Category: Blog

Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix® Awards Recognize the Top Engineering Service Providers for 2023 | Blog

Engineering service providers who demonstrated critical capabilities to enterprises over the past year are now being recognized for their leadership with the 2023 PEAK Matrix Service Provider of the Year™ awards in engineering services (ES). Read on to find out who’s providing the top engineering services based on Everest Group research.   

Activity in the Engineering R&D (ER&D) sector remained largely resilient during 2022, with service providers witnessing significant growth across themes such as platformization, digital engineering, and Industry 4.0. Amid this landscape, a few engineering service providers distinguished themselves by showcasing significant capabilities and market impact across all these leading investment themes.

We have identified the top 15 ES service providers and five leading ES challengers for the 2023 PEAK Matrix Service Provider of the Year awards in engineering services.

See the Top Engineering Service Providers

State of the ER&D industry

ER&D spending and outsourcing remained resilient in 2022, though there was some growth deacceleration as compared with 2021 on account of uncertainty around the Ukraine-Russia conflict, talent shortages and rising wage inflation, and bleak global economic forecast.

Enterprises remained committed to enhancing their products, services, and processes on the back of digital technologies. Service providers, by means of their scaled talent availability, domain know-how, and IP investments, supported these enterprises in realizing faster time-to-market and cost efficiencies for their engineering initiatives.

Methodology

The PEAK Matrix Provider of the Year awards helps enterprises identify leading service providers who have demonstrated strong capabilities and market success across multiple engineering domains.

This year’s results are based on assessments from five PEAK Matrix® reports published by Everest Group in the calendar year of 2022 that looked at the following key themes influencing ER&D over that period:

  • Industry 4.0 services
  • Software products engineering
  • Digital products engineering
  • Digital twins
  • Connected medical devices

The Engineering Services PEAK Matrix Provider of the Year awards were determined by consolidating tiered scores for Leader, Major Contender, Aspirant, and Star Performer positions across each of the individual evaluations mentioned above. The two award categories are:

  • ES Top 15: Engineering service providers with the highest consolidated scores based on the evaluation
  • ES Top 5 Challengers: The next five top engineering services providers who are credible partners for enterprises and are positioning themselves as rivals to leading players

To learn more about the 2023 engineering service providers of the year, reach out to analysts Ankur Jain, [email protected], Mayank Maria, [email protected], or Akshat Vaid, [email protected].

See the Top Engineering Service Providers

Will India’s Silicon Valley Lose Its “Top Global Services Destination” Crown to the City of Pearls? | Blog

With its high-quality talent, state-of-the-art infrastructure for delivering advanced technological services, and strong government support, Hyderabad has ascended as a top global services destination. These factors have helped the city gain a competitive edge and establish itself as a hub for innovation and excellence. But does Hyderabad have what it takes to surpass Bangalore as the foremost global services destination in the future? Let’s delve into this question in this blog.

During a client meeting in Hyderabad earlier this month, our analyst team arrived a little earlier than expected and was immediately struck by the futuristic ambiance of the impressive facility. It felt like we had stepped into a scene from a sci-fi movie. Face-scanning machines warmly greeted employees at the entrance, lush greenery adorned office walls, breathing life into the space, and solar panels powered the entire establishment. The energy was palpable as confident associates eagerly looked forward to the start of the work week.

In contrast to the thriving atmosphere we saw in Hyderabad, the environment in Bangalore is comparatively subdued as India’s capital city seems to be grappling with the impacts of the economic downturn. The two cities present a stark juxtaposition in terms of their future growth trajectories.

This positive outlook for Hyderabad has become a common sight across multiple Global Capability Centers (GCC). The city has shown admirable growth and resiliency during the past two years, recording one of the country’s highest growth rates for global service delivery. Remarkably, Hyderabad surpassed Bangalore for GCC delivery setups during H1 2023, highlighting its exceptional performance in this sector. Let’s explore the implications of this further.

GCC delivery center set-ups in 2023: Hyderabad versus Bangalore

Learn more about Everest Group’s AI-powered insights platform, Talent Genius™.

Since the early 1990s, when India started its services journey, Bangalore has been the top city, attracting maximum interest for global services delivery. Other tier-1 Indian cities, such as Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune, also have recorded impressive growth.

However, it was not until H1 2023 that the “City of Pearls,” Hyderabad, surpassed Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley” in GCC setup activity. During this period, more than 40 global companies established or expanded their Acceleration Centers, Centers of Excellence (CoEs), Centers of Innovation, and R&D centers in Hyderabad.

This trend is also reflected in the growth of technology jobs in the city. Hyderabad’s share of tech jobs, as a percentage of overall technology jobs in India, has surged from 33% to 44% during 2021-22. Simultaneously, the demand for non-tech services continues to grow, reflecting strong investor sentiment.

Hyderabad has traditionally been a stronghold for pharmaceutical enterprises. However, the city’s appeal has now expanded beyond this industry. Over the years, the city has also attracted multiple Fortune 500 giants from aerospace, manufacturing, retail services, pharmaceuticals, and professional services industry verticals.

The diversity extends beyond industries alone and also encompasses the types of services being delivered to clients from these centers across the globe. For example, Goldman Sachs is expanding its delivery footprint for engineering services and business innovation by employing over 2000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), FedEx is establishing a center of innovation for supply chain optimization, and Lloyds Banking Group is utilizing the location for delivering cybersecurity services. Other organizations such as Apollo Tyres, DAZN, Ocugen, Pi Square, and Warner Bros. Discovery also are leveraging the location for a wide variety of services.

Alongside this diversity, the city is displaying future readiness. These enterprises have delivered an increased concentration of technology, encompassing a wide range of advanced services such as animation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), visual effects (VFX), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).

Hyderabad’s winning formula

Hyderabad’s proposition has been anchored on two critical factors – high-quality talent and world-class infrastructure. The city has witnessed growth in both the quality and quantity of talent, fueled by its reputation as an educational hub that houses globally-recognized institutions such as ISB, IIIT, and BITS Pilani.

This skilled talent pool has contributed to the growth of various industries, including IT, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and finance. Efforts by both private players and the government to enhance skill development and increase the talent pipeline are underway, such as the collaborative postgraduate diploma (PGDM) program by IMT Hyderabad and HCL Technologies.

Hyderabad’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and seamless connectivity, including a well-developed road network and an expanding metro rail system, have improved commuting and accessibility. In contrast to Bangalore’s high cost of living and infamous traffic congestion, Hyderabad offers a more affordable lifestyle without compromising quality.

The unwavering government support has amplified the impact of both Hyderabad’s talent and infrastructure. The state government has implemented multiple initiatives to improve the conduciveness of the city’s business environment and foster growth.

One notable example is setting up “Hyderabad Pharma City,” the proposed world’s largest integrated pharmaceutical industry cluster that already has received interest from 500 companies. Additionally, the government’s “Hyderabad Vision 2023” plan prioritizes infrastructural development, skill enhancement programs, and improving the ease of doing business.

The commitment to fostering a conducive business environment is evident by the regular engagement between state ministers, especially K.T. Rama Rao, Minister of IT of Telangana, and top corporate executives. Several announcements of new center setups and expansions, including those from Mondee Holdings, Storable, Rite Software, Tekgence, Zapcom, and Charles Schwab Corporation, resulted from the minister’s trip to the United States this May.

A trifecta of unique factors – high-quality talent in a diverse ecosystem and state-of-the-art infrastructure to deliver advanced technological services backed by unyielding government support – has propelled Hyderabad’s ascent and contributed to its competitive edge.

This leads us to address the elephant in the room, “Will Hyderabad dethrone Bangalore as the top global services destination for enterprises in the coming years?”

In our view, Bangalore is and will continue to operate as the largest and most mature global services destination in India for the short term, riding on its solid talent proposition, especially the ability to support niche and emerging technology skills.

However, when gazing into the crystal ball and contemplating the next 7-10 years, we see Hyderabad in a captivating race, with Bangalore positioning itself as a formidable competitor for the crown of the “Top Global Services Destination in India.”

Everest Group’s dedicated team of analysts tracks 30-plus cities in India and more than 300 cities globally from a global services perspective. If you have questions or would like to discuss global services destination topics, please feel free to reach out to [email protected], or [email protected]

Contact us to learn more about popular global services locations.

Don’t miss our webinar, Masterclass in Managing Your Locations Portfolio and Workforce Strategies, for valuable insights and actionable advice to optimize your locations portfolio and maximize returns.

Negotiating a Successful UKG Workforce Dimensions Contract: Top Five Questions to Ask to Get a Better Deal | Blog

Cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) tool, UKG Workforce Dimensions, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to offer enhanced workforce management capabilities over the current product version. But understanding the financial terms, pricing structures for various modules, and the benefits can be confusing. Continue reading to equip your organization for successful UKG Workforce Dimensions contract negotiations.

Reach out to Everest Group’s pricing experts for more information.

Enterprises benefit by using different HCM software tools and platforms to manage and optimize various aspects of the employee lifecycle, ranging from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and offboarding. These tools help enterprises transform traditional HR administrative functions into opportunities to increase employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.

The cloud-based HCM tool, Workforce Dimensions, developed by Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG), provides advanced capabilities compared to the company’s widely used Workforce Central tool. Some of Workforce Dimensions’ key features and capabilities include time and attendance management, absence management, workforce scheduling, payroll and HR administration, analytics, and reporting.

By leveraging AI, UKG Workforce Dimensions provides more comprehensive analytics, forecasting, scheduling, and reporting. Many existing UKG Central customers have already started migrating to UKG Workforce Dimensions.

However, many enterprises are still trying to understand the financial implications of migrating, the right price for various UKG Workforce Dimensions modules, and the benefits of the new functionalities.

Top questions to ask in negotiations

To get the best possible deal from UKG, enterprises should seek to get answers to the following five important questions:

  • What is the cost increase from UKG Workforce Central to UKG Workforce Dimensions?
  • What other aspects should be negotiated in addition to the per employee per month (PEPM) price of the UKG Dimensions bundle?
  • Does UKG support existing customers in migrating to Workforce Dimensions by investing in implementation or professional services?
  • What is the best time to negotiate with UKG?
  • Are there giveaways or other incentives that enterprises can leverage during negotiations?

In addition to these questions, we recommend enterprises also focus on the following factors:

  • Consider future demand projections – When negotiating with UKG, businesses should take into account their future demand projections. This is because the PEPM price for the UKG Workforce Dimensions bundle decreases as the number of employees increases. By assessing their near-term demand projections, enterprises can identify the optimal volume and negotiate prices accordingly
  • Seek enhanced capabilities in the base bundle – To maximize their investment in UKG, enterprises should not focus on cost alone. Instead, they also should strive to get the most feature-rich base bundle that meets their requirements. Enterprises should push for the inclusion of additional modules, like Data Hub, Analytics, etc., in the base bundle with zero or very minimal increase in the base rate

While each relationship with UKG is unique, we firmly believe these recommendations can put your enterprise in a better negotiating position. To discuss software contract negotiation and for a detailed analysis, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Explore Everest Group’s contract benchmarking offerings to learn more.

Navigating the Generative AI Conundrum in Life Sciences: Insights into Challenges, Implications, and an Adoption Roadmap for Commercial Technology Functions  

The life sciences industry can reap the many benefits of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) by effectively overcoming challenges in this highly regulated industry to responsibly implement the technology. Discover key implications for technology players and a roadmap for enterprises to successfully adopt GAI for commercial functions.  

Help us learn more about the potential of gen AI in the life sciences commercial function by participating in this short survey and receive a complimentary summary of the survey findings.

In the first blog in this series, we explored Gen AI life sciences commercial use cases, shared industry leaders’ skeptical to optimistic perspectives on its potential, and uncovered new technology offerings. Read on for more insights into key risks, repercussions, and recommendations to adopt generative AI in life sciences.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” – Uncle Ben, Spiderman

Undoubtedly, Gen AI has massive potential to disrupt most processes and create new opportunities across industries, including the life sciences commercial function. But the highly regulated nature of this industry brings significant risks and challenges that will need to be overcome to adopt GAI at scale. Let’s explore this further in the illustration below:

Picture1
Risks and challenges associated with generative AI in life sciences

Key implications for the life sciences commercial technology ecosystem

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

While the Gen AI journey can appear long and daunting, commercial technology players may have a head start over their peers across the life sciences value chain. While certain use cases, such as personalized campaign generation and brand reputation monitoring, will require complex integrations and domain-specific development, other applications like content generation/analytics, market research, and autonomous customer support can be quickly implemented and brought to market.

Next, let’s take a look at six recommendations for life sciences technology providers to seize opportunities that GAI presents.

Picture2
Key Implications for life sciences commercial technology players
  1. Take a safety-first approach: First and foremost, commercial technology players need to address the safety aspects of Gen AI adoption and applications – from healthcare personnel/patient data safety and security to compliance with regulations and tackling ethical and legal risks. Providers that successfully address safety questions will instill trust and reliability with customers and gain a foot in the door to discuss and foster responsible Gen AI application across the commercial function
  1. Seize the opportunity to achieve domain specificity at scale: By combining the domain-data trained language models and large language models (LLMs), Gen AI provides a great opportunity for commercial technology players to offer domain specificity at scale across a wider range of solutions and areas. This integration enables the generation of more accurate, relevant, and specific outputs in the life sciences commercial function context, ensuring quicker model training, fine-tuning of responses, and domain-specific prompting
  1. Recognize that speed-to-market is essential: Technology providers must quickly identify, prioritize, and bring viable go-to-market opportunities and use cases to capture market attention, and, ultimately, the enterprise mindshare. While enterprises are still determining next steps with Gen AI, they are eager to learn more, explore potential use cases, and become better educated. Therefore, the velocity of go-to-market initiatives is immensely valuable
  1. Balance incremental and disruptive innovations: To succeed in the market, players will need to balance their bets between simpler quick-to-market propositions that augment existing capabilities and more strategic long-term opportunities that explore new segments, functionality, etc. With the abundance of possibilities, providers should carefully weigh options
  1. Partner with service providers: Service providers can be important allies in ensuring enterprise-wide acceptance and adoption of AI-enabled services. Technology players should look to forge strategic ties with service providers who need to be the flag bearers for technology modernization, data architecture, and process and change management initiatives
  1. Prepare to win the talent war: As demand for new skills (such as generative modeling, data engineering, and ethical AI) rises, the talent war is expected to get more vigorous. Players must proactively plan for strategic hiring and upskilling/cross-skilling initiatives

­

Enterprises are still evaluating the Gen AI conundrum across the entire life sciences commercial function, including the risks, challenges, costs, return on investment (RoI), talent, and processes. Our five-step GAI tools adoption guide can help enterprises accelerate this process, as illustrated below:

Picture3

While Gen AI holds immense promise for transforming the life sciences commercial landscape, it comes with its fair share of challenges, including ethical considerations, data quality, interpretability, and integration hurdles that need to be addressed to ensure responsible and successful adoption.

Technology providers can proactively develop strategies and solutions to overcome these obstacles. By crafting a thoughtful roadmap, committing to ethical practices, and focusing on continuous learning and improvement, the life sciences commercial solutions supply ecosystem can harness the power of Gen AI to unlock new opportunities, enhance customer experiences, and drive sustainable industry growth. While the journey to adopt Gen AI may be complex, the rewards for successful navigation are boundless.

Help us as we research the possibilities of Gen AI in the life sciences commercial sector by taking part in this brief survey. As a token of appreciation, you will receive a complimentary summary of the survey results.

To discuss Gen AI in life sciences and its impact on the commercial technology landscape, contact Rohit K, Durga Ambati, Panini K.

No Longer Fit for Purpose – Time to Change the GBS Organization Construct | Blog

Lately, I’ve been sleepless about the fact that GBS evolution appears to be stuck in a rut. As much as we talk about integrated or digital GBS, moving along the path to a more evolved state seems to be stalled or even stopped. Innovation at best seems to be incremental. The pursuit of cost savings rather than other sources of value still reigns. And the talent construct is so very 2010.

Now I have to confess, I always believed that if a GBS collects a merry band of smart people, the organization structure didn’t matter very much. I thought in such platitudes as “the cream will rise to the top” or “they’ll figure it out.” After all, GBS is a model and not hardwired into the enterprise, with a set-in-stone hierarchy of managers, supervisors, controllers, and business partners. But as we’ve matured, and gained more acceptance in the enterprise operating model, have we become dead-set in our ways, digging into organizational structures that are no longer fit for purpose?

In the early days of shared services/GBS, the big lever for value creation was moving work offshore to obtain labor arbitrage. As a result, two design principles drove our organizational construct—functional alignment and regional relationship management/delivery control. Since we started our journey as single function shared services organizations, usually starting with finance and then adding new towers, we continued to replicate the structure by adding tower leads, giving them a great deal of decision-making authority. And, as the imperative to manage regional stakeholders and supervise near-and offshore delivery became apparent,  we added regional delivery leads to our structure.

Fast forward 15 years or so, and not much has changed. If we’ve moved beyond single-function shared service models, we more often than not look like a consolidator of functional shared services delivery operations under one roof, usually with a thin team of enabling capabilities at the top of the house—think governance, performance management, maybe change or service management. GBS has become an organizational construct—put everyone who leads a functional back-of-the-house operation under one leader and hope that the whole is larger than the sum of the parts.

But today the drive is to move to operational GBS constructs. Our organizations must evolve to bring more value by delivering end-to-end, driving experience, moving rapidly to digitization, and providing new capabilities to the enterprise. Are our organization structures able to deliver? Or are we restrained by the way we are organized? How do you unleash the power of the team with a dated organization structure?

And the inability to evolve creates another challenge for GBS organizations. When the focus is on functional shared services, it’s very easy to deconstruct a GBS.

Here’s a bit of a litany of GBS organizational heresy:

  • We shout our ambition to move to end-to-end delivery, but we support a functional tower lead structure, for whom any change usually disrupts their kingdoms. Service tower leaders in most GBS organizations work in silos, call the shots and own the majority of the decision rights
  • We talk about the criticality of pan-GS enabling practicesbut we allow functional leaders—or sometimes their regional counterparts—to embed capabilities such as project, change, and transition management—in their towers, getting in the way of pan-GBS leverage and the development of consistent methodologies
  • We say change management is the key driver of GBS success, but we hire inexperienced juniors, focus them primarily on transition tasks, and bury them levels down under a transition or transformation leader
  • We say our customer is the business, but we align delivery to the function, often unable to create the benefits that the segments and regions are looking for
  • We say one of our major goals is to move to a pan-GBS digital service experience, but at best we set up digital centers of excellence that are allowed to advise and warn, with no teeth because each tower defines experience separately
  • We push to promulgate a “one GBS” brand, but empowered functional leaders focus on delivering what their functional masters demand
  • We try to convince our stakeholders that a GBS model in and of itself creates a new quantum of value, but with the way we align, we cannot calculate the numbers that support the proposition

If GBS evolves its organization constructs, what’s the upside?

  • The organization aligns with the strategy There’s no more wallpaper at the top of the house with each function pursuing its own agenda, but rather one big picture and playbook for the entire team
  • End-to-end becomes a reality If the GBS organization is serious about E2E, as opposed to functional delivery, it aligns the power to the GPO organization, eliminating strong functional hierarchies that are resistant to change
  • Investment goes where it should It’s about putting one’s money where one’s mouth is. Budgets, no longer fully allocated by functional silo, can be focused on the delivery of GBS programs and priorities that benefit all delivery
  • GBS increasingly supports the business’s objectives No longer a consolidation of functional shared services, GBS organizations change their focus from making the functions happy to driving value for the business
  • There is greater leverage of capabilities and talent No longer tied to functional silos, talent is more effectively leveraged and cross-trained. New, more exciting career pathways can be devised both in and out of GBS
  • The GBS brand is consistent and clear With the same objectives and increased interoperability, stakeholders are no longer confused by different ways of working, and the brand is no longer tied to personal relationships
  • Decision rights are aligned with GBS program objectives The level of debate is reduced

Not convinced? Let your survival instincts kick in. When the organization’s prevailing design construct is functional shared services silos, it’s very easy to deconstruct a GBS and repatriate them to the functions they serve. But when the GBS organization’s structure aligns with such design principles as E2E, service experience, and digital, it becomes harder to pull it apart.

Now I’m not saying change is easy. When a GBS leader is able to take out a clean sheet of paper and start from scratch, hiring for new ways of working, implementation is much easier.

Undoing even as few as  10-15 years of organizational received wisdom will be challenging for most. But GBS’s strongest attribute is its agility—agility to adapt to ever-changing business conditions and context. Do we have the agility to evolve our organization structures when they get in the way of delivering upon its promise?

Top Employers for Tech Talent™ ─ Understanding Brand Perception from the Perspective of Tech Employees in India, the US, and the UK | Blog

In today’s competitive talent market, presenting a compelling brand image is critical to attracting and retaining the best tech talent. This blog presents the top tech employers in three markets based on employees’ brand perceptions of more than 400 organizations as well as other key findings from Everest Group’s research.

Download the report

Brand perception matters

Attracting and retaining top tech talent has grown increasingly difficult in recent years due to the impact of new work models during the pandemic, rapid technological advancements, and fiercer competition. These disruptions have played a significant role in shaping employees’ expectations, providing candidates with a wider array of options in selecting employers and job opportunities that align with their preferences.

Having employees with niche skillsets and expertise is increasingly critical to sustaining a competitive edge. A recent Everest Group survey found that 34% of respondents struggle to find quality tech talent, emphasizing that the battle for tech talent is still far from over and underscores the need for organizations to differentiate themselves.

Employer brand perception – or how current and potential employees view the organization’s brand – is one of the most critical factors in attracting talent. For employees and candidates, perception is reality.

In today’s digital era, employees can easily research and collect information on a company’s culture, reputation, policies and practices, and values. Online platforms such as Glassdoor and Indeed, social media, and various forums allow employees to access reviews, ratings, and feedback.

Based on these insights, employees develop their perceptions of an organization – but the potential issue is that these views can differ from the image the organization wants to project. Let’s look at research that helps to better understand this dichotomy.

Introducing Everest Group Top Employers for Tech Talent Report

While most organizations regularly collect internal feedback from employees, they can be blindsided by the perception of their brand from an outside-in perspective.

Everest Group Top Employer for Tech Talent™ report is designed to draw on publicly available information and the latest feedback capturing prospective employees’ perceptions about the organization’s reputation as a tech employer.

The report analyzed 400-plus organizations across India, the US, and the UK for their employer brand perception rating as a tech employer in the respective markets.

The study examined brand perception across dimensions such as compensation and benefits, career progression, senior management, work-life balance, culture and values, and diversity and inclusion. It also evaluated the performance of the tech employers in local talent markets, spotlighting attrition rates, joiner-exit ratio, and overall employee satisfaction ratings.

Insights from the report

The analysis of the outside-in perspective revealed fascinating insights into employee expectations. Tech employers need to watch the trends in employee sentiments to maintain a positive brand perception. Here are some takeaways:

  • Employer brand perception is dynamic and fluctuates over time. Job seekers are constantly evaluating employers who must be watchful of changing brand perception
  • Employee expectations constantly change, and approaches that previously worked may not be relevant now
  • Maintaining the status as a top employer is a monumental feat that requires an ongoing process of creating and maintaining a superior employee value proposition
  • Systematic local talent market differences play a critical role in determining employer brand perception. Employees in India, for example, assign varying degrees of importance to different components of employee value proposition compared to counterparts in the US and the UK
  • Perceived brand perception strongly influences and correlates with success in the talent markets for tech employers

Learnings from Top Employers: Shell and SAP

To better understand what makes the leading employers stand out, Everest Group hosted a webinar featuring two companies viewed as top employers for tech talent across all three analyzed geographies.

Jimit Arora, Partner at Everest Group, and Mihir Bade, Senior Analyst at Everest Group, discuss with Brandi Khouri, Vice President of Human Resources at Shell, and Shweta Mohanty, Head of Human Resources at SAP, the secret sauce behind their successes.

During the webinar, Shell highlights that the challenge to develop energy solutions of today and tomorrow, collaboration with experienced and high-caliber colleagues, the opportunity to create a direct impact, and a value-led environment are the keys to their success as an employer of choice.

For leading technology organization, SAP, connecting employees with its purpose and culture creates the difference. The core element of co-creation is well reflected in SAP’s employee value proposition of “we build breakthroughs together.”

To learn the details of these successes, view the webinar, 2023 Top Employers for Tech Talent: Create a Powerful Employer Value Proposition.

Enterprise and CIO leaders are invited to request a complimentary copy of the Top Employers for Tech Talent™ report providing an overview of their organization’s outside-in perception and a benchmark comparison with industry peers.

Download the report

Six Key Takeaways from the Unisys Analyst and Advisor Event | Blog

The 2023 Unisys Analyst and Advisor Event provided a platform to showcase the company’s commitment to innovation and forward-thinking approach, exemplified by its new branding image in the IT services sector released last year. The company’s digital workplace strategy emerged as one of the key themes attracting our attention. To learn valuable insights from our analysts who attended the leadership presentations, read on.

Contact us directly to expand further on this topic.

Digital workplace artificial intelligence (including Generative Artificial Intelligence), cybersecurity, multi-cloud, and quantum computing were among the most prominent industry trends grabbing attention at the Unisys Analyst and Advisor Event, June 13-14 in New York.

Unisys presented a comprehensive update on the performance and prospects of its four business units: Cloud, Applications & Infrastructure Solutions (CA&I), Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS), Enterprise Computing Solutions (ECS), and Business Process Solutions (BPS).

Peter Altabef, Unisys CEO, set the stage with a fireside conversation preceding the event that focused on the ever-present concerns of cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities. Discussions over the two days covered important topics such as Unisys’ merger and acquisition (M&A) cloud solutions investment approach, its ClearPath Forward strategy for ECS, and increasing its presence in Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance.

Here are six takeaways of the main points we heard from Unisys leadership at the event:

  1. Reinforcing a commitment to innovation

Themed “Imagination to Realization,” the event provided an opportunity for the Unisys leadership team to emphasize its new brand proposition focused on creating an internal culture dedicated to providing “experience breakthroughs” for clients.

Given Unisys’ legacy-heavy business history, the rebranding aims to update the company’s image and make it more relevant to modern consumers’ requirements. The initiative emphasizes innovation and new technology solutions, increasing brand awareness and customer engagement.

  1. Focus on next-generation technologiesAligning with high-growth markets of next-generation technologies, specifically GAI, was a hot discussion topic dominating both formal and informal conversations. Unisys emphasized its goal of increasing next-generation revenue to 45 percent by 2026.

With its potential to disrupt and revolutionize the industry, the chatter surrounding GAI has even surpassed the buzz surrounding AI/Machine Learning (ML) solutions over the past few years. GAI’s immense promise vastly transcends any data privacy and governance concerns.

We envision GAI playing a larger role in such areas as summarizing incidents and findings, generating clear and concise reports and presentations, and augmenting human analyst capabilities by adapting responsibilities to the organization’s landscape and enhancing the analyst experience.

  1. Expansion in the US mid-market segment

Unisys is proactively diversifying its growth strategy by targeting mid-market US corporations, especially those between $2 billion and $5 billion, while also pursuing major deals. This segment holds promise since most mid-market clients feel overlooked or are forced to pay higher prices for less personalized services. By expanding their focus, companies can gain a first-mover advantage and capture a sizeable market share in this segment.

Large US IT service providers’ approach to the mid-market should provide simpler access to IT function heads and leadership teams, Experience Level Agreements (XLAs), and Requests for Proposals (RFPs). This presents Unisys with an opportunity to forge stronger client relationships that can be leveraged to support the enterprise’s digital transformation initiatives.

  1. Dedication to the digital workplace

We were most intrigued by the DWS update. Unisys continues to be a player with a dedicated focus and investment mindset on DWS, focusing on applying ML/AI to support capabilities across the workplace.

To address market opportunities across DWS, the company also is prototyping GAI use cases. Traditionally a strong desk-side support organization, Unisys is now pivoting its workplace portfolio around the acquisition of Unify Square and Mobienergy, providing balance and a future-ready portfolio.

With all the talk about XLA 2.0, Unisys shared that it designed an Experience Governance Board (XGB) in collaboration with a client to manage the evolution of XLAs. This demonstrates Unisys’s commitment to advancing beyond traditional XLAs. As XLAs reach their peak, the Board focuses on new XLAs and business needs to tackle more pressing concerns and find resolutions.

  1. Emphasis on organizational change management

The digital workplace landscape evolution has profoundly impacted Human Resources (HR) functions. HR now plays an expanded role in change management, with AI and automation boosting productivity by facilitating administrative and training processes. Service providers increasingly focus on organizational change management to cultivate a cohesive digital workplace environment.

Realizing that end-user acceptance of digital adoption is the most crucial step, Unisys leadership is actively working to institute change management in every transaction and not just the transition phase.

Unisys has implemented a targeted organizational change management program for customers that assesses users’ digital dexterity. This approach allows the company to determine the adoption level and utilization of digital workplace services among different user personas. By understanding workplace adoption patterns, Unisys can optimize digital workplace investments.

This exhaustive strategy guarantees successful technology implementation, positive user experiences, and measurable business outcomes.

  1. Partnering with clients

Unisys demonstrated its ability to foster client relationships by sharing compelling client success stories. The company’s prowess in fostering innovation and delivering tangible value is evident by its long-standing relationships with its top 50 clients, with an average collaboration of 20 years.

In one notable partnership with Elekta, Unisys effectively employed its digital transformation proficiency to enable the precision radiation therapy solution provider to enhance the end-user experience.

Unisys delivered its Intelligent Workplace Services, ensuring comprehensive 24/7 support of employees and partners across various communication channels, contributing to high-quality radiation treatment availability for cancer patients worldwide.

Unisys also highlighted its partnership with Dell Technologies. Working together, the companies efficiently and reliably resolve customers’ technological issues by delivering end-to-end solutions created for even the most demanding IT settings.

Both of these achievements exemplified Unisys’ ability to deliver measurable business outcomes and its commitment to innovation driven by technology solutions.

Udit Singh and Ronak Doshi represented Everest Group at the event. Reach out to this team with questions about digital workplace artificial intelligence and IT services markets.

Learn more about digital workplace technologies in the first video in our digital workplace opportunities series, Unlocking Digital Workplace Opportunities in 2023 | Episode 1: Exploring the Benefits of ChatGPT.

And discover cyber resiliency and cybersecurity trends, key enterprise investment themes, and the pricing and solution themes underlying the cybersecurity and cyber resiliency market in our webinar, Cyber Resiliency Strategy: Key Themes and Pricing Trends for 2023.

Navigating Disruptions in BFSI: The Role of Desktop Infrastructure Transformation (DIT) | Blog

The Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) industry faces various challenges in today’s evolving environment, from inflation and cybersecurity to increased competition from fintechs, and changing customer expectations. Desktop Infrastructure Transformation (DIT) has emerged as an attractive solution to combat these market disruptions because of its ability to optimize costs, empower users, and enhance IT efficiency. In this blog, we’ll explore how DIT can help the BFSI industry tackle pressing issues.

Contact us directly to discuss this topic further.

BFSI in the “Age of Disruption”

Benjamin Franklin’s wise words, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished,” still hold true today, particularly in the rapidly evolving world of BFSI. Recent events such as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and UBS Bank’s acquisition of Credit Suisse show that those who fail to adapt will be left behind even quicker than they can Google “subprime mortgage crisis.”

Facing various internal and external disruptions, BFSI enterprises struggle with difficult questions. However, a recent Everest Group survey of 500 senior stakeholders supports that “fortune favors the bold.” The survey found 59% of respondents identify digital transformation maturity as a critical priority to withstand disruptions.

Considering these findings, the following framework provides an overview of disruptions BFSI enterprises face and outlines the actions to offset them:

Picture1 6
Source: Everest Group 2023

BFSI enterprises need to act swiftly and effectively to mitigate the impact of these disruptions. As highlighted in the framework above, DIT and its two sub-components – as part of an overall mature digital transformation approach – can provide a strong buttress against disruptions.

These sub-components can be broadly defined as follows:

  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Technology that allows a user to access a desktop operating system and its applications from a remote server and thin clients
  • Full-stack Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS): Cloud computing environment with bundled pricing for hardware, software, and ancillary management services in a pay-per-use model

In the following section, we examine the most pressing disruptions BFSI enterprises face and explore how DIT can provide a solution to address them:

Disruption Evidence Complication Question DIT to Rescue
Compounding impact of concurrent inflation and recession Inflation is at a 40-year high in most developed countries such as the US and UK –      Reduction in banking payments and transactions

–      Dip in insurance investments and higher payout expenses

–      Deterrence of new bond issuances and Initial Public Offerings

How can enterprises offset the impact of inflation and be prepared for a recession? Cost effective and pay-as-you consume model through DaaS or VDI
Embracing Banking 4.0 and seizing new business opportunities The customer acquisition cost for a physical branch is approximately 50 times higher than for digital banking –      BFSI companies are under pressure to digitize their platforms/services immediately

–      Automation and data-driven decision-making has become pertinent

How can BFSI enterprises effectively leverage the Banking 4.0 approach and seamlessly launch related businesses and products? Cloud-based desktop infrastructure for agility and to ensure faster time-to-market for digitized products/services
Increasing prevalence of cybersecurity attacks More than 60% of global financial institutions with at least $5 billion in assets were hit by cyberattacks in 2022 –      Higher risks of financial losses and reputational damage

–      Increased regulations and compliances, creating operational complexities

How can BFSI companies manage cybersecurity threats while maintaining productivity and profitability? Embedded security over bolt-on security through centralized security controls and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based threat analytics within VDI
Encroaching fintech startups, reshaping traditional BFSI Venmo’s users increased by 11% year over year in 2022, while the traditional bank growth on average is about 2-5% –      Increased pressure for collaborations between fintech startups and traditional banks

–      M&As leading to business process changes

How can enterprises seamlessly transition to new business models and strengthen collaborations? On-demand desktop infrastructure scalability and seamless integration across enterprises through VDI and DaaS

Source: Everest Group 2023

Empowering BFSI Organizations through DIT

To better understand the composition of VDI and full-stack DaaS in a typical enterprise environment, the below framework provides more detail of the two previously defined key DIT components and their enablers:

Picture2 5

Note: The above framework is not an exhaustive representation of all the components within DaaS and VDI.

Source: Everest Group 2023

Now, let’s take a look at the benefits of this transformation initiative by exploring some applications of DIT that ideally align with the needs of the BFSI sector:

  • Cost optimization: With agile capacity management, increased device lifespan, and a pay-as-you-consume model, BFSI organizations can achieve cost efficiency while maintaining desktop infrastructure quality
  • Single pane of observability: AI-led analytics, synthetic bots for application performance testing, and proactive alerts help IT resources within a BFSI enterprise effectively monitor and manage their desktop infrastructure, achieving operational excellence
  • User empowerment: Personified Virtual Machines (VMs), a self-help marketplace, and DevOps-based feature development enable organizations to empower their end users and improve their experience
  • IT efficiency: Scalable architecture and limited upfront investment support expansion to alternative business models, geographies, and product lines. Cloud-hosted models also allow firms to seamlessly integrate with other IT stacks during mergers and acquisitions (M&As), and divestitures
  • Security and reliability: Automated patch management, trust zones, centralized security controls, and role-based access are some DIT features that enable continuous compliance with industry regulations and help BFSI enterprises avoid security breaches

Making DIT Real for BFSI Enterprises: Balancing Stability and Change

Let’s walk through the following use cases of DIT in various BFSI segments to demonstrate its value for employees ranging from investment traders to data scientists and knowledge workers:

Use case 1: Ensure zero downtime in a trading environment Scope: DaaS
Industry: BFSI Sub-segment: Investment banking Category: Emerging Persona: Power worker (traders)
The business need:

  • Supporting resource-intensive tasks, such as pre-trade processing, trade confirmation, and trade clearance
  • Enabling work on network-heavy applications, such as Bloomberg and Reuters
  • Embedding security and compliance
  • Supporting high-resolution audio-visual tasks
DaaS Benefits:

  • Lag-free, high-performance machines
  • Seamless access to critical trading systems through inexpensive thin clients
  • Enhanced user productivity and experience through improvement in metrics such as win rate, loss rate, and winning trades
  • Interactive, multi-screen support to bolster decision-making

 

Use case 2: Facilitate data-driven, rapid decision-making Scope: VDI, DaaS
Industry: BFSI Sub-segment: All Category: Emerging Personas: Data scientists, business analysts
The business need:

  • Identifying meaningful data patterns from large data sets for smarter decision-making
  • Leveraging data analytics for cyber risk insurance analysis, fraud management, actuarial analysis, and credit record management
  • Identifying potential opportunities and threats
Benefits:

  • Equips data scientists/analysts with a high-performance computing environment, accelerating decision-making
  • Enables secure remote access to custom platforms and tools to run compute-heavy Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning workloads
  • Proactively identifies malicious transactions and requests

 

Use case 3: Realize synergies from M&A activities sooner Scope: VDI, DaaS
Industry: BFSI Sub-segment: All Category: Prevalent Personas: Knowledge workers and power workers
The business need:

  • Accelerating consolidations divestitures, and M&As
  • Providing omni-channel access during transition to critical functions such as wealth management
  • Avoiding business disruptions, cost leakages, and productivity loss
Benefits:

  • Seamless accrual of targeted synergies
  • Efficient onboarding of new workforce, improved productivity, and reduced employee downtime
  • Cost optimization through models such as pay-per-use in device infrastructure

These use cases demonstrate the substantial value DIT offers in addressing the vital requirements of the BFSI sector and mitigating market disruptions. Several key benefits of DIT include cost optimization, operational excellence, user empowerment, and enhanced IT efficiency.

Yet, it is essential to recognize and thoroughly assess the associated risks of this technology, such as user acceptance and training challenges, as well as potential dependencies on network infrastructure. By carefully evaluating these factors, enterprises can make informed decisions about investments like DIT aimed at enhancing the IT infrastructure and diminishing market disruptions.

Ultimately, however, understanding the risk of inaction is critical. As Tony Robbins, life coach and author, aptly notes, “Risk comes in many forms, but the most common one is simply not investing.”

To discuss Desktop Infrastructure Transformation, contact Prabhneet Kaur and Udit Singh.

Generative AI in Retail and CPG: Revolutionizing Operations and Customer Experience | Blog

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) can transform multiple facets of retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries, from product development and digital commerce to sales and marketing, supply chain, and in-store operations. Explore GAI’s exciting future in this blog.

Contact us to speak to an analyst on this topic.

Following the growing trend in other industries, retail and CPG enterprises are now investing in GAI to harness its potential to enhance operations and customer experience.

While not a completely new technology, the current enthusiasm for GAI stems from the introduction of user-friendly interfaces (ChatGPT) that enable users to effortlessly generate high-quality text, graphics, and videos in seconds, marking a significant advancement in content creation.

But the question remains: Will GAI leave a lasting impact on the retail and consumer goods value chain, or will it follow the trajectory of numerous other technologies and fade into obscurity? Let’s explore this further.

To comprehensively grasp the impact of generative AI in retail and the CPG industry, we have identified and highlighted specific use cases across the value chain. By examining its potential and ease of adoption, we can better understand how GAI can revolutionize and drive transformative change in this sector.

The matrix below explores the more promising application areas and roadblocks to adoption across five areas of the retail and CPG industry value chain: product development, digital commerce, sales and marketing, supply chain, and in-store operations.

Picture2 1

From our analysis, the following key takeaways emerge:

  1. Product Development: GAI’s integration with data, analytics, and customer preferences empowers product development in retail and CPG, propelling innovative and efficient design processes. GAI enables businesses to create products that resonate with customers by enhancing decision-making capabilities and driving success in the competitive retail and CPG market.

Use Case: Anheuser-Busch’s AB InBev developed the world’s first AI-created beer called Beck’s Autonomous by leveraging GAI to analyze customer preferences. GAI tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney were used to create the recipe and logo, name the beer, and design the packaging

  1. Digital Commerce: By leveraging GAI, businesses can create personalized and interactive customer experiences to optimize engagement and satisfaction. From dynamically generating product recommendations to creating virtual fitting and styling experiences, GAI opens new avenues for transforming the way customers interact and engage with retail and CPG brands.

Use Case: Levi’s has introduced a tool that allows customers to virtually try on apparel by capturing their body shapes with a smartphone. Integrated with GAI technology, this feature then generates images of them wearing different attire options

  1. Sales and marketing: GAI holds the transformative potential to revolutionize sales and marketing strategies in the retail and CPG sector, particularly by customizing messaging. Businesses can use GAI to create highly tailored and personalized marketing campaigns that resonate with individual customers, increasing engagement and conversions. Additionally, GAI enables precise targeting of localized market segments, allowing brands to deliver relevant and targeted messages that effectively capture the attention of specific regions or demographics.

Use Case: Utilizing GAI, IKEA collects consumer preference data from various regions and cultures, allowing the retailer to create localized marketing campaigns that successfully resonate with local audiences. This approach includes tailored campaigns for furniture products targeting young urban professionals to suburban families

  1. Supply chain: GAI can be a game-changer in optimizing supply chain operations for the retail and CPG industry, unlocking its vast potential to drive efficiency and productivity. By combining GAI with advanced analytics, businesses can gain valuable insights into demand forecasting, inventory management, and logistics optimization, resulting in streamlined operations and reduced costs. Moreover, automating documentation processes through GAI simplifies paperwork, saves time, and improves accuracy, contributing to smoother and more efficient supply chain workflows.

Use case: Walmart is harnessing GAI to develop efficient and sustainable supply chains. The retail giant employs algorithms for accurate demand forecasting, waste reduction, improved inventory management, and optimized transportation networks, resulting in lower costs and emissions

  1. In-store operations: GAI has immense promise to revolutionize in-store retail operations, offering a powerful tool to optimize various customer experience aspects. Applying GAI’s capabilities, retailers can analyze vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights to enhance sales performance. Additionally, GAI can automate and optimize tasks like managing inventory, creating visual merchandising, and personalizing product recommendations, ultimately improving operational efficiency and increasing customer satisfaction.

Use case: Amazon Go is enhancing its contactless checkout process by leveraging GAI to track customer movement, identify selected products, and automatically charge customers’ Amazon accounts when they exit the store

Outlook for Generative AI in retail and CPG

The future potential of generative AI in retail and CPG demonstrates encouraging prospects for enhancing customer engagement and operations. However, conducting thorough research before implementing this technology is crucial.

As the retail and CPG industry is still experimenting with GAI, it is advisable for businesses to first identify specific problems and understand how GAI can effectively solve them, rather than investing in flashy use cases.

Enterprises interested in experimenting with GAI technology should begin with customer-centric use cases as pilot projects before expanding to more complex applications. By taking this approach, retailers and consumer goods companies can ensure a smoother transition and realize the many benefits this technology offers.

Everest Group will continue to follow the evolution in this space. To discuss generative AI in retail and the CPG industry, please reach out to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].

Learn about the vast potential of GAI in customer experience in our LinkedIn Live, Generative AI in Customer Experience: Use Cases and Responsible Adoption.

Blueprint or Wallpaper: The Challenges of Selling Your GBS Strategy to the Team | Blog

Your stakeholders seem to be willing to embrace a more comprehensive model, embracing new scope and moving even more work offshore. The enterprise’s CXOs are pushing an imperative for digitization, giving your GBS initiatives real coattails to grab onto. A white shoe strategy firm or one of the Big 4 has helped you develop an all-singing, all-dancing global business services blueprint that harnesses the latest GBS thinking. You’ve cobbled together some beautiful PowerPoints communicating the whys and wherefores of your next evolution.

Yet you don’t think your senior managers are on board. Why? Their eyes glaze over when you talk about a GBS strategic blueprint, thinking that it is just a piece of wallpaper.

I’ve seen this movie before. Gorgeous, sensible up-to-date GBS strategy; a senior team that won’t wear it on their tee-shirts. For a leader invested in the growth and change that drives GBS value, it can be hard to accept that the team is not on board; after all, setting GBS strategy is his/her prerogative. If the team isn’t behind it, it can be seen as a personal failure of leadership.

But without a strategic blueprint that everyone embraces, GBS models can turn into endangered species. The status quo is not an option.

So I asked myself, why is it often hard for GBS team members to get on the bandwagon?

  • Black box development – When the development of a GBS strategy is a private pas-de-deux between the boss and the strategy lead, it can be hard for the rest of the leadership team to take any ownership or even a high level of interest. Springing it on them as a fait accompli is a sure-fire way to create a not-invented here response.
  • Non-GBS natives – Often, GBS organizations are comprised of a majority of team members who came up through the enterprise ranks. They may be unfamiliar with the model’s imperative for survival—growth.
  • What’s in it for me? – Self-concern is a strong motivator to embrace a change in strategy. If a GBS blueprint does not highlight opportunities such as increased responsibility or new career paths, it can be hard for team members to make a personal investment.
  • No skin in the game – Since most GBS organizations focus individual performance on operational goals and objectives rather than strategic, the successful implementation of strategy may be seen as the responsibility of top leadership rather than that of every manager.
  • Pie in the sky – For team members facing daily operational challenges—recalcitrant stakeholders, missed deadlines, delivery center attrition—a GBS strategy can seem like an aspirational nice-to-have, not a roadmap for model maturity and survival.
  • Too complicated – GBS strategies with too many moving pieces—organizational changes, new delivery center locations, transformation projects, technology deployment—become daunting propositions for even the most sophisticated of GBS professionals. If there is no clearly delineated line of sight as to how each component adds up to a new stage of maturity, team members can tune out.
  • Competing initiatives – With today’s pace of business change, it’s likely that the team is juggling the implementation of a number of programs, often disconnected. A new GBS strategy that does not connect the dots can be seen as the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Sure, it’s a daunting list of derailers, but savvy GBS leaders know how to help their team understand and embrace evolving strategies as a given. Here are eight tactics to ensure that the strategy sticks.

  • Promote a living strategy – Change is a GBS constant, so big initiative, once-in-a-blue moon, big bang strategies may prove ineffective. Focus on changing tactics as business conditions change, rather than strategic tenets to ensure the team is consistently aligned.
  • Have a formal, visible strategic planning process – If the organization likes to manage by scheduling strategic planning projects rather than embedding processes, it’s critical to promote transparency. Ensuring that strategic planning processes are incorporated in the GBS calendar, that outputs are shared on a timely basis, and that there is plenty of opportunity for contribution and comment is vital to success.
  • Personally engage key GBS stakeholders – We take the time to engage with our key business stakeholders; when it comes to a change or evolution of strategy, leaders owe their key managers the same courtesy—soliciting feedback and gaining commitment on a one-on-one basis.
  • Create a strategy cascade – Everyone in the organization needs to understand the current GBS strategy, what needs to change, and what it means for them personally. Town halls are great for the organization (but ensure that key leaders don’t see the strategy for the first time on a Teams call).
  • Solicit tailwinds and headwinds – The entirety of the team, not a few leaders, will make your strategy a reality. Ask them for structured input, and if they feel they can’t or won’t contribute, ask them to stress test the blueprint by identifying tailwinds—what will make the strategy implementable, and headwinds—what will derail the strategy. No one can identify opportunities and challenges better than those with their feet on the ground.
  • Seed the strategy with the business – If team members can triangulate the GBS strategy with what their business stakeholders are saying, it gives its tenets and imperatives credence as opposed to being seen as a hypothetical leadership exercise.
  • Tie personal metrics into the delivery of strategic goals – Behaviors align with rewards and recognition. Expanding each team member’s metrics to include the support for or delivery of strategic goals will go a long way.
  • Deliver GBS strategy through an OGSM or similar – (For the unfamiliar, OGSM refers to objectives, goals, strategies, and measures). Far too often, GBS strategies are great blueprints, but don’t harness tools that promote implementation. Embedding common success factors, such as clarity on what needs to be achieved and how it is measured through a formal program, gives life and meaning to a blueprint.

So the next time your team’s eyes glaze over when you mention the imperative for a new GBS strategy, perhaps it’s time to think about it differently. Making the process transparent, aligned with performance, and part of the GBS routine will go a long way toward making GBS organizations agile, responsible, and valuable.

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