www.businessrevieweurope.

eu Jul y 2017

KEEPING
CUSTOMERS
CLOSE TO
THE HEART
FOLLOWING AN AWARD WINNING 2016 AND
WITH AN EXPANDED PORTFOLIO, PLUSNET
LOOKS SET TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS

SURFNFRIES:
RIDING THE WAVE
TO FRANCHISE
SUCCESS

TELEFONICA GBK: THE RISE ARE ROBOTS REALLY

GERMANY Ready OF THE POSH GOING TO STEAL
for a data growth BURGER OUR JOBS?
 The Microsoft Cloud helps the PGA TOUR
transform countless data points into unique
insights that are shaping golf today. This deep
analysis will help players get smarter about
how they approach their game while letting
fans experience the TOUR in a whole new way.

This is the Microsoft Cloud.

learn more at microsoftcloud.com

FOREWORD
WELCOME TO THE July edition of Business Review Europe.
This months cover story features internet services provider
Plusnet in a story of customer service transformation. Following
an award winning 2016 and with an expanded portfolio, the
company looks set to reach new heights, so we spoke to Chief
Operating Officer David Leather about these exciting times.
Sticking with technology, John OHanlon goes backstage
with Telefonica Germany to discuss another story of
customer service transformation. He speaks with Marcus
Thurand, VP of Network Operations since 2013, about
how data is central to this programmes success.
We also feature a food focus in this issue, starting with
a detailed look at the rise of the posh burger. In the UK,
Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) has eaten up a sizable
chunk of the market, and CEO Alasdair Murdoch is not
sitting still in his pursuit to reach more consumers. Find out
what he has to say about this and the market in general,
along with his favourite GBK burger of the moment.
In Croatia, SurfnFries successfully reinvented the fries
market and through drive, innovation and enthusiasm, looks
to deliver continued success in markets all around the world.
Be sure to read our interview with Co-Founder Andrija Colak.
Other stories to look out for include an evaluation
of the automation threat to human jobs and a look at
the top 10 most resilient European economies.

www.businessrevieweurope.com
www.bizclikmedia.com
Symposium 2017
Bright Lights, Big Ideas and You.
Uptime Institute Certifies the Worlds Digital Foundation for Business.

Join Us!

September 18
The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
F E AT U R E S

PROFILE

8
24
TECHNOLOGY

18 LIST

TOP 10
RESILIENT
ECONOMIES
Are robots IN EUROPE
really going to
steal our jobs? 5
 The Microsoft Cloud helps the PGA TOUR
transform countless data points into unique
insights that are shaping golf today. This deep
analysis will help players get smarter about
how they approach their game while letting
fans experience the TOUR in a whole new way.

This is the Microsoft Cloud.

learn more at microsoftcloud.com

C O M PA N Y
PROFILES SAP
Supply Chain

100
Evoswitch
Construction

32 122
Plusnet
Technology
Dataplex Ireland
Construction 110
44 132 Deltalis
Construction

JT International
Construction

86Acceleris
Supply Chain

68
Telefonica Germany
146
SurfnFries
Technology Food & Drink
PROFILE

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN

CONTINUES TO EXPAND ON
THE UKS HIGH STREETS
AMID A GROWING TIDE OF
COMPETITION. WE SPEAK TO
CEO ALASDAIR MURDOCH

WRIT TEN BY TO M WAD LOW

PROFILE

IM A BIG fan of a medium-rare

small cheeseburger with Red
Leicester, and I might just add a slice
of bacon onto that, reveals Alasdair
Murdoch, CEO of Gourmet Burger
Kitchen. Its a close call between
the Red Leicester and Smoked
Applewood at the moment.
Having just completed a run on a
glorious morning on the UKs south
coast, Murdochs appetite to talk about
all things burgers is gluttonous. The
bosss flavour of the month, he is keen
to stress, changes periodically, but
for now he is championing simplicity.
And it is a rather simple upwards
trajectory that tells GBKs story
since 2010 when Murdoch and new
leadership arrived. From what was
still a successful business turning
over up to 40 million, the casual
dining chain now generates revenues

90
closer to 100 million, a milestone
in reach thanks to 23 consecutive
quarters of sales growth.
The journey has been based on
three major principles, the first being
the food and the quality of GBKs
burgers. Murdoch describes how in APPROX. NUMBER
his first year quite a few elements were OF GBK OUTLETS
changed, with food and drink offerings IN THE UK
continually evaluated and tweaked

10 July 2017
 THE RISE OF THE POSH BURGER
if needed. Motivated people and
restaurants that match the quality of its
burgers form principles two and three.
One tiny example of the latter
is looking at our knives, Murdoch
says. We invested an extra 100,000
on improving the quality, which
customers can feel when eating their
burger. There are so many small
touch points that we work on that
add up to make a big difference.
DELIVERING EXPANSION
With new owners at the helm since
October last year, the aim is very much
to continue the growth drive. Currently
there are around 90 Gourmet Burger
Kitchens in the UK and Murdoch plans
to hit 200-250 by opening a steady
10-12 new restaurants annually. Further
afield, the company has recently
opened up in Ireland and also operates
in the Middle East. South Africa is
another target for the new ownership.
11
PROFILE
Away from restaurants, customers
are increasingly enjoying gourmet
burgers in their homes and offices, in
no small part thanks to the explosion
of Deliveroo into cities around the
country. For GBK, this has been a
lucrative disruption of the market.
We think that delivery is a trend
thats here to stay, Murdoch adds.
We were Deliveroos first branded
partner and are still one of their
biggest partners today, and hope
12 July 2017
our work will continue to grow.
Deliveroo has launched something
called Deliveroo Additions, which is
an out of home concept where lots of
operators share the same space. At
the moment we are working with them
on one of these sites in Camberwell,
and I imagine well go into two or three
more of these this year. The consumer
will notice no difference, but it allows
Deliveroo and operators like us to
deliver on a bigger scale.
 THE RISE OF THE POSH BURGER
We were Deliveroos fir st
branded partner and still are
one of their biggest partner s
CONGESTION
Murdoch is the first to acknowledge
just how competitive the posh
burger space has become in recent
years. The likes of Five Guys and
Byron, among many others, are
popping up alongside GBK in
many towns and cities, forcing
it to continually up its game.
The CEO welcomes the challenge,
and is confident his company can
differentiate itself from the rest,
ultimately because of its quality.
You will have seen a couple of
our key competitors open in your
hometown Norwich recently, he
points out. And you will probably
go along and try it but we eventually
expect you to come back to us.
We inherently believe our quality
is better than some of our key
competitors and our numbers
appear to back to this up, but we
cannot afford to be complacent.
13
PROFILE
Market congestion also poses a
challenge for the likes of GBK to
differentiate through its marketing
messages, something which
Murdoch is all too aware. Indeed,
a decision was taken some four
years ago to channel the vast
majority of GBKs marketing
budget into technology, a move
which has given the company a
massive head start with its app.
CONNECTED
Loyalty rewards, referral schemes
and click and collect functions have
allowed 1.5 million users to connect
with GBK via their smartphones.
Murdoch explains that one million
of these are active customers who
are on average 25 percent more
loyal than those without the app.
It has clearly worked, and new
functionality is being developed as
we speak. A trial is currently taking
place which is allowing customers to
order from their tables via the app,
saving a trip to what can be busy
counters. Pre-ordering could also
be rolled out at the push of a button,
but Murdoch highlights operational
challenges associated with doing
this, not least on a financial level as
14 July 2017
it is not certain whether this would
deliver much benefit, especially
during busy walk-in periods.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
also offers something different
when it comes to other means
of marketing. While many casual
dining chains offer vast amounts
of vouchers to entice customers,
GBK is reaping the rewards from
periodic, all out freebies.
Every now and then we put a free
burger in your pocket, Murdoch
says. All you need to do is go in
and spend 6 on other stuff and
you have a free burger. Weve seen
redemption rates on this at around 10
or 11 percent, which is really unheard
of in this kind of field. It is targeted
and not carried out very often, but
it has worked extremely well.
LAUGHTER IS GOOD
Our conversation turns to the
human side of the GBK business.
So often cited by companies as their
lifeblood, and rightly so, Murdoch is
keen to demonstrate that Gourmet
Burger Kitchen is walking the walk
when it comes to valuing staff.
He explains how the core value
laughter is good forms a key
THE RISE OF THE POSH BURGER

15
PROFILE

component of this, and then goes to progression provides further

on to provide numerous examples evidence of the company walking
of how GBK is a fun place to work. the walk. Recruits at new restaurants
I can give any number of are also treated to a special grill
examples, he says. Every restaurant warming prior to public opening.
has what we call a fun fund built
into its P&L, and every quarter we LEGACY
will give them money to help take Ultimately, the longevity of GBK in
their teams out. We have family both the UK and internationally
days and Christmas parties for is down to a combination
all employees, whether they work of the work of dedicated
one hour a year or a thousand. personnel and a continuing
If an employee completes five
years of service, GBK will pay
for a two week sabbatical, and
four weeks for when a decade
milestone is reached. You may
think this is quite an expensive cost,
Murdoch continues, but in reality
the benefits this brings for morale
and staff loyalty offsets this.
That GBK pays above
minimum wage and
offers an array of
leadership courses
and pathways

16 July 2017
THE RISE OF THE POSH BURGER

public hunger for quality burgers.

But is the rise of the posh burger just
a small phase in our dietary history?
Gourmet burgers are undoubtedly
here to stay, Murdoch answers.
There is a lot of competition out
there, and while I think we can shake
some of that competition out, there
is always room for new entrants.
The CEO points to the success
of other cuisines whose chain
restaurants have firmly cemented
themselves onto the UK palette. For
Murdoch, this is only the beginning.
If you look at the Italian chains
like Prezzo, Ask Italian and
Zizis, there are loads of them
and they are still expanding.
There is significant
room for growth
for us too.

17
 Are robots
really going
to steal
our jobs?
PwC analysis suggests that a third of UK and
German workers will be at risk by 2030, but other
research claims that robots are job creators.
We look at both sides of the debate
Writ ten by: TO M WA D LOW
 TECHNOLOGY
AUTOMATION IS NOTHING new.
Industries all over the world have been
subject to advances in technology over
the course of centuries, even millennia.
Such advances through history, however,
have often been met with resistance,
especially when human capital is on the line
in the short term. Indeed, being dubbed a
Luddite stretches back to the early 1800s
when handloom weavers protested against
the mechanisation of the textiles trade.
While the immediate threat to livelihoods
was no doubt a valid cause for Luddite angst,
history has shown the Industrial Revolution
led to enormous economic expansion
and subsequent net gain of jobs versus
those initially displaced by machinery.
So the questions begs, if history
is to repeat itself again, should we
really be worried about the latest
wave of automation technology?
Fast-forward to 2017 and the world is an
unrecognisable place compared to the
19th century. What was rapid in terms of
technological progress during the Industrial
Revolution seems pedestrian compared
to what is commonly called the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. The idea of a machine
skilled enough to create textiles was alien in
pre-industrial factories - the idea of machines
talking to other machines probably a dream
deriving from a generous dose of opium.

19
TECHNOLOGY

RISE OF THE MACHINES? in the digital technology area and,

One commonality between through productivity gains, generate
automation today and in the additional wealth and spending that
Luddite era is that some industries will support additional jobs of existing
human workforces appear to be kinds, primarily in services sectors
at greater risk than others. that are less easy to automate.
PwC has released research claiming
that up to 30 percent of UK jobs JOB CREATORS?
(10.43 million) could potentially be Other research carries a wholly more
at risk by 2030, with this rising to 35 optimistic outlook from the outset.
percent in Germany and 38 percent
in the USA. Japan, interestingly,
should we
is found to be at 21 percent.
Much of this risk is carried by really be
a group of sectors that includes worried
transportation and storage
(where 56 percent of jobs are at
about the
risk), manufacturing (46 percent), latest wave of
wholesale/retail (44 percent) automation
and admin (37 percent).
Has the Luddite fallacy finally
technology?
come true? PwC does include
some disclaimers, and ultimately
concludes that the net impact of
automation on total employment
remains unclear. Indeed, it says
that new automation technologies
in areas like AI and robotics will
both create some totally new jobs

20 July 2017
A R E R O B O T S R E A L LY G O I N G T O S T E A L O U R J O B S ?

The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics

and Human Factors and job seeker
and recruiting site CV Library
present a fundamentally different
outlook to the likes of PwC.
Their studies reveal that more
than 63 percent of the 1,000
UK industry professionals
surveyed say that they have
never witnessed job cuts due
to automation or robot takeover.
More than a third revealed that
this had actually led to the creation
of more jobs in their organisations.
Further still, CIEHF and CV Library
say that nearly three
quarters of
professionals
hold the view
that they
and other
workers
are
being

21
TECHNOLOGY
scare mongered by negative
coverage on robots and automation
technology. While half admit that
there is resistance to implanting
newly automated processes,
common belief appears to be that
such resistance is misguided.
So what can be done to allay
these fears? The same research
claims that nearly 80 percent of
manufacturers feel the need for
greater efforts in promoting the
benefits of new technology in the
workplace. Nearly half of all industry
professionals state their business
fails to communicate these benefits,
especially to those frontline staff
who may feel the most threatened.
UPSKILLING
This would seem the most sensible
place to start, along with some
meaningful joined up collaboration
between commerce and governments
both in the UK and across Europe
to address skills deficits.
According to the European
Centre for the Development of
Vocational Training, Europes top
22 July 2017
workforces
need to be
suitably
developed
in order to
maximise benefit
from emerging
technologies
five skill shortage occupations are
IT professionals, medical doctors,
STEM professionals, nurses and
midwives and teachers. However,
the picture varies from one country to
another. For example, all EU countries
barring Finland lack IT workers, while
Belgium, Greece, Spain, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and
Portugal have no shortage of teachers.
So while the question of whether
robots and automation will
significantly displace humans may still
be up for debate, there is little doubt
that workforces need to be suitably
developed in order to maximise
benefit from emerging technologies.
Failure to do this, and the Luddite
fallacy may one day ring true.
A R E R O B O T S R E A L LY G O I N G T O S T E A L O U R J O B S ?

23
TOP 10

TOP 10
RESILIENT
ECONOMIES
IN EUROPE
Which countries in Europe are most
resistant to global business challenges?
Wr i t t e n by : TO M WA D LOW
CYBER ATTACKS, NATURAL
hazards and supply chain failure have
been cited as the three most pressing
risks to business performance.
The2017 FM Global Resilience
Index ranks 130 countries and
territories by their enterprise resilience
to disruptive events such as cyber
attacks and natural disasters. Now
in its fourth year, the index aims
to help business executives site
facilities, select suppliers, evaluate
established supply chains and identify
customers who may be vulnerable.
The overall ranking given by
FM Global is formed of three
separate scores out of 100
looking at risk quality, supply
chain and economic factors.
Europe dominates the top
10 rankings, accounting for the
entire top eight in the world.
TOP 10
10
NETHERLANDS (87.5) FRANCE (88.1)
GLOBAL RANK: 12
Scoring a massive 93 out of 100 for
supply chain, the fifth highest in the
world, the Netherlands features so
highly because of its tremendous
sea and air freight links to the rest
of the world. Its economic rating
ranked 30th out of 130 countries
globally, with risk quality at 17th.
26 July 2017
9
GLOBAL RANK: 11
As with the Netherlands, Frances
overall rank is propped up by
excellent risk and supply chain
scores, which respectively rank
fifth and 16th in the world. The
economic factor, which represents
political and macroeconomic
influences on resilience, scores
at 55.9 out of 100 (26th).
 TOP 10 RESILIENT ECONOMIES IN EUROPE
FINLAND (91.1)
GLOBAL RANK: 8
A similar story continues here, with
Finlands supply chain resilience
scoring a huge 91.9 out of 100,
ranking it seventh in the world. The
supply chain rank comprises four
drivers: control of corruption, quality
of infrastructure, local supplier
quality and supply chain visibility.
8
DENMARK (91.1)
GLOBAL RANK: 7
Just pipping Finland to seventh spot is
another northern European country in
the form of Denmark, which ranks 13th
in the world for risk quality. The risk
quality factor measures the relative
commercial and industrial property
risk across countries. It comprises
three drivers sourced from FM Global
(exposure to natural hazard, natural
hazard risk quality and fire risk quality)
and a fourth driver that captures the
7
inherent cyber risk of a country.
27
TOP 10
6
NORWAY (93.3)
GLOBAL RANK: 7
Northern Europe is very well
represented in FM Globals rankings,
and Norway scores very well on
all three fronts, with its economic
rating of 75.2 fourth best in the
world. Risk ranks eighth and supply
chain holds back at 20th.
28 July 2017
5
GERMANY (94.4)
GLOBAL RANK: 5
Strong rankings of sixth in the
world for risk quality and supply
chain propel Germany into the top
5 overall resilient countries to do
business in. The country ranks 13th
economically this score impacted
by the lack of oil resources.
 TOP 10 RESILIENT ECONOMIES IN EUROPE
AUSTRIA (94.6)
GLOBAL RANK: 4
Just ahead of its German neighbour
is Austria, which ranks second in
the world for supply chain resilience
and credibility in areas such as
supplier visibility and corruption
control. Austria also comes
ahead of Germany on economic
resilience, ranking sixth globally.
SWEDEN (94.7)
GLOBAL RANK: 3
Sweden is Northern Europes
leading representative, praised for
its stability and quality of supply
chain infrastructure, second only to
Japan, Austria and Switzerland.
3
29
TOP 10

LUXEMBOURG (95.9)
GLOBAL RANK: 2
Unsurprisingly, it is the economic strength of Luxembourg that launches it into
the top two of FM Globals rankings. Scoring a huge 85 out of 100, the strength
of its financial services makes it a stable place to do business.

30 July 2017
 TOP 10 RESILIENT ECONOMIES IN EUROPE
SWITZERLAND (100)
GLOBAL RANK: 1
Despite being third in the world
for economic factors and 20th for
risk quality, FM Global has given
Switzerland a rating of 100 out of 100
for its supply chain resilience, which
translates directly into the perfect
score overall. An acknowledged
1
area of stability for generations, the
country has ranked first for the past
five years. Excellent infrastructure
and political stability contributed
to the final ranking massively, with
exposure to natural hazards bringing
down the risk score. It has also been
acknowledged that Switzerland has
upped its game when it comes to
tackling cyber security issues.
31
Keeping the
customer close
to the heart
Written by Dale Benton
Produced by Danielle Harris
33
PLUSNET HAS CONTINUED TO DELIVER CUSTOMER
FOCUSED SERVICE OFFERINGS. FOLLOWING AN AWARD
WINNING 2016 AND WITH AN EXPANDED PORTFOLIO,
THE COMPANY LOOKS SET TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS.

P
lusnet has a simple goal:
to think and act differently
from other communications
providers, to save customers money
and to provide unrivalled customer
service. Its unsurprising then
that the company brand promise
of Well do you proud is at the
forefront of its business strategy.
Coming off the back of an extremely
successful 2016, including an
impressive 21 award wins and the
launch of Plusnet Mobile which firmly
established the provider as a quad-
play contender, David Leather, Chief
Operating Officer at Plusnet, is keen for
the company to continue momentum.
The last year has been really strong
for Plusnet and the launch of Plusnet
Mobile was a particular highlight for
the whole company, he says. Im
eager that we continue to push ahead
and achieve even more this year.
For Leather and Plusnet, the
company must continue to scale
and develop its offering in order
to continue to meet and exceed
the demands of its customers.
Astronomical change
The challenge for Leather
lies in that development.
Customer expectations have
changed astronomically with
regards to product performance, the
usage of those products and what
customers expect in relation to the
money they are spending, he says.
As an industry, we have a long way
to go to match those expectations,
and I think the danger for us is that
that is where the benchmark is.
Leather believes that the needs of
the customer should form the basis of
any improvements the company makes
and is part of the companys strategy
for scaling its services and capabilities.
Being a smaller company

34 July 2017
 TECHNOLOGY

Plusnet is headquartered
in Sheffield, UK

w w w. p l u s . n e t 35
FROM STRATEGY TO EXECUTION:
DRIVING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND
BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION WITH PLUSNET

Its really important that we build strong

partnerships with our suppliers who are
as passionate about customer experience
as we are. Working with Virtusa we have a
partner who thinks the same way, starting
with the customer intent and working
back from that point

David Leather
COO, Plusnet
Our business relationship with Plusnet goes back 10 years. Since
then, we have worked on signicant programmes of work to
streamline operations and optimise costs in areas such as Network
Assurance and White Labelling Platforms. Our expertise in working
with our customers to create streamlined platforms with reduced
complexity and cost of operations has been a cornerstone of our
work together.

In 2015, our Pegasystems practice started working with Plusnet to transform the way
billing systems were operating. That work focussed on providing a superior user
experience for both customers and customer services agents. Since then, our teams
have worked on automating provisioning and building a world class model for helping
Plusnet customers when they have a service problem. Using the Pegasystems platform,
we created a seamless multi-channel journey where customers would, by responding
to questions about their problem, trigger sophisticated diagnostic tooling at BT
Wholesale in real time to rapidly resolve faults. Meeting the business need to manage
and change both the digital assets and the diagnostic journey without IT support was
also straight forward using the Pega platform.

More recently, our teams have engaged on strategic innovation projects such as the
end to end customer experience re-design and a simplied CRM system to enable
customer services teams to focus on customer engagement, providing even better
service more quickly. At the heart of the working relationship between the two
companies is the recognition that competency already exists in Plusnet to carry out
many improvement projects. Those skills and competencies need support and growth
during business improvement initiatives and so teams are frequently formed from
Virtusa, blended with core business and technology functions at Plusnet.

There is an uncompromising and determined culture at Plusnet to do the very best for
all their customers and to embrace contact, that culture is shared and visible right from
the top of the organisation. We are all proud to work with a multi award winning brand
to relentlessly deliver the best possible customer service.

Learn how Virtusa can help transform your business at:

www.virtusa.com
 Operationalise

Keeping customers happy means being

proactive. Pega empowers you to transform
the customer experience reducing churn,
increasing lifetime value and maximising
satisfaction every step of the way.

Discover how at pega.com

 TECHNOLOGY

makes you think differently in order to compete

with big corporate businesses, he adds.

Customer centric
Despite its successes, totalling 21 awards throughout
2016, Plusnet is very much undergoing a journey
about understanding and continuing to put the
customer at the forefront of everything it does. In
order to grow in line with customer demand, the
company invests heavily in research insights,
sentiment analysis and customer feedback.
Leather wants to understand what the
customer is actually saying about the company.
In my view, customer experience is a feeling.
Its hard to measure and not just a number, he says.
Plusnet is on a mission to redefine its customer
service and ask one simple question: is that
in the best interest of the customer?
Contact is not a bad thing. Its an opportunity for us
to fix things and better serve our customers, he says.
If they want to contact us, then lets make it as
easy as possible for them. Why make it harder?
It is through this approach that Plusnet works to
three main principles of customer management.

The need to get personal

In order to better serve customers, Plusnet
must understand who they are, what products
they have and what events are happening
within their lifecycle with the company.

w w w. p l u s . n e t 39
PLUSNET
Theres a balance to be had in
keeping customer validation both
secure yet simple. People dont want
to jump through hoop after hoop in
order for us to help understand their
problem however we also need to
keep our customer data protected as
an absolute priority, adds Leather.
Technology will play a major role
in this situation, with Plusnet using
information and technology to make
Mobile and the customer is a transformation
that will only continue to get bigger
decisions quickly and to provide
better support to the customer.
On the move
The second principle is the response
to the proliferation of mobile and
smart phones. Leather admits that
Plusnet must recognise that the way
to get through to this generation
of customer is through mobile.
It could be everything from
rendering web pages, simplified
40 July 2017
information to video self-help
information. Mobile and the customer
is a transformation that will only
continue to get bigger, he comments.
On your time
A major challenge with customer
service has been the inability
to separate a customer in need
of immediate support from a
customer who is just making an
enquiry. Ultimately, both customer
types will need to queue for
the same amount of time.
This isnt consistent with the
way we operate in everyday life. We
require information on the move,
so why should we make people
pause everything to obtain the
information they need? he says.
The three principles of customer
management represent the customer-
first nature of Plusnet. It all serves to
With the power of true partnership,
Capita helps Plusnet brings its
customer promise to life.
Phil Hoggarth, Director of Divisional Trading
Capita Customer Management
Capita Customer Management has had a
strong presence in the telecoms customer
service market for more than four decades,
and so our growing relationship with Plusnet
could be seen as relatively young.
But what began in 2015 as a short-term contract
to help deliver customer service agents at a time
of growth for Plusnet has rapidly evolved into a
true transformational partnership.
Growing to around 100 insourced customer
service agents, Capitas focus has been to help
enhance and transform Plusnets customer
experience and the results have been speaking for
themselves. In fact, the team at Capita have been
continuously exceeding benchmark targets set by
Plusnet by 15-30%. This champion challenger
model has proved hugely successful in unifying
staff and ensuring customers are getting an
enhanced service.
Crucially, we aim for real integration with
our clients teams, so there is no operational
difference between a Capita agent and their
Plusnet colleagues.
All the agents work to the same targets
and KPIs set by Plusnet and we use the
same communications, incentivisation and
management across all contact centre staff. There
can often be a worry that insourcing can result
in a them and us culture among staff Capita existing customers.
works hard with all its customers to ensure that
this doesnt happen.
Learn more about how we could support your transformational
journey at www.capitacustomermanagement.co.uk
Continuously exceeding
Collaboration and communication are key to benchmark targets by
15-30%
Capitas partnership with Plusnet. We are not
reinventing the wheel, but getting more of the
basics right, and we are always talking with
the client to ensure the insourced team is an
extension of their own team, says Capitas
Director of Divisional Trading Phil Hoggarth.
We have placed a great deal of value on
engagement at all levels of the partnership, from
the agents up, and we regularly share feedback
and best practice across all aspects of the
transformation,
Not only are we now in a position where
Plusnet trusts Capita with their customers, we
are working with Plusnet to leverage Capitas
extensive experience and depth of capabilities in
customer management solutions to drive better
customer interactions.
We do this by bringing our best practice to the
partnership on how best to design and build and
deploy optimal digital communications channels
including mobile applications, social media, and
webchat amongst others.
Plusnet will undoubtedly continue to build on
the growth it has experienced over the past 12
months and Capita is excited to be working hand-
in-hand with our client to ensure that together,
we deliver best-in-class service for both new and
 LivePerson transforms customer care
at the worlds top telcos from voice calls
to mobile messaging
WELCOME TO THE
RAVEOLUTION
We use emotion to drive businesses forward
by helping them retain and grow their
customer base.
To nd out how Rant & Rave can
transform your business visit:
www.rantandrave.com
"For me Rant & Rave is an
absolutely magnificent coaching
tool - for the first time ever I
actually get real life customer
info and it proves youre doing
things right!
To anyone who has access -
get your hands round it -
its a really invaluable tool.
I just love using it - I wish wed
got it years ago.
 TECHNOLOGY

one single philosophy; how can the company make it

easier for the customer to get the service they need?

Plusnet Mobile
With the launch of Plusnet Mobile in November
2016, the company made the move into
becoming a full-service quad-play provider.
Plusnet Mobile has built on the companys ongoing
commitment to offer customers great value deals
without compromising on the excellent service the
brand is famous for. The Plusnet Mobile network
offers a range of tariffs, combining generous
data, minutes and text bundles at great prices.
Customers have responded incredibly well to
our latest offering proving that there is definitely
an appetite for it, Leather expanded.

Future foundations
Over the last 12 months, Plusnet has gone from
strength to strength and while Leather admits
that there is still a large amount of work ahead
for the company, he fully believes that Plusnet
stands in the perfect position to continue to
deliver market leading service to its customers.
Right now, I feel Plusnet stands at the forefront
of innovatively thinking as to how we support
customers. We are very much focused around
customer expectation and customer need, he
says. I hope we will continue to be recognised
as number one in our industry for customer
experience and service, but also recognised
on a wider industry forum for our offering.
w w w. p l u s . n e t 43
Modernising the
tobacco industry
Written by Nell Walker
Produced by Andrew Lloyd

45
Diego De Coen, CIO of JTI, describes
the ways in which the business
has flown in the face of tobacco
industry critics with high-level IT
and a people-centred approach
A
s Chief Information Officer
of JTI (Japan Tobacco
International), Diego De
Coen is extremely keen to achieve
the perfect balance between
technology and people. With his
wealth of experience in the sector,
he knows that one cannot be
sacrificed for the other, and this
approach is certainly paying off in
a sector known for being, at times,
challenging to attract top talent into.
Having previously led the companys
Centre of Excellence for seven
years, De Coen has since been
responsible for JTIs entire IT function
for eight more, heading up a team
of nearly 800 across the globe. His
role has obviously changed with
the times, but remains focussed on
46 July 2017
the two aforementioned themes.
My role is about delivering high
quality added-value solutions for
the company at an optimised cost,
of course, De Coen explains, but
Im also what we call the Guardian
of Talent. Part of my job is also as
a relationship-builder, bridging
together different segments of IT
and their counterparts such as
corporate functions, markets, and
factories. We are a real people-caring
company, so talent management
has always been very important to
us, but even more so now that were
embarking on this digital adventure.
In an age where technology is
becoming smarter and people
are increasingly seen as surplus,
De Coen values staff and what
CONSTRUCTION

w w w. j t i . c o m 47
JTI
JTI chose Orange to unify its global collaboration
tools, to enhance unified communications
experience for 23,000 end users and reduce costs
To ensure the success of this major
initiative, we selected Orange
because of their expertise and
knowledge about the existing
environment to create a long-term
strategy and associated roadmap.
Their global capabilities support
our geographical footprint, and they
have the ability to deliver end-to-
end services, from transformation to
operation, including management
of all underlying service blocks.
Guilain Rogg
Global Technical Center VP
JTI
Highlights
n JTI is a leading international tobacco
manufacturer with over 26,000
employees operating in 120 countries
n There was an urgent need to streamline 9
communications by moving to a unified Global flagship
strategy and solution, reduce costs and brands
enhance service to end users
n Orange established a managed
Unified Communications service in 40
countries on Microsoft Lync 2013 that
includes IM, presence, web, video and
audio conferencing across a mix of
desktops and mobile devices 26,000
Employees
n Mobile workers now enjoy the same
high-quality UC experience on any
device at any location, and the unified
workspace enables easy collaboration
between employees, partners and
customers all with lower costs and
improved security
364
Offices worldwide
Issues and challenges
JTI is a leading international tobacco manufacturer with about
26,000 employees operating in over 120 countries worldwide.
The company has nine global flagship brands - Winston, Mevius,
Camel, Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut, Sobranie, Glamour, LD and
Natural American Spirit.
In such a large, highly-distributed organization, international
collaboration is a major challenge. JTI had identified that
communication was suffering due to legacy technology silos and
a historic fragmented approach to collaboration tools. There was
an urgent need to streamline operations by moving to a unified
strategy and solution and, in the process, reduce costs and
enhance the service to end users.
The objective
Improve JTIs global communication capabilities to increase
collaboration among employees, partners and customers and
lower operating costs.
The Orange Business Services
solution
n Orange managed Unified Communications service in 40
countries on Microsoft Lync 2013 hosted in Orange data
centers and migration to Skype for Business
n 20,000 users: IM, presence, Web Conference
n 12,000 users: Lync Enterprise Voice, desktop video services
and videoconferencing
n 3,000 users: Lync-enabled mobile devices, tablets and
smartphones
n Dedicated Lync audio conferencing service, including Call
Collect network in 51 countries
n Orange Managed Contact Center solution based on Genesys
technology

The benefits The results

The Orange Unified Communications solution has enabled JTI n Reduced costs
to increase global collaboration. n Simplified management via single global provider
n Mobile workers enjoy the same high-quality UC experience n Increased security
on any device at any location
n Unified workspace enables easy collaboration between
employees, partners and customers
n Unified communications supports better and faster
decision making

Digital transformation is key for

us. Our trusted partner Orange
Business Services understands
our needs and helps us to stay
competitive. We believe in their
expertise and knowledge.

For more information about Orange Business Services, visit www.orange-business.com

For more information about JTI, visit www.jti.com

Copyright Orange Business Services 2016. All rights reserved. Orange Business Services
is a trading name of the Orange Group and is a trademark of Orange Brand Services Limited.
Product information, including specifications, is subject to change without prior notice.

1216/CCS-JTI-075(1)
J T I N T E R N AT I O N A L

they add to business: IT is very We are a real

demanding, and currently full of
buzzwords: the cloud, big data,
people-caring
Internet of Things (IoT), software as company, so talent
a service what differentiates us is
business knowledge and good old-
management has
fashioned IT skills. You dont need always been very
to mimic best practices; theyre important to us,
already built into the cloud solution
so you dont need to develop that but even more so
application yourself. You just need to now that were
understand the business and activate
the right functionalities within that
embarking on
already-implemented solution. this digital
adventure
50 July 2017

Insourcing knowledge
In the early 2000s, JTI set about
creating two programmes which
embraced the two big application
pillars of that age: an ERP system
based on SAP technology, and a
front-office CRM application for sales
and analytics, which refreshed the
entire companys basic application
environment. Once they were
complete, JTI found itself with a lot
of technology and business experts
that were then split into dual factions:
Business Technology Services, which
contains three smaller teams within
CONSTRUCTION
itself and deals with every element
of the business side of IT, and the
IT Factory, which is filled with the
infrastructure, development, systems
management and data centre experts.
So over the years, these
departments have evolved and
become kind of a business consulting
arm of IT, while the other ones are still
there to develop solutions, De Coen
explains. Between them, the teams
keep the lights on. As a company,
when it comes to our IT functions
that work directly with the business,
we have decided to keep this within
w w w. j t i . c o m 51
5 DATA-DRIVEN TECH TRENDS
Shaping CuStomer experienCe in 2017
By 2018, more than 50% of companies will shift their investments to customer experience
innovations.1 But, which technology trends should you pay most attention to?

1 MOBILE CONTINUES TO
INTENSIFy MICRO-MOMENTS 4 THE INTERNET OF THINGS ENABLES BETTER
AND FASTER CUSTOMER INSIGHTS
What starts as a micro-moment of ten today, the information youre aBle to collect aBout
leads to l arger Brand engagement, if a customer over their entire Buyer journe y is more
the Brand gets it right. valuaBle than the actual sale.

82% of smartphone users consult

their phones while theyre standing in a
store deciding which product to buy 2

52% of customers are less likely to engage with

brands after a bad mobile experience 3

2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CREATES AN

ABSOLUTE 360-DEGREE CUSTOMER VIEw
50 billion
connected devices will be in the world by 20207

ai has superhuman poWer that makes sense of millions

of customer data points, getting smarter
each time neW data is fed to it.
47% of devices will be set up to automatically
request customer service support by 2020 8

Only .5% 1.7

of all of the data
in the world has
been analyzed,
megabytes
of new information will be
5 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CLOUD
SUITES PREVAIL
providers of cloud suites Will outperform providers of
or used 4 created every second by 2020 4
fragmented, plug-and-play technology.

86%
3 CHATBOTS ACT AS A SELF-SERVE wAy TO
CONNECT wITH CUSTOMERS IMMEDIATELy
of senior-level
executives say its
critical to create a
the aBility to parse questions for actual meaning + intent cohesive customer
is a very poWerful tool to deliver smarter experiences. journey 9

51% 85% Of all buyers, 87%

believe companies need
of customers to provide more consistent experiences10
of customers
believe a will manage their
business needs relationship with
to be available a brand without
24 hours a day, human interaction LEARN moRE
7 days a week 5 by 2020 6
THE LEADING DATA-DRIVEN TRENDS SHAPING
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN 2017 IN OUR FREE
EBOOK: ORACLE.COM/CXTRENDS
1) superoffice.com/blog/customer-experience-statistics 2) thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/how-micromoments-
are-changing-rules.html 3) superoffice.com/blog/customer-experience-statistics 4) forbes.com/sites/
bernardmarr/2015/09/30/big-data-20-mind-boggling-facts-everyone-must-read/#404018c66c1d 5)
hventurebeat.com/2016/08/26/3-stats-that-show-chatbots-are-here-to-stay 6) business2community.com/
infographics/customer-experience-statistics-know-infographic-01499626#ilB6CcpP3Q6e4Bte.97 7) info.
csgi.com/m2m-internet-of-things 8) parature.com/internet-of-things 9) marketeer.kapost.com/customer-
experience-marketing-stats 10) visioncritical.com/customer-experience-statistics

Copyright 2017, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of
Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
 Oracle cOnsumer GOOds custOmer experience
perfect stOre, every stOre
Bill Deakin, Oracle Vice President and Consumer Goods Customer Experience
Evangelist, and Xavier Chabanne, Customer Experience Sales Director EMEA
Region, discuss the emergence of Perfect Store for consumer goods and the need
for consumer-centric business transformation.
We are living in a fast-changing World, What are
the most disruptive global forces?
how, when and why consumers shop and buy is dramatically
changing across the globe. as a result, both consumer goods
companies and retailers are rapidly evolving their business models
to meet the modern consumer where he or she is and deliver a
personalized, seamless consumer journey across all of the brands
owned and influenced touchpoints.
What does that mean When you go to market
through retailers?
at oracle, we believe that the point of sale is now at the
moment of inspiration, well beyond the physical locations of
traditional retail. this means brands and retailers have a bigger
customer experience (cX) challenge than ever before, but it
also provides unique opportunity for brands to be more
involved in their consumers journey by being more aware and
more prepared to engage and serve the consumer as they move
through their day at home, online, and in-store.
the challenge goes beyond engaging directly with the consumer,
though. true and impactful consumer reach occurs at the
intersection of digital and physical; which means that we need a
simultaneous transformation in traditionally business-to-business
oriented processes. Were seeing leaders in this space orient
these changes around the concept of perfect store: planning
consumer-centrically to drive the right assortment and programs
for the shoppers of the given stores, bringing forward the right
insights to help drive the business at a store-level, and targeting
sales resources wisely to deliver and respond to those insights.
hoW do you maXimize retailer engagement in
regulated markets?
We see increasing your value as a partner providing better
insights, more accurate planning, more effective execution as the
key to maximizing retailer engagement in all cases. this is most
especially true in regulated markets, where your customer is the
primary face to your consumers and your own consumer
interactions are by necessity limited.
Oracles Perfect Store model focuses on flexibility to meet the
driving needs of different channels, product categories, and
markets. crafting these goals collaboratively with the retailer
enhances commitment on both sides to achieve them.
self-service is another key tool to increasing value, especially with
smaller retailers. theyre often working round-the-clock, and need
place orders, grab digital content, and approve promotions when
they have the time not when your sales representative is in front
of them. We can help consumer goods companies provide these
core services, as well as key insights and even customer loyalty
awards and incentives to improve their standing as a valuable
(and valued) business partner.
100 of the Top 100 Consumer Goods Companies Run Oracle
Bill Deakin
Vice President, Consumer
Goods Customer Experience
Evangelist
Xavier Chabanne
Customer Experience Sales
Director, EMEA Region
What innovations Will create the most value going
forWard?
Were delighted to have worked with the industrys leading
companies for decades, across a wide variety of critical industry
issues, and we expect that continued partnership in innovation will
be the fuel for sustainable success.
it is no surprise that improved data and insights innovations are
driving significant change in the industry. More interesting is that
we see it driving not just unctional change but true business process
change and significant business value: the evolution of consumer-
centric planning, the drive to connect digital and physical, the
introduction of rich collaborative platforms, and the ever-
increasing targeting and intelligence of in-store execution actions.
ultimately, this new age of consumer-centricity is only possible due
to a vital pair of innovations: 1) the maturation of data
aggregation and mining to harness the wealth of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
party data available to consumer goods companies plus 2) the
new capabilities of machine learning to render meaning from
massive data crunching. together these two innovations power
oracles adaptive intelligence solutions, applying our massive
computing power and rich intellectual capital to simply bring back
to each user the right insights to drive optimal decision making.
What is oracles secret sauce in all this?
enabling a perfect store standard in every store is a key
innovation we are driving for consumer goods. driving real-time
and adaptive insights in the hands of those that are in the best
position to use them to their best advantage is a singular
innovation that unlocks value for brands and their retailers.
oracle cX for consumer goods transforms the end to end journeys
for both customer and consumer. the breadth and depth of our
cX offering is unmatched, and weve combined that portfolio with
our deep industry expertise to deliver optimized process solutions
specific to Consumer Goods.
the future is still unfolding, and both technological and human
innovations will continue to change its shape in ways we cant
even imagine today. building our industry solutions on our rich
oracle cX cloud platform reduces it complexity while providing
our customers with full flexibility to accelerate their own
innovation into tomorrow. We continue to heavily invest in and
create thought leading technologies to aid in their evolutions as
well as our own - innovations like iot, big data, virtual assistance,
and ai. and of course, we are looking at all of this through the
lens of industry - industry needs, industry process, industry solutions.
ultimately, there are many pieces and parts to each consumer
goods companys journey. the magic is in not just understanding
the elements, but bringing them together to support that ultimate
goal of perfect store at scale perfect store, every store.
for further information please visit oracle.com/cx
J T I N T E R N AT I O N A L
 CONSTRUCTION

IT. Some companies have these

distributed inconsistently across their
business functions, but this can create
an ineffective delivery model. I believe
our IT model is the most optimised to
provide the best value and the tools
and solutions for the business.
He adds: One of the basics of my
IT strategy is to insource knowledge
and outsource commodity. Over the
years weve really focussed on that.
The effort JTI puts in placing its
staff in the best positions is reflected
in its status as a Global Top Employer,
which the company has been awarded
for the past three years. Only 10
businesses have received this award
worldwide. JTI takes part in employer
certifications with the view to raise
awareness as a business which
cares about people, knowing full
well that the tobacco industry could
be a contentious issue for some.
This is a wonderful place to work,
with many opportunities for staff
to develop and grow, but in this
industry its sometimes more difficult
to entice new employees, says De
Coen. As such we must make more
effort to get skilled people the best

w w w. j t i . c o m 55
RIGHT NOW,
YOUR BUSINESS
CAN GO
IN A MILLION
DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS.
AND ONE OF
THEM IS RIGHT.
GROWTH IS LIVE.
SAP S/4HANA gives your
company constant control
over your business. Live and
in the moment. On premise or
in the cloud. So you can make
the right decision right now.
sap.com/growth
2017 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company.
All rights reserved.
IMMEDIATE, INTELLIGENT,
INTEGRATED SAP S/4HANA
HELPS CUSTOMER CREATE A
TRULY LIVE BUSINESS
Transforming your digital
business is a journey that
requires strategic planning
and solid, forward-looking
innovative insight. Taking
the next steps to grow your
company can be a tedious
game of hit or miss, but with
the right solution partner, you
can take control and start your
journey with confidence today.
Japan Tobacco International
(JTI), a leading tobacco
manufacturer based in
Switzerland, with operations in
more than 120 countries and
26000 employees worldwide,
has chosen to implement
SAP S/4HANA to help
streamline and accelerate
their digital business
transformation strategy
on one single platform.
The innovative power of
S/4 HANA gives customers
control over their business
data to make informed
For more information please contact SAP Switzerland: info.switzerland@sap.com
choices based on all available
data whether historical
or extrapolated, predictive
trends. After all, companies
that are still running last-
century IT have no hope
of keeping pace now that
transactions and analytics
are ideally expected
to run in real time.
As a modern digital core,
SAP S/4HANA enables
organizations of all sizes and
industries to benefit from an
intelligent and connected IT
landscape, so they can act
in the moment on a global
scale, enabling embedded
analytical and machine
learning capabilities. Available
in the cloud, on premise,
or for hybrid scenarios,
SAP S/4HANA unravels
organizational complexity
empowering companies to
create new business models
and users to simplify their
day-to-day tasks through the
award-winning SAP Fiori user
experience. It is designed
to integrate with and utilize
IoT, Big Data, Mobile,
Business Networks, third
party systems, and more.
SAP S/4HANA helps
customers create a
truly Live Business:
It is immediate empowering
business users with insights
to act in the moment
It is intelligent
beyond automation to
predictive suggestion
It is integrated not only
between your departments,
but connected to the world
Let SAP be your digital
compass. Always make the
right business decisions. Any
time. Any place. Choose
the right direction now.
Choose SAP and watch
your business grow.
SAP AWARD FOR
THE HIGHEST
GROWTH IN TOTAL
NEW LICENSE
VOLUME IN 2016

Since 2001 undertaking international projects for information

technology (IT) for business management, specializing in
SAP and in line with the main market trends: HANA, Cloud,
Mobility, Social Business, Internet of Things, etc

www.scl-consulting.com
 CONSTRUCTION

26,000
Number of
in class to join our employees at JT offer, the values
ranks. We focus on International we stand by are key
investing in employee for our customers,
development and helping suppliers, and current
them grow their careers, as well as and prospective employees alike.
offering good compensation and This is notably reflected in our
benefits. Not only do we then give engagement with communities
them a positive working environment where we are established.
and care for them, but we gain a In close collaboration with partners,
reputation as an employer of choice, JTI regularly supports a wide range
and we see in the staff surveys that of initiatives across the world, from
our employees are really happy. working with farmers and their
In De Coens words, Above and communities in order to tackle child
beyond the working conditions we labour, to planting trees in tobacco

w w w. j t i . c o m 59
J T I N T E R N AT I O N A L

growing areas where deforestation

is a challenge. In addition, the JTI
Foundation, a charitable organisation
endowed by JTI, brings its support
to less privileged people and
victims of natural or man-made
disasters through partnerships
with reputable organisations.

Outsourcing commodity
While JTIs entire digital scope has
changed a great deal in recent years,
one of the biggest, most dramatic
changes has been adopting IoT. JTI
is a traditional company in many
ways producing high-quality
tobacco products in a cost-effective
way which used to require a
simpler business model. However,
due to the highly-regulated nature
of the industry restricting how it
could reach out to consumers, JTI
had to expand its technological
capabilities and modernise to
implement something new.
Our traditional model has changed
since we entered the market of
emerging products, or e-cigarettes,
says De Coen. Suddenly we have
the ability to trade in some markets

60 July 2017
 We help brands and businesses
succeed in the digital economy

40,000 experts.
145 countries.
One passion.

Visit blue-innity.com
#PassionatelyDigital
with our consumers via e-commerce
platforms. We are allowed to perform
digital marketing and connect with
social sites. Its an environment
that did not exist before because
regulations dictated that we cannot
sell tobacco products online.
JTI is also utilising IoT on the shop
floor, enabling it to gather and process
data in a much more streamlined
fashion. For example, predictive
maintenance for continuously
monitoring machinery is vital for any
manufacturing company, because
something can happen to the
component being worked on at any
moment. IoT is helping JTI to diminish
any issues and remove downtime of
the machines, easing the way for the
business to become ever-more digital.

Partnerships
These advances in technology have
been made possible by the businesses
with which JTI has aligned itself, and
part of De Coens strategy is to keep
partnerships minimal and strong.
The fewer strategic partners
you have the better it is for the
company, he says. If you have

w w w. j t i f o u n d a t i o n . o rg 63
J T I N T E R N AT I O N A L
too many, the word strategic
becomes meaningless.
Thus, JTI concentrates on a select
few, including Orange Business
Services (OBS), SAP, Microsoft,
Oracle, Accenture, blue-infinity,
SCL-consulting and HCL. For
example, the entire spectrum of
communications is outsourced to
OBS, which is JTIs longest-serving
partner; amazingly; they have
worked together since the mid-90s.
The other partners all contribute
additional and vital elements to
the business and are encouraged
to work as equals with JTI.
Its not only about them providing
a service and us paying a certain
amount of money for that service,
De Coen explains. I want these
partners to understand our business
inside and out, and when they do
that, theyre able and encouraged to
come up with new ideas and solutions
with added value for the company
in a proactive way, so that we dont
always have to run after them and ask
if they can do this or what. They can
come up with ideas themselves.
These stable and trusted
64 July 2017
Diego De Coen
CIO
Diego De Coen is an experienced manager
whose management experience covers
several business functions as well as
different industries. He managed complete
business entities as well as large service
organizations including support desks,
competence centers, pre- and post-
sales consultancy structures and training
departments.
Today, De Coen is the Chief Information
Officer at JTI and is based at the
Companys Headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland. He joined JTI from Deloitte
Consulting in 2002, and was on deck for
Partner/Director at the time of his move.
Prior to joining Deloitte Consulting, De
Coen was Managing Director of Cubic
(member of the Exact Group), the market
leader for ERP software in Belgium,
focussing on small and medium sized
companies.
Before this, he was Technical Director
at Selligent, a Belgium CRM (Customer
Relationship Management) company.
Six years prior to joining Selligent, he
worked in several EMEA wide management
positions at EDS (Electronic Data Systems).
De Coen has a degree in Psychology
and several military degrees.
J T I N T E R N AT I O N A L
partnerships are more important than
ever at a time when JTI is entering
emerging markets, which bring
several new challenges including, at
times, less reliable IT infrastructures.
The close relationships between
businesses are vital for ensuring
the agility and flexibility JTI strives
towards when so much change
and expansion is occurring.
66 July 2017
The company is moving so
fast. We enter between three and
five markets each year, De Coen
states. Recently weve entered the
Philippines, Indonesia, Dominican
Republic and Colombia. In these
emerging regions, were constantly
moving. When you enter a new
market, its only investment, theres
no return you dont make money
 CONSTRUCTION

One of the
basics of my
IT strategy
is to insource
knowledge
and outsource
commodity.
Over the years
weve really
focused on that

on day one. But thanks to our CRM and ERP

solutions, which weve created lighter versions
of, we have a toolset that we can use immediately
in a new market and start doing business at a
very low cost. Then, we bring in our partners.
JTIs insistence on the best adoption of
technology and its passion for people has
cemented its relevance within a traditional
industry, and will enable its already-
significant footprint to grow and grow.

w w w. j t i . c o m 67
Ready for a
data growth
Written by John OHanlon
Produced by Danielle Harris
69
TELEFONICA GERMANY

Telefnica Deutschland, having outsourced its day to

day network management, is taking steps to outstrip
its rivals through proactive customer service. The
company will know if theres a problem, and will come
up with a fix or an explanation before the network
user even knows about it

S
ince it entered the German market in 2005
with the acquisition of the O2, Telefnica has
become one of the three leading integrated
telecommunications providers in Germany. In the
mobile segment alone, Telefnica Deutschland is
the market leader. In 2014 Telefnica Deutschland
acquired E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH. Now the
company is working on a simplified management
structure across Telefnica Deutschlands entire
mobile access, core and fixed network operations.
Quality monitoring and surveillance this
extensive network has been the responsibility
of Marcus Thurand, VP of Network Operations
since 2013, but his job has evolved almost out
of recognition. The networks not only have to be
reliable; they have to be smart enough to cope
with a new era of communications. As the CEO
Markus Haas pointed out in March at CeBIT,

70 July 2017
Marcus Thurand
VP of Network Operations
building a better
connected world
Huawei Technologies is one of the worlds leading providers of
information technology and telecommunication solutions. More than
a third of the worlds population and more than half of the German
population use Huawei technology directly or indirectly. Headquartered
in Shenzhen, China, the company has 180,000 employees and operates
in 170 countries with its three business units, Carrier Network, Enterprise
Business and Consumer Business. Huawei employs 79,000 people in
research and development, and operates 16 research and development
clusters worldwide, as well as 28 partnerships with partners. Huawei has
been operating in Germany since 2001 and employs over 2000 people
at 18 locations. The headquarters of the European Research Center of
Huawei is located in Munich.
TELEFONICA GERMANY
Hannover: Due to the continuous
progress of network technology,
I have unlimited possibilities of
using digital means to make life
easier. Regarding the internet of
things, we will see an enormous
growth in connecting devices via
Narrowband IoT. For instance
electricity and water meters. Also
with applications for consumer the
internet of things will open entirely
new dimensions in core areas such
as mobility and health. This can
only be beneficial for all of us.
74 July 2017
In order to meet all the increasing
requirements the network has to be
very resilient. Thurand and his team
look after the 24-hour surveillance
of the entire network, as well as
configuration and integration and all
new hardware and software affecting
it, and providing network support
to large business customers.
His departments emphasis has
radically shifted with the setting up
of a new Service Operations Centre.
The company brought in Accenture
to help define the shape of the

innovative network organisation
and the process of transitioning
from the former model to the new
SOC organisation. Launched on
April 16 2017, the Munich-based
centre has its own premises and
staff. Its very existence shows how
significant both perspectives are.
The customer engagement is as
much important as the inward-
looking network management, he
says. These days were looking
at the network not only from a
technical point of view but stronger
TECHNOLOGY
from the user experience by trying
to understand what the customers
are really doing with our services.
The Service Operations Centre
uses custom built software. The
system technology is mainly made
available by long-time Telefnica
partner Huawei. Using this software
we are able to look into the customer
experience from interactions on
the network and assess whether it
was good or not, says Thurand.
We all know that checking out a
YouTube clip, for example, can be a
These days were
looking at the
network not so much
from a technical
point of view as
trying to understand
what the customers
are really doing
with our services
w w w. t e l e f o n i c a . d e 75
 2017 Accenture. All rights reserved.
CAST
A WIDER
NETWORK

Build next Develop Create

generation and launch real-time
platforms new services operations

Accenture helps communication service providers to align their business

objectives with technology capabilities, transform their operating models and
engage a wider digital ecosystem to capture the promise of the pervasive network.
See how at accenture.com/widernetwork
 TECHNOLOGY

very different experience. Sometimes

its perfect, sometimes it stalls or

Munich
distorts. We are unlikely to know
why, but now Telefnica can tell us.
We aggregate anonymous user
The regional HQ experiences to see whether certain
of Telefonica services in a certain region are
Germany behaving well or poorly and deduce
whether we can do something about
that and help the customer have a
better experience, Thurand explains.
This is just a starting point. The
next step is to use the information
to interact with the customer.
Perhaps a customer had a bad
experience from our data service for
example, and wants to complain,
Thurand continues. We can provide
information up-front to customer
service, tell them the performance in
an application was not as it should
be and there really was something
at fault in the network. In that case
we can work out with customer
service any incentives we can give
the customer in compensation.
Going further we can be even more
proactive because we already know
about the issue. If the customer
complains, we can tell them were

w w w. t e l e f o n i c a . d e 77
Using Huaweis software we are
able to look into the customer
experience from interactions
on the network and assess
whether it was good or not
Telefonica Puts Customers
First Via Datameer
IP networks and services create major challenges to
measuring the true customer experience. Datameer broke
down the data and analytic barriers, letting us find insights
faster to ensure we deliver the utmost experience and best
services for our customers.

Marcus Thurand, VP Network Operations, Telefonica Germany

At Telefonica, creating a customer first atmosphere required a

Results
cultural change of fostering new ideas through data. This required
a nimble analytics platform that could bridge customer and
network data, and democratize that data across the company for
Improved customer
rapid data discovery. Telefonica partnered with Datameer to create experience based on
an analytics environment that broke down silos of information for data-driven insights
customer and operational insights. Through Datameer, Telefonica
generates new ideas to continuously deliver better networks and
services for their customers.
Over 20 use cases
discovered and acted on
About Datameer

Datameers big data analytics platform turns complex data into Single view of customer
actionable insights through agile data preparation and analytics. and network data
Using Datameer, organizations like Telefonica deliver insights in
achieved
hours instead of months and operationalize them rapidly,
increasing business agility and market responsiveness.

Analytics That Drive Action

www.datameer.com

aware the service was not good on
that occasion and suggest what
we can do to make it better.
The new organisation shifts
Telefnicas focus away from
the purely technical, bringing
customers into the discussion
from the standpoint of what they
are really doing
with the network
and experiencing
it. No out-of-
the-box software
could do what was
2005
needed, so over a
12 month period a
new platform was
developed with The year Telefonica
Huawei. Its so much Germany was
more than a matter founded
of simply trawling for
information. A key part of the mix is
advanced analytics that will extract
more information from the big data.
The Huawei software is built around
a Hadoop cluster, a framework
that supports the processing and
storage of extremely large data
sets in a distributed computing
environment. Hadoops ability to
TECHNOLOGY
run applications on systems with
thousands of commodity hardware
nodes, and to handle thousands of
terabytes of data, means it can not
only manage the requirements of
Telefnicas existing network but
potentially the exponential increase
that will result for the growth of IoT as
foreseen by Mr Haas.
Currently Marcus
Thurand and his
team are engaged in
analysing anonymous
customers activity
such as browsing,
file downloading
and uploading and
popular applications
like WhatsApp
and YouTube. We
started in April and
we need to see what applications
our customers are using, and trying
to bring new applications such
as mytaxi which are very German
market specific. The idea is to
measure whether the app is working
well for customer groups, provide
feedback to these groups and offer
help if we detect a problem.
w w w. t e l e f o n i c a . d e 81
TELEFONICA GERMANY
Once the system has been trialled
for a reasonable period, he would like
to collaborate with the companies
that make the apps people access on
the network. In the future Id like to
have service level agreements (SLAs)
with these companies and agree on
certain key performance indicators
(KPIs). After all we must surely
collaborate to give the best service to
our mutual customers. When we find
a problem then we could call them,
or they us, and say there is an issue.
Perhaps surprisingly, this sort of
cooperation is rare between network
service providers and large software
developers such as Google. But
why not start now? Thurand says.
Telefnica Deutschland is the
first group company to roll out this
software. By correlating customer
behaviour, customer complaints
and customer churn it can help
identify regional anomalies like poor
data throughput, cut the numbers
switching away and encouraging
more to switch to Telefnica. But
we dont just want them to stay,
says Thurand, we want to get new
customers on board and let them
82 July 2017
see the value we can give to them.
It started with my organisation at
network operations but we are
going to involve customer service,
marketing, communications,
and other departments. We want
to roll it out into different areas
of the company so we can all
use this information we are now
getting about our customers
real-world experience.
Its been a busy year for Marcus
Thurand and his team, who have
had to expand their centre of
attention from the system to its
users. We are investing a lot in
the change management and
training so employees have a
better understanding of their future
role, he continues. It has also
been a challenge to set up the
software, which for every single
interaction on the network has
to analyse and put an evaluation
marker on it assessing it, noting
any problems and their severity
and where they originate.
Customers will quickly see the
benefits in the form of fast responses
to problems, even ones they may not
 TECHNOLOGY

Customer
Experience
Assurance

Empirix is the recognized leader in delivering solutions to optimize customer

experiences. Using technologies for monitoring and analytics, Empirix empowers
organizations to overcome challenges and promote informed decision making. We
help clients around the world redefine their mobile business by accelerating new
business models, improving customer loyalty, reducing operational costs, increasing
revenues, and providing a holistic view of subscribers and devices.

Tel: +1 978 313 7008 | sales@empirix.com | www.emprix.com w w w. t e l e f o n i c a . d e 83

TELEFONICA GERMANY

84 July 2017
 TECHNOLOGY

have been aware of. In a business

with so many employees it can be
harder to spot problems. The SLAs
Telefnica has with customers
may be comfortably achieved, yet
small groups, senior executives or
frequently travelling salespeople for
example, may still have problems.
With the new tools, we can quickly
break down the macro information
and see where problems lurk. That
gives us the opportunity to revisit the
SLAs and provide these customers
with a better level of service.
Thurand remains confident that
the system will yield benefits in
customer satisfaction, retention
and acquisition as well as fitting
Telefnicas network for the
exponential data growth that will
come when everyones refrigerator
is jostling for bandwidth.

w w w. t e l e f o n i c a . d e 85
The skys the limit
Acceleris & certified
cloud solutions
Wr i t te n by D a l e B e n t o n
Pro d u c e d by D a n i e l l e H a r r i s
ACCELERIS

Acceleris has evolved from a small-scale reseller of

microsystems to an ISO certified cloud service solutions
provider. With plans to continue to push the boundaries
of its offering, the sky really is the limit for Acceleris

I
n the modern world of technology,
IT and ICT systems software play
a crucial part in almost every
industry across the world. The task
for companies is how to leverage
their IT software to generate greater
efficiencies and more importantly,
lower operating costs. The technology
in IT is transforming, with Big Data,
IoT and cloud based software taking
over, realising the cost benefits from
innovation can prove a tricky business.
This is where Acceleris
comes in to play.
An industry leader, providing ISO
certified IT service solutions in
Switzerland, Acceleris stands tall as
the go-to solutions provider, promising
high and consistent quality solutions.
But life at the company did not always
revolve around cloud based solutions.
Head in the clouds
Acceleris was founded in 2003 by
Pascal Strchler as a reseller of
microsystems, and through a difficult
period of searching for partnerships
that would enable the company
to grow into a systems integrator
and further down the line a cloud
service provider, Strchler refocused
the company through two major
partners in Red Hat and Oracle.
We really moved from being a
classical IT reseller who was just
selling hardware and software
and became a service provider for
cloud solutions, says Strchler.
Today, the company focuses
on the delivery of cloud
services and infrastructure.
We help the customers run really
largescale infrastructure and help
them operate said infrastructure
properly, with high efficiency and

88 July 2017
 TECHNOLOGY

w w w. a c c e l e r i s . c h 89
Keeping business competitive and IT eco
Cloud computing at a tipping point
Cloud delivered computing is a reality. It has been
around in one form or another for a decade but only
recently has it been considered viable for a complete
IT environment. The tipping point has been reached
largely due to the availability of a broad range of IT
services at a price point that cannot be ignored by
business managers.Cloud offers business organizations
a high degree of flexibility in determining how they
enable their business, providing time or usage defined
services which can be extended or contracted to
meet the timely requirements of the business. Equally
services can be acquired without large investment in
software, hardware and the expertise required to run
it. Specific services such as IOT based processes or
big data management capabilities can be acquired for
a fraction of the cost of a few years ago. This means
that firms of all sizes can now afford what once were
considered sophisticated IT services to support new
business models. For example, customer engagement
processes supported by SaaS apps in combination
with chat bots, adaptive learning, information capture
and management on Hadoop, NO-Sql or conventional
RDBMS is paid via operating expenses. Subscription-
based services provide scale flexibility, lowering up-front
investments and lead times to realise business support.
The security offered by large IT suppliers is typically
far superior to that provided by internal services. Cloud
services providers are a viable alternative corporate
IT. However, the cloud service provider is no substitute
for in house IT which ensures the tactical and strategic
support of the business via various suppliers.
Adopting cloud computing
The benefits of public / private cloud are apparent
for most companies the transition to cloud is
in some ways fraught with challenges
Need for a governance model to
manage cloud service providers
Understanding how to integrate on
premise and cloud systems
Local / national restrictions on data provenance
Adapting internal compliance policies and systems
for security in a heterogeneous environment
Determining the cost of services. Little
experience with subscription models
Enterprises in regulated industries maybe constrained
but it is not always abundantly clear where the limits
are to be drawn. Before the adoption of cloud services
risk, reward assessments are often a prerequisite.
Oracles cloud offering
Oracle has addressed obstacles to the adoption of
public cloud services in 2 ways. 1. With introducing the
Cloud at Customer cloud service delivery model 2.
The launch of a Managed Service Provider programme
onomics in balance
1. Within the Cloud at Customer service delivery
model the Oracle Cloud Machine (OCM), first
offered in 2016, provides clients with a physical
machine, configured to their specifications,
behind their fire wall and on premise.
This offers identical Oracle Public Cloud services at
subscription on fully managed Oracle machines in
the clients data centre. These services include
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) incorporating
compute, storage, network
Platform as a service (PaaS) including
Oracle Java Cloud Service
Oracle Integration Cloud Service
Oracle Database Cloud Service
The range of building blocks in Cloud at Customer
cloud service delivery model includes today, apart of
OCM, additionally Exadata Cloud Machine (ExaCM) and
Big Data Cloud Machine. The ExaCM is delivered with
full database licensing and flexible configuration and
offers bursting capability which can radically alter the
sizing requirements and consequently the economics
of acquiring and operating a server. The big data cloud
machine provides Hadoop services. Additional Cloud
at Customer units are expected in the next months.
2. The Oracle Cloud Managed Service Provider
(MSP) program identifies and recognizes partners
who have skills, tools and processes to build, deploy,
run, and manage Oracle and non-Oracle workloads on
Oracle Cloud Platform. With the Oracle Cloud Managed
Service Provider Program, partners reap the benefits
of building their services on a world-class cloud
infrastructure, and customers receive the complete
solution they need to optimize their cloud initiatives
reducing risk, cost, and complexity. If required the
solution can be delivered on premise against the Cloud
at Customer model. This provides companies with a
trusted local management of Oracles cloud services.
Capitalising on Oracles Cloud offering
Oracles Cloud at Customer offerings are cost effective
infrastructure building blocks. If desired Oracles clients
can select from the MSP Partners to manage customers
cloud infrastructure, and/or end-user systems, and
provide services including cloud advisory, service
migration, DevOps, provisioning and orchestration,
monitoring, 24x7 monitoring, incidence and change
management, and cloud optimization, among many
others. Upon qualification, Oracle Cloud Managed Service
Providers can purchase Oracle Cloud Platform products
for customers, package their MSP services, and provide
a complete solution to the customer. This model shifts
responsibility for all maintenance and support to the
MSP Partner allowing clients to take full benefit of the
cloud services. Pricing of the MSP is consistent with
the equivalent service available in Oracle Public Cloud.
ACCELERIS
all within a secure environment.
This transformation towards a
cloud service solutions provider has
taken place over the last four years
and following the decision to move
into this direction, the company
sought out ISO certifications to
cement its position in the market.
But as with any transformation, the
decision was not made without reason.
One major factor in this was the role of
the customer, with Strchler noting that
customers are switching from capital
expenditure to operating expense.
Customers dont want to
invest in hardware, they just want
to consume IT, he says.
More and more small to medium
sized companies are switching
operating models to become more
like e-commerce businesses. This
in turn means these companies are
seeking ICT operations that can run
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This presents a major problem for
these companies operating costs.
The costs for this kind of operation
is too high, so companies are turning
towards infrastructure partners and
cloud services. This allows them
92 July 2017
to have a guaranteed service-level
agreement and they can be safe in
the knowledge that their e-commerce
business is operating to those 24/7
requirements, Strchler says.
Leading the pack
Acceleris defines itself on its cloud
infrastructure NUBIQ, going as far as
calling it as one of the most up to date
cloud infrastructures in Switzerland.
This is due to the fact that it is fully
software defined. This means that
Acceleris has software designed
storage, network and compute
power in an open spec and open
defined open stack infrastructure.
To put that into context, there
are currently three open stack
infrastructures across Switzerland
and Acceleris is one of them.
With open spec and open defined
infrastructure, we are able to provide
cloud infrastructure on an incredibly
large scale, says Strchler.
An advantage of such an
infrastructure over say, Amazon
or Azure, is that it allows Acceleris
to provide services, back up,
restart, security and, if necessary,
 TECHNOLOGY

w w w. a c c e l e r i s . c h 93
ACCELERIS

Customers dont want to

invest in hardware, they
just want to consume IT

94 July 2017

Acceleris can run the whole server
through managed services.
We can really work in a hybrid
service level agreement. That
is unlike no other company in
Switzerland, Strchler adds.
Acceleris is a company that in
essence is defined by its customers.
Through the companys base in
Switzerland, it provides
an opportunity for
customer engagement
that is unrivalled.
The response
from customers
has really been
amazing, he says.
2003
the year Acceleris
They really like
was founded
the fact that we are
based in Switzerland
and can have direct engagement
with our engineers. This allows a level
of service that can tailor to specific
requirements and needs through
one to one meetings. Customers are
really taking to the truly support role
our engineers can have for them.
Certification for success
Of course, one of the major factors
TECHNOLOGY
in Acceleris becoming a market
leader in cloud infrastructure
services is the companys ISO
certifications - the holy grail of the
ICT service solution provider space.
To date, Acceleris has obtained
five ISO certifications and is one of
the only companies to have done so.
The most recent certification, and
arguably the most
important with regards
to handling customer
data in the cloud
space, is ISO 27018.
This certification is a
code of practice for the
protection of personally
identifiable information
and it provides a key
advantage for Acceleris
in a market that is ever growing.
It shows that we have proper
processes in place and it guarantees
the customers that we have a high
standard of security, says Strchler.
It guarantees to them that each
employee knows how exactly those
safety processes are working.
It guarantees high quality.
The employee and the employees
w w w. a c c e l e r i s . c h 95
ACCELERIS

96 July 2017

knowledge of the companys data
processes is crucial to the business,
and this is an area that has historically
provided the biggest challenge to the
business. With every new software
defined technology comes increased
complexity and this is something
that Strchler is all too aware of.
We must train our engineers
and educate them continuously.
Acceleris has invested heavily into
this area over the last four years and
we will continue to do so, he says.
Security threats and the way in which
Acceleris approaches the issue of
cyber security is a fundamental issue
that the company values extremely
highly in the world of data handling.
We check our processes on a
half-year basis and we check our
risk management, he says.
Part of the way Acceleris invests in
the security of its processes is through
the use of third parties and controlled
hacks. This is where Acceleris allows
a trusted third party to hack into
their infrastructure in a controlled
environment to identify potential
security threats and open doors that
could cause further problems.
TECHNOLOGY
It is through this approach that
Acceleris was able to avoid the
threat of the global RansomWare
cyber-attack earlier this year.
We were really prepared on that
front and our system was not, and
is not, at risk as a direct result of our
preparedness, says Strchler.
Powered by partners
The cycle for new releases of the
latest technologies is becoming
increasingly shorter and customers
are increasingly demanding these
technologies. Thus, Strchler has been
able to call upon the support from its
major partners, Oracle and Red Hat.
Reliable partnerships are the basis
for our business success. In order to
be able to concentrate on our core
competencies, we therefore rely on
strong and long-term partners, says
the company website, and this is
certainly a feeling shared by Strchler.
Acceleris sits on the board of both
Oracle and Red Hat as well as having
the highest certification as partners.
This allows Red Hat and Oracle to
work together with Acceleris on the
training and educating of its employees
w w w. a c c e l e r i s . c h 97
ACCELERIS
to be able to provide the latest state
of the art knowledge and state of
the art services to customers.
Through these reliable partnerships,
Acceleris will also gain new
business as both Oracle and Red
Hat will point customers into the
direction of the company when
looking for the right partner.
Acceleris is held in high regard
from these big companies as a
service solution provider with an
extremely high level of service and
knowledge, says Strchler.
Reach for the sky
For Strchler, the past four years
with Acceleris has been a period of
tremendous growth and there is a
clear strategy in place to continue
to grow and be recognised as a
partner of choice when it comes to
cloud infrastructure solutions.
The cloud service solutions market
is continuously evolving, with a major
98 July 2017
trend seeing customers seeking out
more private cloud infrastructure
and Acceleris is already on the ball in
this regard, with plans to run private
cloud software as early as fall 2017.
Looking a little further ahead
into the future, Strchler sees the
company expanding its offering to
match the demand for technologies
such as IoT, Big Data and analytics.
But there will also be a growth
from an internal perspective.
We are moving away from the
traditional hierarchy organisation
into a modern, more agile and
project oriented organisation
where the people are having more
responsibility, Strchler says.
For the future, its about the agility
and the time to market. It means we
need a new kind of organisation.
We want an agile organisation
that can react to the demands
of the customers, the market as
well as our internal stuff.
 TECHNOLOGY

We are moving
away from the
traditional hierarchy
organisation into a
modern, more agile
and project oriented
organisation where
the people are having
more responsibility
DIGITALISATION
DONE THE SAP WAY
Written by Nell Walker
Produced by Richard Durrant
101
SAP, known industry-wide for its enterprise
software capabilities, has evolved into a
shining beacon of digitalisation. Darren Hunt
and Laurence Leyden explain what this means
for SAPs vast global network of customers

S
ummer in the corporate
world means, among other
things, an increase in events.
As businesses shop around for
services, other organisations take
the opportunity to not only showcase
what they have to offer, but to
educate. For SAP, that is the role of
its Financial Services Forum.
This event, run by the multinational
software giant, is now in its sixth
year and has had a serious impact
on the industry. Running between
the 4th and 5th of July at Grange St
Pauls Hotel in London, it focusses
on financial and insurances services,
and on providing any and all
information a customer might need
to update its digital processes.
Theres so much noise today
around digital transformation, how
important it is, what it is, and what
its not, says Laurence Leyden,
General Manager, Financial Services,
EMEA at SAP. We host an industry
debate where we examine what
impact digitalisation has already
had on the industry and what new,
emerging opportunities it creates
for our customers. Perhaps more
importantly, we wanted to make
digitalisation very real for our
customers specific functions
within their financial businesses.
The event is a persons or
organisations opportunity to really
understand where SAP is with its
technology in particular regarding
digital cloud-led enterprise platforms
and real-time information and to
really understand what that means
in the context of their business,
adds Darren Hunt, Head of Strategic
Industries at SAP. SAP has such a
good heritage from its legacy software
position. Opportunities like this are
fantastic, allowing us to continue
the education of our customer base

102 July 2017

 E N T E R P R I S E A P P L I C AT I O N S O F T W A R E P R O V I D E R
which solidifies faith and trust, and
helps them move on from what they
had to our newer technology.
SAPs focus
Between them, Leyden and Hunt
have many years of experience in
both financial services and enterprise
software, and are at the frontline
of the ongoing digitalisation of the
financial industry. SAP itself is focused
on expanding into industries where
there are big opportunities to invest
in particular public sector, retail,
and financial services and vitally,
to support the British economy.
I think its fair to say these three
sectors have been somewhat
challenged over recent years, Hunt
says. Public sector has seen a lot of
budget cuts, so much retail business
has moved online which has shifted
the market dramatically, and with
financial services there are so many
compliance and regulatory measures.
SAP, both in the UK and globally,
w w w. s a p . c o . u k 103
SAP Financial Services Forum
Winning in the Digital Moment
July 45, 2017
GRANGE ST. PAULS HOTEL, LONDON

Now in its sixth year, the SAP Financial Services Forum brings together
over 500 banking and insurance executives, fintechs, key SAP partners
and SAP financial services leaders and experts from over 40 countries.

Join us at the Grange St Pauls Hotel, London, to hear from thought

leaders and visionaries on what it takes to be a digital winner, and learn
through real-world examples how financial services companies are
embarking on their digital journeys.

We hope you can join us for this important global industry event.

104 July 2017

 E N T E R P R I S E A P P L I C AT I O N S O F T W A R E P R O V I D E R
Thought leadership
Go beyond the theory
with practical insights
from industry visionaries,
leading financial services
practitioners and fintechs
on how digitalisation is
transforming the industry.
Networking opportunities
Network with your
peers and attend
exclusive dinners and
other social events.
Executive access
Benefit from individual
meetings with senior
SAP executives and
SAP financial services
customers.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The event is specifically
designed for:
C-level executives
including CMOs/CDOs,
CFOs and CIOs
Senior decision makers
from retail, corporate
and investment banks,
capital markets,
central banks and
insurance firms
Heads of digital,
channels, customer
service, marketing,
sales, finance and risk
Senior IT transformation
leaders
sees that as an opportunity. We already have a
sizeable legacy across those sectors, but as the
pace for change gathers, we are focused on growing
our business as well as supporting customers.
Expanding the legacy
So what makes SAP so well-positioned to provide
what these industries need? It is, of course, well-
known in its sector for its enterprise software
services, and has created a long-lasting legacy for
itself as a result, but more importantly the company
maintains a vision that at once supports the legacy
customers and guides them into the future.
A lot of our customers use core back-office
software from our organisation that supports their
fundamental business processes, and has done
very successfully for a number of years, explains
Hunt. Our key vision is to help the world run better
and improve peoples lives, and I think thats what
weve done with our software. But as the world
changes, and we shift towards the cloud and
digitalisation, SAP sees itself as very well-placed
thanks to our new technologies and offerings to
support customers across all market sectors.
Increasing digitalisation is about engaging with
customers across numerous channels, making
sure workforces are engaged and have information
to hand, and enabling a smarter network of
collaboration. Everything we talk about and hear
w w w. s a p . c o . u k 105
SAP

now seems
to be around how the
world is becoming more connected,
and a lot of people now come into the workforce
expecting particular ways of working that might not be
available in some legacy applications. Organisations
need to use data in a way where access to real-time
information becomes a key enabler for their business,
does things faster, simpler, and in a more agile manner.
Despite this move towards all things digital, SAP
wont forget about the legacy customers. While the
company educates about and encourages moving
towards the latest technology, it doesnt force its
customers to do so. Many organisations only want or

106 July 2017

 E N T E R P R I S E A P P L I C AT I O N S O F T W A R E P R O V I D E R

need to run back-office systems, and

in Hunts words, were not switching
the lights off. However I think its
fair and appropriate, especially in
the financial sector, that people
understand we have technology
today that might deliver their banking
requirements of tomorrow.
Financial services in particular
are encouraged to update, because
customer demands are evolving
all the time. Until now, banks have
Laurence
waited for customers to come to
Leyden
them, Leyden explains. Digitalisation
has forced us to shift the focus
from transaction execution and
product selling to adding value.
That requires a different mindset
and a different business model.
Its important not to be distracted
by the shiny new front end it masks
the problem. If the back office isnt
agile, then youre simply investing
in omni-channel inefficiency.
While some may still have
reservations about digitalisation,
the cloud is more secure than ever,
as well as offering the best flexibility
Darren
and cost efficiency for the financial Hunt

w w w. s a p . c o . u k 107
SAP
sector. Cloud suppliers know that
brand reputation especially financial
institution reputation is at stake, and
therefore they are continually raising
the standards around security, says
Leyden. Cloud system architectures
use many different cybersecurity
applications to combat a myriad
of threats, isolating and disarming
them as they are discovered,
and protecting the entire cloud
community from being impacted
by that specific threat again.
SAP leads the way
To be an enabler of change, SAP
must be at the forefront of it. Its vision
and strategy centres around moving
more quickly, rather than rebuilding
technology that is still being relied
upon by legacy customers. To do
this, the company made a series
14,100+ 5,600+
Banking customers
in 149 countries
108 July 2017
of strategic acquisitions that fast-
tracked its digital practices and
capabilities, allowing for a combination
of technology applications, platforms,
and business process expertise.
Our innovation and commitment to
the financial industry is continuous and
ongoing, Leyden says. We have been
investing heavily into our own business
to transform ourselves. We were once
known primarily as an on-premises
ERP provider, but have since been
transforming ourselves not only as a
supplier of cloud services and SaaS,
but also a reliable business partner
who can run the digital backbone of
the entire enterprise across many
business functions. This has required
considerable change management
internally, and the job is not done yet.
Any organisation on the path to and
through our digitalisation needs to
Insurance customers
in 107 countries
 E N T E R P R I S E A P P L I C AT I O N S O F T W A R E P R O V I D E R
keep its eye on managing two critical
elements: managing the technology
change and the cultural change within,
and ensuring that change is pervasive
across the entire organisation.
One of SAPs top priorities is
to prove that digitalisation isnt
something to be wary of its
something to aspire to that will only
improve business in innumerable
ways. How the client feels is, of
course, the most important thing,
and while legacy customers cannot
remain on the same platform forever,
SAP offers equal support regardless
of the level of digitalisation.
Hunt concludes: I think it builds
an element of trust. I also think
that trust has to go both ways. No
doubt about it, organisations should
move to digital-based technology
quickly, but that has to be on the
advice of both us and them.
w w w. s a p . c o . u k 109
A DATA CENTRE
INDUSTRY FIRST FOR
THE NETHERLANDS
Written by Catherine Rowell
Produced by Lewis Vaughan
111
EVOSWITCH IS THE FIRST CARBON
AND CARRIER-NEUTRAL DATA
CENTER IN THE NETHERLANDS.
CEO ERIC BOONSTRA DISCUSSES
HOW THE COMPANYS SERVICES
MAKE THEM AN APPEALING
PROVIDER, IN ADDITION TO THE
COMPANYS ONGOING EXPANSION
E
stablished in 2007, privately
owned internet services
company EvoSwitch has
grown significantly. Situated in
Amsterdam, Europe and the US,
with a colocation facility situated in
Northern Virginia near Washington,
the company provides a multitude of
colocation and data center services
for national and international clients.
With a number of solutions on offer,
ranging from shared colocation,
private cages and suites, the company
has adopted a sustainable focus, and
has become home to the largest data
centre campus in the Netherlands.
Aiming to expand its footprint
within the growing European market,
112 July 2017
the Amsterdam area has become
a hotbed for data centre entrants.
With the need for businesses to
securely house large quantities of
data, EvoSwitch has situated itself
within a competitive market against a
rising client demand. Customers are
wanting increased interconnected
and hybrid cloud services, catering
for a customer base that is both
national and international. Amsterdam
in particular has become home to
a large number of new entrants, in
addition to international players who
seek to grow their services worldwide.
Nonetheless, EvoSwitch has become
a force to be reckoned with, with their
15 MW datacenter campus. Such
 CONSTRUCTION

ERIC BOONSTRA
CEO
With Eric Boonstra as CEO EvoSwitch has grown
fast. His main drivers are customer satisfaction,
operational excellence, and industry leadership.
Eric played a vital role in the acquisition of a broad
range of international customers. His management
is always quality driven and he is passionate
about taking EvoSwitch to the next level.
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For agility here.
EVOSWITCH
growth has consequently enabled
the company to become the largest
privately-owned internet-services and
data centre service provider in Europe.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
With an increased number of data
centre builds emitting large quantities
of heat, energy efficiency has become
a core focus for EvoSwitch. From
day one, we started being green,
explains Chief Executive Officer Eric
Boonstra. If you look into the world
and environment, it is becoming
increasingly important. From day one
we started becoming energy efficient.
With 12,000 square metres of
premium space, there is scope for
expansion opportunities to house the
companys colocation and data centre
services. Additionally, the current
energy capacity of 15MW could
be upped to 60MW, but with less
power than traditional builds thanks
to the buildings innovative design.
The Amsterdam facility is carbon
neutral and features extremely low
Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) scores.
With indirect adiabatic free cooling, air
freely flows into the cooling system,
116 July 2017
The role of the
data centre provider
will change more
into a center of
opportunities,
offering hybrid
clouds that are
not necessarily
in companies
own facilities
where warm air from the building
becomes mixed and cooled with
external air through heat transfer. This
cooled air then re-enters the building,
providing an optimum cooling solution.
Utilising 100 percent renewable energy
sources, such as hydropower and
wind power, the building also adopts
a modular design, enabling additional
modules to be added in and provides
future scalability for businesses to
grow and utilise EvoSwitchs services.
DESIGN INNOVATION
The EvoSwitch private suites

are containerised and therefore
genuinely modular. In fact, they are
almost stand-alone data centers,
with their own multiple UPS backup,
distribution boards, cooler units and
fire suppression systems. Boonstra
explains that customers enjoy total
autonomy their own module, their
own access and security control
dedicated to the individual suite.
The latest generation modular
containers offer 88 racks with 340
KvA; and these are extendable, like
a harmonica, thanks to eight rack
conjunction modules, which makes
CONSTRUCTION
the EvoSwitch modular system
even more modular Eric adds.
The containerised technology
deployed by EvoSwitch delivers
such high levels operational
efficiency and customer value
that it has been made proprietary
with registered patents and IP.
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
The demand for data centres,
cloud and colocation services will
revolutionise the way businesses
will operate in the future. Most of
the business will be in the cloud,
w w w. e v o s w i t c h . c o m 117
 www.adssecurity.nl
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With 70 percent of
EvoSwitchs clientele becoming
hosting and cloud providers,
the company also houses direct
connections with public clouds,
such as Google, Azure and
Amazon through EvoSwitchs own
cloud platform, OpenCloud. This
cloud-neutral, partner-rich cloud
interconnection platform beholds
dozens of active members and
keeps growing. OpenCloud creates
a dynamic marketplace for the sale,
development and consumption of
next generation cloud architecture.
It brings together enterprises,
networks, cloud infrastructure
providers, specialist partners,
and leading Internet Exchanges,
offering a huge variety of low
latency cloud connection options.
This enables businesses to choose
whether they want part of their
business on their own servers, or as
part of a cloud service. The role of
the data centre provider will change
more into an ecosystem, offering
hybrid clouds. All these possibilities
combined give the customer the
opportunity to develop strategic
CONSTRUCTION
advantages
in an optimal
environment in
terms of security,
compliance, performance
and costs Boonstra adds.
SERVICE WITH A UNIQUE
TOUCH
Nonetheless, with larger chain
corporations building an increased
number of data centres worldwide,
there is a danger of compromising
the level and quality of customer
service. With this in mind, listening
to customer requirements is an area
of particular focus at EvoSwitch,
which is clear through the companys
tailored services to meet specific
customer requirements. Customers
will never become a number with
us, adds Boonstra. They will
have 24-7 support with a human
w w w. e v o s w i t c h . c o m 119
EVOSWITCH
touch. We know our customers
and we act accordingly.
This strategy has extended
throughout the companys operations,
both with clients and highly
experienced staff. Working as one
team, with one result in mind, Boonstra
explains: Just because you are a
director, it doesnt make you more
important than any other employee.
We all need each other. With close
contact between internal staff and
suppliers, such as Priva, General
Electric (GE) and Schneider, the
company places as much emphasis
on active communication and contact
as possible to ensure customers
receive world-class services and
support. Its what we hear from our
customers when we undertake our
yearly customer survey, comments
Boonstra. They all tell us that
120 July 2017
especially our support and commitment
is key and very good in comparison
to other places in the market.
With an increased number of large
corporations building data centres,
Boonstra concludes that EvoSwitch
is THE alternative, which can provide
a bespoke level of service, flexibility
and custom solutions, with quality
results and quick turnaround. With a
24-7 support service, incorporating
dedicated technical and engineering
support 365 days a year, he adds,
thats how we work and how we
set up our support team, who do
more than the average data centre
provider. With an OpenCloud
marketplace and a variety of
cloud solutions, partnering with
customers further enables increased
connectivity and collaboration,
leading to future business growth.
 CONSTRUCTION

w w w. e v o s w i t c h . c o m 121
DATAPLEX IRELAND
THE DIGITAL LANDLORD
Written by Nell Walker
Produced by Lewis Vaughan
> Dataplex Irelands CEO, Eddie
Kilbane, describes the ways in which
the business overcame adversity
to become a recognised choice
for global giants, with simplified
IT and strong partnerships

D
ataplex Ireland is a newcomer
to the data centre world
and is already making itself
known, having acquired world-
leading businesses as clients
and becoming the greenest data
centre company in Ireland.
Eddie Kilbane is the CEO and
co-founder of the company, and has
watched Dataplex flourish since 2009;
the business signed its first client in
2012, in the B10 Data Centre in North
west Dublin. Among other things,
this signing allowed it to showcase
its Green Energy cooling solution, a
deployment that was years in advance
of any other data centre in Europe.
A turning point for the visibility of the
business came when Dataplex won
a contract in 2015 with a large global
operator. Having somebody on board
with an internationally recognisable
brand name gave it the validation
through the global operators due
diligence which we were struggling
to get elsewhere, says Kilbane. The
global operators data centre team
was extremely tough and thorough
in terms of their processes, so by
winning that contract, we had an
CONSTRUCTION
example to show other customers.
Kilbane has a long history in the
construction industry, as part of a
management team on large projects at
Chelsea Harbour, Canary Wharf, and
the Channel Tunnel, among others.
Whilst developing vast amounts of
construction and communication
network experience and gaining
contacts, Kilbane saw the deregulation
of the telecommunications market in
Ireland as an opportunity to establish
a company that would provide a
turnkey solution of design, wayleave,
construction and commission for
the new telecomunications carriers.
More companies would be moving
to the country to build a new cable
and telecoms industry, and in 1998,
he moved his family there from
the UK to become a part of it.
While the inclusion of a global
operator as a client did provide
Dataplex with much-needed weight
in the industry, it is elements of the
company from within that have
created the rising star it is today. For
example, thanks to the temperate
climate in Ireland, Dataplex maintains
and operates the greenest data
w w w. d a t a p l e x . i e 125
D ATA P L E X
Weve rolled back what our technology
does, switching to a simpler method.
Weve got to make sure our clients
cant get touched, and that they
know theres no chance of someone
hacking in and shutting us down
centre business in the country.
Were using a system to bring the
cold air into the server room to cool
it, Kilbane explains. In the middle of
June its still 14 to 19 degrees outside,
and these are not temperatures
youre going to see in many other
parts of Europe. Were lucky to have
this weather for our business.
Sustainability is an ever-present
issue and a factor that can make or
break a choice for a customer, and
Dataplexs green status certainly
allows it a competitive edge, but
ultimately its a combination, Kilbane
says. Certainly, green capabilities are
important to hyperscale companies
who are looking at Ireland because
the power availability and climate
mean they dont have to run very
large cooling solutions. So its
126 July 2017
definitely a factor, but its no one thing
that brings companies to Ireland.
They make a huge difference to our
economy by providing resources,
and they become a catalyst for other
companies to move closer to the
source of these data centres.
Weve seen a rise in technology
companies coming in and clustering
around data centres. In this business
park, we have PayPal, Xerox and Vertis,
amongst others: all very good, strong
breeds of companies who then feed off
having this data centre local to them.
Simplified technology
Another huge aspect of what makes
Dataplex an attractive choice is
its stripped-back approach to
technology. In Kilbanes words,
weve made our systems dumb,
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meaning that the business offers a about vulnerability because its

solid and reliable vanilla service.
My business is purely to support the
real technology, which is the clients
business, he continues. We are a
technical landlord as data centre
operators, we dont operate any data.
Dataplex simply offers the
infrastructure which allows the data
to flow. Its data centres sit in a silo;
no information can be broadcast,
ensuring a safe haven for customers.
In the event of a malware attack,
Dataplex doesnt have to worry
building systems and servers are
not connected to the internet.
If we dont connect to the internet,
the internet cant talk to us, says
Kilbane. Weve got to make sure
our clients cant get touched, and
that they know theres no chance of
someone hacking in and shutting
us down. Weve rolled back what
our technology does, switching
to a simpler method. This is one
aspect of the business clients dont
have to worry about, so they can

128 July 2017

 CONSTRUCTION

concentrate on their own data.

To allay any concerns regarding this
process, Dataplex even allowed
its larger customers to send their
security teams to validate the security
process put in place by Dataplex.
As an extra level of support,
Dataplex offers resilient N+1
specification, meaning that for
every single plug a client requires,
a second plug that matches it is
independently cabled and wired back
the main power. Everything becomes
dual-powered, and that service is
enabled at all times, even during a
service, meaning no downtime.
Dataplexs youth as a company Dublin
is among the reasons it has thrived
The location
so well even after a slow beginning.
With the lack of the ball-and-
of Dataplex
chain of legacy systems behind it,
Ireland HQ
Dataplex can be especially flexible.
Were not carrying any baggage,
so were able to be a bit more daring,
says Kilbane. We have to be different
and push small buttons enough that
attractive companies come to us.
In some ways, Dataplex has
already proven itself to have industry-
changing potential. In terms of the

w w w. d a t a p l e x . i e 129
D ATA P L E X

130 July 2017


cool air technology the company uses
to save energy, there was nobody
doing that in 2012 when we started
off, so we were quite out there,
and weve continued to stay out
there in terms of innovation with our
suppliers. As a small company, thats
one of the differentiators we have
in the market that attracted clients
like the global operators to our front
door, as opposed to our competition
which may be more traditionalist.
Concrete partnerships
None of this would have been
possible without Dataplexs
trusted internal partners. Dornan
Engineering enables the business
to build what it needs to precise,
well-negotiated specifications,
allowing the best possible
flexibility and speed to market.
Dornan even represented us at
meetings early on, pitching business
and working with our customers,
CONSTRUCTION
Kilbane says. Theyre very much
a partner rather than a contractor,
and clients can be assured that they
dont have to wait 3-6 months for
us to find a contractor we already
have one on board. It creates
a very strong partnership.
Anord is Dataplexs panel
manufacturer and has also been
working with the business since the
start, ensuring deliveries are simple
and smooth. EDPAC is the cooling
partner creating bespoke solutions
to a consistent quality, Schneider
provides UPSs and goes the extra
mile for Dataplex regardless of
its size as a company, and Ethos
Engineering is a solid, trusted partner
for design, pre and post-contract.
This combination of reliable
partnerships, high levels of
innovation, and stable, simplified
service will undoubtedly serve
Dataplex well to create a bright
future for Kilbane and his team.
w w w. d a t a p l e x . i e 131
SECURING
MOUNTAINS
OF DATA
WRITTEN BY NELL WALKER
PRODUCED BY LEWIS VAUGHAN
133
D E LTA L I S

134 July 2017


FRANK HARZHEIM, CEO OF DELTALIS,
EXPLAINS HOW A VERY YOUNG COMPANY
ENTERED THE DATA CENTRE INDUSTRY AS
AN UNKNOWN AND MADE AN INCREDIBLE
IMPACT, WITH UNIQUE FEATURES THAT
MAKE IT A POWERFUL CONTENDER
S
wiss data centre company,
Deltalis, holds a competitive
edge that so many businesses
can only dream of. Part of why it is such
an engaging and attractive prospect
for clients is its unique location; the Uri
data centre is nestled within an ex-
military bunker in a mountain range,
only an hour away from Zurich. The
bunker was bought in 2007 by private
investors, and it was originally intended
to be a secure location for storing
high-value goods. After speaking
with data centre professionals, the
bunkers owners realised the potential
of what they had, and more importantly,
discovered that data was the most
valuable commodity they could store.
Data and information grows in
value, says Frank Harzheim, CEO
and General Manager of Deltalis. The
CONSTRUCTION
facility itself had some key features
that were just perfect to turn into a
data centre. The bunker provides its
own cooling water 730,000 litres of
it, which has a constant temperature
of 14 degrees. Plus, the mountain
where the data centre is located
lies right on one of Europes main
internet backbone routes between
Zurich and Milan; connectivity is
vital for any data centre of course.
He adds: We are also in the fortunate
position where our local region Uri
produces more energy than it can
consume. Switzerland is a country that
has more energy stability than most,
and all our energy is hydroelectric,
meaning its also carbon-neutral.
On top of this, Switzerland is an
attractive location for international
customers; the Deltalis team alone
w w w. d e l t a l i s . c o m 135
D E LTA L I S

speaks six languages between them. In

a time of instability, where data centre
decisions are long-term developments
requiring a stable environment, it
provides strong value being one of the
most secure countries in the world.
After four years of construction
Deltalis opened its 15,000 square
metre facility in 2011, and in 2014,
Harzheim was approached to lead the
business. He didnt hesitate to accept.

The market
Harzheim admits that once the Uri data
centre was opened, approaching the
market was a whole new challenge.
A strategic marketing campaign was
arranged with the view to penetrate
the international market in a serious
way, and the introduction of Harzheim
to the team was part of that plan.
In 2015 the marketing strategy ONLY A FEW
and corporate identity were defined, DATA CENTRES
but the priority for Harzheim was IN THE WORLD
the acquisition of the necessary CAN CLAIM THEY
certifications that would prove Deltaliss ARE MILITARY-
worth, despite the companys youth.
GRADE EMP
During that year, we got the mandatory
PROTECTED AND
certifications that are needed, like
ISO27001, he explains. So we got
CERTIFIED

136 July 2017


certified, we built an operational
team and a sales team, and we
were prepared to take Deltalis to
the market as a strong business.
To bolster this move even further,
Deltalis chose to go above and beyond
and acquired another certification.
In an expensive and thorough
CONSTRUCTION
examination, the data centre was
tested for electromagnetic pulses and
found to be completely EMP-protected.
IT infrastructure demands protection
from EMP, as extended blackouts have
the potential to be devastating. EMP
attacks can be man-made or natural,
and neither can truly be prepared
w w w. d e l t a l i s . c o m 137
D E LTA L I S
for. Deltaliss testing and certification
was performed by EMShield GmbH,
which is a leading expert in the field of
planning and project implementation of
electromagnetically shielded rooms.
Of course ISO27001 is a tough
one, and its important, but it doesnt
differentiate you in the market,
Harzheim explains. Only a few data
centres in the world can claim they
are military-grade EMP protected
and certified. Since then, weve been
working on the commercial side of
the business, and are experiencing
excellent momentum and growth.
Challenges
While Deltalis has immersed itself in the
market at incredible speed, there are
of course pros and cons to being such
a young business. Those that have
been around for longer have structure,
resources, and visibility already
the latter being vital to success.
Being a young company, we had to
build momentum quickly, Harzheim
says. Thats difficult. We took an
existing facility and turned it into a
data centre, which wasnt its original
function, so it took a lot of important
138 July 2017
due diligence to make sure the facility
was perfect. This is something that
was not necessarily an advantage
compared to other companies.
When you make a decision like this,
you have to look at all the parts, and
know what is going to be an advantage
and what will be a disadvantage.
Of course, the advantages Deltalis
enjoys far outweigh any challenges
it has faced. Another aspect of
the business which like the EMP
protection acts as a true differentiator,
is that its officially hyper secure.
Most data centres are secure places,
but others are simply far more so.
We were approached by a group
of auditors on behalf of a bank, and
they were ticking boxes about our
security, Harzheim explains. They had
specific data centre questionnaires, like
how much weight of snow does your
roof support?, and do you have any
obstacles to avoid vehicles attacking
the building? The questions sound
silly, but because our data centre is
300 metres inside a mountain, we
are able to offer things you wouldnt
normally think about. The facility
isnt even reachable except for staff
 HYPER
SECURITY
IN TIMES OF
INSTABILITY
If you look at
an ordinary data
centre compared
to ours, youll see
theres a huge gap
between secure
and hyper secure
D E LTA L I S

ITS ALL ABOUT TRUST

A FILM BY DELTALIS

and customers. If you look at an
ordinary data centre compared to
ours, youll see theres a huge gap
between secure and hyper secure.
Continuous improvement
While Deltalis achieves top marks
for efficiency, green credentials, and
security, it does not waver from its
quest to keep improving. The main
challenge for co-location projects is
intelligent capacity planning, and this
is something Harzheim prioritises. He
aims to propel technology according
to growth, and the growth Deltalis has
experienced already has meant that it
is currently building a new co-location
room and two private suites.
In this sense, we are of course
adapting our technology. Its standard
in the data centre business that
even if you have a large or a new
building for a data centre, one part is
completely equipped and the rest is
ready to be completed, considering
projects that are expected to come.
Of course, a vital key to successful
penetration of the market is having a
team of people who believe in the vision.
For a young and growing company,
CONSTRUCTION
sourcing the best talent is more difficult
than for a more established business, but
Deltalis holds an edge of attractiveness
that a lot of newcomers do not.
You need people who believe in the
potential of the business, Harzheim
explains. What is important is that
everyone has an area of responsibility
and everyone is a team player.
Leadership isnt about telling others
what to do, its about letting them
know what they could do and giving
them the responsibility of doing
whats best for the business. This is
one thing weve implemented in our
leadership culture. Im proud of the
team they are great people with
passion and excellent knowledge.
Deltalis has also created strong
processes that are integrated
company-wide and followed by
everybody. Staff are required to
support the hyper secure nature
of the business, and in return, they
are cared for every step of the way
from prior employment, to during
employment, to after employment.
This care for people extends beyond
employees and to the customers:
What further differentiates us is
w w w. d e l t a l i s . c o m 143
D E LTA L I S
our customer focus, Harzheim
states. We are adding new services,
such as Remote Management as
a Service (Deltalis Virtual Reach),
and DCIM as a service (Deltalis
Virtual View). With this we offer our
clients to connect to IT equipment
remotely, anywhere and anytime.
Milestones
Deltalis has proven its industry impact
already, with two key events that
occurred in London earlier this year.
After Harzheim spoke at Data Centre
144 July 2017
KEEPING DATA SAFE
IN A MOUNTAIN
World about the very complex realm
in which he works and how Deltalis
can simplify it, Deltalis then brought
together lawyers, politicians, and
other interested top-level UK parties
to talk about data protection and its
ongoing projects. This in particular
was a milestone for the company one
even a lot of established organisations
have not yet enjoyed. Government
officials, other businesses, and
customers alike are discovering
the power of the rare and incredible
advantages Deltalis boasts, and it is
 CONSTRUCTION

Location is so
important at the
moment, and we
have the right
answer for it

something that will continue to propel

the company forward at speed.
The most important aspect of
this business is security, both digital
and physical, Harzheim concludes.
People want a place they can store
their data knowing its there and only
there. Then they start to say I love
this application, but I only want it if
I know its physically secure in the
right place, and in the right country.
Thats an issue we see. Location is
so important at the moment, and
we have the right answer for it.

w w w. d e l t a l i s . c o m 145
SurfnFries:
riding the wave to
franchisee success
Written by Dale Benton
Produced by Ryan Day

147
SurfnFries successfully reinvented
the fries market in small town
Croatia and through drive, innovation
and enthusiasm, looks to deliver continued
success in markets all across the globe
I
t could be argued that any
attempt to create a new and
innovative way of consuming
fries could be seen as trying to
reinvent the wheel. Fries have been
consumed in essentially the same
way throughout history, but in 2008
the little-known Croatian based
SurfnFries set out to do exactly
that, completely reinventing the
way we eat fries through innovation,
drive and unrivalled enthusiasm.
For Andrija Colak, Co-Founder
of SurfnFries, the first step was
to solve what he described as an
age-old problem the boring,
and impractical, old packaging
The old school fries are often sold
in a paper cone, or even a flat tray
with the fries sitting on top, he says.
Any sauces that you would
elect to put on would sit on top of
that first layer of fries, meaning the
bottom layers would be without.
What Colak did was design and
148 July 2017
create an incredibly unique, but
equal parts simple, solution. This
new packaging could hold not
only your fries, but multiple tubs
of sauce as well as two drinks.
Simple, and incredibly effective.
This was a design choice that sat
perfectly with the new millennial
generation of consumers,
ones who are very
much on the go.
The packaging also
represents the purest
form of marketing that any
company would die for.
People stop and see
people walking down the
street eating fries in our
innovative packaging and
they immediately want to
find out more, he says.
A brave new world
With an innovative packaging
solution, it was time to build a
 FOOD AND DRINK

w w w. s u r f n f r i e s . c o m 149
 McCain Fry n Dip fries.
GIVE A TWIST
TO YOUR MENU.

Half-pipe shape
perfect for dipping.

Genuine
potato taste

Soft potato
inside

Thin crispy
edges

For any enquiries contact your McCain sales representative or visit our local site at www.mccainfoodservice

We didnt plan to
franchise, but with
the level of interest
we needed a solution
store front. The very first SurfnFries
store was built in Colaks home town
of Rijeka, a mere 27 square meters.
There were initial doubts from
the wider market, Rijeka is only
a small town in a relatively small
country how could it possibly tap
into, let alone reinvent, the multi-
billion global QSR Market?
Colak saw almost immediate
success for the store (to the
tune of an average of 1,000
transactions per day).
Within less than a year, the
SurfnFries tale was in full swing,
with Colak already laying down
the foundations of becoming
an unrivalled franchisor.
We generated a lot of interest
from tourists in Croatia, wanting to
open their own SurfnFries in their
home countries, says Colak.
FOOD AND DRINK
We didnt plan to franchise,
but with the level of interest we
needed a solution. This is where the
franchise of SurfnFries was born.
Before success though,
came challenges.
An innate challenge for Colak was
born out of his roots in Croatia.
Its challenging to grow
international business from Croatia.
You have to prove yourself and
build international credibility.
Just 12 months after opening
the first SurfnFries store in Rijeka,
the franchise concept cemented
itself within the capital, Zagreb,
and in a surprise to no one -
customers craved the signature
taste and feel of SurfnFries.
SURF N FRIES
SurfnFries developed its
franchise concept further and
fully embraced the tourism market
of Croatia, creating the very first
Surfnfries Mobile concept in 2009.
This versatile bitesize rendition
of SurfnFries was placed along
the beaches of Croatia and
became an overnight success.
The SurfnFries Mobile
asset continues to be the most
successful concept, which is no
small feat considering it is the
smallest point of sale for fries
across the whole company.
Naturally, the tourism boom of
Croatia generated even more interest
in adopting the SurfnFries Mobile
and in 2011, SurfnFries had landed
Austria, Germany and Ireland.
Germany in particular has been
an incredibly successful base
of operations, with the festival
and sports event market.
In just a few years that small
store front in Croatia was making
waves up and down the country,
and riding that wave of success
into new and uncharted markets.
152 July 2017
Making waves
As we speak, the delicious taste
of SurfnFries is being enjoyed
in 15 countries and around 60
stores throughout the world.
People would see it in
Croatia and want it in their own
countries, says Colak.
And want it they did.
The German franchisee,
through SurfnFries Mobile,
recently sold 1,142 portions in
one 90-minute soccer game.
Proving that through innovative
concepts, and a really great product,
SurfnFries could tap into any market.
Germany is quite literally kicking
ass on that front, beams Colak.
This incredible response
saw SurfnFries develop new
concepts, the SurfnFries Trailer
and the ShopinShop Concept.
The ShopinShop Concept is ideal
for the German franchisee. Their core
business is in gas stations, with a lot
of people heading to gas stations for
lunch. This concept slots perfectly into
these gas stations, and into the lifestyle
of German consumers, says Colak.
With plans to expand even further
 FOOD AND DRINK

into Dubai and more recently Russia,

one could argue that SurfnFries is a
sure fire hit wherever it lands, but Colak
stresses the challenge in franchising.
At the beginning, you find yourself
saying yes to everyone, but its only
later that problems emerge that can
compromise the entire brand.
One such example that Colak cites
as franchisee in Turkey. The entire
concept of SurfnFries is consuming
food on the go, but this clashed with
the cultural differences of Turkey and
the franchisee simply did not work.
We will probably endure more
challenges in the future, but
its important as a business to
experience them and become a
better business in the long run.
Whatever challenges that will come
its way, SurfnFries continues to make
its mark in markets all over the world.
Markets, that you wouldnt
immediately think of when it
comes to French fries.
Some of the countries we are
operating in, some of the craziest
ones were certainly Vietnam and
Iran. Which is something Id never
dreamed of back in Rijeka.

w w w. s u r f n f r i e s . c o m 153
SURF N FRIES

Guidance from above

As a franchisor, Colak plays a key role
at the beginning of a new franchise,
overseeing quality control with regards
to overseeing the direction of the
franchisee. This is a position that sees
initial training, verification of location
and guidance with regards to rent
and supply costs, before backing off
and allowing the franchisee to grow.
The company will support them in
terms of promotion of new products
or incorporating new technologies,
as well as quality control through
mystery shopping, says Colak.
Its not about imposing what

Its not about imposing

what we think is right,
but welcoming opinions
as to what they want and
the customers want
Andrija Colak, Co-Founder

we think is right, but welcoming
opinions as to what they want and
the customers want, he says.
We dont want to have the same
SurfnFries in every country in every
market. We want to be different
and blend into local markets.
Targeting a millennial
market requires an eye for
technology and innovation.
As more and more people are
consuming products on the go,
Surf n Fries has had to respond
to the ever-growing role of
technology in the modern world,
and think outside of the box.
Across the food industry, health
FOOD AND DRINK
issues represent a major obstacle,
one that all food companies are
trying to overcome. For SurfnFries,
reinventing fries didnt stop with
reinventing the packaging.
Around 2/3 years ago, we
had our first concept store that
actually makes fries and our
chicken and mozzarella sticks, all
without a drop of oil, he says.
This truly innovative technology that
uses hot air to fry the products and
will play a significant role in reducing
the health issues of the food industry.
This is only one example, with
Colak stressing that innovation and
creativity is really the secret to the
w w w. s u r f n f r i e s . c o m 155
SURF N FRIES
recipe of the companys success.
As a company, we definitely
emphasise innovation and creativity,
as these really are the two things that
have kept us afloat, says Colak.
You say potato
Rolling back the clocks to 2008,
with a small store in Rijeka and
no idea as to the unbelievable
success story that was about to
happen. Colak was approached by
a representative of McCain, one of
the worlds largest manufacturer
of French fries products, to bring
together the drive of SurfnFries with
the experienced hand of McCain.
For Colak, McCain married
perfectly with one simple element of
SurfnFries offering, dipping sauce.
You have to be lucky, because this
product is very special and is suited for
scooping the sauces. So, this potato
is perfect to realise that, he says.
On the other hand, people say its
so smart your chips are shaped like
a surfboard this wasnt planned,
it was purely coincidental.
McCain has paved the way
for SurfnFries growth across
156 July 2017
the world, with factories in 56
countries and locations.
They really have been our
biggest supporters and it helps
us have the same quality product,
anywhere in the world.
The only way is up
For Colak, it really has been wave
after wave of success for SurfnFries
and the company certainly shows
no signs of slowing down.
With the aforementioned store
openings in Russia and Dubai,
Colak has his eyes set on further
expansion into South Africa and
the U.S, something of a long-
term goal for the company.
We were actually recognised
by the International Franchise
Association, which meant the
world to us. Those are some of the
biggest movers and shakers in the
food industry recognising our small
company from Croatia, he says.
It shows we have the capability
to enter that market and really
cement our presence and it is
something I hope we can achieve
over the next few years.
 FOOD AND DRINK

w w w. s u r f n f r i e s . c o m 157