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Christine Cheminay: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Solution For Supply Chain Resilience

From the semiconductor crisis to a global pandemic and now the Russia-Ukraine war, the automotive industry has struggled with supply chain challenges because of global volatility. We speak to Christine Cheminay, Director of Global Purchasing Battery Systems at Webasto Group on the supply chain challenges facing the automotive industry, sustainability, and women in leadership.  

 

Global developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the recent Russia-Ukraine war, have a ripple effect across industries. What are some supply chain challenges facing the automotive industry right now?

It is a very volatile situation and indeed, while we start from COVID-19, let’s also not forget about the semiconductor crisis. We have been facing a shortage of chips for almost two years and are chasing electronic components on a daily basis.  with COVID-19, the effect was increased because, in that period, modern consumer products got a stronger focus while automotive volumes went down. As now both industries want to be on a high level, we face a shortage and price increase.

We see the same effect on energy and logistics for the past year. Plus, the raw material prices have increased and now there is war in Ukraine where we have partners and suppliers that we need in our chain.

What it led to is a need for us to be fast in creating a task force and implementing it in our daily business, to have daily check routines, resilient people, and reliable supply chain tools. This is a challenge.

It is putting a lot of pressure on people. COVID-19 brings a lot of mental challenges. Not for everyone, but there are people who are tired, lonely, and stressed – overall overwhelmed by this situation, and we should not forget this in the daily run of activities.

I think that tension must be in the daily focus of leaders in a company – to think about how we care about our people. Where can we support them and how can we create balance?

And it is not only about big steps. I think we need to watch the small steps and small support for our people. It is an attitude of how we approach our people to get into a positive mindset based on our values, our culture.

But of course, the longer these struggles last, the more exhausting it is for everybody. So that’s why we cannot just rely on being friendly to each other or doing an activity together. We must really think about how to implement an environment that is supporting the challenges of the market.

 

How can businesses ensure supply chain resilience amid disruptions due to global crises?

That’s interesting because we’ve talked about resilience for almost two years now. We started with COVID-19, and now companies who can be resilient have already implemented plans.

But in an individual business-related situation, we need to look at what resilience really means. For purchasing, it can mean different sourcing behavior (e.g. multiple-sourcing instead of single sourcing). Or can we change to a different material or technology?

For me, a one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t exist.

I really believe that sometimes we need to be creative or change the demand. And that cannot be implemented from just one function. It always has to be a cross-functional activity in a business environment.

For example, if I have a certain chip on a battery management system that I foreseeably cannot get on the market, the team of purchasing, R&D, validation, and sales need to find a solution together.  

And what I also believe is that, to some extent, we need to accept that there are disruptions. I do not see an end for the moment. Rather than just accepting the situation, we prepare and support our people in the best way. We need to understand which people are not coping well with this pressure and guide them as leaders.

 
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What do you think are the main obstacles organizations in the supply chain and automotive industries face with improving their ESG initiatives?

It’s kind of an additional focus that we have seen for a while. I really trust, especially in automotive, that we are already good to some extent. But what I see is that we have to decide on the right tools and define the right measures for baselines and targets. If you have that, you can always define a strategy and ensure that it fits to the business.

Sustainability has a price tag, and I think as a society, we must be honest about that. I think sustainability won’t be possible by just doing things differently. I think we also need a change in our approach and how we measure our business, our sustainability.

Let us compare it to personal behavior. If you are truly convinced that it’s better to buy local products, you will change your behavior.

Coming back to business, the whole supply chain is responsible. For me, there is a big chance now to take a holistic approach to how we, as a society, want to treat the environment, the world, and what are the consequences. How do we ensure that what we intend to do is happening on every level of the chain?

In this matter, digitalization and data solutions are key aspects as well. I don’t think any of this is possible without that.

 

Though the number of women in leadership positions has increased overall, the automotive industry appears to be lagging in this respect. Why is this and how can organizations within the automotive industry attract more female talent into this field?

For me honestly, that’s still a big-ticket for the many industries, institutions, and governments. And for me it is not about gender only. The key is gender and diversity.

Sometimes I also do see some light. We see more women in leadership now; we see more diversity. I think this is the most valuable approach a company can take. If we have one cultural background and one dominant gender in a company, this cannot bring an organization to another level. Yes, I believe gender and diversity causes more friction and it is more exhausting, but I truly trust this brings businesses forward.  Therefore, we have to incorporate this approach in how we set up teams and organizations.

To encourage more female or diverse team members, I think role modeling and mentoring are important. Plus different working models like shared leadership. It is not simple, but I trust it is possible.

I also think being flexible is important for example when it comes to mobile offices. Are we forcing people back to office?  Are we going back to the Stone Age? I think there’s room for flexibility and improvement.

Also, social acceptance that women are working and having a family is important. . This is a mindset and I think it is something we can just continuously work on.

Still, I have to say, I do like the quota. At one point in time, hopefully we will not need it anymore. But for the time being, we don’t see enough success and quota is the lever to drive implementation.

There is room for changing minds, but we must have the courage to trust that change is healthy. Of course, that’s not to say we don’t have to work hard. We know this is a competitive market and we cannot be happy all the time.  We have to be creative and innovative. We have to push and find new solutions, and work hard and smart. But we also have to balance it out with an environment that allows and ensures open mindedness, while driving a culture where diversity is a given.

*The answers have been edited for length and clarity.   

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Legacy IT System Modernization: Benefits & Barriers

A key challenge facing IT leaders in the fast-changing digital landscape is the constraints of legacy systems which limit business agility. These old systems are becoming increasingly difficult to change and no longer provide efficient support to growing business activities.  

However, the continuing process of transforming legacy IT systems is no easy task. As of 2020, 78% of companies are still reliant on outdated business critical systems, though many have started modernization efforts. About 33% are depending on legacy technology for overall systems.  

 

The Benefits of Legacy Modernization

 

Legacy modernization isn’t just about updating IT systems with the latest technological tools. Instead, it is a critical component that has helped accelerate digital transformation efforts by reducing network complexity and cost, enabling cross-platform collaboration, and optimizing process flexibility.  

 

Cost Reduction

 

The main benefit of modernization is cost reduction. Cleo reports that organizations lose about USD $1 million in total annual revenue due to legacy technology and applications. The lack of interoperability inherent in legacy systems hinders digital transformation and incurs additional costs to businesses when new technology is introduced into a non-homogenous IT architecture, creating lost opportunities.

Beyond that, legacy systems are also expensive to maintain the older they get, costing businesses up to 15% each year for just maintenance. OverOps estimates that poor quality in legacy systems cost businesses in the US about $520 in 2020. Similarly, the shrinking pool of skills and knowledge required to operate and service legacy systems will end up costing companies more in the long run as these skills become more expensive. 

Another major cost of legacy systems is technical debt – the cost incurred by reworking legacy systems due to the implementation of limited short-term solutions over effective strategies that do better in the long run.  

Overhauling legacy systems can be a complex and costly decision. However, the longer decision makers wait to implement transformative solutions, the higher the technical debt. This debt also includes the potential revenue a business loses due to the inability to stay competitive in a fast-changing market.  

Modernizing IT systems will significantly reduce these costs, saving organizations millions each year that could otherwise be channeled into other valuable endeavors.  

 

Better Mitigation of Security Risks

 

Generally, legacy systems are more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Over time, the security capabilities of legacy IT systems become outdated. The network may no longer have the necessary technology to deter modern attacks, making them an easy target for bad actors.  

This poses a significant business risk and additional cost for businesses. IBM’s Cost of Data Breach Report estimates that the average cost of a data breach in 2021 is $4.25 million, the highest it has been since 2015. 

Check Point Software found that state and local governments in the US experience a 102% increase in cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the first half of 2021. Many of these were running on legacy systems. 

Moreover, the volatile global conflicts – such as the Russia-Ukraine war – also has a ripple effect on cybersecurity, with US-based cybersecurity agencies observing an 800% increase in cyberattacks in the the two days following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

This makes the case for legacy modernization, which would enable organizations to shore up against more sophisticated cyber threats.

 

Increased Competitive Advantage

 

Another clear benefit of updating legacy systems is that a more integrated network makes businesses more agile and scalable. These are both important traits for any organization that wants to stay competitive.  

An agile and flexible business is better able to react and change to the environment and market demands. It is also better able to serve its employees by optimizing processes to increase productivity while also serving customers more efficiently.  

Modernized systems also free up valuable IT resources that would otherwise be occupied with putting out fires within the legacy system that is no longer supported by third-party vendors.  

Without the need to constantly babysit legacy systems, IT teams can focus on tasks that will drive the business forward such as exploring advanced technology and innovative transformation ideas to serve shifting demands.

 

Barriers to Modernization

 

Though the IT leaders are focused on legacy modernization, Cleo found that the 2021 Advanced Mainframe Report notes that 74% of organizations fail to complete these projects. The report suggested that part of the reason for this is that organizations have underestimated the complexity of the processes involved, especially as they were rushed into it due to the pandemic.

Breaking it down further, Levvel’s Legacy Modernization Report states the lack of buy-in from key decision makers in an organization is major factor, with 45% of leaders saying that a main barrier to modernization is it is a low priority compared to other initiatives.  

Another 37% said that it is because the business and IT sides of the organization are not aligned while 31% feel that there is no clear return of investment (ROI) to legacy modernization.  

Our Executive Trend Survey supports these findings, with 53.4% of IT leaders noting that the biggest internal challenge they face with tech adoption is integration with legacy systems. The incompatibility of aging IT systems creates a mounting technical debt that would only make legacy modernization even tougher task than it already is. 

In line with that, modernization efforts require careful planning to ensure that legacy IT systems are modernized in the most efficient ways possible, using the best tools and without compromising key business functions. In fact, 38% of IT leaders blamed the failure of their organization’s legacy modernization projects on a lack of planning.

 

Managing Legacy Modernization

 

Replacing or upgrading an entire IT system is a complicated process, especially when business critical systems are involved. However, there are certain strategies IT leaders are keeping in mind when tackling this mammoth task.  

Approaching legacy systems modernization with a holistic mindset is key and requires buy-in from decision makers as well as team members. After all, Levvel notes that the primary resistors to modernization are business-critical leaders (26%), executives (24%), and IT teams (20%).  

One way to encourage buy-in is by setting a clear plan and defined ROI based on frank discussion with all levels of the organization about where transformation is most needed and how it can serve them.  

Each organization will have to carefully study its current IT systems to decide across all levels where modernization will have the best impact on revenue, market share, customer experience, security, productivity and other business metrics.  

It is up to IT leaders to lead the way for legacy modernization that is cost-effective and as streamlined as possible. How would you do it?

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Günther Ghijsels: How Randstad Adapted to the Hybrid Work Environment

Going from fully office-based to fully remote and now a hybrid work model, organizations and employees alike are faced with a lot of change in such a short period of time. We speak to Günther Ghijsels, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Randstad Group Belgium, on the evolution of work culture, effective leadership in a hybrid environment, and the importance of adaptive change management.  

 

What do you think effective leadership looks like in a hybrid work environment?

I think as a leader, there’s a huge shift that you also need to make in this new world. What I see happening now is that it’s becoming much more difficult to get everybody aligned and keep working on the same vision, and realizing the strategies that you have been setting out. So, you need to try to really connect the people to what you’re doing. Whilst in the past, you’re connecting physically with people – you’re having a chat, or you’re having a presentation – it’s much harder to get into the real connection with people virtually. It’s a question of how you organize the connection between you and the people that you’re leading. 

Building the connection with what you’re doing as a company, that you know what’s on the mind of the people so that you still can have the connection as you had before. It’s having kind of the same thing that we did unconsciously in the past. You need to do it now consciously in the hybrid world. 

You need to adapt as a leader. You need to serve them in the way they want to be served because you’re in a world of a scarcity of talent. We are in a world where people need to be completely comfortable in what they’re doing. You need to be there for them one way or the other. It’s not them that need to adapt, it’s you that need to adapt as a leader. 

 

How would a leader balance that with some people preferring to work from home and some preferring to work in the office?

That’s exactly the hybrid model. We have clear rules on how much time you can spend at home and how much time you’re supposed to be in the office, but everybody’s free to come when they want to come to the office. So, you don’t have the whole team at the same time in the office anymore and that’s, from my point of view, the most difficult thing.  

Make sure that you involve everybody in the discussion, that you involve everybody in the meetings, gets his moment of taking part in the discussion that you’re having. You need to facilitate this kind of stuff.  

 

How do you think the pandemic has redefined work culture and what should organizations focus on?

From my point of view, the culture is you need to trust people. Even before, you needed to trust people, but today it’s even more. You need to trust people because you don’t see people anymore. You don’t know what they’re doing, if they’re working, when they’re working. So, you need to build a lot of trust with people. It always comes down to having clear expectations, to having open conversations about what you expect from people.  

Also, you need to really make sure that you create a good feeling with the people that are working for you, and that they know why they are working for you. You need to spend much more time to really keep people connected to what you’re doing. Because if it is all virtual and there’s no connection to the company, why shouldn’t they work for another company in a totally other country or city? So, culture is becoming much more important to connect people to you. So how can you make sure that the values that you have as a company are also transferred to them in the virtual way.  

Trust is one thing. It’s also transparency, it’s keeping the feedback open. And I really believe that there shouldn’t be a difference between the virtual world and the physical world on how you work together. 

 

What are the challenges that organizations face with change management during the digital transformation process?

I think it’s discussing the why. And if you are clear on the why, then you get people along with you on the journey that you’re in. I’m always struck by the fact that people in their personal lives, things are changing very fast. They have their own clear expectations of what is going on, and what they are doing. But when you’re changing something about the way of working in the company, that’s always a huge change to people. You need to give them the same kind of eagerness for the change as you do in your personal life.  

You will not get everybody along. That’s also something that you need to be aware of. It’s not that you have everyone looking for a change. I think you need to try to really make clear what’s in it for them and use the same arguments as they would use within their personal life on the change that you’re doing in their professional life.  

 

What about some other challenges leaders face when trying to figure out change management during the digital transformation?

You need to adapt the way you’re doing things to the new environments that we are in. The change management practices need to change, in that sense. How you do it practically, how you support these kinds of things, you also need to change them, and you need to try to align it with the way that you’re working at the moment. For the people that are doing and bringing the change, it’s also a new way of working that you need to bring in place. As a leader, you need to facilitate this. Why are we doing things in another way? It’s not just because it’s different or it’s better. No, it’s aligned with the expectation of the people. 

 
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How can organizations use digital tools to spearhead change management efforts or strategies?

There are a lot of digital means now that you can use to really track and trace what you’re doing, and how far you’re going.  

If you’re introducing some new things in your organization, don’t forget from the start to also include the whole project measurements, to make sure that you measure the change and not only the business idea that you’re realizing. Because we tend to measure the results of things, but we also should try to measure the change rates that we are achieving. So how far are we in the change? There are always a number of KPIs that you can try to find out how far are you in the change. How do you measure that? If it’s about an application, for example, that you newly tried to introduce, how do you measure that people are really using all the functionalities that you have been introducing, and are they using it well? And if they are not using it well, how do you make sure that people who are using it try to influence other people? Do you see the connection between the people that are using it very well and people who are not using it?   

There’s a lot of social information available that you also need to use within your change environment. And that’s kind of new to us as a company as well. So how can we really try to use this kind of information to really steer learning? The aim is to get people comfortable with what they are doing and how can you facilitate this.  

By giving these kinds of small learning snacks to people, it’s also less overwhelming than before when people were just stuck in a meeting room or in a training for half a day. Now you can measure what people are doing and you can see where they have problems and where they don’t have problems. There’s a lot of information. Use data to also facilitate the whole change that you need to go through. 

 

How has Randstad’s approach to change management evolved in the last few years?

Yeah, it certainly has evolved. I just gave a number of examples that we are dealing with. We are trying to use data. That’s really the biggest step that we have been taking which we really need to dig into. People need to trust the data because the data tells you a lot of things, but people are kind of a little bit afraid of just using the data that we have and relying on all the data that we have. You need to build up the trust, you need to build up the process, and you need to become better and better at what you’re doing. And you need to become better and better at defining what are the right KPIs that you need to measure to change the behavior of the people because that’s what you’re doing within change management. 

 

You mentioned earlier that knowing what to do with the data and being able to use it properly are two different things, right? So how do you go about figuring that out?

It’s by experimenting. We tried to adapt to a very agile approach. Because you might draw a number of conclusions out of the data and define a number of actions, but you also need to measure the effect of those kinds of actions. You need to accept as a leader that some things don’t work, and you need to say, “Okay, this doesn’t work. Let’s try something else.”  

We had everybody working from home and at one moment in time, we came into a hybrid situation. The things that we were doing during the full lockdown and full working from home period didn’t work anymore in the hybrid world. You also need to adapt and really make sure that you measure all the things that you’re doing, and adapt the way you’re trying to implement change in your organization.  

 

How has the talent pool and talent requirement changed in recent years?

It’s changed a lot because you’re now in an environment where everybody’s fighting for talents. Everybody’s talking about the war for talent, but there is no war. The talent has won the war.  

So how do you create an environment where people are willing to work for you? That’s different for all kinds of people. You might be attracted by having a very nice work environment and having the latest tools available. For some other people, it’s about more of the purpose. So, what’s your unique selling proposition to the talent? You need to sell your company. It’s not the talent that sells himself to the company. It’s the company selling itself to the talent, and I think that’s a huge shift that we have been making over the last years.  

What I see is that with the younger people that are entering into our environment now, they have totally other needs than the older people that are in our company. So how do you, as a company, organize yourself to work with the different generations that have different needs? And how do you make sure that you have the connection between all those people? Because there are different mindsets, different ways of working, different ways of thinking. How do you make sure that you built those into one environment? Because the fast change that all the young people are used to is not always the fast change that the other people want in the organization. So, you need to balance between both, and you need to try to create an understanding between both worlds.  

*The answers have been edited for length and clarity.    

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Carl-Magnus Norden: From Idea to Global Business in Just 6 Years

The journey from an idea to a company that is growing at an industry-leading pace is not easy. However, several business examples show how it can be done, including Volta Trucks which manufactures and provides service for zero-emissions commercial trucks. 

Founder Carl-Magnus Norden started investigating the concept behind the Volta Trucks in 2016 and is now on track to go public with the company in 2023. He takes us through this journey and shares his strategy for the organization’s success on the future of electric vehicles.  

 

Identifying and Addressing Problems

 

Volta Trucks’ approach is to provide Trucks as a Service (TaaS), an innovation to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions commercial trucks and reduce customer complexity and risk. 

 
 

The growing appeal of electric vehicles (EVs) indicated that the market is ripe for such an innovation. Wanting to address three main issues of climate change, road safety, and driver shortage that is sweeping Europe and the United States, Norden came up with the idea for Volta Trucks.  

Norden emphasized the importance of listening to Volta Truck’s potential customers to identify the issues and the best ways to address them – which is the core of the company’s strategy right from the beginning. 

He said, “When you start a venture like we have done, I think It’s very important, number one, like we have done from day one, to talk to the customers, listen to their problems.” 

Norden recounted his discussions with Transport for London which illuminated the scale of the road safety issue that the city was facing. According to Transport for London, while only 4% of traffic in the city are trucks, they are involved in 78% of all fatal accidents with bikers and about 26% with pedestrians. This is a major issue that requires an effective and innovative solution which Volta Trucks wants to address. 

As for the driver shortage issue, Volta Trucks focused on the truck design itself using a “driver-centric” approach. A standard diesel truck is built in such a way that drivers are sat quite high up in the cab. Climbing in and out of a commercial truck over 20 times per day can be frustrating for many drivers, leading to them simply jumping out of the cab instead, Mr. Norden found. This results in many of them developing issues with their knees, hips, and joints.  

They are also sat on one side of the cab, meaning that they can only exit the truck on one side, which may pose safety risks when coming out on the side of traffic, creating blind spots. It also poses a risk for other road users.  

 
 

Coming with a “driver-centric” approach, the design by Volta Trucks starts with an electric drive train as a base, with the motor on the rear axle and the battery housed within the ladder frame. This allowed for full freedom to create a cab design that optimized for driver comfort and safety.  

Design features also include much bigger windows to minimize blind spots; a center seat for the driver allowing for exits on either side and 220-degree vision; and sliding doors to avoid risks to oncoming traffic.

 

Sharp Focus is the Key to Success

 

The key to Volta Trucks’ success in going from an idea to a global business was a sharp focus on its mission, according to Norden. 

One example of this sharp focus is Volta Trucks scope of producing only electric trucks. This means they only have one drive train technology to master, enabling the company to develop at a pace that many incumbents or existing marketplaces cannot.  

They also only manufacture mid-duty trucks at between 7.5 to 18 tons, leaving out long-haul trucks or small delivery vans. Further, Volta Trucks only offers two cargo box types: refrigerated and ambient. Their market research shows that this opens them up to at least 60% of the biggest cities in Europe. 

This level of focus led Volta Trucks to narrow its focus on city distribution with depots placed in the outskirts of cities, thus allowing Volta Trucks’ zero-emissions vehicles to go around the city making deliveries all day and come back to the depot in the evening.  

“The beauty of that is that they are stationary in the night. More or less, we know how long they are driving, and we can do the charging infrastructure around it. We don’t have to rely on public charging infrastructure. We install it at the depots,” Norden explained.  

To date, Volta Trucks have procured a location for a service center in Paris, with plans to open more centers in London and Madrid. They are setting up wide-reaching capabilities around maintenance services, charging infrastructure as well as finance and fleet management.  

 

From Big Idea to Big Business

 

In the passenger car market, Tesla has 75% of the market share in EVs in the US – with the remaining 25% being other major car manufacturers like Volkswagen and Mercedes. In the commercial vehicle world, Volta Trucks is making waves and growing rapidly.  

Norden attributed the company’s ability to outpace its competition because it started entirely from scratch. Volta Trucks created the opportunity for itself to not only come up with an innovative product but the services around it as well.  

Importantly, the company is not limited by legacy designs or organization. They are not held back by legacy business models. This allows Volta Trucks to start with a clean sheet and construct a business model, organization, and systems that are adaptable and tailor-made to its use case.  

 
 

“When it comes to strategy, …we tried to have a very simple and clear strategy. We have reimagined the urban truck, we are moving at speed and scale, and focus on sustainability and safety,” Norden noted.  

Volta Trucks is not a research project. Instead, it has jumped straight in with the intention to hit the market at volume with its product as soon as possible by leveraging proven, market-ready technology. They “look for people that know their business”. This strategy is applied across Volta Trucks’ supply chain.

For example, Norden worked with US-based Proterra for its batteries as the company has over a decade of experience working with electric buses and major commercial vehicles. For the motor and E-axle, Volta Trucks partnered with Meritor, one of the biggest axle manufacturers in the world.

Even in manufacturing, they have partnered with the existing manufacturing site for MAN Truck & Bus. As MAN ramps down, Volta Trucks is ramping up, allowing for plenty of room to expand.

Norden stressed: “You have to work very closely with all your stakeholders, I would say, and that has been our attitude from the beginning.”

“With the whole ecosystem, we have to work together. So in our case, we will have been talking to customers from day one, getting their input about design and other things. The same thing with our supply chain.”

“There is a lot of good developments out there. But we need to do it together.”

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How Does Good Employee Engagement Guarantee Organizational Success?

With the “Great Resignation” taking root as employees feel more dissatisfied with poor work-life balance, uninspiring jobs, and difficult managers, organizations are compelled to pay attention.  

Globally, employee engagement has been low for the past 20 years, with employees’ intent to stay in their jobs hovering just above 30% according to Gartner’s Global Talent Monitor. Worse still, discretionary effort – going above and beyond the call of duty at work – has been on a steady decline, registering just 15% in 2019.  

Unsurprisingly, employee engagement has taken a front seat in the strategic considerations of talent management leaders. However, even though about 90% of executives understand how important this is to an organization’s success, less than 50% know how to properly address the challenge. Especially in today’s technologically saturated workplace, ensuring employees are engaged can be a difficult and complex task.  

 
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What is Employee Engagement?

 

In order to address employee engagement, HR leaders must understand how it differs from employee satisfaction. The latter deals with the happiness of employees in their jobs which may have nothing to do with their sense of motivation, involvement, or emotional commitment to the organization. 

The engagement metric takes a deeper look at employees, specifically their level of involvement and enthusiasm for work and at the workplace, says Gallup. This is a measure of how actively employees are involved with their work or if they are simply going through the motions of daily tasks.  

Similarly, Gartner defines employee engagement as the measure of individual employee alignment with the organization and their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty to achieve organizational goals.  

 

The Impact of a Highly Engaged Workforce

 

Employee engagement is a key driver of performance, making it a crucial piece of the puzzle to organizational success.  

Notably, People Element’s 2022 Engagement Report highlighted that companies with highly engaged employees show 81% less absenteeism and 43% lower turnover rates. Additionally, those companies also saw a 14% improvement in productivity, 18% increase in sales, and 23% increase in profits. The factor most affected was employee well-being which show a 66% improvement when employees are highly engaged. 

Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report further reconfirms the data, showing that low employee engagement can cost companies up to $550 billion each year in the US. Additionally, the impact is seen on the business side as Gallup reported that higher engagement led to a 10% increase in customer loyalty as well as a 64% decrease in safety incidents. 

 

Employee Engagement Markers 

 

With that in mind, CHROs who are seeking to measure the level of engagement in their teams are facing the challenge of gauging human behaviors and perceptions which are incredibly complex.  

CHROs and human resource leaders must consider a myriad of factors that contribute to an overall view of each person’s engagement levels within an organization. Generally, this is measured via an employee survey that is done regularly at all levels of an organization.  

Existing measurement frameworks for employee engagement – such as by Gartner, Gallup, and People Elements – suggest several important markers that should be considered.  

The first of these has to do with an employee’s understanding of their job as well as whether they receive adequate training, tools, and resources to perform their work well. Another relevant factor is whether employees feel that their work is important and connected to the organization’s overall mission. Employees that feel supported and valued tend to perform better.  

Next, engagement increases if employees feel that they have a good relationship with their managers, they feel they are supported, and that management is invested in their professional growth and development.  

Another core marker for engagement is an individual’s perception of senior leadership. Specifically, whether they believe the senior leaders are moving the organization towards a better future. Following that, it is also important to know if an individual feels that their own values align with those of the company. Employees who feel this alignment tend to perform better in their jobs.  

As Chief People Officer at Anyfin, Amanda Pusa Edwall notes: “I have found both personally, but also from my job with HR that one of the most difficult things is when a candidate’s core values don’t align with the company. I think when that happens, it’s almost impossible to do a good job.” 

Work conditions are another important driver of employee engagement. Particularly, it is crucial to find out if employees feel there is an effective feedback loop with their team managers, that everyone else on the team is equally committed, and that they receive adequate compensation and benefits. Also important is that employees feel that they have a work-life balance. 

While Gartner suggests annual or biannual surveys to measure employee engagement, they note that many in HR feel that more frequent insights may be necessary and will utilize real-time analytics for this.  

 

Analyzing HR and Business Metrics Together 

 

Correlating employee engagement with other HR metrics such as performance ratings, attrition, turnover rates, and more will give organizations a better view of how engaged their workforce is. Leaders can then take proactive measures to address any issues or underlying causes of low engagement on a granular level.  

Additionally, the measure of workforce engagement serves as part of a larger framework for measuring organizational performance. When tracked regularly, the data can help managers and business leaders make better decisions overall to improve their business metrics. 

A clear example of this at work is when American retailer Best Buy calculated that an increase in employee engagement of just 0.01% is worth US$100,000, according to a Harvard Business Review study. This underlines how important it is for organizations to have effective strategies in place to create a better work culture that matches their employees’ expectations, thus improving employee engagement. 

High employee engagement has been shown to reduce turnover, increase productivity, create better work and customer relationships, and ultimately have a positive impact on the company’s bottom line. It is up to HR leaders to come up with a strategy for employee engagement that best suits the needs of their organization and teams. What is your approach? 

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Challenges and Benefits of Cybersecurity Mesh

The idea of a cybersecurity mesh as the way forward in this evolving digital landscape isn’t new. In fact, several security providers have been providing comprehensive and consolidated security solutions over the last few years based on the cybersecurity mesh approach including the Fortinet Security Fabric, Checkpoint Security Infinity, and Arhamsoft. 

However, the concept gained traction when Gartner tagged it as a top strategic technology trend in 2022. The firm noted that the rapid evolution and sophistication of cyberattacks in tandem with organizations migrating to hybrid multicloud systems creates a “perfect storm” of security risk that needs to be addressed. 

 

What is Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture?

As described by the firm, a Cybersecurity Mesh Artchitecture (CSMA) is a “composable and scalable approach to extending security controls, even to widely distributed assets”. This approach is said to be incredibly suitable for modular networks that are consistent with hybrid multi-cloud architectures. 

In traditional cybersecurity approaches, security controls are typically implemented at the network perimeter or within specific devices or applications. However, as organizations and their digital ecosystems become more complex and distributed, this perimeter-centric approach becomes less effective.

Cybersecurity mesh takes a more adaptive and dynamic approach. It envisions a security framework where security controls are woven into every aspect of the digital environment, forming a “mesh” of interconnected security services and capabilities. This approach allows for more granular and context-aware security, enabling protection at various layers, from individual devices and endpoints to applications and data.

Key features and principles of cybersecurity mesh architecture include:

  • Distributed and pervasive security: Security controls are distributed across multiple components and devices, extending protection beyond the traditional perimeter.
  • Identity-centric security: The focus is on securing individual identities and devices, rather than just protecting the network as a whole. This approach helps mitigate risks associated with unauthorized access and compromised credentials.
  • Dynamic and adaptive security: The mesh adapts to the changing security landscape and evolving threats, adjusting security controls based on real-time risk assessments and contextual information.
  • Scalability and flexibility: The cybersecurity mesh architecture allows for scalable deployment and integration of various security solutions, accommodating the diverse needs of modern digital environments.
  • Interoperability: Cybersecurity mesh promotes interoperability between different security technologies and services, enabling seamless communication and collaboration between them.

By adopting this cyber mesh architecture, organizations can achieve a more resilient and responsive security posture. It helps address the challenges posed by distributed architectures, cloud services, IoT devices, and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats.

 

Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture: Overview 

Source: Gartner Top Strategic Security Trends for 2022 – Cybersecurity Mesh

In essence, each tool in the IT infrastructure within the CSMA operates as a cog in a greater machine. The framework proposed by Gartner is based on four layers: 

  1. Security analysis and intelligence: which analyses past cybersecurity attacks, as well as data and lessons from other tools, to inform future trigger responses and actions 
  1. Distributed identity fabric: a decentralization of identity management, identity proofing and entitlement management, creating an environment of adaptive access 
  1. Consolidated policy and posture management: the ability to translate central policy into native configuration of each individual security tool 
  1. Consolidated dashboards: offering a holistic view of the entire security ecosystem 

The CSMA framework appears to offer significant benefits over the traditional IT security model. 

 

BENEFITS OF CYBERSECURITY MESH

 

Fortinet highlights the benefits of cybersecurity mesh, emphasizing that CSMA is poised to help organizations transition from obsolete legacy security systems to an integrated cybersecurity approach. This integration is vital as it enhances security, promotes operability among different security tools, and fosters agility.

This novel approach offers several crucial benefits, according to cybersecurity providers. 

 

Responsive Security 

 

The intelligent security design of a CSMA increases the agility and resilience of an organization’s security setup. With security tools working together on the same standards of zero trust, this approach ensures that an organization’s network receives the best real-time defense against known and evolving threats.  

A cybersecurity mesh is better able to handle more IAM (identity access management) requests, allowing for more mobile, adaptive, and unified access management. This means an organization will have a more reliable approach to managing access and control of its digital assets that is more spread out now than ever before. 

Source: IBM Cost of Data Breach Report 2021

This is especially significant as IBM reported that companies with a workforce that is more than 50% remote took 58 days longer to identify and contain breaches than those with less than 50% remote employees.  

 

Improved collaboration 

 

CSMA extends security across the entire organizational network while allowing IT departments to secure all systems and access points with a single set of interoperating tools and technologies.  

With the shift towards hybrid cloud solutions and remote work, organizations are making efforts to not only integrate third-party applications and services but also to ensure that those technologies are appropriately secure. 

This setup also improved the speed and efficacy of threat detection, and consequently response and prevention strategies as well. The information gathered by each security tool can be leveraged within the ecosystem to quickly address each security threat that may crop up. 

 

Flexibility and Scalability 

 

A key feature of CSMA is its distributed nature, creating individual security perimeters around each access point within an entire network and ecosystem. What this allows is deep visibility of the network edges, ensuring that all areas are protected in equal measure.  

The flexibility that this creates in a security system also gives organizations more agility to build new IT infrastructure and introduce new solutions as needed without compromising protection. An IT department is better able to keep up with the evolution of expanding and distributed IT infrastructure within the CSMA. 

 

Redefined cybersecurity perimeter 

 

Switching from the traditional “walled city” approach of cybersecurity where a perimeter is set up around the network may have been effective when it was first introduced. However, now that applications, data, devices, and users are operating outside of the traditional data centers and offices, CSMA becomes vital. 

The redefined cybersecurity perimeter that is key in the CSMA reduces the time taken to deploy security measures and responses as it offers a distributed identity fabric that establishes trusted access at each entry point into the network.  

On that note, CSMA is also expected to reduce insider threat incidents according to Gartner. These include credential thefts and attacks by malicious insiders which can cost organizations about $15.38 million per incident.  

Source: 2022 Cost of Insider Threats Global Report

There has been an increase in the frequency of insider threats from 60% in 2020 to 67% in 2022, in part due to the dramatic shift to remote and hybrid working as well as the “Great Resignation”. People are leaving organizations but still have access to critical data, systems, and infrastructure within the organization – this creates more vulnerabilities. 

The CSMA approach of building new perimeters and layered defenses around each device and network access point could make all the difference in mitigating this issue.  

 

Simplified Deployment and Management 

 

The agility of a CSMA also benefits organizations by making it easier and quicker for security teams to deploy and configure new solutions. Gartner’s proposed consolidated dashboard, which makes up one of the layers of CSMA, would enable organizations to better adapt their security structure to meet evolving business and security needs.  

An integrated security architecture would remove the need for security teams to switch between and operate various tools, which takes up precious time. Instead, it frees them up to focus on deploying and configuring solutions and frees them up for other critical security tasks, thereby improving efficiency overall. 

 

Challenges of CSMA 

 

While the benefits are many, totally overhauling the approach to security can pose several challenges. 

Some key challenges include:  

Ensuring proper training and support 

This is a relatively new framework and implementing it requires a significant change in the mindset. Organizations that want to build a CSMA will have to make significant investments in ensuring that their IT personnel are prepared and well supported during the transition.  

Ensuring secure and simple identity-based system 

A key aspect of CSMA, as mentioned before, is the newly defined security perimeter. Organizations will have to ensure that users are able to securely and easily access the network without it being a distraction that would lead to reduced productivity.  

Difficult and costly to apply to an existing ecosystem 

The CSMA would be much easier to incorporate during the planning stage of a security ecosystem, conducting discussions and reviews of security procedures with cloud and platform providers. Organizations that are looking to make this shift with an existing ecosystem may find it more challenging to do so. 

Cybersecurity mesh is at the core of zero trust philosophy. This shift in mindset required to make the shift could pose a significant hurdle, not to mention the cost that it might incur to implement a system based on this approach. 

Though the CSMA seems to bring with it many benefits, the challenges of making such a major shift in the security framework remain. Despite that, will CISOs and security leaders make the leap? 

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Anton Frisk Kockum: The Impact of Quantum Computing Advancements May Be Felt Across Many Industries 

Quantum computing technology could offer enterprises a way to optimize their systems and handle challenges in ways that are beyond the reach of classic computing models.  

We speak to Anton Frisk Kockum, researcher and Scientific Coordinator of the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT) at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden about the state of quantum computing research, the challenges and potential benefits of the technology, as well as how quantum computing is already changing the digital landscape.  

 

In 2019, WAQCT achieved the desired performance with a two-qubit processor. The core project goal, of course, is to create a one hundred qubit processor that can run one algorithm. How do you get there? And how far along is the project?

The performance of the two-qubit processor was good, and that allowed us to run a quantum algorithm for a simple instance of a logistics problem in the airline industry. But we always desire the performance to be better. As we scale up towards a hundred qubits, we not only need to maintain the good properties of the two-qubit device (for example, how few errors it experienced), we need to improve on them. It’s no use having many qubits if they aren’t of good quality. This is important to remember when seeing announcements about qubit numbers from any player in this field.  

We have a plan for gradually scaling up to a hundred qubits with really good quality. Along the way, there are a number of scaling hurdles. For example, when you have more than a handful qubits, you need to automate tune-up and calibration of them. When you have more than twenty or so qubits, you can no longer control them well individually on a 2D chip but need to implement a 3D structure to house the control wires needed to control each qubit. With even more qubits, you need more customized electronics to control them all and you need to avoid overheating the advanced fridge housing them at millikelvin temperatures. 

We are on track in our ten-year plan and are currently testing a first-generation 25-qubit device with 3D integration. We have recently shown that we can do such 3D integration with fewer qubits without degrading their quality.  

 

What are some of the biggest challenges in quantum technology research now? How do you propose to address them?

For quantum computing, I see two main challenges: scaling up the size of the quantum computers (while also improving qubit quality) and figuring out at what scale these computers can run quantum algorithms that provide useful results. I described some of the scaling hurdles above, but there are more of them as you go up beyond a thousand qubits, towards millions. For algorithms, it is still unclear how small and noisy quantum computers can be and still have an advantage over classical computers in solving some useful problems.   

We know that there are advantages to be had with millions of high-quality qubits, and we know that quantum computers already today can run some programs which classical computers cannot emulate efficiently, but these programs are not yet useful. Figuring out where the boundary of useful quantum computing lies is thus essential.  

In WACQT, we are addressing both these challenges. I explained above how we are working to scale up the number of qubits. We also are making efforts to improve the quality of the qubits.  

On the algorithmic side, we are working with several major Swedish companies as industry partners to see how quantum algorithms can be applied in their areas of business, and what capacity a quantum computer needs to reach to have an impact there.  

 

Of the different arms of quantum research at WACQT – computing and simulation, communication, and sensing – which are you most excited about? Why?

As a researcher who mostly works in the area of quantum computing and simulation, I may be biased, but I think this is the area with the largest potential. The most important applications in this area may be further in the future than some in quantum sensing or quantum communication, but they include the ability to simulate and understand large molecules, which could have a tremendous impact on chemistry and biology. This could open large advances in medicine, materials science, etc. I’m particularly excited about the prospects that such advances in the long term could help us enjoy healthier and longer lives.  

 
Keep up with the latest IT trends in the 90Minutes CIO Insights webinar series. View the full schedule here.
 

Businesses are investing in quantum technology research with a focus on continuity. What do you think are potential useful real-world applications of quantum computing for organizations? Which industries stand to benefit the most?

These are difficult questions that many researchers, both in industry and in academia, are working to figure out answers to. The applications in chemistry that I described above seem more certain than many others but are quite long-term. Companies in sectors like finance, the automotive industry, and IT are investigating potential applications of quantum computing for machine learning and optimization problems. It is less clear whether there actually will be clear quantum advantages in these areas in the end, but if there are, the impact will be felt across many industries.  

 

Any technological advancement presents just as much risk as it does benefits. In the case of quantum computing, how can organizations build resilience against the risks that the technology poses?

I think the first step is to stay updated on the progress in the field of quantum computing. This helps identify risks in time to act and mitigate them. A next step could be to acquire in-house competence in the field, helping the organization become “quantum ready”, i.e., ready to make use of quantum computing for its purposes before competing organizations gain an advantage by doing so. 

 

What do you think are some emerging IT trends in 2022?

From my quantum computing perspective, I note that OpenSSH (a popular tool for remote login on computers), in its latest release a few weeks ago, changed its default encryption algorithm to one that is believed to be more resistant to quantum-computing attacks. Even though quantum computers that can break RSA encryption are still many years away, I think we will see a trend toward changing encryption methods in the near future. There is data that needs to remain secure for many years.  

*The answers have been edited for length and clarity.      

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The NFT Phenomenon – Just a Trend or Worth the Spend?

How will NFTs change the way we do business? Leading blockchain expert Dr. Merav Ozair answers pressing questions on the NFT phenomenon, how it differs from traditional systems, looking beyond the hype and more.

 
Dr. Merav Ozair is one of the world’s leading experts on blockchain and cryptocurrency. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the World Scientific Series in FinTech at World Scientific Publishing and is writing a series of books on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), DOAs, and DeFi. She is a professor at New York University and is a member of the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) established by the European Commission.
 

One of the hottest digital assets sweeping the world right now is NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, which were initially introduced in 2014. Though most people were unfamiliar with NFTs in early 2021, the market for this new asset is now expected to grow from USD $14.02 billion to USD $21.33 billion in 2022 and up to USD $82.43 billion by 2026 according to the Global Non-fungible Token Market Report 2022. 

Major brands like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and McDonald’s have jumped on this bandwagon as well, coming up with their own NFTs. Even the American restaurant chain Taco Bell launched a series of NFTs on the NFT marketplace, Rarible. These were GIFs that incorporated the company’s signature taco design, with profits from the NFT sales going to the Taco Bell Foundation. 

 

Is it just a fad? 

 

Though major organizations are exploring the world of NFTs, the question on everyone’s mind is whether this is just a trend that will soon die down, or if it is a new avenue in business worth investing in.  

According to Dr. Ozair, the world is still experiencing the hype of NFTs, though it is on a decline.  

She noted the sale of an NFT of the first tweet by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey which was initially sold for USD $3 million in 2021. The owner of the NFT tried to sell it recently for more than triple the original price. However, the highest bid he received was only just over USD $6,000.   

This clearly demonstrates the risks within the NFT market, as well as the dwindling initial excitement. However, she also noted that the value and draw of an NFT, much like art, lies in its uniqueness. Mr. Dorsey’s first tweet is still available on Twitter for the world to see. So, the NFT of it may not hold as much value to potential buyers. 

The value of an NFT is then determined by the market after all and the original buyer was unable to sell it for a higher amount as the market deemed it to be less valuable.  

In comparison, the family behind the viral “Charlie Bit My Finger” YouTube video decided to mint an NFT of the video while also removing the original from the platform. That NFT sold for over USD $760,000 and the buyer is the only person who has a copy of the video as well as a certificate authenticating their NFT. The high price of the “Charlie Bit My Finger” NFT and lower resale price of the Jack Dorsey first tweet NFT was driven by people’s hype and market forces.  

However, there is an NFT bubble – just like there was when the internet was first introduced, 

Referring to the internet bubble, Dr. Ozair said: “There was a lot of hype. People bought into this hype and invested in all kinds of unrealistic startups that we don’t even know the names of today. They are lost and forgotten forever.” 

“But there were a lot of those. And out of these thousands and hundreds of thousands that were batch experiments or scams or frauds or whatever you want to call it, there’s always going to be something that is very valid like Amazon.” 

Similarly, Dr. Ozair posits that the same thing can happen with NFT. Once the fad dies down and many of the NFT-related ventures go bust, a few will survive and will be remembered as history.  

“Beyond the hype are the business use cases,” noted Dr. Ozair. 

 

The minting and monetizing of NFTs 

 

What sets NFTs apart from a fungible token – like a $1 dollar bill – is the fact that NFTs are a unique token containing a smart contract that is not interchangeable in the same way that $1 dollar bills are. 

“NFT is a smart contract, and in the smart contract, you put down there all the rules or the rights, or kind of documentation of the originality and authenticity of that asset, whether it’s digital or physical,” elaborated Dr. Ozair.  

Rights of the creator to rights of the holder, transfer of ownership, monetization, royalties, certificate of authentication, and more can be contained within the smart contract of an NFT. 

NFTs also cannot be copied since it is created on the blockchain and therefore has all the features of the blockchain. NFTs are immutable. They cannot be changed, forged, damaged, or deleted. An NFT is created with a timestamp that is authenticated and cannot be altered. So even if future iterations of the NFT are created, the original is still its own thing and cannot be changed even by the original creator. 

This characteristic NFTs allows for potentially interesting uses in a business context apart from investing or buying art pieces. 

“The power of NFTs is the authentication,” she said, adding “You can authenticate everything from digital assets to physical assets. So, it gives you a certification of authentication [to say] this is the original.” 

In particular, NFTs could have a significant impact in the world of copyright and intellectual property.  

 

NFTs for protecting intellectual property 

 

“There is a lot of content out there that everyone has copied and downloaded. How do you protect that? How can you make sure that you’re getting the right royalties?” Dr. Ozair pondered, adding that she is experimenting with this herself.  

For example, creating NFTs of her own content or audio files. Rather than investing or buying NFTs of art, using NFTs for content creation instead. 

One example of a major organization that is dabbling is this IBM’s collaboration with IPWe, a Paris-based company that founded the world’s first global patent market, to create NFTs of intellectual properties (IP) or patents.  

The IP or patent itself will be registered with the relevant governing body and officials as it traditionally would be. However, the tokenization of the IP or patent – making an NFT of it – can be done for monetization. When the NFT of a patent is sold, the stipulations regarding the rights and ownership of the patent are contained within the smart contract.  

A creator who sells an NFT of their patent may allow the buyer to use the patent now that they have bought the NFT, but the actual patent rights remain with the creator. It is a way of both protecting the rights of the patent owner and allowing them a different avenue to monetize their patents.  

The business use cases of NFTs in rights authentication could be endless. 

Apart from intangible assets like IPs, there are also companies minting NFTs of tangible collector items such as bottles of liquor. The Block Bar mints NFTs of collectible liquor stored in a warehouse in Singapore. Each bottle has an NFT which can be sold and traded to anyone around the world without the bottle actually changing hands. 

This works because of the smart contract which authenticates the bottle and ownership. It is a model that opens opportunities otherwise unavailable in a traditional system. Authenticating a bottle of single malt scotch without the actual bottle in a traditional system would be cumbersome and costly, involving attorneys and notaries.  

On the other hand, an NFT which contains a smart contract that authenticates the physical bottle makes it an easier process to transfer and trade ownership of said bottle over time on a digital platform.  

“Theoretically speaking, this concept of trading hands from one person to another verbally, because if it sits on a box, then anyone from all over the world can buy it for years. Until someone decides to have the actual bottle and open it up and crack it and then ‘burn’ the NFT, and it doesn’t exist anymore,” explained Dr. Ozair.  

 

Scam or legitimate investment? 

 

Of course, this then raises questions of legalities. The world of NFTs has been plagued by concerns over the decentralized nature of the asset and the lack of regulation by central banks. This is where many arguments lay about NFT scams. 

The challenge here, according to Dr. Ozair, is understanding the structure and purpose of any single NFT on a case-by-case basis as not all NFTs function as securities.  

For example, an art NFT is not a security in the same way that a physical piece of art is not. The NFT is merely a tokenization of a piece of art. Similarly, monetizing a piece of IP by minting an NFT of it does not make it a security. An NFT only becomes a security when it is fractionalized and traded as such.  

It all depends on the structure and purpose of the NFT. 

“There is no difference between what we have in our traditional system and the digital system. The fact that it’s digitized doesn’t change the concept of what it does,” Dr. Ozair explained.  

However, she also noted that the current regulations on NFTs remain murky.  

“As of now, we don’t know exactly what the status of NFTs is, but they have been traded over the world,” she said, adding that she is in discussions with US and European regulators as part of INATBA to try and understand and work with them on the different possible uses of NFTs.  

“We’ve been working on proposals to submit to the EU, the European Commission, about the regulation of the entire space from defi (decentralized finance) to NFTs to DAO (decentralized autonomous organizations),” she elaborated. 

Having said that, she assuaged concerns that NFTs could be a scam. Though it is inevitable that NFT-related frauds will crop up, Dr. Ozair noted that any investor should do their own research before making an investment as they would with any other type of asset. 

Dr Ozair said: “You do your due diligence for any investment that you do anyway, so why not with NFT just because it’s a hype?” 

All the information an investor would need is contained within the smart contract of an NFT, after all.  

 

Careers in NFTs 

 

With that in mind, Dr. Ozair also addressed the question of careers in NFT development and the relevant skills and knowledge that are required in this new field, both technical and non-technical.  

From a technical perspective, Dr. Ozair notes that NFT developers must have the right skills to create smart contracts. As NFTs as essentially a token, and a token is a smart contract that needs to be coded, this is a skill that is essential for developers working in NFT.  

There are also skills required from a business perspective.  

“You have to think about what is the business use case? What is the problem that you identified and how do you want to solve it, and whether NFTs will be the right solution for that,” she explained. 

Overall, as the novelty of NFTs begins to wear off, the potential impact it could have on fields such as intellectual property will be more evident as it is further explored. It is not so much a question of if NFTs make good business sense but how can businesses tap into the many potential uses of NFTs that suit their needs.   

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Innovate faster with cloud technology, a data strategy and digital capabilities

Those who want to innovate faster in today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving market have to keep learning and changing in line with customer experience, process and technology trends. These changes are necessary to find new ways to add value for customers, increase sales and optimize processes. For us, these changes involve balancing the use of cloud technology with a data strategy and digital capabilities. Together, these three things enable the process of digital transformation.  

 

Accelerate innovation with the cloud 

 

Most small and medium-sized businesses spend around 80 to 90% of their IT budget on keeping existing systems operational. This leaves little to invest in innovation. Innovation involves experimenting and ineffective experiments can be very expensive. With cloud technology it is possible to carry out experiments at low cost and pull the plug on experiments that fail to deliver. Cloud technology is indispensable for companies that want to grow. It is also a critical component of digital transformation.   

 

The cloud as accelerator at Dat.mobility 

 

Our customer Dat.mobility has discovered the potential of the cloud as an innovation accelerator. With AWS cloud technology the company can meet the needs of the market faster and with greater agility. Peter Kant, innovator, strategist and product owner at Dat.mobility:    

“Luminis helped us develop a digital transformation strategy that included transitioning to the AWS cloud. They guided us through everything involved, from securing internal and external stakeholder interests to identifying possible transition paths, designing conceptual (cloud) architectures, right-sizing and developing business cases. This enabled us to make the right decisions to better meet the needs of our customers.”   

 

The importance of a good data strategy   

 

In addition to transitioning to the cloud, for most businesses a good data strategy is essential to develop innovations. Smarter use of data is the key to success both now and in the future. So rather than looking at the applications used, we focus on the available data, because that’s where the real value is. Our modular data strategy ensures controlled data mobility so our customers can access the right data faster.   

 

From data to engagement with the energy transition at Omons   

 

Our customer Omons, an initiative to support citizen engagement with the energy transition, is a good example of how this can work. In each municipality, there are different priorities, rules and conditions. These include things such as tax rates and per-kWh price. Omons had to find a way to make a huge amount of data and complex calculations manageable for citizens and asked Luminis to help. There needed to be one platform that could be used by people in different municipalities, while also allowing for differences in legislation and regulations. Based on feedback from workshops, we developed a cloud-based solution that helps increase citizen engagement while identifying and communicating potential cost savings.    

 

AI translates science into reality at Whispp   

 

Whispp is a cloud-based speech-enhancement solution that enables people who stutter and those with a voice disorder to have a relaxed and (almost) fluent conversation.  Audio technology created with artificial intelligence digitally adjusts the sound of the speaker’s voice on a smartphone or laptop. Whispp can be used for live conversations as well as phone and video calls. Together with patient associations, medical specialists and universities, Luminis was involved in the creation of the product from the first study onwards. The process involved converting ideas and theories into a valuable speech-enhancement solution – one that is scalable.  

 

Digital capabilities – the missing link  

 

Digital transformation involves both technological and organizational change. In addition to implementing the necessary technology, in-house knowledge and expertise are also needed to keep innovating in the future. Addressing security, improving accessibility of data and implementing an Agile way of working to achieve value creation faster and more effectively are all key in this respect.    

To keep innovating at product level and provide customers with what they need, it’s important to keep growing your in-house knowledge and expertise. To help with this, we employ gamification of knowledge with Cloud: The Game and the Cloud Proficiency App and our Accelerate process, in which together with our partners we train the tech leaders of tomorrow.   

 

Growth opportunities for every organization 

 

Identifying, exploiting and maximizing growth opportunities is our area of expertise. We are known for our creativity, our vision when it comes to the cloud and data, and our expertise in implementing digital transformation processes. We help organizations increase their capacity to think strategically and execute accordingly while continuing to develop their knowledge.  This is how we accelerate innovation and growth for companies that want to be ready for the future.  

 

About Luminis   

 

Luminis has been generating creative ideas, innovating and doing things differently for 20 years. This makes us the perfect innovation partner for companies that want to innovate. We are a team of inquisitive minds and diverse personalities, proud to help our customers get smarter about data and harness the full potential of the cloud. We will be happy to help you discover and maximize your potential.    
  

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Sneller innoveren: de rol van cloud, een datastrategie en digital capabilities

Wie sneller wil innoveren in deze dynamische, evoluerende markt wordt gevraagd continu te leren en veranderen op het gebied van klantervaring, processen en technologie. Veranderen, om in staat te zijn op nieuwe manieren waarde toe te voegen voor klanten, omzet te verhogen en processen te optimaliseren. Voor ons vindt die verandering plaats in het vinden van de balans tussen gebruik van de mogelijkheden van de cloud, een datastrategie en digital capabilities. De combinatie van deze drie zaken maakt het mogelijk een digitale transformatie te realiseren.  

 

Sneller innoveren dankzij de cloud   

 

De gemiddelde IT-manager van een MKB+ organisatie geeft vaak zo’n 80-90% van zijn IT-budget uit aan het operationeel houden van datgene dat er al is. Daardoor blijft er maar beperkt ruimte over om te investeren in innovatie. Innoveren is experimenteren en ineffectief experimenteren kost vaak veel geld. Met cloudtechnologie krijg je de mogelijkheid om experimenten uit te voeren tegen lage kosten en om de stekker uit een experiment te trekken wanneer het niet brengt wat je ervan had verwacht. De cloud is onmisbaar voor wie wil groeien en onomstotelijk onderdeel van digitale transformaties.   

 

De cloud als accelerator bij Dat. Mobility   

 

De mogelijkheden van de cloud als innovatieversneller zijn bijvoorbeeld duidelijk zichtbaar bij onze klant Dat.mobility. Deze organisatie heeft haar snelheid en wendbaarheid vergroot en is dankzij AWS cloudtechnologie in staat sneller te reageren op behoeften uit de markt. Peter Kant, innovator, strateeg en product owner bij Dat.mobility:    

“Luminis heeft ons ondersteund bij het verkennen van een transformatiestrategie richting de AWS-cloud en alles wat daarbij komt kijken: het borgen van de belangen van interne en externe stakeholders, het uitwerken van mogelijke transitiepaden, het opstellen van conceptuele (cloud)architecturen, het uitvoeren van sizing en het opstellen van business cases. Alles bij elkaar stelde dit ons in staat de juiste knopen door te hakken om beter te kunnen voorzien in de behoeften van onze klanten.”   

 

De impact van een goede datastrategie   

 

Ter aanvulling op een transitie naar de cloud is voor de meeste organisaties ook een goede datastrategie essentieel om innovaties te realiseren. Succesvol zijn nu en in de toekomst begint bij het slimmer inrichten van data. Daarom kijken wij niet naar de applicaties die worden gebruikt, maar naar de beschikbare data, want daarin zit de echte waarde. Met onze modulaire datastrategie zorgen we voor gecontroleerde beweeglijkheid, wat onze klanten in staat stelt sneller te beschikken over de juiste data.   

 

Van data tot consequentie van de Energietransitie bij Omons   

 

Een goed voorbeeld hiervan is onze klant Omons, een initiatief om de betrokkenheid van burgers bij de energietransitie te ondersteunen. In iedere gemeente gelden andere regelgeving, doelstellingen en voorwaarden, denk bijvoorbeeld aan belastingtarieven of kostprijs per kWh. Omons vroeg Luminis te helpen met het vinden van een manier om een grote hoeveelheid data, gecombineerd met complexe berekeningen, behapbaar te maken voor burgers. Het platform moest bruikbaar zijn voor mensen uit verschillende gemeentes, maar wel aanpasbaar aan de verschillen op gebied van wet- en regelgeving. Aan de hand van workshops ontwikkelden wij een cloudgebaseerde oplossing, die bijdraagt aan het verhogen van de betrokkenheid van de burgers, mogelijke kostenbesparingen identificeert en communiceert. 

 

AI maakt wetenschap realiteit bij Whispp   

 

Whispp is een cloudgebaseerde spraakoplossing gerealiseerd met kunstmatige intelligentie, die het voor stotteraars of mensen met een stemaandoening mogelijk maakt een ontspannen en (bijna) vloeiend gesprek te voeren.  De audiotechnologie past het geluid van jouw spraak op de smartphone of laptop digitaal aan. Denk aan live gesprekken, telefoneren of videobellen. Luminis is vanaf het eerste onderzoek, samen met patiëntenverenigingen, medisch specialisten en universiteiten, bij de creatie van het product betrokken geweest: van het omzetten van ideeën en hypotheses naar een waardevol spraakoplossing die nota bene schaalbaar is.  

 

The missing link: Digital capabilities  

 

Een digitale transformatie is naast een technologische ook een organisatorische verandering. In aanvulling op het implementeren van de benodigde technologie is ook in-house kennis en expertise nodig om in de toekomst te blijven innoveren. Denk hierbij aan vraagstukken op gebied van security, het beter toegankelijk maken van data en het implementeren van een Agile manier van werken zodat waarde-creatie effectiever en sneller gerealiseerd kan worden.    

Om te blijven innoveren op productniveau en klanten te voorzien in wat ze nodig hebben is het belangrijk te blijven werken aan de kennis en expertise van eigen mensen. Dit doen wij bijvoorbeeld door middel van gamification van kennis met Cloud: the Game en de Cloud Proficiency App, maar bijvoorbeeld ook met ons Accelerate traject, waarin we samen met verschillende partners de techleiders van de toekomst opleiden.   

 

Groeimogelijkheden voor iedere organisatie 

 

Groeimogelijkheden ontdekken, benutten en helpen realiseren. Dat is ons speelveld. We blinken uit in creativiteit, visie op gebied van cloud en data en de uitvoering van digital transformation trajecten. We voegen strategisch denk- en uitvoeringsvermogen toe aan organisaties en helpen tegelijkertijd in kennisontwikkeling.  Zo realiseren we versnelling van innovatie en groei voor organisaties die klaar willen zijn voor de toekomst.  

 

Over Luminis   

 

Al 20 jaar staat Luminis voor innovatie, creatieve ideeën en dingen net even anders doen. Dat maakt ons de innovatiepartner voor bedrijven die willen innoveren. Wij zijn een team nieuwsgierige geesten en diverse persoonlijkheden, trots om onze klanten van dienst te zijn in het slimmer inrichten van data en gebruikmaken van alle mogelijkheden die de Cloud biedt. We helpen graag met het ontdekken en realiseren van jullie potentieel.