Gigabit Magazine – July 2019

ENHANCING EXPERIENCE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY TR ANSFORMATION www.gigabitmagazine.com

JULY 2019

Achieving agile through digital transformation CIO Stephen Fontana on working with vital partners to replace legacy systems

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WELCOME

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elcome to the July issue of Gigabit Magazine!

For this month’s exclusive cover story, Sophie Chapman speaks with Victoria Police to uncover how the organisation

points out how the firm is championing data protection, and Nokia Fixed Networks explores how virtualisation has the power to deliver the next generation of intelligent access

is working with partners to replace Selecting a data centre provider legacy systems and improve agility. is a challenge for any firm so we Next, amidst the flurry of also caught up the CEO of DigiPlex Dell Technologies World to examine the big questions in Las Vegas, Ravi you need to ask when Pendekanti and Ajoy picking your data centre Philip tell Gigabit how partner. We’ll also hear they remain bullish from Capgemini’s Lanny Stephen Fontana, about Dell Coen who outlines how CIO, Victoria Police Technologies’ future the company is helping in the server space.

“We’re thrilled to be number one in the server market but we’re not going to rest easy,” says Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President, Server Solutions Product Management and Marketing at Dell EMC. “We truly believe the servers are the bedrock of the modern data set.”

Elsewhere, Dell EMC’s Arthur Lent

businesses crack the code for successful AI adoption.

Don’t forget to also read our exclusive reports on Pizza Hut, Sunlife Financial AG and more.

Enjoy the issue!

Laura Mullan. laura.mullan@bizclikmedia.com

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How AWS is helping create a future-ready Australia We are at a fascinating point in the history and evolution of Australian organisations, where they are using technology to transform and enhance the experiences they bring to their customers.Transformation touches everyone, from government agencies including the ATO, Australia Post, and ABC, digital natives like Atlassian and Xero, start-ups like Baraja and Whooshkaa, to established players like Qantas, Woodside Energy, NAB, Linfox, and Fonterra. Having the right skills in place to drive digital transformation is critically important, as is a willingness to embrace change and shift to a more agile, collaborative culture.AWS help organisations of all shapes and sizes with their most critical issues and opportunities. Together, we create enduring change and results.

Let AWS help create enduring change and strategies for you.

NAB’s Cloud Guild drives new tech skills NAB is watching a new approach to learning develop inside of the bank as it approaches the first anniversary of an ambitious program to train its workforce in the ways of cloud. The program, called the NAB Cloud Guild, was intended to enable “more than 2000” NAB employees to acquire or build cloud skills in support of the bank’s $1.5 billion “digital-first” transformation.Inside of the first year, the Cloud Guild is already tracking well ahead of that goal.“The results of the NAB Cloud Guild have been outstanding,” NAB’s Manager Engineer and Cloud Guild Founder Paul Silver said. “Within the first 10 months, we’ve had about 4000 people who’ve gone through the program so far in a one or three day course. “When we started, we had seven people in the whole organisation who were certified in AWS cloud. There are now over 400 people who are certified”.Silver can already see change as a result of the program.

“What we’ve found after people have done the three-day associate courses is they’re becoming self-learners, which is fantastic,” he said. “AWS has great digital content we can consume and use inside our organisation. After people get their first certification, they’re actually going off and selflearning this content with the outcome of getting more certifications, in-turn leading to better outcomes for NAB.” The learning culture is expected to have a strong impact on NAB’s project, which includes a target of moving 35 percent of its 2500 IT applications into the cloud within the next three-tofive years. “With AWS’ help we’ve been able to drive outcomes incredibly fast. This is helping us meet our customer expectations a lot faster than we have been able to in the past,”

Silver said. NAB’s Chief Technology & Operations Officer Patrick Wright said the battle for technology talent in Australia is “fierce”. Wright sees the NAB Cloud Guild not only as a way to create opportunities for employees to learn new skills and grow their career in technology, but also as a means “to attract top talent in the industry.” “We’re embarking on a transformation that we think is fundamentally changing our ompany, fundamentally changing the way we work, and launching us into a new era,” Wright said. “If you want to build a company of builders, you have to have technology career pathways.”

NAB is also taking some cues on best practices from AWS as it continues on its digital transformation journey.

The bank recently tackled the AWS 50 in 50 program, which involves getting 50 applications into the cloud in just 50 days. It was a clear signal of the speed and agility that NAB now wants to operate. “AWS’s passion for customers aligns well with what we are doing at NAB and we’re also learning from them along the way as well,” Silver said. “It’s been a really good partnership to work with them.”

How AWS is helping create a future-ready Australia

Woodside Energy leveraging data to seize growth opportunities Woodside Energy is the pioneer of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry in Australia, and the largest Australian natural gas producer. Woodside’s producing LNG assets in Australia’s north-west Pilbara region are among the world’s best facilities, renowned for their safety, reliability and efficiency.

Now, Woodside is seeking to create an integrated LNG production centre – the Burrup Hub - that would see new Scarborough and Browse gas resources processed through the Woodsideoperated Pluto LNG and Karratha Gas Plant. To help realise this vision, Woodside is leveraging gains from its data science and intelligent asset work programs over weeks and days, instead of months and years, allowing the company to make decisions sooner, using richer data. Innovation has always been part of Woodside’s DNA. Applying cloud technology is helping Woodside accelerate the traditional oil and gas project innovation cycle from years, down to months. Woodside uses AWS cloud as the foundation for optimising production in real time, by running high -speed algorithms to uncover new insights and opportunities to deliver extra value. Woodside can run 10,000 algorithms per hour, taking data from over 200,000 sensors attached to its Pluto LNG plant. The company remains focused on reaching all Woodside employees with this work.

Digital at Woodside is not just about ‘gear’; it’s honing and changing the way people work, with collaborative partnerships playing a key role.

Learn more

Visit awsinsight.com.au to find out more how AWS is able to help you thrive in today’s digital economy.

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CONTENTS

How Capgemini is helping businesses crack the code for successful AI adoption

66

14 Becoming more agile through digital transformation

32 HOW DELL TECHNOLOGIES IS STRIVING FOR KING STATUS IN THE SERVER MARKET

46

Making sense of SDAN

DELL TECHNOLOGIES: KEEPING UP WITH THE DATA DELUGE AND CHAMPIONING DATA PROTECTION

74 TOP 10 CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING A DATA CENTRE PARTNER

90 EVENTS

94

Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

138

Landcom leads the way on sustainability

156 120

Fuji Xerox Australia

SA Power Networks

194

Taco Bar

176

Evobits Information Technology SRL

208

Flexential

226

Bartell Drugs

260

Sun Life Financial

246

Heath Consultants

282

Randstad Japan

296

Pizza Hut

322

Bluebell

310

Linfox International Group

336

Canadian Western Bank

356

ANDRITZ

374

Ingram Micro

388

Kerzner International

404

United Cooperative Assurance

418

Cotemar

14

VICTORIA POLICE : becoming more agile through digital transformation WRITTEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

J U LY 2 0 1 9

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VICTORIA POLICE

Victoria Police are working with partners to replace legacy systems and improve agility for officers in the field. Stephen Fontana, the organisation’s CIO, tells us about the journey…

V 16

ictoria Police was established to serve the Victorian community, and any developments to the

organisation will always be centred around that purpose. “The key functions we perform are preserving the peace, protecting life and property, preventing the commission of offences, detecting and apprehending offenders and helping those in need of assistance. We employ over 20,000 staff and provide 24/7 services to the community,” says Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Victoria Police.

Fontana has worked for Victoria Police for the past 44 years. Despite his primary background being centred around operational policing, just over 12 months ago Fontana took the role of CIO in order to oversee the organisation’s modernisation strategy. “As J U LY 2 0 1 9

17

“ As a result of the Blue Paper and a subsequent report, a capability plan was put together to map out how we could achieve our vision�

Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Victoria Police w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

VICTORIA POLICE

“ When I joined Victoria Police, we had type– writers with carbon paper” Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Victoria Police

CIO, I’m in charge of the information systems and security command. Even though I don’t have a technical background, the Chief Commissioner asked me to take on the role to manage the continued modernisation of Victoria Police. I’ve learned a lot as I’m going along, but I’ve got a really good team to support me and advise me as we move forward,” notes Fontana.

The organisation is currently undergoing a large-scale modernisation programme that will see updates made to many legacy systems and innova-

18

tions added to the force to improve efficiencies. “When I joined Victoria Police, we had typewriters with carbon paper – we didn’t have a mainframe computer at that time. It has since changed a lot, and we have even seen significant transformation since I’ve taken my latest role. Over this period, we have brought together three separate work areas and merged them into one large command – we put all units working in information technology and communications under one umbrella,” explains Fontana. “We’re still transitioning as we continue to roll out services to Victoria Police. We’re J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TESLA POLICE CAR – STATE HIGHWAY PATROL’

currently operating on a plan, build, run,

was put together to map out how we

governance structure, but are continu-

could achieve our vision. The govern-

ing evolve to a model that is much more

ment has invested quite significantly in

focussed on improved service delivery

Victoria Police over the past few years

across the organisation.”

to enable this goal,” reveals Fontana.

As Victoria Police undergoes its

According to the CIO, more than 3,000

digital transformation journey, the team

new members of staff will be hired over

looks towards the Blue Paper (A Vision

the next three years, including police

for Victoria Police in 2025) – a strategy

and protective services officers and

established by the former Chief Com-

other specialists. The money invested

missioner. The plan outlines initiatives

into the force is also being spent on

until 2025, creating a modern vision for

new equipment, vehicles and technol-

the force. “As a result of that paper and

ogy. “Hence, that’s why we brought all

a subsequent report, a capability plan

these different units together under w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

19

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VICTORIA POLICE

22

one command, so we could better co-

management and technical expertise.

ordinate and manage these projects,”

As we continue to develop systems,

he notes.

where we might lack the capabilities,

As part of the programme, Victoria

they can bring resources in very quick-

Police selected PwC as a strategic

ly. They’re also helping us build our

partner to enable change across the

own internal capability so that once

organisation. “PwC has been working

we finalise this programme of work,

with us for a number of years now on

we’ll have a capability to continue on,”

this massive reform project. They’re

Fontana says.

providing a whole range of skillsets

With more than 350 applications and

in terms of change management,

numerous legacy systems, becoming

programme management, project

more agile and mobile has been a large

J U LY 2 0 1 9

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner Victoria Police Stephen Fontana has been a member of Victoria Police since 1975 and has spent the majority of his career as a criminal investigator; working at busy metropolitan Criminal Investigation Units, in the Crime Squads and on a number of high profile task force investigations. He also spent a number of years working at the Ethical Standards Department leading investigations into complaints against police and police corruption.

Stephen was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner in charge of the State Emergencies and Security Department in early 2008. In June 2011, he took charge of the North West Metropolitan Region which delivers frontline police services for the largest region in the state (1.71 million Victorians living in 14 local government areas).

Stephen commenced as the Assistant Commissioner Crime Command on 1 July 2012. In this he managed the portfolios of Specialist Support, Serious Crime (including Homicide and Sex Crimes), Finance & Cybercrime, the State Anti-Gangs Division and Organised Crime across the state.

On 1 May 2018 Stephen commenced his current appointment of Chief Information Officer for Victoria Police and in a dualrole also leads the Information, Systems and Security Command (ISSC).

In Stephen’s current role he is responsible for the governance, strategic direction and management of Victoria Police information technology and communications systems and applications, and for the overall management and strategic direction of enterprise information management and protective security.

As CIO, Stephen is a member of the Victoria Police Executive Command. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

23

Connecting to the community, together.

Helping Victoria Police improve community and police safety with connective technology that’s as reliable as it is responsive, ensuring police operations are as productive as they are prevention-focused.

This is how we leverage technology-enabled change, information-led intelligence and community-connected channels to improve the lives of all Victorians – with the multiplying power of communication and compassion.

At PwC, we call this The Together Effect.

The Together Effect Š 2019 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved.

task – police officers in the field were having to come back to stations to correspond and complete paper work.

More than $500mn has been invested over a four-year period to free up officers’ time. These initiatives fall under what the force calls its Blue Connect programme. “It’s really about enhancing the ability of officers to stay in the field, increasing visibility, and having access to real-time information for improved decision making,” Fontana says.

The investment has been channelled to fund over 9,000 mobile devices to be used across the state, such as Apple

“ It’s really about enhancing the ability of officers to stay in the field, increasing visibility, and having access to real-time information for improved decision making” Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Victoria Police

iPhones and iPads, with all the devices having been installed with applications

rolled out 4,000 body cameras across

to aid the workers in the field, such as

the state, with the target of reaching

identity checks connected to the na-

6,000 by the end of the financial

tional systems and computer-aided

year and 10,800 by the end of the cal-

dispatch. “With the iPads members can

endar year. “In order to introduce the

receive call-taking and dispatches in

cameras – and even with the mobile

the field. It’s the first time we’ve ever

technology through our life cycle man-

had mapping capability, where mem-

agement program – we’re working

bers can see where units are located

with BlueConnect to upgrade the

state wide in the maps. It’s fantastic for

infrastructure at our stations, making

our members there,” he continues.

them suitable for Wi-Fi connectivity,”

The force has also invested in bodyworn cameras as part of its technology focused initiative. Victoria Police has

Fontana remarks.

Motorola is a key partner for Victoria Police, providing mobile technology w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

25

We inspire change.

Kinetic IT is a leading Australian technology services provider with a focus on building authentic relationships with our customers, crew and communities. We deliver outcome-focused solutions across Australia’s corporate, resources and government sectors, including to Victoria Police.

solutions for the force. In collaboration with Gridstone, Motorola has enabled the organisation to enhance its fleet’s mobility by working in conjunction with project teams to integrate connectivity.

The company has supported Victoria Police’s radio network across the state, metropolitan and rural areas. Fontana highlights the upgrades to the rural radio communications, which have recently been encrypted and digitised.

The integration of Victoria Police sys-

“ We are delivering major pieces of work, and we’re delivering them on time and within budget” Stephen Fontana, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Victoria Police

tems, both internally and with external partners, is enabled with the help of

alongside 32 police officers at the

the California-based software com-

contact centre. With this new initiative,

pany, TIBCO. As a contracted partner,

citizens of Victoria are able to contact

it provides the enterprise service bus

the police without using the urgent

that enables the interconnection of

and non-urgent numbers. The project

Victoria Police systems and data.

is currently in the stage of a soft launch,

Victoria Police’s recent introduction

with the contact centre commencing

of the Police Assistance Line and On-

its operations in February and pro-

line Reporting provides two additional

gressively rolling-out for State-wide

channels for the community to contact

coverage by July 2019.

police to report non-urgent crimes

“Other programs we’re introducing

and events. Through the work of Serco

with this uplift include the intelligence

Citizen Services, operating on a Sales-

management solution which SAS has

force platform, the company has

enabled,” Fontana reveals. “SAS has

established a call centre and introduced

developed a massive search engine

online reporting to the state. The firm

for us. It has opened up the floodgates

has hired over 200 staff, who work

in terms of access to information for w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

27

VICTORIA POLICE

29 intelligence practitioners and investi-

Victoria Police as a managed service

gators. We’re continuing with the

provider. “They’ve been a key partner

development of that and looking to

in all our modernisation project pro-

eventually replace our investigation

grams with life cycle management,

management system. SAS has been

along with BlueConnect,” says

a key partner with us in that particular

Fontana. The organisation’s life cycle

process.” At this stage, Victoria Police

management programme has dual

has around 10 different databases that

goals, including maintaining the

have been connected to the search en-

Police’s fit-for-purpose capability of its

gine, along with its intelligence database

system, such as managing ongoing

and Law Enforcement Assistance Pro-

obsolescence. The other purpose is

gramme (LEAP). The organisation aims

ensuring that the uplift of capabilities

to have another 14 separate databases

required by our strategic program are

linked by the end of this financial year.

being addressed. “We signed the con-

In addition, Kinetic IT works with

tract with Kinetic many years ago, prior w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

VICTORIA POLICE

30

J U LY 2 0 1 9

to our investment from the government, so they’ve been on the journey with us all the way – from what was really just an organisation that just did the basics to keep the system running, to a massive development program. Our environment has really changed since they’ve come on board. They’re continuing to work and evolve with us,” he adds.

As the force continues on its digital transformation journey to achieve more agile operations, it is important to acknowledge how far it has come. “We wouldn’t have been able to get where we are at the moment without our partners. We’ve built a really good capability, but they’ve really helped us in terms of developing that skill set and technical knowledge. It’s always a challenge when you’re going through such a massive reform programme, but we’ve been really fortunate. We are delivering major pieces of work, and we’re delivering them on time and within budget, which is fantastic. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without that support,” says Fontana.

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

32

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HOW DELL TECHNOLOGIES IS STRIVING FOR KING STATUS IN THE SERVER MARKET Amidst the f lurry of Dell Technologies World, Ravi Pendekanti and Ajoy Philip remain bullish about Dell Technologies’ future in the server space WRITTEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN

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33

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

34

W

ith disruptive product

unveiling Dell Technologies Cloud, and

launches, surprising

they also launched the company’s

partnerships and even

Unified Workspace platform in a bid to

a discussion with will.i.am, Dell

Technologies World did not disappoint.

radically change the way people work.

Unsurprisingly though, one of the

Over 15,000 tech gurus gathered

prevailing messages of the event was

in Las Vegas for this years’ event, hoping

that data is everywhere. Indeed, we

to gain a glimpse of some of the up-

create over 2.5 quintillion bytes of the

and-coming products, solutions and

stuff every day. Businesses need more

strategies that are driving transformation

compute if they stand any chance of

at the edge, the core and the cloud.

tackling this data mountain and

Amidst the buzz of the conference, CEO

keeping up with innovation. With this in

Michael Dell and his team made their

mind, it’s clear that getting the right

claim on the hybrid cloud market,

infrastructure, and servers, is critical.

J U LY 2 0 1 9

about their infrastructure needs today and tomorrow. “As a server person, I can’t be more pleased to see where the market is going,” he muses. “With the rise of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), we’re going to need more and more compute to be able to draw insights.” Ajoy points out how Dell has ramped up its server portfolio to meet the demands of compute-hungry workloads and brand-new technologies.

At Dell Technologies World, for instance, the firm launched the Dell EMC DSS 8440 server which, with the ability to scale up to 10 GPUs, is specifically designed for high-performance machine learning training. “This is a very powerful “We truly believe that servers are the

machine that is able to draw rich insights

bedrock of the modern data set,”

from data,” enthuses Pendekanti.

Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President,

“Typically, most of the rest of the industry

Server Solutions Product Management

has opted for 8 GPUs so we really

and Marketing at Dell EMC, tells

believe we’re changing the game.”

Gigabit at the event. “Anything and

When it comes to digital transformation,

everything that you’ve seen so far at

it all boils down to having the right

Dell Technologies World, has had

infrastructure – and particularly the

a server right in the mix.”

right servers – to make it a reality.

Ajoy Philip, VP, Infrastructure

The worldwide server market seems

Systems Group, nods his head in

to agree and shows no signs of slowing

agreement. He highlights how fast-

down, with sales reaching $23.6bn

emerging technologies mean that

during the fourth quarter of 2018,

businesses’ need to think broadly

according to IDC. Dell Technologies has w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

35

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

36

“ WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT SERVERS ARE THE BEDROCK OF THE MODERN DATA SET” — Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President, Server Solutions Product Management and Marketing, Dell EMC

J U LY 2 0 1 9

grabbed hold of the market with both hands; in the fourth quarter of 2018, IDC found that it had captured a 18.7% global share of the server market. Not content to rest on its laurels though, Dell has kept its finger on the pulse of the server market,and kept pace with upcoming developments.

Pendekanti pinpoints softwaredefined data centres as a key trend to watch out for. “The software-defined data centre will soon become a common reality,” he observes. “I also believe we’re going to see storage

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘DELL TECH WORLD 2019: FULL SPEED AHEAD’ 37

class memory become more important

opponent with its rich portfolio of

because, as people create and analyse

solutions. Ajoy points to the firm’s

more data, they want to make sure that

Open Manage Enterprise (OME)

they have consistent memory to ensure

solution as a “huge point of advantage”

there’s no latency loss,” he adds. “As

for the company as it makes server

well as this, I think we’re going to see an

automation and orchestration simple.

acceleration towards I/O Acceleration

OME gives businesses a birds-eye

technologies. These are three pillars on

view of their servers, allowing firms

which we are architecting our roadmap

to simplify, intelligently automate and

for the future.”

unify IT infrastructure management

The server market has proven itself

tasks. For instance, customers can

as a stomping ground for technology

check the ‘health’ of their servers or

heavyweights, but Dell Technologies

automate firmware updates. “Our

has demonstrated that it’s a veritable

customers really appreciate that we w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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

can manage everything through a

Consulting, commissioned by Dell

single pane of glass and it also

EMC, highlighted that if businesses

integrates with the VMware Vcentre,”

want to attack this challenge then the

adds Ajoy. Essentially, this means you

answer is simple: it’s all about server

can easily manage your full server

automation and modernisation. “The

infrastructure – both physical and

one-two punch of server automation

virtual – with a few clicks of a button.

and modernisation is profound”, the

Building a modern IT infrastructure

report asserts — and it has the

has become a painstaking task for IT

statistics to back it up. Modernised

organisations as repetitive, manual

firms — those that prioritise both server

tasks and disconnected processes

automation and modernisation —

have become common yet irritating

steamed ahead of their peers.

impediments. A report by Forrester

According to the study, 61% of

38

J U LY 2 0 1 9

modernised firms reported higher

gestures to some of the other

systems reliability and faster

developments Dell has up its sleeve to

deployment/delivery of services.

deliver automation and modernisation.

Additionally, they also achieved a 2.3x

“We’re working hard on server

greater reduction in operational

orchestration and management so,

expenditure (OPEX) compared to their

for instance, we’ve brought out Multi-

less modernised peers. A few years

Vector Cooling,” he says. As servers

ago, server automation and

are becoming denser and computation

modernisation wasn’t as prevalent,

needs are increasing, the challenge of

says Pendekanti, however, “now it’s

thermal cooling has grown tenfold.

a whole new ball game — everything

Multi-Vector Cooling uses sensors to

needs to be automated.” As well as

determine how hot or cool the server

Dell EMC’s OME solution, Pendekanti

is at various locations and utilises 39

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

automation to decide whether the server fan needs to run at a high or low speed. “Why is this important?” poses Pendekanti. “You’re able to use power more effectively, preserve energy and make your operations greener.”

When it comes to servers, the importance of security cannot be overstated: cyber-attacks can result in downtime, loss of revenue, reduced customers and more. Therefore, within its PowerEdge servers, Dell Technologies has also built security into the server’s design, rather than bolt on 40

after the fact. Using silicon-based security and a cryptographic root of trust, Dell Technologies is authenticating server booting and firmware updates through automation. “Let’s say we ship a product from a factory via boat or a truck. If someone did something malicious or inserted something into the product when the system is booted up, the root of trust will immediately detect something is wrong and it won’t do all the booting. It’s all automatic.”

Automation and modernisation will undoubtedly separate the winners from the losers in IT, however, it’s not the only thing businesses need to worry about when it comes to their J U LY 2 0 1 9

“ WE’VE BEEN INVESTING CONSIDERABLY IN THREE KEY PILLARS: MANAGEABILITY, SECURITY AND FLEXIBILITY” — Ajoy Philip, VP, Infrastructure Systems Group, Dell EMC

servers. A recent report by IDC, warns business leaders that the “public cloud is not an elixir that solves all existing IT problems nor does it address all future needs”. Instead, it signals how the pendulum is swinging towards diversified (i.e. hybrid) IT environments.

The right servers are a must for any business wanting to go down the hybrid cloud path and Pendekanti contends that Dell is readying itself for the shift. “As companies shift towards hybrid cloud, servers will be a basic building block. With Dell EMC VxRail and our partnership with Microsoft, we’re making our foray into this space.”

The server market is one which is in a constant state of flux, however, Dell Technologies has kept a vigilant eye on upcoming trends which are set to shake up the technological space.

“We’ve been investing considerably in three key pillars: manageability, security and flexibility,” Ajoy explains.

“We also have a lot of new competitors in the server space so most importantly, innovation is key. We believe servers are the bedrock of modern computing and they will remain at the forefront as we enter the data age.” Pendekanti echoes this w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SEE WHAT’S THERE’

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message, noting how it’s not just about innovation for the sake of it — it’s about customer-centric ingenuity. “When we started, we were about 80th in the market but over the last 25 years we’ve focused on customer service and quick innovation and now we’ve rocketed to number one. There’s no secret sauce other than concentrating on what the customer really wants and where the technology trends are going.” Jampacked with new products and innovations, Dell Technologies World is testament to this ethos, however, the journey is far from over. “To stay at the front of the pack is important because

“ WE’RE THRILLED TO BE NUMBER ONE BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO REST EASY”

we don’t want to lose our mojo,” Pendekanti adds. “We’re thrilled to be number one but we are not going to rest easy. Innovation cycles are getting shorter and shorter and we have to remain nimble if we want to stay ahead.

We have absolutely no interest in slowing down now.”

— Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President, Server Solutions Product Management and Marketing, Dell EMC

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Making sense of SDAN Filip de Greve, Product Marketing Manager, Fixed Networks at Nokia, explores how virtualisation has the power to deliver the next generation of intelligent access by creating platforms and services to support concrete use cases while bringing the most value to operators WRITTEN BY

FILIP DE GRE VE

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‘M

ake money instantly with softwaredefined networking! Slash CAPEX with virtualisation!’: These were the

kinds of claims that were flying around at the

dawn of software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualisation (NFV) and which have not helped its adoption in the fixed access space. Operators still have a hard time calculating or even understanding the impact of it.

Of course, the concept of software-defined access networks (SDAN) has been around for several years, but you have to look at it the right 48

way to realise the best applications for its use.

Some still consider SDAN a cure for everything but, in the world of last-mile access, simply virtualising everything as far as the eye can see is not a recipe for success. Operators feel daunted by the idea of a wide-scale application of SDN/NFV. They would much prefer to take a measured and deliberate path towards virtualisation without disrupting current operations.

As it turns out, many desirable outcomes can be achieved through abstraction and automation and the ways in which openness and the programmability of SDAN can make for smarter and more cost-effective operations. The operational excellence SDAN creates can deliver annual recurring savings in routine tasks of up to 40%.

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“ Programmability and automation within a virtual network slice allow operators to be far more agile and respond quickly to customer demand” — Filip De Greve, Product Marketing Manager Fixed Networks, Nokia

Programmability. Networks are controlled by software functionality, allowing network operations to be automated and adapted in a flexible way.

User plane separation. Separation of the management and control plane from the user plane allows new services and behaviours to be introduced across underlying hardware.

Abstraction. Operations are abstracted from service implementation logic, simplifying provisioning and troubleshooting processes that can deal with different technologies, and maximising portability in the face of future network evolutions.

Central control. Centralised network intelligence allows decisions

SDAN PRAGMATISM

to be made based on a global view of

Let’s remind ourselves of some SDAN

the network, allowing rapid network

basics. The idea of bringing SDN and

changes and rollout of network

NFV into the fixed access was to let

services.

operators use cloud, software and DevOps technologies beloved of the IT

Open standards. Open standards and

world to create more agile, manageable,

open APIs for programming the

dynamic and cost-effective networks.

network enable innovation and

The main features of SDAN are:

differentiation by operators.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘NOKIA FASTMILE 5G FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS GATEWAY’ 51

When you begin to look at the applica-

Let’s have a look at some examples.

tions of automation and optimisation, you can start to make compelling

ZERO-TOUCH PROVISIONING

business cases where SDAN makes

Installation and commissioning in

sense for reducing costs and acceler-

traditional access network nodes is

ating time-to-market.

slowed by the need to coordinate

Each of these business cases is

installation tasks between the on-site

discrete: virtualisation doesn’t need

technician and operators in the NOC.

to be applied to an entire network in

Because a SDAN is “always-on”,

order to achieve a result. Instead, a

there’s no need to manually coordinate

judicious application of SDAN tech-

provisioning and installation activities.

niques enables an operator to seize

Any node can be fully provisioned and

an opportunity or fix a problem without

verified before a technician carries out

undergoing a seismic shift in operations.

the physical installation. After the node w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

NETWORKING

is powered up, it communicates with the network, loads the software and auto-configures through zero-touch provisioning. This drastically reduces the time required to install the device and put it into service. Functional upgrades or device replacements at a later stage enjoy the same benefits.

NETWORK SLICING SDAN enables a single physical network to be partitioned into multiple virtual network slices. Each slice contains selected access nodes, line 52

cards, ports, or even individual customer-premises equipment (CPE).

Network tenants can operate the slice just as they would a real network.

Slices can host different services (think residential broadband vs business broadband vs mobile

approach sees operators investing

anyhaul) which maximises an opera-

significant time and resources in

tor’s use of its infrastructure and,

building a wholesale product and

hence, improves return on investment

developing the OSS before exposing

(ROI). Alternatively, slices can host

it to customers who may not buy it.

different service providers, opening up

Programmability and automation

new revenue opportunities (e.g.

within a virtual network slice allow

wholesale) or business opportunities

operators to be far more agile and

(e.g. co-investment). Or both.

respond quickly to customer demand.

Slicing also derisks new product introduction. The current ‘inside-out’ J U LY 2 0 1 9

They can build an ‘outside-in’ ecosystem in which customers pick and

choose elements from a selection of products and create a bespoke service in ways the operator did not anticipate.

MULTI-VENDOR MULTI-TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT Interoperability between equipment from different vendors is a constant source of cost and frustration for operators; there’s much more overhead when dealing with systems of multiple suppliers. However, multivendor networks can be easily managed with an open programmable solution such as SDAN, as plug-ins can be created for different access device implementations and vendor-specific APIs. The network operations are not

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E Filip De Greve is Product Marketing Manager for the Fixed Networks division at Nokia. In hisrole, De Greve is focused on market strategy and go-to-market for fixed access broadband solutions.De Greve previously held various roles in technical consultancy, project management and customer delivery and has over 15 years’ experience in ICT & telecommunications hardware, software and services industries. De Greve holds a Ph.D. in Telecommunications from the University of Ghent,

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NETWORKING

restricted by the ability of the network

relevant insights can be derived.

infrastructure to support SDN capabili-

In addition, different management

ties; the software can manage different

applications typically keep data in

protocol implementations (NETCONF

a variety of highly proprietary and

or SNMP) and bridge legacy and

inaccessible database systems,

software-defined networks. This is

preventing reusability and leading

essential for making network evolution

to data consistency issues.

manageable.

Nowhere is this more apparent than

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In contrast, SDAN solutions centralise configuration, performance and

with optical network units (ONUs).

diagnostic data from all network

Introducing a new third party ONU can

elements in a common data lake in the

take 3 to 6 months to get right because

cloud. Instant access to all data at any

each ONU vendor has its own interpre-

time means much more complex and

tation of OMCI standards and they

powerful analysis and diagnoses can

don’t always get along.

In a SDAN, OLT and ONU software can be decoupled and management handled in the cloud. This means you can have multiple versions of OMCI running in parallel. And that means you can have all kinds of ONU talking to a single OLT – the management platform knows which OMCI stack to use. ONU selection becomes risk-free, saving time and money.

DIAGNOSTICS AND INSIGHT In traditional networks, data is collected in batches and then transformed and processed multiple times across different applications before any J U LY 2 0 1 9

“ The operational excellence SDAN creates can deliver annual recurring savings in routine tasks of up to 40%” — Filip De Greve, Product Marketing Manager Fixed Networks, Nokia

be performed. In addition, in the event of a service outage, diagnostic data is usually lost in a traditional network, sometimes making it impossible to determine the root cause. In a SDAN, the data remains available for analysis after a network reset.

TAKING THE PLUNGE Any operator embarking on a modernisation program or upgrade should consider what SDAN can bring to the table. But don’t get caught into the thinking that SDAN means all-or-nothing – it’s OK to apply virtualisation step-bystep, starting with selected use cases to demonstrate the financial return. Clearly define what you want to achieve and remember that while SDAN brings shiny new technological capabilities, it is really about how an operator goes about creating value while breaking down networking silos and dated operational practices along the way.

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AI

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HOW CAPGEMINI IS HELPING BUSINESSES CRACK THE CODE FOR SUCCESSFUL AI ADOPTION Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer of Capgemini, outlines how AI isn’t just a range of solutions, it's a new way of doing business WRITTEN BY

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L AUR A MULL AN

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AI

F

rom personal assistants like Amazon’s Alexa to movie suggestions on Netflix, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a permanent

fixture in our lives. The highly talked about technology has generated a huge amount of hype

– and rightly so. Artificial intelligence allows us to perform tasks that, until now, have required a human touch such as speech and image recognition and complex decision-making.

Essentially, this makes it a valuable tool for almost any industry vertical. Many businesses seem to agree and are putting their wallets behind the innovation. In fact, IDC forecasts that worldwide 58

spending on AI systems will reach a whopping $25.8bn in 2019, up 44% from the year before.

Capgemini has also sung the praises of AI; in its 2017 research, the firm found that seven out of ten organisations surveyed are gleaning significant benefits including increased operation efficiency (78%) and enhanced employee productivity (77%).

“AI has increasingly been considered as a major disruptor,” poses Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer of Capgemini. “The pervasiveness and the impact of AI is something greater than we’ve seen with any other technology introduction. It’s going to be ubiquitous and it’s really going to affect the fundamentals of businesses whether that’s their culture, processes, talent or partner ecosystem.”

Not everyone has tackled the challenge of AI with gusto though. Cohen contends that some J U LY 2 0 1 9

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AI

“ My one piece of advice would be to start now” 60

— Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer, Capgemini

people “are a little bit in denial and think AI may just be another fad” whereas others are holding out to see where the market goes and hoping to “jump on the bandwagon when the time comes”. Then there’s another chunk of the market which may be at the prototyping stage or even seriously attempting AI at scale. Regardless of the tactic though, many are facing the same difficult questions: what kind of skills do I need, what business outcomes should I focus on and, perhaps most importantly, am I prepared for an AI-enabled future?

“My one piece of advice would be to start now,” asserts Cohen. “We certainly advocate experimentation but I think if you focus on various solutions you could create siloes and forget about the robust foundation that is going to be instrumental to your business in the future.” Amidst warnings about the ‘war for talent’, Cohen also underscores the importance of making your business attract to data scientists. “Their skills are highly coveted and there’s not a lot of them in the world,” he observes.

“Their first stop will likely be the Google’s and Amazon’s of the world and then startups which are doing innovative

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘PERFORM AI: REAL WORLD SOLUTIONS’ 61

projects with AI. Finally their third stop

age of GDPR and privacy — the stakes

will be global traditional enterprises.

are high. “It’s not something a CTO or

Therefore, it’s important traditional

CIO alone can answer,” he says. “I think

companies make themselves attractive

you’re going to see the rise of Chief

to data scientists or that they figure

Ethics Officers or Chief Trust Officers

ut where they’re going to get that skill

emerging because these topics are

set from.”

enterprise-wide. I think more and more

As headlines about AI ethics splash

customers and employees are going to

across the front pages of the

want to work for trusted brands and

newspapers, Cohen also highlights

enterprises and as AI starts to become

how companies will have to take a more

the norm, it’s going to become an even

ethical and responsible approach to AI.

bigger discussion point.”

To do this, they’ll need to safeguard their confidential high-profile data and in an

This year, Capgemini made its own foray into the world of AI with the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

AI

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“ We don't believe AI is just a myriad of solutions; we believe it's a way of doing business” — Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer, Capgemini

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launch of Perform AI, a portfolio of solutions which aids businesses as they try to exploit the opportunities of the up-and-coming technology.

The portfolio has three different dimensions: the first is called AI Transform and “revolves around solving problems in any industry or use case whether that’s improve customer service in the financial services sector or improving clinical trials in life sciences,” says Cohen. Elsewhere, Capgemini’s AI Reimagine solutions aim to “reimagine a businesses’ product, services, business models, processes or experiences to help them imagine a different kind of future.”

Last but not least, Cohen outlines AI Activate. “This is the one that really excites us because it’s quite different to what others are doing in the market,” he says. “This solution is helping companies come up with an AI strategy and preparing them for an AI future.

It’s helping companies build their technology infrastructure for AI and it’s also look at issues like talent. As well as this, it’s also looking at how businesses can partner and engage with startups and how the technology may impact the company culture.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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AI

“ We’re helping companies really implement AI into the fabric of their enterprise” — Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer, Capgemini

A recent study from the Capgemini Research Institute pointed out how a mix of anxiety and ill-informed opinion is obscuring the risks and opportunities of implementing AI, however, with its latest portfolio of solutions Cohen believes Capgemini is well-equipped to offer a helping hand. “I think with its capabilities in strategy and consulting all the way through to managed services, Capgemini is uniquely positioned to help companies ready themselves for AI. We have a strong ecosystem

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of partners and startups, but I think the

Looking forward, as AI continues

secret sauce is that our culture and

to dominate the conversation, the firm

legacy is deeply rooted in technology

is aligning itself to lead the charge.

and innovation. One consistent piece

“We believe in an AI-first world,” reflects

of feedback that we always get is that,

Cohen. “We don't believe AI is just a

when it comes spotting and responding

myriad of solutions; we believe it's a way

to trends, Capgemini tends to be one

of doing business. It's pervasive, it's

of the first movers.”

ubiquitous and with our solutions we’re

When it comes to research, consultancy or digital transformation,

helping companies really implement AI into the fabric of their enterprise.”

it’s clear Capgemini is on the top of its game, reporting global revenues of €13.2bn ($14.8bn) in 2018.

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D ATA P R O T E C T I O N

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HOW DELL TECHNOLOGIES IS KEEPING UP WITH THE DATA DELUGE AND CHAMPIONING DATA PROTECTION 92% of businesses recognise the potential value of data – and Dell Technologies is helping them protect it. Gigabit speaks to Arthur Lent, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of the Dell EMC Data Protection Division, to find out more WRITTEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN

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D ATA P R O T E C T I O N

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S

ociety is in the midst of a data

already monetising it. It only goes

explosion – and businesses

to show that, for many businesses,

across the globe are feeling the

data is now a type of asset, on par

reverberations. In fact, whilst surveying

2,200 IT decision makers for its Global

with financial or human capital.

Unsurprisingly though, this data

Data Protection Index, Dell Technolo-

boom has also caused a myriad of

gies found that, on average, organisa-

challenges for organisations as they

tions managed an incredible 9.70PB

look to protect what could be one of

of data in 2018 – up 569% from the

their most valuable assets. “The data

1.45PB managed in 2016. Yet, there’s

era has already arrived. We’re seeing

not only more data, it’s also more

increasing volumes of data which is

treasured. The same study pointed

now critical to our customers’ busi-

out how 92% of businesses recognise

nesses,” explains Arthur Lent, Senior

the potential value of data with 36%

Vice President and Chief Technical

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Officer of the Dell EMC Data Protection Division. “As the amount of data expands, we need make sure it’s protected as it flows from Core to Edge to Cloud.”

The repercussions of putting data protection on the backburner can’t be overstated. Neglecting data protection could not only result in downtime, a loss of sales, and poor customer service, it could also render a firm obsolete by tainting its brand equity.

The Global Data Protection Index points out how more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents globally experienced some type of disruption within

“ T HE DATA ERA HAS ALREADY ARRIVED. WE’RE SEEING INCREASING VOLUMES OF DATA WHICH IS NOW CRITICAL TO OUR CUSTOMERS’ BUSINESSES” — Arthur Lent Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer EMC Data Protection Division, Dell

a 12-month period, with 27% unable to recover data using their existing data protection solution. This was not only inconvenient, it was also costly: those who encountered downtime experienced 20 hours of downtime on average in the last year, costing $526,845, while those who lost data, experienced a decrease of 2.13 terabytes on average with a price tag of nearly $1 million. Lent highlights how this “goes to prove the criticality of the data itself versus just systems being down”, noting how data protection has w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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D ATA P R O T E C T I O N

“ A S THE AMOUNT OF DATA EXPANDS, WE NEED MAKE SURE IT’S PROTECTED AS IT FLOWS FROM CORE TO EDGE TO CLOUD” — Arthur Lent Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer EMC Data Protection Division, Dell

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become “a central part of the Dell Technologies portfolio” as a result.

A number of clients have entrusted Dell Technologies to safeguard their data including FieldCore, a GE company. “It was four days before Hurricane Irma hit,” recalls Lent. “They were doing their business resilience planning and realised that while their primary data was being replicated and protected to their disaster recovery site, their backups were not. When they realised

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HOW DELL IT BEAT PERFORMANCE ISSUES TO SCALE ITS DATA CENTER’ 71

it wasn’t protected, they introduced

a software-defined platform that

Dell and were able to get their entire

provides efficient data management

environment backed up and protected

capabilities, ensuring businesses

in time before the hurricane hit.”

peace of mind that their data is secure.

Data protection has become a core

Elsewhere, the new PowerProtect

tenant of Dell Technologies portfolio

X400 boasts the tag of the industry’s

and, against the backdrop of Dell

first all-flash integrated purpose-built

Technologies World 2019, the company

backup appliance. “I believe our first

has ramped up its data protection

all-flash data protection appliance is

portfolio even further, launching a

going to enable far faster recovery

next-generation data management

times so that we can better retain and

software platform and multi-dimen-

manage essential data,” Lent notes.

sional data management appliance.

Interestingly, Dell has worked hard

Its PowerProtect Software is

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multi-cloud organisations in mind. Data protection is a pressing question for businesses and as society experiences a shift towards a hybrid multi-cloud world, the challenge will only increase tenfold. More than 80% of companies are using a multi-cloud strategy, according to Rightscale’s 2018 State of the Cloud report, and on average companies are using up to five private and public clouds at a time. This means data can’t be locked away, instead protections need to be at every corner.

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The data protection space is rarely static and, in the future, Lent predicts how the task will soon require a new approach which he likens to autonomous vehicles. “Businesses need to protect their data as it flows from Core to Edge to Cloud. It adds a lot of complexity and I think we’ll soon see a shift towards what I call ‘self-driving data protection’ whereby we move away from individuals figuring out how to protect each individual asset.

Instead, they’ll understand how they want the overall business services protected and we’ll be able to create systems that could figure out how to do it for them.” On the road ahead, J U LY 2 0 1 9

Lent also warns that businesses need to make sure they align its people and processes together if they want to ensure data protection success.

“To ensure your data protection strategy isn’t compromised, you should minimise the room for human error by automating as much as possible,” he suggests.

All in all, it seems many businesses have started to wake up to the importance of the data deluge. Dell Technologies is investing heavily in its data protection portfolio and, in its Data Protection Index, the tech giant recorded an impressive jump in data protection ‘adopters’. As the curtain fell on Dell Technologies World 2019, it was clear that whilst emerging technologies like artificial intelligence may dominate the conversation around digital transformation, data is increasingly getting the recognition and protection it deserves.

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T O P 10

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TOP 10 things to consider

when choosing a data centre partner

Data is the lifeblood of digital business yet it’s surprising how much confusion still surrounds the choice of data centre partner. Gisle M Eckhoff, CEO of DigiPlex, examines some of the criteria you should take into account when selecting your data centre partner WRITTEN BY

GISLE M ECKHOFF, CEO OF DIGIPLEX

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T O P 10

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10 The environment Data centres are large physical structures housing delicate machinery.

It’s vital to consider every environmental factor that may influence its operation. This covers plans to manage and mitigate potential natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes, as well as risks that emerge from the local built environment: train tracks, flightpaths or interruptions to power supply. The environment can also be a blessing: cooling hot servers is a significant cost for a data centre and climates that are naturally cold through the year offer a major “free cooling� advantage over warmer climates.

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09

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The politics Many countries are in competition to encourage data centre construction with tax breaks, accelerated development approval and other incentives. Not all data centre providers are willing to pass on the savings they take from these perks to their customers.

Cost transparency is a reasonable request. It’s equally important to take the long view. Countries which have a consistent, multi-decade track record supporting IT infrastructure have generally developed skilled workforces, and secured resources and infrastructure to support data centres in the long term. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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08 The connectivity A data centre is not only a vault, it is also a gateway through which data needs to flow securely quickly. In addition to having the highest quality dark fibre cables infrastructure, its essential to identify chokepoints or barriers to access. Many data centres are locked into operation with one carrier or run by a Managed Services Provider. ‘Vendor-neutral’ data centres do not favour any network or MSP and allow the customer to choose freely.

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07 The reliability A data centre that offered just 99% uptime would soon be out of business. Unexpected downtime can be costly or even critically harm a business. Holding key ISO-certifications and a transparent track record is a good indication of a provider’s standards. Detailed risk evaluations show the level of thinking the data centre provides in protecting your assets. Reliability is not a ‘one-size fits all,’ however.

A good partner should help you evaluate your own needs, so the most critical functions receive the highest resilience, without incurring outsized cost elsewhere.

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06

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The design Data centres are complicated structures, which need to seamlessly knit together cooling, uninterruptible power supply, and redundant systems with access control for technicians and security. European GDPR regulations are strict regarding access to data, and design often needs to incorporate physical security such as fences, mantraps and cameras, alongside strong and clear processes for managing access and confirming identity. Data centre design can also be about isolating marginal gains. Collecting rainwater is a small feature that reveals a strategic approach to design and for benefits that add up over time. Â w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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The neighbours Few businesses outside the largest hyperscalers like Amazon, Facebook and Alibaba will build their own data centres. Most ‘colocate’ and share the space, so considering who will be your ‘neighbours’ is a valuable exercise. For most businesses, connecting to other companies in their regional ecosystem is an important part of day-to-day operations.

When those businesses operate from the same data centre provider, even the same facility, they can interact at the best possible speed.

A data centre’s customers also indicate specialist expertise. Providers working with government or finance clients will boast the highest levels of security, redundancy and stability, while providers with a focus on bitcoin mining offer little more than a “powered tent”. If your business strategy involves access to the major global cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc), identifying which providers in your region have agreements with or direct channels to the cloud can help ensure the best support for your IT strategy.

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Fusionex Augmented Analytics

GROW YOUR BUSINESS BY HARNESSING THE NEXT DISRUPTOR IN ANALYTICS Explore all the ways digital transformation can help you make future-proof decisions based on existing data. Fusionex Augmented Analytics generates insights using the power of machine learning to accelerate the discovery of new growth areas and revenue streams for your business.

Learn more

www.fusionex-international.com

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04 The power source All data centres are hungry for power, but not all can get it from clean sources. The global data centre industry is set to consume 20% of the world’s power and be responsible for 5.5% of the world’s CO2 emissions by 2025, far outstripping even that of the global airline and shipping industry. Irresponsibly sourced power needs to be recognised as a growing risk for all businesses where the reputational, ethical and regulatory costs of a large carbon footprint are an expanding drain on available power increase. Many data centres can operate on 100% renewable power, and it’s notable that most major hyperscale data centre construction emphasises clean sourcing.

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03

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The efficiency Even when renewably sourced, efficient use of power is critical to cost and sustainability. Providers compete to offer lowest Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) possible. The global industry average of 1.6 means most businesses are paying a 60% premium on all power consumed by IT hardware, while the most efficient and best designed data centres can offer PUE as low as 1.2 (20%). Reducing consumption is also important for avoiding excessive burden on local supply.

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The citizenship Data centres demand significant power, but few have

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taken steps to avoid becoming a growing drain on their communities. It is important to ask how a data centre treats excess heat generated by its servers and whether steps have been taken to put it to good use. In areas with central heating grids, data centres can supply warmth directly back to local homes, acting in a sustainable, efficient and responsible way.

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01

The thinking Beyond any physical features, impressive design,

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holding awards or certifications, the most important consideration for choosing a data centre is its thinking.

Every data centre partner should be able to demonstrate its own strategy for growth: meeting expanding needs, financing growth, innovation to bring PUE down and give more back to customers and community. A data centre shouldn’t be a purchase but a partnership. If you believe your data centre provider is thinking about the future, you are on the right track.

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

We round up the biggest and best technology events and conferences from around the world… EDITED BY LAURA MULLAN

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06-11 SEPT 2019 IFA BERLIN [ BERLIN, GERMANY ] The IFA (or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. It’s also known as one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics and home appliances. At the event, more than 1,800 exhibitors are expected to showcase the latest developments in consumer electronics and home appliances. Therefore, visitors can get a close look at some of the latest devices long before they hit the shelves.

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12 SEPT 2019 Tech Leaders Summit

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04–08 NOV 2019

[ LONDON, UK ]

GITEX Technology Week

Promising to be the UK’ largest sum-

[ DUBAI, UAE ]

mit for tech leaders, Tech Leaders

Claiming to be one of the biggest

Summit will bring together over 40

technology shows in the MENA and

speakers and 500 senior IT execu-

South Asia region, GITEX Technology

tives. The summit plans to explore

Week plans to investigate the latest

four key streams: Cloud and IT Strat-

technology trends, present high calibre

egy; Data and Security; Diversity,

speakers and showcase product

Recruitment and Staffing; and AI and

innovations from across the globe.

Technological Innovation. In doing so,

Over 111,000 visitors and 4,800

it hopes to offers a 360-degree view

exhibitors attended the five-day show

of the technologies and trends shak-

last year, making it a must-attend

ing up businesses across the globe.

event for any technology professional.

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

92

9-10 OCT 2019

28–31 OCT 2019

SecTor 2019

Cisco Live Cancun

[ TORONTO, CANADA ]

[ CANCUN, MEXICO ]

Held at the Metro Toronto Convention

Cisco’s annual customer and partner

Centre in Toronto, SecTor is a must

conference, Cisco Live, aims to help

attend event for any IT professional.

businesses prepare for their digital

The event claims to be ‘Canada’s

transformation journeys. Attendees

premier cybersecurity conference’

will be able to immerse themselves in

and will help IT professionals strength-

five days of sessions, hands-on train-

en their corporate defenses and

ing and 1:1 meetings. Additionally, at-

mitigate security threats. The two-day

tendees will be able to learn about

event will offer the latest technical

Cisco’s products, technologies and

research, hands on practical experi-

services which could help them grow

ence, and more.

their business.

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04–07 NOV 2019

VMworld 2019 Europe [ BARCELONA, SPAIN ]

04–08 NOV 2019

Microsoft Ignite 2019

Touting itself as “the preeminent digital infrastructure event of the year”,

[ ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA ]

VMworld is a global conference for vir-

Microsoft Ignite is Microsoft’s annual

tualization and cloud computing hosted

meeting created for enterprise

by VMware. Attendees will learn from

professionals, services and products.

top VMware and industry experts about

Offering everything from deep product

what’s coming next in IT. Additionally,

dives to hands-on labs and immersive

attendees will be able to network with

experiences, Microsoft Ignite will cover

peers, make new connects, get direct

a wide range of topics such as deploy-

experience and training with hands-on

ment, development, architecture security

labs and discover new product break-

as well as operations and management.

throughs. Last year, 13,000 attendees

At last year’s event, the keynote speaker

and 3,500+ companies from across the

was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

globe gathered to attend the event.

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Transforming the schooling experience at Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

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C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta’s Director of Data Intelligence, Raju Varanasi and Executive Director, Greg Whitby detail the digital transformation undertaken at its schools, and the resulting benefits enjoyed by students

C

atholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) oversees 80 Catholic schools in Western Sydney, with around 43,000

students and 5,000 staff. CEDP’s Executive Director 96

is Greg Whitby AM KSG, who alongside the Director of Data Intelligence, Raju Varanasi, has overseen a large-scale digital transformation to the benefit of its schools. With so many stakeholders, efficiency is vital, as Varanasi explains: “Digital transformation has two main focus points for us. The first is transparency and the ease of releasing information and intelligence to teachers, students and staff. The second is operational excellence: saving time and costs.”

A NEW MODEL To change the model in the ways CEDP has, it was necessary to change the mindset throughout the organisation. “Greg knew that digital transformation came with a bit of risk, but a change of mindset had to happen,” says Varanasi. “I work with the principals to build their trust about why transformation has to J U LY 2 0 1 9

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The Art of the Possible Transforming educational organisations requires bold thinking to envision a future that provides better opportunities and outcomes for 21st century students. At Cinglevue, we understand the value in collaborating with forward-thinking educational organisations to develop solutions which support transformational change. Co-creation processes involving key stakeholders in the teaching and learning community in addition to education, research, and technology partners are critical in this regard as they provide the foundation necessary for true innovation.

ÂŽ

Learn More

Contact Us

The role of research and cocreation in driving innovation and transformational change Cinglevue develops innovative solutions for organisations operating within the Early Years Learning to Higher Education space.

Our goal is to make learning tangible and realiseable for all students and we have developed our Virtuoso enterprise learning platform to actively support teachers and learners in this endeavour.

Virtuoso provides educational organisations with a common suite of configurable tools and processes to accommodate the entire education lifecycle. Whilst Virtuoso incorporates a full complement of administrative features for effectively managing organisational needs, its primary emphasis is on supporting teachers and students to achieve continual, measurable, and sustainable learning gains. In working towards realising our vision, Cinglevue has collaborated closely with like-minded organisations such as the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) to provide a foundation for enacting transformational change.

Cinglevue and CEDP have a long-standing relationship founded on the implementation of Cinglevue’s existing Student Information System (Faces), which is currently deployed at all schools within the diocese. Working closely with CEDP, the Faces platform was rolled out in phases, beginning with a pilot program and utilising the experience gained and lessons learned in each phase to continuously refine the deployment process. Our ongoing collaboration is continually informing enhancements to the Faces platform, as we continue to work together to accommodate end-user needs to the benefit of all schools operating throughout the diocese.

Building upon this success, Cinglevue sought to develop a solution that would enable educational organisations to take teaching and learning to the next level. With the development of Virtuoso, Cinglevue has also extended its co-creation practices to incorporate University research partners, where research collaboration informs the development of features for enhancing educational outcomes. CEDP has played an active role in this process with schools within the diocese directly involved in research to provide unique insights from teachers and students.

Collectively, co-creative practice and active engagement with research have enabled Cinglevue to pursue a truly innovative agenda.

This approach has allowed external perspectives and expertise to be readily incorporated into Virtuoso in a way that would not otherwise be possible, providing a solid foundation for responding to real-world needs whilst also bridging the gap between research and practice. Moreover, our approach acknowledges that developing a transformational and innovative product is a continuous process, in this sense, features cannot remain static; consistently delivering a customisable, configurable experience is key within a constantly changing environment.

Our view is that technology alone cannot deliver transformation per se, rather it’s what technology enables one to achieve that delivers transformation. Our vision offers a fresh perspective that brings into sharp focus both the limitations of current education systems and the possibilities afforded by a fundamentally different, learner-centred approach.

C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

“ All we’re doing is shortchanging tomorrow’s generation if we continue teaching them in the same way” — Greg Whitby, ED, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

happen. Every time I present to them, I try to better understand why something might be working while another thing isn’t.” Heading a team of six directors, Whitby sees his role as further enhancing learning and teaching in schools. “My job is strategic positioning. I have to make sure that our system is fit for purpose in five years time. The question I constantly ask myself is: ‘Are we going to be relevant, around and in the market in five years’ time?’” Ensuring schools maintain a culture capable of thriving inside the constantly evolving digital realm is critical.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN WESTERN SYDNEY’ 101 Another significant change has been

schooling puts the learner at the centre

in the way learning and teaching is

of schooling. “We’ve embarked on

delivered. Whitby identifies the rapidly

a process of transformation in our

changing marketplace for schooling,

schools,” Whitby explains. “We believe

with the increasing popularity of home-

that contemporary schooling, the way

schooling and micro-credentialing, as

it’s currently delivered in an industrial

examples of why schooling must better

model, is no longer fit for purpose in

meet the demands of today’s learners

today’s world. We’ve got to build diversity

in today’s world. “Going to school, getting

into the system because we believe

your leaving certificate, then going to

that diversity is the norm in learning.

university to get a BA and then an MA

Each person is different and they each

– for many, those days are numbered.

have different needs.”

Yet schools still operate as if they are a sausage machine feeding people

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION

through.” A contemporary model of

To achieve such a change in the model, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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MIP delivers amazing outcomes that transform our clients’ business operations by helping them exploit their data to provide better services, products and engagements to their customers.

MIP has expert consultants who deliver solutions using the latest analytics techniques and technologies, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and spatial analytics.

MIP works with the leading vendors in the Business Analytics marketplace. MIP provides the technology, consulting services, training and support for these award-winning initiatives: Alteryx - MIP has been awarded ‘Partner of the Year’ for 4 consecutive years and holds Premier Partner status Tableau - MIP has been awarded ‘Partner of the Year’ for 4 years and is a Gold Partner WhereScape - MIP has been recognised as ‘Partner of the Year’ for 5 years and is the Platinum Partner in the region.

The Data School - Powered by MIP – is creating the next generation of data analysts

CEDP PARTNERS WITH MIP

C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

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CEDP has introduced a broad range of

create our data sources, keeping them

technological solutions. Foundational

up-to-date and scheduling them for

is the provision and analysis of data,

refresh.” Using solutions such as Tableau

allowing informed decision-making and

and Alteryx, data has been made

identifying potential problem areas.

accessible to, and understandable for,

“We’ve opened up the data sets, which

principals and teachers. “They used to

were largely in spreadsheets and had

take 30 minutes to look at attendance

never seen the light of day in terms of

data, on a weekly or even a daily basis;

analysis or insights or intelligence,” says

now they take less than a minute.”

Varanasi. “Our data team compiles data

CEDP takes a six lens approach to

sets on several aspects of schooling –

analytics, encompassing Student

literacy, numeracy, intervention support,

Performance, Resourcing and Regula-

student attendance and so on. We then

tory, Community and Culture, Family

blend it with various other sources and

and Religion, Teacher Development

J U LY 2 0 1 9

and School Performance, which it has found to be a useful framework.

With its improved content management systems and enterprise service desk, the organisation has also managed to significantly reduce the time it takes to search for data and report problems. Such innovations are beneficial to both business process improvement and the overall company strategy. “Our footprint is almost 90% in the cloud, and many of our investments have now turned from capital expenditure to operational,” says Varanasi.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Greg Whitby Greg Whitby is a teacher, advocate, administrator and leader.

With 47 years in education, and driven by a commitment to justice and equity, his mission is to transform schooling for every young person.

Greg’s service to education was recognised through the 2018 Australia Day Honours list with the award of the Australian Medal (AM). He was also awarded a Papal Knighthood in the Order of St Gregory the Great and the Australian College of Educators’ Sir Harold Wyndham Medal for his contribution to the education of young people in NSW. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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Technologyonecorp.com

80 Catholic schools now work as one Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) has joined over 1,300 Australian schools using TechnologyOne’s enterprise software to power their digital transformation.

Powered by TechnologyOne SaaS, 45,000 CEDP students and 5,000 staff use TechnologyOne’s software to drive productivity and focus on student success.

“ We believe that contemporary schooling, the way it’s delivered in an industrial model, is no longer fit for purpose in today’s world” — Greg Whitby, ED, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

CEDP has been an early adopter of machine learning technology, allowing it to better utilise the data it collects.

Bringing it to bear on student retention, the organisation wanted to discover the connections between students who left its system between primary and secondary school. “We have introduced machine learning at a system level, in consultation with our directors and leaders,” says Varanasi. “We are already seeing gains from it.” Aside from the business and cost imperatives, the technology also finds a use in helping 107

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Raju Varanasi Raju Varanasi is the Director, Data Intelligence and CIO at Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Parramatta, with responsibilities that include enterprise program office, IT systems and infrastructure, applications and security, data and information services. Raju has over 25 years of experience in the Australian education system, with experience in both government and non-government sectors in Australia. Prior to this role, Raju was the Chief Operating Officer for Education Services Australia, and General Manager of Centre for Learning Innovation, the first ever innovation centre for public schools in the NSW Department of Education. Raju has also presented at major conferences organised by UNESCO, Google, Adobe, Intel and EduTech.

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Between hope and possible there’s a bridge.

There from the beginning to where we stand today.

And to where we will go from here.

One company. One promise.

If you can imagine it, we will build the bridge to get you there.

109

to identify students who require addition-

cally sealed,” says Whitby. “You went

al support. “Machine learning is

inside the gate in the morning, you came

predictive and proactive. Three years

out in the afternoon, and nobody else

back, all I saw was the post-mortem

came inside or went outside. You can’t

analysis of results. Our intervention

operate like that now. It’s about building

program for literacy and numeracy

connections and working with people

allows us, if the cutoff is the 90th

who can add value to your business

percentile, to actually predict those

processes.” CEDP has partnered with

between 87 and 90 so that schools

a number of technology companies.

can take action to lift their results.”

With IT provider CompNow, CEDP has

With such complex technological

partnered to provide integrated procure-

solutions, CEDP needed the expertise

ment and lifecycle management solu-

of specialists in their respective fields.

tions, and best in breed choice to the

“Schools in the old model were hermeti-

bring-your-own-device program w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

110

across Chromebooks, MacBooks and

cloud managed service provider Secure

iPads. Telstra helps ensure that CEDP’s

Agility to identify and remedy any

networking infrastructure meets the

issues when they arise. “One particular

demand from its 80 schools and a load

challenge that we have tackled for CEDP

of between 30 and 35 thousand devices

is visibility of network performance and

whilst remaining economical. “Cisco

efficiency, by building dashboards that

has been a long standing partner in our

assist in reducing time to resolve issues

technology journey,” says Varanasi.

and ensuring learning experiences are

“Cisco’s equipment provides the ‘connect’

optimised” says Secure Agility Director

part of our connected learning strate-

of Technology Charlie Tannous. CEDP’s

gies.” To ensure ongoing connectivity

enterprise operations are powered by

in such a large system, CEDP relies on

TechOne solutions: “their Finance,

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Content, and Asset Management

enabled us to embark on the analytics

solutions are bringing productivity and

journey with great confidence in the

consistency across all schools in our

student data we have captured.” By

system.” In data analysis, the company

collaborating with its partners, CEDP

employs the services of data specialists

can ensure the smooth operation of its

outside the organisation, as Varanasi

many high-tech schools.

explains: “When I have a complex problem, I use the senior data analysts from

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

MIP Australia.” CEDP also uses FACES,

The most important beneficiaries of

a student management system devel-

CEDP’s digital transformation are the

oped by Cinglevue, in all of its schools.

students, and Varanasi was keen to

“It’s a robust enterprise system that has

extend his data collection efforts w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

towards the wellbeing of students. “We know our student experience is improving because, for example, we perform an annual survey called ‘Tell Them From Me’ where we listen to all 43,000 of our students. The social side of learning and wellbeing has become a much bigger focus for us as a result of the data obtained from ‘Tell Them From Me’. While digital transformation needs to be shown in student performance or school performance, it must also be about

113

student experience and helping optimise the learning experience for each child.”

CEDP has found the effect on its

lines school processes, it is fitting that CEDP also uses technology in the class-

students’ learning to be equally trans-

room to directly improve learning. Our

formative. This has stemmed in part

students and teachers are able to inter-

from the reduced burden on teachers

act through systems such as Google

and principals, allowing them to move

Classroom,” says Varanasi. “Technology

away from administrative tasks to spend

isn’t a substitute for the face-to-face

time on more important matters. “If

teaching, it enhances it. It provides more

a principal spends less time on adminis-

opportunities for teachers and students

tration, or invoicing, supplier and repair

to have richer day-to-day interactions.

issues, they can concentrate on edu-

That’s how technology is improving

cational leadership,” says Varanasi.

teaching and learning.”

With its strong record of implementing technology that frames and stream-

This notion of transformation also extends to the physical realm, with w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

Who has the answers to help plan for tomorrow’s classrooms?

Secure Agility is proud to provide CEDP with services and advice that keeps the technology running and an IT roadmap that ensures our children’s learning into the future.

secureagility.com

CLOUD & MANAGED SERVICES | IT CONSULTING | MONITORING & MANAGEMENT | HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

WE UNDERSTAND EDUCATION Customised Procurement Transactional supply, account management & strategic planning.

Managed Service Agreements Tailored agreements including services from repairs to onsite or remote support.

Deployments & MDM SOE deployment, asset tagging & true zero-touch configuration.

Professional Learning & Development Training to help implement technology solutions in the curriculum.

BYOD & 1-to-1 Programs School funded, parent funded, class-sets, BYOD, Mac, PC.

Interactive Classroom Displays Boost interactivity & collaboration in the class with Surface Hub & Office 365.

Lifecycle Management Maintain visibility over your supply chain for easy upgrade & disposal.

Disruptive Printer Technology Printing solutions with lower energy consumption & fast performance.

SOLUTIONS • SERVICES • SUPPORT 1300 COMPNOW | sales@compnow.com.au J U LY 2 0 1 9

Proud Partner

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CEDP exploring innovative locations

tion. They should mirror today’s work-

and architecture, including asking

places: we want our students to work in

Secure Agility to lay the foundation for

a space that promotes collaboration

IOT (internet of things) opportunities

and learning.” Whitby concurs, detailing

that will enable truly dynamic and

two of the organisation’s upcoming

responsive classroom environments.

projects. “We’re building our latest school

“Our new schools, including the last five

in a community precinct, because that’s

schools that we have commissioned,

where the community is. Why build

are truly 21st century,” says Varanasi.

a school on a hill, put a fence around it

“We speak to experts in learning enviro-

and use it for just 40 weeks of the year?

nments and spaces, because you can’t

We will also build a school in the precinct

just change the curriculum without

surrounding Sydney’s second airport

changes the learning spaces. Learning

as part of a major science and technol-

environments must allow for collabora-

ogy park. We will partner with other w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

OUR PARTNERS

TechnologyOne

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TechnologyOne is an ASX-150 company with 14 offices around the world, employing over 1,200 staff and investing $50 million in Australian innovation.

TechnologyOne has been a partner of CEDP for many years but was selected in 2015 to become the core Enterprise Financials suite for both schools and Head Office. Since then our partnership has gained momentum to include Enterprise Content Management and Enterprise Asset Management.

As an early adopter of cloud services, CEDP has leveraged the benefits of TechnologyOne cloud, through scalability and access including compute support during peak periods such as our Billing cycles.

CEDP enjoys a well-managed and transparent vendor relationship

Secure Agility Pty Ltd Secure Agility is a provider of Professional and Managed ICT Solutions provider with expert knowledge of Telstra and Cisco architectures.

CEDP has partnered with Secure Agility

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for several years and has utilised their skills and managed services across many domains including: • Network • Cloud • Data Centre • Apps and Collaboration • End User Computing • Transformation CEDP have found the team to be customer centric, highly skilled and professional and willing to go the extra mile to make our projects a success, We have a high confidence in the quality of their work.

MIP Australia MIP is a data company with over 26 years’ experience in Australia. MIP, a gold partner for Tableau and Alteryx, has supported CEDP since the early days of our digital transformation in helping establish our own a self-service analytics framework.

Through their expertise in the enterprise data cycle, MIP has positioned CEDP to develop over 400 visualisations and dashboards covering our rich data sets across many domains. These analytics have delivered actionable insights and enormous value to the teachers, staff and students in our schools.

CingleVue International Pty Ltd

Telstra

CingleVue have been a partner of CEDP for the past 8 years. CingleVue supply our Enterprise Student Information System which has been the backbone of our journey from Legacy school-based applications to Enterprise strength best of breed services which have been transformational in the rich data they have provided to our system of schools. Underpinned by Oracle technology, the student information system has been robust, available and reliable throughout.

It has awakened an appetite for data within our user community.

Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services and competing in all telecommunications markets.

In Australia Telstra provides 18.0 million retail mobile services, 3.7 million retail fixed bundles and standalone data services and 1.7 million retail fixed standalone voice services.

Telstra is CEDP’s Telecoms provider including Voice and Landlines. This also includes Cisco routers through their managed services.

CompNow

Cisco

CompNow provide device procurement, deployment & support services to our Education community.

CEDP have found them to be innovative in their approach to procurement, they are supported by excellent technology and self service mechanism and have also provided value added services in partner with Financial organisations to support leasing and buy-back services.

Cisco Systems is an American technology company, operating globally, best known for its computer networking products.

CEDP utilise Cisco for their network computing needsfor Network, Voice, Switches and Routing.

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C AT H O L I C E D U C AT I O N D I O C E S E O F PA R R A M AT TA

“ If a principal spends less time on administration, or invoicing, supplier or repair issues, they can concentrate more on educational leadership” — Raju Varanasi, DDI, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

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education, business and industry providers. It’s an opportunity to be part of a community that will change the very nature of schooling.”

Given the rapidly changing nature of today’s world, CEDP sees its transformation agenda as an ongoing process. “Our goals for the future are to drive change in the ways learning is done, the ways learning spaces are organised and the ways that teachers interact with students through technology,” says Varanasi. In doing so, not only will schools thrive in a business sense, but students will develop the skills and capabilities necessary for the modern world. “The old model’s broken,” says Whitby. “Let’s be honest about it and build the future.

All we’re doing is short-changing tomorrow’s generation if we continue teaching them in the same way. Times have changed, and technologies like data and machine learning in the school system are here to stay.”

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X O R E FUJI X A I L A R T AUS s

n o i t a d n solid fou y g o l o n h for tec n o i t a m r o transf WR IT TE N BY

O LI V IA M IN N O C K

PR OD UC ED BY

A N D R E W S TU B B IN G

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S

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FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA

Mike Schembri, Head of Information Management at Fuji Xerox, advises businesses to bring IT up from the basement in order to truly add value

W

hile the term Xerox is synonymous with old fashioned photocopying, Fuji Xerox is much more than just print. Having evolved

from printing to technology solutions, the company now supports clients in global technology transformations, leveraging the experience that comes 122

with having processed millions of transactions. “We dealt with Big Data before Big Data was cool,” says Mike Schembri, Head of Information Management (IM) at Fuji Xerox Australia. “It’s always been at the heart of our business, and nowadays if you haven’t learned to do that your business fails.”

Today, Schembri emphasises, Fuji Xerox now sees itself as a ‘knowledge company’. “One of the main mission statements we have concerns building environments for the creation and utilisation of knowledge. We have an audacious goal that’s bigger than technology or print: for us it’s now about evolving technology solutions. We’re doing more and more work with digital transformation.”

Having joined the business solutions behemoth through a series of acquisitions, Schembri brings experience from startups as well as technology J U LY 2 0 1 9

123

roles at global corporations like KPMG, and has successfully run IT transformations including cloud migration. His role as Head of IM is about much more than technology – as tech becomes less of ‘nice to have’ and more of a ‘must have’, it encompasses a wider business strategy, much as the company itself has developed. “One of the things I’ve always been fascinated by is process improvement, particularly lean management: how can you apply lean to business environments outside of the manufacturing space,” he comments. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA

“ We dealt with Big Data before Big Data was cool” 124

— Mike Schembri, Head of IM, Fuji Xerox Australia

GROWTH THROUGH TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION “The technology piece is in some ways becoming more and more commoditised,” Schembri observes. “It’s all about business value.” A key element of Schembri’s role is working with various partners to deliver the best business transformation results for the company’s clients, which has been especially fruitful when it comes to networks. “We’ve moved to a managed network because it scales really well, and somebody out there can do it better than us.” Schembri adds that the company interviews vendors as thoroughly as it interviews staff, and looks for those who will be as knowledgeable as Fuji Xerox is with its own clients. “Do they come up with value adding solutions? Are they agile and innovative?

“Comscentre has been a really strong partner They’ve evolved, initially coming in as a managed network partner and are now our network provider,” says Schembri. The firm also enjoys relationships with consultancies such as AK Consulting as well as Protiviti, who Schembri has worked with for a number of years. “Some things they

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘INVICTUS GAMES SYDNEY 2018: FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA’

probably understand better than us,”

went on to build capability within Fuji

he comments, adding that strong part-

Xerox, embedding what is now known

nerships are key to the organisation’s

as ‘Compliance in Context’ – this is

‘journey to value’ and Protiviti is a key

the way Fuji Xerox ensures it deploys

element of this philosophy. “As a wholly

sufficient amounts of governance to

owned subsidiary of a Japanese listed

address the real risk.

entity, we are always held to a very high

“As a result of Protiviti’s work our

compliance standard,” Schembri adds.

internal understanding and skill level

“Protiviti engaged with Fuji Xerox five

increased, as did our level of compli-

years ago around some local challeng-

ance,” Schembri adds. “Protiviti also

es we had making sure our local IT was

decreased our spend as we became

compliant.” The organisation initially

more self-sufficient, so that’s a good

engaged with the urgent tasks of re-

example of a partner demonstrating

mediation and risk mitigation, and then

real value to us. Three years ago, when w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA FUTURE THINKING VIDEO’

126

it was decided that Fuji Xerox globally

aged data centre a couple of years ago

should pursue an ISO 27001 certifica-

as part of a hybrid model,” he explains,

tion, we again engaged Protiviti to help

adding that Amazon also sits within this

with the initial ‘heavy lifting’, to upskill

category as a cloud provider. Moving to

local staff and to embed ‘Compliance

the cloud will stand Fuji Xerox in good

in Context’. We achieved the certifica-

stead as it scales its business and

tion on our first attempt, with no areas

develops its customer offering. “It will

of non-conformance, and we’re part-

be more flexible for our purposes, and

nering again with Protiviti to extend

will allow us to provide more flexible

our scope and certification.”

services to our customers, while also

As it migrates more and more data

having the capacity to improve cost.”

to the cloud, Fuji Xerox has also been

While a few years ago, organisations

working with AC3 for a few years. “We

and consumers might have been wary

worked with them and moved to a man-

of the cloud, Schembri sees it as a

J U LY 2 0 1 9

more secure way of storing data than

Throughout clients’ technology

on-premise solutions. “The notion that

and business transformation jour-

an in-house data centre is more secure

neys, Schembri says that Fuji Xerox

than a co-located environment, particu-

is able to bring its knowledge, skilled

larly a cloud environment, is funda-

employee base and carefully cul-

mentally flawed,” he argues, noting

tivated partnerships to bridge the

that experts who manage co-location

gap between commercial and digital.

data centres are more likely to have

“Because we somewhat own the mar-

experience with many security issues

ket in terms of interface and getting

as opposed to individuals from one

into digital, clients look to us to help

company. “You even see government

them with their non digital transac-

is more and more comfortable –

tions too.” Much more than just a tech

they’re signing up for Cloud and Azure.

vendor or software supplier, Fuji Xerox

My sense is that the security argu-

enjoys long term partnerships with its

ment is over.”

clients. “We work through vendor to E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Mike Schembri Mike is the Head of Information Management at Fuji Xerox Australia, he joined Fuji Xerox 2009 initially working with a services start-up who were acquired by Upstream a subsidiary of Fuji Xerox. After ‘falling’ into IT in the 90’s Mike has gone on to ‘grow people and teams in technology’ for businesses including Start-ups, Global Tech Vendors, Retailers and Professional Services. Mike also serves as the Chair and provides management consulting for several midsize not for profit organisations working both locally and internationally. Mikes current ‘pet’ project is the establishment of a health clinic in Butanza, Uganda to be staffed locally but supported by Aust Technology Companies.

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I NN OVATE

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S U CC E E D

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The Protiviti Digital Overview sets out key components driving digitalisation initiatives and how we help companies achieve their business objectives. Working with organisations worldwide on a diverse range of digital transformation, we have defined four key components driving digitalisation efforts, as illustrated below. The five elements describe how we help companies succeed.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

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PROTIVITI PARTNERING WITH FUJI XEROX Protiviti has worked collaboratively with Fuji Xerox for five

governance and compliance, cybersecurity, ERP (Enterprise

years assisting them throughout their digital transformation

Resource Planning) solutions, IT service management

journey. Creating a ‘one-team’ environment dedicated to

improvement and IT disaster recovery.

achieving Fuji Xerox’s goals and strategic objectives is at the heart of the Fuji Xerox and Protiviti partnership.

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BEGIN YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY AK Consulting specialises in the improvement and automation of business processes by delivering innovative solutions enabling enhanced workflow, governance, compliance, visibility and productivity for both local and global organisations across all industries.

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CONTACT US

guys (though of course beards are “ The notion that an in-house data centre is trendy now) who nobody wanted to talk to, and frankly they didn’t want to more secure than a talk to anybody either – they certainly co-located environment, didn’t want to talk about customers.” particularly a cloud For a successful digital transformation, environment, is bringing the IT department up from the fundamentally flawed” basement to the centre of the organi-

— Mike Schembri, Head of IM, Fuji Xerox Australia

sation is the place to start.

With three adopted children himself, Schembri has often threatened to write a book entitled Adopting IT. “IT was

partner to trusted advisor, that’s the

often this group that was trying to find

stage we’re at now,” Schembri explains.

its place in the organisation – the ‘other’

“We dominate a lot of our markets and

guys – and it really needs to be adopt-

have a long history, which is incred-

ed by the business. They often refer

ibly valuable. You maintain relationships

to themselves as ‘IT and the business’,

by understanding the customer: if you

with the business as an ‘other’, while

create solutions that represent value to

someone in sales might talk about

them at a price and business model that

themselves as ‘sales and the rest of

represents value to us, everybody wins.”

the business’.” It’s a change that’s been managed successfully within

BRINGING IT OUT OF THE BASEMENT

Fuji Xerox, but this was not without its

Perhaps the most visible develop-

challenges. “Like all cultural transfor-

ment Schembri has seen – and driven

mations, it was difficult, but we were

– throughout his career has been in

clear that we wanted not a technology

transitioning IT from a single tech

department so much as a service de-

department to a leading element of

partment with a technology speciality.”

any business. “It used to be a very

As part of the transformation,

technical-centric group of bearded

Schembri brought in people from w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

133

FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA

134

non-technical backgrounds to roles

for the soft skills more than the techni-

that required a thorough understand-

cal skills.”

ing of the business. “There’s all of that

Within Fuji Xerox, the IM team had

technical competence you need, but

the aim of becoming known as ‘Awe-

actually for enhancing your business,

some IM’, a central cog in the organisa-

understanding is incredibly powerful.

tion. “We’re visual all the way to the top,”

You can teach most people a technical

Schembri comments. “You can walk

skill much more simply than you can

into our environments and see where

teach a cultural communication skill.

we’re at on what roadmap, ahead or

You do need to identify aptitude and

behind. Conversely, from the top down,

desire – there will be some people who

the senior leadership team meets

have no interest in learning about tech

once a month and works through the

and that’s OK – but we certainly look

process of what we’re doing on which

J U LY 2 0 1 9

135

projects, following up within three days

provement will always be ongoing), Fuji

with a shorter meeting with all the team

Xerox can be even more of a trusted

leaders to review those projects. One

advisor to its clients as they undergo

of the keys to being successful is that

their own journeys. “We’re focused on

we’re willing to fail fast and stop stuff

adding value to customers by making

that isn’t working. Management’s not

it simple, laying down clear pathways

the art of what you do: it’s the art of

of what we need to do. Compliance

what you decide not to do.”

is really important and the security of clients is sacrosanct,” he adds. “The

AN AGILE, LEAN ADVISOR

primary objective is to shorten the time

As a truly tech-led organisation with

to get clients up and running so they

its own IT function fully transformed

can serve their customers. You’re try-

(though Schembri is quick to note im-

ing to reduce overheads for them on w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

FUJI XEROX AUSTRALIA

the internal stuff. We also reduce hard costs through most of our transformations, which allows us to provide better value solutions to customers as well.

We’re a business just like our clients, so we’re always challenged to find better ways of doing things.”

For any business embarking on a technology transformation, Schembri emphasises the importance of laying solid foundations before chasing after the bright, shiny object. “What’s the difference between driving a Ford KA 136

and a Ferrari into a brick wall? You get the same result, but one just looks more spectacular when it hits it.”

Schembri describes the ideal process as a hierarchy of needs: “The basis of it is learning, and it’s our job to make a learning environment. Then you define standards, which is followed by an emphasis on continuous improvement, and above that is transformation and innovation. Those two things are addictive for executives, but if you don’t do the foundation first it gets ugly.”

Fuji Xerox will continue to support clients from these solid foundations as they undergo their own journeys. “As our business comes up with new offers, J U LY 2 0 1 9

1960

Year founded

45,397

Approximate number of employees

2011

Fuji Xerox Australia wins ‘FSC Responsible Procurement Award’

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FUJI XEROX NEW ZEALAND: MEET TRUSTPOWER’S ROBOT WORKFORCE’

it’s about making sure our systems are robust enough to support those processes. While there are more technical challenges to deal with and there always will be, it’s not about technology: it’s about how to stay close to the business and understand what they need and how to fit in with that. We’ll continue to challenge ourselves to provide better value,” Schembri concludes.

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•

138

Landcom leads the way on sustainability Written by

William Smith Produced by

Ryan Hall

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LANDCOM

Lauren Kajewski, Director of Sustainability & Learning at Landcom, discusses the company’s sustainability pillars and the benefits the organisation and its communities have reaped

140

A

cross the world, organisations are waking up to the necessity of implementing comprehensive sustainability

strategies and the wide-ranging benefits that ensue. Landcom, a land and property development organisation of the government of New South Wales, Australia, can trace its sustainability journey to its first sustainability strategy developed in 2002. Its growing prominence as a sustainability leader is now underpinned by its Sustainable Places Strategy launched in 2017. Director of Sustainability & Learning, has been with the company for three years. In that time, Kajewski has been pivotal in driving Landcom’s sustainability efforts, implementing a strategy that emphasises transparency, clear targeting and community engagement, among other factors.

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141

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘2018 HEALTHY AND INCLUSIVE PLACES SURVEY RESULTS’

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LANDCOM

“ I’m proud of how our organisation was able to rally and move really swiftly” — Lauren Kajewski, Director of Sustainability & Learning, Landcom

ience. Healthy & Inclusive Places has the objective of delivering communities founded on equity, affordability and inclusion. The Productive Places pillar has the goal of enabling more than 30,000 jobs by 2036, while Accountable & Collaborative Places reflects Landcom’s commitment to governance and collaboration, both within its own organisation and across the wider supply chain.

It is clear from its goals that Landcom has an inclusive definition of

142

sustainability, one that extends beyond its organisational practices to the communities in which it operates.

All targets are detailed in admirable depth online in the company’s sustainability reports, with specific

Targets

markers of yearly progress. “Get

Landcom’s Sustainable Places Strat-

people on the journey with you so

egy is centred around four pillars,

that they can be involved and share

each with associated targets to

in the benefits,” says Kajewski. “We

measure performance. The first, Cli-

embrace that internally, and use our

mate Resilient Places, is based

IAP2 aligned Join-In Framework to

around delivering low carbon com-

engage our community members so

munities that balance ecological

they can be part of positive change ”

outcomes, reduce climate related stresses and build community resil-

J U LY 2 0 1 9

Landcom’s sustainability strategy is not founded in a vacuum; it is in-

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘WELCOME DINNER PROJECT AT THORNTON’ 143 formed by extensive research and

credible success,” says Kajewski.

consultation, interacting with the

“We haven’t yet realised that with

broader spectrum of sustainability.

the SDGs. They represent a call to

For instance, the strategy aligns

business, organisations and civil so-

with international frameworks in-

ciety to contribute in any way we

cluding the United Nations’ Paris

can. That’s why we founded our

Agreement, with a commitment to

Sustainable Places Strategy on the

carbon neutral communities by 2028,

SDGs and are reporting against

and the Sustainable Development

them. We aim to be transparent in

Goals (SDGs). Consequently, as well

what we think we are contributing

as reporting on its own goals, the

and how we can make an impact.”

company publishes its contribution

The willingness of Landcom to

to the SDGs, highlighting the specif-

lead by example sent it to fourth

ic ways in which the two overlap.

place worldwide in the 2018 Global

“The millennium goals were an in-

Real Estate Sustainability Bench-

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LANDCOM

144

mark (GRESB) Developer Assessment,

ever, our CFO talks about the business

up from seventh in 2017. Kajewski

value created by sustainability.”

sees healthy competition as a booster for the progress of sustainability,

Community

saying: “GRESB has been our first

Landcom’s Pillars and their targets are

foray into using sustainability com-

all intensely interrelated, as Kajewski

petitively, and it has really resounded

explains. “Our Climate Resilient

within the organisation. Staff are

Places pillar focuses on mitigating

looking at sustainability differently.

the impacts of climate change at all

That made it a real advantage for our

of our communities. This includes

team.” Sustainability is often thought

collaborating with the people living

of as an extra over and a cost to an

there. When we implement resil-

organisation,” says Kajewski. “How-

ience and adaptation plans they are

J U LY 2 0 1 9

very people-focused, which con-

approach to sustainability. When

nects into Healthy & Inclusive Places.

she was hired, Kajewski brought

Here we have a strong focus on live-

her experience of sustainability in

ability. Interestingly, residents tell

the private sector to Landcom.

us the most important urban design

“Landcom has a strong legacy in

elements to them are access to

sustainability, but we weren’t think-

green open space and canopy cover,

ing of it as a competitive advantage

which loops us back to how we miti-

to our business, which is exactly

gate the effects of climate change,

how the private sector uses it,” says

such as reducing urban heat island

Kajewski. “The call for a refocus on

– part of Climate Resilient Places.”

sustainability originally came from

This sense of things building

our Board who wanted us to have

from, and feeding into, one another

‘a world class sustainability strategy’.

is evident throughout Landcom’s

It became my job to deliver that.”

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Lauren Kajewski Lauren Kajewski is a successful corporate sustainability professional, with the ability to lead complex environmental and social sustainability projects to effect positive change.

Kajewski is the Director of Sustainability & Learning at Landcom — delivering sustainable and affordable communities for the people of NSW. In this role, Lauren is responsible for all facets of sustainability strategy, management, delivery and innovation for Landcom’s portfolio of projects.

Kajewski has a Masters of Sustainability & Environmental Management at Harvard University, has recently achieved her Professional Graduate Certificate in Corporate Sustainability & Innovation from Harvard University. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

145

LANDCOM

“ My mum needs to understand what we do and what we achieved in a year.

If she can’t, I’ve got a problem” — Lauren Kajewski, Director of Sustainability & Learning, Landcom 146

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WE’RE NOT JUST SEEING THE BIG PICTURE. TOGETHER, WE’RE BUILDING IT TOO

Landcom’s pioneering vision hasn’t just unlocked lasting value from NSW’s assets. It’s creating resilient, liveable communities that are truly sustainable – socially, economically and environmentally – where the people of NSW can build their futures. And we’re proud to have helped Landcom turn that vision into a market-leading model that can benefit the State and its people for generations to come.

Get in touch for more information

1976

So too does the drive to extend Landcom’s commitments reach into

Year founded

their work with other developers and construction companies.

Kajewski details how Landcom has partnered with Clayton Utz, a leading Australian law firm, to develop a rigorous approach of filtering sustainability into their contracts and asset divestment. “Even when we divest an asset we still require a developer to achieve sustainability outcomes. Clayton Utz helped us to

$775mn

AUD

Sales revenue (2018)

2028

Commitment to enabling carbon neutral projects

set very clear goals up front, and

is always a great experience due to

then use a range of mechanisms to

the combination of their vision and

ensure these ambitions are achieved.

their readiness to challenge busi-

They have helped us position this

ness-as-usual practices in order to

strategically within the market – again

return deeper value from their pro-

we use sustainability as a competi-

jects – a mindset which is reflected

tive advantage. There aren’t prolific

throughout the organisation, from

mandatory requirements, but clear-

the Board through to the project

ly articulated outcomes we want

teams. This commitment to innovat-

achieved. This flexibility is essential,

ing beyond the norm and building

and fosters market innovation.”

a new and better standard is some-

Eugene Tan, Special Counsel at

thing which Landcom and Clayton

Clayton Utz, further details the rela-

Utz share a passion for. Together –

tionship with Landcom and the work

with the clarity of Landcom’s vision

they do together to advance the

and without the constraints of prec-

cause of sustainability. “Working with

edent – we have created a new

[Lauren and] the team at Landcom

contracting framework in which the

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

149

value of sustainability is an inherent

contributing towards, and drawing

commercial factor in all of Land-

from, the ever-growing body of sus-

com’s dealings; providing a more

tainability knowledge. “As a State

comprehensive basis for evaluating

Owned Corporation, part of our role

the overall value returned to the

is to lead by example. The sustain-

State, driving competition within the

ability world is small and those of us

private sector to deliver higher qual-

in it are highly collaborative. We’re

ity urban environments and creating

very happy to share knowledge and

places which are focussed on the

pull together to make a difference.”

people of NSW. We are proud to be part of Landcom’s ground-breaking sustainability journey and its transformation of NSW.” In the end, Kajewski sees the sustainability work of Landcom as

J U LY 2 0 1 9

Reporting “The lens I always end up using is that my mum needs to understand what we do and what we achieved in a year,” says Kajewski. “If she can’t,

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SKILLS EXCHANGE 2018’ 151 I’ve got a problem.” Consequently,

we are doing – and in a digital age

Landcom has worked with Sydney

that means having an excellent

design agency Walterwakefield to

online presence”.

move away from huge, dense yearly

“At our core, we communicate

reports. The goal is to make Land-

complex information, simply,” says

com’s sustainability performance

Jaimy Walter, Managing Partner and

results accessible, tangible and eas-

Creative Director at Walterwakefield.

ily digestible. “That’s what

We work with our clients to under-

Walterwakefield have helped us

stand their business strategy

achieve. Our website is now our

implicitly, then employ our visual

one source of truth, is highly interac-

arsenal to deliver these key messag-

tive and preferences infographics

es as effectively as possible. Be

and visual communications over

that through applying logic, clever

text heavy reports. Ultimately we

use of data, or enhancing the mes-

want people to engage with what

sage through the use of pictures,

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LANDCOM

“ Our CFO talks about the business value created by sustainability” — Lauren Kajewski, Director of Sustainability & Learning, Landcom infographics or video creation.

Whatever most effectively communicates the concept and creates impact.” This transparent publica152

tion of data is cited by Kajewski as important in inspiring others to help contribute towards sustainability within the industry and civil society at large.

Of course, it is undoubtedly the case that you can only report on what you know, and Landcom’s data collection efforts are crucial to gathering knowledge on progress towards its goals. “We have a very comprehensive sustainability platform that soaks up data, often in real time,” says Kajewski. “Then, that is synthesised into clear dashboards so we can get a nice clean picture of where things are at.”

J U LY 2 0 1 9

Landcom’s data collection efforts are continuously expanding along with the scope of their targets, and consequently Kajewski notes that care must be taken to avoid becoming swamped by irrelevant items.

Through cleverly targeted collection, Landcom can give their communities the information that they care about, with Kajewski giving the example of results from their Healthy & Inclusive Places Survey, that measures satisfaction with quality of life – the results of which are then shared back to participants.

What does the future hold for Landcom? In Australia’s current property market, Kajewski sees the opportunity to leverage Landcom’s strong sustainability focus. “We’ve recently launched sustainability home rebates in the market,” says Kajewski. “If a homeowner designs and delivers their home to a prescribed standard, which we have set to just shy of a carbon neutral home, then we’ll pay you back what you have invested, up to $15,000.” Such schemes allow the company to achieve sustainability outcomes in

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153

LANDCOM

154

“ The SDGs are a call to business, organisations and civil society to contribute in any way you can” — Lauren Kajewski, Director of Sustainability & Learning, Landcom

J U LY 2 0 1 9

circumstances it previously wouldn’t have been able to influence.

Innovations such as these have helped to put Landcom back on the sustainability map, a development that Kajewski credits to efforts across the company. “We’ve managed to drive our current strategy fast. That’s been due to some really

CO MPAN Y FACT S

• Fourth place worldwide in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Developer Assessment • Committing to being carbon neutral and water positive, with zero waste and net positive ecological outcomes by 2028 155

strong collaboration between pro-

organisation was able to rally and

ject teams and my team, and also

move really swiftly,” says Kajewski.

having support from our CEO, Exec-

“That feels like quite an achievement

utives and the Board.” Confidence

for us, and it’s only going to improve

in the role of sustainability, in both

from here.”

a business and social sense, has filtered through the company to become a serious consideration at every level. “I’m proud of how our

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156

SA POWER NETWORKS’ JOURNEY TO A DIGITAL UTILITY WRITTEN BY

JOHN O’HANLON PRODUCED BY

ANDY TURNER

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SA POWER NETWORKS

SA Power Networks provides energy to South Australia. Over five years, the transformation of its award-winning IT team, led by Chris Ford, has demonstrated the power of innovation

W

ith 1.75mn people dispersed over an area of nearly a million square kilometres, the job of distributing electricity to all South

Australia’s inhabitants is no small one. While the vast majority live in Adelaide, supplies need to reach 158

people in upcountry communities like Port Augusta, Nullarbor or Oodnadatta (which lies more than 1,000km from the capital). The job of supplying and maintaining the power infrastructure across this sprawling state, about the size of Germany and France combined, falls to SA Power Networks (SAPN), which employs more than 2,000 people, including an IT team of around 250.

Before Chris Ford was appointed CIO, the IT organisation had yet to live up to its full potential or be recognised as a vital part of the wider business – a familiar story. CEO Rob Stobbe recognised that IT could no longer be seen as a backroom function if the company were to meet the strategic goals of the Future Operating Model it was developing. In 2014, he brought in someone with more than 25 years’ of senior leadership experience, both within J U LY 2 0 1 9

159

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SA POWER NETWORKS

“ A key pillar of our success as a leadership team has been our willingness to listen” — Chris Ford, General Manager Technology and Innovation, SA Power Networks

and beyond IT, in large regulated enterprises. Previously, the IT leadership had reported indirectly to the senior leadership but Ford was brought straight into the executive team to help drive forward and digitise the business strategy. Five years on, his role has been redefined and broadened to that of General Manager of Innovation and Technology.

It’s refreshing to talk to Ford about his journey so far and his vision for the future. Not afraid of risk, experimentation or even vulnerability, his mind is as

160

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SA POWER NETWORKS – APPRENTICE RECRUITMENT’ 161 much on the people and their engage-

TECHNOLOGY SERVING BUSINESS GOALS

ment as on the nuts and bolts of IT.

Nevertheless, the technology did need

“Technology has changed, of course,

fixing, so the IT leadership team was

but I think the changes in management

radically restructured in 2014 and their

and leadership techniques and ways of

style of working changed. A compre-

working are just as important. Though

hensive review of the way the organisa-

I lead the technology function my real

tion handled its day-to-day processes

focus and strength is in people leader-

took the existing data storage and

ship, the development of capability and

enterprise functions onto the cloud. In

team building.” The evolution of a future

2016, it transitioned its legacy SAP ERP

business strategy, he believes, should

and BW platforms to SAP HANA, giving

go hand in hand with personal evolution

the workforce a database and reporting

and development: change is the engine

system relying on live data and making

of growth, and he has set ‘always evol-

regulatory compliance more depend-

ving’ as one of the IT team’s mantras.

able in a major migration exercise in w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Microsoft: a trusted digital transformation partner Throughout SA Power Networks’ (SAPN) significant transformation of its IT team and its transition from legacy platforms, software giant Microsoft has been a key partner every step of the way. Rather than a typical vendor-buyer relationship, Microsoft has worked collaboratively to ensure SA Power Networks maximises the value of investment in its solutions.

Collaboration empowered by Office 365 SAPN has adopted Office 365, utilising Teams to improve collaboration across the business with great success – the business helped SA Power implement its Future Operating Model in order to achieve operational excellence. SA employees have transformed the way they work through digital, utilised data to improve customer experience, gained smart insights into how the business can be run more efficiently, and improved communication and collaboration though open platforms.

An important use case of Office365 has been promoting onsite safety. Teams is an easy to use, mobile friendly platform that improves communication between field workers to reduce the number of incidents. Questions can be asked in real-time, even through photos, to gain answers quickly.

Other Office365 tools, SharePoint and Flow, have helped SAPN move from a paper-based to digital system, improving efficiency throughout the company’s procurement process.

Without the need to scan paper documents, and with all information at the fingertips of staff, the business has reduced the procurement timeline from months to weeks.

“We were early adopters of Office 365 and Microsoft have worked very collaboratively with us to ensure we maximise the value of the investment. We have really promoted the use of ‘Teams’ to improve col-

laboration across the organisation and it has been embraced by every group that has tried it.”

– Chris Ford, General Manager Innovation and Technology, SA Power Networks More than a software vendor As a trusted partner, Microsoft brings software engineering, research and development, solutions architecture and support, which would not come from buying an off-the-shelf solution. As such, Microsoft has helped SAPN to innovate through its technologies, formulating the best ways to navigate a complex digital transformation as a true enabler.

With SAPN having come on leaps and bounds implementing a modern workplace, Microsoft is also helping SAPN introduce SAP’s S4/HANA solution on Azure. This next-gen enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is a truly mission critical application for SAPN. In addition, the partners are collaborating on a Virtual Power Plant project, which is funded by the South Australia government and aims to help South Australia ‘transition to a sustainable energy future’.

Lastly, Microsoft has been instrumental in moving SAPN’s data to the cloud, with all the time and cost efficiency that goes with it. Moving to Microsoft’s cloud-based solutions has also improved collaboration with external partners through secure sharing.

Explore how AI transforms industries and the society:

Learn More

partnership with DXC Oxygen.

operations, My Workday massively sim-

Previously teams going out to restore

plified payroll, while across the business

storm outages, for example, used paper

the roll-out of MS Office 365 provided

maps to locate sites but now they use

employees with tools such as SharePoint

the SAP Work Manager app running on

and Team sites to bring the organisa-

SAP Mobile to access all the informa-

tion together.

tion they need for the job. This alone is saving 2,400 working hours a year.

Earlier this year, SAPN was proclaimed

Ford believes that one of the keys to success is forging strong partnerships with key suppliers. The relationship

Australia’s Digital Utility of the Year for

with Microsoft has been a great example

Energy. Its Digital Strategy, unveiled in

of this, culminating in a study tour to

2018, was a big part of that thanks to

Microsoft’s head office in Redmond

its record of cloud migration and the auto-

last year. Ford says: “we were early

mation of many manual processes. Just

adopters of Office 365 and Microsoft

as Work Manager streamlined field

have worked very collaboratively with

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Chris Ford Chris Ford is an internationally experienced Chief Information Officer with a proven track record of delivery in large private, government and regulated organisations. He is responsible for driving the digital transformation of SA Power Networks.

Ford’s management responsibilities include all aspects of Information Technology, from supporting the day-to-day operations of the business through to delivery of the long-term business strategies enabled by the implementation of innovative, cost-effective and reliable information technology.

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SA POWER NETWORKS

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“ It is about giving people permission to take ownership of a problem, then go and fix it” — Chris Ford, General Manager Technology and Innovation, SA Power Networks

165

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us to ensure we maximise the value of the investment. We have really promoted the use of ‘Teams’ to improve collaboration across the organisation and it has been embraced by every group that has tried it.”

Leadership strategy benefited too, with the Corporate Portfolio Management Office (CPMO) being given a MS Power BI dashboard that has enabled management to create and share reports and images and insource a lot of contract work. It increased the team’s ability to develop projects and cut the time and effort involved in producing reports.

167

That project helped the CPMO win the award of PMO of the year at the PMI Australia awards in 2018. The Digital

ogy to identify the images on CAD

Strategy, set to be fully in place by

drawings and then machine learning

2025, aims to create a seamless cust-

algorithms to correct and improve them

omer experience through automation

before transferring them to a digital

and equipping the workforce with

drawing. More than 6,000 Quicksilver

digital tools based on robust core

files were converted to intelligent

IT platforms.

AutoCAD drawing files using a machine

The most successful demonstration

learning algorithm while 60,000 files

of the new work culture arose from the

were transferred into Autodesk Vault,

challenge Ford gave to his young deve-

says Ford. “The MLA project was

lopers and engineers to convert thou-

a great success – it saved thousands of

sands of old CAD drawings from different

labour hours and improved the quality

sources onto one new platform. The

and accuracy of our drawings.” The

team used facial recognition technol-

project won two awards – the 2018 w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SA POWER NETWORKS

Digital Utility Award for ‘Best Use of Technology’ and ICT Project of the Year at the 2018 SA Australian Institute of Project Management.

THE ART OF THE UNEXPECTED The literature of leadership has tended to concentrate on getting the most out of people in much the same way as you’d maintain a machine. Ford doesn’t tick that way, though he does encourage his leadership team to engage with writers like Brené Brown and Aaron Dignan who challenge received thinking.

168

He likes to embrace VUCA (volatility, complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity), seeing these seemingly negative or threatening concepts as occasions for growth. “I think the whole style of leadership is currently changing. These people are talking about vulnerability, even as a leader, and being open to your team so they see you as someone with integrity. A key pillar of our success as a leadership team has been our willingness to listen to and work with people across the organisation to improve the way we work.”

One of the first changes Ford made was to join his team in an open office.

IT people are by nature introspective, J U LY 2 0 1 9

he admits – they relish the solitary joy of coding. To encourage intermingling he created a large kitchen area and banned eating at one’s desk. Not only does the team have to eat together, but they are asked to sit with someone they don’t know. “We have created a real buzz in that kitchen as people step out of their comfort zone and share their experiences of both work and life.”

No doubt the kitchen is an incubator of ideas brought before a monthly gettogether called Shark Tank where IT team members can have 15 minutes to present an idea, using no more than four slides. The idea is to share a story of success and challenges overcome, and get feedback from colleagues.

Belying the title, it’s a supportive rather than a critical space, where anyone has the opportunity to gain confidence and show how a simple solution often produces a beneficial result. “It is about giving people permission to take ownership of a problem, then go and fix it,” says Ford.

SAPN has many long-serving staff. For those who had been doing things the same way for many years it must have been a shock when they were asked to embrace Agile working – to challenge w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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SA POWER NETWORKS

170

without inhibition, and to be challenged

especially for Agile projects. When we

in return. “We started on a journey of

started rolling out Agile, there was

training the IT function first about what

scepticism but then people started to

Agile meant and how it could add value

notice these stand-up meetings and

to the organisation. Slowly over time,

seeing they looked like fun. It’s a viral

we started to engage the wider organisa-

change. If you create pockets of

tion each time a business project needed

energy and enthusiasm people build

a sponsor. So we started to extend our

upon that energy and want to be part

Agile transformation into other parts

of this new revolution.”

of the business as we got better at it.

We have a lot of stand-up meetings, J U LY 2 0 1 9

No wonder then that employee engagement scores went up from

“Our objective is to reduce organisational costs so that customer bills are kept as low as they can be” — Chris Ford, General Manager Technology and Innovation, SA Power Networks

171

below 70% in 2015 to 91% in 2017 –

ing to come into the office in the morning

helped by the abandonment of hierarchy

and feel their energy and enthusiasm.”

in favour of self-motivated teamwork.

Much more important than the awards

WALKING THE WALK

Ford has received are the accolades

The IT building just across the road

he gets from long-service employees

from SAPN headquarters in Adelaide is

who tell him that the simple ability to

an environment Ford is proud of because

get problems solved make these the

it nurtures initiative within the group.

most exciting times they have known. “I

In a traditional organisation, change is

am so proud of the teams,” he enthuses.

often resisted. “I wanted to show the

“I love my work anyway but it’s very warm-

team what a different way of working w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SA POWER NETWORKS

“ I am so proud of the teams. It’s very warming to come into the office in the morning and feel their energy and enthusiasm” — Chris Ford, General Manager Technology and Innovation, SA Power Networks

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might look like. I believe that together we’ve brought about a cultural transformation because people have found the confidence to try something different; to experiment and to not be afraid of failure and to be confident to challenge one another and be challenged in return.”

The boss sharing an open office is not unheard of perhaps, but five years ago it was a breath of fresh air for SA Power Networks, as was the invitation to people to do their own thing. The staff introduced spontaneous lunchtime slots where team members can run a session on something of interest to them. For example, one person with an interest in meditation started a regular 20-minute meditation and mindfulness slot, while others might focus on aspects of professional development.

“People are becoming teachers as well as students,” he says.

Around the edge of the office there’s an open track to make it easy for people to move around, and meet and collaborate with others. The track inspired one of the team’s more engaging efforts – a collaboration to produce a robot that could navigate the walking track. “The Rise of the Robots was fun and at the same time brought out so many brilliant w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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SA POWER NETWORKS

ideas. One outcome I hadn’t anticipated was how it brought into play the diversity of the team.” With some 40 different countries of origin represented, there’s no lack of different ways of approaching problems, he adds.

All that is good fun – but it’s fun that benefits the business. Inclusion is at the heart of Ford’s approach. “In developing the digital strategy we took a codesign and co-create approach, getting people across the organisation to work with us and share their vision of the business’s future so we could work out 174

how digital technology could support them in achieving those goals. It is as much about business future as about technology. After all, our objective is to reduce organisational costs so that customer bills are kept as low as they can be.”

With a positive approach to ethnic diversity, Ford is also passionate about giving equal opportunity to women, as well as girls who are considering a future career in the utility sector. Members of his leadership team speak in local schools about succeeding as a woman in the industry and encourage girls to take up STEM subjects. As well as mentoring women within the organisaJ U LY 2 0 1 9

1946

Year founded

2,000

Approximate number of employees

175

tion, he is himself ‘reverse-mentored’ by one of his young female field workers, a process which he describes as inspirational. All this has led to a transformation his entire team can be proud of, he concludes. “Being named Digital Utility of the year for Energy in 2019 is the culmination of five years of hard work: it really gives us feeling that we’re getting it right.”

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FLEXIBLE SOFTWARE AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS FOR CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING AT EVOBITS IT WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

LEWIS VAUGHAN

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E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

SILVIU CATALIN BALACI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF EVOBITS IT, SHARES THE ROMANIAN CRYPTOCURRENCY MINER’S PLANS TO UPGRADE ITS CURRENT DATA CENTRE FACILITIES AND GROW ITS HOST OF CRYPTO TRADING SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

W

ith a collective value of around US$275bn, the rise of the global cryptocurrency market has been one of the most revolu-

tionary financial and technological events of the 21st century. Cryptomining, the process by which 178

transactions for various forms of cryptocurrency are verified and added to the blockchain digital ledger, has helped make billionaires of savvy business leaders, but the lack of regulation in the market often leads to instability and unpredictability. In December 2017, Bitcoin reached its all-time high value of $19,783. By November 2018, the price had fallen to approximately $5,500 per coin, and in May 2019 the coin’s value soared again by over $1,000 in less than a day.

“The biggest issue right now with crypto and trading in general is the market’s vulnerability to manipulation,” explains Silviu Catalin Balaci, founder, CEO and majority shareholder of Evobits Information Technology SRL. “As liquidity is so low, compared with stocks for example, when a large player jumps in, they can pretty much manipulate J U LY 2 0 1 9

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E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

“ I DIDN’T WANT TO JUST PUT UP A SHED AND THROW MINING MACHINES IN THERE. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY CHEAP AND FAST, BUT NOT FUTURE PROOF” 180

— Silviu Catalin Balaci, Founder and CEO, Evobits Information Technology SRL

the market as they see fit. That’s why we’ve seen huge spikes one way or another when there are big trades that completely reverse the trend up until that point.” Coupled with the high initial costs of setting up a crypto mining operation, the capricious crypto market might tempt some prospective miners to try something more predictable (alligator farming or Alaskan crab fishing perhaps), but Silviu, a software engineer and owner of one of the largest cryptocurrency mines in Romania, is confident he has the puzzle cracked.

“I was always wary of the mining business, because it’s a boom and bust area. I didn’t want to just put up a shed and throw mining machines in there.

That would have been very cheap and fast, but not future proof,” he says.

For the first three years of operation, EvobitsIT operated exclusively as a software services business, offering full stack programming and consultancy services. “We do start-to-finish turnkey solutions for our customers,” says Silviu. “You tell us the idea, we’ll develop it, design it, host it and manage it; you only have to deal with the marketing side.” While working with a

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CRYPTO MINING – EVOBITS IT’ 181 client that was also involved in crypto

to operate as dedicated centres for

mining, Silviu had his ‘Aha!’ moment.

non-cryptocurrency activity, providing

“I was consulting for a client on his

a long term strategy should the market

mining business. I’d seen the service he

prove unfavourable. Now, Evobits’

was getting from other companies and

1.2MW facility is nearing completion

told him that I could do it better. That’s

of a significant upgrade, facilitated

how the entire mining side got started.”

by long term partnerships with Vertiv

Entering the mining business with a

Co and Innova Engineering, and a new

100KW proof-of-concept, EvobitsIT then

relationship with AMD. We sat down

built a 1.2MW facility for crypto mining

with Silviu to discuss the initiative,

outfitted like a traditional data centre,

as well as the importance of strong,

followed by a 3.5MW facility which

collaborative partnerships, and the

opened in 2018. Rather than opting for

upcoming launch of Evobits’ innovative

a hyper-minimalist crypto mining design,

new software offerings for the crypto

the Evobits centres have the possibility

mining industry. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

182

Evobits’ first data centre was initially

saying, ‘I have a multimillion dollar

constructed with reliability in mind.

project. I want to build a cryptocurrency

“We wanted to build it in the traditional

mining business, and I want to do

sense, so we used old school but

a real data center’. Nobody took me

reliable cooling equipment. They don’t

seriously.” As a result, Evobits ended

have the best power usage effective-

up partnering with a company unsuited

ness (PUE), but they’re like tractors –

to its needs. “It was a pretty bad

they’re reliable workhorses,” Silviu

experience for us,” Silviu recalls.

explains. While constructing the facility,

“It’s the ugly part of starting a business

the first of its kind in the country, Silviu

in a new area that you know little about.

faced undeniable challenges from the

It was a growing experience.” From

market in terms of finding the right

electrical panel overheat issues to poor

partners. “I was just a relatively young

after-sale support, Evobits was in dire

guy with no credibility in the market

need of a new partner to help ensure

J U LY 2 0 1 9

the project’s success – enter Innova

the importance of high-efficiency

Engineering. “From the start it was

computer power to a crypto mining

a completely different attitude. Instead

data centre, cooling is undoubtedly

of talking to just the sales guy most

one of the most critical factors,

of the time, the CEO came down and

making Vertiv an immensely valuable

we had a proper discussion,” Silviu

partner. “Whatever power you have,

recalls. Now, every time we have an

you will use 100%, and the less power

issue, they’re working with us to solve

you can use on infrastructure, the

it. I’m extremely lucky to have found

more power you can use for comput-

Innova. I don’t think we could have

ing, which translates to more mining,

done everything that we did without

more customers and more revenue,”

them.” Through Innova, Silviu found

Silviu explains in a statement to Vertiv.

engineering firm Vertiv, who provided

The upgrade of the 1.2MW centre

cooling solutions for the first and

came at an opportune moment. “We

second data centre projects. Given

had a PUE of 1.4 until now, so 40%

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Silviu Catalin Balaci, Founder and CEO Silviu Catalin Balaci is a technology enthusiast with an entrepreneurial spirit. Starting as a freelance developer at the age of 17, he opened his first software development company at 19. He was constantly involved in emerging technology (both hardware and software), until coming in contact with Blockchain Technology. Recognising the opportunity, Silviu explored all aspects: from consulting, to software development, to mining. He formed Evobits Information Technology SRL in 2014 as a company focused on Blockchain development and the goal of becoming a one-stop-shop for customers through vertical integration.

Looking at the future, he is certain of only one thing: not matter what happens, it will be exciting.

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E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

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“I’M EXTREMELY LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND INNOVA. I DON’T THINK WE COULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THAT WE DID WITHOUT THEM” — Silviu Catalin Balaci, Founder and CEO, Evobits Information Technology SRL

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E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

of the energy is wasted just cooling the equipment. Which is not that bad for a traditional data centre,” explains Silviu.

In 2018, however, Romanian electricity prices increased by around 80%, highlighting more than ever the importance of future proofing. “The 3.5MW facility is equipped with top of the line equipment in every single aspect, including the cooling equipment from Vertiv, which means we achieved a 1.13 PUE last year, including the hot summer,” says Silviu. “We planned to upgrade the first centre anyway but we shut it down 188

three months before the upgrade due to the spike in electricity prices and the crash of the crypto market.” In order to counterbalance the rise in electric costs, Evobits was forced to restructure its energy purchasing strategy. “We were pretty much forced to also become an energy company,” Silviu explains. “We are buying electricity straight from the open market, instead of relying on other companies.” The company is currently buying a mixture of mostly hydroelectric and nuclear power, with plans to purchase a dedicated solar plant in order to compensate for high temperatures in the summer in an environmentally sustainable way.

J U LY 2 0 1 9

“ W E DO START-TOFINISH TURNKEY SOLUTIONS. YOU TELL US THE IDEA, WE’LL DEVELOP, DESIGN, HOST AND MANAGE IT; YOU ONLY DEAL WITH THE MARKETING SIDE” — Silviu Catalin Balaci, Founder and CEO, Evobits Information Technology SRL

The 1.2MW facility upgrade will boost its capabilities to those similar to a tier three data centre. “We have everything now: N+2 cooling, N+1 highly efficient Li-ion uninterruptible power supply system (UPS) from Schneider Electric, A+B power feeds, N+1 power generators, redundancies for every system. Our network was upgraded too: dark fibres on separate routes going to the nearest city, local fiber connections from multiple ISPs, as well as rented dedicated transport lines to Bucharest and Frankfurt peering locations so we reduce the latency and increase the quality as much as possible,” lists Silviu. In order to increase the centre’s computing power, Evobits has entered into a new partnership with electronic hardware manufacturer AMD, purchasing over 5,000 cores in the company’s Epyc CPUs and developing a close relationship in order to create custom cloud solutions for its data centre clients. “The next phase will be the launch of an OpenStack-based private cloud in the next two months that is already in the testing phase. This will be exclusively based on AMD Epyc CPUs,” explains Silviu.

“The first 100 of our dual CPU servers are ready, racked and deployed. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

189

E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

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“ T HE 3.5MW FACILITY IS EQUIPPED WITH TOP OF THE LINE EQUIPMENT IN EVERY SINGLE ASPECT” — Silviu Catalin Balaci, Founder and CEO, Evobits Information Technology SRL 191 This year we plan on buying another 300 dual CPU servers.”. “Sourcing

Supermicro based servers”.

2019 will also mark the launch of

hardware at a larger scale is not as

cryptocurrency products that are more

easy as it seems. Just like when we

closely tied to Evobits’ roots as a

started with the Data centre business,

programming and software services

we were new in this and had to find

provider. Firstly, as data centre

someone to help us navigate around.

pioneers at scale, Evobits’ staff has

There are plenty of hardware distribu-

had to build a great deal of its software

tion companies around, but you can

from the ground up, which the compa-

count the really good ones on one

ny plans to start selling as a service in

hand. This time we were lucky, how-

partnership with Enova. “Using AI

ever, and found International Computer

monitoring, Google managed to drop

Concepts, a very easy to work with

their power consumption for cooling by

and dependable company. They were

about 40%. We have our monitoring

crucial in providing our first 100

platform completely done. We have w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

E V O B I T S I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S R L

terabytes of data from the past year regarding airflow, temperatures of each individual machine in each position, outside temperature and so on. Now we’re doing the machine learning part, and we’ll start testing that side out towards the end of the summer.”

Also embracing the company’s origins as a software provider is Evobits’ next solution, which aims to address the issue of unsafe crypto trading. “The problem with starting the next PayPal is that you have to trust PayPal,” posits Silviu. “The customer 192

pays you, but your money is actually in PayPal. They will send it to you. If you have an issue with them or they have an issue with you, you’re pretty much stuck. The main point of cryptocurrencies is to have a trustless system where

a value of over $100mn in 2018.” Silviu

you are in charge and responsible.”

explains. Evobits’ platform will provide

Operating in closed beta and scheduled

a complete inventory management and

for launch in summer 2019, Evobits’

invoicing tools, and monitor peer-to-

latest offering is a trustless cryptocur-

peer crypto transactions to regulate

rency invoicing platform. “It’s similar to

the exchange, but won’t require users

PayPal but for cyrptocurrency coins,

to trust them with their hard-earned

and it’s a trustless system, meaning we

coins. Silviu agrees that, in a market

never touch the money, we just provide

with so little regulation, trustless

all the tools required and peek through

systems are a large part of the way

the window to detect the payments.

forward. “You see so many people

We already processed invoices with

losing their money when cryptocur-

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€15mn Approximate revenue

2014

Year founded

10

Approximate number of employees

rency platforms close, go bust or get

centre business complain about –

hacked. The best way forward is to

there’s the energy consumption, which

remove that single point of failure.”

is still really high and needs to be

Looking to the future, Silviu is

addressed,” he says. “As long as those

enthusiastic about cryptocurrency

things get fixed, then honestly this

mining and the growth of Evobits, but

industry has a great future.”

acknowledges that both cryptocurrencies and crypto mining need to mature.

“The market needs to be regulated one way or another; it needs to follow the trustless system; and thirdly – this is something that most people in the data w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

193

194

Ensuring growth through digital transformation at Taco Bar WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

MANUEL NAVARRO

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TA C O B A R

Lars Callebro, CEO of Taco Bar, details the ways in which his company’s restaurants are capturing the digital market

D

uring my 20 years in the restaurant business there has never been such rapid change in customers’ habits and demands

as there is right now, which is both interesting and fun to be a part of,” says Lars Callebro, owner and CEO of Sweden’s Taco Bar. Despite this challenging environment, Callebro’s company, which offers Tex 196

Mex cuisine, is growing at a healthy rate. Six new restaurants have opened in the past year, adding to its existing stable of over 40 locations across Sweden. Such growth is actually two-fold, encompassing both the aforementioned physical locations but also the ever-expanding digital market.

PHYSICAL One of the factors enabling Taco Bar’s continuing growth is its implementation of the franchise model.

“Franchisees have a five-year deal with us,” explains Callebro. “They pay royalties and marketing fees which gives them access to our menu, our concept and our supply chain.” The system rests on the mutual benefit of franchisor, franchisee and suppliers, and Callebro is clear that growth can never be achieved at the expense of existing franchisees: “Taco Bar’s J U LY 2 0 1 9

kr240mn Approximate revenue (SEK)

1983

Year founded

300+

Approximate number of employees

goals for the future are continued growth, opening Taco Bar restaurants in new markets and, most importantly, taking care of the franchisees that we already have within the system. If we do that, we’ll continue to grow.”

Taco Bar also credits its culture as vital to its success. “The guest experience is relaxed, casual and informal,” says Callebro. “Taco Bar is a place where everyone is welcome, a place where you and your friends, family or business partners can have an affordable meal and a drink without w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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TA C O B A R

198

“ If a customer would like to sit in their office or in a park, order food and have it brought to them, the app will be there” — Lars Callebro, CEO and Owner, Taco Bar

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TACO BAR – OM OSS’ 199

needing to book in advance. You can

and their operational procedures,

pop in for 15 minutes or you can be

but it’s also about ensuring everyone in

there for an hour and a half if you would

the Taco Bar family understands what

like.” It might at first seem that a

Taco Bar is about. When it comes to our

consistent culture is at odds with a

restaurants, it’s very much about time

franchise model, but Taco Bar puts

spent on the floor, shoulder to shoulder

the effort in to ensure a welcoming

with our franchisees and partners.”

atmosphere is a constant across

Such attention to detail extends to

its locations. “Spreading the culture

the company’s supply chain, which

is very important and we put a lot

Callebro says is crucial to the company’s

of money and hours into that part of

authentic DNA. “We source our corn

the organisation. We have a strong

nacho chips from a plant in Pennsylvania.

operations department in order to be

They’re made from stone ground fresh

able to fully support our franchisees

corn especially for us. Our tortillas are w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

TA C O B A R

200

bought from a bakery in Atlanta,

ingredients, it also plays into the

Georgia, and our guacamole is made

company’s focus on sustainability.

for us in Uruapan, Mexico. Our pulled

Taco Bar operates on a low waste

beef is made in a special factory here

model, serving its food on china and

in Stockholm, with carefully sourced

drinks in glasses, moving away from

meat from Uruguayan cows that are

plastic to paper, and carefully sorting

grain fed for 120 days. It’s put into an

any waste that is created. Recently,

oven for 22 hours, and barbecued

the company has seen success with

over hickory wood on a BBQ cooker

vegetarian offerings: “We have over

specially bought from the US – that’s

250 different dishes that you can have

what makes Taco Bar’s food special.”

as a vegetarian, and our vegan shake

Not only does this responsible

has been a tremendous success

sourcing ensure the quality of its

on social media.”

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201

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Lars Callebro, CEO In 2009, Lars Callebro led a management buyout of the company from Nordic Service Partners, bringing three colleagues with him to become partners in the company. After the buyout, Taco Bar was re-imagined with a new design, logo, and menu that included alcoholic drinks. Lars was formerly Director of Business Development at Nordic Service Partners, and before that worked in different management positions at Svenska McDonald’s. He began his career in the Swedish army, serving as an officer for 14 years.

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TA C O B A R

“ Taco Bar’s goals for the future are continued growth, opening Taco Bar restaurants in new markets and, most importantly, taking care of the franchisees that we already have” — Lars Callebro, CEO and Owner, Taco Bar

202

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While we measure our negative impact on the environment in terms of a carbon ‘foot’ print, we see ‘hand’ prints as being all the positive things we do to help the environment.

To us, hand prints are things like good animal welfare, well considered crop rotations, biogas and solar panels. Right now we are working hard to become Carbon Net Zero.

Us Arla farmers will work together with our customers to achieve this. We want our customers, just like Taco Bar Sweden, to feel secure that they have made a sustainable choice by choosing dairy products from Arla.

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FOR THE LOVE OF VEGO’ 205

“ Convenience is very important for the future guests of Taco Bar, so we’ll continue to invest in digital consumerisation” — Lars Callebro, CEO and Owner, Taco Bar

DIGITAL “The biggest challenge right now is the digital transformation happening in the retail sector,” says Callebro. “It’s not the case that today there are 100 people on the street and tomorrow there’ll be 50 people – but it is going from 100 to a figure like 90. We needed to grab a piece of that digital market, and we have done that very successfully.” Part of the company’s continuing efforts in this sector has been the development of an app, in partnership with suppliers and others, that allows Taco Bar customers to order and pay inside the w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

TA C O B A R

“ The biggest challenge right now is the digital transformation happening in the retail sector” — Lars Callebro, CEO and Owner, Taco Bar

206

restaurant or in advance of their arrival.

Callebro sees such conveniences as crucial to the company’s continued success. “If a customer would like to sit in their office or in a park, order food and have it brought to them, the app will be there for them, or they can use it to beat the line and take it away themselves. Convenience is very important for the future guests of Taco Bar, so we’ll continue to invest in digital consumerisation.”

Taco Bar leverages its partnerships with a number of innovative technology companies to improve the experience of its customers. Teaming up with delivery companies like UberEats, Hungrig, J U LY 2 0 1 9

Delivery Heros and others is another way Taco Bar offers its customers the convenience they desire. “This is a strategically important area for us to grow within the digital space,” says Callebro, also detailing Taco Bar’s partnership with Leeroy on a datadriven, unified point of sale system.

“Leeroy is our point of sale partner and we are evaluating them and others regarding our app that we hope to launch within six to 12 months.”

It is through the twin considerations of physical and digital that Taco Bar has succeeded in growing throughout Sweden. Its ongoing digital transformation has set the company up to capture the digital market without neglecting its physical locations. Such has been its success within the country that the future holds expansion outside of its borders. “We are constantly evaluating new markets,” says Callebro. “It’s in our long-term business plan to establish Taco Bar outside of the country, so we will continue to search for good partners to expand.”

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207

208

Flexential: Customer-centric investment in data center infrastructure WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

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FLEXENTIAL

CEO Chris Downie discusses the key differentiators putting Flexential ahead of the competition as a flexible and essential data center partner with a company-wide focus on customer success.

H

aving combined in August 2017, Peak10 and ViaWest rebranded as Flexential in January 2018 to highlight the organization’s

commitment to being both flexible and essential 210

to its IT customers. Since then, the data center and hybrid IT operator has continued its forbears’ strong expansion methodology and commitment to the customer experience. “We spend a ton of time making sure that we’ve got a customer success culture – an organization-wide strategy that puts customers at the top,” says CEO Chris Downie.

A seasoned data center industry veteran, Downie is also a passionate rugby fan with both college and postgraduate playing experience. He carries the cooperative, strategic and spiritual ethos of the sport through his role as chief executive – with great success thus far. “Rugby is a sport where strategy and teamwork are key to how you execute plays – you have to pass backwards to advance your team and there are no breaks between plays.

At Flexential we also focus on strategy and teamwork.

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Flexential expanded its data center to 142,000 sq. ft. in Atlanta’s technology corridor

211

40

Data centers

1,000

Approximate number of employees

21

Domestic and international markets w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

FLEXENTIAL

“ We spend a ton of time making sure that we’ve got a customer success culture – an organizationwide strategy that puts customers at the top.”

212

— Chris Downie, CEO, Flexential

Our brand is anchored in the concept, ‘The Power of People in a Technical World®, which for us is all about making our customers successful. Their success is infused in everything we do.”

Having been at the heart of the data center industry for more than ten years, Downie has seen firsthand how it has become a vital component of modern business. In light of today’s demands for capacity, security, redundancy, reliability and recovery, flexibility and network expansiveness, Flexential has invested heavily in establishing itself as the best option for companies undergoing digital transformation and expansion across the US. The sheer volume of data being created and being digitized is set to necessitate continuous upgrades to capacity as more data-heavy technologies take root.

“There are massive amounts of data being generated for technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and a whole host of other applications requiring a data center to function effectively,” says Downie. “Having the capacity for this accelerating growth, and the exponential amount of information that needs to be stored, contained and kept safe for the rest of time, is massive for our

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FLEXENTIAL FLEXANYWHERE TM SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORK’ 213 strategy going forward.” With 40 data

Flexential’s ability to go beyond the

centers across 21 US markets, Flexential

traditional expectations of a data

has not only the capacity but also the

center operator. Enterprises increasingly

geographical reach to set it apart from

operate in a hybrid world where their

a significant chunk of the competition.

infrastructure is located in many

“Having the ability to offer our products

physical locations and in a variety

across a broad geographical reach

of forms, making Flexential an ideal

allows us to get in front of demand

choice as the home base for a customer’s

across the country,” adds Downie.

hybrid IT operations. “We can provide

The company recently announced

our customers a variety of colocation

expansions to its facilities in Portland,

and cloud infrastructure choices,

Nashville, Charlotte and Atlanta.

helping them manage and protect the

Highlighting customer demand for

data that fuels their business, and most

solution providers with broad capabili-

importantly interconnect that infra-

ties, Downie is enthusiastic about

structure in a highly scalable, secure, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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FLEXENTIAL

216

and reliable fashion,” he says. “Our ability

being consumed and where, Flexential

to also offer professional services that can

is working to help them “future proof”

solve the challenges that our customers

their infrastructures. “One of our critical

face serves to make their engagement

differentiators is the network; the

with Flexential even more meaningful.”

investments we’ve made in resources

Flexential’s broad utility set is further

across our portfolio enables our

enhanced by its stellar network

customers to federate their data and

capabilities, and its aggressive invest-

resources anywhere and everywhere

ment strategy in this area is reaping

they need to.”

dividends. As more and more enterprises

A significant facet of Flexential’s

are considering architecture for edge

network platform is its access to the

and distributed computing, as well as

Asia Pacific market via subsea cables.

machine learning and artificial intelli-

Hosting direct access to three

gence toolkits to analyze how data is

trans-Pacific subsea cables, supplying

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connectivity between Asia and the

those cables we have an entry point

West coast of the US offers a huge

to massive data sets, and this puts us

opportunity to Flexential’s customers

in a position to assist consortium

and makes Flexential more competi-

members, and other customers that

tive abroad. “The New Cross Pacific

want to be near those cables, to

(NCP) cable has some of the largest

complete the solutions they’re looking

cloud and communications providers

to build in the US.”

in Asia as consortium members, and it

Flexential has also been actively

extends to China, Taiwan, Korea and

investing in capitalizing on the

a whole host of other countries,” says

opportunities afforded by its size and

Downie. “We also host the Hawaiki

geographic reach, namely the ability

subsea cable which extends to

to communicate with larger customers

Australia and New Zealand. In hosting

that make decisions across multiple 217

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Chris Downie, CEO Chris leads Flexential as a proven Chief Executive Officer with deep expertise in the economics, delivery and operations of the data center and hybrid cloud businesses.

He is responsible for setting and managing the strategic priorities that drive profitable growth. Chris joined the company in 2016. Prior to Flexential, Chris was the Chief Executive Officer of Telx Holdings, a leading interconnection and data center solutions provider based in New York City, New York. He has more than 25 years of combined executive leadership experience in finance and operations, working for Daniels & Associates, BroadStreet Communications and Motient Corporation.

Chris holds a B.A. degree in History from Dartmouth College as well as a M.B.A. degree in International Business from New York University.

w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE NEXT BIG THING IS HERE: ATLANTA – ALPHARETTA EXPANSION’ 219 geographies and themselves have

financial institution at one of our

demanding requirements. “You can call

southeastern facilities, and that’s

it wholesale, you can call it multi-mega-

going to become one of the largest

watt transactions, but it’s really serving

processing centers for financial

large enterprises and large technology

trading transactions in the world.”

companies with greater deployments

The attractiveness of Flexential’s

than your average company.” Flexential

offering is further compounded by its

has been investing in its internal capabili-

leading security and recovery capabili-

ties to facilitate such deals with growing

ties, aiming to maximize peace of mind

success. “We recently completed a

for customers. “Security starts with

3MW deal in one of our western markets,

the physical security of the data center

with a large SaaS provider that’s

itself,” says Downie. “We’ve been very

focused on data storage; a hyper-scaler

focused on meeting and maintaining

in terms of their global growth. We have

compliance standards across a

also secured a 1.5MW contract with a

number of verticals in our domain. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

FLEXENTIAL

220

111,000+ square-foot data center with unprecedented PUE of 1.3 at full capacity

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“ Our ability to offer Professional Services that can solve the challenges our customers face, serves to make their engagement with Flexential even more meaningful.”

— Chris Downie, CEO, Flexential

221

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We also have a host of security functions

DRaaS. At the time of writing, seven of

built into our network to ensure data

Flexential’s facilities are equipped with

running through it is safeguarded,

its disaster recovery capabilities, with

encrypted and so forth. The network

more on the horizon.

is also a foundational element of our

Looking forward, Flexential continues

Disaster Recovery as a Service

to seek innovation and opportunities

(DRaaS) and recovery cloud functions.”

to enhance its customer offering.

In April 2019, Flexential was recog-

Downie offers Edge computing as

nized by Forrester Research as one of

an example of a customer trend that

eight leading contenders in the DRaaS

Flexential is keen to accommodate.

space, receiving the highest possible

“Data is being generated everywhere,”

rating for Forrester’s core DRaaS

he says, citing autonomous vehicles

offerings criteria. In June, Flexential

and connected vending machines as

was honored by Gartner and included

examples of data generators at the

in the 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for

edge of the network. “Those data sets

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223

FLEXENTIAL

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our customers are consuming power, the scale at which they’re consuming network resources, and whether there is customer interest in different network technologies.”

Downie adds that Flexential is equipped with the expertise to make the right call when it comes to such investments and in the personalization of its service offering. “We’re firm believers that the cloud is not the right home for all workloads, and helping our customers appreciate where workloads should reside is really important. As IT environments become more complex, our customers need help making the are coming from very far afield, so

right choices. The challenge for

having the ability to capture, process

operators is being prepared to have

and store them close to the given use

that conversation with customers.”

case is becoming increasingly impor-

Flexential is certainly prepared,

tant. When it comes to the information

empowered by Downie’s team-oriented

generated by a self-driving car, the data

and strategic leadership, and it is clear

needs to be processed by the car itself

that such preparation in each facet of

but it’s also sending huge amounts to

its operations will continue to grow.

local processing centers that need to be proximate to wherever the car is.”

Flexential consistently evaluates areas for improvement in its environments, particularly as the needs and expectations of the customer continuously evolve. “We actively monitor how w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

225

LOGO HERE

226

Inside the digital transformation of America’s oldest family-owned drug store brand WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

CRAIG DANIELS

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BARTELL DRUGS

Kari Escobedo, SVP, IT at Bartell Drugs, shares her business insights and plans for the digital transformation of America’s oldest familyowned pharmacy brand

D

igital transformation is change, and in the world of the enterprise, change is unrelenting. From a single location

purchased by 21-year-old pharmacist George H Bartell Sr in 1890, Bartell Drugs has become the 228

United States’ oldest family-owned drugstore chain – an iconic brand in the Pacific Northwest.

Achieving constancy and longevity through a great depression, a great recession, two world wars and myriad upheavals that mark almost 130 years of history, the brand is an American success story.

Walking the line between the traditional and the futuristic, while always delivering the highest quality of service to its customers, Bartell’s is making strides towards a bold digital future. “We want to bring Bartell’s into the modern digital world and ensure that its brand and products will still be here serving our communities a hundred years from now,” says Kari Escobedo, Senior Vice President (SVP) of IT at Bartell’s. Escobedo, along with new CEO Kathi Lentzsch and other Sr Executives are J U LY 2 0 1 9

229

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BARTELL DRUGS

working to build teams to shape Bartell’s digital transformation strategy. This approach will carry the company into the fourth industrial revolution and, hopefully, into the 22nd century.

Prior to joining the company in July 2018, Escobedo spent over a decade working for some of the Pacific Northwest’s largest, most game-changing companies. From years of growing up in a military household to experiences at Starbucks, Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Kaiser Permanente of WA, she shares how the transformation values of continually driving innovation,

230

promoting community and diversity, and

“ We want to bring Bartell’s into the modern world and ensure that its brand and products will still be here in another hundred years” — Kari Escobedo, IT, Bartell Drugs

J U LY 2 0 1 9

championing adaptability are informing Bartell’s digital transformation.

“I grew up in the Marine Corps, moving around every couple of years.

I’ve lived all over the country and parts of the world – that’s what you do as a military child,” recalls Escobedo.

“Every two to three years, we would pick up and move to another state.

My siblings and I got dropped into a whole new school on a regular basis.”

Escobedo credits her frequent relocations into new cities, cultures and social dynamics at an early age for a trait she has found invaluable

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘#BETTERWITHBARTELLS: DID YOU KNOW?’ 231 throughout her career: adaptability.

into its business model for a long time;

“I got very good at finding my way

each of the brand’s 68 locations is

and finding things about myself that

uniquely tailored to its neighborhood

integrate well into new situations,”

and customer base. “Our stores fit into

she explains. In her career, she quickly

their neighborhoods architecturally,

found: “You get really good at reading

but also about 30% of the products we

the organization, the culture, seeing

stock are local to the Pacific Northwest,”

opportunities and being able to stand

Escobedo explains. “There are some

back and say: ‘Where do I fit in this

stores that are partnered with the Post

picture? Where I can use what I do best

Office, because that’s something their

to help the company?’ One thing that

neighborhoods were lacking when they

I lean on a lot is my adaptability coming

opened.” Other stores have everything

into new organizations.”

from growler stations and espresso

Adapting to different environments is a skill that Bartell’s has integrated

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rs e t r po ugs p Su ll Dr d u rte o r P Ba of

workers on lunch breaks. “The makeup of the product selection is focused on what customers need versus only what we want to sell them,” she says.

“It differentiates us from some of our big box competitors.”

Bartell’s also adapts its instore experience so all feel welcome. “There was a conscious decision made to have shorter fixtures in all stores.

With a lower profile, our stores feel

“ I got very good at finding my way, and finding things about myself that integrate well into new situations” — Kari Escobedo, IT, Bartell Drugs

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Kari Escobedo, SVP, IT Kari Escobedo is a business executive with 20+ years of leadership experience serving global F500 companies in technology, healthcare, telecoms, and retail. She is a change leader specializing in company technology transformations, including digital experience, product dev, and M&A. Kari joined Bartell Drugs in mid-2018 to help positively impact the company thru technology.

Prior to Bartell Drugs, Kari joined Kaiser Permanente 2015 leading the Ent & Digital Services areas that include UX/CX, Digital & Mobile for KPWA. Formerly VP, Ent Sys Dev for T-Mobile, Kari led the technology team responsible for the development and delivery of solutions for the Customer Retail & Enterprise Systems that supported the T-Mobile business transformation. Before joining T-Mobile, Kari was the Director of Information Management and CISO for Starbucks as well as teams that supported ERP, Employee Portal systems.

Before Starbucks, Kari held leadership positions at Microsoft, running it’s Enterprise Systems teams.

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233

BARTELL DRUGS

1890

234

Year founded

1,700

Approximate number of employees

HQ

Seattle, Washington

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BARTELL DRUGS

more open. You can see across the store and find people; it’s more inviting.”

A feeling of welcome and personalized experience is key to the way Bartell’s does business. Escobedo’s priority is to harness the power of digital transformation to provide the company with more ways to reach its customers, while honoring the traditional heritage established by the Bartell family. “In Seattle, we have a pretty tech-savvy customer base, but we also have a customer base that really appreciates and demands personalization,” she 236

explains. “They need to know you and you need to know them as a customer.

That’s just part of the relationship-driven environment that we have in the Northwest. It’s what Bartell’s is known for.”

Escobedo’s leadership style is uniquely suited for Bartell’s transformation. “I love to come in and build sustainable change,” she enthuses, recalling her time at telecom giant T-Mobile and Starbucks. Escobedo constantly asks herself: “How do we keep driving innovation? You can find possibilities everywhere. You don’t have to be introducing new products that nobody’s seen before, but you need to be innovating for your customers.”

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237

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘#LOVINGLOCAL: JOE CHOCOLATES’ 239 In terms of e-commerce, Bartell’s has

On the pharmacy side, Escobedo and

taken a very customer centric ap-

Bartell’s are working in conjunction

proach, working in conjunction with

with Californian start-up, NimbleRx,

Amazon Prime Now and several other

to provide delivery services for pre-

well-known last-mile shopping delivery

scriptions and commonly purchased

services on same day delivery of

OTC products. “It allows us to really

non-pharmacy items. “We’re channel

fulfil a strategy built around making it

agnostic right now,” she explains.

super easy for customers to buy things

“Whichever company you buy our

from Bartell’s when and where they

products through, the strategy we’ve

want them,” she explains.

put together is focused on giving our

While many things are changing

customer’s choice and the opportunity

around them, Escobedo’s team relies

to get our products in the easiest way

on her ability to build excitement and to

for them – we want to be where they

lead by example. “My job is to help my

shop versus making them come to us.”

teams and business partners succeed w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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Cloud Design. Always On. As a managed services provider, we are uniquely positioned to enable our enterprise customers like Bartell Drugs, to focus on what matters most: their core business. Our journey with Bartell began with their Dynamics AX2012 deployment and continues with OďŹƒce 365 management, Azure services and the modernization of their technology infrastructure.

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J U LY 2 0 1 9

– because if they are successful, then

and vendors that will champion for

we all win,” she says. “It is critical to be

Bartell’s and their goals.

transparent and to clearly define

Escobedo is embracing technologi-

expectations for myself and my teams.

cal wins of every size. She uses small

I hold them accountable and they hold

changes like augmenting legacy

me accountable. With that comes

point-of-sale systems with user-friend-

mutual trust and a comfortability that

ly mobile-driven solutions to promote a

fits well in our organization,” said

culture that is accepting of and

Escobedo. This isn’t limited to the

enthusiastic about more radical

teams she leads. With vast knowledge

transformations. “Many of our employ-

and relationships in the technology

ees have been at Bartell’s for a long

world, and the experts in that space,

time and they love this company. That

Escobedo chooses the right partners

means, as we move to adopt and leverage some of these technologies,

“ Customers need to know you and you need to know them.

That’s just part of the relationship-driven environment that we have in the Northwest, and it’s what Bartell’s is known for” — Kari Escobedo, IT, Bartell Drugs w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

241

BARTELL DRUGS

Bartell – Supporting local brands

Joe Chocolate Co. specializes in crafting delicious, handmade chocolate, infused with locallyroasted coffee from Lighthouse Roasters. Our functional chocolate gives you the energy you need from ingredients you love.

242

Nuun Hydration was founded in 2004 by cyclists and triathletes, who decided to trade in sugary sports drinks and powders and create a light, refreshing, portable hydration solution. Nuun has a variety of hydration products to fit every hydration need, whether you’re running a marathon or a marathon of errands!

Pacifica Beauty: Pacifica’s products are vegan and

J U LY 2 0 1 9

cruelty-free with an everpresent mindset to reduce its impact on the environment.

Liberty Orchards: Aplets & Cotlets. The blossom-fresh f lavor of crisp Washington apples, the tangy goodness of ripe apricots, and the nutty richness of crunchy English walnuts have made Aplets and Cotlets the Pacific Northwest’s most-beloved candy since 1920!

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a large assortment of bulk teas and spices. MarketSpice is proud of its 100 f lavorful years of history and continues to share the belief that “spice is the variety of life”.

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BARTELL DRUGS

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“ It’s interesting to be able to really change and move where our customers expect us to be, but then still embrace and celebrate the long history and deep roots of Bartell’s” — Kari Escobedo, IT, Bartell Drugs

J U LY 2 0 1 9

there’s a significant change management component we have to take into consideration,” Escobedo explains.

“AI and machine learning. Those are big, scary words for many traditional retailers.” Currently, she is pursuing several proof-of-concept tests of predictive analytics and automation, which she hopes will help to demystify the functionality and experience of incorporating leading-edge technology for Bartell’s team.

Looking forward, Escobedo relishes the chance to continue balancing

245

transformation and tradition. “It’s

customers.” For the first 129 years

interesting to be able to really change

of its existence, Bartell Drugs was

and move where our customers expect

shaped by a world that went from

us to be, but still embrace and celebrate

steam to the moon to the internet.

the long history and deep roots of

The next 129 years of Bartell Drugs’

Bartell’s,” she says. “We’ve had some

history will be shaped by the initiatives

great accomplishments over the last

that Escobedo and her team pursue

six months. I’m super excited about the

over the next few years.

shift in thinking and the ideas that are coming from my technology team.

Through the rest of this year, we are building a great foundation to continue to launch a more enhanced and personalized digital experience for our w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Your Safety...Our Commitment

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J U LY 2 0 1 9

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WRITTEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY

ANDY TURNER

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H E AT H C O N S U LTA N T S

As the company focuses on digitally transforming its operations,Heath Consultants prioritizes sustainability across its functions

E

stablished 86 years ago, Heath Consultants is now run by the third generation of the Heath family. The business is the premier

leader in the natural gas leak detection industry, servicing utility companies “all the way from the 248

well head to the burner tip”, explains Paul Wehnert, Senior Vice President of the Sales and Marketing unit. “Primarily, we’re a leak detection, underground utility locating service, and products manufacturing firm,” adds Wehnert.

The company employs around 1,500 people across 44 states in the US, but has earned an international presence through the distribution of its products. A main aspect of the company’s operations is conducting leak surveys. “A leak survey primarily consists of a person walking around documenting on paper where they went and what they found. However, the industry is currently going through a transition from paper documentation to digital documentation,” remarks Jeff Tuttle, CEO of Heath Consultants. “The way in which we conduct these surveys is now all in J U LY 2 0 1 9

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H E AT H C O N S U LTA N T S

“ The industry is currently going through a transition from paper documentation to digital documentation” — Jeff Tuttle, CEO, Heath Consultants

transition – whether the person is walking or driving by vehicle, the instrument readings, position of the person and detections are all recorded.” Heath is also expanding its technological footprint with the launch of its DP-IR Trainer, software that uses augmented reality to train workers how to conduct leak surveys.

Beyond how the information is acquired and stored, the company is also expanding its analytics capabilities through a partnership with software development company Silicus. Heath is now able to evaluate

250

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HEATH 2018 WORLD GAS CONFERENCE PRODUCT SHOWCASE’ 251 the leak information, such as methane

technology that is connected to the

readings and pipe quality. “We can ask:

internet, such as data logging, GPS

‘Where are the risky sections of pipe?

and the cloud. “We still have portable

Where are they located?’ We can then

platforms, but connected portable

provide a thesis or data source to that,”

platforms. We have mobile platforms

continues Tuttle.

where we have vehicles that drive

The company has leveraged its core

around a city network, and we have

gas detection technology and con-

aerial platforms like drones and UAVs,”

nected it with a cloud analytics

says Tuttle. The CEO highlights the

package. This enables oil producers to

introduction of connected methane

then conduct Leak Detection and

sensors placed amongst city grids,

Repair (LDAR) work, which often takes

available on a 24/7 basis.

places in remote areas. The industry is

However, the role of analytics has

shifting from using portable technolo-

a much greater presence in the

gies that an individual would carry to

company’s overall business strategy. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

Enabling Enterprises in the Cloud Silicus is a cloud transformation services company, focused on helping enterprises deploy sustainable cloud technologies- to support business innovation, enable technology modernization, scale technology-driven differentiation, and manage technology investments through their lifecycle.

LEARN MORE

CONTACT US

“ It’s also important from a digital transformation perspective to collect data on the performance of our technicians” — Ken Cowher, Vice President of Operations for the Service unit, Heath Consultants

“For us on the operations side, it’s also important from a digital transformation perspective to collect data on the performance of our technicians,” notes Ken Cowher, Vice President of Operations for Heath’s Service unit.

“It is important we have a standardized and automated way of doing that to ensure we get good quality data we can run predictive analytics on. This allows us to proactively manage our crews and make them as efficient as possible.”

Cowher explains that all service operations lie within a competitive bid industry, which in turn means that efficiency is key.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jeffrey Tuttle, CEO Jeffrey Tuttle has worked in various capacities within the utilities sector for over 30 years. Prior to joining Heath he served as General Manager for Greer Commission of Public Works where he directed the company’s day-to-day operations and long-term direction of all utility operations.

He has served on various association’s Board of Directors including Piedmont Municipal Power Agency (PMPA), American Public Gas Association (APGA), Blue Ridge Scouting Council, and Greer Relief.

From 2011 to 2012, he served as the Chairman of American Public Gas Association (APGA) and Texas Gas Association.

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H E AT H C O N S U LTA N T S

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J U LY 2 0 1 9

The company uses Microsoft’s Azure cloud to host many of its systems, including RMLD-Remote Emissions Monitoring. Heath is piloting the sensor-based technology that enables it to monitor for leaks 24/7. The firm is almost ready to introduce its Leak Survey Analytic, also based in Azure, which harbors the data from thousands of surveys. “Every detail over time is captured and made available at a click so we can analyze the quality of the survey, the completeness of the survey and provide some of the risk factors that feed into some of these pipeline risk models,” Tuttle comments.

Heath has also partnered with Novara Geosolutions, the asset management products and services company.

“We’re working with them to develop a field application for our leak survey technicians to use. It will integrate with customer facility mapping and track breadcrumb indications of the leak surveyor and the path that they take over the pipeline. It will include indications that we find, abnormal operating conditions – anything that would be a reportable situation from the survey – and feed that information back to the customer whilst connecting with our w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

255

Insgroup is one of the nation’s leading independent strategic risk and insurance advisory firms. Over 40 years we’ve established a reputation for relentless client advocacy, integrity and exeptional exceptional service.

Commercial Insurance

Employee Benefits

Private Client Insurance

J. Mace Meeks 5151 San Filipe, 24th Floor Houston TX 77056 www.insgroup.net 713-350-6339

billing system,” explains Tuttle.

1933

As well as addressing technology transformation within its operations,

Year founded

Heath Consultants is also becoming very aware of sustainability issues in its industry. “The industry is really going through a major transition with emission reduction – it grew up doing the surveys from a safety standpoint, assessing the potential hazards of gas

1,500

Approximate number of employees

leaks in homes and buildings. Heath grew up with the paramount mission to find the dangerous leaks, help utilities and mitigate them by repairing the pipe.

HQ

Houston, Texas

Now with the concerns over climate

257

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ken Cowher, Vice President, Operations Ken Cowher joined Heath in 1992 as a Field Technician with a degree in Earth Sciences from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Ken managed the Northeast Division for Heath for nearly twenty years and created a successful corporate culture that other regions in the company strive to imitate. After promotion in 2017 to Vice President of Process Improvement and Service Business Unit Support, Ken’s clear understanding of Heath’s values, corporate mission and excellent leadership skills made him the clear choice for another promotion to his current position.

Ken is responsible for all aspects of our field service division including safety, training & development,

quality assurance and field operations.

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H E AT H C O N S U LTA N T S

258

“ The industry is really going through a major transition with emission reduction” — Jeff Tuttle, CEO, Heath Consultants J U LY 2 0 1 9

change, methane is one of the gasses that is of most concern – this gas can leak from any point along the chain.

We’re trying to reduce that,” says Tuttle.

Working from the well pad up, the company goes through various processes in moving and producing the gas which emits the most greenhouse gases. “The well head, the well and the tank battery which the oil is stored in are all prone to emitting the

259

gasses that come along with the oil.

exploring a lot of that with vehicles and

There’s quite a bit of focus, activity and

UAVs, with autonomy providing safety

research on gas detection and we are

inspections of these safety grids within

participating in that emerging technol-

these smart cities,” says Paul.

ogy,” Tuttle says.

With Heath focusing on its digital transformation journey, the firm sees itself at the centre of a digital future.

“Our company’s operations will us more

Your Safety...Our Commitment

fix sensor technologies and more autonomous type activities. We’ll be w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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Digital transformation across the Asian landscape

WRITTEN BY

OLIVIA MINNOCK

J U LY 2 0 1 9

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SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

Insurance giant Sun Life sees the Asian market as an important region to grow, innovate and experiment. Gavin Gollogley and John Trotter outline how the company uses digital tools, culture and partnerships to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape

W 262

hile insurance giant Sun Life is headquartered in Canada – the company’s commitment to digital transformation and

innovation surpasses borders, and the exciting market of Asia is becoming an important region for developing new ways of working. Sun Life, which is present in seven markets across Asia – Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, with joint ventures in China, Malaysia and India – sees Asia as a tech-savvy market with huge opportunities for growth, not just geographically, but also in terms of the innovation and services it offers. “Asia is an important growth engine for many global businesses now,” comments John Trotter, Head of E-Distribution and Fintech at Sun Life Asia.

Asia has several elements that come together to create a wealth of opportunity for a global insurer like Sun Life: a large and growing population, an emerging middle class, low insurance penetration across most countries, and a young demographic J U LY 2 0 1 9

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“ It’s important to understand how data, coupled with intelligent analytics, supports business needs” — Gavin Gollogley, Head of Digital, Sun Life Financial Asia

which is digitally savvy and used to leapfrogging technologies to take advantage of the very latest advancements. The company is highly enthusiastic about the region, and encourages the Asian businesses to drive their own developments for the local markets. “This is a really sensible approach,” comments Trotter. “Of course we share learnings across all our markets, but a one-size-fits-all model across countries rarely works – there are always local considerations that may mean something that works well

264

in one country will not necessarily work in another: regulation, market maturity, culture etc.”

As the company embarks on an ambitious journey to digitise its overall operations, Head of Digital for Asia, Gavin Gollogley, adds that Asia is the perfect place to experiment. “From an innovation perspective, there is a sense that people typically look toward the US, but there is equally as much going on this side of the world, particularly in China and India.” Gollogley adds that Sun Life’s ‘client obsessed’ CEO, Dean Connor, has put a lot of focus on digital and data to drive Sun Life’s cliJ U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SUN LIFE AND ME. PARTNERS FOR LIFE’ 265

ent strategy, actively encouraging our

building new business models, en-

transformation agenda, and new ways

hancing operational and value chain ef-

of operating in some of the world’s

ficiency, and creating best in class ex-

fastest growing markets.

periences, to building a digital culture and mindset – all enabled by the latest

FOCUSING ON DIGITAL

technologies, data-driven insights,

Gollogley highlights that digital trans-

skillsets, talent and change frame-

formation is not simply a matter of

works. When you look at it through

technology advancement and applica-

these lenses, it is a pretty large beast.

tion. “There’s a definite need to clearly

As we are a traditional life insurer, with

articulate what digital is, and how it

over 150 years of doing business, this

enables business strategy. It touches

requires taking transformation in bite

on many elements, some more trans-

size pieces.”

formational in nature than others. From

Sun Life Asia’s digitisation kicked w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

off in earnest in early 2016. “We have

cluding building an integrated customer

made good progress across the region

engagement platform, developing

in advancing our Digital and Data

a point of sales and productivity suite

& Analytics agenda,” says Gollogley.

platform for advisors, improving our

“The core focus has been on digitising

digital marketing and social media

our current processes, creating a data

capability and creating a data analytics

& analytics centre of excellence and

center of excellence.”

embedding a digital friendly culture, with investment in upskilling our people

en their digital foundations to push

with key digital skills.

for differentiation. “There is a definite

The initial focus was on a three year

266

In 2019, Sun Life will further strength-

awareness that we need to be vigilant

road map, its objectives having largely

on areas like talent, structure and culture

been achieved in developing a ‘com-

to achieve our goals,” Gollogley adds.

mon core’ across all business units; in-

E XECU T I VE PRO FI LE

Gavin Gollogley Gavin Gollogley is Head of Digital, Asia at Sun Life. He supports the organization’s digital transformation efforts, specializing in the digital portfolios which include marketing, experience and distribution, as well as overseeing their data & analytics centre of excellence. Gavin has over 25 years’ experience in digital roles spanning media, publishing and the insurance industry in Hong Kong, Australia and Ireland.

He brings to his role a deep understanding of how digital transformation can create opportunities and be leveraged to solve inherent business problems. Currently based in Hong Kong, Gavin enjoys spending quality time with his wife and three daughters when not working.

J U LY 2 0 1 9

GROWTH THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

customers who may not have access

As part of the company’s digital

to Sun Life’s traditional channels,

transformation journey, Asia has also

the business is experimenting with

proved the perfect place to explore

new forms of distribution through

new digital distribution channels by

strategic partnerships. Currently,

collaborating with partners to en-

insurance penetration is around 3%

hance the experience for Sun Life’s

on average across all Sun Life’s

clients – for example, the business

Asian markets, so as Gollogley puts

has recently invested in startup Bow-

it: “There’s a huge opportunity,

tie, which will be Hong Kong’s first

a veritable ‘blue ocean’ out there

purely digital insurer. “Sun Life has

to navigate and explore.”

a proud history as a partnership

Telecommunication companies such

business,” says Trotter, explaining

as Malaysia’s U-Mobile have become

that in order to reach new groups of

an interesting component of Sun Life’s

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

John Trotter John Trotter is Head of E-Distribution and Fintech at Sun Life. Within this role he is responsible for t wo t ypes of digital partnerships: developing strategic partnerships for new digital distribution, and working with startups and Fintech companies on innovative new initiatives.

Trotter has over 30 years’ experience working in the banking and insurance industr y across Asia and the UK, largely in business development roles.

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SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

growth plans. “We’re experimenting to see if we can sell insurance through non-traditional partnerships and ecosystems,” says Trotter, demonstrating Sun Life’s focus on pushing boundaries and extending its customer reach beyond traditional means. Additional telco partners already include Indonesia’s Telkomsel and Philippine’s Smart – both sector leaders in their respective countries with tens of millions of customers each. Sun Life has also recently formed another interest268

ing partnership with one of Southeast Asia’s major e-commerce platforms, Lazada, which itself has over 50mn customers in the region. “It’s a really interesting new model for us,” says Trotter. “We’ve simplified insurance to the extent that we can almost put the products on a supermarket (eCommerce) ‘shelf’ and observe how consumers respond. At this stage it’s still an experiment, but a good example of how we’re thinking – we need to push the boundaries to reach new types of customer.”

Another element of the clientobsessed firm’s digital transformation journey is to offer products and soluJ U LY 2 0 1 9

“ The focus is on client experience: trying to understand needs and behaviour” — Gavin Gollogley, Head of Digital, Sun Life Financial Asia tions for those who may not be catered for by traditional insurance offerings.

“We’re interested in helping increase the 3% penetration rate and appealing to new customers,” says Trotter. “We’re also very conscious about customer groups who may not have the same level of affluence or consistent income to afford our traditional products. We are redesigning our products in several markets to offer credibly priced on-demand value options. There are groups of consumers in Asia that don’t want to buy a 10-year insurance policy the first time they buy – they want to w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

“ Asia is a massive growth engine for most global businesses now” — John Trotter, Head of E-distribution and Fintech, Sun Life Financial Asia

270

dip their toe in and try something more

to such a vast landscape of consum-

affordable and short term. We’re trying

ers would prove costly, this is one area

to deliver that for them.”

where e-commerce and telco partnerships have been vital. “People are inter-

CONNECTING WITH THE CUSTOMER

acting anyway, so that gives us a good

In addition to getting the product right,

opportunity to put products in front of

it’s important to explore different

people and test what works, what price

avenues of bringing these products to

point and coverage are right for them.”

the customer. “We’re trying to reach

Across its business lines, Sun Life

that niche of customers who can afford

has been quick to recognise and

what we’re selling, value what we’re

leverage the benefits of social media

selling, and who want to get into the

marketing across Asia, having

protection market at a price point they

garnered over 2.5mn followers on

can afford.” Whilst advertising directly

platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn,

J U LY 2 0 1 9

271

Instagram and Twitter. In doing so,

it is how we will be perceived by

the company makes up for its rela-

prospect and client alike.”

tively smaller footprint in some markets

Though Facebook isn’t advertised

with an amplified voice online. “Sun

as a customer service function, Asia’s

Life uses social media to reach out to

well-known thirst for omnichannel and

people who don’t know the brand or

choice is reflected in the way many

understand the insurance need,” says

users engage with Sun Life via the plat-

Gollogley. “We’re using it for educa-

form. “Our clients are saying that’s the

tion and a lot of creative engagement

way they want to engage so we have

supporting brand awareness and

to cater for this,” says Gollogley. “It’s

sponsorship. Social media and digital

the same with chatbot technology. We

marketing in general is a way in which

have a chatbot sitting in our Philippines

we can present who we are, and what

Facebook page – but we also under-

our purpose is – and in equal measure,

stand that’s not a channel of choice w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

for everybody. Some people want to call us, some want to speak to their advisor, some want to go through email or through Facebook. We have to build connected experiences that match our customer needs, behaviours and intent.”

Social media is instrumental for an organisation like Sun Life as it aims to engage with customers at different stages of the client journey in order to

“ We have to build connected experiences that match our customer needs, behaviours and intent” — Gavin Gollogley, Head of Digital, Sun Life Financial Asia

provide ongoing support from initial awareness to sustainable retention.

272

Sun Life also uses celebrities, KOL and supports its advisors through social

LEVERAGING DATA IN CLIENT OBSESSION

selling workshops. Here, content and

Along the path to purchase, awareness

context are king. Gollogley poses a

of the right products and services

key element of content marketing as

available to prospects and clients, and

a question: “How do we reach users

the experiences they receive, can be

who are unaware their needs may be

enhanced using the most vital resource

met by a financial product, regardless

available to businesses today – data.

of the brand?” With creativity, trans-

Organisations worldwide are leverag-

parency and education highlighted as

ing as much information as they can to

key, Sun Life has created ‘life moment’

provide a more personalised, predic-

frameworks which target human expe-

tive and proactive service and Sun Life

riences – ‘Getting Married’, ‘Building

is no exception. Indeed, its centre for

a Family’ or ‘Enjoying Retirement’ –

data & analytics aims to accelerate the

in order to show prospective clients

capabilities and development of best

how its products may help them at vital

practice around data and analytic solu-

stages in their lives.

tions. The team works with Sun Life’s

J U LY 2 0 1 9

A TRANSFORMATIONAL MINDSET Like any organisation embarking on a significant digital transformation journey, Sun Life is experiencing a large culture shift, and has had to keep a close eye on managing this change as employees adapt to a new mindset. Gollogley argues that this isn’t just about forming a digital mindset, but is also about transitioning into a transformational mindset. “People who are willing to change, learn and be comfortable with uncertainty — those are the individuals we’re trying to bring into the organisation. But we have to be conscious that this is a journey and we’re dealing with people who have been in the profession for many, many years. The organisation has put tremendous focus into creating digital leaders, with a focus on upskilling the practitioners leading the change, as well as key enablers across the region. This includes training and certification on design thinking, agile, digital leadership, digital marketing and change management.

To reinforce this change, we’re dependent on our senior leaders

being very vocal and communicating that change is good for the client, the organisation and the employee. We require our leaders to create a movement, being our number one change agents, to foster and accelerate a digital mindset within the organisation — encouraging agile digital leadership, change and transformation. If the execution is correct, this will be extremely beneficial to our transformation journey.”

273

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SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

274

1865

Year founded

£1.1trn+ Assets under management

10,000+

Approximate number of employees

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SUN LIFE ASIA SERVICE CENTRE HYPER-JUMPS ITS CULTURAL AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

276

In 2006, Sun Life formed the Asia Service Centre to build the foundations for its digital transformation, long before ‘digital transformation’ became a buzzword. More than a decade later, Sun Life’s Asia Service Centre is a fastgrowing innovation hub providing business processing, IT and investment research benefitting Sun Life’s global operations with offices in the Philippines and India and a combined headcount of almost 3,000.

The Asia Service Centre’s core digital competencies are mobile, data analytics, visualisation and RPA. In the past three years, Sun Life has launched over 20 digital assets, including the Sun Life Mobile Application launched in 2016, a first of its kind in the Philippines and supported the company’s e-commerce partnership with Lazada, another first in the industry. Agility played a big role in this project as the team achieved 80% re-use of components to lower cost and launch in two months’ time, ahead of the six-month timeline.

When it comes to emerging capabilities, Sun Life is currently focusing on cloud, data science and AI. In 2018, J U LY 2 0 1 9

RPA was implemented through the Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) program which involved automating 50 business processes within Sun Life through the use of over 100 bots.

Automation reduced the rate of errors and provided a lower level of operational risk. It greatly improved customer experience, moving highvalue front line employees to performing more important tasks.

After it was launched in Asia, ROI was achieved in less than a year. In the same year, the Asia Service Centre’s Intelligent Automation Program evolved into the Intelligent Automation Centre of Excellence pushing for more technology innovation. Both initiatives are driving Sun Life towards automation of business processes to provide faster and more efficient services to Sun Life’s businesses around the world.

“We won’t stop. Our digital transformation will continue to streamline our processes, reduce risks and achieve ultimate efficiency, thereby assuring improved customer satisfaction,” concludes Gollogley.

the organisation’s data and analytics maturity and business priority. These use cases can be offensive in nature, focusing on growing our business (for example, client engagement), or defensive, focusing on increasing efficiency to lower costs.”

The client experience is also digitised every step of the way in order to build and develop sustainable relationships.

“Persistency is one example of how the application of insights from data can bring a lot of value,” explains Gollogley.

“How do we deepen that relationship various business units to leverage

with the client so they don’t lapse their

machine learning and infrastructure

policy after a short period? After buy-

development, and also draw conclu-

ing the policy, they’re still with us – not

sions on how data and analytics can

for six months, or six years, but for

be applied across client, distribution,

a whole lifetime of value, for them and

operations and digital partnership.

their beneficiaries.” This year, the

“It’s important to understand how

company is focusing on two particular

data, coupled with intelligent analyt-

areas: what Gollogley refers to as the

ics, supports business needs,” com-

first and last mile. “The first mile is the

ments Gollogley. “Recently, we’ve been

data piece: understanding what data

leveraging data strategy workshops

we have and being able to access that

to develop a target state of how we

in the most digestible format” explains

maximise value from data assets – the

Gollogley. “In addition, from an external

outcome gives us the ability to develop

perspective, what data can we get our

a high-level data roadmap with new

hands on and what will bring true client

insights and use cases that reflect

outcomes?” The ‘last mile’ involves w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

277

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

the business executing on insights.

“There’s little point spending 80% of the time on modelling and analysis, and only 20% on the execution of the insights generated. What are those insights that have tangible business value? When our data scientists bring those insights back into the business, are they different than anticipated?

If so, are we willing to execute on the results, and do we have the ability to do this at speed? This can be our formula for success.”

278

Data, just like all the other resources leveraged by Sun Life, always comes back to an obsession with clients – clients

“ There’s a definite ence: trying to understand the needs need to clearly and behaviours,” Gollogley emphasises. articulate what “We know expectations are not set by digital is, and insurance companies and banks, but by those companies with the large market how it enables caps – the Amazons, the Facebooks, business strategy” the Googles. Our strategy is to deliver whose expectations are increasing

every day. “The focus is on client experi-

experiences that are proactive, predictive and personal. An example of this would be offering clients a ‘next best offer’ – matched to their current needs, life segment or mirroring what people ‘like J U LY 2 0 1 9

— Gavin Gollogley, Head of Digital, Sun Life Financial Asia

Studio in Toronto as well as regionally with the creation of an Innovation Hub in Asia and active participation in the fintech community. Trotter stresses these burgeoning, disruptive startups shouldn’t be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity to collaborate and innovate. “We’re very comfortable looking outside the business for solutions that we can’t build ourselves. That’s something we’ll do in terms of core technology as well as emerging technology. Collaboration is really where the industry is going and businesses that do well with this will have a much better chance than those that don’t.” them’ purchase. This is only possible

Run by Accenture, the Fintech

through advanced analytics and target-

Innovation Lab Asia Pacific runs annual

ed marketing. That’s the lens through

12-week mentorship programs for

which we try to match customer expec-

startups. Launched in 2014, companies

tation, while supporting and fueling our

which have utilised the lab have raised

advisor and partner ambitions.”

a total of US$288mn to date. Sun Life is one of the principal partners of the

INNOVATION IN AN OPEN LANDSCAPE

lab, alongside other global organisa-

As the financial landscape changes

tions such as HSBC and Goldman

and develops, becoming ever more

Sachs. Ignite, meanwhile, is Sun Life’s

competitive with the advent of fintechs

own centre for innovation which

and insurtechs, Sun Life is focusing

opened in 2017 to act as a ‘living lab’,

heavily on upskilling and innovation

advancing innovation and collaboration

– on a global scale through its Ignite

between employees. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

279

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

Trotter also stresses that partnerships are often the best way to go to introduce innovation. “The idea that a startup could be a serious industry competitor is obviously unlikely – they understand that they need to partner with the incumbent in the industry, and likewise we as the incumbent understand these insurtechs have ideas that can accelerate our transformation. Whether that’s claims process, RPA, AI, facial recognition – they have specific talents and techniques we can 280

leverage and vice-versa.”

A CONTINUOUS JOURNEY As finance and insurance continues to evolve, particularly in the exciting and

of talent: “Transformation itself will

fast-paced Asian markets, Sun Life is

never cease, and will continue to rely

reaching out to new clients continu-

heavily on people. Building a team,

ously, and adapting new experiences

bringing in the right talent and capabil-

for its existing client base. “We’re only

ity is challenging, but it’s a challenge

three years into our digital journey. It’s

that the Sun Life team, and those at

a story that’s going to continue, with

the forefront of the journey across

perhaps a narrative that is challenging

the region are managing well. I read

but exciting,” says Gollogley. “I expect

somewhere that digital transformation

the word ‘digital’ may be out of fashion

challenges the very concept of career

in a few years’ time, as it becomes the

paths and traditional job profiles, with

standard way of doing business.” Gol-

the agility and innovative capacity of

logley goes back to the importance

organisations resting on the diversity

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of experience of those who comprise

culture. Our transformation efforts to

it. I believe this sums up pretty well the

date have been a real joint effort, led by

challenges before us on talent hiring,

our business units, supported by our

retention and increasing capabilities,

regional and shared service teams.

in today’s environment.

“At Sun Life, we’ve been fortunate to

“We know Digital is no longer an alternative: it must be viewed as core

hire some brilliant individuals across

and the new way of doing or providing

the region. We constantly learn from

ease of business. Sun Life is well

each other, and there is a real sense of

positioned to embrace and succeed

purpose, co-creation and collaboration

in this disruptive and changing world.”

for our mission. As a whole, Sun Life is a great place to work, a friendly and encouraging environment, with a great w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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randstad: technology transformation with the human touch WRITTEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

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R A N D S TA D J A PA N

With its mantra of ‘combining technology with the human touch’, HR giant Randstad undergoes its digital transformation journey with a focus on change management

A

s the largest human resources (HR) firm in the world, Randstad operates 38 different markets. The business aims to

bring people and work together whilst “combining technology with the human touch,” reveals Richard Tanaka, Chief Technology Innovation Officer of the 284

company’s Japanese division. As CTIO, Tanaka defines his position as very unique: “Innovation is really the core part of my role. I find ways to bring innovation and technology into the company, and we’re specifically aiming to do that in Japan, which is why the position was established here. It’s not so much an operational role as it is more a strategic one. I do not work alone. I work and align together with the tech leaders from around the globe to leverage that we are One Randstad. There is huge collaboration at the APAC regional level, as well as at the global level.”

Within Tech and Touch, the company established a global initiative called “Digital Factory” which is already touching all parts of the world. While each country is different, with the Digital Factory,

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R A N D S TA D J A PA N

“ Japan is really great at innovating and thinking of new technology, but to actually adopt it into a working environment or an office is a little bit of a challenge” — Richard Tanaka, CTIO of Randstad Japan 286

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HOW WILL HR TECH CHANGE RECRUITMENT?’ 287 Randstad is able to re-use and share

ment or an office is a little bit of a chall-

all kinds of technology. “We don’t

enge. So, it’s a bit of a paradox. An

believe in re-inventing the wheel for

important part of my role is to help

each country,” remarks Tanaka.

facilitate the adoption of technologies,

In Japan, a very technologically

processes and ways of thinking. Mindset

advanced nation, Randstad is noticing

change is quite a bit topic at the moment,”

a conservative and risk-adverse

Tanaka notes.

approach to change. As an American

Despite working within a technology

who has lived in Japan for the past 17

framed role, it is clear that Tanaka’s job

years, Tanaka is able to bring a more

is heavily change management focused.

western approach to the business in

“A big part of it is the people manage-

order to facilitate the required changes.

ment side, so I need to get my staff in

“Japan is really great at innovating and

the right mindset to be able to adopt

thinking of new technology, but to

different ways of working, accept newer

actually adopt it into a working environ-

technologies, or maybe even take w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

R A N D S TA D J A PA N

288

some risks. I need to get people on

and clients and bring operations together.

board,” he says. “In order for change

As HR is a people oriented industry, it

to happen we need to really focus on

has often remained traditional and main-

the people, and being able to give my

tained manual operations. For Randstad,

staff the Freedom within the Frame is

introducing technology to the front line

as exciting as much as it is not well

of its business strategy will bring it one

understood.”

step closer to meeting its mantra of

In 2016 the company revealed its Tech

‘combining technology with the human

and Touch strategy, which seeks to

touch’. Tanaka discloses: “We want to

address how the business can combine

make technology an integral part of the

technology to better serve its candidates

way the business works, and an integral

J U LY 2 0 1 9

part of the way we interact with potential

a speed that was never seen before,”

candidates or with our clients. Tech-

remarks Tanaka. OutSystems’ offering

nology is all around us, so if you receive

enables Randstad to develop a system

a resume on a piece of paper then you

in a fraction of the time that it would

can’t very easily share it with a fellow

have previously taken – reducing years

co-worker or with a potential client or

to months to weeks. “The platform is

employer, so we’re striving for ways to

very modular and scalable. We have it

leverage technology and innovation,

set up in nearly a dozen countries, and

such as mobile platforms, artificial

so we can share, for example, a design,

intelligence (AI) and machine learning.”

corporate colours or branding, a layout,

Randstad Japan is currently

or even an app between the other

adopting low-coding platforms with

markets. It’s all pre-packaged for us,

OutSystems. “We embrace their

ready to go. Having to do everything

platform and it gives us the ability to

from scratch is a thing of the past – we

develop ideas, tools and systems in

have a very high reusability factor with

a very quick and efficient manner, at

what we’re doing,” he continues.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Richard Tanaka Richard Tanaka is the Chief Technology Innovation Officer at Randstad Japan. Tanaka is Japanese-American born in Los Angeles, US, and has a long working history in the IT industry. Having served as a Director in IT for the Asia Pacific region at 20th Century Fox, as well as working Theatrical Systems at Warner Bros. Entertainment’s APAC region and a Global IT Business Partner for Japan and APAC at Adecco, Tanaka’s career has span across the telecom, entertainment, and HR services sectors

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R A N D S TA D J A PA N

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“ Randstad Japan is taking its steps forward and embracing organisational change, embracing mindset change, and of course along with that comes system changes” — Richard Tanaka, CTIO of Randstad Japan

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The Fastest Way to Build Enterprise-grade Applications • • • •

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Schedule a Demo www.outsystems.com/webinars/platform-demo-apac

293

According to the CTIO, Randstad

wasted,” says Tanaka. Through its

Japan is reaping the benefits of new

partnership with DOMO, the firm has

flexible systems that feature greater

gained access to a data visualisation

access to data. The firm is able to be

tool that has enabled data-driven

more data driven whilst taking advan-

decision making within the operations.

tage of the rapid adoption of mobile

By having more data-driven opera-

technology. The company is designing

tions, the company can also reduce

applications for mobile and tablets to

the amount of paper it uses and improve

be used by employees out in the field.

agility. “Compared to our previous

“The apps will hold client data, offering

functions, we had a lot of paperwork,

the latest information and orders. All

and with the importance of personal

that good, valuable information will be

privacy at an all-time high, most

available right at our employees’ finger-

paperwork will have to be shredded,”

tips, so no opportunity would be

Tanaka explains. “DOMO is allowing w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

R A N D S TA D J A PA N

294

us to be more agile with where and

“At least half of any transformation is

how we work, and this is having

being able to take the first step. Rand-

a profound effect on improving our

stad Japan is taking its steps forward

business as well as giving our clients

and embracing organisational change

a better experience.�

and mindset changes, and of course

As the HR giant continues on its

along with that come system changes.

digital transformation journey, Tanaka

I think the transformation really starts

highlights that technology is not the

with the right people and the right

only important aspect of the evolution.

leadership with a common vision,�

J U LY 2 0 1 9

“ OutSystems’ platform gives us the ability to develop ideas, tools and systems in a very quick and efficient manner, at a speed that was never seen before” — Richard Tanaka, CTIO of Randstad Japan

295

Tanaka comments. “I can really say that change management in Japan is not the easiest thing to do, but I think a little bit of creativity can help. Sometimes you have to do things a little outside of the box. Being able to tell a story, or being able to share the vision goes a long way, especially here in Japan.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

PIZZA HUT 296

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WRITTEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY

KRISTOFER PALMER

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PIZZA HUT

PIZZA HUT IS UNDERGOING A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND CUSTOMER RETENTION AND ENGAGEMENT. CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER FOR APAC, TROY BARNES, TELLS US MORE

298

P

izza Hut wants to create a world with more ‘yum’. As part of the Yum! Brands corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in

Kentucky, the company prioritises its customers’ experience. Troy Barnes, Chief Customer Officer for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region at Pizza Hut, believes that with a focus on the consumer journey, the business will see positive results. Barnes’ role is made up of three key pillars: restaurant excellence, digital experience and restaurant technology.

“Restaurant excellence focuses on what happens in store – products, delivering pizzas and food safety standards and service culture. Digital experience is about understanding how customers want to interact with the brand and delivering on that, largely through online purchasing, whether that be the website, app, social media or messaging” he explains. “Restaurant technology looks at the underlying technologies that support the employees J U LY 2 0 1 9

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PIZZA HUT

300

“ Collectively, we have brought that customer mindset to the core of our strategy” — Troy Barnes, Chief Customer Officer for APAC, Pizza Hut

of our franchises. Things like point-ofsale platforms, inventory supply chain, labour management, and supply and demand modelling.” Underlining all three pillars is customer engagement, in which Pizza Hut looks to understand and assess how each aspect works collectively under the customer experience umbrella with the strategic focus of having more customers more often to Pizza Hut. Since his position was established as the first customer role in the APAC region last year, Barnes and his team

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OUR PIZZA HUT STORY’

have worked to bring the consumer to

is about an end-to-end experience that

the forefront of the business. “Collec-

will offer an overall, seamless benefit

tively, we have brought that customer

to the customers – the company is

mindset to the core of our strategy

building the know to better understand

– including our engagements, part-

and create more value to the consum-

nerships, workshops and franchise

ers’ journey. “Leveraging digital is really

growth. We have reworked the busi-

about what journey a customer is cur-

ness with a more focused lens around

rently going through, what journey you

the customer itself, well supported by

want to create, and more importantly,

our other regional and global counter-

what journey a customer is looking for,”

parts. Our job is really then to augment

he says. When evaluating the entire

that focus with building capabilities,”

process, the firm will then divide it into

comments Barnes.

key priorities, such as the fast-casual

For Pizza Hut, digital transformation

digital store. “It’s really a concept that w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

301

PIZZA HUT

302

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creates a common experience on the back end of understood and defined journeys. It enables our customers to order pizza for themselves and their families in a very frictionless, seamless and easy way,� Barnes explains. On a strategic level, Pizza Hut is aiming to establish a consistent perception of its franchises across all markets, with finetuning to specific local needs, usually within the menu. The company is focused on making the brand relevant to all customer segments locally – ensuring ease, quality and excitement no matter the location.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Troy Barnes Troy is a transformational leader driving entrepreneurial and cultural change with a focus on delivering value for customers.

Extensive experience in process improvement, operations, IT, program and project management, training, coaching, mentoring and consulting leaders in a diverse cultural environment. Particularly interested in challenging situations needing transformation with a focus on customer experience and business growth. Specialties: Transformation, Customer Experience, Innovation, Process, Change Management, Lean Six Sigma, Portfolio, Program and Project Management, Coaching, Mentoring and Training.

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The kitchen revolution

As operators add more digital channels to their restaurants, it creates new complexity and challenges.

Restaurants have been used to controlling the transaction flow. Now, with the rise of delivery marketplaces, mobile applications and in-store selfservice, restaurants need to compete at a higher level and adapt to a digital-first ordering environment.

This means ensuring proper routing of orders into the kitchen, a focus on food quality and distribution at the right time and data/analytics to measure and improve the performance of the kitchen. Key trends impacting kitchen optimisation and production, include: • The rise of off-premise ordering & delivery To meet this growing consumer demand, restaurants need robust kitchen production systems to accommodate the flow of orders into the restaurant from multiple channels.

• Speed of service Consumers no longer have any patience for waiting in lines or waiting for food. They essentially want to “speak” directly to the kitchen.

• Growing dependency on kitchen data Real-Time production metrics are fast becoming a requirement. Operators need to be able to gauge order volume, production status, progress order times and manage staffing levels within their kitchen in real-time.

© 2019 NCR Corporation Patents Pending

Successful brands we work with are investing in kitchen optimisation and production technology to stay ahead of the curve. NCR Kitchen Operations solutions enable restaurants to plan and prepare for anticipated spikes in order volumes and manage the production of orders coming from all channels to improve the customer and staff experience.

Brands that are leveraging NCR Kitchen Operations and Digital Signage are also improving the customer experience by providing guests with accurate quote times and order status notifications via text paging and in-app notifications.

Large quick-service chains using our technology have increased their speed of service by as much as 15% with improved visibility into order volume, production status, order times and staffing levels.

Over 30,000 restaurants around the world use NCR Kitchen Operations to manage their kitchen production. While not visible to consumers, kitchen optimisation and production technology reduce errors, reduce waste and have a tangible impact on the customer experience.

Find out more. Visit www.ncr.com/restaurants and see how our technology can help your business thrive.

“ Leveraging digital is really about what journey a customer is currently going through, what journey you want to create, and more importantly, what journey a customer is looking for” — Troy Barnes, Chief Customer Officer for APAC, Pizza Hut 305 Pizza Hut has always prioritised

digital stores have definitely provided

listening to its customer feedback and

a lot of uplifting customer feedback

ensuring that any changes it makes to

which we track globally on an order-

its operations will be beneficial for the

by-order basis. The response of overall

consumer. “Technology is really break-

satisfaction and ease with which our

ing new ground by making life easier

consumers can order pizza through

– with apps or websites, social media

this new platform has increased dra-

and messaging platforms, a lot of

matically. This positive feedback has

brands and organisations are trying to

translated into sales and revenue at the

compete in the space of making it easy

end of the day.”

for customers to engage with them, al-

Barnes highlights the importance of

lowing the business to satisfy the con-

customer retention within the compa-

sumers’ needs,” Barnes notes. “The ex-

ny’s operations: “We want to under-

periences and journeys that have been

stand the behaviour of the consumer in

created as part of these fast-casual

regards to preference when ordering w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

PIZZA HUT

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PIZZA HUT

“ I think the exciting part is that I don’t have the answer to what that will actually look like, and that’s the thrilling part of a five-year plan” — Troy Barnes, Chief Customer Officer for APAC, Pizza Hut

308

a pizza, regardless of the brand. An understanding of that behaviour would give us insight into a mindset.” The company has been working on a datadriven project that revolves around the behaviour of customers. Once the data was collected, the company then established a “very purposeful and personalised” capability. “We’re moving away from segmentation and broad-based or broadcast marketing that leans towards certain offers and discounts. Instead we’re opting towards engaging with consumers on more of an emotional and personal level to create a more meaningful relationship,” Barnes adds.

J U LY 2 0 1 9

As the company continues on its digital transformation journey, Barnes see Pizza Hut’s growth through two key aspects: “I think Pizza Hut will continue to evolve its presence in how it delivers an experience for consumers that becomes world class. I also think the firm will continue to leverage the core of its business, and the brand that underpins that, augmented by its internal culture to really drive a new way of creating those experiences.” Despite the clear goals set by the company, its digital transformation journey is not set in stone. “I think the exciting part is that I don’t have the answer to what that will actually look like, and that’s the thrilling part of a five-year plan.”

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LINFOX INTERNATIONAL GROUP 310

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND TRUST

WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

KRIS PALMER

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L I N F O X I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

Supply chain services provider Linfox International Group is undergoing a digital transformation to optimise its internal processes and offerings.

Edwin van Poelje, Regional IT Manager at Linfox, discusses the process and its successes thus far

S

ince its establishment in 1956 by Lindsay Fox, Linfox has become the leading provider of logistics and supply chain

services to the Asia Pacific region’s largest 312

companies. To maintain its advantage over the competition, Linfox has embraced disruptive technologies as a means to increase efficiency, reduce costs, boost transparency and trust, and drive customer satisfaction. “Digital transformation is not a threat, but an opportunity,” says Linfox’s Regional IT Manager, Edwin van Poelje, who is currently based in Bangkok. “Through digital transformation, we aim to understand company and customer processes more effectively, as well as capturing our digitised output on a central platform in combination with blockchain. Leveraging this data enables the company to report horizontally rather than by application or department, making the impacts of actions and decisions more visible.”

He stresses that the journey is only as effective as the communication running through it. To that J U LY 2 0 1 9

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L I N F O X I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

“ Implementing software is a relatively simple process, however the change management process is key to making any implementation a success” — Edwin van Poelje, Regional IT Manager, Linfox International

314

effect, Linfox has adopted an organisa-

behind the implementation are vital.”

tional approach to digitalisation that

According to Van Poelje, Linfox has es-

places cooperation and human interac-

tablished change management as one

tion at the forefront of its journey.

of its key factors for aligning its digital

“Implementing software is relatively

solutions with its business needs,

simple. However, the change manage-

whilst ensuring that fears of replace-

ment process is key to making any

ment through automation are handled

implementation a success,” says Van

with care and sensitivity. Replacing

Poelje, discussing the firm’s impact

staff with digital solutions, he adds,

mitigation of the culture shift inherent

is not an aim of their implementation.

in digital transformation. “The involve-

Instead, automation enables work-

ment of relevant users, training those

ers to contribute to the business in

users, and assuring and reassuring of

other ways. “We use machine learning

the functionality, benefits and rationale

to automate and improve our report-

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315

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Edwin van Poelje Edwin van Poelje is an experienced IT executive, leader and strategist responsible for supply chain solutions, IT and innovations at Linfox across the Asia Pacific region. With over 20 years’ experience across multiple roles — including in management of IT strategy, migrations, upgrades, hardware and software implementations, relocations and restructuring projects — van Poelje has a seasoned and unique ability to manage multi-disciplinary IT environments, projects and challenges. Prior to working at Linfox, van Poelje accrued experience and success in roles with Shell, Ernst & Young, Capgemini and TNT Logistics.

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L I N F O X I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

“ We are standardising and centralising functionality on Azure wherever possible” — Edwin van Poelje, Regional IT Manager, Linfox International

316

ing process on the Microsoft Azure platform. This is not meant to reduce our headcount; instead, it allows the team to focus on and action reporting outcomes, as well as supporting more elements of the business.” Alongside the possibilities for automation afforded by machine learning, Linfox has also begun to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with maintaining safety standards. “Our trucks have facial recognition software powered by AI that is capable of determining when a driver looks tired or is not complying J U LY 2 0 1 9

with safety standards, prompting an alert to address the issue.”

Another key aim of the digital transformation is in minimising the firm’s regional hardware footprint, which is where the aforementioned Microsoft Azure platform comes into play. “Cloud technology is a key pillar in our digital strategy,” notes Van Poelje. Cloud technology not only enables Linfox to accelerate the time-to-market of its solutions and services, but also considerably boosts ease of access, scalability, budgeting and billing capabilities. “Reduction of hardware onpremise reduces the associated risks of hardware failure, performance and capacity constraints and backup,” says Van Poelje, adding that the strength of Linfox’s cybersecurity is facilitated by ensuring that the company’s cloud providers adhere to its strict cloud security standards for the benefit of users and customers. This alignment between Linfox and its suppliers is inherent across each of its vendor partnerships, with Van Poelje highlighting trust as the key factor in getting the best deal and service. “With our vendors we look for a long-term, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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L I N F O X I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

25,000

Approximate number of employees

1956

Year founded

318

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘LIG CORPORATE VIDEO’ 319 trustful and worthy relationship,” he

we offer internally and externally.” This

says. “As a family-owned company, our

functionality extends beyond cloud

values are Loyalty, Integrity, Fairness

functionality and cybersecurity to data

and Trust. We seek to match these

analysis, reporting and dashboarding.

values with our vendors to ensure they

“All of our systems either run on Azure

are the best placed to assist us with

or channel data into our Azure data

achieving our digitalisation goals.”

lake. From there, we can run reports

“Microsoft is a key player for us,” con-

and dashboarding, and allow access

tinues Van Poelje. “We are standardis-

to users and customers at the point

ing and centralising functionality on

of need.” Linfox’s efforts to harness

Azure wherever possible. For example,

data through digitalisation does not

we have standardised our transport

end there, however. Digitalisation has

management system and warehouse

enabled Linfox to reduce its paper us-

management system, providing the

age, optimise processes and access

standard for all services and solutions

to digital information, simultaneously w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

L I N F O X I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

“ As a family–owned company, our values are Loyalty, Integrity, Fairness and Trust” — Edwin van Poelje, Regional IT Manager, Linfox International

320

generating usable data and identify-

also ties Linfox’s ethos of open and

ing that which should be added to

collaborative communication together,

its blockchain network. “The benefit

providing a single source of truth for

of blockchain is the transparency of

users across the organisation that

information for customers regarding

can be relied upon to deliver the right

security, key performance indicators

information at the point of need.

and finance,” explains Van Poelje. “The

The successes and benefits of

immutable principle of blockchain

Linfox’s digital transformation are

makes this trustworthy and secure.

plentiful. Assessing the key benefits

In combination with smart contracts,

of the journey for employees, van

this will enable easy customer com-

Poelje highlights ease of access as

pliance and fulfilment.” Blockchain

being a decisive factor in the success

J U LY 2 0 1 9

ency,” adds Van Poelje. “Our business intelligence environment gives a near real-time display for operations, departments and customers, which was not possible in the past.” Van Poelje also highlights the digitisation of the company’s safety process, particularly the frictionless manner in which it was enacted. “Instead of using paper, everyone is using online forms to report and communicate on safety aspects.

“In addition, I am proud of the Azure environment we have established. It has been setup in a flexible way to accommodate for future demand.”

This future-proofing is the crux of Linfox’s powerful position as a leading digitised supply chain solutions found through the application of new

provider. Van Poelje says that the next

technologies. The time freed up by

stage is to develop Linfox’s supply

leveraging solutions that enable em-

chain operations further, becoming

ployees to access data quickly, easily

a modular, dynamic and flexible service

and reliably is combined with the re-

provider that is able to connect with

duced labour afforded by automation

and fulfil the needs of any custom-

of repetitive processes. This ability to

er. With the laudable successes

apply time and skill more construc-

achieved so far, this goal seems not

tively not only boosts operational ef-

only achievable, but inevitable.

ficiency, but also job satisfaction. “For the organisation specifically, the key benefit is the visibility and transparw w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

321

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Bluebell Group: digital transformation to curate omnichannel brands WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

KRIS PALMER

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BLUEBELL

Alex Misseri, Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues at Bluebell Group, discusses how the company is using digital transformation to enable cutting edge omnichannel retail

S

ince 1954, Bluebell Group has become a name synonymous with Asian retail.

Having successfully launched a broad

array of European, American and other global brands in the region, Bluebell has amassed over 150 brand partners with more than 700 online and brick and 324

mortar stores across 10 Asian countries. Responding to the advent of the digital age and the concept of New Retail – the need for retailers to have both an offline and online presence to maximise the prospects of their offering – is an ongoing endeavour that requires dynamism and market expertise to accomplish successfully.

“It’s a challenge to conduct a digital transformation with one brand in one country, but it’s quite a different challenge when you have as many brands across as many countries as we do at Bluebell,” says Alex Misseri, Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues at Bluebell. “It’s a bigger challenge, but it’s also a bigger opportunity. The value of being a multi-brand distributor in so many countries is that we have so many points of view and ideas that can be taken into

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BLUEBELL

“It’s a bigger challenge, but it’s also a bigger opportunity” — Alex Misseri, Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues, Bluebell Group 326

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BLUEBELL, THE BRAND BEHIND THE BRANDS’ 327 account both on a local and group

the last few years we have introduced

level.” Seamless integration of online

a number of new customer-facing

and offline presences, Misseri adds, has

technologies: from handling our brands’

become vital to launching and growing

social media presence to managing

brands in Asian markets. “The mission

ecommerce and customer relationships,”

is to enable the group to curate the

explains Misseri. Emarsys, a leader in

brands we work with in a modern way.

the B2C marketing automation space,

We nurture these brands and help

has provided its state-of-the-art market-

them develop their presence online,

ing software in addition to Bluebell’s

both from a marketing and sales point

customer relationship management

of view.”

(CRM) engine, optimising the group’s

Bluebell has positioned itself to

capacity to leverage data to understand

achieve these aims through constant

its customers and personalise its

evolutions in both its back-end and front-

communications. These solutions

end technological capabilities. “Over

complement the group’s integration of w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

BLUEBELL

328

“ Everyone in the company, whatever their role, has acknowledged the need for change and aligned with the vision” — Alex Misseri, Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues, Bluebell Group

its preferred ecommerce platforms, Shopify and Magento, along with other Asia-specific ones. “Most of, it not all of, the consumer-facing tools that we use are in the cloud,” says Misseri. “For back-end applications, however, we manage the hosting by ourselves across various data centres in Asia.”

In fact, Bluebell Group has adopted an in-house approach to many facets of its digital transformation, including its overhaul of back-end operations and change management. “We have not engaged a consulting firm to

J U LY 2 0 1 9

assist us with the transformation,”

sales and store employees, understand

says Misseri. “We decided to

and embrace the digital transformation.

organise, lead and execute it

Misseri notes that these workshops

completely internally.”

have taken on a collaborative element,

One example of this has been in

enabling staff to share ideas and identify

managing internal culture shifts

areas for adaptation and growth. “We

involved in the application of new

know that the people serving custom-

technologies. Recognising the

ers – sales people, retail managers,

importance of developing a positive

marketing managers – are those who

change-oriented culture, Bluebell has

can best identify and express the need

conducted a range of workshops to

for change. The workshops between

ensure that staff at all levels, from

the staff and top management create

executives and leadership teams to

a common understanding of what we 329

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Alex Misseri As Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues, Alex Misseri is the lead digital support of Bluebell local business units across Asia. He develops the digital ecosystem of the Group to accelerate the growth of Bluebell Brand Partners, increasing their online presence and sales. Alex has been devoted to building digital businesses and experiences for the past 12 years. First in Shanghai where he founded an eCommerce startup, before moving on to lead eCommerce for French leading female fashion group Etam. He then moved to SapientRazorfish (Publicis Group) as Head of Retail & Commerce for 4.5 years, building the agency’s Omnichannel Commerce practice and supporting major international brands to grow their online sales in China.

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BLUEBELL

USD

$2bn

Approximate revenue

1954

Year founded

3,500+

330

Approximate number of employees

10+

Countries in Asia

150+

Brand partners

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331

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GET YOUR DEMO

“ The next stage of market and customer needs, and how the journey will we believe those needs should be addressed.” Misseri highlights the be scaling the success of this strategy as a key initiatives that component of the wider transformation’s achievements, emphasising how vital it have been piloted remains to the ongoing process. “Every- on specific brands one in the company acknowledges the and territories” need for change and has aligned with perceive to be the evolution of the

the vision,” he says. The most difficult part of a digital transformation is the people aspect. Having people accept

— Alex Misseri, Head of Digital Transformation and Revenues, Bluebell Group

the situation, the need for change, and

333

contributing to developing the strategy

through the CRM component, is helping

and to executing it will lead us to where

us to better understand our customers.

we need to be.”

We are also trying to incorporate social

This people-driven attitude perme-

listening based on AI.” Artificial Intelli-

ates Bluebell’s digital transformation

gence is starting to be leveraged in

strategy, with a particular focus on

various parts of the business: “We are

establishing solutions internally that

currently doing a proof of concept with

maximise the value of consumer infor-

Chain of Demand in order to predict

mation and insights. “We are investing

demand for various products based on

more resources and money into

historical primary data and various types

analysing customer data, but are still

of public data, in order to improve what

at the beginning of our journey,” says

we call ‘our buys’: which products, and

Misseri. “We have the main building

in what quantity, we buy from the brands

blocks in place, and have begun ana-

we work with.” The aim, Misseri says, is

lysing data to inform business decisions.

to optimise the merchandising of the

For instance, our work with Emarsys,

stores, both online and offline, based w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

BLUEBELL

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE BLUEBELL CURATED PATH’ 334 on intelligent, data-driven selection conducted by an automated platform.

For Bluebell Group, the next steps are focused on taking full advantage of the technologies and strategies that have been put in place so far. “The next stage of the journey will be scaling the initiatives that have been piloted on specific brands and territories,” says Misseri. “This will involve bringing those successful pilots and learnings to our other brands, and making it the default to any new brand we bring onboard in the future.” This measured approach is not stifling the company’s J U LY 2 0 1 9

adaptability, however, with Misseri noting that the landscape demands a constant eye on the latest changes and technologies. “Asia, and retail in Asia, is constantly changing,” he says.

“Successful retailers, distributors and brands have to constantly adapt to these changes and reinvent themselves every few years, if not months.

Understanding these changes and adapting to them is mission critical.”

With its flexible and positive internal culture in place, Bluebell has established an exceptionally stable model for this versatility in the industry and region. Misseri concludes: “To accelerate the growth of our brand partners, we must always acknowledge and understand local cultural diversity whilst creating efficient functions and proficiencies that enable faster roll-outs and seamless operations.”

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335

336

Future proof

digital transformation security for the enterprise WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

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337

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CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

338

Cory Gould, the first CISO at Canadian Western Bank FInancial Group, discusses using cutting-edge technology, relationship building and user awareness to combat cyberthreats and help realize the company’s bold vision

T

he world is evolving. The proliferation of digital devices, mass migration to the cloud,

and a rising tide of data is changing the nature of the enterprise. In few verticals is this truer than the banking and finance sector. Bank vaults piled high with paper money are being replaced by digital vaults, in-person meetings at a local branch are giving way to 24/7 mobile banking solutions, and major banking houses are facing serious competition from a new generation

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339

of digital-only ‘challenger banks’. Digital

“We appreciate that this is the new

transformation means new opportuni-

world; things are changing and they’re

ties, greater efficiency and insight into

changing very, very quickly,” says

the business ecosystem, but every

Cory Gould, Chief Information Security

paradigm shift brings new challenges.

Officer (CISO) at Canadian Western

According to the Ninth Annual Cost

Bank (CWB) Financial Group. “20 years

of Cybercrime Study, released in

ago, we were concerned with things

March 2019 by Accenture, the methods,

like debit skimming - manual, tactical

targets and impact of cyber attacks

ways of committing fraud. Now, the

is evolving at an accelerated pace.

proliferation of digitization and the

In 2018, the report found, the average

sheer accessibility of financial services

cost of cybercrime to companies rose

remotely and somewhat anonymously

by 12% year on year to US$13mn.

is certainly driving the rise of cybercrime. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

We’ve seen a significant rise in the

started at CWB Financial Group in 1997,

levels of organization, structure and

and became the first CISO in the

sophistication of these threats.”

bank’s history in December 2018.

One of the youngest banks in

“The financial industry has been fairly

Canada, CWB Financial Group is

static for a century. Over the last 15

headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta

years, however, we’ve seen a real shift

and positions itself as the top choice

in the demands of our clients. Traditional

for Canadian enterprises in search

banking isn’t fitting the bill anymore,”

of expert advice delivered through

he explains.” We sat down with him to

a relationship-based approach. “Our

explore the approach Gould is taking

size provides us with a level of agility

towards neutralizing cyber threats to

that is allowing us to respond to change

CWB Financial Group as it continues

in the industry,” says Gould, who

to grow at an industry-leading rate

340

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CWB – OBSESSED WITH YOUR SUCCESS’ 341 (recently surpassing the $30bn total asset milestone for the first time) alongside the global digital banking revolution.

“We’re on the cusp of something really special,” enthuses Gould.

“Increasingly, we’re being recognized for the value that we bring to our clients.” As the first CISO in CWB’s history, Gould is part of a bold and innovative shift in the bank’s own culture. A crucial success factor, he explains, is establishing an enterprise architecture in which security methodology is embedded at the initial stage.

“ We’ve seen a significant rise in the levels of organization, structure and sophistication of these threats” — Cory Gould, CISO, Canadian Western Bank

“It’s a really big win and, I think, critical w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

344 for an organization as they move forward,” says Gould, admitting that

proactive with respect to security.”

This closer, more collaborative

CWB Financial Group had experienced

relationship with the enterprise and

challenges maintaining strong relation-

technology side of CWB Financial

ships between security and leadership

Group is also driving a shift in the

before, “because we didn’t have a senior

philosophy of the security side of

dedicated role for information security.

the business. The traditional role of

It’s 2019. Nobody is going to deny the

a security division as a deterrent,

need for security, but it’s very easy for

Gould explains, simply isn’t the best

security to take a backseat in the wake

way forward in the modern world.

of rapid change. Now, we have a senior

“Gone are the days when security just

security leader out in the organization,

pounds its fist on the desk and says

pounding the pavement and building

‘No! Come back later.’ That’s not

relationships with key decision makers,

practical in the digital world we live in.”

positioning us to be much more

The rapid advancement of technology

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is at the center of CWB’s progress, and Gould’s mantra of “enable not deter” reflects it. Technology, he contends, may be creating both business and cybercriminal opportunity, but it is also enabling and empowering security. Stronger relationships between the security and business elements of CWB Financial Group is at the core of this.

“Our ability to sit at the table with the business, talk through their needs and challenges, and offer up technology solutions we know are inherently secure, brings to them functionality

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Cory Gould Chief Information Security Officer Cory Gould is the Chief Information Security Officer at CWB Financial Group, a diversified organization providing specialized business and retail financial services across Canada. Mr. Gould has over 20 years experience in Information Technology and Security primarily within the Financial industry and as the first CISO at CWB Financial Group, is working to mature the Information Security practice by embedding sound security awareness and behaviours within the culture of the organization.

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CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

346

“ Our size provides us with a level of agility that is allowing us to respond to change in the industry” — Cory Gould, CISO, Canadian Western Bank

J U LY 2 0 1 9

347

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349

and capability they’ve never had

machine learning. “One of the key

before,” Gould explains.

things to enable is machine learning.

Rapid and ongoing digital transfor-

We are absolutely neck deep in data

mation has become the day to day

and analytics like everyone else on

reality for any enterprise seeking to

the planet. The more dependent we,

stay abreast of the information

as an organization, become on our data

revolution. Gould recognizes the power

and knowledge, the more it becomes

of employing technology to automate

currency. So, we’re using it within our

day to day operations in an institution,

information security program to gain

as well as process data to generate the

intel and understanding,” Gould explains.

kind of insights that lead to high-level

In addition to boosting the detection

decisioning. The key to both applica-

and insight gathering capabilities of

tions is artificial intelligence (AI) and

CWB’s security department, AI and ML w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

is set to play a key role in automation.

“Like any other position in IT, there are the necessary evils of day-to-day operational activities,” Gould notes.

“With those ongoing, almost mundane tasks that we have to perform, there is the risk of human error. Any time that you can remove that day-to-day work that just needs to be done from very capable resources and have them focus on the big picture, it’s valuable.”

Striving for a near-perfect security architecture is no mean feat, and Gould recognizes that CWB Financial Group 350

cannot stand against the rising tide of cybercrime alone. “We rely on strong partners who have a genuine interest in our success; FireEye is one of those partners. FireEye sees the world of Cyber Security through the eyes of active threat actors. It is this relevant, real world experience that is assisting CWB Financial Group in meeting our Cyber Security objectives,” he explains.

Every year, driven by experience, artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated software, cybersecurity solutions reach closer and closer to infallibility. “With the inception of AI, ML and all of the things that we’re able to do with technology today, there’s a lot J U LY 2 0 1 9

351

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CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

“ With the inception of AI, ML and all of the things that we’re able to do with technology today, there’s a lot that can be prevented” — Cory Gould, CISO, Canadian Western Bank

352

J U LY 2 0 1 9

that can be prevented.” However, as technology grows more sophisticated, the most common vulnerability for an organization grows more obvious: the human element. According to Accenture’s report, “Whether by accident or intent, many employees are often the root cause of successful cyberattacks.”

While security systems and protocols can be updated and tweaked on a daily basis, Gould points out: “You can’t patch humans. Humans are vulnerable, passionate and intellectual; they don’t

think in terms of bits and bytes and

We spend a lot of time with the organi-

ones and zeros, so people make

zation educating, bringing about greater

mistakes and we recognize that.” In

awareness. We know that we will never

order to shore up this potential weak

be 100% in that area but will continue

point, Gould is turning to the flagship

working with the business and our

skill in his arsenal: relationship building

internal clients to keep security at the

and management. “It wasn’t until one of

forefront of the way CWB Financial

our more recent and most significant

Group operates.”

initiatives that we really recognized how

The threat of cybercrime is only

important change management is,” he

expected to rise, and the constant arms

recalls. “Now, one of the most critical

race of technology, training and

tools in our security toolkit is our User

relationship building shows no signs

Awareness Program.

of slowing down. Looking to the future, 353

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CANADIAN WESTERN BANK

354

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Gould has the responsibility of ensuring that CWB Financial Group remains agile and responsive, even as it continues to scale. With phishing and ransomware replacing cheque fraud and men with guns in balaclavas, Gould and his team are on the front line, protecting CWB Financial Group as it strives towards greatness. Reflecting on over 20 years at the bank, Gould looks ahead filled with confidence and optimism. “As an organization, we pride ourselves on listening intently and asking the right questions to provide our clients with the right financial solutions. We are obsessed with our clients’ success and our proactive approach to supporting them, and we are obsessed with ensuring that the information they entrust us with remains confidential and secured,” he says. “It’s a bold vision but I think it’s achievable. I’ve spent my career here and I can honestly say that when this group of great individuals puts its mind to something, there’s little that gets in the way.”

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355

356

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LEVERAGING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE EVOLVING MINING SECTOR WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DEANE

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357

ANDRITZ

Arthur Gooch, Director of Innovation, and Sohail Nazari, Business Development Manager of ANDRITZ, discuss the importance of innovation amidst a digital transformation in the mining industry

W

ith a desire to establish a lead in the mining sector through innovation amidst a worldwide digital transformation,

ANDRITZ, which provides industry-specific 358

products and solutions for sectors including mining, has a history of setting the bar high.

With the task of embracing the right technology to drive operations forward vital to growth in all fields, the mining sector is often considered slower to adopt new software. However, ANDRITZ remains determined to enable mining operations all over the world to bridge the gap between concept and production, facilitate operational readiness and stay ahead of the curve. The firm has made a significant impact in the mining space in recent years, winning the prestigious #DisruptMining 2019 innovation competition through its disruptive Digital Twin technology capable of training artificial intelligence (AI). “It was a very exciting experience and a little bit surreal to win the competition.

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359

1852

Year founded

10,000+

Approximate number of employees

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ANDRITZ

“ONCE WE BECAME A FINALIST, IT’S A SHARK TANK STYLE COMPETITION AND THE FINAL THREE GO ON STAGE” — Sohail Nazari, Business Development Manager, ANDRITZ

360 We couldn’t quite believe it,” says Arthur Gooch, Director of Innovation at ANDRITZ. “There’s a fair amount of pressure associated with the event so it all happened in a bit of a blur.”

The competition, hosted by gold mining giants Goldcorp and now in its third year, had approximately 90 submissions from mining firms to showcase the technologies they have implemented to drive innovation in the sector.

“It was amazing when we were on the stage,” adds Sohail Nazari, Business Development Manager of ANDRITZ. “It’s vital that you spend a lot of time J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ANDRITZ CORPORATE VIDEO’ 361 ensuring that everything on your

dynamic simulator, IDEAS, the tool is

application is correct.”

now enabling operations across the

The competition is whittled down

sector to reduce risk and experience

until three finalists remain. “Once we

considerable cost savings. The

became a finalist, it’s a Shark Tank

software is considered the leading

style competition and the final three go

dynamic simulator for oil sands

on stage,” explains Nazari. “They pitch

operations in the north of Canada

their ideas to the judges with 500

and for hard rock mining operations

people watching in the audience. It’s

worldwide. Gooch explains how

fair to say it’s a high-pressured event,

his company is utilising Digital Twin

and the stakes were really high, but

software. “The first physical model is

after we were announced as the

like a software wrapper for all of the

winner, we all felt a massive relief and

engineering equations that we know

were incredibly satisfied.”

define each piece of equipment,” he

Having impressed the judges with its

says. “For example, if we have a pipe, w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ANDRITZ

362

J U LY 2 0 1 9

we know that there are correlations

matter of solving a number of equa-

between pipe geometry, surface

tions. Instead, it’s setting the conditions

roughness, the pressure across the

and the operating points – like the

pipe as well as the pipe’s flow rate.

positions of valves and the set points

Those equations, alongside those for

of controllers – enables the simulation

every other piece of equipment, get

to replicate the behavior of real

embedded into objects in the model in

running equipment.”

a graphical format. This allow us to

“Engineers make mistakes like

connect them together, and it means

everyone else in life. However, when

that when someone wants to figure out

you build the simulation model, you

what is going on in the plant, it’s not a

actually go through all these designs

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Dr. Sohail Nazari, BDM

363

Dr. Sohail Nazari has worked in various industries including automotive and oil and gas. His current focus in ANDRITZ is to develop the business of applying advanced automation technologies in mining and mineral processing. He was one of the instrumental contributors to the ANDRITZ team that just won first prize in the Goldcorp/Newmont Disrupt Mining competition with IDEAS Reinforcement Learning Artificial Intelligence. His areas of expertise include design and implementation of advanced process control, intelligent condition monitoring, Digital Twin and machine learning algorithms. Dr. Nazari holds a patent on developing a model predictive control algorithm for power optimization in data centers. He received his PhD from University of Alberta, Canada, Department of Electrical and Computer engineering in 2013. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

ANDRITZ

364

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“THE FIRST PHYSICAL MODEL IS LIKE A SOFTWARE WRAPPER FOR ALL OF THE ENGINEERING EQUATIONS THAT WE KNOW DEFINE EACH PIECE OF EQUIPMENT” — Arthur Gooch, Director of Innovation, ANDRITZ 365

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ANDRITZ

S E PAR ATION

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control systems combine all our extensive operation, troubleshooting, and start-up experience in one tailored automation solution. With the broad portfolio of scalable automation solutions, applicable for

a wide range of purposes (e.g. predictive maintenance, process monitoring, troubleshooting, long-term trending, etc.), ANDRITZ is your full-service provider for filter presses.

367

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Arthur Gooch, Director of Innovation Arthur is responsible for product development at ANDRITZ. A mechanical engineer by training, most of his career has focused on process automation projects for the mining and pulp and paper industries. From his background in control system configuration and commissioning, he now directs the creation of artificial intelligence and simulation technologies for industrial control.

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ANDRITZ

368

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and it allows you to ensure the design is going to work. It highlights any mistakes that are made,” adds Nazari.

“We build the model, validate the design and ensure that it includes all the concepts on physics, chemistry, control systems, metallurgy, or whatever the plant is for. It’s all there.

Then, we make sure that the design will work under different scenarios before we connect the model into the control system, even before the plant is built.”

Following its success, Gooch affirms that ANDRITZ continues to take innovation seriously to avoid complacency and ensure it differentiates itself from rivals. “It’s a constant process of trying to review the technology we have and look at how we can take new strides with the things we couldn’t do yesterday.” Reflecting on his company’s achievements, Nazari affirms how teamwork has been key to ANDRITZ’ endeavors. “This success definitely comes down to teamwork,” says Nazari. “The things that we are accomplishing in our division, with regards to AI at ANDRITZ, are made possible by the leadership culture in place to support this and help push for innovation. We are passionate and we w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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ANDRITZ

370

“I BELIEVE MANAGERIAL PRUDENCE AND CAUTION ARE CERTAINLY KEY TO ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY” — Sohail Nazari, Business Development Manager, ANDRITZ

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371

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ANDRITZ

are one team working together to

be quite deliberate and restrained

innovate – it is so important.”

regarding how many people we

With sustainability considered a key

approach. At some point, we could

pillar at ANDRITZ, Gooch points out

potentially run the risk of making

how crucial it is that, despite success,

promises that we simply wouldn’t

the company doesn’t take on more

have the resources to execute in

projects than it’s capable of delivering.

the agreed timescale.”

“I believe managerial prudence and

Looking to the future, Nazari aspires

caution are certainly key to ensuring

for ANDRITZ to become the default

sustainability,” he says. “We’ve

provider of Digital Twin technology in

experienced a tremendous flurry

mineral processing and pulp and paper.

of activity; however, we have had to

“With our well established process

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simulation technology, ANDRITZ is

paper is going to work. We’re going

becoming a natural frontrunner of this

to automate and then optimize as

innovation and is being considered as

much as possible. This is what we

a pioneer in the use of real time Digital

at ANDRITZ have at the forefront of

Twins for optimizing the process and to

our thoughts.”

better monitor the conditions from the process point of view,” explains Nazari.

“The plan for the next few years is to continue to push innovation through more showcases, and we’re going to undergo a large evolution of how the mineral processing and pulp and

373

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374

Enabling technology transformation to the J U LY 2 0 1 9

cloud

375

WRITTEN BY

SOPHIE CHAPMAN PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

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INGRAM MICRO

As the technology industry evolves, Ingram Micro continues to enable digital transformation with the cloud

I

ngram Micro is an emergent leader in the global technology sector; dedicated to enabling its customers and its entire

organization to achieve technological transformation. “Technology underpins our organization and the pressure is on to get it right. To achieve a 376

competitive advantage, companies must align with the evolving landscape. Ingram Micro is well poised to meet the demands of this evolution,” says Greg Onoprijenko, Director of Cloud for the company’s Canada operations. “We’re continuously innovating to maintain relevancy for our customers and our entire organization.”

As the world’s largest technology distributor, the company provides a wide array of products to its customers including laptops, smartphones, printers and IT infrastructure and services to its wide variety of customers, reaching from retail to telecommunications to value-added resellers (VARs). In Canada, Onoprijenko heads the company’s fastest-growing division: Cloud. “As customers transform their businesses and start to adopt more cloud services, their dependence on the IT channel for guidance J U LY 2 0 1 9

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“ Technology is extremely important to us, and there’s a lot of pressure to get it right” — Greg Onoprijenko, Director of Cloud Canada Ingram Micro

J U LY 2 0 1 9

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘INGRAM MICRO CLOUD OVERVIEW’ 379 has become increasingly critical to

backup and recovery, and communica-

their success,” he says. “This increase

tions and collaboration services.

in demand has resulted in revenue

The third unit is the Infrastructure-as-a-

growth as we develop more solutions

Service (IaaS) team. “The IaaS team is

in the portfolio and add a larger staff to

completely focused on data centre

support the demand. We’re fortunate

transformation and public cloud

to be leading an extremely profitable

infrastructure. The solutions we sell

and fast-growing business.”

within that portfolio include Microsoft

The company’s Cloud operations

Azure, Amazon Web Services, and

are divided into three business units.

IBM Cloud,” explains Onoprijenko.

The first is the Microsoft team, which

“One of the competitive advantages

primarily focuses on Office 365 and

we have in the Cloud division is just the

the associated licensing models. The

sheer breadth and depth of the team.

second unit addresses Software-as-a-

We have over 1,500 dedicated cloud

Service (SaaS), such as cloud security,

employees globally, with extensive w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

INGRAM MICRO

380

industry experience. For our custom-

another clear differentiator that

ers and channel partners who need

separates it from its competitors.

guidance and advice, we have the

Ingram Micro offers a fully automated

industry’s best team to lean on,”

platform that enables cloud services

comments Onoprijenko. As Ingram

transactions with centralized dash-

Micro transforms its business model,

boards, reporting and support.

change management across the

“The platform covers any need that

company has its challenges. To

a partner may have when delivering

effectively combat these challenges,

cloud services,” he continues.

Ingram Micro’s Cloud team is continu-

“As channel partners become mature

ously providing education to ensure

and more successful in the cloud, they

that “the entire company is aligned

recognize that automation is critical to

with the cloud strategy.”

scale their businesses and that they

The company’s platform strategy is J U LY 2 0 1 9

need to have their eCommerce platform

to transact cloud services. Our global cloud service offerings make us a logical option for these companies.�

As customers within the technology sector shift towards an as-a-service model, Ingram Micro is adapting its strategy. “Instead of customers buying and owning IT products, the evolution is towards everything-as-a-monthlyfee. That puts pressure on the IT channel partners to evolve and change to meet customer demands. It also puts pressure on IT distributors to change how they deliver solutions to the market. Finally, the onus is on the

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Greg Onoprijenko, Director, Cloud Canada Greg Onoprijenko is Director of Cloud for Ingram Micro Canada. He provides overall strategy, guidance and leadership for Ingram Micro’s cloud services business unit. He assumes all responsibilities of the cloud business in the Canadian market which includes sales, marketing, vendor management, and new strategic alliances.

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vendors, who are ultimately creating these products and services to evolve,� reveals Onoprijenko. To embrace the change in demand for both hardware and software products, Ingram Micro is increasingly introducing new service options, with Onoprijenko claiming they are leading the industry.

Onoprijenko cites traditional software licensing as an example, with customers purchasing the licenses and associated maintenance to own and manage. With the current evolution underway, firms are moving away from owning these licenses, instead opting J U LY 2 0 1 9

for a pay-as-you-go alternative to access the software, which typically resides in the cloud. “It’s an evolution.

A lot of the channel partners recognize this and are proactively transforming their companies. While some companies recognize the need to change, and that they need help with it, others are unresponsive to change and risk getting left behind.” With the experience of the Cloud team, Ingram Micro can offer its partners guidance and knowledge through seminars, educational opportunities and one-on-one

“ We recently moved the entire company to Microsoft Office 365 instead of hosting the solution ourselves” — Greg Onoprijenko, Director of Cloud Canada Ingram Micro 383

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INGRAM MICRO

coaching, differentiating the firm from its competitors. “We can surround our clients with resources which can guide them along and motivate them to change proactively,” he adds.

As well as enabling its customers to advance their operations, Ingram Micro is working towards the same goal of innovating its functions internally. “We’re changing our business model and evolving to the cloud.

We previously had large data centres with IT infrastructure that serviced the 384

entire company. As an example, we recently moved the entire company to Microsoft Office 365 instead of hosting the solutions ourselves. We also standardized the entire company on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, versus hosting our own.”

With cloud adoption increasing at such a rapid rate, one of the company’s biggest challenges is to compete with other businesses taking advantage of the advancement. “Everybody understands the opportunity and is pursuing it. Ingram Micro envisioned this opportunity before our competitors and started delivering cloud services about 12 years ago. We certainly J U LY 2 0 1 9

$50bn Approximate revenue

1979

Year founded

33,000

Approximate number of employees

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INGRAM MICRO

Choose sustainable cost savings.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CLOUD SUMMIT 2018 NIMESH DAVÉ KEYNOTE, EXPLORING THE INFINITE POTENTIAL OF CLOUD’ 387

“ Everybody understands the opportunity and is pursuing it.

Ingram Micro saw this opportunity before our competitors”

invested early,” Onoprijenko says.

Within such a competitive industry, the company has the advantage of its hardworking team with its breadth of knowledge, as well as its years of experience in the sector. As the firm continues to grow, the cloud will be a foundational part of its strategy.

— Greg Onoprijenko, Director of Cloud Canada Ingram Micro w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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Where luxury hospitality and innovative entertainment meets disruptive technology 389

WRITTEN BY

LAURA MULLAN

PRODUCED BY

K ANE WELLER

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K E R Z N E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Willem Both, EVP, Information Technology, describes how digital transformation is supporting the luxury hospitality Company

F

or as long as he can remember, Holland native Willem Both has been fascinated by the hospitality industry. “When I was

a teenager, I think my mum tried to dissuade me from the industry by finding me a job washing dishes at a Dutch pancake house,” he jokes. “If anything, it had the exact opposite effect – I loved it. I love the energy and the comradery and I’ve been 390

in the hospitality industry ever since.”

A few years later, Both earned a Hotel Management degree from an esteemed hotel management school and began working across the globe for some of the industry’s most prestigious hotel brands like Marriott, Sheraton and Starwood. He worked his way from hotel operations towards hotel IT and corporate IT project management, and in doing so has carved a unique career path as a life-long hospitality professional.

Then, Both was ready for a new challenge and, when an opportunity came knocking, Kerzner International seemed to be a perfect fit. Kerzner sought a way to digitally transform its operations and, with an impressive 26 years of hospitality experience, Both had the necessary know-how to take on the challenge as Executive Vice President of Information Technology, leading IT for Kerzner globally.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ATLANTIS SANYA GRAND OPENING – #WHEREWATERMEETSWONDER’ 393 “Kerzner is a pioneering luxury

With 11 resorts under its umbrella

hospitality business and we’re con-

and more in the pipeline, Kerzner

stantly redefining what ultra-luxury and

International has a portfolio that packs

entertainment mean,” Both explains.

a punch. It’s responsible for renowned

“Our guests and colleagues are using

brands like One&Only Resorts, Atlantis

technology every day. Whether it’s

and Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort,

mobiles, laptops or smart appliances,

with properties spanning Mexico,

technology has permeated throughout

Mauritius, the Maldives, South Africa,

society. Our guest experience is at the

Rwanda, Dubai and Australia. Regard-

centre of everything we do and we want

less of the location, one thing is certain:

to support their needs into the future.

creating a world-class guest experience,

With the creation of my role over two

detail by detail, is in the company’s

and a half years ago, we realised that

DNA. Technology and data have been

we needed a global head of IT to focus

valuable tools in making this vision a

on the group’s strategy and direction.”

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K E R Z N E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L

394

seen by the company’s innovative guest

their coffee or if they would like to read

service system. Currently under develop-

a newspaper on a Sunday, for example.

ment, Both says this bespoke application

“A lot of it is based on relationships that

will use a wealth of data “to allow our

we’ve built over the years and guests

colleagues to optimally serve our guests”.

feel comfortable. We are actually in the

“Our guests consistently have an

process of building a custom application

incredible experience at our resorts

rather than using an off the shelf one,

and we want to make sure that we

because we want to make sure we

extend that experience beyond any

translate all these personal relationships

single resort , so that if a guest were to

that have been solidified and that we

visit another one of our properties,

are able to capture that information

then we would know how best to serve

properly and securely.”

them,” he explains. This data may allow the team to know how guests prefer J U LY 2 0 1 9

Yet, Both doesn’t take the task of handling data lightly. “With data comes

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Willem Both, Executive Vice President, Global Information Technology Willem Both is responsible for the company’s Information Technology strategy and works with the other Excom team members and IT leaders of Kerzner on adoption and implementation of the best practice Information Technology initiatives that support the vision of the company. This key role is critical to delivering that vision – amazing experiences and everlasting memories.

In his position, Both ensures the delivery of an integrated guest experience for all brands in Kerzner International and is responsible for the entire IT team at the Global Office in Dubai. He is focused on enhancing the Information Technology strategy and technology at all Kerzner properties, including Atlantis resorts, Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort as well as all One&Only resorts worldwide, and new properties as the Company continues to grow and expand into new destinations.

Both’s passion is guiding open team collaboration to achieve optimal performance through improved processes and sharing best practices.

“ With data comes responsibility”

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“Kerzner is a pioneering luxury hospitality business and we’re constantly redefining what ultraluxury and entertainment mean” — Willem Both, Executive Vice President, Information Technology Kerzner International

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With the travel & hospitality industry being redefined, Hexaware aims to create a visually pleasing and personalized experience to help our clients achieve “customer centricity�, making dream destinations a reality!

Learn More E-mail: marketing@hexaware.com Website: hexaware.com

responsibility,” he asserts. “Security is

linchpin in the company’s security

on our minds 24 hours a day.” As such,

strategy. “It’s really about creating

Kerzner International has put its weight

layers of defense to prevent and

behind security investment, whether

mitigate attacks and a lot of that comes

it’s in the areas of central infrastructure,

with education,” he adds.

communications or at the hotels.

On top of this, Kerzner International

Additionally, the company is also

has recently introduced a new intranet,

planning migrations to cloud in a bid to

is currently completely rewriting its

bolster security while creating disaster

central reservation systems, and

recovery and meet the peaks and

revamping its websites and content

troughs of demand on its website. All of

management systems. This root-and-

this has culminated in a robust security

branch transformation has not only

footprint, however Both also highlights

had an impact on the guest experience,

that education has been an important

it’s revolutionised the employee 399

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ONE&ONLY RESORTS LE SAINT GÉRAN – SHE’S BACK!’

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K E R Z N E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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experience too. For instance, Both outlines how Kerzner has reorganised its team and increasingly adopted collaboration tools which allow the business to better communicate with its global properties, shortening geographical distances and driving efficiency. “There are no more regular telephones; instead everyone uses collaboration tools,” notes Both.

“Our properties are all around the globe –these tools have been invaluable.”

Any technology professional will tell you that forging the right partnerships is critical to any successful business transformation. This rings true at Kerzner too; the company has worked shoulder to shoulder with several technology businesses such as Hexaware, which Both describes as a “critical partnership”. “Having trusted partners like Hexaware is very important, especially for a company like us which isn’t a cookie cutter business,” he says. “We’ve worked very closely with companies like Hexaware to develop and maintain our customer applications. It’s been an incredible journey so far and we couldn’t have done it without them.” w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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K E R Z N E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L

10,000+

Approximate number of employees

1993

Year founded

HQ

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Whilst the journey may be far from over, Both says Kerzner is already beginning to reap the fruits of its labor.

“We strongly feel that we’ve been providing much better service to our internal customers, our resorts, and our guests,” he says. “We’ve drawn insights from our data and empowered colleagues by giving them the information that they need to deliver an incredible experience whereby guests immediately feel like they’re coming home.”

Personalisation in the hospitality industry is nothing new, but the data

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age has taken the idea to new heights.

Having just opened two more resorts

Both predicts that this trend will continue,

– One&Only Nyungwe House in Rwanda,

but while technology will become more

and Atlantis in Sanya – it seems Kerzner

pervasive in the hospitality industry it

International is set to continue on its

won’t be able to replace that human

upward trajectory, powered by both

touch. “I think guests are going to

people and technology. The business

continue to expect more and more

has been selective when choosing

personalisation and automation, but

resort locations, technologies and even

Kerzner will still focus on delivering a

partners, and it’s clear that this

personal guest service through people

thoughtful, guest-centric approach

as well as technology. I feel my role

has distinguished it from the pack.

is to enable our colleagues as much as possible to provide the most amazing customised service to our guests.”

403

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404

Digital transformation in Saudi Arabia’s insurance industry WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

K ANE WELLER

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U N I T E D C O O P E R AT I V E A S S U R A N C E

Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance, discusses how his firm is utilising technology amidst transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

W

ith the role of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) transforming on a daily basis due to the speed at which technology is evolving,

it has become, now more than ever, increasingly vital to embrace and leverage the latest trends 406

in order to achieve an edge over the competition.

For Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance (UCA), the importance of adopting and utilising new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics (including predictive analytics) and Blockchain ahead of rivals cannot be underestimated. “For these technologies to succeed in its implementation, and to realize their benefits and ROI for an organization, there is a great importance for talent and knowledge management. I believe those two key areas are necessary for any organisation in order to remain competitive,” he says. “The change in technology over the past few years is huge. Everyone’s talking about AI, IoT, data and data science all of a sudden.

However, just a few years ago, these weren’t big topics and IT departments inside organisations J U LY 2 0 1 9

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U N I T E D C O O P E R AT I V E A S S U R A N C E

“Digital transformation is everywhere and the question we have to ask ourselves is: are we doing it right?”

were still working in their traditional ways with legacy job roles. However, if businesses did nothing to keep up with these trends worldwide, and in the areas of talent management as well as the continuous education and development of their staff; they will lose their competitive advantage.”

Although it is a challenging and competitive market to operate in, Saudi Arabia is largely considered an exciting region in which to conduct business.

408

— Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance (UCA)

With the Kingdom in the midst of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, Saudi Arabia is experiencing change unlike ever before as the country seeks to diversify economy away from solely oil.

“In general, Saudi Arabia and GCC companies have a magnificent opportunity and it’s really tempting for all companies to operate there,” affirms Khayyat. “There’s a big demand because people have become more digitally aware and eager to introduce technology to see more efficient services.” However, Khayyat believes there are clear challenges and restraints to operating in the Saudi market. “One of the main challenges to overcome in this region is that the regulations are a bit tougher here.

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409 This is in part down to the macroeco-

is lagging behind in terms of digital

nomic and macro-political complica-

transformation,” notes Khayyat. “When

tions in this region specifically.”

you compare it to other sectors,

Due to the emergence of digital

it’s clear that insurance still has some

transformation, the leveraging of new

digitalisation work to do ahead.

technology has influenced the

However, I expect to see the insurance

decision-making process of companies

space drive forward in terms of digital

in a variety of different industries. With

transformation over the next few years.”

the insurance space often considered

“Digital transformation is everywhere

slower to adopt new technology to

and the question we have to ask

advance its processes’ efficiencies,

ourselves is: are we doing it right?

Khayyat expects the insurance sector

It isn’t just about digitising some manual

to take great strides to catch up over

activities into digital forms using

the upcoming years. “Insurance is

the same processes.” he explains.

definitely one of the industries that

“We should consider that it’s about w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

U N I T E D C O O P E R AT I V E A S S U R A N C E

“We completely believe in the power of innovation” — Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance (UCA) 410 re-engineering the whole processes and building them up freely by leveraging recent, and matured digital technologies.

We have to utilise new opportunities that they have made available, in addition to removing any waste and unnecessary complexities out of the processes.”

Due to the competitive nature of the industry, UCA prioritises innovation as it aims to take the ascendancy in the insurance space. “Innovation is a capability inside organisations that triggers change; it should be blended in the DNA and inside the lifeblood of the company,” affirms Khayyat.

J U LY 2 0 1 9

“In UCA, we believe that everyone is

together in focus groups to brainstorm

eager to change, but you can’t

ideas and drive success of change

implement change if you just keep

(using ADKAR Change Management

following the same old and traditional

Framework). With innovation acting as

ways. You have to be prepared to be

the catalyst, Khayyat believes the key

different – it’s vital. This means we

has been encouraging teamwork to

mustn’t forget to introduce new ideas

introduce the correct changes. “We

— that’s what will make us stand out.”

like to think outside the box. We sit in

In tandem with the development of

focus groups and hold brainstorming

a pro-change culture, UCA works

sessions with not just people from

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO A professional and a leader in the field of digital and information technologies, with 20 years of comprehensive & consistent IT experience at a technology-driven enterprises in healthcare & insurance industries. As a ‘Chief Information Officer (CIO)’ giving a holistic insight and involvement at the ‘strategic’ level for planning and supporting the business strategy, and the business model of the organization. However, ‘operational efficiency’ is a another field of expertise, with long years of operational duties gave the dexterity of working at both sides ‘Strategy’ and ‘Operations’. This leadership capacity is a key success factor for organizations and a ‘must-to-have’ capability for their senior management level in order to gain sustainable competitive advantage that is required to achieve their mission, and objectives efficiently, and to overcome the market competitors.

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“In UCA, we believe that everyone is eager to change, but you can’t implement change if you just keep following the same old and traditional ways.You have to be prepared to be different – it’s vital” — Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance (UCA)

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U N I T E D C O O P E R AT I V E A S S U R A N C E

IT but also from different business disciplines to work together and bring new ideas to the table and develop them,” says Khayyat. “I believe it’s part of the excitement of working at UCA and is a great recipe for success.

We have a real desire to innovate and bring change – we completely believe in the power of innovation.”

With the importance of forming good partnerships critical to the success of all companies, UCA has established a strategic business relationship with Hilal Computers. “Hilal is a really

A Leading Turnkey Systems Integrator for the Region Hilal Computer (HILALCTTC) part of Al Hilal Group is a leading regional information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of computing, automation, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized regionally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good customer relationship, with wide presence in the region (KSA, BAHRAIN, UAE). Together, we would discover ideas and connect each other to build a better future.

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Bahrain

|

KSA

|

UAE

415 supportive partner in terms of bringing

2009

Year founded

300

Approximate number of employees

in expertise and great technologies through its collaboration with the inventors and manufacturers on the infrastructure side,” he says. “When I started at UCA, I worked on the analysis and assessment of the counter space and found that the current infrastructure we had in place was outdated.

Having developed a new infrastructure, Hilal helped us generate real value from

HQ

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

the new software we installed.”

With the journey still ongoing, Khayyat hasn’t overlooked UCA’s task of laying the groundwork before introducing new processes to enable success. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

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“We must keep aligning as we go – it’s the only way to maintain the sustainability of our transformation” — Waheed Y. Khayyat, CIO of United Cooperative Assurance (UCA)

J U LY 2 0 1 9

“I believe Abraham Lincoln put it the best way when he said ‘give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe’ – and that is exactly what is happening at UCA,” explains Khayyat. “We spent a lot of time doing the planning, understanding and outlining the account processes as well as trying to design the new processes. We’re halfway through – our key goal is to be dynamic and ensure we’re a moving target. It’s difficult to guarantee that what you have planned is going to be used two or three years from now because of how quickly the world changes. This means, now more than ever, it’s important that we continue to monitor the real-time changes in terms of technology, both economic and industrial changes and make sure we continue adjusting and aligning our direction accordingly.

We must keep aligning as we go – it’s the only way to maintain the sustainability of our transformation.”

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NEW DISCOVERIES IN THE MEXICAN OIL INDUSTRY WRIT TEN BY

M ARÍA COBANO-CONDE PRODUCED BY

ANA M ACFARL AND

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COTEMAR

COTEMAR’S NEW STAGE AS AN OIL OPERATOR, EXPLAINED

BY MARCELO SALAZAR, THE INNOVATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES MANAGER

S 420

ince 1979, Cotemar has been known as an offshore oil exploration and production services company located in the Gulf of

Mexico. With its 100% Mexican hallmark, its main aim is to offer business solutions to its customers with a record response time through infrastructure and efficient availability.

The company is now carrying out a corporate transition in view of new businesses emerging.

Marcelo Salazar, Cotemar’s Innovation and Information Technologies manager will explain what the transition consists of.

A NEW BEGINNING AS AN OIL OPERATOR “Cotemar is a family business made up of approximately 5,200 employees that is going through a big institutionalization process. Professionals like me find it very attractive since we have the opportunity to implement techniques we have already seen elsewhere and make them ours” Salazar comments.

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“You have the opportunity to create, to influence in the business itself, in its direction.”

This new stage is reflected in the oil projects in Cuichapa and Paso de Oro. As Salazar implies: “Cotemar has just created a new company called Lifting de México whose objective is seizing and exploring mature oil fields. There are many oil wells that haven’t been exploited already or that were interrupted in the process that we’re currently exploring. We were born as an oil services company and now we w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

LET’S MAKE YOUR BUSINESS AWESOME AT TECH We create the apps your business needs

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“ Cotemar is a family business made up of approximately 5,200 employees that is going through a big institutionalization process” — Marcelo Salazar, Innovation and Information Technologies manager at Cotemar

are venturing into becoming an operator, based on a lot of preparation.”

“Things are changing in Mexico because of the new Energy Law and Cotemar had the opportunity to invest in the company which tendered one of the main oil fields in Mexico. The diversification of operations is part of the company’s strategy. Nowadays you can find among our services personnel logistics and management, construction and maintenance, engineering and production optimization, asset integrity 423

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COTEMAR

“ Things are changing in Mexico because of the new Energy Law and Cotemar had the opportunity to invest the company which tendered one of the main oil fields 424 in Mexico” — Marcelo Salazar, Innovation and Information Technologies manager at Cotemar

management, as well as our newly oil exploration and production service,” Salazar comments on this new beginning.

OVERCOMING INFRASTRUCTURE OBSTACLES Given the nature of Cotemar’s activity, its operations often take place in remote locations with difficult access to telecommunications. This has been challenging for Salazar, who had to develop a strategy to improve infrastructure and bring the company closer to the latest updates in connectivity and digitalization.

“There used to be no Internet in our workplace, no network, there was nothing, so we’ve set our own network, we installed our own microwave antennas. We were practically creating everything from scratch because electricity was all we had there.”

“Cotemar’s world consists of offshore operations where communication is a very complicated issue.

For example, nowadays, we still don’t have fiber optics, all communications are satellite, which is considerably slower,” Salazar analyzes the

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘COTEMAR.COM – PRODUCT SERVICES’ 425

challenges of infrastructure.

Despite its difficulties, Salazar and

OPERATIONAL CONNECTIVITY Another aspect of Cotemar’s current

his team have put their efforts into

transition is focused on the digitization

solving this to achieve operational

and streamlining of internal work.

excellence. “Right now, technologically

Salazar explains this work as:

speaking, we have invested in lots of

“Throughout these recent years,

geoscience and measurement

Cotemar has invested in the restora-

systems to identify exactly where the

tion of new telecommunication

oil is. We are working on the explora-

channels to constantly get cutting-

tion of oil wells to identify which ones

edge technology. Each of our boats

are the most convenient for Cotemar

are practically cities since they all have

and Lifting de Mexico to invest. We are

to be technologically self-sustaining:

going to work with the SCADA system

they have their own communications,

in order to connect everything.”

their own servers, their backups are w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

LLEVAMOS SU NEGOCIO TAN LEJOS COMO QUIERA LÍDERES EN SOLUCIONES DE CONECTIVIDAD SATELITAL EN LATINOAMÉRICA. Entendemos las necesidades de su negocio y las transformamos en soluciones de negocio.

ORGULLOSOS ALIADOS DE COTEMAR

www.axesat.com | mercadeo@axesat.com |

Gestión integral del talento A LA MEDIDA DE LA GRAN EMPRESA. Software de RR.HH. y Nómina.

Powered by

hrcorporate.mx

427

always saving what’s on land… it’s a

it wants to know metrics, expenses

very different kind of science.”

and make decisions in real time.”

The streamlining of processes has

“We constantly use the Internet

also affected the employees’ work

through our devices and for mobility.

routine: “The vast majority (I dare say

We also use it for the construction

60% of our employees), despite having a

report: the work and the set-up are

place of office, work remotely through an

reported in intrinsically safe portable

iPad, or a cellphone. Today we are living

tablets connected to satellites that

in a world that’s so mobile, that we can all

report the consumption of materials,

make decisions, whenever, and there’s

the people’s movements, the real-time

no time to spare. Our world is constantly

services report, so that the progress

connected and nowadays the energy

in the land can be controlled and the

industry is also part of this connectivity,

expenses can be reduced”. w w w.gi ga bi t ma ga z in e. com

COTEMAR

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3

Last generation semi-submersible

CHANGES IN THE OIL SECTOR The 2016 oil sector price drop changed the scenario for service and operator companies, which had to adapt and generate new containment strategies.

1979

Year founded

5,200

Approximate number of employees

Salazar comments on this challenge: “The decline in the oil sector a couple of years ago stopped investments.

The Energy Reform in Mexico has generated a lot of uncertainty since the main players can only wait and see what will happen with this new government. It’s important to stay where you are, be cautious”.

“This also generates uncertainty for other players and consequently investments stop, projects are thoroughly reviewed and audited, they become slower, nobody wants to make mistakes,” says Salazar.

In spite of the current challenges the sector is facing, Cotemar keeps on moving forward to give its best by collaborating with its main client, Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos). As Salazar points out: “The company is investing in developing its capabilities to offer products and services to international oil producers. During the

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www.prime-consultoria.com.mx | marketing@prime-consultoria.com.mx

SOMOS UNA ORGANIZACIÓN QUE APOYA AL CRECIMIENTO DE LAS EMPRESAS, IMPLEMENTANDO SOLUCIONES TECNOLÓGICAS BASADAS EN LAS MEJORES PRÁCTICAS DE CADA INDUSTRIA

in the installation of the base, in

ASSOCIATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND SUSTAINABILITY

infrastructure, in boats with cutting-

Change and modernization take place

edge technology and in strategic

in Cotemar internally as well as in the

geographical facilities.”

way in which the company interacts

last couple of years, we have invested

“Our intention is, apart from working

with its environment when it comes

with our current client, to reach to new

to exploring, exploiting, and operating

clients in Mexico with the experience

the oil fields.

we already have in products and

“Cotemar seeks to build trust among

service. The issue of internationaliza-

its customers and business associates

tion has already been discussed, but

on a daily basis, through the integration

there’s a lot of work coming to Mexico

of interest groups. We offer a voluntary

and it is basically here where we intend

report under all responsibility of

to work”.

leadership from corporate management which is issued annually and in

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“ Each of our boats are practically cities since they all have to be technologically self-sustaining: they have their own communications, their own servers, their backups are always saving what’s on land… it’s a very different kind of science” — Marcelo Salazar, Innovation and Information Technologies manager at Cotemar

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which a report of the states of the social responsibility is delivered, transversal to all Cotemar’s areas.

All this is done in order to keep employees, our associates, and our clients informed about what we are doing exactly in terms of profitability matters.”

This same transparency translates into how Cotemar manages environmental sustainability: “There are quarterly reports; there’s an annual magazine Cotemar issues as well. The RCE has very clear objectives concerning the adoption of the Global Compact’s principles, an ethical commitment towards the community and the environment. We fill in a report about our power in diversity and our compliance with environmental regulations: our water management, energy consumption, waste, and atmospheric emissions,” Salazar concludes.

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