Technology Decisions May 2016

IT leadership & innovation

Time to embrace

SHADOW I.T.?

MAY 2016 VO L .4 NO. 3 PP100009359

Take control of your software inventory

Customer interaction the key to success

Time to ditch manual security processes

Simplify here

For agility here

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Who’s in charge of your organisation’s software budget and deployment decisions? Is it the CIO? The CTO? CEO? Chances are that, for a lot of the software being used in Australian firms today, no one is in charge — or at the very least, not the right person. This is due to the phenomenon of ‘shadow IT’, or the deployment and use of IT solutions by non-IT staff, without the permission or knowledge of the IT department. If you don’t think this is happening in your organisation, you should think again, and consider whether it is better to turn a blind eye or embrace it.

There’s another reason to be more on top of your systems and ensure that all your software licences are up to date — the risk of a financial penalty. As this issue was going to press, news broke of a firm in Western Australia that had reached a $100,000 settlement with BSA | The Software Alliance over the unauthorised use of copyrighted software from some of the biggest names in the software world — Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft. The stakes are pretty high for those thinking they can get away with it. Chances are, it’ll come back

m a y

2 0 1 6

INSIDE 12 | What Fintech will mean for your company 14 | The collaboration challenge 16 | Mobile computers keep freight on the move 18 | Speed and agility — the keys to success 22 | Reduce risk and costs with software asset management

30 | Rise of the interconnected era 32 | Designing for experience 34 | Risky business — the dangers of manual processes

38 | Beating the downtime blues 40 | Delivering a digital strategy — Five steps to a successful implementation

to bite them one day.

42 | Support of things 46 | The three Cs of customer care

Jonathan Nally, Editor jonathan@technologydecisions.com.au

F E A T U R E S 04 | Step into your shadow

cover image: © stock.adobe.com/au/robsonphoto

Grappling with the problem of ‘shadow IT’? Maybe you should embrace it.

26 | On the move Mobility solutions are transforming lives for both businesses and their customers.

34 | Risky business Improve your security incident response by eliminating manual processes.

ALSO available in DIGITAL This magazine and a complete library of back issues are available in digital format at

www.technologydecisions.com.au/magazine 3

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Step into your shadow Andrew Collins

4

As IT managers grapple with the problems raised by ‘shadow IT’, the best way forward may be to embrace the phenomenon.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

© stock.adobe.com/au/Glebstock

Industry surveys indicate it is regarded as

the respondents are guessing, as its use

a disruptive technology by CIOs as the

is outside their remit”.

organisation loses control of its IT assets when its use is pervasive,” said Hansell.

According to William, nowadays it’s not necessarily the CIO who is the main

Not only has shadow become IT the norm,

influencer of IT spend, but rather the

it’s becoming more prevalent. “Shadow IT

business line managers who drive spend-

is definitely growing across many organisa-

ing decisions. “It is these groups of line

tions in Australia,” said Audrey William,

managers that are driving the need for

head of research, ICT Practice at Frost &

what they choose to use to work in a

Sullivan Australia & New Zealand.

more efficient manner,” she said.

This sentiment is mirrored by Gartner

She identified cloud computing as con-

analyst Simon Mingay. In the report ‘Em-

tributing to this issue of spend. “The

bracing and Creating Value from Shadow

ability to download apps via the SaaS

IT’, he wrote, “Almost every CIO and leader

[software-as-a-service] model and the

of an IT shared-service organisation is

easy way of making payments via a credit

“Managers who take the results at face value and do not query them are putting their jobs at risk.”

faced with having to deal with significant

card makes bypassing it very easy for

growth in shadow IT.”

employees,” she said.

And just in case you think your organisation doesn’t have any shadow IT deploy-

The problems with shadow IT

ments, “Most CIOs who don’t see much

This unsanctioned implementation of IT

shadow IT in their organisations are not

systems outside of the IT department’s

looking for it or are looking in the wrong

knowledge can have fairly disastrous

place,” wrote Mingay.

consequences. For one, shadow IT can open security holes — staff outside the

S

This growth in shadow IT is driven in

IT department may not have the ability

part by the ease with which company

to identify security vulnerabilities, so any

divisions can trial cloud applications. “If

software they introduce to the organisation

an individual within a company needs the

may put it at risk.

hadow IT — the deployment

app or the solution that will allow him

and use of IT solutions by non-

to do his job in a quick manner, then

William says that lack of IT support is also

IT staff, without the permission

they will definitely want to,” said William.

a big issue, particularly when things go wrong. “Every company has a designated

or knowledge of the IT depart-

ment — is widespread across Australian

It’s hard to determine exactly how

list of systems integrators they work with,”

organisations. According to Alan Hansell,

much money is spent on shadow IT.

she said. “The lack of support, because

advisor at analysis firm IBRS, “Shadow IT

According to Hansell, industry surveys

the current systems integrators know

or departmental systems are the norm in al-

indicate that spending ranges from 10

nothing about the app or software, is a

most every organisation in Australia today.”

to 30% of the IT budget, “but I suspect

critical issue.”

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>

5

support has a flow-on effect into the IT department: the CIO might find that shadow IT projects — for example, business professionals implementing an offthe-books system to download corporate data — end up requiring unexpected

© stock.adobe.com/au/robsonphoto

Hansell points out that this lack of IT

support from the IT department, which could divert IT staff from implementing major projects officially sanctioned by the company.

And if there is no governance or proper

control cost of using a utility-based SaaS

today’s employees, according to Hansell.

structure, in a very large organisation

solution by business units, for example,

“Banning shadow IT is as futile as ban-

shadow IT could get out of control, says

to do a statistical analysis of sales data”,

ning office gossip,” he said. “IT-literate

William. “And when other departments

said Hansell.

business managers and professionals,

start seeing what a particular division has

frustrated at the lack of support from

been trialling and experimenting, they

CEOs can also find themselves troubled,

IT, will use whatever means they have

will start wanting to buy SaaS solutions

according to Hansell. Such concerns

to develop departmental systems which

that can help their business unit, without

include unreliable reports from depart-

they deem critical for their success.”

informing IT about their decision.”

mental systems (as they are not tested as thoroughly as those from the IT depart-

Furthermore, “The best management can

SaaS trials can also raise problems for

ment) and a lack of means to control the

do is insist that staff providing informa-

control of sensitive organisational data,

cost and unreported use of shadow IT.

tion from departmental systems convince

says William. Some SaaS applications

them they have been subject to peer

— for example, big data apps — will

Shadow IT can also cause friction be-

reviews and reasonableness testing,” said

suggest that the information employees

tween upper and middle management.

Hansell. “Managers who take the results

are working on during the trial period

Hansell says that business managers may

at face value and do not query them are

be uploaded to the public cloud.

argue they have no alternative but to

putting their jobs at risk.”

use shadow IT solutions, claiming the “This is dangerous as it means that some

executive didn’t allocate funds to their

Yet even if a ban were successful in deter-

aspects of private company information

IT-related projects.

ring staff from employing IT solutions

will be revealed,” said William. “Impor-

under the radar, there are reasons that

tant data would have leaked out to the

Why not ban it?

you might not want to do it. For a start,

public internet.”

Given the plethora of troubles that

a ban could stunt innovation within the

the experts say it can produce, it may

organisation, according to William.

The aforementioned ambiguity about

seem tempting to simply ban the use of

exactly how much the organisation is

shadow IT — that is, to issue an edict

“Innovation is key in an organisation,

spending on shadow IT is also a problem.

to all managers and employees that

especially with the rapid disruption

Funds spent on IT without the IT depart-

unauthorised deployment of IT systems,

taking place across industries as a result

ment’s knowledge may not end up being

or adoption of IT services, will not be

of cloud, mobility and the Internet of

acknowledged, and analysis of overall

tolerated. While that might seem a great

Things,” said William.

IT spend would therefore be flawed or

idea on the surface, it might not be the

incomplete. Decisions made on the basis

best idea in practice.

of that analysis could also be flawed.

6

“By dictating to employees what they should use, you might not necessarily be

For starters, a flat-out ban won’t de-

allowing them to think and generate ideas

There are other cost considerations. The

ter staff from deploying IT solutions,

of how the software can lead to a new

CFO may become alarmed “at the out-of-

particularly given the IT savviness of

development that might be helpful for

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>

the overall company, or help with certain old ways of doing things,” she added.

William specifically singled out cloud-

“What is not sustainable is the IT organisation being driven on an efficiency agenda, then allowing shadow IT to proliferate with no accountability or guardrails.”

based solutions. If an individual or a division deploys a cloud-based solution and it provides some benefit, and the IT

porting it, albeit with some guardrails, is

and encourage employees to bring new

department realises the benefit the new

likely to be more sustainable and result

ideas to the table, there will be slight

solution has brought, it can then embrace

in more value being created,” he added.

flexibility”, said William.

“What is not sustainable is the IT or-

Companies in this second group should

“Set rules, allow it,” said William. “And if

ganisation being driven on an efficiency

foster an environment that encourages

it works and really solves the problem of

agenda, then allowing shadow IT to

departments and staff to reach out to

what the employees are trying to achieve,

proliferate with no accountability or

IT when it comes to procuring solu-

then eventually embrace it. Help staff

guardrails.”

tions. “After listening to the needs of

the solution.

understand that IT is willing to listen and

the individual or department, IT can

support them with their needs.”

The challenge of the embrace

For example, if a division wants to create

However, while banning shadow IT

mobile applications to help achieve some

outright may be difficult, embracing it

The IT department can also suggest users

specific goal, “The CIO or IT director

also presents challenges. Hansell says that

speak to the suppliers and integrators.

can talk to the existing system integrators

organisations find it difficult to manage

“That way there is an open dialogue and

and mobile vendors to talk about some

shadow IT because overconfident busi-

trust, and it will then make it easier for

of these ideas the staff has put forth in a

ness professionals often take shortcuts

IT to put rules in place with regards to

more proactive way,” she said. The CIO

and don’t perform reasonableness checks

shadow IT,” she added.

or IT director can then get the suppli-

on their results before publishing them.

ers to work alongside both the IT team

They can also fail to document their

Hansell suggests organisations develop

and the business division in question to

systems’ design and its context.

a support group for business managers

implement the mobile apps.

decide to allow the solution to be used or completely disallow it,” she said.

and professionals to: Managing shadow IT can be difficult also

• train them in how to use the software

“That way you are encouraging innovation

because “data definitions in a corporate

made available to them: for example,

by getting IT involved, and not bypassing

database are often obscure and used

Microsoft Excel for planners, SAS for

IT, but also creating a positive win-win

without clarifying their meaning; for

statisticians or business intelligence

situation for all,” said William.

example, whether the sale price of an item

solutions for analysts;

includes or excludes GST”, said Hansell.

• advise them on how to interpret the

bracing shadow IT is the best call for every

So what’s the best way to embrace shadow

• instruct them on how to do reasonable-

situation — in the name of efficiency,

IT, if you go down that path? According

for example. According to Mingay: “If

to William there is no “one size that fits

• show them how to protect the data

the enterprise is demanding efficiency,

all approach”. Some organisations —

provided against unauthorised access.

then embracing shadow IT is probably

very large companies, financial services

a mistake… In which case, proper action

organisations and government depart-

“Conduct regular surveys on the use

needs to be taken and supported to sup-

ments — will have stricter governance

of shadow IT and benefits accruing to

press shadow IT.”

and regulations.

ensure the support group is maintained,”

Yet, “If the enterprise wants a more explora-

But in other firms — including start-

reported in the survey will enable a sys-

tory and creative approach to exploiting

ups — “there will be rules in place, but

tems inventory to be established to gain

IT, then embracing shadow IT and sup-

because they are driving innovation

a degree of control.”

However, not everyone believes that em-

meaning of data they are accessing; ness checks on results; and

said Hansell. “The departmental systems

8

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A N A LY S E

THIS

T

What Fintech will mean for your company

he growth of Fintech means that

agement software and access to credit. The

be imprudently cautious. To see the current

it is no longer wise to ignore the

inherent cost of a decentralised option is to

growth in financial technology as an isolated

movement of decentralisation in

invest time into considering a potentially less

phenomenon is to not see the benefit of

the financial services sector. The

consolidated solution in order to obtain a

engaging early and reorganising a business

cheaper and more efficient solution.

for a technologically sustainable future.

time has arrived to have a constructive plan on how to engage with this movement.

For instance, for years businesses and indiThe rise of Fintech has been described in

viduals have had little choice when deciding

many ways, but at its essence it is one peak

which payments network or software to use

amongst many to come in a movement of

for their point-of-sale machines or sales

decentralisation in the delivery of products

departments. Fintech means a business can

and services. Fintech is a phenomenon that

force a bank to compete for their account

offers businesses and individuals the chance

under the threat of moving to a Fintech

to genuinely consider the possibility of hav-

company that offers only a payment solu-

ing their financial affairs managed by three

tion and invests in improving that solution.

separate solutions in a more efficient way than one solution, for the sake of stability

However, the opportunities presented by

and convenience.

Fintech are not limited to relationships where your company is serviced by a fi-

The financial services sector globally, but

nancial services company; it also extends to

especially in Australia, is one where retail and

relationships where your business provides

investment banks, insurance companies and

a service to a financial services company.

Saranga Sudarshan is a Research Analyst, ICT Practice, for Frost & Sullivan Australia & New Zealand. He studies the Fintech sector in the Asia-Pacific region, tracking the nascent but quickly growing field and its disruption of traditional financial services.

payment service providers have succeeded by consolidating their products into packages,

The development of finely tuned algorithms

offering customers the convenience of having

and machine learning systems can enable

all their financial services in one location.

vendors of software and hardware to make their own market offerings more robust.

But what does the decentralising nature of

Vendors can look to partner with smaller

Fintech mean? It means a wider choice of

Fintech companies to offer comprehensive

financial products and services, where the

data gathering and analysis services. Similar

option of moving away from a packaged

opportunities are open to data centre provid-

service means potentially a cheaper and more

ers, who should be thinking about pitching

efficient service driven by new technologies

to their corporate customers on how they

and business models.

can offer cloud computing solutions ready for intrabank blockchain ledgers.

The first prescient decision for any company

12

would be to analyse the benefits of their

To sit and wait for financial technologies

current payments solution, financial man-

to become the inevitably safe choice will

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The collaboration challenge Enterprises need to maintain a secure regime of information governance when collaborating with external parties.

Implementing information governance systems

I

n this era of digital transformation,

to get into the wrong hands. Government

there is an urgent and growing need

agencies and other regulated industries

for regulated industries and government

also hold highly sensitive information that

agencies to work more collaboratively to

informs policy decisions and large com-

deliver better outcomes for their stakehold-

mercial investments.

ers. This ‘collaboration imperative’ is being driven by a range of factors, including the

To maintain the integrity of this sensi-

growing need for cross-agency collaboration,

tive information and to protect citizens,

the use of outsourced service providers and

stakeholders and their own reputations,

increasing digital engagement with customer

enterprises have developed and honed robust

and citizens. It is also being driven from

information governance frameworks over

highest levels of government, including the

many years. This includes huge investments

Digital Transformation Office.

in document and record management systems that ensure there is a complete record

14

Chris Britton, Global Product Marketing Manager — Objective Connect, Objective Corporation

Expanding digital collaboration, however,

of how the information is managed. These

presents serious challenges for regulated

systems not only track usage, but also enforce

industries and government agencies that

access permissions, life cycle and archive

are the custodians of confidential personal

(or destruction) policies, guaranteeing the

records and highly sensitive information,

security of the information and maintaining

and must manage a complex set of risks.

a ‘single source of truth’. It is important to

For example, governments have access to

note that this is not just ‘best endeavours’ —

personal information such as a citizen’s

good information governance is something

tax file. This information can cause serious

that government agencies and other regulated

privacy breaches or financial loss if it were

industries are benchmarked against.

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For all of these reasons, information govern-

data. They pose a massive risk, as there

was secure and compliant with regulatory

ance cannot and should not be sacrificed

is no oversight and or administration

requirements. It is therefore vital that any

simply to facilitate working with people

capability. They also don’t integrate with

collaboration platform used is not only

external to the organisation.

existing systems, meaning there is no

secure, but also integrates with the existing

transparency and accountability and no

information governance framework. This in-

single source of truth.

tegration must facilitate the synchronisation

The risk of inaction

of documents with the existing document

In the meantime, collaboration must and

and records management system, updating

will go on — and if the CIO doesn’t find

• Built-for-purpose solutions are expensive

a solution, the business users will. Unfor-

to develop and maintain and are often

tunately, in the absence of an easy-to-use

difficult to scale to external stakeholders,

and secure collaboration solution provided

other divisions or processes. In addition,

The collaboration solution must also inherit,

by the organisation, many are resorting

licensing costs, staff training and the need

rather than replicate, the access permissions,

to uncontrolled systems (or ‘shadow IT’)

to involve IT regularly cause bottlenecks

life cycle and destruction policies that are

that erode information security and audit-

for those looking to collaborate.

governed by the existing document and

ability — and expose their organisations to considerable risk.

both the content and audit trails.

records management system. Without this • ‘Universal systems’ designed to facilitate

integration, the information governance

collaboration between related agencies miss

that today provides auditability and trans-

For example, when people take information

the need to collaborate now. These are

parency is lost.

out of controlled systems and share it via

often abandoned in planning because of

email, thumb drive or consumer-based file

the cost and the time to implement. Those

Cost to provision. The cost of implementa-

sharing systems, all transparency, visibility

waiting for a perfect, ‘whole of enterprise’

tion is also a major factor to be considered.

and auditability over that content is lost. It

system will be waiting a long time.

The licensing model of the platform must

essentially bypasses information governance,

support the ‘fluid’ nature of the collabora-

Balancing competing imperatives

tion process, whereby new stakeholders,

ance cannot be guaranteed. It creates multiple repositories of information, resulting in an

When working with anyone outside of the

added and removed without additional

absence of a single source of truth, making

organisation, enterprises must find solu-

cost or restriction. The human costs must

any sort of audit impossible and ultimately

tions that balance collaboration, governance

be also taken into account. Any solution

hampering the collaboration efforts.

and cost.

must be simple to use and cost-effective to

The risks of inaction are immense. In addi-

Collaboration. Collaboration can be a

is required should be initiated by the user,

tion to the significant impacts on productiv-

complex, fragmented process. Any solution

rather than IT.

ity and the integrity of the decision-making

must support all aspects of the collaborative

process, the privacy and security risks posed

process, providing complete context and

In summary, as our Prime Minister, Malcolm

by this uncontrolled collaboration cannot be

transparency in a single, secure location —

Turnbull, has said: “The key to our future

overstated. A solution that balances the need

more than just simply sharing files. A solution

prosperity is to be faster, leaner, more produc-

to collaborate externally while maintaining a

must be easy to use and minimise training

tive, more innovative and more collaborative.”

secure regime of (cost-effective) information

requirements, as stakeholders, internal and

And herein lies the challenge for enterprises:

governance is needed.

external, are included in the collaborative

on the one hand, there is an imperative to

process. It must also have the ability to scale

be more flexible and collaborative with those

multiple processes.

outside the organisation. On the other, a

meaning that security and regulatory compli-

internally and externally, are continually

provision. Each instance where collaboration

Most solutions aren’t working

secure regime of simple and cost-effective

As organisations grapple with this issue, a number of different approaches are being

Information governance. The problem

information governance must be main-

investigated, with limited success:

for regulated industries and governments

tained — one that manages the many legal,

is that during the current uncontrolled

regulatory, privacy, intellectual property and

• Stand-alone collaboration tools are often

collaboration process, there is no informa-

security risks.

‘consumer grade’ file sharing applications

tion governance. If audited, there is no

that lack the security required for sensitive

way to prove that the collaboration process

objectiveconnect.com/collaboration-challenge

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15

work

F

Mobile computers keep freight on the move

rom humble beginnings in Auckland, New Zealand, in

Mainfreight wanted to refresh equipment across Australia

1978, Mainfreight has grown into a leading logistics

and New Zealand to make these vital operational tasks even

provider with operations all over the world.

faster, more accurate and easier for its drivers and storemen. It

The company prides itself on its ‘anything is possible’

wanted to enhance its operational efficiency in the processing,

attitude and a commitment to delivering consignments on time

delivery and collection cycle and provide an enhanced experience

and damage-free. But managing logistics and distribution on

to customers too.

such a large scale is a complicated business. It requires speed

Mainfreight opted to roll out 1500 of Zebra Technologies’

and accuracy, especially when dealing with such a high volume

TC75 Enterprise Mobile Computers to staff in Australia and New

of consignments.

Zealand as part of a $3 million investment.

To honour its promises, Mainfreight uses technology to

Built on Zebra’s TC70 platform, the enterprise-grade Android

provide employees with insights on

device delivers an advanced mobile

the go and a positive experience for

computing solution with multicarrier

its customers.

4G LTE capabilities for constant

A pioneer of enterprise mobility,

connectivity. The TC75 can capture

Mainfreight has been using handheld

barcodes in virtually any condition

devices from Zebra Technologies

and, while in the familiar design of a

since 1992, remote data updates from

consumer smartphone, is rugged and

the cab since 1993 and introduced

ready for the demands of Mainfreight’s

wireless coverage in 2006.

operations.

“We’ve been using these devices

“Our scanning rates for both

and capturing data for some time,”

pickups and deliveries have risen

explained Kevin Drinkwater, chief

significantly since we introduced

information officer, Mainfreight.

the new scanners. We’re now very

“Our drivers use mobile computers

close to 100% versus just under 90%

to record pickups and delivery, the

immediately before,” added Kevin.

date, time, driver details, location of

“Having this information coming

driver and any special information,

in from the devices across our business

including taking photographs, needed

means we and our customers are

when making the pickup or delivery.

working with extremely current, up-

“We also use the devices for

to-date information. It’s also really easy

notifying drivers of pickup jobs

for new drivers to start using. Device

they have been allocated and drivers

training does seem to take less time.

confirm their arrival at the customer’s

is very powerful; the devices can handle applications that have been

when unloading intercity, linehaul units.

tailor made for Mainfreight, which means we can provide customers

“The data is used for track and trace, internally and

16

“The flexibility and functionality

site. Storemen use the handhelds for capturing information

with an even better experience.

externally and to pay drivers. It also enables us to provide

“We see that these new scanners will provide us a long-

historical reporting on delivery performance to our customers.

term platform to introduce future functionality, which will

We also track our driver locations using the GPS functionality

result in significant improvements in customer service as well as

in the scanners.”

improved efficiency.”

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2

PEER PEER

Speed and agility — the keys to success

Digital transformation will enable you to build success by better understanding your customers.

D

igital transformation has

Mode 1 and Mode 2

become one of the buzzwords

Mode 1 and Mode 2 technology models are

of the modern era. But what

definitions coined by Gartner to define the

does it mean? It means us-

differences in managing traditional versus

ing digital technology, in all its forms, to

digital technologies. Mode 1 refers to a

build deeper relationships with customers

traditional IT infrastructure, such as systems

in order to better understand their needs

of record, traditional lines of business ap-

and to deliver products and services that

plications and systems where new changes

meet those needs.

and releases may happen. Typically, change is a well-planned and -tested process and

Digital transformation means using tech-

therefore takes time.

nologies such as mobile and social media, and cloud computing and web services, to

Mode 2 refers to daily or continuous

innovate more quickly and to build a better

change — a precondition to being more

and stronger business. If you can do that,

competitive, innovative and more agile. Not

you can transform your business into a

all applications and systems need to run in

digital enterprise that has a clear competitive

either a Mode 1 model or a Mode 2 model.

advantage. And if you don’t do it, there is

Both are necessary in a large organisation.

a good chance that your competitors will,

What is important is that the capabilities,

and that you will be left behind.

skills, processes and way of thinking are fundamentally different between Mode 1 and

The good news is that the concept of

Mode 2, and therefore staff and suppliers

digital transformation is not difficult to

need to specialise in one or the other in

understand. It can be difficult to imple-

order to deliver successful outcomes. Gartner

ment, however, as it can fundamentally

summarises this nicely with the metaphor

change the way your organisation works.

of a marathon runner representing Mode

It takes commitment, and many people

1 and a sprinter representing Mode 2. The

within your organisation might need to

marathon runner will never win a sprint

change their mindsets and get outside their

and the sprinter will never win a marathon.

comfort zones.

The sprinter and the marathon runner have different skills and capabilities.

18

Peter Wright joined Melbourne IT in 2011 as Executive General Manager of Enterprise Services, in charge of spearheading the company’s growth in agile IT services. With more than 28 years’ experience in the Australian technology industry, Peter previously worked as general manager, sales and operations at REA Group, where he was responsible for Australia’s largest real estate website, realestate. com.au. Prior to that, he held senior positions at Optus and Alphawest.

You need to look beyond the old ways of keeping pace with technology, beyond the

Mode 2 models are typically associated with

traditional ‘Mode 1’ model, and move to a

digital transformation because the Mode 2

new-world ‘Mode 2’ way of doing things.

approach enables organisations to achieve

Make that shift, and you will enable digital

the speed, agility and data-driven decision-

transformation. Stay in Mode 1, where

making that new digital technologies enable.

digital transformation is impossible, and

According to market consensus, there are five

you will get left behind in the race to be

foundation digital technologies — cloud,

technologically innovative and agile.

analytics, mobile, social and security.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

Although many businesses interact with

and access the latest information on the

customer experience and increase interaction

customers through mobile communications

go. Another report by the Digital Industry

with its customers, it was also able to com-

and social media, these channels are just

Association of Australia revealed that in a

pete successfully against the new providers.

one part of the whole digital transformation

battle between screens, half of Australians

Empowered by the ability to innovate faster

equation. To transform your organisation

would choose their mobile phone over a

and to improve the end-customer experi-

from one that merely uses digital technol-

laptop or tablet. This makes mobile a criti-

ence, digital transformation has enabled this

ogy to a truly digital enterprise, you need

cal part of any business-to-business (B2B)

media organisation to compete effectively.

to understand how digital technologies can

and business-to-consumer (B2C) solution.

Guard your turf

be combined to deliver new competitive advantages by better understanding and

The digital enterprise needs to be able to

The best way to start your digital trans-

connecting with end customers.

deliver products and services through a wide

formation process is to pick a customer

variety of digital channels, keeping them all

interaction that can be improved, create a

The key technologies of a successful strategy

current and synchronised and continually en-

specialist Mode 2 team or use the services

include a mix of cloud computing, real-time

hancing the relationship between businesses

of a Mode 2 service provider. Then, start

data analytics, mobile computing, social

and their customers. Digital transformation

developing new for innovation and experi-

media and security. The appropriate mix

means ensuring there is an interconnect

ment by delivering new features, functions

of these technologies needs to be driven

across every single customer touchpoint, so

and services, measure customer feedback

by leadership, communications and the

that the experience is seamless and consistent.

and listen carefully to customer responses.

right incentives.

Take this information and iterate again, and Take the example of two Melbourne IT

You need to determine the baseline tech-

customers: a large state emergency services

nologies and processes that will equip your

organisation and a large media provider.

organisation to quickly capitalise on market

again, and again.

To start digital transformation initiatives in your organisation, just begin experimenting

opportunities. You then need to build on

The emergency services organisation uses its

somewhere. In fact, it is almost guaranteed

an additional layer of technical and digital

web presence, social media and community

that somewhere in your organisation this is

capabilities that will continue to increase

activities to disseminate information and

already happening. As you gain data and

your responsiveness to evolving market

educate the public in relation to the services it

insights, you can develop a more com-

requirements and customer needs.

provides. To ensure its service is uninhibited

prehensive roadmap. The key, though, is

by technology and volumes of users — es-

to continuously develop and deploy many

The shift from point-to-point engagement

pecially in an emergency situation where

small changes, not plan and build a big

to managing customer journeys will build

getting critical information to the public in

technology release.

your competitive edge and sustain a clear

a timely manner could save lives — it has

leadership position.

has put in place a software- and cloud-based

Successful digital transformation requires

solution that can deal with over 20 million

sponsors and participants in your organisa-

Customer interaction is the key

individual visitors in a single hour during

tion to adopt a fresh mindset and renewed

Digital technology has caused massive

periods of high demand.

commitment to do away with traditional and often rigid processes, and to implement

changes in customer behaviour and buying preferences. Mobile technology in particular

The organisation is using a simplified soft-

a ‘minimum viable product’ mindset and

has made it possible for people to be much

ware architecture that enables scalability

iterate continuously from there.

more engaged; to participate and get more

through the cloud, thus reducing the heavy

involved in the sales process. Your organisa-

reliance it placed on its traditional application

Digital transformation is a journey, with the

tion needs to match, and anticipate, these

providers and its legacy software platform.

end goal of achieving customer-centricity

changes in behaviour.

and success. Modern business is being rapidly The media company knew that with the

changed by the influx of digital technologies,

A recent Nielsen study showed that Aus-

arrival in Australia of new competitors, it

where customer understanding, intimacy

tralian consumers are increasingly using

had to play its cards right or face a loss

and loyalty are even more important than

their smartphones and tablets devices to

of customers and shrinking revenues. By

ever. Remember, digital transformation is

be entertained, stay socially connected

leveraging digital channels to heighten the

inherently customer-centric.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

19

SPONSORED CONTENT

Survival of the fastest — the future of the data centre Russell Skingsley, Vice President Systems Engineering and Center of Excellence at Juniper Networks

By 2018, 50% of new data centre infrastructure investments will be for systems of engagement, insight and action rather than maintaining existing systems of record.

20

T

here’s no denying that enterprises and end users alike are steadily moving in one direction: to the cloud.

In today’s cloud-driven world, it’s all about survival of the fastest.

Consumers of fast-moving digitally-powered services demand self-service in every aspect of work and personal life. We shop around online before we buy, move funds around instantaneously and expect everything to happen at the touch of a button — speedily, efficiently and reliably. We are in the age of

instant gratification. But that digitised world we now live in puts ever-increasing levels of pressure on businesses to deliver what we want, when we want it.

The industry is undergoing a number of exciting transformations right now, with a profound shift towards cloud-based service delivery architectures focused on performance and automation. Successful organisations therefore must be agile in order to service the demands of an ever-changing landscape. New products and services, new markets and new trends all bring challenges for businesses to

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

adapt to in order to grow. Having the ability to change quickly brings success, but failure to instantly evolve leaves customers dissatisfied and businesses on the back foot.

As a whole though, our customers’ needs are shifting from simple demands to very sophisticated connectivity requirements, as the competitive landscape evolves and we witness megatrends unfold. From the adoption of new architectural approaches like software defined networking (SDN), to being able to provide the agility required to change and adapt alongside changing business models with the likes of software disaggregation and white box switching.

The challenge for many organisations is closing the innovation gap: the chasm between what we aim to deliver to internal and external customers, and what we can actually deliver in practice. Consumers and the market won’t wait. If we don’t quickly meet their expectations, the innovation gap becomes an opportunity for competitors to disrupt or customer disappointment to set in.

Customer insights are changing data centre priorities In its 2016 IDC FutureScape predictions for the data centre [1], IDC indicates that the greater need for customer insight is changing the investment priorities of businesses with a forecast that by 2018, 50% of new data centre infrastructure investments will be for systems of engagement, insight and action rather than traditional systems of record.

Meaning that businesses who are investing in new platforms that enable predictive analytics and insight capabilities will reap the benefits, staying well ahead of their competition.

Therefore it’s essential that the data centre — and its underlying infrastructure — can keep up with the demands placed on it, with the ability to evolve to stay competitive in the endlessly changing digital landscape.

The foundation of an IT-led organisation is data. It informs the development of new technologies and applications that underpin revenue growth and customer satisfaction.

This places the enterprise data centre at the

centre of operational goals — a critical asset that can’t be ignored.

Too often an organisation’s ability to close the innovation gap is inhibited by the data centres’ supporting infrastructure. In an era where consumers and organisations expect everything instantly, having a data centre that can adapt at the speed of the market — and turn on new services or applications instantly — is paramount. For this to be possible however the entire technology ecosystem within the data centre needs to be capable of enacting change at a moment’s notice — essentially, an instant evolution.

Closing the gap The reality is, many data centres are currently built on foundations of outdated technology.

Proprietary or obsolete hardware and software that can limit the speed at which your data centre — and the wider business — can adapt.

Closed, poorly integrated and inflexible underpinnings don’t just slow down your IT staff, they slow down your entire business.

Nowhere is this truer than in the data centre network. The network isn’t just a component of the data centre, it’s the core. Without the network, users can’t connect to applications, applications can’t access the data they need and the assets become stranded and left lying idle. That’s why for organisations to succeed in the digital era, the network architecture needs to evolve at the same rate as the business.

Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) models automate network processes and increase agility. By utilising SDN and NFV approaches, businesses can move faster to close the gap between customer expectations and the time and cost required to meet them.

That is, they take advantage of automation capabilities to perform most network tasks. The end result is a faster workflow of provisioning the network at scale.

Frustration between internal departments often occurs when new applications are developed that can’t be instantly deployed due to the time-lag in network configuration and resource deployment. Developers require an environment where they can innovate to meet

demand, any delay in deployment will stifle their developments. Consequently, businesses disaffect customers and ultimately, take a hit on their bottom line.

Invest to evolve With IDC’s FutureScape report predicting that 40% of businesses will confront facilities mismatches by 2018 as traditional systems are virtualised or shifted entirely to the cloud, it is important to incorporate different architecture types as part of a unified approach to future cloud solutions i.e. Virtualised IT and Private Cloud, Public Cloud and Telco Cloud. This is critical so that cloud solutions and infrastructure can seamlessly support expansion into adjacent use cases and provide organisations with leverage on existing data centre investments.

That’s where Juniper Networks is wellpositioned to tackle the market, with customers recognising the value of the networking innovations that help in their transition towards cloud architectures.

Regardless of your deployment model, today or into the future, at the core of your data centre is the network — a strategically important asset in helping your business evolve in any way it chooses. Choosing the right data centre networking solution will be critical to the future of your business.

Solutions deployed today must be able to evolve to support the emerging solutions of tomorrow. With a simple, open and smart network in place, organisations can evolve quickly and smoothly, with fewer risks and lower costs. The right network can ensure your business stays at the forefront of disruptive innovation and can pave the way for instant evolution.

Reference [1] IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Datacenter 2016 Predictions - APEJ Implications, #AP40437115.

Juniper Networks Australia www.juniper.net/au/en/

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

21

risk and costs B O D Y Reduce with software asset management TA L K Businesses should mitigate risk by taking full control of their software inventory.

It’s also producing an ever-growing list of

that your business can use to assess whether

security risks for critical systems and data.

your software is properly licensed. Find out

As cybercriminals routinely seek to find and

what software is installed, whether or not it

use vulnerabilities in software, for many,

should be there and whether all your users

T

non-compliant software presents an open

have the correct licences.

he number of different types of

door for cyber attacks and exploitation.

Step 2: Align to your business needs. Look

software used in the workplace is growing faster than ever, pro-

Software asset management (SAM) is a vital

at forms of licensing that may be more

ducing new opportunities and

component of securing an organisation’s

cost-effective (such as cloud subscriptions);

enabling businesses to operate much

security architecture. By implementing an

identify possible cost savings (for example,

more efficiently. But, if this critical asset

efficient SAM program, those responsible

re-using licences, if allowed by the vendor);

is not managed properly, it can result

for the software inventory can enhance the

and make better use of maintenance clauses

in risk which could significantly hurt

security of data and systems, pinpointing

to ensure you are getting appropriate value

your company.

instances of unsupported applications.

for the expenditure.

Organisations are dedicating large percent-

Step 3: Establish policies and procedures.

ages of their budgets to different types of

Ensure that SAM plays a role in the IT life

software. Given this, it makes sense that

cycle in your business. For ISO-aligned

inefficient management can lead to a lack

SAM to be effective, the practices need to

of clear understanding of all software assets

support the business’s IT infrastructure and

and whether software is actually being used.

management needs to support the SAM process. Acquire software in a controlled

For many organisations, important ques-

manner with records to support the choice

tions such as whether a licence is current or

of platform and the procurement process;

compliant or not are often overlooked. This

deploy software in a controlled manner;

often translates into costly penalties during

remove software from retired hardware and

audits if non-compliant software is discov-

properly redeploy any licences; and routinely

ered. In addition, unused software means

install patches and upgrades.

companies are wasting valuable resources.

Roland Chan, Senior Director, Compliance Programs, BSA | The Software Alliance

Indeed, according to IDC: software licence

Step 4: Integrate within the business.

complexity will indirectly cost organisations

Ensure that SAM is integrated and supports

an average 25% of their software licence

the entire business. Integrate it into all rel-

budget in 2016, with a large portion wasted

evant life-cycle activities within the business,

on unused software.

not just IT life cycles; improve on the data management processes build in Step 1; and

22

BSA | The Software Alliance

How to fix the situation? There are four steps.

ensure employees understand the proper use of software and the legal, financial and

Step 1: Conduct an assessment. Gather

reputational impact their software-related

and maintain reliable and consistent data

actions can have on the organisation.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

To enable its Digital Transformation, 70% of the Fortune 500 rely on Veeam to ensure Availability of all data and applications.

Fortune 500 are Available.

23

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

products

REMOTE APPLICATION SERVER V15 Parallels has launched the Parallels Remote Application Server version 15, which gives IT organisations an easy solution to deliver Windows applications and desktops to employees on any device under BYOD or choice programs.

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The solution integrates and incorporates all features for remote desktop and application delivery, including reporting, high availability, two-factor authentication and Windows Client Management. It also offers highquality cross-platform support to deliver desktops and applications to Linux, Macintosh and Windows devices.

Parallels www.parallels.com

TOSHIBA PORTÉGÉ LAPTOP SERIES

HDMI OVER IP KIT The MediaCento VX-HDMI2X4-POE IPX

Toshiba has launched the Portégé range of mobile comput-

Controller Kit from Black Box is designed

ing and desktop replacement devices, offering productivity

to distribute HDMI over IP and

and mobility for enterprise and SMEs who require portable,

create video walls with switching

high-performance devices.

and control.

Powered by 6th Generation Intel Core processors, the Portégé

It comes with two transmitters,

Z20T is a 12.5″ Full HD detachable 2-in-1 Ultrabook, while the

four receivers, one controller, six

Portégé Z30(t) model is a 13.3″ FHD Ultrabook with Corning

locking cables and one network switch that

ConCore Glass that offers antiglare and antifingerprint coating

is tested to work with MediaCento devices. Users

for clarity. Containing a USB Type-C reversible connector, the

can take full control over their IP-based transmitters

Z20T enables download speeds six times faster than the previ-

and receivers with the included controller, as well as

ous micro USB ports while offering an extended battery life

manage content remotely with intuitive Web UI and

up to 19 h in Ultrabook mode and 11.5 h in tablet mode.

mobile support.

Both models feature a durable, lightweight structure to ensure

The kit combines the required items needed to get

the devices stand up to the rigours of daily business

started with a networked signage system. The network

use; advanced connectivity capabilities, including

switch, 26-Port PoE+ Gigabit Managed Switch Eco,

two and three USB 3.0 slots, respectively; HDMI,

offers features that make it a suitable fit within the

Intel 802.11 ac a/g/n Wi-Fi; and a 2 MP FHD

MediaCento configuration, including full SNMP man-

webcam for clear business web conferencing

agement plus web-based management, support for

and multimedia experiences.

VLAN and QoS and support for IEEE 802.3af PoE

Toshiba (Australia) Pty Ltd

port-based network access control.

www.toshiba.com.au

For more information, click here.

Black Box Australia Pty Ltd

24

www.blackbox.com.au

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

FROM THE FRONTLINE Jonathan Nally

On the move

Efficiency gains from enterprise mobility

Enterprise mobility solutions are transforming life for members of the workforce, and for their customers and clients.

M

any aspects of informa-

through one kind of device or another, is

in terms of both hardware and software, is

tion technology have the

the most tangible example of how things

booming. According to a 2015 Ovum report

potential to transform the

have changed — both for the members of

on enterprise mobility management (EMM)

way enterprises do business,

the workforce, and for the customers and

software, the global EMM software market

clients with whom they are interacting.

will grow nearly fourfold by 2019.

business processes and, ultimately, helping

Survey after survey has shown that most

“While security concerns around bring your

the bottom line. Such technologies include

people these days prefer to access informa-

own device (BYOD) have so far driven this

networking, cloud computing and storage,

tion via portable devices. In fact, younger

still-immature market, the opportunity for

virtualisation and big data analytics — all

members of the workforce consider it almost

mobile enterprise apps to transform business

of which are vitally important but do their

a basic human right, and they are often

processes is transforming this relatively niche

work in the background.

astounded when joining a company that

market into a widely adopted, mainstream IT

doesn’t use them. Sales and field service

proposition,” said Ovum’s Richard Absalom,

staff would be lost without them.

principal analyst and author of the report.

works in this day and age is enterprise mobil-

So it’s no surprise that companies have

“As enterprise mobility management strate-

ity. Having data in the palm of your hands,

recognised this and that enterprise mobility,

gies mature, enterprise IT departments think

by improving efficiency, providing better customer service, giving more visibility into

The technology which provides arguably the most visible difference to the way business

26

O U R PA N E L Gary Pitcaithly, Automation and Electrical Manager, Hamilton City Council

Paul Sicari, Executive Director, Hirotec

less in terms of basic device management

approximately 500 customers across Aus-

with us on getting something like that

and security and more about how usage of

tralia, and has recently deployed a mobility

out into the market.”

these mobile devices can transform business

solution from Pronto.

processes,” Absalom added. “This inevitably drives them toward mobile app adoption.”

Image courtesy NEC under CC BY 2.0

Todd Williams, Executive Manager, Respite and Client Services, Cara

Hirotec has recently adopted iPad Minis; “When choosing a business management

previously it had used Motorola devices.

software system, we wanted to ensure we were

Sicari said that since the company rolled

We spoke to senior managers from three

increasing mobility, efficiency, productivity

out the ability for staff to use Pronto Xi via

very different kinds of enterprises to find

and customer service,” said Paul Sicari, the

mobile devices, there has been an increase

out how mobility is helping them along

company’s Executive Director.

in productivity.

that transformation road.

“We wanted to transition all of our tech-

“With the advancement of tablets and tech-

Going beyond

nicians onto mobile devices,” he added.

nology in the field, the amount of data that

Hirotec is a family-owned national business

“All technicians in the field were to use

we send down to the team enables them to

specialising in the maintenance and engi-

mobile field devices, moving away from

achieve a lot more,” he said. “We’re captur-

neering of integrated technical solutions in

written paperwork. There weren’t very

ing a lot more information. So not only is

the fields of mechanical, electrical, fire and

many vendors that were capable of doing

productivity improved, but the amount of

energy services. It has 200 employees and

that, and Pronto was prepared to work

information we’re capturing that we’re able

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

>

27

time on the ground with the people they

”We have seen cost savings thanks t o reduced numbers of

support, rather than drawing up schedules.”

staff required to manage systems.”

Handling the data flood Hamilton City Council in New Zealand is responsible for supplying clean, fresh drink-

to deliver to clients — and the time frame

agency’s Executive Manager for Respite

ing water to residents, and also for operating

in which it is delivered to them — is sig-

and Client Services. “This would ensure a

the wastewater treatment plant. To improve

nificantly better than you could do on the

more fulfilling work–life balance for em-

visibility into the operation’s performance,

old paper-based system.”

ployees and a better customer experience.

the council has deployed Rockwell Auto-

The ideal solution was one that would

mation’s FactoryTalk software suite, which

Going down the mobile device path started

improve the employee experience as well

collects, stores and enables viewing of the

as a product improvement project, but

as reduce the time and cost associated with

data from all levels of the organisation, and

“now it’s gone beyond that”, said Sicari. “It’s

managing rosters.

provides secure access to the organisation’s system by managing contractor use and

about how we utilise the information that “We chose to partner with WFS Australia

improve our service delivery and our cus-

to implement the EmpLive solution,” said

tomer experience.

Williams. “We chose WFS because their

A key result of the upgrade has been the

cloud-based system solution supports our

flexibility it has provided for personnel

“We’ve been able to reduce admin time by

mobile workforce across metropolitan and

operating the system at the wastewater

at least 35% since implementing Pronto,”

regional South Australia. For example, our

treatment plant.

he said. “Staff who were doing very basic

Cara employees can now suggest rostering

monotonous functions can now redirect their

changes and accept or reject shifts remotely

“The FactoryTalk software suite has enabled

time to delivering customer value as opposed

from their smartphones.

our team to be more flexible with their time, as we are now able to edit or update

to just basic administration functions.

“The solution is cloud based, so system

reports as we go. We now simply store our

“Implementing Pronto has also generated

management, integration and upgrades

data directly into Historian and the data

significant cost savings for the company by

are all externally managed, saving resources

spreads directly from the PAC (program-

reducing the invoice cycle for customers,”

and money.”

mable automation controller) to a human interface,” said Gary Pitcaithly, Hamilton

said Sicari. “It used to take a long time from the completion of work for a client to the

Williams said that a key benefit is the abil-

City Council’s Automation and Electrical

date they were invoiced. We’ve been able to

ity to use the solution without assistance.

Manager.

reduce this by 20%.”

“This means the team can create ad hoc reports when needed, for example, saving

“The flexibility extends to the ability of

Workforce management

time and eliminating having to pay for

system users to remotely access the software

Cara, the Community Accommodation and

modifications,” he said.

from tablet computers or smartphones,” he added. “The team has tablets and smart-

Respite Agency, provides support services across South Australia for individuals with

“We have seen cost savings thanks to re-

phones that can access FactoryTalk View

significant and complex disabilities. It sup-

duced numbers of staff required to manage

from anywhere in the world — if they are

ports more than 680 people, along with

systems,” said Williams. “For example, in the

out of the office or on call, the system can

their families and carers, across more than

past we needed extra staff on payday and to

be easily accessed and key changes made.

50 sites and employs more than 700 people.

manage rosters. Now, these extra employees can be deployed elsewhere, where they can

“The software [also] allows us to develop

“We needed a way to manage information

add value to our customers rather than

reports at will, whether it is for compliance

about our mobile staff and develop rosters

managing internal processes.

to water standards or for other needs,” said Pitcaithly. “These can then be published

that match support staff to clients based

28

changes to the system.

we capture in the field to more effectively

on availability, skills, abilities, interests

“Our workforce management has also been

as web-based reports that are available for

and preferences,” said Todd Williams, the

centralised so team leaders can spend more

anyone authorised to view them.”

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

Jeremy Deutsch, Managing Director, Equinix Australia

A radical reinvention of IT is imminent, with the number of interconnected enterprises set to more than double to 84% by 2017.

O

ur world is increasingly interconnected. By 2020, the digital universe will reach 44 zettabytes, mean-

ing there will be nearly as many digital bits as there are stars in the universe. In this new social and mobile-enabled landscape,

Rise of the interconnected era Enterprises are rapidly adopting a new IT strategy

we are in a constant state of cloud-fuelled collaboration and communication. Whether born-digital millennials or reinvented baby boomers, we are now all ‘omnichannel’ consumers who consider anytime, anywhere, any device connectivity the norm.

In this new interconnected era, organisations can’t go it alone when it comes to creating value. They must rely on each other — and designed by freepik.com

interconnection — to succeed. And they need an interconnected IT strategy to position their enterprises for growth.

Modern interconnection establishes direct and secure physical or virtual connections between an enterprise and its partners,

growth are all heavily interconnection-

with 58% reporting this value came from

customers and employees. This new level

dependent.

increased revenue opportunities.

of interconnection has become essential to

• 3-in-5 businesses believe interconnection is

market differentiation and growth, and a

“very important” to their ability to compete.

The survey results demonstrate that not

recent Enterprise of the Future survey of

• The number of interconnected enterprises

only do enterprises understand the value

1000 IT decision-makers by Equinix revealed

worldwide is set to more than double by

of an interconnected IT strategy, they are

that businesses worldwide have developed a

2017 — increasing from 38% to 84%.

aggressively pursuing it.

vast and accelerating business appetite for it.

• The benefits of interconnection are real

Among the key survey findings:

of survey respondents who have already

The interconnected era is here

• Revenue growth is the enterprise’s top

deployed interconnection solutions report

The Enterprise of the Future survey explored

priority, and the top IT strategies to drive

greater than $10 million in value created,

the priorities and perspectives of the IT

and quantifiable — more than a third

30

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

leaders who are shaping the interconnected era, including CIOs, CTOs, chief architects and network and application vice-presidents

“The digital enterprise is more dispersed, connected and cloud- dependent than ever, with 75% of employees residing in locations other than the corporate headquarters.”

across 14 countries.

Global awareness of interconnection was strong across the board among survey re-

• 75% of enterprise employees reside

• Greater interconnection enabled higher

spondents, with 75% of global businesses

in locations other than the corporate

systems uptime (supporting 99.9999%

extremely or very familiar with it.

headquarters.

on average), with 15% fewer network

• 82% of enterprises report a multicloud The survey uncovered a diversity of views,

strategy.

but there was no doubt about the top

incidents and outages, leading to reduced labour costs.

• Major cost reductions were realised by

strategic goal of enterprises worldwide.

The problem is that existing, highly

migrating to a multicloud interconnection

Respondents in 12 of the 14 regions sur-

centralised IT architectures, which are

strategy to deploy and scale applications

veyed ranked revenue growth as their most

often contained in on-premise enterprise

with lower-cost cloud service providers,

important IT priority, with employee pro-

data centres, are struggling to scale to

ductivity a distant though significant second

meet the growing numbers of dispersed

• Increased interconnection contributed to a

at 23%. The findings underscore a broader

users with which they interact. These

42% average reduction in latency and 40%

shift in attitudes about IT’s increasing role

complications were widely acknowledged

reduction in bandwidth costs, due to more

in driving revenue growth. In a McKinsey

by survey respondents, with 51% calling

proximate interconnectivity between the

& Company survey of executives, 29% of

siloed business and IT architectures a

organisation and its employees, partners

respondents said they expected IT-enabled

“very important” barrier to their com-

and customers.

business innovation to account for more

pany’s IT agenda.

than half of their company’s earnings

versus running them internally.

Direct and secure interconnection also has

growth from 2012–2017, up from 18%

Today’s enterprise-grade interconnec-

a significant positive financial impact on

two years earlier.

tion must be fast and distributed to the

the enterprise. The Enterprise of the Future

edge, and close to high concentrations

survey showed that more than a third (37%)

As interconnection becomes a prerequisite

of users to meet increasing performance,

of businesses that have deployed interconnec-

for success, businesses are mobilising

security and compliance demands. It

tion solutions reported at least $10 million

to become more interconnected. The

must be agile enough to scale up or

in value created. Revenue opportunities

Enterprise of the Future survey indicates

down as workloads change. It must

accounted for the bulk of the value creation

that interconnection-driven enterprise

remove the security risks that get in

at 58%, while the other 42% of respondents

transformation is imminent, with the

the way of exceptional performance and

attributed the value of interconnection to

number of interconnected enterprises set

on-demand responsiveness. At the same

cost savings.

to more than double from 38% to 84%

time, interconnection must encompass

globally by 2017.

multiple network and cloud services

Traditional enterprise IT is not built to

while expanding computing, application

compete in the interconnected era. Existing

and analytics capabilities.

architectures are highly centralised and can’t

Battling old IT architectures Even as companies increasingly turn to-

scale to meet the increasingly mobile enter-

wards direct and secure interconnection,

Only private and distributed intercon-

prise end user. This reality is forcing a broad

they face significant obstacles adapting old

nection can deliver all that. The internet

IT rethink as enterprises move direct and

systems to a new world. Today, there are

simply can’t.

secure interconnection into their strategic

more users, more devices, more locations

centre. With 84% of enterprises intending

and more data than ever, and everyone

Solving business problems

to be interconnected by 2017 — more

needs everything in real time. The fol-

A Forrester study, The Total Economic

than double the number of interconnected

lowing statistics illustrate how the digital

Impact (TEI) of Equinix Interconnec-

enterprises today — we are on the precipice

enterprise is more dispersed, connected

tion Solutions, offered evidence of the

of a massive interconnection-led reinvention

and cloud-dependent than ever:

benefits of direct interconnection.

of enterprise IT.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

31

Š freeimages.com/profile/brokenarts designed by freepik.com

Designing for experience Platforms that unify customer touchpoints are crucial for delivering exceptional customer experience in the digital transformation age.

B

ig changes can be extraordi-

connected experiences rising, so too is

narily rewarding, but they’re

the need for digital experience platforms.

rarely easy. This certainly holds true for companies investing

Businesses require technology that can col-

in digital transformation. Enterprises are

late customers’ experiences across digital

incorporating new tools and processes into

devices and manage the many channels of

their business and IT models to provide

interaction. Ultimately, digital experience

better experiences to customers, no matter

platforms can empower companies to

where they are in the customer life cycle.

make advances in their digital strategies and deliver exceptional experiences to

At the same time, customer expectations

their increasingly connected customers.

have never been higher. They want to

32

Adrian Johnson, General Manager, ANZ, Liferay

engage with companies through mobile

Digital experience platforms are designed

devices and across social media, and

to break down silos and bring together

they expect helpful, personal responses in

data and channels in a way that can be

real time. With demand for personalised,

shared among business units. The ultimate

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goal for a digital experience platform is to

act on them from a place of knowledge,

customised views. This will ensure that the

enable companies to manage the elements

rather than trying to build strategies based

entire company is working with consistent,

of exceptional experiences with a clear

on incomplete data. A digital experience

updated information and basing decisions

view of business analytics, integration,

platform will then be able to provide tools or

on accurate, holistic insights.

comprehensive customer data and cost-

integrate with the correct external products

effective implementation.

to address these needs.

A digital experience platform provides the capabilities that businesses need to

Accurate marketing and customer engagement

produce a variety of user-facing experi-

Improving the accuracy of marketing and

longer or is more complex than planned. If

ences. Common features include analytics,

customer engagement through holistic

a digital experience platform achieves an

customer context views, personalisation and

customer data and information is crucial.

effective level of integration and flexibility,

multichannel support. Companies must

The first step to improving experiences is

then it will be cost-effective over time.

assess their goals and determine which

to offer omnichannel interaction, while the

components are required for their strategy.

second step is to constantly track, measure

Veterans of digital change know that a

and analyse so that customer engagement

technology upgrade can take months or

can grow and evolve.

even years. Sometimes, by the time you get

However, the unifying principle for digital experience platforms will remain the same

Staying on the cutting edge of trends A common burden of technology upgrades is the unforeseen costs when development takes

the technology and strategy right, the trend

— an architecture that integrates core busi-

Digital experience platforms enable com-

is in its last days and the industry leaders

ness tools and provides a foundation for

panies to track customer behaviour at

are already gearing up for the next change.

future digital innovation. Indeed, according to the 2016 Forrester report ‘Vendor Landscape for Digital Experience Portals’,

The unifying principle remains the same — an architecture

“The number one technical challenge fac-

that integrates core business tools and provides a foundation

ing digital experience leaders is inadequate

for future digital innovation.

integration with back-end systems.”

The following are three key benefits that

each digital touchpoint. As the Internet of

This makes it risky to pursue any new digital

digital experience platforms can bring to busi-

Things grows, companies will have access to

trend, because it may have evaporated by

nesses on the digital transformation journey.

more channels of customer data, enabling

the time your company finally gets the fancy

them to draw new insights. The goal is to

new software configured for your needs.

Identifying immediate customer needs As interactions become more personalised

discover patterns in customer behaviour and constantly improve customers’ experiences,

Because a digital experience platform starts

even before they ask for it.

with the core components in one place and

and unified across devices, it becomes

product, it is a cost-effective, long-term

increasingly important for organisations

Customer data can include basic con-

investment that mitigates the risk in acting

to interact with customers at every stage

tact information, demographic snapshots,

on a digital trend.

of the customer life cycle. Sophisticated

psychographic data points such as details

data management streamlines the process

about personalities or lifestyles, transac-

In today’s quickly changing digital envi-

of identifying customer pain points or

tional data, communications history with

ronment, vendor lock-in is a handicap,

gaps in communication, which can then

the brand, account preferences, responses to

so a digital experience platform should

be leveraged to improve digital experiences.

marketing campaigns and site engagement

be easily integrated with outside products,

This prioritises what customers want

tracked through clicks, browsing time and

not just the vendor’s own offerings. This

without locking companies down to any

social media shares.

can potentially level the playing field for

specific technology or type of interaction.

companies that don’t have the largest A digital experience platform will pull this

budget, provided they have the foresight

Once companies identify immediate needs

data into one place so that each depart-

and agility to respond to the constantly

in digital customer experience, they can

ment can access it as needed through

changing market.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

33

KEY

Risky business —

the dangers of manual processes

WORDS

M

ajor security attacks have led

automated systems in place. Specifically

to a surge in awareness of

with IT, manual tools and processes not

the risks associated with de-

only hinder a team’s ability to find issues

layed threat mitigation. Yet

and solve them quickly, but also become

despite increased security efforts, breaches

a risk, as time to containment is key to

remain a common occurrence. As security

reducing the cost and impact of a breach.

teams fight the battle on a daily basis, chief information security officers struggle to

Most informative of all from the ESG

answer the question ‘Is my security posture

report is that the reliance on manual tasks

improving or deteriorating?’

likely aggravates the divide between IT and security teams. These groups are often

Why is this happening? What else can be

disconnected and their goals unaligned, yet

done when attacks are no longer a question

fixing most incidents or threats requires

of if, but when? A new study by Enterprise

collaboration between them.

Strategy Group (ESG) shines a light on the issue. Nearly 75% of those surveyed

Buying more software to detect potential

said that incident response tends to be

threats still won’t bridge this gap if the

based upon informal processes, while 93%

process isn’t streamlined. Much like regular

said that the effectiveness and efficiency

business operations, when your employees

of their response strategy is limited by the

are spending more time administrating

burden of manual processes.

processes, there is inevitably less time for

David Oakley is Managing Director, ANZ, for ServiceNow, a major SaaS business with $1 billion in global annual revenues. Previously he has held senior sales and management positions with Oracle and BEA Systems.

strategic initiatives. Organisations require a Although organisations have invested heav-

centralised process for incident and vulner-

ily in identifying security vulnerabilities,

ability response through a clear, fact-based

there is a significant lack of formalising

view into security posture — a system that

of the incident response workflow. Se-

will enable one to prioritise security risks,

curity teams are inundated with alerts

giving the relevant team insight into the

from multiple sources, such as emails,

status of an asset. Automation of these

spreadsheets and telephone calls. Does

mundane tasks frees up IT and security

this mean that they have better visibility

teams to address critical issues. The single

over the security posture? No. In fact, of

platform also enables security and IT teams

those surveyed by ESG, 61% believe that

to respond to incidents together.

incident response has become more difficult over the past two years.

This is merely a first step. The intent is to not only modernise incident response,

34

This is a familiar story for IT teams who

but to aid organisations in the incident

live with these frustrations every day.

investigation process with more context

ServiceNow’s report on the productivity

and threat data. Through applied automa-

drain in Australia showed that a mere

tion and orchestration, organisations can

16% of IT support in Australia had

respond faster… and even automatically.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

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T E C H N I C A L LY

SPEAKING

Living on the Edge

Taking data and technology to a new level Edge Computing can provide a better end-user computing experience and reduced data costs.

T

he age of the Internet of Things

At the same time, mobile telecom networks

(IoT) is in full swing and is gain-

and data networks are converging into a

ing momentum. Cisco predicts

cloud computing architecture. To support

there will be 50 billion con-

this, computing power and storage is being

nected things — mobile devices, smart

inserted out on the network edge in order

appliances, sensors, cars and industrial

to lower data transport time and increase

machines — by 2020 alone. Our con-

availability.

nected lives are generating unprecedented demand for computing power, connec-

Welcome to the Edge

tivity and quality of service, especially

Edge Computing places data acquisition and

in terms of latency. This is driving the

control functions, storage of high-bandwidth

evolution of more data centres being

content and applications closer to the end

placed closer to the user or data source,

user and devices (such as smartphones,

known as the Edge.

tablets and sensors). It is inserted into a logical end point of a network (internet or

Generally regarded as the architecture of

private network), as part of a larger cloud

the future, the rise of Edge Computing

computing architecture.

is gaining popularity as an alternative to

36

Andrew Kirker, General Manager, Data Centre, Schneider Electric

conventional approaches where the data

In general, there are three types of Edge

centre can be remote and geographically

Computing: local devices, localised data

distant from the user.

centres and regional data centres.

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Local devices are sized to accommodate a

dedicated power and cooling sources. Latency

savvy organisations are adopting operational

defined and specified purpose. Deployment

will be dependent on the physical proximity

intelligence (OI) to provide visibility and

is immediate and they are suitable for home

to the users and data as well as the number

insight into their business operations. OI is

or small office applications, eg, a building

of hops in between.

data-driven, real-time analytics and is be-

security system or local video content stored

ing used to transform workplace processes,

on a digital video recorder. Another example

Applications and use cases

embed knowledge in systems and minimise

is a cloud storage gateway, a device that

So what does living on the edge look like?

the effect of workplace generational shifts.

enables users to integrate cloud storage into

Let’s take a look at three applications of

applications without moving the applications

Edge Computing and the benefits delivered:

© alphaspirit/Dollar Photo Club

Application #3: On-premise applications.

Edge Computing transforms cloud comput-

into the cloud itself.

Application #1: High-bandwidth content

ing into a more distributed architecture.

Localised data centres have 1–10 racks,

distribution. Excessive latency creates traf-

The main advantage is that any kind of

provide significant processing and storage

fic jams that prevent data from filling the

disruption is limited to only one point in

capabilities and are fast to deploy in exist-

network to capacity. The impact of latency

the network. For example, a distributed

ing environments. These centres are often

on network bandwidth can be temporary like

denial-of-service (DDoS) attack or a long-

available as configure-to-order systems,

a traffic light or constant like a single-lane

lasting power outage would be limited to

pre-engineered and then assembled on-site.

bridge. The greatest probability of network

the Edge Computing device and the local

Another form is the prefabricated micro data

congestion is from video on demand, 4K TV

applications on that device, as opposed to

centre, which is assembled in a factory and

and video streaming, which are the fastest

all applications running on a centralised

dropped on-site.

growing high-bandwidth applications.

cloud data centre.

These single-enclosure systems can be

In order to relieve network congestion,

Companies that have migrated to off-premise

equipped for normal IT enclosures, such as

service providers are connecting a system of

cloud computing can take advantage of Edge

an office environment, or rugged enclosure

computers on the internet that caches the

Computing for increased redundancy and

types that need to be rainproof, corrosion-

content closer to the user. This enables the

availability. Business-critical applications,

proof and fireproof. The single-rack versions

content to be deployed rapidly to numerous

or applications needed to operate the core

can leverage existing buildings, cooling

users by duplicating the content on multiple

functions of the business, can be duplicated

and power to save on CAPEX rather than

servers and directing the content to users

on-site.

having to build a new dedicated site. Instal-

based on proximity.

The future on the Edge

lation requires picking the location in close proximity to the building power and fibre

Application #2: Edge Computing as IoT

The exponential growth of data, driven by

source. The multirack versions are more

aggregation and control point. The tech-

the IoT, is causing major bandwidth concerns

capable and flexible due to scale, but require

nologies that will enable ‘smart’ everything

for organisations as they struggle to under-

more planning and installation time and

in the future — whether cities, agriculture,

stand where and how to best manage and

need their own form of dedicated cooling.

cars or health — will require the massive

process their data. This growing quantity of

These 1- to 10-rack systems are suitable for

deployment of IoT sensors. IoT can automate

data will need to be processed and analysed

a broad base of applications requiring low

operations in two main ways: by gathering

in real time — Edge Computing can help

latency, high bandwidth or added security.

information about equipment and devices

take that data and workload technology to

to monitor status or behaviour, and using

a whole new level.

Regional data centres have more than 10

that information to provide visibility and

racks and are located closer to the user

control to optimise processes and resources.

Ultimately, Edge Computing can solve latency challenges by moving data closer to the

and data source than centralised cloud data centres. Due to their scale, they have

The Industrial Internet of things (IIoT),

end user, enabling companies to take better

more processing and storage capabilities

which includes the harnessing of sensor

advantage of opportunities leveraging a cloud

than localised data centres. Even if they

data, machine-to-machine communica-

computing architecture and provide greater

are prefabricated they will take longer to

tion control and automation technologies,

availability and access to data. This results

build due to construction, permitting and

will also generate large amounts of data

in a better end-user computing experience

local compliance issues. They’ll also need

and network traffic. As part of this, many

and reduced data costs.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

37

Beating the downtime blues The challenge of the ‘always on’ economy Bridging the gap between what users demand and what IT departments can deliver.

O

rganisations need to do

to organisation. If unplanned downtime

better at bridging the avail-

does occur, then organisations should

ability gap — the difference

have systems in place that reduce or

between what users de-

remove entirely their availability gap

mand and what IT departments can deliver.

— the gap between what users demand (ie, 24/7 access to critical applications

With business transformation being driven

and data) and what IT departments can

by a new breed of user — one that desires a

deliver. However, are enterprises able to

seamless, connected experience — the ability

deliver the levels of availability needed

for modern enterprises to deliver non-stop

by today’s user?

services and continually innovate has never been more urgent. However, are today’s busi-

To answer this, Veeam commissioned 1140

nesses delivering on what users need? How

interviews with senior IT department

does one deliver the always-on enterprise? In

decision-makers (referred to as ITDMs

simple terms, it must eradicate downtime.

or respondents) across 24 countries and compared them, where appropriate, to

38

Don Williams, Vice President, ANZ, Veeam

Downtime can mean different things

630 interviews with ITDMs carried out

to different people, and the impact of

in 2014. 30 of the interviews were with

downtime can also vary from organisation

ITDMs in Australia and New Zealand.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

Globally, Veeam’s research discovered

the workplace or consumers at home —

application downtime length has in-

that 84% of ITDMs — 2% higher than in

are immersed in technology and have

creased from 4 h to 5.8 h.

2014 — admitted that their organisation

zero patience for applications and data

has an availability gap. To combat this,

not being available. Thus, delivering a

ITDMs should be establishing the SLAs

most organisations are investing in their

seamless experience is pivotal. Business

they need to deliver the services that users

data centre, with two-thirds (68%) doing

leaders need to challenge traditional

require, and work towards reaching them.

so specifically in order to enable 24/7

thinking and really ask themselves wheth-

But this cannot be achieved overnight

always-on operations. What is alarming is

er their operations are truly up to this

and ITDMs cannot do it alone. BDMs

that despite the investment, the average

task. If the answer is no, then they need

need to support their organisations’ IT

number of unplanned downtime events

to be prepared to feel a user backlash.

departments in improving availability.

reported in ANZ has increased from 10 Image courtesy under Christopher Bowns under CC BY-SA 2.0

in 2014 to 13 in 2015.

Despite data centre investment, the average number of The result of these increases is that the average annual cost of downtime to a global organisation can be up to

unplanned downtime events reported in ANZ has increased from 10 in 2014 to 13 in 2015.

US$16 million — that’s US$6 million higher than in 2014. In addition, application downtime can have an impact

Business decision-makers (BDMs)

This journey must be started soon if

that goes beyond financial loss — the

should find out what their end users

availability is to be improved, and the

majority report that confidence in the

need from an always-on enterprise.

impact of downtime minimised, in the

organisation (68%) and brand (62%)

These needs should be communicated

near future.

can also suffer.

to the IT department. But to support the IT department in this, BDMs need

An enterprise’s journey on this path must

What this study clearly illustrates is

to encourage their organisations to in-

not just sit within the IT department; the

that despite senior ITDMs understand-

vest in their data centres and continue

C-suite need to be fully engaged, as the

ing that availability is of paramount

planning further investment.

cost of doing nothing can be millions

importance, and that investments are

of dollars. Executives must understand

being made, the reality is that service

As many as 97% of ANZ businesses

the risks to both the bottom line and

levels are falling short. Users are de-

(compared with 84% globally) either

the brand of not being an always-on

manding a crisp, seamless experience,

agree or strongly agree that they have an

enterprise — they must become active

but instead they are having to deal with

availability gap and are not achieving the

sponsors of the drive to deliver the

services that are below par… and this

SLAs for recovery time objectives (RTOs)

always-on experience users demand.

is costing enterprises millions of dollars

and recovery point objectives (RPOs)

in lost revenue, productivity and brand

required to close this gap. SLAs for RTOs

With this support, IT departments have

reputation.

have been set at 1.6 h, but respondents

to challenge legacy, status-quo attitudes

admit that in reality, recoveries taken

within the data centre. Traditional

The majority of customers (70%) across

3 h. Similarly, SLAs for RPOs are 2.9 h,

backup and recovery solutions will only

ANZ have reported that the key drivers

whereas 4.2 h is actually being delivered.

go so far — they are not appropriate for the evolving digital business and

for minimising application downtime and guaranteeing access to data are more

Globally, respondents report that their

are definitely not able to provide the

frequent real-time interactions between a

organisation, on average, experiences 15

24/7/365 levels of immediacy reported

company’s customers, partners, suppliers

unplanned downtime events per year.

in this study.

and employees. This figure is contrasted

This compares to the average of 13

with 63% globally.

reported in 2014. With this, unplanned

Simply put, enterprises need to ask

mission-critical application downtime

themselves one question: do I want to

Taking steps

length has increased from 1.4 h to 1.9

prosper in this new, digital economy, or

Today’s users — whether employees in

h year on year, and non-mission-critical

fade away into extinction?

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

39

Delivering a digital strategy Five steps to a successful implementation

Tony Roupell, Business Process Consultant, K2

Here’s what you should do when the clock is ticking and pressure is mounting on you to deliver.

Y

our organisation has a digital

So let’s circle back and ask, why have you

make a good use case for implementing

strategy. The bigwigs have

decided to go down the path of digitising

a successful digital strategy.

signed off on all the paperwork

your business? Is it because you want to

and the mothership has now

create a better customer experience? Are

Let’s use this as a starting point and work

been set on a course to embrace technol-

you wasting time on manual processes?

through five important steps.

ogy, in order to do better business. But

Are you duplicating effort capturing data

it’s time for a reality check:

into multiple systems?

• Your users are still in a world pain

These are all compelling reasons, but on

Step 1: Identify pain points. Do any of these ring a bell?

pushing paper;

reflection you are most likely not going

• Your processes are old, unstructured, complicated and costing money;

40

• We’re losing customers to the competition

to be driven to drastically change the

because they have a better level of service;

way you do business and spend valuable

• We’re losing customers because our

• You’re evaluating every kind of software

dollars for these reasons alone. Your or-

imaginable and each comes with a hefty

ganisation’s primary goal is to keep the

paper-based forms are painful; • Customer complaints are rising because

licensing cost, so there goes your budget;

doors open and put money in the bank.

• Previous attempts to digitise or auto-

Even if you’re a not-for-profit organisa-

• Our whole process is paper or Excel

mate processes have taken longer than

tion, you still need to pay the salaries. So

based, and we’re spending huge dollars

expected; and/or

any way to increase the bank account will

on salaries to keep the doors open;

of inefficiency;

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Yet all that was achieved was an inflated

With electronic forms, you need a solution

project budget and uncompetitive rates.

that spans desktop and mobile devices.

Forms that are not tied into your data

Overlap of functions, budgets and agendas

and designed to make life easier for us-

creates areas of confusion that should be

ers will just lead to frustration and pain.

continually investigated to ensure that all

Leveraging the built-in forms capability

parties are aligned to focus on keeping

of existing line-of-business systems might

the doors open and money in the bank.

seem like an easy solution, but more often than not will lead to headaches when you

As far as apathy goes, the likelihood is

want to upgrade or replace the platform,

that business users will be aware that their

leading to cost blowouts.

processes are inefficient. They are most likely not in a position to do anything

You also need to deliver end-to-end

about it, and continue to follow the same

business applications to support the

inefficient process because ‘that’s the way

business and reduce licensing costs. For

we do business’.

example, you might start with a simple

© WavebreakMediaMicro/Dollar Photo Club

complaints form on your website. But to Step 4: Access, evaluate, learn and ma-

truly manage complaints effectively and

ture. You should expect that users will

improve customer service, you need a

mature through a process of document-

backend system to manage the cycle across

ing, defining and implementing their own

departments, with tracking, dashboards

processes. This could place high demand

and reports.

on the IT department and create an area of confusion and ambiguity. As users

You might find yourself pressured to

mature they will continually raise the

transition from on-premises applications

requirements for new processes.

to cloud-hosted solutions. A cloud-only strategy can paint you into a corner, and

Step 5: Evaluate technology options.

allowing the business to sign up for quick-

Technology is an important consideration

and-easy, feature-poor cloud solutions can

and an enabler to addressing assump-

be a nightmare. Being held to ransom by

• Our project costs are over inflated, we’re

tions, confusion and apathy if applied

cloud providers is an all-too-common

losing deals and customers are unhappy

correctly, but can be debilitating if the

occurrence.

because of cost overruns.

incorrect choices are made up-front. You need to consider workflow and process

Where to now?

Step 2: Analyse and prioritise. Im-

requirements, electronic form require-

In summary, you need to consider a best-

plement a continuous improvement

ments, business applications and cloud

of-breed platform that offers: integrated

program at all levels of the business

and integration.

forms and workflow; rapid application development capability; design tools to

management, to analyse and prioritise the pain points that would benefit from

Many have tried and failed when trying to

empower different audiences (eg, devel-

digital improvement and put dollars in

leverage workflow capability embedded in

opers, citizen developers); ability to cross

the bank.

other systems (CRM, SharePoint, ERP) to

platforms, whether on-premises or cloud

address the workflow requirements of the

based; and a single platform for desktop

Step 3: Investigate. Investigate each pain

entire business. The workflow solutions

and mobile solutions.

point for areas of assumption, confusion

within these systems are designed to work

and apathy. An example of an assump-

within the parameters of the system. The

Success will come from understanding that

tion is that a tender process must be

moment you try to use it beyond what it

the implementation of a digital strategy is

followed in a specific scenario, ‘because

was designed for, you’ll open yourself up

a journey and will require the organisation

that’s the way we have always done it’.

to a world of pain.

to mature at all levels.

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41

© iStockphoto.com/shutter_m

Support of things How the Internet of Things is changing lives for workers on the go

There has been a lot of talk about how the IoT will revolutionise the world. Some say it will fundamentally change the way people interact with the world around them, others say it will generate trillions in economic value, but many have lost sight of its true potential.

S

ignificantly for field service teams,

in the ‘here and now’ is as an equally con-

connectivity opens doors for direct

nected and pre-emptive customer support

access to customer feedback that

structure that meets the needs of today’s

has until now been possible only

ever more connected customer — we call

through third parties such as retailers. With

it ‘The Support of Things’.

consumers becoming ever more connected, these contact points will only continue to

When we developed LogMeIn Rescue, it

expand. The challenges currently facing busi-

was in response to a transformation of the

nesses in customer engagement and support

workforce that altered end-user expectations

are only the tip of the iceberg.

and business needs. As end users increasingly demand a quick resolution to service issues

42

Daniel Cran, Managing Director, LogMeIn APAC

The problem is that the Internet of Things

and businesses strive to keep their support

(IoT) is still a fairly abstract concept to

costs down, our cloud-based remote IT

many — connecting seemingly ‘dumb’

support solution enables instant deploy-

things to enable the sharing of data. From

ment of a technician, providing a simple

a business perspective, what does it really

way to look at a user’s screen or evaluate a

mean? As we see it, the value of the IoT

device’s diagnostics.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

The next logical step was to develop visual

visual inspection capability is expected

print jobs. Using our Xively solution, SATO

inspection capability, and we see this as vital

to deliver improvement in two ways: 1)

was given hundreds of functions to track

to any business that offers reactive support.

expensive truck-rolls are minimised — the

and monitor — in real time — printer

As any support technician knows, sometimes

cost benefit here is obvious; and 2) as a

usage, error incidents, paper and ink supply

a customer problem can be as simple as a

value-add to resourcing.

levels and whether additional accessories

loose connection, an unplugged device, a jammed printer or a missing piece of wiring.

were enabled.

The second is a less expected advantage and a clear example of customers building their

Xively utilised Heroku and salesforce.

Problems like this are obvious after the fact,

own use-case. Having that visual capability

com to build both customer-facing and

but can be surprisingly easy to overlook

means that companies can send junior or

SATO-facing apps that give users the

initially. The Rescue Lens feature offers

less experienced field technicians out to

power to remotely control and monitor

instant visibility and means that irksome

site with more confidence. Senior techs can

each printer, and then store that data in

issues can be resolved without unnecessary

remain in the back office and offer remote

Salesforce. A SATO service rep could, for

technician deployment.

support. If the on-site tech is working on

example, change any of 300 settings on a

a new piece of equipment or struggling to

printer like the darkness of the print or the

Truck-rolls are expensive and techs aren’t

find the fault, the live-video stream provides

language settings. The Salesforce integra-

always guaranteed to have the right part

a valuable tool to assist with diagnostics

tion also allows for automated triggering

onboard, so visual verification of the problem

and to resolve issues quickly. To that end, it

of issues before the customer knows about

prior to any further action is a valuable tool

also serves as a cost-effective and important

them. For example, customers can set up

for any service business.

means of providing staff training.

notifications to let them know when they

Rescue Lens allows end users to use smart-

Major telcos including Telstra and Optus

phone or tablet cameras to stream live video

see the inherent value and are now looking

back to the support technician, quickly and

at how to incorporate this functionality to

easily. It’s a simple matter of downloading

further their own service offering. Every

to identify problems before they occur.

an app (Android or iOS), entering a PIN

business has the same goal — to make

• Improved operating rates and efficien-

code to ensure security, then streaming the

the customer happy — so anything that

cies including elimination of unplanned

video back.

reduces support expense and facilitates a

downtime for SATO customers through

are running low on ribbon or labels. There

faster customer resolve represents a great Australia’s relative geographic isolation from

opportunity for field service businesses.

are benefits across the board: • 24-hour/365-day monitoring of printers

analysis of logged data.

• Reduced SATO service costs by understanding printer issues before sending in

the United States and Europe has created

service technicians.

a market of early adopters — we are keen

The IoT will change the face of field service

to look at how technology can be pushed

as we move further from a reactive approach

• Overall Xively helped SATO achieve its goal

further and how it can be used in alterna-

to proactive service scheduling and mainte-

of creating a truly interactive product that

tive ways. We find that our customers are

nance. At this stage, many companies still

allows for always-on customer service with

building use-cases on a daily basis, as they

struggle to see the inherent opportunity and

an automated feedback loop that improves

determine new ways to both implement

to understand how benefit will be derived,

Rescue Lens for productivity and service-

because the break/fix model is so prevalent

• Increased customer satisfaction with

level improvements and to make use of the

still. Think about how much easier a pay

user-configurable alerts for things like low

IoT in general.

TV technician’s life would be if he could

ribbon or other common errors.

service across the board.

see how the customer had connected their Fuji Xerox is a longstanding LogMeIn

set-top device without having to physically

We are at the beginning of exciting times

customer and is commencing a pilot of

go to the premises.

in terms of being able to improve customer satisfaction, attraction and retention. Com-

the Rescue Lens feature. The company supports customers across 14 countries in

We partnered with SATO to help deliver the

panies that will benefit most will be those

the Asia–Pacific region and, as with many

world’s first IoT label printer. While printers

that recognise these potential opportunities

service enterprises, historically worked under

are theoretically already ‘connected’, SATO

and develop new ways to utilise technology

a break/fix methodology. Implementing

wanted much more than the ability to send

to further their own offering.

w w w . t e c h n o l o g y d e c i s i o n s . c o m . a u

43

IT Conference Calendar Australian & New Zealand Search and Rescue Conference 2016 1 June (Gold Coast) Emergency services personnel, equipment suppliers and service providers will come together to challenge, demonstrate and encourage discussion on search and rescue issues. sar.anzdmc.com.au

DCD Converged Australia 2016 21 June (Melbourne) A one-day conference and expo that will cover important topics on IT and data centre strategy, as well as design and operations, cloud adoption and security. dcdconverged.com/conferences/ australia-2016

Comms Connect Sydney 2016 22-23 June (Sydney) Sydney’s annual conference and exhibition for everyone involved in business- and mission-critical radio and

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Design Thinking 2016 28–29 June (Sydney) Design Thinking 2016 is all about applying design-thinking principles to drive innovation, transformation and customer-centricity. It is suitable for HCD practitioners and heads of product and innovation. designthinkingaustralia.com.au

practical strategies and processes from a range of companies, government and institutions from around the world. kmaustralia.com

vForum Sydney 2016 9–10 November (Sydney) vForum 2016 is for infrastructure and data centre managers, desktop managers, directors, application managers and developers interested in virtualisation, cloud and mobility solutions. vmw.re/1SYaJE6

Technology in Government 2016 2–3 August (Canberra) This event brings together suppliers and users of ICT and emerging digital technologies, with a public sector-led conference, free seminar program and solutions-focused expo. acevents.com.au/techingov

Knowledge Management Australia 2016

Comms Connect Melbourne 2016 22–24 November (Melbourne) The number one meeting place for Australasia’s critical communications users and industry, with more than 80 expert speakers, 100 exhibitors and 1400 professional delegates. melbourne.comms-connect.com.au

2–4 August (Melbourne) A two-day congress featuring case studies,

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Sydney 22-23 June 2016 Sydney Showground Utilities

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follow us on

OFF THE

CUFF

E

The three Cs of customer care

very good customer care or-

virtually meaningless and have low in-

ganisation has the three Cs of

formational value for the customer. If

customer care at the heart of

you’re not applying context to your com-

its business. The three Cs are

munications with your customers, you’re

context, continuity and convenience. So

basically treating them as a number, not

how do they apply to your organisation

an individual.

and to your role as a customer service professional?

The second C is continuity and it’s a core requirement for effortless, seamless com-

The first C, context, provides the founda-

munications. Communications are virtu-

tion for communication and understand-

ally always a two-way chain of messaging,

ing. A message that is provided without

and a good customer service organisation

context is a message that is either without

uses context to provide continuity in its

meaning or is a message that is difficult to

customer communications. Communi-

extrapolate. Providing context to customer

cations that are without continuity and

messaging means knowing just about every

context get bogged down, and key details

relevant detail of the communicating par-

need repeating, leading to frustration on

ties’ messaging. It also means having access

the part of the customer and a lack of

to all the data necessary and relevant to

efficiency and understanding on the part

the customer experience.

of the customer service organisation.

This includes everything that has been

Overall, the ease with which a customer

collected during previous interactions

service organisation uses context and

with the customer. It also means mining

continuity acts as the benchmark that

things such as social media for data that

customers use when forming an opinion

is not immediately connected to the cus-

about the company. Using those two Cs

tomer but is relevant to the interaction.

paired together is an absolutely vital part

Finally, customer preferences for the way

of the customer service experience.

Kristen Pimpini is Managing Director of Aspect Software ANZ, which specialises in customer contact management and workforce optimisation.

communications should occur needs to be taken into consideration.

Finally, the third C is convenience.

Humans crave convenience in everything

Vendor relationship management, or

they do, and it’s an everyday goal.

VRM, also feeds into this. VRM is where customers take control of communications,

In customer service, knowing the context

manage their data and other preferences

of a particular customer’s circumstances

and have their own terms and conditions

and then applying that knowledge to

for doing business with vendors.

achieve continuity will naturally result in an ease of doing business — and those

46

Customer service communications that

three things should be the ultimate goal

lack context lead to messages that are

of every organisation today.

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47

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