Este enfoque permite aprovechar las mejores virtudes de cada proveedor, ajustar los presupuestos al máximo, y obtener una provisión de capacidad más personalizada, a la vez que facilita cumplir la normativa de localización de datos y necesidades de redundancia. Por contra, introduce mayor complejidad en la gestión y, sobre todo, hace que la infraestructura cloud esté fragmentada. Si esta situación no se revuelve bien, puede constituir un problema añadido, puesto que una de las mayores ventajas y uno de los principales objetivos de utilizar la nube es contar con una plataforma global y unificada que rompa los silos de datos para que los diferentes sistemas colaboren entre sí.

Una solución que se ha desarrollado mucho recientemente, y que ya ha alcanzado la madurez suficiente, es la generación de servicios en contenedores. Con esta solución, los servicios se pueden ejecutar sobre la infraestructura ofrecida por cualquier proveedor de cloud, a la vez que se mantiene la integridad funcional y de datos que asegura el traslado de la carga de uno a otro proveedor sin complicaciones. Empleando contenedores también se pueden establecer canales para compartir información entre servicios mucho más fácilmente. En resumen, los sistemas en contenedor permiten generar resultados rápidamente y con alta flexibilidad. Consisten en aplicaciones ligeras que se ejecutan independientemente del sistema operativo y la infraestructura subyacentes, lo que facilita su despliegue en cualquier lugar y evitan dependencias rígidas de cualquier proveedor. Al mismo tiempo, mantienen la posibilidad de variar la capacidad computacional según la demanda, otra de las grandes ventajas del cloud sobre los sistemas on-premise. De esta manera se crearía una nube de nubes, ágil, eficiente y asequible. En este sentido, un informe de IDC destaca que el objetivo de los directivos de TI que invierten en este tipo de sistemas es mejorar su seguridad, su eficiencia operativa y reducir los costes de gestión.

A estas ventajas se suma que los principales proveedores de nube son compatibles con esta solución: tanto Amazon, Azure, como Google ofrecen servicios Kubernetes, una plataforma portátil y extensible de código abierto para administrar cargas de trabajo y servicios en formato contenedores. Tal es el potencial de este sistema que 451 Research prevé que el mercado de sistemas en contenedores tenga un crecimiento anual compuesto del 30% entre 2017 y 2022. Esto supone que se cuadruplicaría en cinco años hasta llegar a los 4.311 millones de dólares dentro de dos años.

Para muchos, la cuarentena y el paso completo al teletrabajo de un día para otro ha podido parecer un salto al vacío. Por suerte, las empresas han podido sostener su actividad gracias a la nube. Según Quint, un 62% de las empresas ha podido dar continuidad al negocio gracias a ella, y para un 54% ha permitido que sus empleados trabajasen desde casa. La verdad es que todas las empresas utilizan ya algún servicio en la nube, que está tras operaciones tan comunes como comprobar el correo electrónico, las páginas web o utilizar servicios de almacenamiento de datos.

Con todo, el potencial de estos sistemas es mucho mayor. No en vano cuando nos referimos a servicios en la nube, solemos hablar de paquetes más complejos de servicios, algunos incluso tienen la ambición de gestionar todos los flujos de trabajo de la empresa. Si seguimos el informe de Quint, siete de cada diez empresas españolas aumentarán su presupuesto en cloud en el próximo año. Teniendo en cuenta lo que hemos explorado hasta ahora, no es difícil predecir que podemos esperar un aumento de la demanda de las aplicaciones en contenedores y que la tendencia de la nube de nubes seguirá creciendo.

Self-propelled vehicles, far off medical procedure from 1000’s of miles away, augmented experience, capacity to be available at different spots at same time (basically as 3D picture/live holographic call) – all especially would have seemed like a Sci-fi film plot, at least a few years ago. Be that as it may – the up and coming age of telecom standard “5G”, vows to make this a reality and in certainty much more!

5G is not just going to be about connectivity speeds (or shall I say unprecedented connectivity speeds). It would also enable higher processing ability, increased reliability and very low latency, which would enable next wave of services as well as economic transformation.

So, what is 5G?

5G is the 5th generation of mobile network. It is the next evolution of global wireless standard following 4G networks. 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to bring connected world into reality – connecting virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.

What will 5G technology enable ?

Let’s quantify this a little:

• Download speed up to 1,000 times faster than 4G
• Latency around 1 millisecond, (vs of 4G which is 50-100 milliseconds)
• Step change in capacity with direct positive impact in reduction of cost per megabit
• Capability to support millions of connects per square kilometer
• Reliability of service enhancements

Also, if we look at the use cases that 5G would enable, this should make life in the connected world faster, easier and with significantly improved customer experience. Going back to my earlier point, if we look at the use cases that 5G would enable, it would make life a real sci-fi.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

As anyone would relate – this is a major improvement, but the question is as an industry are we ready to deliver against this commitment.

How will 5G technology enable this ?

To answer that question, we first need to understand that 5G is not a technology, it’s a whole value chain of technologies which must be turned into service, which can then be packed to deliver the transformed “connected world” experience 5G is committing to. Also, there is a critical social aspect, which also would need to be dealt with.

This readiness would need to take into consideration critical factors like:

1. Deployment across the three frequency bands provided as part of the standard which is currently going in gradual phase wise manner. However, there is considerable investment and legwork that would be required to lay this new infrastructure foundation that would be pivotal for 5G.

According to Heavy Reading’s report  Heavy reading Mobile Operator 5G Capex), total global spending on 5G is set to reach $88 billion by 2023.

Now if we take the current macro-economic situation in consideration and specifically the impact of COVID there is some immediate disruption and increased cost pressure. While the 5G business case might still stand it would require operators to prioritize on : optimizing 5G deployments and network cost, focusing on ROI of investments already done and may be relooking some of the use cases (in those focusing on using 5G for cost efficiencies)

1. The service propositions and business model of 5G would require operators relook their underlying BSS/OSS systems. With many operators still working with legacy BSS/OSS systems, failure to be ready with these changes in the underlying IT (BSS/OSS systems) could in fact jeopardize the business case and pose risks to potential revenue. Mitigation would be a complete architectural relook to enable open, flexible, and scalable systems.

Also, device readiness – because of the common customer the question is if their iPhone, Samsung or other devices will support 5G!

2. Getting the end customer onboarded: While on one side there is technology related planning that is happening to enable 5G delivery against the hype, I think it’s still easier to manage in comparison to the “social challenge” to onboard many groups who believe 5G would have impact on human health.

Whether it be generic theories around 5G radiation poisoning or specific claims around 5G causing COVID 19, there is a need to answer the question.

Is 5G hazardous to your health?

As per WHO – “To date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G”*

To alleviate the concerns further, WHO is conducting a health risk assessment from exposure to radiofrequencies, covering the entire radiofrequency range, including 5G, which would be published by 2022

The bigger concern however is of conspiracy theory linking pandemics like COVID 19 to 5G network. While there is no scientific evidence to support it yet, the misinformation has spread like a virus which has also led to dozens of instances of vandalism, arson attacks damaging cell towers, disruption of network maintenance activities across UK and Europe. In UK itself, more than 50 towers of major regional telco’s were vandalised , driven by fraudulent conspiracy theory that 5G connectivity is the cause of coronavirus. This was even after when industry associations and organisations like GSMA and Mobile UK confirmed that these conspiracy theories are baseless and are not grounded in credible scientific evidences.

This essentially takes 5G out of technology realm, making the success of 5G dependent on broader social outlook and expanding the onus on government and health organizations to prioritize related researches so to address and alleviate the health concerns. In the meanwhile, it also puts responsibilities on end customers (at least on the socially responsible ones) to be careful on what we believe and spread from social media, the negative impact of which can be much bigger.

Abhishek Soni is global account executive in TMTS sector of Capgemini UK, managing a portfolio of account. Abhi has more than 13 years of experience in Telecommunication industry across various roles ranging from delivery, solutions, consulting and account management.

* source : https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/5g-mobile-networks-and-health

1. Mobile check-in

Hotels must provide new check-in experiences where mobile check-in or virtual check-in with virtual key features are enabled. This will prevent congregation at the check-in desk during peak hours and reduce the risk of infection through use of potentially contaminated key cards. Hotels can leverage AWS technologies such as Amazon FreeRTOS, AWS IoT Core, Amazon DynamoDB, AWS Lambda, and Amazon API Gateway to build cloud-scale virtual key solutions and integrate them into existing mobile apps rapidly. They can leverage AWS Partner Device Catalog to select a hardware platform that is compatible with AWS IoT services.

2. Contact-free check-in

While many hotels feature mobile check-in, not all of them have locks with automated operations, requiring guests to pick up physical key cards at the front desk. In such circumstances, check-in and key card printing kiosks should be enabled in order to create a true contactless check-in process. Amazon AWS IoT Core and related services can be used to integrate existing key coding devices with mobile apps so that cards can be coded as a self-service feature.

3. Safe-distance monitoring

Deploy technology (ideally, camera-based AI technology) that constantly monitors safe distancing among guests, staff, etc. in public areas, such as lobbies, and alerts them. This technology can also recommend appropriate seating configurations in common areas and restaurants to minimize distancing violations. AI/ML models deployed to on-site cameras would be able to process video data live and make recommendations (without data being sent over to the cloud, alleviating privacy concerns).

4. Guest and staff contact tracing

Update mobile app with contact tracing feature (which is strictly opt-in) so that anonymous contact tracing data is collected and held on the mobile device until there is a need to inform guests or staff of potential exposure with their consent. This should assure guests that the hotel is providing them with advanced options for reducing exposure and ensuring that if there is a risk of exposure they are empowered to act as soon as possible. Capgemini’s Smart Quarantine solution, based on AWS cloud platform, provides a ready-to-use application suite for contact tracing, hotspot monitoring, and policy governance aspects of post-quarantine management.

5. Room service and food delivery

Employ robot-based food and room service delivery to reduce human-to-human contact while serving guests. Advanced AI in voice recognition, obstacle detection, etc. is enabling robots to be used for in-hotel room service operations successfully. Food should be delivered in tamper-resistant packaging in order to ensure that it is contamination-proof. Hotels could invest in robots that are built using AWS services such as SageMaker, Rekognition, RoboMaker, etc. that enable highly scalable and accurate delivery bots. Examples of food delivery robots that are currently in use in the industry are Starship, Amazon Scout, and Refraction.ai.

6. Temperature and health monitoring

Install thermal scanners to ensure that staff and guests are proactively monitored for signs of infection, such as fever, during their stay and notify them of potential risks. This also assures guests of measures the property is taking to safeguard the safety of all guests and staff. Camera-based thermal screening can be enabled over AWS Greengrass IoT using services such as Amazon SageMaker, SageMaker Ground Truth, etc.

7. Special offers and campaigns

While mandatory shutdowns have caused disruption to the hotel industry, they also create new opportunities for additional revenue, as governments are planning to re-open. Marketing campaigns should be targeted toward people who are looking to get a break from staying home with innovative offers, such as all-inclusive packages, reservations for the day or hour, etc. Offers that are attractive to Millennials, who are more eager to explore and are hungrier for tailored experiences, must be leveraged. Advanced AI models would have to be developed in order to make these campaigns targeted and actionable. Services such as Amazon PinPoint allow hotels to create multi-dimensional segmentation by doing advanced analytics on user actions, third-party data, etc. and help companies create targeted campaigns that have a high degree of success. The success of these campaigns could be continuously monitored and incorporated into future campaigns.

8. Automated antibacterial spraying

Automate spraying of commonly touched surfaces with IoT sensors that trigger electrostatic spraying of hospital-grade antibacterial liquids after the surfaces have been touched or used. This is applicable to restrooms surfaces, door handles, etc. Hotels could deploy ML models onto existing camera systems that can detect activity on/about a surface and set up alerts or notify automated systems to spray the surface with disinfectants.

9. Guest engagement

Update websites and mobile apps to inform guests about hotel openings, the status of local attractions, etc., and ensure that reservations have flexible cancellation policies and that mobile apps are enhanced to ensure hotel guests can get their questions or concerns addressed either via live agents or bot agents. Allow guests to stay engaged even after check-out in order to facilitate accurate information flow about the spread of infection or risk of exposure and guests informed about cleaning standards. AWS services such as Lex, Polly, etc. help hotels build highly scalable and responsive bots that can be deployed on all channels to disseminate valid information to guests in a timely manner.

10. Emergency readiness

In case of an unexpected outbreak, monitor for early signs, and manage inventory so that there is always a “pristine” section to move guests to. Utilize inventory optimization software to accommodate emergency readiness protocols. AWS Marketplace could be leveraged to evaluate and purchase hotel inventory optimization packages in order to quickly deploy emergency readiness schemes.

COVID-19 has affected every sector around the globe, and the hospitality industry is among the hardest hit. Looking ahead, we expect the industry to bounce back and have a faster return to normalcy if it rapidly adopts essential solutions that address safety, compliance, and customer confidence.

We have already started helping our clients on their journey toward recovery. As a leading provider of technology consulting services that help companies accelerate their digital transformation journeys, we have specialized domain and technology expertise that clients can leverage in order to operate effectively in a world that is evolving and reacting to dire public health and business circumstances.

For more details on cloud migration, modernization, transformation, or strategy, please reach out to me on my Expert Connect page. Happy to connect!

Hoy en día, las empresas buscan renovar su actividad principal e impulsar el crecimiento sostenible a través de la innovación, a pesar de las limitaciones presupuestarias en estos momentos de incertidumbre. A la vez, sus proyectos deben seguir generando un rendimiento de la inversión significativo.

Los factores que impulsan el cambio están en todas partes. Por nombrar algunos, transformación digital en casi todos los sectores; la lucha contra el cambio climático a través de nuevas soluciones de movilidad en la industria automovilística; transformación en el sector sanitario con nuevos dispositivos médicos conectados y modelos operativos virtuales para ensayos clínicos; y nuevos modelos con capacidades fintech para proporcionar servicios novedosos, que crean nuevas fuentes de ingresos y reducen los costes operativos.

Todo esto plantea el desafío de cómo emplear la tecnología para transformar el modelo de negocio y empresa existentes, a un precio razonable tanto para el negocio como para las TI, y cómo optimizar los medios de transformación empresarial más potentes. El nivel ejecutivo espera, con razón, que SAP S/4HANA^® forme parte de su solución específica del sector. Debería apoyar a nuevos modelos de negocio gracias a la nube, IoT, IA y otras tecnologías emergentes que les permitan abrirse camino entre las dificultades de la venta al por menor (“entrega a domicilio en cuestión de horas”), energía (“nuevos servicios creados como resultado de contadores inteligentes”), sanidad (“asistencia sanitaria con IA y Big Data”), fabricación (“fábricas inteligentes para optimizar la producción de forma sostenible”) o transporte (“planificación de rutas sin emisiones de carbono con predicciones de la hora prevista de llegada”).

Si crees que la transformación empresarial consiste en utilizar la última tecnología para poner productos viejos en envases nuevos, se equivoca.

Las prioridades empresariales marcan la pauta

Esta es la razón por la que el recorrido SAP S/4HANA no es una simple implementación tecnológica, sino, más bien, una oportunidad para la transformación empresarial, respaldada por habilitadores digitales. Las prioridades empresariales de quienes ostenten el puesto de CXO serán las que guíen en última instancia el trayecto SAP S/4HANA y darán forma a la justificación económica positiva que aprovechará al máximo este sistema.

Desde esta perspectiva, la dirección de programas puede centrar la transformación en cómo optimizar los procesos empresariales en el recorrido hacia S/4HANA para lograr las prioridades de la alta dirección. La normalización y unificación de estos procesos será un punto de partida crucial. Sin duda, establece una base importante sobre la que preparar a su empresa para el futuro.

Desde un punto de vista empresarial, la eliminación de variantes innecesarias de procesos empresariales reduce la complejidad, uniforma diferentes enfoques del pasado y brinda una gran oportunidad para marcar pautas nuevas. Desde un punto de vista técnico, la eliminación de formatos de salida obsoletos o que no se utilizan, como máquinas de fax, estándares EDI antiguos o formatos de archivo arcaicos, y el cambio a tecnología de última generación pueden potenciar los plazos de sus procesos.

No me malinterpretes. Son tareas que han de realizarse en el proceso de transformación de su negocio, pero, por sí mismas, no son suficientes para producir el beneficio empresarial completo que ofrece el paso a SAP S/4HANA. Para conseguirlo, el liderazgo empresarial debe plantearse nuevas formas de aprovechar el poder de S/4HANA en las primeras fases de diseño, desarrollo y ejecución, como ha sostenido anteriormente mi compañero Günter Knorr.

S/4HANA ofrece a las empresas un nuevo núcleo digital como plataforma de integración e innovación.

Su valor empresarial descansa en el desarrollo de nuevas fuentes de ventajas competitivas y en la capacidad de reaccionar rápidamente para recuperarse de las dificultades.

Entonces, ¿qué hay que hacer?

Le mostramos diez maneras prácticas de materializar este potencial mientras planea y termina su recorrido S/4HANA. Reflejan nuestro propio enfoque de cinco pasos para ofrecer una transformación digital básica con SAP S/4HANA y, por lo general, forman parte de la fase «Desarrollo del plan y la justificación económica».

1. No pienses solo en tu empresa: incorpore a sus proveedores lo antes posible

Si sus proveedores son una parte fundamental de su cadena de valor, no espere a incorporarlos hasta que la implementación de S/4HANA esté en una fase avanzada. Comparta datos y coinnove en el ciclo de desarrollo de productos o servicios desde el principio.

Esta integración no tiene por qué ser cara. Es posible realizarla de forma impecable con datos en tiempo real en diversos supuestos de subcontratación / suministro de materias primas sin desarrollos personalizados. Plantéese la implementación de nuevas funciones independientemente de los planes de despliegue para la funcionalidad principal en los sectores de la automoción y la química, donde los ecosistemas de suministro son estratégicamente importantes.

2. Potencia las arquitecturas orientadas a servicios en los ámbitos en los que no puedes esperar a S/4HANA o donde puedes aprovechar la externalización de funcionalidades

Una buena manera de acelerar la obtención de resultados y de reducir el coste de su recorrido S/4HANA es externalizar el código de su actual SAP ECC en ventas para procesos especiales recurrentes. En el sector de la automoción, por ejemplo, un buen candidato sería un proceso en el que se haga un pedido automático de neumáticos de invierno, y estén disponibles en el concesionario cuando el algoritmo de previsión meteorológica pronostique nieve.

Los microservicios también ofrecen grandes oportunidades para salvar las brechas del «proceso de transición» donde algunas partes de la infraestructura de su sistema todavía se ejecutan con ECC y otras ya funcionan con S/4HANA. Estos le ayudan a abordar los casos de uso para verificar esta tecnología. Puede ahorrar muchísimo tiempo si empieza a plantearse su enfoque y casos de uso en fases tempranas de su programa.

3. Incorporación de la minería de procesos para dar un salto hasta el siguiente nivel

El diseño inteligente de procesos, respaldado por técnicas de minería de procesos, consigue resultados rápidamente en ámbitos como la adquisición, la contabilidad y la cadena de suministro, lo que puede acelerar la transformación, fomentar la ventaja competitiva y ahorrar millones de euros o dólares.

Comience con los casos de uso más provechosos y utilice los estándares de SAP en combinación con técnicas de automatización inteligente. Utilice los mejores KPI para orientar sus primeros pasos y acortar distancias con su competencia, incluso si su proceso se ejecuta en un entorno diferente de SAP. No olvide que S/4HANA, como plataforma, incluye todas las capacidades futuras que necesita para mantener la competitividad, como los motores de fijación de precios.

4. No todas las empresas recientemente adquiridas por SAP están totalmente integradas en el sistema, pero no tienes que esperar a SAP para esto: puedes afrontar personalmente el desafío para aprovechar la ventaja competitiva

La puesta en marcha de funcionalidades sin esperar a la implementación del núcleo puede tener sentido si esta acelera la obtención de sus objetivos estratégicos. Denominamos a estos proyectos speedboats. Al planteárselos, es fundamental no perder de vista el entorno del sistema de destino ni las innovaciones planificadas en el plan de SAP, ya que los desarrollos personalizados a gran escala son costosos, y su reversión lo es todavía más.

La integración inteligente de su selección de herramientas existentes y futuras le dará una ventaja competitiva al incorporarlas a S/4 sin perder el poder de las capacidades de HANA y con el mantenimiento del núcleo limpio. Por ejemplo, en el sector manufacturero, podría conservar las herramientas de software que ya utiliza para contar con una ventaja competitiva, como los sistemas de ejecución de la producción y las iniciativas de gestión de recursos inteligentes, e integrarlas como un complemento del núcleo S/4.

5. Potencia tus modelos de negocio actuales y futuros con una integración basada en la inteligencia artificial

Pensar de forma creativa y con un enfoque multidisciplinar puede mejorar su modelo de negocio actual, ayudarle a generar nuevos y distinguirle de la competencia.

Es posible que SAP no le proporcione todo lo que necesita para crear su nuevo negocio y dirigirse a modelos operativos. Sin embargo, la amplitud de SAP le permite integrar inteligencia artificial (IA) diferente de SAP para diversos bienes y servicios, tales como la predicción de modelos dependientes de la climatología en el negocio del cultivo de semillas. La capacidad de integrar datos históricamente aislados en combinación con técnicas de IA puede generar casos de uso con un rendimiento de la inversión demostrable. Por ejemplo, los datos de ubicación de activos (p. ej., de camiones o trenes) pueden utilizarse para nuevos modelos de negocio en todas las funciones empresariales.

6. Maximiza el potencial innovador de las soluciones preempaquetadas y listas para usar

Las funciones estándar más recientes de SAP le permiten reducir el coste total de propiedad y evitar «reinventar la rueda» mucho más de lo que podría pensar. Por ejemplo, la gestión de almacenes ampliada (EWM) de SAP ofrece una amplia variedad de funciones nuevas (y que echará en falta en la «gestión de almacenes locales»). El uso de ajustes inteligentes en el estándar de SAP le permite generar soluciones innovadoras que se ajustan a sus necesidades.

También puede potenciar la innovación con la funcionalidad lista para usar, mediante nuevas adquisiciones de la cartera de SAP fuera del núcleo S/4HANA (p. ej. Ariba para adquisiciones) y el intercambio de datos que la acompaña para reducir los costes de implementación y continuos.

7. Reconoce en qué momento un enfoque exclusivamente SAP no satisface tus necesidades

La cobertura funcional de los productos SAP puede ser enorme, pero es limitada en determinadas áreas, por lo que no tenemos que contar con SAP absolutamente para todo.

Por ejemplo, para proporcionar una buena experiencia de usuario a su público, la mayoría de las grandes empresas tienen como objetivo contar con una interfaz de usuario para todas sus aplicaciones SAP y no SAP. Esto no es factible con el enfoque de SAP, debido a la falta de integración en los productos de SAP y su estrategia de productos, como se menciona en el punto 4 anterior. Aquí, es necesaria una estrategia holística de TI para cubrir todos los requisitos no funcionales. De forma similar, el formato de impresión estandarizado y los costes asociados (de licencia) siguen siendo un problema, y se debe elaborar una estrategia clara para todas las aplicaciones SAP y no SAP para evitar un sobrepago y reducir los costes.

8. Integra contenido de terceros en S/4HANA para diferenciar tus casos de uso

Las mejores prácticas, los conjuntos de datos y otros contenidos de terceros pueden ayudarle a crear casos de uso específicos del sector que generan una ventaja competitiva.

En el sector de la automoción, por ejemplo, la alimentación en línea automática para las plantas de producción de automóviles requiere profundos conocimientos técnicos que no todos los fabricantes de equipos originales tendrán. La colaboración y la coinnovación con proveedores estratégicos en este ámbito pueden hacer que los OEM sean más competitivos en cuanto a costes.

En ciencias de la vida, las limitaciones contractuales requieren una configuración inteligente en el sistema para cumplir o superar los objetivos de márgenes de productos. La incorporación y el aprovechamiento de las prácticas comunes del comercio minorista pueden proporcionar soluciones valiosas, como la segmentación de productos.

9. Aprovechz la plataforma SAP Cloud o cualquier otra plataforma en la nube para conseguir las tecnologías que necesitas para los casos de uso de integración

Las plataformas en la nube ofrecen nuevas posibilidades técnicas que le permiten hacer más, con menos.

Un pequeño ejemplo de caso de uso podría ser la introducción de un modelo de negocio de pago por uso. Este se puede incorporar fácilmente mediante SAP Cloud Platform u otras plataformas en la nube a precios bajos. Para casos de uso mayores, tome nota de numerosos proyectos fallidos en los que las empresas han intentado resolver sus necesidades empresariales en el núcleo de ECC con altos costes irrecuperables. SAP Cloud Platform, o cualquier otro proveedor de plataformas, podrá ayudarle tanto a evitar la repetición de errores pasados como a reducir los costes.

10. Utiliza la gestión de datos inteligente para identificar qué inteligencia empresarial interna y externa necesitas para anticiparte a la competencia

La gestión de datos de última generación desglosa los silos de información, lo que le aporta la información y el control que necesita para lograr su visión de una empresa inteligente.

Un área en la que ha de centrarse es el intercambio de datos con sus socios. Utilice los datos disponibles para acelerar el plazo de entrega de su innovación, por ejemplo, compartiendo datos relevantes con su ecosistema de partners.

La otra área son los sistemas de registro actuales. Puede aprovechar los datos de estos sin mucho esfuerzo adicional en su recorrido S/4HANA, con el desglose de su estrategia corporativa en cada flujo de su proyecto de transformación. S/4HANA tiene las técnicas que necesita para hacerlo realidad.

Transformación impulsada por el negocio

Estas diez recomendaciones están diseñadas para servir de ayuda a administradores de programas SAP S/4HANA para maximizar el valor del traslado. Hacen hincapié en que se trata de una transformación impulsada por el negocio, para la que una visión empresarial y de TI unificada debe traducirse en última instancia en planes de cambio viables.

For more information contact Markus Jakob
Learn more about how we deliver Digital Core Transformation with SAP S/4HANA

A changing way of working requires new skills – and therefore adjustments in recruiting

Both digitization and globalization are driving rapid technological development in the economy and society. This leads to a changing way of working, a replacement of previous job roles and the emergence of new roles. This in turn inevitably results in new demands on applicants. New skills, especially digital skills, are needed to meet the new requirements.

As early as 2017, our “Digital Talent Gap” study showed that every second company is observing a widening of the “digital talent gap.” This trend is continuing: only 29% of functional leaders believe that they have the right employees to meet current job requirements. In addition, only 24% of functional leaders report that they are able to quickly recruit the required talent with the current processes and resources.

In short, today’s recruiting does not seem to be ready to identify and successfully attract the right talent with the right skills needed in the future.

Demographic changes lead to new applicant needs

Demographic changes are also putting organizations and HR departments under pressure and require a change in thinking. The shortage of skilled workers is increasing, and the generational change is changing the values and needs of employees – the demands on a modern, attractive employer are different today than they were in the past. Younger generations, in particular, want meaningful work and the opportunity for personal development and fulfilment.[1] A work-life balance is no longer sufficient; GenZ is more concerned with “work-life integration.” There are also differences between generations when it comes to recruiting: 17% of all those under 30 would, in case of doubt, prefer not to apply at all rather than fill out a classic e-recruiting form.

A rethink of recruiting from the applicant’s point of view is needed

Talent portals such as Honeypot furthermore reveal that the recruitment market has changed dramatically. Today, it is the applicants who are in the favorable position when it comes to choosing a company; the companies themselves have to actively seek for qualified applicants. Thus, the requirements of the applicants are increasingly important.

Companies have to redefine and implement their recruiting strategies in light of developments on the labor market. An applicant-oriented approach that is adapted to the needs and values of today’s applicants, but also to the new requirements of the future working world is needed.

Recruiting for the new normal – focus on a digital, agile skillset

Many industries and companies have restricted or even completely stopped recruiting. The situation changes almost daily; clear and consistent guidelines are missing. This makes planning for the new normal difficult and personnel planning more difficult, and it makes the subject of recruiting seem almost redundant. But just because the competition for the best talent may have been temporarily put on hold, it is far from over.

We also see that recruiting in certain sectors continues to be relevant and is even being expanded. This  is true of the IT sector in particular. On the other hand, a digital, agile skillset is in greater demand than ever and is becoming increasingly relevant in the wake of current developments. According to the World Economic Forum, digital skills, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and innovation are the key skills relevant to the new normal. In addition, digital skills are not only important for the IT industry or the IT department “ rather, these skills are highly relevant across functions and must be combined with other (soft) skills in order to successfully drive the necessary digital transformation in the new, post-COVID-19 reality.

In order to attract the right talent with the right skills, applicant-oriented recruiting is still of highest relevance for organizations.

Our blog series – inspiration for your candidate experience

In our blog series “The ideal candidate experience – how to attract the right talent,” we point out how you can create an ideal candidate experience for your specific candidate group in four consecutive articles:

1. Applicant needs in recruiting – What matters to today’s applicants
2. Candidate journey design – What to consider when developing a candidate journey
3. Candidate journey measures – What does the optimal candidate journey look like?
4. Recruiting & HR tech – How new technologies will change recruiting

Be inspired by our blog series and put your recruiting strategy and candidate experience to the test!

This article is co-authored by Ann-Katrin Jünemann.

[1] Fantapié Altobelli, C. et al. (2017).Trendforschung zur Optimierung und Sicherstellung der externen Personalbedarfsdeckung

In this environment, it’s important to consider how brands can build loyalty through digital channels, leveraging data, analytics and technology to increase personalization, relevance and timeliness. In this post, the final in our series about emotional loyalty, we identify three attributes that will define CP and retail loyalty initiatives of the future:

1. Seamless: Ensuring a connected and engaging digital experience

COVID-19 has simultaneously accelerated the use of digital channels and decreased interactions in physical stores. Recent research released by Capgemini underscores this point as 40 percent of consumers report that they expect to have “high interactions” with online retail channels, as compared to just 30 percent who said the same before the pandemic.

Brands must keep this point at the forefront as they reformulate their approach to loyalty. To be effective, loyalty activities must be seamless – with every stage being intuitive, responsive and engaging from the consumer’s point of view.

For example, in the UK, premium ice cream brand Magnum teamed up with Deliveroo to offer free at-home DIY ice cream kits to consumers in quarantine. The kits, which included ice cream bars, sticks and an assortment of toppings, were meant to replicate the experience of visiting a Pleasure Store location and creating a one-of-a-kind dessert. With this promotion, Magnum not only sparked interest in its newest product, but managed to do so without the benefit of the store, seamlessly engaging the consumer first through digital channels and then with an established delivery partner.

Another example is Heinz to Home, an owned direct-to-consumer digital channel launched by the brand that offers product bundles, fast delivery and the opportunity to personalize select products—features that speak to the consumer’s demand for speed, convenience, simplicity and customization. The brand also highlights its sense of purpose, offering Blue Light card holders, such as NHS workers, first responders and other public servants, discounts and other benefits to thank them for their continued service.

2. Connected: Threading loyalty touchpoints through physical and digital channels

In our earlier post, How to build emotional loyalty through purpose [link], we explored how traditional in-store “earn and burn” tactics are no longer relevant to consumers, particularly to those who prefer to shop online. Instead, digital consumers tend to be more focused on the purpose of the brand and the value they can add to their lives.

Companies will need to pursue content and experiences to drive up emotional connection and get consumers to connect with the brand on an ongoing basis. Loyalty initiatives hat balance digital rewards with personalized content and offerings can provide value beyond the transaction.

For example, beauty retailer Sephora has expanded their Beauty Insider program to offer facials, behind-the-scenes access to product creation and other experiential perks. In this expansion, we see a blend of physical and digital, not just in channels, but in the rewards themselves. Another example in the beauty industry comes from Estée Lauder, which launched Liv, a WhatsApp chatbot that offers skincare advice during the lockdown. Using the latest AI technology from digital partner, Rehab, the brand is replicating the in-store consultation experience to customers who are now at home. Seamless and effective, this example also blurs the line between physical and digital, helping consumers look and feel their best even if their normal routines are disrupted.

3. Contactless: Designing a touchless loyalty program and establishing it as the brand default

While some countries have managed to control the spread of COVID-19, many consumers are still very mindful of health and safety. Companies must react accordingly, adapting, iterating and operationalizing in-person loyalty programs to be virtually contactless. This includes incorporating touchless elements throughout the value chain, in areas such as discovery, delivery and payment.

For example, beauty brand NuFace, which makes a facial toning device, has seen its sales surge as consumers in quarantine seek at-home treatments for skincare. To adapt to the coronavirus environment, the company has replaced in-person house calls with a virtual version hosted on Zoom or Facetime. These calls target spa partners and influencers that work with the brand, and feature tutorials and product demos from NuFace’s founder and CEO Tara Peterson.

With this post, we conclude our series on the evolution of loyalty. We hope you will enjoy the other posts written on this topic and look forward to continuing to explore this issue as it evolves in the COVID era and beyond.

Capgemini recently helped a leading US bank to streamline computer equipment logistics for its global workforce, enabling them to work from home safely and efficiently within a week.

Slow processes and the potential for error

To enable its employees to work remotely, the bank had been shipping computer equipment to its employees across the organization. This process required the bank’s procurement team to manually key items into an internal website. Each day, hundreds of these transactions were needed to get their workers the equipment they needed. This was an incredibly time-consuming, manual process that had a number of bottlenecks. The bank had to deal with this time-consuming process during a business-critical crisis period.

The bank needed to place orders quickly and process them on the same day to avoid any slow down in business continuity. It was also imperative to avoid errors caused while manually keying in the various data points needed for this process.

The client turned to Capgemini to implement a solution that would deliver a shorter turnaround time and increased accuracy.

Automating the order posting process

To meet the client’s requirement, Capgemini first assessed the manual process and identified automation improvement areas to help decrease the overall handling time of requests. Our team also worked with procurement agents to identify an approach that was minimally invasive but would deliver maximum benefits, leveraging UiPath’s robotic process automation (RPA) tool for support.

It only took one week for Capgemini to implement attended and unattended RPA to collect hardware requirements for the bank’s employees, validate them, gather the respective approvals, and finally post and track the final order.

Enhanced cost savings and efficiency

Capgemini’s innovative solution has successfully automated 90% of the bank’s order posting, which enables its procurement team to process over 500 orders daily with zero errors. This has led to a 75% decrease in the time needed to process each order – from 12 minutes down to just 3 minutes, which enabled the client to redirect team members to help with other mission critical tasks.

From the cost savings of using fewer staff to perform tasks, to enhanced efficiency of doing the job in a quarter of the time and the added risk mitigation benefits of fewer errors and getting people to work quicker, the benefits of Capgemini’s RPA solution for the client were significant.

Above all, Capgemini’s solution has enabled the bank to respond to the COVID-19 crisis by providing business continuity and frictionless operations for its customers, while ensuring a safe work from home environment for its people.

Learn more about how our crisis care package offers provide pragmatic, turnkey solutions that help you to mitigate the disruption caused by COVID-19 and deliver tangible business outcomes to your organization.

Read more  from our colleagues across the Capgemini Group about how they are helping our clients run their business operations in the light of COVID-19.

Mark Fischer is based in New Jersey and leads Capgemini’s North American Intelligent Automation practice.

Focus on strategy, technology, and education as they must all be bolstered and re-evaluated. What may have worked when it was only a minority of your employees working from home may not be enough to handle the massive influx of the additional work from home employees.

There are many things to consider as you take a closer look at your IAM strategy. For example, the more employees that work from home the more personal devices may be accessing your network. More personal devices accessing your network means an increase in single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) traffic, and more SSO and MFA requests means more traffic through your VPNs and networks. You’re going to need to address these issues head on, and you’re going to need to do it fast. After all, IAM effects every part of your organization.

Ask yourself the following questions. Are the employees educated on the dos and don’ts of working from home? Have they had the appropriate level of security training? Are there policies in place that restrict access to certain networks based on roles and responsibilities? Can my directories handle the additional requests that it will be subjected to? Do I have a back-up plan in place?

A Gartner survey  suggests that 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19 versus 30% before the pandemic.

These are just a sampling of the things to consider, and we didn’t even mention how you’re affected if you have an on-prem vs hybrid vs cloud-only infrastructure, or what you need to think about from a compliance perspective.

Here are some things that you can do to enhance your IAM security posture.

Increased user cybersecurity awareness and assurance

• Enhanced security training and awareness programs.
• Reinforce key security messages, cyber hygiene, and best practices when employees are working from home.

IAM infrastructure review

• Dynamic scaling to meet the new demand.
• Support for DevSecOps remotely.

PAM infrastructure review

• Seamless discovery of shared accounts, software, and service accounts across the IT infrastructure.
• Identification and continuous tracking of ownership of privileged accounts throughout their lifecycle.
• Establishing and managing privileged session to target systems for enhanced operational efficiency of administrators.

Secure VPN and remote working design

• Existing architectures will need to be scaled up and new architectures designed.
• Router and firewall security configurations will need to be set and assured.

VPN, application penetration testing and remediation

• Cybersecurity configs implemented correctly.
• Known vulnerabilities mitigated.
• New vulnerabilities identified.
• Assurance of effectiveness of remote working controls.

Identity Services

• Audit and monitor user accounts.
• Data leakage prevention.
• Consider user entity behavioral analysis (UEBA) implementation.
• Limit extended privileges in remote working.
• Evaluate and audit your company’s current IAM strategy considering above.

Monitoring

• Remotely diagnose problems.
• Log and data analysis.
• Anomaly flagging.

Having an upgraded IAM plan in place will not only let you sleep better at night; it will also give you an array of business benefits that include:

• Improved agility to respond to business changes
• Reduced IT complexity and operating costs
• Easier outsourcing to cloud and third parties
• Improved compliance
• Better visibility on who has access to what within the enterprise

For more information on Capgemini IAM, please visit https://www.capgemini.com/service/cybersecurity-services/identity-access-management/

This blog is co-authored by Jeyanth Jambunathan.

Marketing has the ability to lead organizations through significant disruption, with focused execution against several key steps: defining vision and purpose, creating messaging and positioning, agility in shifting focus and budget, and building trust.

Purpose

The first, and most critical, step is to align the marketing team and the broader organization to a single vision and purpose. That purpose must then be communicated clearly and consistently to all levels of the organization. For us, the guiding principle has been providing support for our people. Disruption – in the business world and in society – significantly increases the number of people looking to step up and offer ideas and support to help the organization respond. Regardless of whether you work in a small, medium, or large company, it’s crucial to have a task force that is empowered to make honest evaluations and critical decisions. In our organization, we implemented a task force made up of representatives from communications, talent, operations, and delivery. That task force met daily initially and still meets twice weekly to ensure clear and consistent messaging is shared across the company on an ongoing basis.

Positioning

The rapidly shifting landscape, impacted by the pandemic, recession, and evolving social issues, means research on business and society trends that impact customers becomes more important. Messaging that resonates in paid and organic social posts can change from one day to the next, so representatives across all marketing functions have to be much more plugged into analytics and dashboards. We’ve applied feedback from client conversations to explore potential trends being published by influencers, advisors, and analysts to determine when and where we needed a more robust message or position. Having brand positioning and message alignment that reflects the moment is a key priority, because using standard social posts, outbound emails, and ads will appear tone deaf if they don’t consider current events. Be sensitive to your customers and how the disruption impacts their business. Focusing on creating value in their lives and communities – because that is what they care about – becomes much more important when these moments occur.

Agility

Another critical dimension is agility. Companies that invested in digital transformation prior to the pandemic were clearly better positioned to shift rapidly – across people, performance, operations, and customers. Marketing agility in 2020 has included a massive shift away from investments in traditional events and conferences. These in-person gatherings were a core strategic pillar, and when cancellations and deferrals create immediate savings these funds should be used to accelerate a continued shift toward investments in digital marketing and customer-experience transformation. One example is through custom content, which is very effective when reaching people working from home. It’s important to quickly develop strengths in emerging areas, such as LinkedIn conversational, carousel, and display ads, which allow for customization and content options, depending on how a person interacts with them.

Trust

During disruptions, customers are looking to lean on brands they can trust. The voice of reason is powerful and allows a company to focus on the value customers need, to be seen as a partner who understands – not as a partner trying to take advantage of the situation. That applies to sales messages, earned media, go-to-market strategy and, crucially, avoiding exacerbating sensitive subjects. By recognizing the difficult circumstances many customers are in, marketing teams can identify which messaging and offers are resonating and fine-tune their spending appropriately while remaining sensitive to the current climate.

Change is challenging, but disruptions provide an opportunity for agile marketers to take a truly digital approach. Leverage the tools and skills on your team and stay focused on the right messaging and business objectives to keep your company moving forward.

Shade Vaughn is Chief Marketing Officer, North America, at Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology, and engineering services with 270,000 team members in more than 50 countries.

The times we are living through are unique and sobering, they are also encouraging us to reinvent ourselves. Firstly, to respond to the current emergency, but also to think about redesigning tomorrow’s society.

We are offered the chance to paint a new beginning, and the challenge is to be ready to reset our society. Among the sectors affected by this crisis, the logistics sector is key. It is under intense strain and yet it is the lifeline of our country while in lock down. It is definitely one of the sectors that will undergo the biggest transformation throughout this period, and when this is over.

Goods which, pre-pandemic, crossed borders and territories unhindered are now parked as a result of the global disruption, impacting all links in the supply chain. The supply and logistics issues encountered by hospital services and the entire French economy are showing us just how volatile and how vulnerable our systems are. The race for masks and medical products demonstrates that logistics is key to support & supply people to endure this crisis, and beyond.

However, tomorrow’s logistics will not look anything like today’s.

Like this virus, it must be free of borders, in the broadest sense: geographical, health wise or technological. Every player in this field must be ready to face these challenges in order to survive.

Flexibility and resilience: the chess of tomorrow’s logistics?

Flexibility and resilience are becoming essential for all logistics.

Once this crisis is over, we will address the weaknesses tested over these past weeks.

Firstly, many companies will need to take back control of their chains of value. The lack of visibility and sharing with all direct and indirect players is particularly crucial. These issues complicate risk and impact analysis; slowing down decision-making and the launch of corrective actions. This lack of continuous monitoring of their supply chain, coupled with a lack of real-time visibility on alternative options, is slowing companies down. In addition, these flaws make them less flexible and inhibit the ability to anticipate such storms.

Secondly, there will be a need for companies to implement flexibility in their distribution systems, in order to be able to change both strategy and adapt network. This must become standard practice. For example, many players, dependent on their networks or without access to their end customers, must redefine the limits of their operational model. By reinforcing omni-channel operations or developing “Direct to consumer”, these companies will be in a position to strengthen their logistics systems and grow in new markets.

Lastly, this crisis has also highlighted the need for transparency and a flow of information throughout the supply chain. A reconciliation of all parameters such as supply and demand, storage, and real-time resources are virtually impossible within the current spectrum. This flow of information will allow companies to vow to better, guarantee supply chain efficiency, but especially the continuity of operations.

The three examples above merely highlight the importance of data and its role in our response to the problems encountered. This is the challenge of the logistics platform project studied by the government at the start of the year. If we take the example of borders, end-to-end tracking of products and their journeys, coupled with data sharing between carriers and customs, would make it possible to simplify border crossings while preserving the necessary level of security and control. On a daily basis, this would make the flow of goods smoother and would provide considerable productivity gains. In a crisis like this, the issue is all the more important because a discontinuity in product flows can have a direct impact on citizens’ health.

The need for a national data platform for logistics

A national logistics data platform would allow for a growth in efficiency, flexibility and resilience while reducing the sector’s carbon footprint.

The collection, processing, sharing and analysis of data must become essential for all decision-making. Only with this knowledge, derived from both data available in real-time and historical data to simulate and prepare forecasts, will it possible to meet challenges related to the flexibility of everyday operations, end-to-end performance evaluation and improvement of public and private investments.

In a competitive market, economic players have started to develop a number of initiatives based on data in order to carve a competitive advantage.  Individual initiatives are essential for the sector’s transformation, notably due to their ability to be business-oriented and to efficiently leverage data. The multiplication of collaborative platforms is also a strong sign of the change in the mindset of logistics and particularly for transport players, who are increasingly aware of the potential for improvement to be found through data. However, these initiatives are not yet sufficiently widespread, and this sharing only concerns the different facets of one same company, or at most their direct suppliers.

We believe that the future of logistics will involve not only individual initiatives, but also and above all a collective agreement between players, private and public, to formulate tomorrow’s major trends. Consolidating data from multiple players, standardisation, sharing and comparison will be necessary for the deployment and success of numerous operations, such as the development of smart borders, investment, or the optimisation of operations and carbon footprint. Furthermore, only a collective initiative can leverage a reduction in the nominal costs of such an investment, allowing players, small or large, to participate in this transformation, multiplying both data and value-potential.

These collective initiatives, which will result in the emergence of open logistics data platforms, will enable major growth for the entire economy.

Australia, which is developing a similar platform, estimates that this will provide an improvement in productivity of 0.1%. In France, this would translate into a gain of €200 million per year (the logistics sector represents 10% of GDP).

To launch these platforms, there will need to be a close collaboration between private and public players. In particular, this will make it possible to provide grouped responses to issues such as implementing a common language, defining data sharing standards and identifying the granularity of the data to share, thus meeting the different business requirements of each player.

Thanks to this shared knowledge, the ecosystem could be managed in a sharper and dynamic way by developing smart networks. Among other things, the flow of goods at borders and in multi-modal hubs will be facilitated. Preventive maintenance of infrastructure will be more efficient and the carbon footprint of the sector will be drastically optimised.

In fact, the flexibility and resilience of the supply chain are key to its rebirth, but this rebirth must be linked to sustainability.

This crisis, unique in its magnitude, has the unfortunate yet beautiful opportunity of shorting all circuits and the local ecosystem.  But once the crisis is over, logistics will distend again and this is why it is necessary to rethink them now, in order to endeavour for environmental responsibility and responsible distribution.

The public authorities can take on many roles in implementing this type of initiative. First and foremost, they are the accelerator, the trusted party deploying advice and grouping together the various private and public actors and international standardisation organisations, the role of which is to facilitate the definition and adoption of common rules and standards in the logistics sector. In addition, they have a vested interest, providing support to a strategic sector whilst ensuring the national sovereignty of France.

To make this transformation a success, it will be essential to use the wealth of experience from our global initiatives, to organise with a large number of actors/institutions that want to take part in this project, and in particular to focus on concrete business cases that will become the foundation of these platforms. France has a wonderful opportunity to become one of the best-in-class in logistics in a global economy.

This article is an English adaptation of a post initially created in French.

Authors

Gaël D’Hont

Principal – Digital Transformation – Operations Transformation

Capgemini Invent

Gérald Murat

Head of Operations Transformations

Capgemini Invent