initiative or technology without operational buy-in will likely not deliver the right outcomes” — Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services

seen it expand into these areas and they are prepared to continue this digital transformation. For patients enroute to an appointment, AltaMed has enabled them to check in to their appointment on their phone, and wait in their car until someone is ready to see them. They will then receive a text message reminder to let them know when to enter the medical building. To improve the quality of care in the home for chronic disease

AUGUST 2020

1969

Year founded

3,170 Number of employees

137

management, AltaMed is also work-

organization that lives its mission

ing on remote patient monitoring

and values providing healthcare

for people with chronic diseases, for

to the most vulnerable and under-

instance by sending out glucometers

served communities. “Through our

to track weight and blood pressure

digital transformation, our patient

in patients with diabetes, conges-

will have access to their providers

tive heart failure, hypertension and

from their mobile device or home

COPD. For moms, it is deploying an

when and how they want it.�

application that will provide education, tracking and support during their pregnancy journey.

AltaMed Health Services is an b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

138

Data center sourcing made simple WRITTEN BY

JOHN O’HANLON PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

COLOTRAQ

Dany Bouchedid, CEO of COLOTRAQ, on his vision to provide colocation, managed hosting, cloud, network and data center services globally

G

reat businesses often spring from very small seeds: the seed that grew into COLOTRAQ was a lecture, one of a

series, from an early .com entrepreneur to a final year ‘ecommerce’ class at NYU’s Stern School of Business in 1999. The internet was largely unex140

plored territory to the students of management including Dany Bouchedid, who approached the entrepreneur at the end of his talk, expressing his interest and asking him for a tip. After a moment’s thought, Jeff Bezos (for it was he) answered: “Infrastructure.” The class hadn’t yet tackled this subject but Bouchedid was sufficiently interested to ask his professor for a reading list. “I never looked back,” he says. After thoroughly acquainting himself with the data center infrastructure that supports the expanding internet, he founded COLOTRAQ as a full-service consultancy to help companies and institutions source data center colocation.

This proved a winning business model, and today COLOTRAQ uses a global network of data centers from over 400 service providers and has helped more than 10,000 clients, giving them access to AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

COLOTRAQ

“ When it comes to the whole as-a-service concept, where does the rubber meet the road? It’s in the data center” — Dany Bouchedid, CEO, COLOTRAQ

upwards of 3,000 colocation and managed hosting facilities. Its custombuilt cloud-based software DCITRAQ allows them to instantly identify, with granular detail, the best data center infrastructure (DCI) to deliver their business goals. It also lets them compare, in real time, the technical specs of the different options facing them.

DCITRAQ was launched five years ago, and has evolved since then with new features. It is available to customers, their consultants or agents

142

to dynamically compare and source data center services such as physical or wholesale colocation, managed hosting, cloud and cybersecurity, he explains. “You can have multiple vendors compete for your business through DCITRAQ.” Essentially, DCITRAQ is a reverse auction model for the data center industry, costing the client nothing to gain a transparent view of the physical, virtualized and hybrid offerings available from a huge pool of providers.

It gives the client all the information they need about a provider from their physical facilities to their software capabilities and carriers. “The power AUGUST 2020

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143

of DCITRAQ lies in 21 years of experi-

bookseller should have set such a

ence and thousands of projects. All

store on infrastructure. “It wasn’t till

this information is collected to an intui-

Amazon launched AWS almost a

tive dashboard – all your deal history,

decade after Bezos gave that talk that

communications all fully integrated

his master plan became clear: he had

with COLOTRAQ’s cloud based enter-

been the retail king but now he was the

prise accounting platform – and that

infrastructure king!”

information is always up to date.”

Though the rise of the internet was

When the corporate flight to the cloud started, Bouchedid heard people

clearly going to drive demand for data

say the colocation business might

center services and be the basis for his

suffer as people started to abandon

business expansion plan, Bouchedid

on-premise solutions and put their

did wonder at first how someone who

data and their operations in the hands

seemed no more than a clever online

of AWS, Oracle, Azure and the like. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

COLOTRAQ

favor a hybrid approach: good news for COLOTRAQ, which is uniquely placed to help them navigate these waters.

For 21 years COLOTRAQ has been pitching digital transformation, virtualization and outsourcing. Suddenly the arrival of a global pandemic has meant that instead of a phased introduction, corporations are faced with an urgent need to move to a distributed workforce and off-prem systems as an immediate survival strategy. As an example, he cites telecoms: “You’d be 144

surprised at the number of organizations that still retain PBX systems: we are seeing an unprecedented take-up Far from it, he soon realized: “When

of UCaaS.” For 10 years COLOTRAQ

it comes to the whole as-a-service

has maintained its core systems

concept, where does the rubber meet

including its DCITRAQ platform in the

the road? It’s in the data center!” For

cloud so it experienced no disruption

COLOTRAQ, the effect has been that

whatever when lockdown came in.

the lower value, high churn business

Many businesses were totally

did reduce as small business clients

unprepared for the pandemic. One of

moved to the cloud, but that was good

COLOTRAQ’s biggest projects cur-

news. Its biggest market is now among

rently involves digitizing a large law

mid-market to large enterprises as well

firm’s entire caseload and building

as the providers of services over IP, such

an enterprise portal enabling them

as VoIP, UCaaS, IaaS and a host of ser-

to virtualize all the complex informa-

vices driven by technologies like IoT or

tion that litigation requires, work on

blockchain. Large enterprises do tend to

the case and present it at a Zoom

AUGUST 2020

court session through screen shar-

who have not done so will be urgently

ing. “Law is just one vertical that is

virtualizing their entire value chain.”

still quite archaic in many ways, with

So called ‘traditional’ industries like

lawyers showing up at court with

law or real-estate may be racing to

piles of papers – that is not much use

catch up, but the need of tech-based

at a Zoom meeting. The many firms

verticals is just as pressing, for slightly

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

Dany Bouchedid Title: CEO

Company: COLOTRAQ

Dany Bouchedid is a relationship-driven entrepreneur, leader and visionary with a proven track record of success in building, growing and managing multimillion dollar enterprises. In 1999, he founded and is currently CEO of COLOTRAQ, a full-service sourcing and consulting firm that helps companies and institutions source data center colocation, managed hosting, cloud computing, network infrastructure and other related telecom services in 140 countries. Dany has been published and quoted in various industry publications and has been a speaker at several industry conferences. He has served on several boards for both non-profits and corporations. Dany is the founder and president of The Bouchedid Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to identify and evaluate thousands of charities and non-profit service organizations and rank them using a proprietary algorithm to determine which causes to fund directly.

The foundation considers a multitude of variables including the focus of the charity, the urgency and direness of their cause, and the level of disenfranchisement and vulnerability of the group they service. The ultimate goal is to fund the most immediate and worthwhile causes that are affecting the most underprivileged and neglected groups. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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Data center and colocation providers like Equinix are investing in expanding their footprint to meet the demands of their consumers and changing technologies.

Equinix and Colotraq: joint data centre pioneers Jules Johnston, Vice President, Americas Partner Sales at data centre company Equinix, discusses the company’s collaborative approach to interconnection.

Jules Johnston is Vice President, Americas Partner Sales at data centre company Equinix. Having joined in early 2016, she has overseen a move to new sales channels as part of the company’s work. “The team we’ve put together in the last few years has helped the company go from what was single digits in terms of partner-connected selling to something greater than 30% of our bookings globally,” she says. “We’re on a path and committed to do the majority of our business with partners, so it’s been very exciting to be part of that. The team I lead today is the 40-person Americas partner sales organisation, and our job is to work with partners so that we can help our field and inside sellers meet at the customer.”

While Equinix is renowned as a co-location and data centre organisation, Johnston is clear that the company takes a broader view. “We really think of ourselves as an interconnection company and as the global platform for digital business. So when companies build their digital infrastructure and platforms within Equinix, what they’re able to do is dynamically connect to the world’s largest ecosystem of clouds, data, suppliers and customers.” Constructing such an ecosystem has required a significant amount of infrastructure. “Equinix has invested in over 210 data centres around the world, or international business exchanges, IBXs, as we call them. That allows Equinix to be able to meet the needs of any company today with global aspirations.”

Equinix works closely with colocation broker Colotraq, with the organisation having been one of Equinix’s master agents for around five years. “Colotraq is a fellow pioneer in the data center space,” says Johnston.

“As one of the oldest master agents in telecom, they’ve intersected with us naturally. Equinix started as a place for the world’s networks to come together in a neutral fashion and Colotraq also prides itself on being network neutral.”

The partnership extends far beyond the surface level, with Colotraq agents and Equinix solutions architects jointly meeting with customers to advise on digital edge strategy briefings.

Jules Johnston @ Equinix

“One of the places that we intersect is in helping customers in their network optimisation strategies,” says Johnston. “We have the largest collection of networks in the world in Equinix data centers, and Colotraq advises companies on optimising their network strategies and spend. We’ve had a really long, productive association given that overlap.”

Incoming trends such as 5G, AI, IoT, blockchain and more all signal a bright future for Equinix and its cloud offering, with the company continuing to prove invaluable for customers even during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Equinix was able to help a global financial powerhouse stand up 120,000 employees remotely in three days. In this current climate, companies have a real need for that.

We’re able to use our digital platform to help companies make those kinds of moves.”

Learn more

COLOTRAQ

different reasons. Another big current project involves a very popular online gaming company: “They are expanding their footprint like crazy, and they need to get to the edge. Edge computing has been a huge driver: any business where there’s consumption of streaming content or which is bandwidth-intensive like streaming media, music or online gaming needs to push its network out to the edge, closer to its end users and subscribers. That is good news for colocation because 148

with edge computing you need to control the location of your data center equipment.” The mantra of ubiquity, where it no longer matters where the physical equipment is as long as you have access to your application, does not work for edge computing architecture he noted. “Many businesses of this nature are moving towards hybrid models now. 20 years ago it was all about location, then it shifted to the notion of ubiquity: now we’ve come full circle.”

Blockchain is another major disruptor, he continued. “You can’t have your blockchain nodes on a public cloud platform: the whole point is to have the controls in place for all the AUGUST 2020

“ It’s vital for any entrepreneur to make sure he is not outpaced by the market he is in” — Dany Bouchedid, CEO, COLOTRAQ

different blockchain nodes, and the only way to do that is by having racks in each of your key markets, with georedundancy.” Edge computing and blockchain are developments where a one-size-fits-all approach won’t answer in the post-Covid world.

Looking ahead the company is keeping a close eye on the internet of things (IoT), in particular industrial IoT or IIoT. “We have seen only the tip of the iceberg: as manufacturing and logistics really starts to implement IIoT devices throughout the supply chain it will create so much big data, for storage and to have the computing power at the edge, to be able to feed back data in real time to those devices. This will escalate the demand for colocation, create more ‘sprawl’ and get us closer to the edge, where customers and subscribers actually live and work. Many data center providers to my knowledge are investing in expanding their footprint.” The industry has come full circle when even AWS and VMware have gone physical for the first time ever with their recently launched Outposts, an integrated hardware rack that seamlessly connects to Amazon’s public cloud. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

149

COLOTRAQ

COLOTRAQ is a company that thrives on change, and nothing drives change like a pandemic. Every client he speaks with is scrutinizing its IT infrastructure and architecture like never before, and that presents opportunities in every aspect of the IT value chain from their data center infrastructure to their communications and their networks. Security is again at the forefront: “Hackers are having a field day thanks to the lockdown, where businesses secured their offices but not their 150

employees’ home networks, so we are seeing cybersecurity projects coming in relating to the post-pandemic world.”

“ Over 21 years I have been blessed by having rock stars for my employees and that makes it really easy to lead the company” — Dany Bouchedid, CEO, COLOTRAQ

The terrible economic and human cost of the crisis will accelerate the pace of change. Already the data center industry was predicted to grow at an annual rate of 25% over the next five years. “It’s vital for any entrepreneur to make sure he is not outpaced by the market he is in. For COLOTRAQ, if we feel we can’t handle demand at this scale we may raise a capital growth round and staff up – it will be a great problem to have!”

It would be nice if the realization that IT consumes far more energy

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151

worldwide than any other activ-

visible by DCITRAQ – it’s a good case

ity would drive the greening of the

where the triple bottom line is driven by

industry, but in Dany Bouchedid’s

profitability as well as social pressure

opinion that goal will more probably

to combat climate change.

be reached though economic pres-

Meanwhile COLOTRAQ is happy to

sure. “All operators are under pressure

share access to its platforms with the

from their shareholders to lower their

many entrepreneurial players entering

operating expenditure, and energy is

the colocation space, and work with them.

the biggest part of that. And that OpEx

“There will be more than enough space for

is passed on to customers. There’s

everyone, and I see new entrants as co-

a direct correlation between better

opetition rather than competition.”

energy management and competitive pricing.” All of these metrics are made b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

150

Digital Realty: the global data centre ecosystem platform WRITTEN BY

MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

151

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

Chris Sharp, CTO at Digital Realty, on powering data centre digital transformation with a global ecosystem platform

“

F

orget data lakes, we’re now talking about some of the largest data oceans ever created,” says Digital Realty’s Chris Sharp,

discussing the seismic evolution of data – and how 152

enterprise and hyperscale customers use that data – towards a series of interconnected global, digital ecosystems capable of supporting even the most complex digital transformations.

Digital Realty, at which Sharp holds the role of Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation, is a key enabler of those transformations. The company supports the global data centre, colocation, and interconnection strategies of leading organisations worldwide with a fit for purpose global data centre platform, PlatformDIGITAL. This comprehensive solution offers a model built around network, control, and data hubs, and has been created to enable the ever-changing data, security, and networking demands of these global enterprises as they grow.

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2001

Year founded

$3bn+ Revenue in US dollars

1,500 Number of employees

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

“ We are really focused on supporting our customers in their enterprise journey, and a crucial aspect of that is not only focusing on what they need today, but what they’ll absolutely need tomorrow” — Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation 154

The pace at which the global digital economy has evolved has changed the way enterprises in every sector create and deliver value. Now more than ever data, technology and an effective IT strategy are essential to enterprises.

Equally so, is operating on demand, ubiquitously and in a manner that is augmented by real-time intelligence at every point of business globally.

Yet, with that growth comes challenges.

For example, as data creation and consumption rises, so too does the need for effective tools, networks and infrastructures to access and analyse it. This creates data gravity – a point that many enterprises reach as they scale in a digital environment.

THE GLOBAL DATA TRANSFORMATION Sharp is a seasoned technology leader, with more than 20 years’ experience and a proven track record of evolving businesses to meet the most complex and demanding technology trends.

From the countless enterprise organisations that he and Digital Realty work with, he identifies an overarching trend driving change: as enterprises scale, they deploy globally and need access AUGUST 2020

to their data and public cloud-based systems in a different way, yet they also all need help managing the complexity from this shift. “This is where, in my experience, Digital Realty is really able to differentiate itself from others in the market,” he says. “We are dedicated to supporting our customers in their enterprise IT journey and a crucial aspect of that is not only focusing on what they need today, but also what they’ll absolutely need tomorrow.

“It’s essential to recognise that all enterprises and businesses – not just the hyperscalers that we deal with – are often going through significant digital transformations,” he continues. “Part of that, in terms of their data, is about being able to deploy globally consistent infrastructure to manage efficient data exchanges, rethink data flows to a broader set of partners, and build these ecosystems of community interest.

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

Chris Sharp Title: Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation Location: Menlo Park, California Chris has more than 20 years’ experience and a proven track record of evolving businesses to meet the most complex and demanding technology trends. He has a strong understanding of technology and its business impact with a deep network of relationships in the internet, telecommunications and IT industry.

During his career, Chris has led acquisition and integration for seven successful companies since 2003, valued over $3bn in managed network services, colocation and security services.

Providing those organisations with an innovative and market-leading platform that’s exactly the same whether they’re in Silicon Valley, Chicago, London, Osaka, or any other location worldwide, allows access to revenue and ecosystems in a very repeatable fashion.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

155

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ecolab.com/nalco-water Ecolab, Nalco Water and the logos are Trademarks of Ecolab USA Inc. Š2020 Ecolab USA Inc. All Rights Reserved 05/20

a very different ethos at Digital Realty, where we want to empower our customers and be a true open platform.”

That ethos, as Sharp explains, mirrors the broader evolution of the data centre sector, as well as how companies – indeed, all of us – use data. “We’ve seen a shift wherein customers don’t want to be siloed into different products or different services – so, the differences between collocation and scale, for example. Typically, particularly with how rapidly the landscape is changing, you’ll see customers may go into collocation and outgrow it very quickly because the economics and the sheer infrastructure they need just can’t be provided through a collocation

BUILDING A GLOBAL DATA CENTRE PLATFORM

model. From our perspective, it’s about

This approach, Sharp explains, is the

manage all of those different fields in

driver behind PlatformDIGITAL, which

a seamless fashion. It’s why you’ll see

he says is “about being entrenched

us stop talking about collocation and

in what each customer needs and

scale, and just talk about ‘the platform’.

truly supporting them on a global

building out a robust platform that can

“That shift is really dictating the direc-

basis. This is what directly drove our

tion of PlatformDIGITAL,” he adds. “You

recent announcement of expanding

don’t go to Hertz to rent a car for three

PlatformDIGITAL with Interxion, adding

years, you know? It’s economics. So, for

more value to our customers and deeper

us, it’s always about understanding a

reach into Europe and beyond. We have

customer’s requirements around sizing b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

Digital Realty: PlatformDIGITAL CLICK TO WATCH

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0:59

158 so we can work on an environment

created in a centralised place, the

that lets them ‘land and expand’. The

proliferation of digital technologies,

other critical challenge enterprises

smartphones, cloud, mobile analyt-

face today beyond that blended set of

ics and more means it is now being

services, is really around what it means

created everywhere. That data must

to be open, so that they can get the full

still be aggregated in order to ana-

value from the broader landscape that

lyse, understand, and learn from it.

they need access to.”

When it collects, a growing number

The last major challenge in the shift

of services and applications use it —

to a global ecosystem is data gravity,

against this proliferation of devices,

which Sharp describes as fundamental

data gravity interacts. This can result

to successful enterprise infrastructure.

in data that is near impossible to

By 2025, it is estimated that 463 exabytes

move and, according to Digital Realty,

of data will be created daily worldwide.

“unfavourable complexity when factor-

And while that data was typically

ing business locations, proximity to

AUGUST 2020

users, regulatory constraints, compli-

a customer’s data – say they are look-

ance and data privacy.”

ing to carry out some data analytics

To grow globally, businesses must

and want to stand up an AI farm with

use the global open platform approach

several GPU processors, for example –

offered by Digital Realty to mitigate

which is a real game changer for many

the data gravity barriers created by

of those enterprises we’re working

digital transformation. “Some of the

with. They’re all trying to work with data

enterprises we work with aren’t fully

analytics, to use multi-hybrid cloud

aware of the issue, or that they should

architectures and our platform does

deploy in proximity to where all of this

that — when that data doesn’t have

data is burgeoning or being built, and

to travel far because the customer is

this is where PlatformDIGITAL brings

immersed right in it, that’s probably

huge value,” Sharp notes. “So, we can

the most optimal architecture that an

procure a cabinet in close proximity to

enterprise could hope to achieve.”

Solve data gravity challenges and scale digital business by implementing the PlatformDIGITAL solution model

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D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

CONTROL, CONNECT, OPTIMISE There is also a notable trend of enterprises looking to move away from running their own data centres and data locations, Sharp reveals. He explains that, in this context, solutions like PlatformDIGITAL enable those businesses to get ahead of the curve before their footprint is too difficult to move, adding that “we can expose the benefits of having that fit-for-purpose platform that’s heavily interconnected.

Believe me, I don’t run into any custom160

ers that tell me they want to continue building their own data centres.”

PlatformDIGITAL allows enterprises to leverage full interconnection capabilities across Digital Realty’s global ecosystem, including cloud service providers, partners, networks and customers, that will drive their business. According to the company, the core benefits of the platform revolve around three distinct opportunities: be in control, be connected, be optimised.

In the case of control, for example, standardising deployment and operations on a single platform simplifies infrastructure and reduces risk, while the greater connection of a global AUGUST 2020

platform improves business performance through participation in global digital ecosystems; it also shortens the time to connect with markets and other players in that ecosystem.

The platform tailors infrastructure deployments and controls matched to specific business requirements, irrespective of data centre size, scale, location configuration, or ecosystem configurations. In line with the scaling of modern, digital enterprises, it lets customers operate deployments as part of a seamless extension of any global infrastructure, says the company, thus enabling global, distributed workflows at centres of data exchange

“ Forget data lakes, we’re now talking about some of the largest data oceans ever created” — Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation

to remove data gravity barriers.

CONNECTION AND SX FABRIC “To embark on a digital transformation, the first thing an enterprise needs is storage,” Sharp says. “They need their own data store, and that’s where the IP for a lot of our customers comes from, the ability to have that data store and run analytics against it. You’re no longer talking just about owning land, but the ability to deploy high power density infrastructure in close b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

proximity to that data store once you

global exchange of data centre cloud

factor in things like AI. There’s not an

and connectivity solutions that enables

industry out there today that isn’t look-

interconnected global workflows, the

ing to up its data analytics capabilities

integration of cloud and B2B ecosys-

and it’s the proximity element that

tems with virtual interconnections,

PlatformDIGITAL enables in a very

and the ability to virtually connect

efficient way.”

clouds and digital ecosystems both

After storage, says Sharp, connec-

162

locally and globally. “It essentially lets

tivity is crucial. It is here that Digital

enterprises click and procure,” says

Realty’s Service Exchange (SX)

Sharp. “They’re afforded a portal within

Fabric on PlatformDIGITAL proves

which they can pick any one of the

crucial. SX Fabric, which is powered

150-plus cloud on-ramps from all of the

by Megaport’s multi-cloud and eco-

top cloud providers globally through

system connectivity, is an automated

SX - all without ever having to use an

AUGUST 2020

engineer, or even understanding the

and giving them as open a platform

level of complexity behind it.

as possible. We really like to invest

“The work that we collaborated on

in our partners, not to compete with

with Megaport on SX is really at the

them, and have those best-of-breed

highest level,” he continues. “It’s very

relationships that let us deliver the best

technically challenging to achieve

capabilities to our customers.”

because it revolves around the hybrid multi-cloud approach that a lot of

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

enterprises are taking, wherein they

SX Fabric is just one aspect of the vast

need to establish a location to stand

PlatformDIGITAL capability roadmap.

up their private infrastructure and then

For example, the platform offers cover-

access multiple public clouds. From our

age from more than 265 Digital Realty

perspective, it was really about aligning

data centres in 20 countries and 44

our enterprise customers in the market

metropolitan areas. Connections are offered through physical and virtual cross-connects and includes more than 2,000 ecosystem participants — the company plans to extend this to more than 10,000 in the future.

More recently, the business has completed projects in Frankfurt, Dublin, and Tokyo, locations that Sharp describes as “hotbeds for enterprise customers trying to access revenue opportunities”. Take the new Clonshaugh data centre in Dublin, which forms part of an existing portfolio in the Irish capital. Ireland’s data centre economy is growing rapidly having already contributed 7.13bn euros b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

163

D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

164 to the nation’s overall economy in the

28MW; it offers solutions from Network

last decade. Digital Realty has invested

Hubs through to Data Hubs.

more than 200mn euros in Ireland

“With our size and our balance sheet,

to date, with the latest Clonshaugh

there’s rarely an opportunity in the

development designed to underpin the

market that we don’t see,” says Sharp.

importance of data-led technologies

“If there’s an asset that will trade or

to Dublin’s economy.

customer demand around an area

The company has also expanded

then we’ll spend a lot of time assess-

PlatformDIGITAL in Germany, purchas-

ing that prospect. We already have

ing 1.35 acres of land in Frankfurt to

one of the most robust platforms to

address increasing customer demand.

serve Europe with the recent expan-

The new campus, purpose built for

sion of the Interxion assets, we’re

those enterprises looking to exploit the

constantly watching for opportunities

opportunities that PlatformDIGITAL

in the Middle East and we also have an

provides, will add an additional 6MW

eye on some of the deeper elements

of power to the company’s existing

of the African market. It’s also worth

AUGUST 2020

165 noting that we’re always looking to go

trends we have discussed, as well as

deeper into existing markets. That’s

other emerging trends like the personi-

particularly the case in terms of new

fication of the data centre becoming

technologies, such as 5G or edge

a critical asset. Every industry and

computing, both of which will still

every customer out there, regardless

need efficient access back to the core

of size, will need to have a fundamental

infrastructure we have today.”

foundation like PlatformDIGITAL that

Those new technologies aside, Chris

allows them to increase in power den-

believes that the global ecosystem

sity, increase interconnection, increase

model enabled by PlatformDIGITAL

in square footage or footprint, and

will continue to dominate. “If you

increase in global presence.”

would’ve told me 15 years ago that I’d still be going to work in a data centre, I’d have found it hard to believe,” he states. “But what continues to draw me in is my passion for those secular b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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Interstitial Systems: flooring for data centre efficiency WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

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. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

INTERSTITIAL SYSTEMS

William Collier, owner of Interstitial Systems, on what the company’s electromechanical raised floor distribution system offers data centres

I 168

nterstitial Systems is a manufacturer of multilevel electromechanical raised floor distribution systems for data centres.

William Collier is the company’s founder and owner, bringing his extensive 42 years’ of industry experience to the firm.

Collier emphasises both the simplicity of Interstitial Systems’ TIER E/A electromechanical raised floor distribution system offering, and the enormous impact it can have. “It’s remarkable that something as simple as dividing the underfloor horizontally into two levels for wires and air can have such a huge impact on the way a data centre is designed, serviced and maintained.” Traditionally, data centres have been built with conventional raised flooring or on concrete. “That’s basically the two options that are available,” says Collier.

“We’re the third option that nobody knows very much about – what we refer to as an electromechanical distribution system.”

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Pyramid floor structure design to meet seismic requirement

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Remove unlimited number of floor panels without affecting structural integrity

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

INTERSTITIAL SYSTEMS

Interstitial Systems: Ventilation Effectiveness CLICK TO WATCH

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170

Compared to conventional flooring,

unit to escape. So if you open up four

Interstitial Systems’ approach comes

floor panels, all of the cabinets in that

with a host of benefits for data centres.

air handling unit’s zone downstream

“The beautiful part about our system is

from the opening are going to be

you can open up an unlimited number

starved of air. Because of our pres-

of floor panels for as long as you want

surised plenum, we’re able to distribute

and never lose air pressure.

This is untrue for a traditional raised floor. The

AUGUST 2020

air over a 200 foot area, meaning we can push air 200 feet across the room, whereas a typical raised floor air

opening created when

conditioning unit can do no more than

four floor panels are

30 to 35 feet at best. That allows us

removed permits all of

to reconfigure the design of a room to

the air produced by a

better optimise the space and improve

30 ton air conditioning

efficiency for the user.”

William Collier

“White space is gold and cabinets are diamonds” — William Collier, Owner, Interstitial Systems 171

“It is our belief that in data centres, white space is gold and cabinets are

space, I have a compelling story to tell.”

Another crucial element of the data

diamonds,” says Collier. Accordingly,

centre puzzle is uptime, with redun-

the company emphasises achieving

dancy therefore being critical. “What

maximum efficiency for its clients,

data centres typically look for is N+1

with clear examples of improvement.

redundancy. So for every four or five

“In a typical room, of around 10,000

air handlers, designers add another for

square feet, the owner’s plan was to

redundancy. But this does not provide

put in 418 cabinets. With Tier E/A, the

effective redundancy unless the extra

owner could put 512 cabinets in that

unit is adjacent to the unit that goes

room. That’s 22% or so more cabinets

down. We, on the other hand, build a

in the same space. Every one of those

central mechanical equipment room

cabinets increases revenue. So if I

and, by providing a mixing box, are

can put 94 more cabinets in the same

able to provide true N+1 redundancy b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Returning to work with chemical free disinfection.

Staying at work with a UVC air cleansing systems.

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www.TekLightUVC.com

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770 - 38 3 - 19 4 6 PART N ERS

“One of our methodologies when doing business is that we work in a very lean and mean way,” says Collier. “We’ve been doing this for a long time and we’ve always believed in working to the best optimisation.” Consequently, the organisation chooses its partners carefully, such as TekClean. “They’re in the data centre cleaning business down in Atlanta. We teamed up with them a long time ago thanks to their good reputation. I need a rep that has responsibility, loyalty, is smart, savvy and just down to earth.

People that make good relationships and want to bring good things to their customers.”

AUGUST 2020

“ We’re the third option that nobody knows very much about – what we refer to as an electromechanical distribution system” — William Collier, Owner, Interstitial Systems

a terraced, raised floor for control and command centres. Thanks to our two-level approach, we can ensure consistent air distribution in that pressurised bottom plenum and allow for the rapid change, relocation and reconfiguration of power and structured cabling underneath the floor.”

Achieving high tech solutions doesn’t itself require anything too revolutionary for Interstitial Systems, instead it leverages technology smartly. “We’re obviously big users of AutoCAD because we typically receive a set of

for the entire room with a single extra

plans, where the client says: ‘this is the

air handler. This is because of the Tier

direction we’re going in, how would

E/A’s pressurised plenum’s superior

you optimise the facility using your sys-

air distribution capabilities. We’ve just

tem?’ Then there’s computational fluid

planned a project where the original

dynamics analysis - again not a new

design called for 32 air conditioning

technology - but when used correctly it

units. We redesigned the room and did

is a powerful tool to head off any short-

the same with 26 air conditioning units.

comings that might occur in a facility.”

Taking six air conditioning units out of

Like all businesses worldwide,

the equation for around $250,000 a

Interstitial Systems has not been

piece provides huge savings, and also

unaffected by the ongoing COVID-19

saves a great deal of energy.”

pandemic. ButCollier is an eternal

The company is continuing to

optimist believing that this challenge

develop its capabilities. “Something

will eventually result in a better world.

that we did with the trading pits for the

“I can’t tell you how many people I’ve

Chicago Mercantile Exchange is build

talked to in the last 90 days that have b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

173

INTERSTITIAL SYSTEMS

Generous Cable Cuts –no need for gaskets

174

“ It’s remarkable that something as simple as dividing the underfloor horizontally into two levels for wires and air can have such a huge impact” — William Collier, Owner, Interstitial Systems

AUGUST 2020

Power Wiring installed in Wireway

said: ‘Oh my God, I pick up an extra three hours a day not having to commute to the office.’ That’s found time.

That’s family time. That’s quality of lifetime. That’s exercise time. That’s all kinds of time that allows people to do things for themselves. And at the same time, it’s helping the planet because we’re not putting out all the emissions from commuting back and forth.”

As for Interstitial Systems’ future, Collier is confident it is treading the right path. “We’re going to keep plowing ahead, one job at a time. That’s what we’ve always done and that’s what we’ll always do. We want to bring the best value to our customers. Everything’s about relationships. You build networks, you find like-minded people. And when you find the people that appreciate what you do, you love doing work with them, you become a team. You become partners. You even build friendships.

That’s how we like to do business.”

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

175

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TRANSFORMING OPERATIONS THROUGH DIGITISATION WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations at McDermott, discusses the impact of COVID-19 in the oil and gas industry

M

cDermott is a premier, fully-integrated provider of technology, engineering and construction solutions to the energy indus-

try. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott’s locally focused and globally integrated resources include more than 42,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and 178

fabrication facilities worldwide.

Mark Lowman is Vice President of Operations at McDermott. Having spent his early career as a Submariner in the Royal Navy, Lowman worked his way through the ranks to advance to Lieutenant Commander, before spending a further four years with the Royal Australian Navy. In 2000, Lowman left the Navy and joined the oil and gas industry and, over the next few years, gained experience as a Project Manager delivering projects in the Subsea, Offshore and Onshore business segments. In 2012, he joined McDermott to oversee company fabrication operations in Asia and to manage the Batam Fabrication yard. Two years later, he stepped into his current role as Vice President of Operations and is now based in Houston, Texas. “I loved my career with the Royal Navy, but I always knew I was AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

— Makes operations and asset optimization easier than it looks ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite In today’s trying times, we need every angle to solve business challenges faster. Analyzing data can give us an edge. But deciding which data and how is a whole different game. As a leader in digital technologies that help customers improve operations, we developed the ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. Genix takes data from distributed control systems and devices, and combines it with data from information and engineering systems to provide multidimensional analytics that help you increase production, optimize assets and streamline business processes. Artificial Intelligence helps you produce predictive and prescriptive actions to improve. The Genix platform is augmented with easy-to-use applications and supplemented with expert ABB services to help you find the right solution to solve business challenges faster. abb.com

ABB: accelerating digitalisation with McDermott ABB is a leading global engineering company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels.

Heather Cykoski is the Group Vice President at ABB. Having worked for the organisation since 2005 in several different leadership positions, she has a comprehensive understanding of the industry and has observed her organisation’s digital transformation journey first-hand. “It’s incredibly interesting to be where we are today. Digitalisation has been at the core of what we do for many years; however, the acceleration of implementation today is truly transformational,” explains Cykoski. “Now is the time for those who lead in this space to transform and deliver digital value to both our own operations and to our customers. Today’s challenging economy makes this more urgent than ever. There is so much more to deliver, and we need to deliver fast.”

Rajesh Ramachandran is the Chief Digital Officer for ABB’s Industrial Automation business.

He joined ABB in February 2019 and brings over three decades of experience in technology and business leadership to ABB, having helped to transform world-class multinational organisations such as Oracle, Siemens, PayPal and more.

ABB Partner Video

“Having established a key, strategic business relationship with McDermott, Cykoski affirms that this collaboration is influential to mutual success.

“The partner ecosystem has changed. The combination of a technology provider like ABB, and an EPC like McDermott, supporting the end user, is the trifecta that creates the perfect project,” says Cykoski. “We know how important an EPC is: 80% of large projects go through an EPC. When you look at digitalisation and partnerships, what it truly means is that you trust one another and collaborate to provide value. McDermott and ABB both have very similar outlooks and values, and that is key.”

“With the future in mind, Ramachandran has a clear idea of what the partnership with McDermott could hold. “We’re actively working on how to build solutions together that have a “Different customers are at different points of lifecycle value for customers, from design through their digital transformation journeys,” says operations through continuous improvement,” he Ramachandran. “This is even true with the solution says. “The trusted relationship that we have with providers as they are learning along with the McDermott is important to ensure projects are customers on what the real value of digital is to delivered on time at the right cost. There is now a drive business outcomes. In today’s highly new normal in the industry following the pandemic. competitive landscape, industries are able to It’s the right time for partners to come together embrace digital technologies to address their core and develop, test and implement new technologies — challenges, while striving for operational excellence that challenge traditional ways of working. We’re Makes operations and asset and output of the highest quality.

Digital confident that by working together, we will ensure transformation has becomeoptimization a high priority due easier safer, than smarterit and more sustainable operations looks to its promise of addressing strategic business across the industry. “It’s a great opportunity to ABB Ability™ Industrial Analytics andknowledge AI Suite imperatives. Many companies are struggling withGenix bring the combined power of domain how to leverage this potential. We believe the and leading technology to our customers. We’re In today’s trying times, we need every angle to solve business challenges faster. Analyzing data industry must adopt a clear can roadmap of how to confident this jointgame. value will help our give us an edge. But deciding which data and how is a whole different As a proposition leader in technologies that help customers improve operations, we developed the ABB Ability™ address digitalisation, from digital enabling it to customers succeed today and tomorrow .”

Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. Genix takes data from distributed control systems and implementing it through focused solutions, devices, and combines it with data from information and engineering systems to provide multidimensional analytics that help you increase production, optimize assets and streamline keeping in mind the longer digitalisation journey. business processes. Artificial Intelligence helps you produce predictive and prescriptive actions to improve. effectively The Genix platform is augmented with easy-to-use applications and supplemented At ABB, we can help our customers with with expert ABB services to help you find the right solution to solve business challenges faster. these challenges.”

Learn more abb.com

M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

“MCDERMOTT HAS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE AND PROMOTE THEIR IDEAS AND WE HAVE A MANTRA TO ‘TAKE THE LEAD” 182

Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott

going to move jobs eventually because there comes a time when you can no longer serve at sea,” explains Lowman.

He studied at Deakin University and was awarded an MBA in Law, Finance, Human Resources, Economics and Marketing in 2001. He points to that experience as vital in providing a network of like-minded individuals. “That programme had a big influence on me as I got introduced to a number of senior executives from other companies and those conversations about opportunities really drove me to switch my career.”

Lowman believes the oil and gas industry has been slower to adopt new technology than other industries, but recognises that digitalisation is beginning to have a greater influence on operations. “When I started, digitalisation was in its infancy in the industry,” he explains. “McDermott was still working in the same way it always had with adequate systems and processes while not fully understanding the benefits of digitalisation. We have created our Digital and Project Innovation Group who are supported by resources across the organisation. This allows us to educate our employees and the leadership as

AUGUST 2020

Ship-to-Ship Motion Measurement System CLICK TO WATCH

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183 we prepare to evolve to a digital culture.

we can find. Going forward, our focus

Digital disruption is very likely to upend

is heavily on technologies which help

the way we operate.” Pointing to his

us improve collaboration, expand our

organisation’s ongoing digital transfor-

project predictability through analytics

mation journey, Lowman acknowledges

and automate repetitive activities to free

that there has been a combination of

up our people.”

small point solutions as well as longer

With the COVID-19 pandemic

running programmes. “We’re leveraging

impacting businesses across the globe

cloud technology in certain areas, such

during the first half of 2020, Lowman

as our ERP and utilising technology

recognises how difficult the challenge

platforms like PLM from the aerospace

of transforming operations rapidly was.

and automotive industries,” he says. “We

“There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has

have tried to ensure that we don’t have

had a significant influence on the way

an ‘only invented here’ mentality and are

businesses operate now,” he explains.

always looking to leverage the best that

“Almost overnight, we had to switch b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

184

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185

“THE KEY IS UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER’S DRIVERS” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Make work life as great as real life Meet the expectations of today’s modern workforce by using intuitive, intelligent technology and automated workflows to deliver digital experiences that connect departments and help people do their best work.

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ServiceNow: driving digitalisation with McDermott Kevin Galloway, Director of Enterprise Sales, and Sunny Mahato, Advisory Solution, Consultant at ServiceNow discusses their firm’s partnership with McDermott.

ServiceNow is an industry leading SaaS provider, helping to make the world work better for people and has a mission to improve the overall employee experience.

ServiceNow has formed a key, strategic relationship with McDermott and helps the organisation with their digital strategy. Kevin Galloway is a Director of Enterprise Sales at ServiceNow. Having been with the company since February 2019, he has operated in the oil and gas industry over the past decade and has observed the rise of digital transformation first-hand. “Before McDermott brought in ServiceNow, they had a very manual process,” he explains. “If there was an issue, it would have to be passed around different employees until it reached the right person. With ServiceNow, we automate that process.” Sunny Mahato is an experienced technology leader with experience in strategic account software sales cycles, advanced enterprise software applications, business process optimisation, solution development and consultancy. He believes that ServiceNow’s solution is of significant value to McDermott as it streamlines the process considerably. “McDermott doesn’t have to worry about maintaining or managing the servers or having people go into the office to look after it. It’s all driven from the cloud.”

Prior to joining forces with ServiceNow, McDermott had no way of tracking inventory or streamlining their HR processes. Galloway believes that upon the beginning of the partnership with his organisation, the cost savings have been considerable. “McDermott went from 100% manual intervention and spreadsheets to now running our platform which they now use as ERP,” he says. “They track millions of dollars of assets automatically through our platform and their onboarding process has transformed from a manual process to a workflow which streamlines that process. Sometimes, people don’t realise

ServiceNow

the cost involved with some of these manual processes and the cost savings are in the millions.” Mahato affirms the importance of displaying a compassionate and understanding approach to customers and employees alike. “Our mission is all about showing compassion to not just employees but also our customers, particularly in the current challenging environment,” says Mahato.

“We want our employees and customers to know that we stand with them.”

Looking to the future, Galloway has a clear idea of the next stage of the partnership with McDermott. “As we continue to grow our relationship with McDermott, we want to begin to leverage AI into our platform and machine learning to help McDermott further automate their environment,” explains Galloway.

“The world is going more mobile, particularly because of COVID-19. Working from home isn’t going to go away so being a cloud-based mobile platform provider has become more important than ever. The ability to connect mobily and through an automated fashion is vital.” Mahato adds that he believes in an agile and lean approach in order to drive success in the market. “We’re hopeful we can continue to help McDermott with project management and introducing greater technology such as AI and ML,” adds Mahato. “It’s crucial to be as proactive as possible instead of reactive.”

M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

188

from a normal office environment to

reassurance,” says Lowman. “We have

virtual working. Travel restrictions meant

fabrication operations where we have

that we haven’t been able to visit our

thousands of staff that work in close

customers face to face and as we’re a

proximity to one another and we need

global operation, travel was an essential

to be able to communicate and reassure

element to remain connected. COVID-

them, while ensuring they understand

19 has forced us to make the switch

the evolution post-COVID-19.” Despite

to online communications as well as

the unprecedented challenge of the

encouraged us to find innovative ways

coronavirus, McDermott managed to

of working together.” Lowman rec-

keep all sites fully operational glob-

ognised the importance of reassuring

ally. “From the beginning, our QMW

employees while undergoing significant

Fabrication operation on the Qingdao

disruption and change to everyday

coast, Shangdong province, Central

operations. “Our employees needed

China, was able to respond quickly and

AUGUST 2020

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

Mark Lowman Title: Vice President of Operations Industry: Oil & Energy

Company: McDermott

Location: Texas, USA

Mark Lowman is an accomplished, highly resourceful Executive Management professional with a wealth of experience in managing multi-billion dollar construction projects in the Oil and Gas industry from inception to delivery.

Prior to his career in the oil and gas industry, Mark had a successful naval career moving from the ranks to Lieutenant Commander.

Mark has been with McDermott International Inc. for seven years in a variety of roles, including as the Director of Fabrication in Batam, Indonesia, Senior Director of Commercial Asia Pacific, and Vice President of Project Execution in both Asia Pacific and in Houston. Prior to McDermott, Mark held leadership positions at Technip Oceania Pty Ltd. Marks holds a Master of Business from Deakin University and has degrees in Nuclear Engineering, Naval Science and Operational Studies, from Britannia Royal Naval College and Royal Naval College Greenwich.

Mark has a proven track record leading global operations, building business and setting up operations in new geographical areas and countries. He is a results-driven business leader who creates shared vision and leads from the front, to build, empower and motivate multi-cultural, cross-functional teams to achieve goals.

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

O N E MCDERMO T T WAY

Customers rely on McDermott to deliver certainty to some of the most complex projects, from concept to commissioning.

To help provide consistency and assurance of delivery, McDermott has established the “One McDermott Way” which means the same vision, values and processes are always observed.

190

AUGUST 2020

“This particularly helped when we combined with CB&I as we put a huge amount of effort in working as coming together as one team,” says Lowman.

“McDermott has created an environment where employees are encouraged to engage and promote their ideas and we have a mantra to ‘take the lead.’”

Our Vision is One CLICK TO WATCH

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1:53

191 proactively by introducing control and

McDermott currently has a backlog

mitigation measures well in advance

of US$16bn worth of projects to execute

of Government restrictions,” explains

over the next few years. “This is a great

Lowman. “This has also been the case

position to be in, particularly at a time

for all our fabrication yards including

when market conditions are so uncer-

Dubai, Indonesia and Mexico, as well as

tain,” affirms Lowman. The projects

our project construction sites in the US

in question include BP Cassia – Cassia

and across the world.” McDermott took

C Greenfield and Gulf Coast Joint

the pandemic seriously from the outset

Ventures – MEG project. “In terms of BP

and quickly established global and local

Cassia, McDermott is undertaking the

area Crisis Management Teams. “We

procurement, construction and fabrica-

very quickly and efficiently developed

tion of a 7,250 MT topsides and a 3,400

procedures and processes to manage

MT four-legged jacket and piles. That

our response to the pandemic, but more

project is progressing well and our fabri-

importantly to keep our employees safe.”

cation yard in Mexico has remained open b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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27,000 Tons delivered in 17 months

“WHEN I STARTED, DIGITALISATION WAS IN ITS INFANCY IN THE INDUSTRY” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott

you can’t do it as a one- man band.

You need a series of experienced, industry professionals whom you can trust to build the team and empower them to align to the project goals.”

McDermott places considerable value on sustainability and has established several CSR initiatives. McDermott holds an Annual Batam International Golf Tournament which has been able to raise over US$1mn to fund the build-

during the pandemic and has responded

ing of orphanages in Batam Island in

with remarkable productivity,” explains

Indonesia, providing health kits to chil-

Lowman. “With the MEG project, we’re

dren, digging wells for a nearby island

fabricating large modules in two of our

and offering a range of other events.

global fabrication yards. The first mod-

“We have a series of sustainability goals

ules were delivered in early April and they

that we’ve been developing over time,”

are now in Texas where the construction

explains Lowman. “We like to engage

site is putting together and creating the

with the communities to ensure we

plant.” Despite the seismic shift in the

provide the support that is needed and

scale of projects, Lowman believes the

make sure that McDermott as a busi-

core foundations remain the same. “The

ness is conscious of the worldwide effort

key is understanding the customer’s

to reduce carbon footprint.” Those goals

drivers,” explains Lowman. “This will help

that Lowman mentioned centre around

execute the project successfully and

developing sustainable solutions that

provide a level of assurance to the cus-

support energy transition, contribut-

tomer. As a project director, I would want

ing to sustainable growth, reducing

to build a project management team with

operational environmental footprint and

a high-level of experience. With some of

promoting workplace and community

these larger multi-billion dollar projects,

wellbeing. Having previously focused on b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

developing natural gas power technology that produces low cost electricity while providing zero carbon emissions with NET Power, Lowman says that McDermott remains well placed to keep sustainability at the fore. “Everyone understands that climate change is an area that needs to be considered in planning,” he says. “Clean Fuels and NET Power have generated interests and we’re still providing customers with the opportunity to become engaged.”

Lowman recognises the importance 194

of partnerships and believes developing key, strategic business relationships are vital to success in the oil and gas industry.

“Due to the sheer size of some of the projects, it means that you have to share the risk and one partner may have a higher level of expertise in a particular area

“DIGITAL DISRUPTION IS VERY LIKELY TO UPEND THE WAY WE OPERATE”

than another,” he explains. “However,

Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott

as particularly important. “We’ve been

AUGUST 2020

by working together, this allows for more confidence in delivery and we rely on partners and vendors across the globe.” Lowman points to McDermott’s relationship with Baker Hughes and ABB working together on Subsea production solutions in conjunction with Subsea

195

umbilical rises and flow lines (SURF)

Onshore and Offshore business and

and by collaborating we’ve been able

is extremely supportive. They’re also

to offer solutions to the market that can

involved in some of our management

deliver savings to the customer that are

discussions with customers in terms of

potentially in the millions,” says Lowman.

providing the best lower cost solutions

“ABB is a great supporting company

that the customer is always looking for.

that provides technical solutions to help

The relationship is really built on aligned

us position ourselves to win work. ABB

goals and the ability to communicate

offers switchboard equipment for our

and work together effectively.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C

Striving to make the world better, for everyone To help solve the biggest flow-control challenges, customers worldwide rely on the product brands, engineering, project management and service expertise of Flowserve.

We help our customers lower operating costs, optimize performance, prolong equipment life, mitigate risks and drive higher productivity.

“I BELIEVE WE WILL EVOLVE AND BECOME A DIFFERENT KIND OF COMPANY, BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO DELIVER PROJECTS TO OUR CUSTOMERS” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott 197 Having been around for almost 100

the forefront of technology and the

years, McDermott has significantly

ability to continue to offer project

evolved over the years. Following the

concepts to final delivery to our

merger of McDermott and CB&I in

customers both upstream and down-

2018, the organisation has matured

stream from Petrochemical and LNG

into a company that has a presence

plants, Storage Tanks and Offshore

both Onshore and Offshore. “Despite

and Subsea. I believe we will evolve

the challenges, we’ve adjusted and

and become a different kind of com-

grown,” affirms Lowman. “We con-

pany, but we will always be here to

tinue to be a company that prides

deliver projects to our customers.”

itself on technology-led solutions and we have secured a partnership with Lummus Technology for the longer term. This relationship will enable McDermott to remain at b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

eStruxture: Canada’s leading data centre provider

198

WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

E S T R U X T U R E D ATA C E N T E R S

Todd Coleman, eStruxture’s President and CEO, explains how a strategy of staying local is resulting in more locations, more capacity and better connectivity

“W

e believe in staying very local, providing local knowledge and a local customer touch,” says Todd Coleman, the founder

of eStruxture Data Centres. “We don’t believe in being headquartered in different parts of the world 200

and running the business from afar.” This is a key aspect of the operations of eStruxture, the data centre company he established in 2017 in Montreal.

It’s an approach that’s served them well, as in the three years since then it’s grown to encompass six facilities in total, each serving specific requirements.

MTL-1, the flagship site in downtown Montreal, is housed in the former Montreal Stock Exchange building. “That is a connectivity and cloud-neutral hub, with 30,000 square feet and 5 MW of power” Coleman explains. “We have a lot of customer ecosystems here that require access to a large and diverse meet-me-room from a telecom carrier fibre perspective, but also rely on us to deliver significant amounts of power density.”

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E S T R U X T U R E D ATA C E N T E R S

“ We’ve not only survived, we’ve thrived during COVID-19” — Todd Coleman, President and CEO, eStruxture

to be in the central business district and have extraordinarily low latency and access to a diverse group of carriers, we can offer that in our downtown facility. If they want the ability to significantly scale their space and power requirements at hyperscale economics, we have that opportunity in MTL-2, and then all our facilities are directly connected by our own dedicated,

MTL-2 is 7 km away, and is a brand new, state-of-the-art hyperscale facil202

diverse fibre ring.”

Additionally, there are two sites in

ity encompassing 190,000 square feet

Vancouver, and a facility in Calgary

and 30MW of power, while MTL-3 is

that the company recently acquired

on the south shore of Montreal, and

in August 2019, ensuring eStruxture

was the first Uptime certified Tier III

has a presence in three of the top

facility in Quebec. “Regardless of the

data centre markets in Canada. They

customers’ needs, we can meet their

remain focused solely on the Canadian

requirements,” Todd says. “If they want

market. “We believe there is significant benefit in being focused and knowing a market, and having your sales and operations staff based there,” Coleman says. “Our Calgary employees are from Calgary and understand the Calgary market well, same with Montreal and Vancouver. The people we hire are industry veterans, and that resonates with our customers, they know that they can turn to us as a trusted advisor.”

AUGUST 2020

eStruxture Data Centres Overview CLICK TO WATCH

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203

2017

Year founded

360,000+

Square feet of own built and operated facilities

65

Number of employees

Montreal’s data centre market has grown significantly over the last five years due to the low cost of power and the abundance of hydroelectricity. “It took a large hyperscale cloud provider to come into the market and really put Montreal on the map. Our belief from early on was that the customer power densities were going to continue to grow, which they have. When we entered the Canadian market, it was still fairly nascent and we had a belief that data would continue to localise and customers that were largely present in the US would find their way north of the border.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Scale Confidently With Waterless Free Cooling eStruxture Gains Efficiencies for Sustainable Growth With the Liebert® DSE economization system, eStruxture drives cost savings, allowing capital to be deployed in a phased approach — balancing capacity with demand.

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© 2020 Vertiv Group Corp. All rights reserved. Vertiv™ and the Vertiv logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vertiv Group Corp.

While every precaution has been taken to ensure accuracy and completeness here, Vertiv Group Corp. assumes no responsibility, and disclaims all liability, for damages resulting from use of this information or for any errors or omissions. Specifications are subject to change at Vertiv’s sole discretion upon notice.

When Coleman founded eStruxture,

rack without stranding space requiring

he was still an investor in Cologix, a

re-engineering of the cooling system,

data centre company he co-founded

something Coleman says is practically

in 2010. While that business focused

unheard of in North America.

on telecoms and interconnection,

eStruxture aims to provide its cus-

with sites within or near large carrier

tomers with the best service at the

hotels, the aim with eStruxture was

best cost. “We work with our manu-

to develop Tier III, enterprise class

facturers to understand what they’re

data centres with massively scalable

rolling out and drive them towards bet-

space and power in major Canadian

ter and more enhanced technologies

markets. Today, its standard offering

at the best cost performance. We’re

allows customers to go to 30 kW per

about consistency, control and proven 205

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

Todd Coleman Title: President and CEO

Location: Montreal, Quebec

Industry: Information Technology & Services Todd Coleman is the President and CEO of eStruxture. Todd brings more than 25 years experience in the IT, data centre and telecommunications industries. Most recently, Todd was the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Cologix. Todd has also held several senior positions at Level 3 Communications, a global telecommunications company, including Senior Vice President of Data Centres, Senior Vice President of Media Operations and President of Level 3 Communications Europe.

Todd holds a juris doctorate and a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

E S T R U X T U R E D ATA C E N T E R S

206

AUGUST 2020

207

“ I’d say that’s the biggest innovation in the thought process that we’ve adopted in the last few years – not viewing our customers as one-size fits all” — Todd Coleman, President and CEO, eStruxture b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

E S T R U X T U R E D ATA C E N T R E S

208

quality and stability. Most importantly,

centres to ensure maximum flexibility

we understand where our customers

to meet our customers’ requirements.”

are going. I’d say that’s the biggest

Having strong partnerships with

evolution in our thought process that

companies that understand their busi-

we’ve adopted in the last few years –

ness needs is critical for eStruxture to

not viewing our customers as one-size

be a trusted advisor to its customers.

fits all. We work to better understand

“We often receive zero financial benefit

our customer requirements at the

when we work with customers as a

application level and design our data

trusted advisor, but that’s part of our

AUGUST 2020

“ The people we hire are industry veterans, and that resonates with our customers” — Todd Coleman, President and CEO, eStruxture

and grow indirectly, bringing people, resources and technology to bear to an opportunity that we might not have had access to otherwise.”

Like so many organisations globally, eStruxture has been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the early days of the outbreak the company took a step back to reevaluate its position

value proposition, to steer and advise

in terms of investments, customers

them as to who our partners are and

and key metrics. “Along the way, we

provide details on their offerings,

proved to ourselves that the business

so our customers are able to be put

was very resilient in these types of

in direct contact as we hand them off

economic downturns. Frankly, we’ve

in a very warm and relationship-driven

not only survived, we’ve thrived during

way. That’s been hugely beneficial to

COVID-19. Our sales funnel has never

both our customers and partners alike.”

been more robust than over the past

The company has a number of key

few months.”

partner relationships, including with

Understanding that people’s needs

Belden, a provider of network and

may have changed during COVID-19,

connectivity solutions, JAVCO, a specialist in mission critical design and engineering, and Vertiv, a mission critical equipment manufacturer, many of whom have been key partners since the company was founded. “These types of relationships speak volumes to the partners that we bring in and in how we value them, because they enable us to stretch the rubber band b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

209

E S T R U X T U R E D ATA C E N T E R S

“ When we entered the Canadian market it was still fairly nascent” — Todd Coleman, President and CEO, eStruxture

Belden Is a Proud Partner of eStruxture Watch how Belden helps eStruxture manage high ber density while saving space with the new DCX Optical Distribution Frame (ODF) System.

Speak to Sales

211 they’ve offered incentives to cus-

data centre market is a bit of a ‘build

tomers who need to quickly migrate

it and they will come’ market, so you

their IT and network infrastructure

need confidence in how it’s evolving,

or require immediate expansion of

and where new markets could turn into

capacity, and to encourage customers

data centre-centric markets that oth-

to take advantage of eStruxture’s on-

erwise weren’t previously. You really

site technicians to enable customers

need your finger on the pulse of the

to deal with issues remotely, in a bid

marketplace and their localised nature

to protect both the facilities and the

to truly understand them.”

customers’ and eStruxture’s employees while the pandemic is ongoing.

Ultimately, to be successful, Coleman says you need investors that believe in you, as well as intimate knowledge of the marketplace. “The b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

212

Combating COVID-19 with rapid digitalisation WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

213

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

WSIB

Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at WSIB, discusses industry trends, digital transformation and the impact of COVID-19

214

W

ithin the insurance industry, Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Workplace Safety and Insurance

Board (WSIB) has seen the sector mirror what the organisation itself is experiencing internally. “It’s that customer focus,” says Liscio. “Our customers want to be able to deal with us anytime, anywhere and however they want, so we need to ensure that our products and services support that. This trend is one of six key drivers for our 2020 IT strategy at WSIB, to develop new channels and a sustainable operating model that are digitally focused as well as digitalising our core services and developing our work-from-home operations. The other five elements of our IT strategy include business intelligence and analytics, cyber and digital security, modernising applications, providing digital infrastructure and modernising our operating models, all with the customer experience in mind.”

AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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WSIB

“ Our customers want to be able to deal with us anytime, anywhere and however they want, so we need to ensure that our products and services support that”

218

— Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

AUGUST 2020

Expanding on the industry trends emerging within insurance, Liscio explains that rapid digitalisation is posing challenges for insurance companies.

“Insurance companies tend to be older companies that have been around a long time and have been built on a foundation of processes developed over decades, sometimes centuries, which can be longstanding and hard to change. These longstanding business models however do need to change to be flexible and adaptable if they are to continue to meet customer expectations.”

Accessing your WSIB data just got easier CLICK TO WATCH

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Leading through extraordinary times The last 3 decades of TCS Canada has been an epic journey partnering with Top Banks & Insurance �rms, Financial Market Infrastructure entities, Crown Corporations, Retailers, Manufacturing �rms, EnergyResource & Utility majors. We have participated in innovation with marquee academic institutions and exciting �ntechs. We have continued to evolve as a leading job creator on IT services and have made foundational impacts igniting the passion of the younger generation through STEM in 21 Canadian cities touching more than 8000 minds (including members of Canada’s indigenous community & other underrepresented groups).

The last 3 months saw a pronounced effect across societies, industries, and economies. During this moment of truth, active employee engagement & well-being globally has been top priority for TCS, while we continue to support mission critical technology backbones of organizations. Financial Services sector is a key vehicle for governments to navigate and heal. From our deep relationships with top �nancial services �rms, we have seen three speci�c thrusts amidst lockdown and an emerging new beginning that pivots on elastic model of Technology, Operations and Workforce.

#bfsi #newbeginning #covid19

Ready to Weather the Storm

PURPOSE DRIVEN

The pandemic has forced organizations to look beyond the products they make and sell to the purpose behind their existence. As they embark on this transformative journey, we will continue to enable our clients’ strategic intent and journey of end-customer purpose centric themes (prosperity for SME segment, wellness of individuals, �nancial health of portfolios) orchestrated through an ecosystem of internal & partner solutions and catalyzed by Open Banking move towards pan-industry collaboration.

RESILIENT

Our adoption of a Secure Borderless Workspaces (SBWS™) model has ensured service continuity for elevated levels of customer conversations and high consequence transactions (deferrals, payments, investments). Our contextual knowledge has enabled swift realignment of efforts on government (Canada, US) relief & cross-segment (individuals, businesses) customer care imperatives while sustaining paramount initiatives around �nance, risk, cyber and �nancial crime using cognitive solutions.

ADAPTABLE

We are actively participating in endeavors around accelerated intelligent responsive processes, digital parity across channels, insights driven decisioning, open & agile architecture, elastic infrastructure to be operationally nimble and strategically progressive addressing the changing environment.

We are privileged to be a key partner for WSIB, who has 106 years’ heritage and organizational purpose of wellness protecting and promoting healthy & safe workplaces. We enabled 100% of our team working remotely within �rst 2 weeks of lock-down. We accelerated digital journey transformation for low touch frictionless experiences for all - employees, businesses, and healthcare providers - for claims registration, administration, and return-to-work.

To pivot this change management and organizational redesign, we envisaged a strategy for enterprise quality management and operating agility.

Manmeet Chhabra

Business Head, Banking-Financial Services & Insurance, Canada Business Head, Banking-Financial Services & Insurance, Canada

As human ingenuity embarks on a new beginning, we look forward to meaningful contributions to Canadian industries for engendering resilience, driving adaptability, and enabling customer & societal purpose.

Having lived the reality of major transformations, our highly adaptable team supports all aspects of business change, including strategy development, digital and data driven process and service improvement, program execution management and the establishment of an enabling culture.

Our services www.avenai.com

Contact us

223

When it comes to its own IT strategy,

needs met within the first MVP. Before,

Liscio explains that WSIB adopts an

that would have taken us more than

agile approach for rapid innovation

a year to develop a solution, by gather-

which encompases three key areas

ing requirements, working on those,

working together to develop a minimum

developing, testing, and then putting

viable product (MVP). “These key areas

into production. With our new approach

include service design with a human

we have been able to bring projects

centered design approach, followed

live within three months of starting an

by product owners identifying friction

MVP which immediately addresses the

points. Finally the DevsOp group takes

key customer pain points, and provides

a scrum based approach to developing

a base for opportunities to build addi-

MVPs to target customer pain points.

tional functionality incrementally. This

With this ‘digital factory’ approach you

approach has become our foundation

can get about 80% of those immediate

for the future.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

“ There are so many opportunities for IoT in the worker’s compensation space, especially as it relates to health and safety” — Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Many of WSIB’s new digital products are the outcome of this approach, which it has engaged with key partners for its agile-based solution development. “Within the last few months, partners such as Wipro and others have helped us develop a new service that provides secure digital access to claims information for injured workers.

TCS – Tata consulting services – is our strategic partner and have been instrumental in transforming our end-to-end quality assurance process with industry best practices and innovations in the area of Automation, AI, Cloud Testing and Test Data Management,

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

Samantha Liscio As Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Samantha leads digital transformation, leveraging technology to streamline processes and modernize the business, helping the WSIB provide responsive services to customers. Samantha drives IT service excellence and directs innovation while ensuring value from technology investments. Samantha has over 20 years of experience in IT leadership roles in eHealth Ontario, Accenture, and the Ontario Public Service. Currently Samantha serves on the Ryerson University IT Business Management Program Advisory Council and the Toronto CIO Governing Body. She is a past board chair for Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention and a past board member of the CIO Association of Canada and the Institute for Citizen-Centred Services.

Samantha holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and a PhD from Queen’s University in Belfast. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

225

WSIB

which has meant that we’ve eliminated 95% of the defects from our projects by implementing the optimized approach and methodology that TCS has helped us with. In addition to this we are also looking into opportunities to harness RPA, within our operations which is also something that we are working on with TCS.” As part of the company’s digital strategy to drive digitalisation in the heart of its operations, Liscio details the company’s adoption of cloud, internet 226

of things (IoT) and AI-enabled analytics.

CLOUD “For the WSIB, cloud is an opportunity to significantly accelerate the delivery of value, both to our internal business and to our end customers. From an IT perspective, cloud deployments can help to reduce risk. It’s complicated and expensive to host, deploy and maintain software that’s at the core of your business, and so increasingly big vendors offer those types of services better than we can ourselves. They can help us to use cloud native capabilities and drive innovations. WSIB’s cloud strategy focuses on the implementation AUGUST 2020

227

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

How CGI helped WSIB transition to a fully remote workforce When Ontario Public Health declared a ‘Work From Home’ policy due to COVID-19, the WSIB, like many organizations, faced an unprecedented challenge: How to quickly transition to a fully remote workforce while maintaining service levels for employers, and payment continuity for injured workers.

WSIB and CGI mobilized and united the resources necessary, including senior management, technology, and expert personnel. With highly collaborative and creative thinking, WSIB and CGI were able to overcome conventional limitations and transition 4,300 WSIB workers and their IT devices into a remote workforce.

Careful planning and crisis management from the deployed CGI service teams paid off when each team readily handled the spike in call volumes and increased handling times as WSIB workers moved home. It was imperative that WSIB data remained secure outside the traditional working environment, and that end users experienced no service degradation despite the increased load on technological infrastructure.

“

Together, WSIB and CGI rapidly implemented a range of risk management approaches to preserve the customer experience of the WSIB workforce.

This included digitizing document handling, remote desktop re-configuration, creating a new toll-free helpline, and redeploying a number of support teams. WSIB and CGI were subsequently able to guide WSIB workers through the challenges of setting up their workstations from home while in parallel CGI quickly configured and issued over a 1,500 new laptops.

In just over 3 weeks, WSIB and CGI demonstrated resiliency in crisis by transitioning all WSIB workers to remote work arrangements while maintaining critical service levels and uninterrupted payments to injured workers.

CGI’s exceptional support enabled the WSIB to maintain critical services to injured people from distributed locations while transitioning from a traditional bricks and mortar operation to facilitating employees working from home. I look forward to continuing this partnership and working collaboratively together.

– Samantha Liscio, WSIB Chief Technology & Innovation Officer

ABOUT CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world.

Operating across the globe, CGI delivers end-to-end capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions, helping clients achieve their goals, including becoming customer-centric digital enterprises.

“

WSIB engaged CGI to support their transition to the new working reality by providing tailored end user computing and service desk solutions.

of a hybrid cloud service model using

We’ve been thinking very carefully

both public and private cloud, with

about what our infrastructure needs

partners such as Microsoft Azure and

to look like when it comes to the cloud

IBM. As a result we have a specific

and we are now underway with our

software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution

key partners.”

approach that’s aligned to our application strategy. We also have database

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

and integration-as-a-service offerings

“With the internet of things (IoT), it’s

and we are introducing other platform-

an interesting point on our innovation

as-a-service capabilities and providing

radar right now. There are so many

Windows and Linux virtual machines as

opportunities for IoT in the worker’s

an infrastructure-as-a-service offering.

compensation space, especially as

This is all underpinned by a restructured

it relates to health and safety. So our

network architecture and cloud man-

innovation lab is exploring things like

agement platform.

connected devices that can detect

“ When the emergency was declared in Ontario in the middle of March, the WSIB saw its remote workforce increase from about 2% to more than 99% of the workforce in the space of about 10 days” — Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

fatigue. Devices that can be connected to the wearer or the dashboard of a truck — or both – that can detect if they’re falling asleep and can alert them. We’re also looking at things like proper posture and biomechanics which are especially important in the construction industry where people are lifting and bending and moving. Having those kinds of devices that can be connected to people or the surroundings to provide real-time feedback rather than corrective action after, this is something really interesting that we are working on in the lab relating to IoT.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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WSIB

AI ENABLED ANALYTICS “On the analytics side, being an insurance organisation, WSIB relies on predictive analytics for things like risk scoring, case based reserving, claims segmentation models, anomaly detection and text mining. As a result, business intelligence and analytics is a key pillar for our IT strategy and we’re investing in the capabilities, the tools and the backend infrastructure to be able to make decisions better and faster. Currently we extricate data from various data marts to create diagnostic 230

and predictive models. We’re in the progress of creating a central data store and intend to leverage in-database analytics that will allow us to execute extensive analytical workloads directly against our data. That’s going to be really important to us in increasing our decision making speed.”

CYBERSECURITY While innovations are revolutionising the insurance industry, it is important to remember that progress comes with challenges, in particular cybersecurity. “At WSIB we operate a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year security operation center,” AUGUST 2020

“ Longstanding business models however, do need to change to be flexible and adaptable if they are to continue to meet customer expectations” — Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

incidents. So in total that 85 billion was whittled down to roughly 150 incidents requiring action.” In order to combat these potential threats, WSIB has a cybersecurity strategy and strong governance in place. “We’ve assessed our main maturity across security and we’ve taken an inventory of all of our critical data and assets, so we know where our crown jewels are and how those are protected and we’ve applied the appropriate controls to those protections. We also conduct regular testing via the likes of audits and penetration testing, as well as monthly vulnerability assessments.” In addition to harnessing technology to maintain security, WSIB comments Liscio. “We keep track of

has also established a breach response,

all of the security records we receive,

as well as awareness and training

these are essentially all of the potential

programs in place, cyber security intel-

hits on our perimeter from a security

ligence and cyber security insurance.”

perspective, and between January and September last year we had more than

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

85 billion security records. Of those 85

“When the emergency was declared

billion we sent 19 billion to our security

in Ontario in the middle of March,

information event monitoring system

the WSIB saw its remote workforce

for a second look to determine if they

increase from about 2% to more than

are events that need to be monitored,

99% of the workforce in the space

events that are relevant, events that are

of a few weeks. With that sudden shift

possible threats or events that become

to over 4,000 employees working b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

231

from home, a host of issues can arise,

corporate collaboration tools such as

from inadequate video conferencing

Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams

capabilities due to connectivity at

and OneDrive, as well as encrypting all

the employee’s homes or additional

hard drives so that we could protect

challenges in maintaining security

and manage data remotely.”

of confidential information outside the

In addition to these changes, Liscio

office. But we’ve been able to effectively

explains that provisions have also

direct the company on how best to

been made for specific job functions

work remotely using our virtual private

such as call centers. “You can imagine

network which is robust and secure.

that within a large company like WSIB

We also have multi factor authentica-

there is a large call center and our

tion to ensure secure logins so that

service reps need to be able to answer

those working from home can con-

the phone. So even though they’re at

nect to the WSIB systems and our

home, they still need to be in that call

Your next clearance will be simple CLICK TO WATCH

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

233

WSIB

center environment. To achieve this we turned the WSIB computers into soft phones, rolling out on-screen dial pads to place and control calls from the desktop. In addition we have deployed more than 400 mobile devices in a couple of weeks since the state of emergency, so that end users working from home could maintain critical business services.”

Without the support of its partners, Liscio emphasises, “would not have been able to get more than 4,000 peo234

ple productively working from home within a few weeks without the support of our partners, especially CGI and RCI Rogers who helped us expedite equipment provisioning across their supply

standard technology, providing that

chain and provide after-hours support

kind of flexibility for mobile work. We

for our IT and front-line staff.”

are also quickly digitising hard copy

While this has been a huge change

mail and things like access requests.

for WSIB, Liscio explains that now

When our customers ask for access

they are effectively and productively

to their file, we would typically go find

work from home, “the new normal

all of the paper, scan all of that paper

for us will be one where we probably

and then send them boxes of paper.

won’t be returning to our offices in

With digitised access requests we can

the same way as we worked before

share that information back with them

and things like phones and desktop

through encrypted email, making the

computers will be retired and lap-

need to do these kinds of paper-based

tops and cell phones will be the new

processes again obsolete. In addition

AUGUST 2020

1914

Year founded

$2,165mn

Total comprehensive income in US dollars (2018)

5,000

Approximate number of employees

we are pivoting to accelerate the deliv-

changes, premium deferrals, lower

ery of online services for people with

interest rates, volatile investments.

claims, as well as identify additional

Guided by our digital strategy, the

rapid-fire digital transformations and

WSIB will respond by: Creating new

we have adopted an electronic sig-

digital channels and digitizing our core

nature solution to ensure we can still

services, fully implementing a sustain-

procure, approve and authorise things

able IT operating model to support

in a virtual way.

the new digital WSIB and continuing

“Looking ahead, I see the key driv-

to support remote and flexible work.�

ers for change in the InsurTech sector and for the WSIB being very similar.

Post COVID-19 there will be changes in the workforce resulting in revenue b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

235

236

The intelligent enterprise driven by 5G WRITTEN BY

MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

237

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

SAP SE

Frank Wilde, Vice President Global Center of Excellence at SAP, on the power of 5G and data to enable digital change in organisations “

W

ith 5G, our business technology platform and our IoT capabilities, we can fundamentally change how our custom-

ers operate and go to market, it’s an exciting prospect and represents a step function change for enterprises,” says Frank Wilde, Vice President 238

of the Global Center of Excellence (CoE) at SAP. Wilde is a seasoned technology leader responsible for driving innovation with SAP’s customers using the latest technologies to digitally transform, create enhanced customer experience as well as unlock new revenue streams.

Given such an approach, Wilde and his Global CoE colleagues work closely with customers to use data and technology effectively, to think outside the box and to innovate in a customer-centric fashion.

“We help them think differently about SAP, and think differently about technology,” he explains. “We take a data-driven approach, in doing so we bring a team of data scientists and platform architects, and we help the customer think about their data differently. It’s like a test-drive - we’re not simply driven by a particular technology, for example. Rather, we AUGUST 2020

239

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

SAP SE

“ It’s a level of intelligence and responsiveness that we can bring to life that we haven’t been able to do before” — Frank Wilde, Vice President, SAP

show how responsive our platforms and technologies can be, how rapidly we can change their business models, and demonstrate how exciting the possibilities are. Mentally, we really change the dynamic.”

Central to this work with customers is a blue sky approach to innovation that runs through SAP, and is a particular passion for Wilde. “It’s the centerpiece of how we’re able to instigate change,” he explains.

“Whatever the size of the customer

240

or the project, we work closely and collaboratively to drive success. I love solving problems - we all do - and working together on the strategy, the process and technology. An example is work we recently launched with Duke University in North Carolina.

They asked for our help to innovate, and when we sat down together they were unaware of our offerings and had little idea we could support data science and analytics, or that we used a platform-based approach to support innovation. And that’s where open and honest conversations are crucial.

Often, we see that our customers don’t always know what they need, or AUGUST 2020

SAP 5G and Edge Services Tech CLICK TO WATCH

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2:34

241 what is available, so that collaborative

- in its most basic form - is like Lego

approach we utilise is key.”

blocks. We can create new busi-

Change is an underlying driver of

nesses or concepts in a very short

our CoE’s work, in particular helping

period of time with predefined and

organisations to better understand

pre-built services, or microservices.

technology so as to navigate a suc-

“The acceleration of moving from

cessful digital transformation. “We

a mainframe environment to being on

now have the ability for business

the cusp of edge services and edge

models on demand to come to life,”

computing, makes it exciting when

Wilde says. “Look at an Uber or a

you can weave together the fabric of a

Lyft, and you’ll see the shift towards

company in short order,” he continues.

a platform-based approach opposed

“You just have to look at the Fortune

to relying on a dedicated application

500 as an example; a third of those

or system to influence change. We

businesses are slated to disappear

base our work around a platform that

from that list in five to seven years b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

5G

CONNECTIVITY

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F O R

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J U A N S A N T O S @ TAV I S T O C K D E V E L O P M E N T C O M PA N Y

SAP SE

SAP Where to Start Tech CLICK TO WATCH

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244

- there’s a rapid escalation of new busi-

it forms a powerful proposition that

ness models coming to life enabled by

can bring new technologies and busi-

technology, and it’s really the key trend

ness models to life.” This proposition

that’s dominating right now.”

is the result of a partnership between

In terms of technology, Wilde and

SAP and Verizon that was announced

SAP drive customers to innovate

in October of 2019. The collaboration

and use technology in a customer-

sees Verizon’s network and platform

centric way. To do this, he explains,

capabilities married with SAP’s soft-

the company leverages its 49 years

ware and services.

of experience. “It lets us look at our

Through this work, customers are

customers through a unique lens,” he

able to benefit from new technologies

states. “When you marry data man-

such as 5G, software-defined net-

agement, analytics, and digital supply

working, and Verizon’s Intelligent Edge

chain services into a holistic platform,

Network capabilities. The former is an

AUGUST 2020

“ With 5G, our business technology platform and our IoT capabilities, we can fundamentally change how our customers operate and go to market” — Frank Wilde, Vice President, SAP

exciting proposition for both Wilde and SAP. SAP launched its 5G Council in 2018, for example, as a cross-industry collaborative council of SAP customers to better understand the changes necessary to adopt 5G. “5G represents a step function change in terms of capability, it’s like jumping from a bicycle to a race car,” says Wilde. “You’re able to pull together various aspects - data, AI, machine learning and edge services - and build a true hub and platform for innovation. The 5G Council represents a 5G

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

Frank Wilde Title: Vice President Company: SAP SE Industry: Software Location: San Francisco Bay Area Frank Wilde leads data and data science innovation focused on telecom & high tech as a Vice President for SAP’s Global Center of Excellence. In this role, Frank’s teams of data scientists and platform architects spark innovative thinking with SAP’s customers through a combination of data science and design thinking.

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

245

Throughout history, there have always been problems.

No one likes them.

But problems inspire us to make things better.

Smart loves problems.

From skills gaps to blackouts, city traffic to ocean plastic.

They even took us to the moon and back on a single tank of gas.

Problems actually move the world forward.

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IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com and Let’s put smart to work are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

See current list at ibm.com/trademark. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. ŠInternational Business Machines Corp. 2019. B33820

“ We can create new businesses or concepts in a very short period of time with predefined and pre-built services, or microservices” — Frank Wilde, Vice President, SAP

on an Industry 4.0 approach for several manufacturers whereby we have created a 5G environment that can support innovations like autonomous vehicles, augmented reality technology that allows work to be digitally tracked as it flows through the shop floor, and so on.

“Similarly, there’s huge potential in the retail sector,” he continues. “For example, 5G gives us the ability to use video analytics at scale as well as mixed

ecosystem comprising our custom-

reality to scan product contents or

ers, partners and companies such as

look for drug interactions; you can also

Verizon and Ericsson, that addresses

introduce autonomous checkout and

new business models and monetisation strategies. Also, we have worked closely with Deloitte Consulting LLP to create 5G ‘playbooks’ that show what can be brought to life with the power of 5G in specific industries such as retail, manufacturing and oil & gas.”

The technology may still be in its relative early stages, but Wilde sees enormous potential to fundamentally change how businesses approach innovation. In particular, he explains, private deployment of 5G will likely gain significant traction over the next few years. “You look at manufacturing, for example,” Wilde says. “We’ve worked b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

247

SAP SE

“ Where current wireless networks enable a 2D world, 5G and edge computing coupled with SAP’s software platform enable 3D, immersive experiences for consumers and employees” — Frank Wilde, Vice President, SAP

248

AUGUST 2020

other innovations. As I said, 5G forms an entirely new platform upon which we can adopt these technologies for each customer and sector across the value chain. It really is an exciting prospect in terms of transforming business.”

Where that prospect becomes truly innovative, relates Wilde, is when 5G is coupled with edge services. “If I can have the processing occur on an IoT sensor or on a vehicle, then I can create a new experience or service,” he explains, “which means you remove any delays, any latency. It’s a level of intelligence and responsiveness that we can bring to life that we haven’t been able to do before. There are productivity changes there, too - you remove that complexity from the shop floor and change the experiences and effectiveness of workers and you immediately improve output. You’re going to see significant change over the next five to eight years as 5G rolls out, so we are bullish on our predictions in that regard.”

Of course, many of the approaches to business and digital strategies have been disrupted as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. While the impact of a shift to remote working has been felt by many b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

249

SAP SE

SAP Centre of Intelligence Tech CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:31

250

“ 5G represents a stepchange in terms of function and capability; it’s like jumping from a bicycle to a race car” — Frank Wilde, Vice President, SAP

industries worldwide, from a technology perspective there is a general sentiment that such a shift will focus many organisations on technology adoption.

For Wilde, 5G and its associated technologies could play a significant role in a post-COVID environment. “It offers a significant opportunity, particularly on the retail side to remove contact or friction from the experience. So, you could introduce technology that shows optimised routes through a store based on previous shopping trips, or mixed reality

AUGUST 2020

1972

Year founded

$28bn+ Revenue in US dollars

101,150 Number of employees

technology that lets you identify the

36 months you’re going to see a water-

contents of products with an immersive,

shed moment for 5G,” he states. “If I

3D experience. Upon that is the capabil-

look to 2021-22, when customers are

ity to build AI and chatbots, or a level of

able to visualise the proof points we

dynamic content that satisfies consumer

have put in place and the potential of

needs without requiring face to face

edge services, data management and

interaction with a store’s employees.”

5G woven together, then I see a strong

While no one is able to fully predict the ‘new normal’ we face, when it

case for why they should all have it high on their agenda ”

comes to 5G Wilde feels that SAP is well placed in rolling out the technology and working with customers to remain ahead of the curve. “In the next b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

251

252 WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

ARRON RAMPLING

AUGUST 2020

253

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

N I H S T R I D E S I N I T I AT I V E

Thomas Shaw, Senior Project Manager, NIH STRIDES Initiative, discusses the transformative ability of cloud and how the project fosters collaboration

I

t was in July 2018 that the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for

Discovery, Experimentation and Sustainability (STRIDES) Initiative was established. Partnering 254

with Google Cloud and then, two months later, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), STRIDES was conceived as a method for the NIH to fully engage with cloud computing and explore its potential for collaborative data sharing. Part of the NIH’s wider strategy for digital transformation (the Strategic Plan for Data Science), STRIDES has and will continue to play an integral role in making the organisation’s biomedical data easier to access, use and integrate, as well as deliver a more costeffective form of data management.

Joining as a Senior Project Manager in October 2018, only one month after the AWS partnership, Thomas Shaw came from a highly experienced technical background: graduating in 1986 with a BSc in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota, Shaw gained experience with the AUGUST 2020

255

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Nereus Systems is an integral partner to the success of the National Institute of Health’s cloud migration, inclusive of our award-winning engineering team and program managers. The National Institute of Health engaged with Nereus Systems to provide logistical support as a partner for their migration of cloud data into the Google cloud (GCP) as well as providing project plans, timelines, and timeline projections on training through both in-person and remote learning for their scientist and researcher communities.

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Cyber Security and NIST We understand that any customer moving into a cloud environment is looking to be able to leverage a multicloud environment for both cost savings as well as the ability to utilize the technical advantages of their prospective cloud providers. But to be truly efficient in the use of cloud and next-generation tools a customer must have confidence in their security and their own compliance posture. At Nereus, we take both of these as the backbone of our mission with our customers.

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I own a small aerospace engineering services business, and Nereus has been invaluable for helping us get our arms around how to secure and maintain our IT environment.

Before engaging with them, I really didn’t have a clear path for how to successfully verify and maintain compliance to the NIST SP 800-171 requirements. The deep bench of experience that Nereus was able to assemble for me, between their in-house employees and the personnel at their partner network of companies, was impressive and ensured that my system was in good hands. The team members were able to provide us a solid System Security Plan (SSP) update, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) manual, and a vulnerability assessment that identified a number of areas for improvement followed by an easy-tofollow guide for shoring up these vulnerabilities. Nereus was able to provide this much-needed service for us at a price point that was far better than anything else I could find - anywhere (and I’d been very thorough in my searches in the year leading up to our engagement with Nereus).

They have taken a huge weight and worry off of my shoulders, and I’m very happy that I’ve found the to work within securing my company’s systems.

Tim Read, CEO T4 Engineering We take great pride in the clients that we service and adopt their missions as our own. Our collective backgrounds, histories, and work ethic speak for themselves and we hope we can leverage that for your goals.

N I H S T R I D E S I N I T I AT I V E

“ When it comes to healthcare in the US, I’m always curious about how we can advance” — Thomas Shaw, Senior Project Manager, STRIDES Initiative

American Red Cross, the National Center for Biotechnology Information and even NASA. His career has been an intermingling of technology and healthcare, but this is no coincidence: Shaw claims that the challenges of the former and the inherent significance of the latter made it an ideal combination. “What’s most important to me is ‘what am I doing? What’s the project in mind?’” he explains. “When it comes to healthcare in the US, I’m always curious about how we can advance.”

258

Recognising the NIH as an organisation devoted to positive change and making a difference in people’s lives, Shaw became the first project manager brought onboard for the STRIDES Initiative and appreciated the team’s open workplace culture: “You can go to anybody and ask for help and people will, regardless of what the issue is,” he says. “At the same time, all of the cloud service providers we are working with display an identical attitude and commitment: It’s not ‘we can’t do this’, rather ‘how can we do this?’ and that’s a wonderful environment to be in.” This aspect has proven particularly crucial because of STRIDES’ sheer scope: AUGUST 2020

Next Generation Biomedical Research using AWS CLICK TO WATCH

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53:13

259 integrating data from across 2,700

and a variety of reports. Regarding

NIH-funded Institutes and organisa-

the latter, these can take the form of

tions comprising research on topics

monthly spend reports, supplementary

ranging from tooth decay to vaccines),

information and account monitoring

the amount of information necessary to

which will send timely alerts to possible

carry out the project is truly immense.

over-spending.

Offering support services to assist

The fundamentals of the Initiative

in the utilisation of cloud resources, the

rest on three pillars: access, collabora-

STRIDES Initiative covers consulta-

tion and innovation. However, large

tion, structured coordination between

volumes of data require a simplified,

the STRIDES team and the recipient’s

integrated, easy-to-access platform

project or programme, a flexible pro-

in order to be readily accessible and

ject billing setup regardless of how the

cloud computing was the vital ingredi-

research is NIH-funded, cloud training

ent which pulled STRIDES together.

(both in-person and online resources)

According to Shaw, the move to cloud b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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was “a big step forward” in the sense

without cloud, such a monumental

that it liberated the sharing of informa-

task might have been too expensive

tion whilst simultaneously maintaining

to execute. “There have been prior

granular control over it. Making the

attempts to do what we’re achieving

information accessible to research

with STRIDES, but, at that time, some

staff without the need to download

of the technology just wasn’t there for

it mitigated the need for substantial

it.” Now that communicating between

investment in servers to house the

teams is easier than ever before, a

NIH’s collective data, thus saving costs

digital, cloud-powered NIH community

significantly. Indeed, Shaw states that,

can explore each others’ work in new

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

261

Thomas Shaw Title: Senior Project Manager

Location: Burke, Virginia

Thomas Shaw is a Senior Project Manager on the NIH STRIDES Initiative.

He received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota and a minor in Mathematics. Along with the over 20 years at NIH, he has been the Director of Test Engineering and Configuration Management at the American Red Cross and worked in many different industry sectors including Secure Communications, Industrial Automation and Medical Devices. He brings his wealth of knowledge from these different arenas to the forefront to foster highly functioning teams and is valued for his ability to think outside the box to apply concepts and ideas to solve complex problems in unconventional ways. By seeing the big picture while being able to focus on the details helps mitigate many risks by addressing them ahead of time. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

N I H S T R I D E S I N I T I AT I V E

and interesting ways. “We have an ecosystem where people with access are collaborating which will lead to innovation. I think it’s really going to excite people,” adds Shaw.

STRIDES’ ability to remove or lower barriers to seamless collaboration and data sharing is what Shaw calls “the golden ticket” for working in cloud space. “At this time, incurring egress is the only way to move data from one CSP (cloud service provider) to another. Resolving the barriers of 262

CSP data-sharing will take research to the next level,” he says. Shaw even postulates that a future pandemic on the scale of COVID-19 could be dealt with more effectively within a mature STRIDES ecosystem. The ability to get quick access to cloud resources, NIH-funded datasets and the ability to work closely with fellow researchers would be highly advantageous in the fight against a new virus. “No longer will that vital research remain only in the domain of major universities or organisations,” he continues.

“Instead the playing field will shift to a more level place for research: large funded institutes, researchers at AUGUST 2020

underserved organisations, post-docs, doctoral candidates and even retired researchers with inspired insights could contribute towards a solution.”

Although there is no way to predict when a similar pandemic might occur again, one thing appears certain: the power of cloud as a binding agent for coordinating a response will form the basis of any effective plan.

The liberating potential of digital transformation is exemplified by NIH’s decision to pursue the STRIDES Initiative, something Shaw claims was the result of upper management’s realisation that its legacy systems would no longer be functional in the modern digital era. Whilst 10 years ago the Initiative’s aims would have been difficult to execute, modern technology has accelerated capacity beyond imagining. “You would not have been able to move 20 petabytes of data up into the cloud in less than a year previously; it would have probably taken a couple of years at best,” he explains.

Such dynamic leaps make the team’s open style of workplace culture even more valuable, as their expertise and receptiveness make them ideal for b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

263

guiding others through the change.

focus include data protection and

Taking the time and effort to organise

monitoring software for multi-cloud

training for NIH staff is something

data centres and providing STRIDES

Shaw takes pride in, particularly for

with an effective and simplified method

those who do not properly understand

for eliminating IT issues before they

the cloud. As such, he considers

become problematic. From infrastruc-

STRIDES to be merely the latest itera-

ture assessments, security reviews,

tion of a project which will continue to

access management, training and

improve over the years: “The goal is to

many other services, STRIDES needs

maintain STRIDES and allow it to con-

collaborators who are as intrepid and

tinue in one form or another.�

inspired to expand the frontiers of bio-

Navigating the future successfully

medical research as it is. Successful

will depend on partners as forward-

partners will be those companies that

thinking as NIH itself. Key areas of

are agile, free flowing and committed to

NIH STRIDES Cloud overview: Key Concepts CLICK TO WATCH

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11:10

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

265

N I H S T R I D E S I N I T I AT I V E

PA RT N ERSHI PS

266

The STRIDES Initiative’s first partnership was with Google Cloud in July 2018. Joe Corkery, MD, Director of Product, Healthcare and Life Sciences at Google Cloud, said, “We’re committed to working with the NIH to create the best environment possible for biomedical research to f lourish across the country and across the globe. Together, we’re eliminating barriers to accessing and making meaning from the most important datasets: the ones that have the potential to advance science and human health.”

Andrea T. Norris, CIO at NIH, added: “By launching STRIDES, we clearly show our strong commitment to putting the most advanced cloud computing tools in the hands of scientists.

Beyond our partnership with

AUGUST 2020

Google Cloud, we will seek to add more industry partners to assure that NIH continues to be well poised to support the future of biomedical research.”

Furthermore, “teaming with AWS will give NIH researchers powerful cloud-based resources to more efficiently collaborate and analyze data,” added Norris.

“AWS’s long standing leadership in the cloud space will help bolster the innovative research being conducted through NIH support.”

“We’re committed to providing those researchers participating in the STRIDES Initiative with access to high-value NIH datasets, enabling them to further their research to study, treat, and prevent the most devastating diseases,” said Teresa Carlson, VP at AWS.

“ The goal is to maintain STRIDES and allow it to continue in one form or another” — Thomas Shaw, Senior Project Manager, STRIDES Initiative

as interest has increased. I don’t see much changing as far as our cloud is concerned, apart from an increase in usage as more and more people use it.” Shaw intimates that the ‘new normal’, or the revised attitudes to work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, could mean that STRIDES has come along at the perfect time. With remote working and a focus on the practical convenience of digital, organisations have awoken to the benefits of operating in a cloud-based system. Now that the collaborative ecosystem, of

the STRIDES Initiative’s mission, whilst

which STRIDES anticipated, is starting

also bringing cutting edge biomedi-

to become essential to the future of

cal information solutions to the cloud

research, Shaw adds that his team’s

space for NIH-funded research.

mission will be to optimise and make it

Looking ahead to the end of 2020

as affordable as possible. “I think, if we

and the short-term future of STRIDES,

develop a superior model, other univer-

Shaw is optimistic that over 100 NIH-

sities will pick up on the idea and buy

funded institutions will have signed

into the STRIDES programme. Then,

up and enrolled in the Initiative, citing

down the road at some point, maybe

a substantial uptick in the usage of

even corporations will do the same.”

cloud resources since the beginning of spring. The reason, he presumes, is the exponential growth of data being generated by facilities within the NIH ecosystem: “The amount of data has quadrupled in the past year b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

267

268

AUGUST 2020

SMC Corp of America: delivering competitivity through IT WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

269

S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

Michael Loggins, Global VP of IT at SMC of America, discusses the strategic and technological shifts driving the pneumatics leaders’ performance

S

MC, founded in Japan as Sintered Metal Corporation in 1959, is one of the world’s foremost pneumatic technology

developers and manufacturers with operations in 81 countries. In 1972, the SMC Corporation of America subsidiary was founded on the basis of providing local delivery and strategy for the 270

American market, with that expertise yielding a considerable degree of autonomy as the business grew over the following decades. In recent years and owing to shifts in customers’ technological capabilities and expectations, that localised strategy has changed.

“Every subsidiary was focused almost solely on the customer base within their country,” says Michael Loggins, Global Vice President of IT at SMC USA. “Over the last several years, more and more companies have become unbound by geography - they work and get things done wherever they need to. We’ve created programmes to deal with the largest of those companies that have become global in nature to understand how we can be a better seller to them, to coordinate

AUGUST 2020

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

“ We want to make sure we continue to understand our local market, but our customers are expecting us to be and act like a global company” — Michael Loggins, Global Vice President, IT, SMC Corporation of America

our efforts from a manufacturing standpoint and so on.”

These moves towards supporting global customers were only the beginning of a considerable shift in the way SMC operates. “Those major, globalised companies represent a small fraction of our customer base.

We want to make sure we continue

272

to understand our local market, but our customers are expecting us to be and act like a global company so we’ve been trying to figure out the best way to do that. With changes made over the last year, we’re ready to pivot into fully becoming a globally operating company.”

Recirculating chillers and heat exchangers are installed to provide thermal stability for applications in industrial and applied sciences from laser cutting, welding, marking and plastic injection molding. Lab science and analytical equipment applications include: mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, MRIs, CT scanners, radiation therapy machines and other medical equipment AUGUST 2020

SMC Corporation Overview CLICK TO WATCH

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1:58

273 Loggins joined the firm in 2006

an IT perspective will be thorough,

as Manager of IT Operations and

considered, and effective. The crux

progressed through a handful of

of his projects and strategies, he

roles within the organisation before

says, is to use IT as the differen-

becoming Global VP of IT in December

tiator that supports SMC’s strategic

2019. The newly-created position is

competitiveness.

an expansion of his recent role as

“The responsibility we’ve taken

Director of IT from 2012 to 2019 which

in IT is to build the infrastructure on

was overlapped by an additional posi-

technological, operational, staff, policy

tion as European Director of IT from

and procedural levels; whatever it

2017 to 2019. With this experience and

takes from an IT standpoint to ensure

understanding of IT that transcends

we can share data and work with each

borders and SMC’s traditional model,

other geographic boundaries in a

Loggins’ leadership is well placed

productive manner,” he explains.

to ensure the necessary shifts from

“We want to make sure that we’re not b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

Engineering Led. Customer Focused, Women Owned Lucidia IT provides solutions to help their customers adopt and support advanced technologies within today’s cloud first world.

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S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

276

The CQ2 compact cylinder is the world’s bestselling pneumatic cylinder and is supported globally.

The CQ2 is available in 15 bore sizes from 12mm to 200mm. It comes standard with male or female piston rod threads. 42 standard options make it one of the most versatile cylinder series on the market.

For mounting flexibility, it is possible to mount auto switches on any of the 4 surfaces

a global company as a facade, but that

technologies such as IoT, automation,

we actually operate as one in front of

and the data streams that tie opera-

our customers and other subsidiaries

tions together as other major triggers

whilst enabling SMC to maintain its

for the transformation. “Our custom-

status as the world leader in pneu-

ers are changing,” Loggins notes.

matic manufacturing components.”

“You’re not just solving a mechanical

Loggins highlights the infusion

problem any more, you’re also solving

of tech capabilities with sales and

a data problem, a connectivity problem,

marketing, the use of authentically

a whole range of technological vari-

produced YouTube videos showcas-

ables.” Throughout the transformation,

ing the firm’s offering, and the need to

SMC has ensured that its product

react to the growing scope of smart

delivery meets the full suite of these

AUGUST 2020

“ The cool thing, especially from an agile cultural standpoint, is that we’re not leading RPA’s implementation, the other areas of the business are guiding it” — Michael Loggins, Global Vice President, IT, SMC Corporation of America

needs, maximising value to customers by providing a single source of solutions that operate as moving parts of SMC’s product ecosystem, cutting the need for multiple vendors exerting influence on process success.

Enacting change began with assessing and understanding value at a cultural level, guided by the need from a company standpoint for IT to add value both internally and externally.

“One of the hardest questions from a cultural standpoint has been: how do you determine value without inherent,

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

Michael Loggins Title: Global Vice President of Information Technology Industry: Industrial Automation Location: Indiana Michael Loggins is the Global Vice President of IT at SMC Corporation of America. Having joined in 2006 as a Manager of IT before rising to the Director of IT position in 2012. In 2017, this position was coupled with an additional role as European Director of IT, with both concluding in 2019 so he could assume his new and current position. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

277

M O S E R I T. C O M

CONCENTRATED ON TECNOLOGY

FOCUSED ON RESULTS LEARN MORE 

quantifiable indicators of this given to us for specific projects? How do you deliver against that value? We’re not picking tasks apart or doing large, epic, seemingly endless projects. We’re trying to break that down and ensure value at the point of delivery.”

Loggins says that implementing

1972

Year founded

1,160 Number of employees

KPIs to measure deliverable value is a key project and a considerable chal-

new metrics, he says, can be a point

lenge, particularly as the traditionally

of friction, but they are essential to

structured and mechanically-minded

effectively communicating the value

organisation has operated for many

that SMC delivers. “Uptime, delivery

years on the basis of metrics relative

and lead-times have always been

to those qualities. The introduction of

captured but have not previously been

AUGUST 2020

How does the SIF-400, the training system for Industry 4.0, work?

CLICK TO WATCH

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4:18

279 viewed through the lens of what they

could only be scaled by adding more

mean to the culture or to the value

people.” The introduction of robotic

we provide.”

process automation (RPA) began in

From a technological standpoint,

Europe under Loggins’ leadership,

Loggins notes automation as one of

and is now being implemented for

the key and recent elements of the

the US operations as well. “The cool

transformation. “SMC’s bread and

thing, especially from an agile cultural

butter is making components that

standpoint, is that we’re not leading

allow other manufacturers to auto-

it, the other areas of the business

mate their processes. Despite that,

are. They’re assessing the processes

a lot of our back-end, knowledge-

they want to be automated while we

based processes are still very manual,

provide the guidance and solutions

time consuming and require large

for them to conduct their own system

systems to complete the work at

development and do what they need

scale. As we grew, those processes

to do.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

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“ We’re not picking tasks apart or doing large, epic, seemingly endless projects.

We’re trying to break that down and ensure value at the point of delivery” — Michael Loggins, Global Vice President, IT, SMC Corporation of America

AUGUST 2020

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S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

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“ With changes made over the last year, we’re ready to pivot into fully becoming a globally operating company” — Michael Loggins, Global Vice President, IT, SMC Corporation of America LU CI DI A I T AN D DELL

The streamlining of processes through automation offers enormous benefits both to SMC and its customers, with faster delivery and the labour saved for its workforce being crucial. The core of the transformation, Loggins says, is SMC’s people. “Aptitude is important but attitude is critical,” he says and, as drivers of the transformation on the ground, SMC’s staff have been rewarded with an increase in knowledge-based tasks in tandem with the reduction of repetitive ones, and positive shifts in work-life

“Lucidia IT and Dell have been our infrastructure partners for around 10 years, and over the last three years they’ve been integral to designing and building our next generation end user compute platforms in the US and now, of course, globally.

We’re in the process of building data centres in Europe and we’re in the architecture and design phase for Asia, and both Lucidia and Dell have done a great job of partnering with our teams to make sure they deliver exactly what we need.”

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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S M C C O R P O R AT I O N O F A M E R I C A

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M O SER CO N SU LT I N G

“Moser originally came in to help SMC build security, governance and compliance frameworks around three years ago. Since then, we have been leveraging Moser Consulting to help with governance, risk and compliance maturity for our projects across

AUGUST 2020

the globe. We’re trying now to scale our US-implemented framework and programmes with additional maturity across the globe, and Moser is essential to this. Moser has a great deal of talent, and its culture is very similar to our own which helps with adaptability.”

285

balances. This focus on employees

behaviours that Loggins and his

ensures high retention, and there

team have been seeking to imbue

is considerable mobility between

across operations.

different business units that enable a breed of cohesion that is only possible through mutual understandings between departments. Not only that, but these qualities ensure the workforce is adaptable, emblematising the Agile methodologies and b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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AUGUST 2020

Bentley Systems’ cloud offering drives business resilience WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE

PRODUCED BY

ARRON RAMPLING

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

Jeff Richardson, CDO at Bentley Systems, discusses the state of the art cloud infrastructure that benefits internal and external stakeholders

T

he global business community has responded to the coronavirus pandemic with considerably more focus on remote

working than has ever been seen before. For every industry, from media to construction, demand 288

has rocketed for technological solutions that will enable continued operations with minimal disruption. Bentley Systems, a world-leading software solutions developer serving major infrastructural construction projects around the world, has long been a proponent of this breed of tech, and today boasts a cutting edge cloud infrastructure whose benefits are more apparent than ever. In normal times, its end-to-end suite of software solutions for such large projects ensures a seamlessness of delivery for its users while cutting-edge telemetry capabilities mean development and subscriptions are current, flexible, and fair. All of that remains true during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global crisis has revealed that Bentley’s greatest strength is perhaps in the flexibility it offers both external and internal stakeholders.

AUGUST 2020

Jeff Richardson, CDO, Bentley Systems

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1984

Year founded

$700mn Revenue in US dollars

3,800 Number of employees

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

“ We use the rules of compliance as foundational guidelines, and we always try to exceed those guidelines by orders of magnitude” 290

— Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems

Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer at Bentley Systems, has been with the company since 2004, rising through the ranks from an SAP developer to the head of the firm’s data lifecycle and data strategies. In Richardson’s view, ‘global mobility’ is 2020’s key trend, and it has certainly become the undercurrent for business in a world where face-to-face contact is being kept to a minimum.

“Businesses have quickly tried to adapt to global mobility now that face-toface culture is out the window, and we instead need to have a culture of ‘can you do your job globally, but remotely to where you are?’” he says.

The scope of the construction projects that Bentley facilitates means the capability required goes way beyond the collaboration tools and Zoom meetings that have come to pervade many industries. Building a 100-storey skyscraper, for example, comes with immense data requirements, with file sizes spanning gigabytes and terabytes. “A single BIM model, made of the structural elements of the building, could be many, many gigabytes of data. The question is: how do remote workers seamlessly

AUGUST 2020

Bentley Systems: ProjectWise Components Center Overview CLICK TO WATCH

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1:26

291 access files of that size to make edits,

on integrating a robust and industry-

updates and run analyses?”

leading cloud security platform. Along

Bentley’s state-of-the-art

with instituting a security office, we

ProjectWise 365 tools provide the

have beefed up our security staff and

answer, with distributed file sharing

infrastructure by around 800% in

and caching technology that enable

the past five years, we’re constantly

workers to easily operate within the

running penetration exercises on our

cloud regardless of where and when

cloud infrastructure, and we are just

they are, all with the confidence that

now implementing mock data breach

the system is secure and continually

scenarios with our larger cloud infra-

stress-tested against potential threats.

structure compliance and data teams.

“Living in a cloud-focused world,

As we store more and more of our

security is huge for us. Our CIO, Claire

users’ data in the cloud, it is both our

Rutkowski, came on board in October

responsibility and desire to be as safe

2016 and has been heavily focused

and resilient as possible.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

BENTLEY SYSTEMS

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During this period of business

‘ELS contracts’, Richardson explains:

instability and uncertainty, Bentley’s

“We were selling contracts like that as

protections for its customers have

far as back as 2006 - I’ve never heard

extended beyond its cybersecurity.

of another company that was doing

Owing to the business disruptions, the

the same that far back in time. With

company has waived the pay-what-you-

the light telemetry we had available

use subscription fees for ProjectWise

to measure usage, we were able to

through to 30 September 2020; a

do that.” Data gathered from across

measure that ties closely with Bentley’s

software suites has not only enabled

mantra that its success is measured

reactive and incisive development of

by that of its users. The firm has been

successive products, but has made

a pioneer of this payment-by-usage

the pay-for-what-you-use model the

subscription model, known internally as

norm for Bentley for over a decade.

AUGUST 2020

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

Jeff Richardson Jeff Richardson is a seasoned data and analytics executive leader with a cloud-first focus on evolving technology and trends.

Over a 17-year career, he has crafted a results-driven strategy for growth and delivered outcomes which have helped Bentley achieve a leading position in cloud technology, record revenue and user growth.

Today, the latest data measurements are even more precise and complex, making for a robust service model that is accurately proportionate to the user’s needs. Not only does each contract have an unlimited potential value ceiling for Bentley, they also ensure users are never encumbered with a subscription that they don’t need and actively use. The tech also paints a

A prolific speaker on the topics of cloud, data and analytics, Richardson can often be found at conferences and networking events in the Greater Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic area.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College, where he was also a Division I swimmer, a master’s degree in Statistics from Central Connecticut State University and recently completed a business capstone program at Yale University.

picture of the usage increase that has come with vaster proportions of workforces working from home during the b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

For an open relationship with your data.

Multi-cloud Data Integration & Analytics | qlik.com

295 COVID-19 pandemic. “When the crisis hit, many companies who were using other, server-based products in offices became stuck and couldn’t access those resources. For our customers, the users of our distributed cloud products, the transition was seamless and we can actually see that in the telemetry. It shows us that our work-sharing products had no disruption in usage during the country-based shutdowns resulting from the pandemic. In fact, our collaboration tools actually saw an 8-13% increase in usage, year on year,

“ A single BIM model, made of the structural elements of the building, could be many, many gigabytes of data. The question is: how do remote workers seamlessly access files of that size to make edits, updates, and run analysis” — Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems

from last year.” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

BENTLEY SYSTEMS

Partners enabled us to build an analytical suite in conjunction with our Microsoft Azure partnership.”

296

“Bentley tends to partner with software vendors very tightly to build solutions for things that work for us and can be fed back into the larger software development ecosystem. SAP is a great example, and we’ve been a tight partner with them since about 2005. We use SAP for all of our internal applications, such as ERP and CRM systems, to run operations internally along with its people management and success factors. We work very closely with SAP to develop products that we’re going to use, and I’m positive that development is used to enhance SAP’s only products too.”

“Over the past ten years, Qlik has been a great software vendor and partner for Bentley. We’re using the most recent release of its cloudfocused Sense technology, and it has AUGUST 2020

“I have a close relationship with a lot of the guys that started the company.

As an analytics and data storagefocused cloud developer, Thoughtspot is positioned to be the market leader in cloud-based analytics.”

“We recently partnered with Snowflake to support our cloud-first approach, and it is rapidly growing to become the leader in data warehousing and storage technology. We’re going to use Snowflake internally to store our featurelevel data, which consists of huge amounts of highly detailed telemetry data. Their pricing structure is very elastic, with a fair billing model focused on pay-what-you-use, just like Bentley.”

The sheer capability and flexibility

develop solutions in collaboration with

of Bentley’s cloud infrastructure, which

its key vendors to solidify its leadership

has in recent years been a huge invest-

in the market. Not only that, but cloud-

ment focus for the firm, has been

based operations have made Bentley

predicated on CEO Greg Bentley’s

enormously flexible in how it operates,

insistence that its operations are

meaning that, of its 3,800 staff world-

cloud-first and cloud-forward wherever

wide, Richardson says that only 73

possible. This pioneering approach

were unable to dive into the working-

to cloud, dating back to the launch

from-home scenario of the coronavirus

of Microsoft Azure and the subse-

pandemic from day one.

quent close partnership that the two

Across such global operations, this is

firms have shared since, has enabled

a great indicator of Bentley’s flexibility

Bentley to both seize the opportunities

at work. As the coronavirus pandemic

of cloud-centralised operations and

gathered pace, Senior Leadership of

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

298

“ Living in a cloud-focused world, security is huge for us. Our CIO, Claire Rutkowski, came on board in October 2016 and has been heavily focused on integrating a robust and industry-leading cloud security platform” — Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems AUGUST 2020

IT meetings were held to workshop worst case scenarios, and the preparation that resulted has ensured what Richardson calls a “totally seamless” shift to the new normal. Questions of access to vital resources from home, including licences, hardware and software were answered promptly in a show of remarkable preparedness in such unprecedented times.

“We use the rules of compliance as foundational guidelines, and we always try to exceed those guidelines

299

by orders of magnitude; comply-

the next decade.” This sentiment is

ing whilst building infrastructure

reflected in Bentley’s continued ability

that supports those guidelines in a

to serve its clients and continue as nor-

best practice sense, and exceeding

mal internally, a powerful indicator that

those standards as far as possible,”

Bentley’s cloud software will retain its

Richardson enthuses, highlighting

market leadership long into the future.

the strategic focus that has ensured Bentley Systems is ready for anything.

To close, Richardson shares the ethos at the heart of Bentley’s operations: “We don’t want to build cloud software that’s reliable for today, we want to build cloud software that’s reliable for b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

300

AUGUST 2020

World Vision: digitalising operations to help the vulnerable WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

CAITLYN COLE 301

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

WORLD VISION

Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director, World Vision on the organisation’s digital transformation, COVID-19 and its efforts to help the vulnerable

W

hen it comes to digital innovation at World Vision, Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director at the organisation explains that its strat-

egy is not necessarily ‘cutting edge’.

“We’re probably more on the other end of the 302

spectrum where we are intentionally not cutting edge. Instead, we’re looking to be frugal, using technology that has the highest return on investment (ROI), as well as applications that provide the most effective impact,” so when it comes to digital transformation, World Vision is focusing its efforts on its demand planning, fulfilment and distribution.

“In terms of demand planning, our stakeholders and program leaders from around the world are serving in various communities and they need to have a simple and common tool that we can pull from. Over time, we have developed a tool with a fairly simple input process, and then we aggregate all those answers into a global demand each year, and this process has continued to be refined year on year. When it comes to fulfilment and global

AUGUST 2020

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WORLD VISION

“ We are probably more on the other end of the spectrum where we are intentionally not cutting edge. Instead we are looking to be frugal, using technology that has the highest return on investment (ROI), as well as applications that provide the most effective impact” — Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director, World Vision

He adds that, “Envista has been our partner for a little over four years and they have played an important role in allowing us to utilise our ERP

304

distribution, I would say that we are still

for nonprofit application. A lot of what

on a journey about how we can build

we do is non-standard, we are using

global solutions. Here in the US, we

an ERP built for profit in a nonprofit

had a big win several years ago when

organisation, so being able to manage

we introduced a common ERP system

that efficiently and effectively we are

for both managing donations as well

really thankful for Envista for provid-

as ministry executions for serving

ing the expertise.” Other technology

our communities. Now that we’re on

World Vision has adopted to digitally

a common platform, the ability to move

transform its operations include the

products around to maintain control

adoption of a new TMS system about

has really been bolstered,” adds Covell.

a year ago, “and so we are still going through the learning curves of the system and looking to be as effective as

AUGUST 2020

World Vision: supporting communities to fight COVID-19 around the world CLICK TO WATCH

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2:17

305 we can with that tool which has a huge

make to our operations when it comes

opportunity to be much more impact-

to technology to enable this in the future.”

ful than the homegrown system that

When it comes to the importance

we were using prior to that.”

Reflecting on the future of technol-

of technology, Covell believes that “having connectivity to all of our

ogy at World Vision, Covell notes that

stakeholders, donors, carriers and

one area his team has been looking

customers is critical. As a team – aside

into in the last year and will continue to

from the ones who are continuing to

do so in the future is having an impact

work in warehouses and distribution

assessment of donated Gifts in Kind

– we are able to work from home.

(GIK) to understand how to maximise

The team that’s interacting with our

the freight dollar spend and where

various stakeholders are able to work

the company can use it for the most

from home and not miss a beat and

significant impact. “As a result we are

that has been excellent. However,

looking into improvements that we can

in my personal opinion, this is not b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

SERVING THOSE W H O S E RV E H IM

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going to be the new normal. I personally believe that being together as a team provides great value due to the connectedness of the team.

Working from home creates challenges that you need to overcome on a day to day basis. So I don’t see this as the new normal, I think the days of the office aren’t numbered.”

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Covell explains that while its office based teams have faced minimal disruption, the operations of organisation have not been without challenges.

“It’s interesting times for sure,” notes AUGUST 2020

GET A QUOTE

1950

Year founded

$2.75bn Revenue in US dollars

10,000+

Number of employees (Linkedin)

Covell, “here in the United States we

response as well as a local emer-

have had to deal with not being able

gency response, which putting all

to bring in our volunteers for our seven

these elements together makes a

sites in the US which we rely heavily

very challenging environment,” com-

on to make our operations work. So

ments Covell. He believes that “the

not having the volunteers has been

US team has done an excellent job

a significant disruption. In terms of

setting up distribution hubs at 12 dif-

distribution, we are still getting dona-

ferent sites around the country and

tions in from corporations which is

have been ramping up efforts to get

awesome, but the team has pivoted

food and essential supplies to each

to emergency response instead of

of those hubs on top of serving 17 of

normal distributions, so we are cur-

the most fragile countries impacted

rently serving a global emergency

by COVID-19.”

307

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

Tim Covell Title: Supply Chain Director Company: World Vision Industry: Non-profit Organization Management Tim has a BS in Operations Research/Systems Analysis from West Point Military Academy, and a MS in Engineering Management from Milwaukee School of Engineering. After some time serving in the Army and then leading operations in transportation services, he spent over 21 years at GE Healthcare in Milwaukee, WI. During that time, he had experience in a variety of roles from Mfg and Materials leadership to New Product Development and Advanced Manufacturing Engineering. He recently joined World Vision in Seattle, WA to lead the GIK Supply Chain operation and has been serving there for 3 ½ years. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

WORLD VISION

308

When it comes to the future of the

of poverty. So for me, COVID-19

industry, Covell details that “one of the

reinforces the criticality of our min-

dynamics of poverty is the inability to

istry and services for the future.”

deal with emergencies or crises as

Reflecting on the organisation,

they emerge and you’re living paycheck

Covell explains that “World Vision

to paycheck, day to day just to get

intends to provide a total business

by. Therefore, having an emergency

solution for corporations, offering a

like COVID-19 reinforces the need for

holistic approach with team activities,

organisations like World Vision and

kit builds, cash donations, and GIK.

many others to be engaged in caring

We have an excellent team that works

for and uplifting communities that

with these corporations in terms of

are struggling to break that cycle

developing relationships and working

AUGUST 2019

309

“ Now that we’re on a common platform, the ability to move products around to maintain control has really been bolstered” — Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director, World Vision

with them. Then, once a donation is made, my team then is the execution arm, so our focus is on providing a high level of service to the donor. In particular, we focus on having a short response time to get the product off of their dock – which is typically a priority for corporations – providing a reverse logistics solution, integrating with the donor’s operations. Finally, maintaining that ministry focus and making sure that we are a pull operation is key. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

WORLD VISION

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“ Having an emergency like COVID-19 reinforces the need for organisations like World Vision and many others to be engaged in caring for and uplifting communities that are struggling to break that cycle of poverty” — Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director, World Vision

AUGUST 2020

311

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WORLD VISION

It’s important that we’re never taking a product from a corporation and then pushing it to a ministry site, instead we make sure at every turn that we’re responsive and sensitive to what is needed at the ministry site to care for people, making sure that the product we’re sending is providing value.”

However, this mission isn’t done alone. Covell explains that World Vision is a small team which relies on its logistics partners significantly 312

internationally and domestically.

“In terms of international logistics MX Shipping has been a core partner specialising in access to really challenging countries and last mile scenarios. On the domestic side, we have several core partners that we work with including C.H. Robinson

“ We make sure at every turn that we’re responsive and sensitive to what is needed at the ministry site to care for people, making sure that the product we’re sending is providing value” — Tim Covell, Supply Chain Director, World Vision AUGUST 2020

313

and Radiant two key partners that

each category allows checks and bal-

we lean heavily on. My philosophy is

ances ensuring that we’re being cost

to have a few core relationships and

effective as we go forward.”

not to jump around every year to build strong relationships and grow together.

However, on the flip side, I’m not a fan of being single sourced and not having options, so having a few partners in b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

314

A DIGITALLY DISRUPTIVE ORGANISATION WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

SHIRIN SADR

AUGUST 2020

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MASTERCARD

Mohammed Kamal, Senior Vice President, O&T, at Mastercard, on the company’s unique operations, digital transformation, technology trends and its initiatives to combat COVID-19

W

hen it comes to the operations at Mastercard, Mohammed Kamal, Senior Vice President, O&T, reflects

on the history of the company. “Just looking at Mastercard’s payment network, it has a unique architecture with triple redundancy 316

built in, operating globally, peer to peer and with local AI decisioning. The way Mastercard and Mastercard’s network has been built over the years is different from some of our competitors, which I believe provides a quicker and higher quality of service for our customers. Beyond our historic payments network, I think Mastercard is in a position to disrupt itself. Where you typically associate Mastercard with credit card or debit card payments, being disruptive has taken us into areas such as account-based and bill payments, which have grown over the years. While we’ve been diversifying into services for some time, we’re also diversifying into multiple payment rails that you typically wouldn’t associate with Mastercard. For me this is one of AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

MASTERCARD

“ Mastercard has very rigorous business continuity plans that are tested regularly so we are ready to respond when an unexpected crisis happens, such as COVID-19” — Mohammed Kamal, Senior Vice President, O&T, Mastercard

the big things that makes Mastercard unique compared to some of our competitors.”

Kamal adds: “When I look at digital transformation and being disruptive, it is important to move from a

place where the digital and core businesses are not separate to be successful. The core

318

business itself has to evolve into being digital rather than adding a digital veneer and keeping the existing core processes in place.” This approach is something that Kamal sees as fundamental when digitally transforming business operations.

“It’s visible when you look at a company, which ones have added digital as an afterthought, versus which companies actually reinvented themselves to be digitally native. Much of the time the result is a hybrid.

Sometimes you’ll see competing products within an organisation, some that are digitally enabled but which obviously started off in more of AUGUST 2020

Inclusive access – Frictionless future of payments

CLICK TO WATCH

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1:21

319 an analog form, and then you have

much more data-rich, so it typically

new products, built from the ground

goes hand in hand with more

up that are digitally native. I believe

advanced warehousing and analyt-

for companies to be successful, it’s

ics capabilities. In addition, digital

important to really reimagine what’s

tends to be exposed through web

possible without the confines and

and application programming inter-

design assumptions of the non-digital

faces (APIs), which require their own

legacy products. If you build new

sets of supporting infrastructure and

products from the ground up, I think it

security capabilities.

opens up new doors when it comes

When it comes to the application

to their flexibility and agility. There is,

of cloud, data and analytics and artifi-

however, a tremendous amount of

cial intelligence (AI), Kamal states

underlying infrastructure and plumb-

that “all are obviously important but

ing needed to successfully pull off a

for various reasons and applied

digital transformation. Digital is

across different industries. For our b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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MASTERCARD

322

organisation, which accumulates

consumer banks - in a network.

large amounts of data, being able

These new, digitally native products,

to draw insights based on data is

one of their selling points is that they

extremely important and I would rank

enable a richer exchange of data

this the highest out of the three. A lot

than their analog counterparts

of our fraud engines and insight plat-

through ISO 20022 messaging

forms run on aggregated data which

standards. These standards provide

is invaluable. We’re also, however,

the capability to carry a lot more

enabling the exchange of data

information back and forth, driving

between participants in an ecosys-

value for parties in the ecosystem.

tem. Mastercard is very well

This exchange of data enriches the

positioned as a network where we

whole ecosystem, and provides for a

bring together different parties - mer-

more symbiotic relationship between

chants, billers, acquiring banks and

us and our partners.�

AUGUST 2020

Reflecting on the capabilities cloud

use cases, especially in the face of

technology can provide, Kamal

nationalism, where you may need to

explains that “you can gain tremen-

have something hosted in the cloud.

dous amounts of value. But first it is

For that reason, I have generally taken

important to determine the best use

a hybrid cloud approach when going

case for this technology. Mastercard,

down the path of cloud enabling solu-

for example, has a good footprint of

tions. The greatest value I see,

data centres around the world in dif-

however, is that the techniques

ferent regions. In some instances,

applied when using a hybrid-cloud

cloud makes sense and other times it

enabling platform generally make the

doesn’t, but the flexibility of cloud and

platform more scalable, agile and ven-

the ability to leverage an OPEX model

dor agnostic, which in itself is valuable

versus a CAPEX model provides scal-

whether actually deployed in a public

ability and flexibility. I think there are

cloud environment or not.

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

Mohammed Kamal Title: Senior Vice President, Consumer Applications Mohammed Kamal is a payments industry technologist with a passion for innovation and the Fintech space. He is currently serving as the COO of Consumer applications at Mastercard, leading a cross functional team with a mission of enabling new payment flows leveraging real-time payments (RTP). His responsibilities include technology and operations for retail payments (p2m), BillPay & p2p payment products. He is also responsible for corporate & commercial M&A integration within the Consumer Applications division. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

323

MASTERCARD

Mastercard has been leveraging AI

324

manual enrolment process

for its fraud services for over 10 years.

can take a consumer half an

“We have very advanced fraud detec-

hour - if not longer – trying to

tion capabilities that we provide our

identify and link with the differ-

customers,” says Kamal. “One of the

ent billers they have a

techniques that I think is interesting

relationship with. An assistive AI

with AI is the use of assistive AI versus

solution can bring this time down

fully autonomous AI - or a mix of the

significantly, reducing friction for the

two, depending on the use case.

customer, yet keeping them in control

There’s still tremendous value in hav-

of their personal and financial data.”

ing human intervention and making

Another technology trend Kamal

sure a human is kept in the decision

has seen emerge is the use of open

making loop, but drastically empow-

banking, “we’ve seen a huge amount

ered as a result of the AI. For example,

of action in this space. I use the term

fraud detection is sometimes one of

‘open banking’ loosely because it dif-

those use cases where selectively

fers in different regions of the world,

involving the user in the decision mak-

but it’s the idea that the bank is open-

ing process can provide for a better,

ing their ‘walled garden’ in a con-

more confidence-inspiring user expe-

trolled and secure way so that a cus-

rience. But other use cases could be

tomer can use the data for their

in the space of bill payments, where a

benefit with other products.” In some

S T R AT E GI C PART N ERSHI PS

“When it comes to our partners such as Fulcrum Digital Inc., a critical hallmark that we look for in a collaborator is f lexibility and agility.

When collaborating with others we are looking for long term partners that we can share both successes and failures with and create future opportunities. We look for the type of collaborative partners that will share in the risks and the rewards and I think being able to share in that makes for a better relationship in the long run.”

AUGUST 2020

“ When I look at digital transformation cases the banks themselves are and being disruptive, it is important building new prodto move from a place where the ucts based on this digital and core businesses are not Open banking paradigm. The Consumer separate to be successful” — Mohammed Kamal, Senior Vice President, O&T, Mastercard

Application division here at Mastercard is helping our partners do just that. More generally, in the industry, I am seeing an increase in partnerships and collaboration between banks, which are well positioned with bank grade security and safety compliance built-in, with fintechs that are providing customers experiences the banks have not been able to provide in the past. At Mastercard, we want to support all members of the open banking ecosystem. We’re focused on delivering solutions that will enable these experiences, whether that is delivered just by a bank, just by a fintech, or in partnership.”

With many organisations around the world being affected by the impact of COVID-19, Kamal explains that b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

325

MASTERCARD

1966

Year founded

$12.5bn+ Revenue in US dollars (2017)

16,000 Number of employees

“ It’s visible when you look at a company, which ones have added digital as an afterthought, versus which companies actually reinventing themselves to be digitally native” — Mohammed Kamal, Senior Vice President, O&T, Mastercard AUGUST 2020

“Mastercard has very rigorous business continuity plans that are tested regularly so we are ready to respond when an unexpected crisis happens, such as COVID-19.

As you would expect, the teams are executing our operations very well. We work very closely with our customers as well as having our

provide to help them?” Since the outbreak Mastercard has been implementing a variety of initiatives in order to help its customers navigate the impact of the pandemic.

When it comes to digital transformation and adopting the current trends within the technology space, Kamal highlights the importance of having the right products and services to be able to capture the opportunities innovation provides. “I think that’s the key message, it’s not always easy to predict what the market will need in one go, but much of the time we are investing in flexible underlying product infrastructure, while the use cases themselves develop more organically. I think it’s important to build with flexibility so that, while you may build a set of technology or products for a particular own VCP processes to ensure that as

use case, or you have a business case

our customers encounter challenges

in mind, you also need to be able to

within their business we are able to

pivot the technology for different use

accommodate them. Our continuity

cases if the need should arise.”

plan not only looks at how our company could be impacted but whether our customers could be impacted, what policy changes we could make, what rule changes? And what can we b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION: DIGITAL DISRUPTION IN FINTECH

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

SHIRIN SADR

AUGUST 2020

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MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

BENJAMIN MAXIM, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL STRATEGY & INNOVATION, DISCUSSES HIS ORGANISATION’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION APPROACH AMIDST COVID-19

M 330

SU Federal Credit Union was founded in 1937 to help members achieve financial success and stability following the Great

Depression. It has remained dedicated to that same mission for more than 82 years. Its mission statement is simple: providing superior service while assisting members and employees to achieve financial security, their goals and ultimately, their dreams.

Benjamin Maxim is the Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation for the Credit Union.

Maxim is well aware of the importance of leading in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s vital that you’re a strong communicator and offer transparent messaging,” he says. “Given the situation, people are concerned and uncertain, and they need someone to speak to them with confidence, understand their fears, and try to alleviate their worries. During times like these, it’s also important to continue to invest in technological advancements as these allow the organisation to continue to move forward.”

AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

The pandemic has resulted in many industries accelerating their digital transformation journeys and adopting new processes in order to avoid disruption as much as possible. However, financial institutions like MSUFCU were already ahead of the curve. “Digital has always been a focus and a priority of ours,” affirms Maxim. “We’ve built robust IT and UX teams in house to allow for greater control, which has enabled us to be extremely responsive to our members’ needs. Having the in-house teams 332

allows us to be nimble, agile and ready to

“ I’M FOCUSED ON CHAMPIONING INNOVATION ACROSS THE ORGANISATION AND ANALYSING EMERGING TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES” — Benjamin Maxim, Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation, MSUFCU

AUGUST 2020

Quickly and Easily Lock Your Visa with Card Lock from MSUFCU CLICK TO WATCH

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333 respond to the latest trends and technol-

email address or phone number with

ogies. Additionally, we have established

M2M℠ which has meant a decrease

several strategic partnerships with

in the volume of calls to our call center

vendors, allowing us to capitalise on

and chats to our eServices team,” he

their strengths to enhance our own.”

says. “This has improved efficiency

In the last two years, MSUFCU

across the organisation.”

has launched its Member2Member℠

In October 2019, MSUFCU intro-

(M2M℠) transfer solution, in addition

duced its first member-facing Chabot

to modernising its existing member-

to extend its service hours. “We have

ship and loan application process by

an international membership living and

leveraging the ecommerce experience

working in various time zones and it’s

of bundling products and services

important to us that we are accessible

together into one streamlined applica-

to all of them as well as our members

tion. “Within our membership base,

in the U.S.,” explains Maxim. “This

you can now send money through any

solution enabled us to provide a better b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

334

experience for our members – when they need us. We continue to expand our Chatbot’s capabilities, and through this, our live chat employees and others can focus on more complex and meaningful transactions. In addition, our eServices team has grown exponentially, from just three employees when I started 13 years ago, to more than 75 employees today as our members’ behavior has changed over the years becoming more comfortable interacting through live chat and other digital touch points.

AUGUST 2020

“ WE’VE BUILT ROBUST IT AND UX TEAMS IN HOUSE TO ALLOW FOR GREATER CONTROL, WHICH HAS ENABLED US TO BE EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE TO OUR MEMBERS’ NEEDS” — Benjamin Maxim, Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation, MSUFCU

“Whenever we release an innovation, we do so in gradual stages. First, we release it to a subset of employees and members to gather feedback along the way before going through the process of introducing it to all employees, and eventually to the full membership.

Receiving feedback early in the cycle is key as it ensures we are able to address any issues successfully.”

With a plethora of new innovations on the horizon at MSUFCU, the organisation’s digital drive shows no visible signs of slowing. “We’re currently investigating solutions with fintechs E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Benjamin Maxim Benjamin Maxim joined MSU Federal Credit Union in 2007 and currently serves as Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation.

He is responsible for assessing emerging business trends and technologies, facilitating innovation throughout the Credit Union, and providing strategic direction for existing and future digital channels. Maxim began work initially as a Web Developer and in 2014, he became E-Commerce Manager before moving into roles including Assistant Vice President of Programming and Development and Assistant Vice President of Software Development. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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R E I M A G I N E W H AT’S POSSIBLE WHEN YOU UNLOCK THE POWER O F Y O U R D ATA. J O I N T H E D ATA R E V O L U T I O N W I T H T R E L L A N C E.

“ WE’RE CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING SOLUTIONS WITH FINTECHS AND IN-HOUSE INNOVATION TEAMS THAT WILL HELP US INCREASE MEMBER ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS, REDUCE FRAUD AND CREATE EFFICIENCIES THROUGH AUTOMATION USING TECHNOLOGIES LIKE RPA” — Benjamin Maxim, Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation, MSUFCU

and in-house innovation teams that will help us increase member engagement with our digital platforms, reduce fraud and create efficiencies through automation using technologies like RPA,” says Maxim. “We understand the importance of improving our processes and the way we work; it’s not just a case of bringing in another person; there are ways we can leverage technology to be both more efficient and more effective. We are also modernising our employee idea submission process to encourage collaboration and engagement from

MSUFCU’s Member2Member: Send Money Effortlessly to Your Friends and Family CLICK TO WATCH

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1:00

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MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

338

AUGUST 2020

all our employees as they are the ones interacting with our members regularly, so they have a better understanding of member wants and needs.”

Maxim acknowledges the challenge of a culture shift and is aware that some employees might be reluctant to change.

“Our goal is to retain the employees we have and to make sure they are in the jobs that align with our business needs, while also providing the training and support they need to be successful in those roles. However, if they are unwilling to grow as individuals and learn new skills, then it will be more difficult to retain them long-term,” he explains.

Maxim understands the importance of establishing key, strategic business relationships and believes his organisation is “only as good as its partners.”

MSUFCU has formed long-term and mutually sustainable partnerships with Jack Henry, their core banking provider, and Visa over the past few years, and Maxim credits them with helping the organisation realise many of its ambitions. “We’ve spent several years solidifying our partnership with Jack Henry’s leadership team and developing a relationship with them. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

339

MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

We’re at a point now where we’re cocreating solutions in many cases. We also provide feedback by beta testing solutions they’re working on. We meet with them regularly, and they provide solutions that truly work for us. This relationship is important to us because if our core banking system isn’t strong, then we can’t be as successful an organisation as we’d like to be and our members need us to be,” explains Maxim. “Our relationship with our card provider, Visa, is similar. We’ve worked 340

with them on a number of technological initiatives. We were one of their first clients to go live with their Card On/Off

“ WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR CHATBOT’S CAPABILITIES, AND THROUGH THIS, OUR LIVE CHAT EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS CAN FOCUS ON MORE COMPLEX AND MEANINGFUL TRANSACTIONS” — Benjamin Maxim, Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation, MSUFCU

solution, which enables people to lock their credit card if they lose or misplace it. We’re also working with them on travel-related APIs and to reduce fraud when travelling overseas. In addition, we worked with Visa to develop our Visa Signature cash back credit card.

Visa has been a great partner and has enabled us to add many products and services benefitting our membership.”

With the future in mind, Maxim has an idea of the effect digital will continue to have in the industry in the upcoming

AUGUST 2020

341

years. “I believe there will be varying

are many services, such as Netflix or

levels of comfort with people using

Amazon, that leverage their user’s data

digital products,” he says. “People will

to tailor an experience that is unique

still want to interact with us in person

to them, providing a personalised list

so it’s about how we use digital to aug-

of options or recommendations and

ment the experience they have with

the more the user is willing to share

us. We strive to provide a personalised

the more individual the experience

solution because everyone’s situation

becomes. We want to follow the same

is unique to them. As we innovate in the

process for financial services. The

digital financial space, we are focused

influence of data is huge and its influ-

on personalisation, encouraging finan-

ence will only continue to grow.”

cial wellness, and providing superior digital service to our members. There b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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OTIP’s technology driven, peoplefirst response to COVID-19 WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

GLEN WHITE

AUGUST 2020

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b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N ( O T I P )

Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO at OTIP discusses the company’s people-first strategy, technology trends and its response to the impacts of COVID-19

W

hen it comes to the workforce at Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP), Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO, shares that the organi-

zation understands that staying connected, whether with coworkers or senior leaders, is key. “Creating that sense of community at work is really important, 344

as is the ability to listen and evaluate opinions,” she says. “After anything we do as an organization, we ask for feedback to develop a safe space for people to talk about the organization in a collaborative way.

This allows us to be both responsive and agile in an ever-changing world.”

This mindset played a key role in OTIP’s response to COVID-19. Rous believes that relocating the majority of our workforce to home offices has been the biggest disruption to the company from the COVID19 pandemic. “We moved more than 600 people into home offices in less than two weeks, moving them onto a technology platform that is compatible with working from home. Protecting the health and well being of our employees was top of mind, but at the same time we managed to accomplish this task while maintaining our service to members.”

AUGUST 2020

1977

Year founded

$1.5bn Revenue in Canadian dollars

500+ Number of employees

b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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Success begins and ends with people.

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With unmatched industry experience, Morneau Shepell has been providing plan administration services for more than 50 years. We serve mid-sized and large clients, including complex organizations with multiple locations, across all industries, in both the public and private sectors. We support nearly 9,000,000 members through our administrative solutions and have an average client size of 15,000 participants in our North American Health and Welfare client group. Our teams of industry professionals and IT specialists are trusted advisors, subject matter experts and technology enthusiasts. We provide flexible and integrated benefits and pension administration solutions, employee and family assistance, health and wellness programs, and recognition and workplace learning solutions that support organizations in helping their people be healthy and engaged, all towards delivering measurable gains in productivity and results.

Morneau Shepell’s proprietary benefits administration software is a highly configurable system designed to efficiently implement and execute client-specific provisions and processes. The complexity of benefits administration can be magnified and made prohibitively costly to organizations that lack the right technology platform. Our advanced enterprise technology provides a comprehensive and innovative single system for all benefit administration solutions, and is specifically designed to support complex organizations. Our highly flexible technology seamlessly integrates with clients’ existing platforms and infrastructures while providing the security and compliance that is absolutely crucial.

Integral to our advanced platform is intuitive design and navigation so participants can easily interact with the system, and gain a benefits experience that meets their consumer technology expectations.

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Online self-service on any device is standard, with features and functionality covering all aspects of benefits and pension administration, including decision support tools and an AI virtual assistant.

“Morneau Shepell has been partnering with us for over six years. They have helped OTIP through a digital transformation process by streamlining our benefits administration solution. The value of offering a single system to our members that simplifies the administration process and delivers the services that participants want and need has enhanced the experience for both administrators and plan participants. As our organization continues to digitally transform and grow, having a proven and reliable partner that understands our culture and truly cares about our members is invaluable.” – Stacey Rous, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, OTIP Now more than ever, organizations need a complete benefits administration solution that utilizes the latest technology and a single platform to improve accuracy and productivity, but also helps participants improve their lives. Morneau Shepell’s solutions deliver advanced technology for simpler, more cost-effective management that improves participant wellbeing, engagement and overall financial security. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services.

By improving lives, we improve business.

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N ( O T I P )

“ We are a people-first organisation. There will always be tweaks to how we work, but our core strategy of ‘people first’ has not and will not change” — Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO, OTIP

Achieving this incredible feat was not easy, and not done alone. Rous says that OTIP’s partners and stakeholders have been vital in adopting this work from home strategy. “Prior to COVID-19 we didn’t have the system capacity for everyone to work from home. We had been planning for 20 to 25%, but certainly not 100%. Our partners really stepped up to help us implement this capability once the healthcare sector was under control, allowing us to stay connected to our

348

employees and members.”

The OTIP Story CLICK TO WATCH

AUGUST 2020

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

Stacey Rous Stacey Rous is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at OTIP, Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan.

OTIP serves the education community across Ontario, providing health benefits and other insurance needs as a not-forprofit Trust. At OTIP, Stacey is responsible for Finance and IT strategy, including financial operations of the company and accountable for the Project Management Office. Stacey is an accomplished financial executive known for achieving financial and service benchmarks by creating a compelling vision, clearly communicating strategies and providing strong leadership.

Over the years, Stacey has been helping insurance and health care organizations grow and improve member experience with her finance and operational expertise. She has more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in operational finance. Stacey has provided executive financial leadership to the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network, Allianz Global Assistance and Cowan Insurance Group of Companies.

Outside of her role with OTIP, Stacey is

actively involved in building strong partnerships with communities to make a positive impact on social issues such as social isolations, poverty, inequality and mental health. She serves on the Board of the YMCA for Kitchener Waterloo, the Canadian Mental Health Association for Waterloo Wellington and International Women’s Forum Waterloo. She previously served on the IWF Canada Sponsorship Committee to raise funds for the IWF World Leadership Conference.

Stacey is an MBA graduate from Athabasca University and holder of CPA designations in Canada and the US. Throughout her career, she has continued to seek educational opportunities and certifications that enhance her finance and operational capabilities, including: Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) designation, Certified Public Accountant (US designation), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation and Advanced Health Leadership certification from the Rotman School of Management Executive Program.

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Brooklin Consulting: accelerating productivity with OTIP Brooklin Consulting is a management consulting organisation with worldwide experience in several leading industries. The firm helps companies overcome their unique business challenges, discover their greatest opportunities and achieve significant results. Brooklin Consulting has over 30 years of experience in global consulting, primarily focused on productivity improvement, strategic implementation and digital transformation. Brooklin Consulting specialises in achieving measurable results that improve their client’s performance quickly and efficiently.

Michael Flemming is the Vice President of Brooklin Consulting. He leads projects to execute strategy and improve productivity, working with both senior leaders and frontline employees. Brooklin Consulting has formed a partnership with Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) to help improve productivity. Flemming believes this collaborative business partnership is essential and is the “archetype” of any successful consulting relationship. “We’re able to build trust, and work closely with every level of the organisation, which is the key to building solutions that drive the largest impact and are sustainable beyond the term of our engagement,” he says. “Every single change, large and small, is developed with the front-line managers responsible for the area. We work through the development and testing of solutions, but most importantly, we see those changes through to implementation. The collaboration between consultants and operating managers ensures changes are not just theoretical, but drive improvements in the real world.”

When seeking to establish a mutually beneficial and sustainable partnership, Flemming has a clear idea of what he looks for. “We find that the most successful relationships are the ones where we collaborate through every step of the process, regardless if the problem is big or small,” he explains. “We’re prepared to work with clients through every step of the journey to find a solution that is going to succeed. Solutions developed together are always the most successful, and that is a key reason for the strength of our relationship with OTIP, and a key reason our projects have consistently generated 3:1 returns in their first year, while at the same time improving customer service and satisfaction.”

BizClik Media Interviews Michael Flemming, VP at Brooklin Consulting

Over the next few years, Flemming expects the future of Brooklin’s relationship with OTIP to continue to thrive as new technology shakes up the industry. “Organisations like OTIP need to be nimble and ready to change at a moment’s notice in order to stay competitive, and I expect key trends revolving around robotics and AI will push analytical decision-making to the next level and provide better quality to customers,” says Flemming. “We’ve been able to install a culture of continuous improvement with OTIP and help adopt those trends quickly and in a meaningful way. I believe the continued strength of our relationship will allow for those future opportunities to be adopted efficiently and robustly.”

Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO at OTIP, says “The team at Brooklin Consulting has supported OTIP through several improvement projects over the past two years, each resulting in a significant return on investment.

Their methodology has helped us transform our management operating system, allowing for better analytics, faster decision-making, and ultimately improved service to our members. Most importantly, they have helped our people to see challenges as opportunities, leaving behind an approach to continuous improvement that carries on internally beyond the term of their engagements. I would strongly recommend their services to organizations looking to improve their operations.”

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“ My best advice for girls and women looking to get into tech is to seek out a mentor or coach in the industry” — Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO, OTIP

the pandemic. “Our industry is under extreme financial pressure. People’s driving habits have changed, and there is an expectation that auto premiums will reduce accordingly. At the same time, the closure of things like dental offices and other health providers creates a mountain of questions for us and our members on how we handle things like claim limits, cancelled procedures and benefit premiums during and after the pandemic.”

Rous believes that technology will be key as COVID-19 continues to change how organizations and the insurance

Rous adds that she is extremely

industry continues to operate. Post

proud of how OTIP’s employees have

pandemic, she says, a digital mindset

adapted, driving new ways of con-

should be seen as a way of doing

necting with its members, clients and

business, whether that be on-line

employees, but at the same time not

virtual doctor’s appointments, or using

exhausting them with the technology.

Telehealth and Telemedicine more

“Our members and our management

proactively. “COVID-19 should teach

teams are very accepting that there

us that it’s okay to do some things digi-

may be children in the background,

tally. We need to harness what we’ve

dogs barking or doorbell rings from

learned through this and not go back to

home deliveries, which previously

the old normal where it doesn’t make

would have been considered very

sense. Many of these technologies

unprofessional.”

are so powerful, and they will be cost

She adds that the insurance industry itself has not escaped impact from

effective for both our community and our healthcare system .” b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

353

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N ( O T I P )

While Rous thinks that we are a long way from a post COVID-19 world, she does believe that “we are entering into a new normal and that the industry is going to have to settle. For me the future is about the financial stability of a company going forward. I think the finance and the tech folks are going to have their hands full for quite some time.”

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN INSURANCE Looking past the current pandemic, Rous highlights that digital innovation, 354

artificial intelligence (AI) and data are still the overriding trends in the insurance industry, adding that “these are the technologies that allow us better understand and service our members.”

She details that, at the core, OTIP’s digital transformation strategy is designed to streamline communication and harness data analytics, using a data warehouse and data mapping to provide a seamless service to its members. “This is something that is still ongoing for us at OTIP. We have only just scratched the surface of this journey, however, the recent hiring of a new director of data and digital technologies supported by a dedicated team is going to allow us to really grow this potential.”

AUGUST 2020

“ COVID-19 should teach us that it’s okay to do some things digitally” — Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO, OTIP

When it comes to adopting innovative technology to drive this strategy, Rous explains that the organization started using robotics in collaboration with RPAI and Blue Prism Software.

“We were one of the first in Canada in 2016 using robotics to reduce the amount of non-value-added tasks from our people,” she explains. For OTIP, Rous continues, the use of robotics is seen as an extension of its workforce. “Our employees like it because they can focus on the valueadd work for our members.”

Rous continues, saying that even though OTIP was one of the first in Canada to use robotics, it was doing very small projects. “We were more in the investigation stage, using it to understand how our members wanted to do business with us. Now, with our new director and dedicated team, we are ramping up our innovation and adoption of robotics for automation.”

With regards to developing these technologies, Rous stresses the importance of strategic partnerships. “Our strategic partnerships with Rogers, our internet provider, or Central Logic, lay the foundation and b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

355

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our insurance partners like Morneau,

“From a woman in tech perspective, we

Manulife, Economical and Aviva, are

have a number of BSA and data spe-

all intertwined. We don’t want to build

cialists – at least 50% – that are women,

our own tech, we want to build our own

which we are doing very well in,” she

intelligence around our members with

explains. “On the traditional side of

the help of the technology our strategic

tech, such as networking systems, the

partners provide. You don’t need to

figures are slightly less with about 25%

own those technologies, you need to

being women.”

leverage those technologies.”

Outside of the working environment, Rous explains that the organization has

WOMEN IN TECH

key people helping young girls learn

Rous believes strongly in the inclu-

code, known as girls for coding, to

sion of women in tech, a mindset that

promote females joining the industry.

is shared by the entire organization.

“However, I think it is still a generation

OTIP Sponsorship of Schools Projects and Initiatives CLICK TO WATCH

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O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N ( O T I P )

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away. Currently schools are working

is about finding people who you trust

to get the materials needed to show

and are willing to help you navigate the

girls the opportunities within the STEM

challenges you will face in this industry.

industry, but it is going to take time for

Don’t try and do it alone. You need

young girls to see themselves as coders.”

people out there advocating for you.”

Rous, seen by many as a leader and a mentor herself, shares that she did

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

not get where she is today by herself.

Returning to the organization’s strat-

“My best advice for girls and women

egy, Rous reiterates that regardless of

looking to get into tech is to seek out

COVID-19 or changes in technology,

a mentor or coach in the industry. I

OTIP’s member-first approach has not

cannot underscore the importance of

changed. “We are a people-first organi-

finding people to help you through your

zation. There will always be tweaks to

career. Gender isn’t important here. It

how we work, but our core strategy of

AUGUST 2020

‘people first’ has not and will not change.”

Throughout the pandemic, OTIP has been active in the communities it serves, donating more than $250,000 to food banks and mental health associations across Canada. “I’m on the Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington and a recent study highlighted that 70% of us are feeling isolated due to that lack of connectivity, which is having a detrimental effect on all our mental health right now.”

In addition, she continues, 70% of those same survey respondents said they were concerned about becoming

“ The recent hiring of a new director of data and digital technologies supported by a dedicated team is going to allow us to really grow this potential”

sick from COVID-19, or losing someone close to it. “This crisis remains at the top of everyone’s mind. Given the corresponding mental health challenges we are going to see from an industry perspective, we need to be ready to help the people that maybe unwell, and be there for both employees and members to help them.”

— Stacey Rous, EVP & CFO, OTIP

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T-Systems: agile transformation on a global scale WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY

BEN MALTBY

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T- S Y S T E M S

Ciara Mullan, VP of Transition and Transformation, discusses implementing transformation in a challenging climate

T

-Systems is one of the most renowned IT service providers of digital services in the world. Headquartered in Europe and

founded in 2000 in Germany, today the company operates in 30 countries, helping organisations to successfully navigate the digital transforma362

tion of their operations, something that’s become crucial for many since the Coronavirus pandemic began. Ciara Mullan, VP of Transition and Transformation, tells us about implementing change in a challenging climate.

Mullan says her top priority is the customer.

“It’s about getting it right for the customer. When we get it right for them, everybody wins.” T-Systems’ strategy focuses on four key areas: digitisation, the cloud and infrastructure and moving people onto it, security, and connectivity. “We leverage these areas to drive the strategy for our customers,” she says.

Mullan explains that T-Systems’ CEO, Adel Al-Saleh, who joined the company in 2018, came with a real drive to transform the organisation internally. “He’s brought in a transformation and change

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T- S Y S T E M S

“ We know the speed of change will be rapid, so we need to think about how we manage that” — Ciara Mullan, VP of Transition and Transformation 364

agenda, focusing on our customers, lining up what we do internally with what our customers do and what they need. We can see this most recently in what’s happened in response to the coronavirus with our customers. It’s been a really trying time and an opportunity to test ourselves.”

The pandemic led them to some positive outcomes. “If I think about what we’re able to do for customers, we had to quickly rise to the challenge of responding to coronavirus. We found that we have the procedures to work from home, we can quickly get our people to work this way, and we’ve also been able to see how capable we are when reacting to a crisis in an agile way.”

It also had to act quickly to provide solutions to customers. “Over the course of one weekend a customer needed to double their network capacity in response to people working from home, and we could do that,” Mullan explains. In another case, a very large logistics company quickly received 15,000 encrypted connections for employees who needed to work securely from home, and it was also able to provide a US healthcare

AUGUST 2020

T-Systems: Always the perfect fit for your success CLICK TO WATCH

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1:33

365

company with 500 laptops and a thou-

transformation. That is leading to a

sand VPNs. “These examples show

focus on reducing complexity, optimis-

what we’ve been able to do for our

ing speed and giving the right focus

customers as a result of our transfor-

to our customers.”

mation. And that’s what has to happen

The organisation’s Zero Outage

– we don’t know what’s going to happen

programme has been developed with

in the future, but we know the speed

the aim of minimising downtime and

of change will be rapid, so we need to

maximising business continuity. It

think about how we manage that.”

involves clearly defined processes with

“We’re transforming our tools and

fast recovery times, using state-of-the-

our operations. That means having

art platforms, and ensuring staff are

programmes in place, being of an

fully trained. “Everybody is trained in

open mindset and working with people

Zero Outage procedures which is all

that share our culture, on a cultural

about stability. On one hand we need b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NAVIGATE YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH THE LEADER IN SD-WAN

See what industry experts say.

Learn more at velocloud.com/leader

VMware and T-Systems partner on managed SD-WAN services We hear from Sasha Emmerling, Head of Marketing for the VeloCloud business unit at VMware, on changes in connectivity it is facilitating with T-Systems.

When embarking on a digital or network transformation journey, enterprises need trusted partners to assist them in their endeavours. Sasha Emmerling is Head of Marketing for the VeloCloud business unit at VMware, which, via its SD-WAN product and other offerings, facilitates cloud connectivity at a time when it has never been more necessary.

“Now, companies have applications trying to reach the cloud versus just the corporate data centre,” says Emmerling. “The old conception of branches connecting in a hub and spoke manner to the data centre just doesn’t make sense anymore.

What we offer is direct connectivity to the cloud.

So the applications don’t have to go this route of backhauling through the data centre to reach the cloud.”

The convergence of network and security services is happening in the cloud. “The term is ‘secure access service edge’ or SASE,” says Emmerling.

“What this means is customers can now get their network and security from a single vendor, but your architecture has to be designed for scaling in the cloud. That’s something we have been focused on from day one— providing customers with a way of reaching the cloud in a scalable and easy way.”

VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® works with leaders in the field, including IT services consultant T-Systems. “Over the years, we have forged alliances with multiple service providers where they take our solution and integrate it into their service,” says Emmerling. “A service provider can take our SD-WAN solution and offer it as a managed service together with the connectivity services, but it goes beyond connectivity to

Sasha Emmerling @ VMWARE

upstream, managed services—such as security.

That’s our relationship with T-Systems—they’re offering SD-WAN as an integrated, managed service to their customers in the European markets.

We announced the partnership in September and right now we’re working on a joint go-tomarket strategy.”

The collaboration of VMware and T-Systems represents a true partnership, as Emmerling explains. “Collaboration on go-to-market projects is important in general, but with telecom service providers and T-Systems in particular, it is critical. That’s because it’s a managed service. We are successful only if T-Systems is successful.” The partnership goes beyond the technology, running the gamut of services such as legal, operations, enablement and marketing. “Right now, with T-Systems, we’re going through this process and we expect astrong market showing—so stay tuned.”

Learn more

T- S Y S T E M S

368

to do things quickly – and we can do

in joint developments and projects,

them – but we have to do them safely.

as well as technology and sales

By leveraging those fundamentals to

alliances. So we’re really getting

the company it helps ensure the digital

genuine benefits.”

transformation goes smoothly.”

Also important is having a strong

It has a particularly long-standing relationship with VMware, which it has

partnership model in place. Mullan

been working with since 2005 on

explains this ensures the company

virtualisation and cloud solutions,

is doing the right things both for its

helping T-Systems customers expand

customers and itself. “Our partner-

and secure their virtualised IT.

ships with leading technology and

“The point of these partnerships is

software enterprises are really one

to pave the way for digitalisation, pro-

of our strengths. For customers,

moting growth and innovation for the

we’re collaborating with specialists

enterprise, and T-Systems is certified

AUGUST 2020

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

Ciara Mullan PhD Title: VP Transition & Transformation

Location: Bristol, UK

Ciara Mullan began her career as a Research Fellow at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where she first started enjoying working on technological innovation. After a couple of years there she moved back to the UK and into industry, working on customer facing programmes for HP. She then moved into IT and worked on the delivery of multi-million pound technology programmes across various industry sectors.

Throughout her career Mullan has worked on delivering programmes, particularly focusing on customer delivery, but says her current role as VP for Transition and Transformation is “really taking it to another level”, working with customers across different geographies and cultures.

Mullan describes herself as having an open mindset, whether it’s being open to challenging the business, to getting the ideas from colleagues and her team, learning and moving on quickly, and having an agile, flexible approach.

Rather than manage people she believes in leading and guidingpeople through the business and steering them in the right direction. “It’s about moving away from management and being pragmatic, thinking of the big picture and being objective in what we need to do. Get the right people in and let them do the right job.”

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T- S Y S T E M S

370

2000

Year founded

$8bn Revenue in US dollars

to participate in key strategic partner programmes by industry leaders like SAP, Microsoft and VMware. In addition, because these are two-way partnerships, we need to make sure that our own high quality standards are

45,000 Number of employees

met, and we work with more than 20 partners who contribute to our Zero Outage programme to improve customer satisfaction.�

Customers give T-Systems their feedback via its annual TRI*M survey,

AUGUST 2020

“ Our partnerships with leading technology and software enterprises are really one of our strengths” — Ciara Mullan, VP of Transition and Transformation

and in 2018 it was in the top 10% of the European ICT benchmark.

COVID-19 has made people think differently about the way they work, which Mullan believes will continue to drive plenty of change. “It presents a real opportunity to challenge what is normal. Even people who were maybe reluctant to change will think that because they were able to and did it very quickly, they should continue to challenge themselves.”

Looking ahead, Mullan believes things will continue to move at a fast

9

Future Cloud Infrastructure – your path to hybrid cloud CLICK TO WATCH

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2:59

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T- S Y S T E M S

“ Technology itself is going to increase its digital position with mobile, Big Data analytics and the Internet of Things” — Ciara Mullan, VP of Transition and Transformation 372 pace. “The market for IT and telecommunications was undergoing radical transformation, and that will continue.

There’ll be more focus on quickly moving to the cloud and outsourcing business. We’re seeing more demand for transmission speed, mobile services and increasing 5G. We’ll continue to bring connectivity and intelligence to help our customers with new business models, and focus on new levels of productivity and transforming the customers’ experience.

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“ I think the next five years are going to be very interesting, with lots of opportunities” —Ciara Mullan,

VP of Transition and Transformation

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375

of Things. We’ll continue to be in there

by mobility, and also by cybersecu-

with high expectations for the business

rity, which of course is in the DNA of

technologies, some of which are in

T-Systems. I think the next five years

the earlier stages of adoption, such

are going to be very interesting, with

as robotics and AI, or even blockchain,

lots of opportunities.”

but they’re all coming to the fore.

“What we can see, along with other suppliers and other people we work with, is that the traditional IT business will decline and will be taken over by the digital transformation, by the cloud, b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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