AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Swedish firm XMReality work with Bosch Rexroth to pioneer new remote service program that utilises smart glasses and augmented reality...

Augmented reality software and smart glasses from Swedish company XMReality have enabled automation and drive system manufacturer Bosch Rexroth to roll out a new service and support programme with remote assistance.

The first Rexroth solution launched for industrial hydraulics is called Hägglunds InSight Live, the support programme involves the client company’s own maintenance team in carrying out adjustments, troubleshooting and emergency work, with guidance from Bosch Rexroth’s systems specialists back at base.

Using the software from XMReality with an ordinary smartphone, tablet or laptop, along with the optional smart glasses, the local service engineer works directly with one of the in-house experts at Bosch Rexroth.

The system was initially used by Bosch Rexroth in Sweden but is now being rolled out in other selected countries. Potentially, any of Bosch Rexroth’s 375,000 (30k+ employees in Rexroth) personnel worldwide can access the system.

“Bosch Rexroth provides world-class services and we constantly strive to implement new and innovative ways to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

“Using XM Reality’s platform, we are now able to offer a remote service portfolio that ensures that help, assistance and our specialist expertise are available for both planned and unplanned situations” commented Rory Moore, Service Business Development Manager - Hägglunds Products

 

“We are proud of now being classified as an Essential Supplier in Bosch global purchasing system” added XMReality´s CEO Johan Castevall. "This is a confirmation of the importance of our Remote Guidance solution in modern industrial way of work.”

The augmented reality smart glasses from XMReality enable hands-free operation during the interaction with the service experts, but the software can also be used with just an ordinary smartphone.

The service expert sees on his screen what the operator sees through the lens. The software transfers video and audio streams between the service expert and the operator with perfect synchronisation, even when the bandwidth is low.

Gestures, drawings or instructions can be overlaid by the instructor on the live image.

The XMReality software is compatible with Windows and Android operating systems. The optional smart glasses, which enable hands-free operation, can be used with prescription glasses or protective smart glasses.

Their 40° field of vision enables the instructor to see the periphery of the image – augmented reality smart glasses can often only offer 15-30° field of vision.

The smart glasses are powered by the tablet or laptop computer and battery life is usually around two hours, depending on battery size.

 

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Field Service Podcast.

This month we change the format slightly as we bring you a selection of the conversation highlights from a discussion group held with CLickSoftware that featured a number of senior field service executive leaders discussing the importance of Cloud computing as a platform for field service management solutions.

 

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Click here to download the full version of this podcast

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Click here to download a PDF briefing report from the roundtable discussion

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Field Service News Editor-in-Chief Kris Oldland looks asks whether too many field service companies are taking the easier short term options that will ultimately lead to greater costs in the longer term...

 

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Click here to download a digital version of Field Service News issue 11 now!

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Is x,y or z fit for purpose? It’s a question that we should be asking ourselves on a regular basis but unfortunately human nature tends to prefer a make do and muddle through attitude rather than face the tougher option of re-evaluating our choices...

Of course this isn’t always true, if it were there would be no innovation in the world and as anyone who reads this column regularly can attest innovation is one thing that gets me excited.

And in fairness in our industry it is all around us, my only fear is that perhaps such examples of smart out of the box thinking are sometimes the exception rather than the rule.

A point in case is to be found within our latest research project where our findings point to so many companies taking the easy options when it comes to device selection for their field service engineers.

In their defence they will likely point to the fact that it was the cheaper option, but all to the often what appears to be the cheapest option up front can ultimately be a more costly choice further down the line. Indeed the Total Cost of Ownership argument that many rugged manufacturers or distributors will put forward is based around facts and figures that support this exact notion.

However, for me the issue is not thinking the choice through in terms of how these devices will genuinely fit into an engineer’s workflow. For example of the 59% of companies that opted for consumer devices to empower there engineers in the field, 71% stated that ideally the devices for field service should have barcode scanning capability.

Now whilst I know the camera on a consumer tablet or smart phone is capable of handling barcodes, but it’s a cumbersome process whereas so many industrial devices are designed to incorporate this functionality with a dedicated button to make our engineers lives easier.

 

Basically one product is fit for purpose and the other is not.

Yet the overwhelming majority of companies opt for the device that isn’t fit for purpose because of an initial lower cost per unit. It is a short-sighted approach that leads to potential efficiency improvements being missed, which in turn could see potential additional profits melt away.

OK I may be being a bit melodramatic but I’m sure you get the point.

Considering what is fit for purpose and taking the time to make considered decisions - whether it be around hardware, software or even processes is, in my humble opinion at least, the key to long term success.

In fact this issue is full of examples who questioned if what was the accepted norm was in fact actually fit for purpose or not.

Take Dr. Bart Guthrie, neurosurgeon and founder of Help Lightning to begin with. Ultimately it was his acceptance that the standard means of communicating remotely in the medical sector, i.e. the telephone, wasn’t really fit for purpose anymore that led to the creation of mobile merged reality and Help Lightning which is shaping up to be a significant game changer in both the clinical and field service sectors alike.

Then there is Kony.

A mobile app development platform who have identified the fact that the functionality of many traditional FSM solutions is constrictive and in the context of a digital mobile worlds not fit for purpose.

Or how about IFS’s Tom Bowe.

In our interview he makes a great point about beginning to define new processes today in preparation for the oncoming sea change that will be mass adoption of the Internet of Things.

Very simply Bowe argues that the SLAs currently in place and the processes to support those SLAs will soon no longer be fit for purpose as ultimately technology will make them obsolete.

It is only by challenging ourselves and our decision that we can continuously improve. And the question ‘is it fit for purpose’ is therefore a handy one to keep tucked in our head to help us achieve that.

 

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Click here to download a digital version of Field Service News issue 11 now!

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Built on the Salesforce Customer Service platform, Field Service Lightning promises to harnesses the latest mobile and IoT technologies, enabling companies to deliver connected, intelligent customer service from phone to field...

Salesforce one of the world’s leading CRM companies, announced this month the launch of Field Service Lightning, a new field service solution built for today’s connected world.

Harnessing signals from connected devices and customer data from Salesforce, Field Service Lightning is designed to be a modern approach to field service that is built for mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT).

With Field Service Lightning, Salesforce state companies can now unite customers, connected devices, agents, dispatchers, and employees in the field with one powerful service platform to deliver a seamless customer experience from phone to field.

With 6.4 billion connected things in use today 2020 predictions stating that number will reach 20.8 billion, the implications for field service are staggering. As connected devices become smarter and more predictive, it will create new opportunities to reinvent the customer service experience.

Built on Service Cloud, Field Service Lightning is built to enable companies to deliver mobile, intelligent customer service from phone to field.

In the initial press release Salesforce have stated that Field Service Lightning users will be able to:

Connect their entire service workforce:

Field Service Lightning connects the entire service organisation from call centre to the field.

Agents, dispatchers and mobile employees in the field will be on a single, centralised platform, bringing a new level of transparency and efficiency to customer service.

Service agents will have a 360-degree view of the customer and can create a work order from any case.

Mobile employees in the field will now have access to the customer’s full service and purchasing history, empowering them to easily resolve any issue that may arise and possibly upsell the customer on another product.

For instance, a homeowner requests a service visit because their Internet connection has gone down.

After resolving the issue, the technician sees within the field service app that the homeowner has previously asked about a faster Internet connection.

Using this insight, the technician presents new packaging options and the customer upgrades to a faster Internet speed at a discounted rate.

Intelligently schedule and dispatch work:

At the core of field service is scheduling and dispatching.

Leveraging features from ClickSoftware like scheduling and optimisation, Field Service Lightning promises to take dispatching one step further by applying a layer of intelligence.

Scheduling is automated based on skills, availability, and location to optimise on-site service. Rules can be put into place to automatically assign senior field employees to complex service issues, and junior field employees to the routine service calls.

Because scheduling is automated, dispatchers can focus on the real-time view of service operations and adjust resources accordingly.

For example, if the first job of the day ends up taking longer than anticipated, a dispatcher can assign a different field employee to the next job so the customer’s appointment does not get delayed.

Or if a mobile employee gets delayed by traffic, a dispatcher could route another field technician to the job.

Track and manage jobs in real-time:

Customer service moves fast and forward-thinking companies need real-time access to their service data.

Field Service Lightning promised to enable all service employees to update work orders, issue change requests and adjust job status, anytime, anywhere and on any device.

A staggering 65% of field service workers still print out their service tickets and bring them in their vehicles, slowing down the service process

Now, an employee in the field can see their open work orders on their mobile device, update them throughout the day as they complete jobs, and all the information is seamlessly updated in Salesforce.

We are just beginning to see what customer service can look like in the era of mobile and IoT,” said Mike Milburn, SVP and GM, Service Cloud, Salesforce. “Field Service Lightning gives companies the ability to reinvent their approach to service by connecting the phone to the field on a single platform, resulting in an amazing customer experience.”

Pricing and Availability:

Available in most regions now Field Service Lightning starts at $135 for organisations that have at least one Enterprise Edition or Unlimited Edition Service Cloud license.

 

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The next event by UK non-profit organisation the Service Community has been announced...

Field Service professionals can reserve their place for free at this next Service Community event to be hosted by the Centre for Through-Life-Engineering Services (TES) at Cranfield University by emailing TheServiceCommunity@gmail.com.

The event will be the afternoon of the 12th May from 13.00 – 17.00. Before the session begins, there is also a great opportunity to visit the Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality lab at the OpEx institute, where you can dip into what these technologies might bring to the future of service delivery. Space is limited for this tour, so please state in your email if you want to attend the VR/AR visit.

Cranfield University  is one of the worlds leading global research establishments into TES and is working closely with industry leaders such as Rolls Royce, Bombardier, Babcock, Siemens and BAE, to establish within UK government a National Policy for Services in Manufacturing & Technology.

This event is the first of our Insights Series, where we aim to provide service leaders with practical hands on insights into one of 5 themes that will stretch across many industries including software, technology as well as manufacturing:

• Moving to the Cloud
• New Service Revenues
• Art of Transformation and change
• Workflow management : soft skills, processes and scheduling
• From Reactive to Proactive business: Customer Success, Consumption Gap

The agenda for the 12th May is no exception:

• 12.00: Virtual reality / Augmented Reality lab visit
• 12.30: Pre-Meeting coffee, biscuits,  networking
• 13.00: Welcome and introduction from Mathew Caffrey (Mngr Op Ex institute Cranfield)
• 13.15: Impact of VR/AR on Services & the Servitization Business model – Professor Howard Lightfoot (Cranfield)
• 14.00: The Challenge of scaling and expanding a service operation to support a rapidly expanding technology business – Ian Cockett (Services Director Cygnet Texkimp)
• 14.40: Networking Break
• 15.20: Creating a Customer Success Culture – Chris Farnath (Director Customer Success at Allocate Software)
• 16.00: Moving from a Opex to Capex, cloud based business model – Colin Brown (Managing Director Tesseract)
• 16.40: General Discussion & Wrap up
• 17.00: Meeting Closed

To sign up for the event and the tour, please email TheServiceCommunity@gmail.com. Event logistics will be sent out nearer the date.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS & TOPICS

Howard Lightfoot: A leading expert on Servitization having co-written the book ‘Made to Serve’ with Professor Tim Baines

Ian Cockett: Service Director at Cygnet-Texkimp Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of equipment for the global fibre and fabric, plastic, foil and film processing markets. Previously Ian was Director of Service Operations at Bosch UK’s heating division running a service team of over 300 engineers.

Chris Farnath: An experienced Services Director working mainly in the Software and Technology arena, Chris’s current challenge is creating a Customer Success culture and will be sharing & discussing the challenges he faces in his current role. Chris is also a member of the Service Community leadership team.

Colin Brown: Colin is MD/Founder of Tesseract, a leading Service Management solution provider. In this presentation he is going to concentrate on the business challenge of moving from a transactional business model to a pay as you go model through a Cloud based technology platform. In particular how this has changed the business model of his company.

 

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In the above video you’ll find the Q&A session from our recent webinar run in partnership with service management scheduling specialists Kirona and Strategies for GrowthSM where Field Service News Editor-in-Chief, Kris Oldland spoke with Bill Pollock and Nick Shipton.

 

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If you'd like to download the full webinar you can do so by clicking here

 

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By downloading the webinar you consent to the T&C's outlined here 

 

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When we look at the introduction of any new element into the way our business operates there are a number of factors that define whether that project will be a success or not. Of course there is the the question of whether the tools being implemented are capable of delivering all of the improvements in efficiencies that were promised during the selection process.

However, perhaps more importantly to the potential success of any new technology introduced to a workflow is exactly how it is introduced to the workforce. Basically how well the change management process is approached.

Indeed Change Management is a vital element for most businesses as they continue to keep pace with the latest trends in technology to help them gain competitive edge.

In field service in particular, where we are seeing continual and developing adoption of technology, as companies seek to improve the efficiency and productivity of their field service operations, it is perhaps one of the most important functions of senior business leadership.

As such one of the key presentations given at last year’s ClickConnect UK conference was given by Simon Brown, Operations Development Manager, at vehicle repair and replacement giant Belron (who trade as Autoglass within the UK)

Brown joined Belron in 2000 to take a lead role in the division which was part of the Autoglass business analyst team, tasked.with driving change management.

Prior to this Brown had spent his entire post university career having worked in retail developing a wealth of experience in business process based projects as well as experience in implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools.

It was this experience that put him in a perfect place to help guide Autoglass and then on a wider scale, parent organisation Belron, through number of planned process changes including the management of an implementation of field service management tool ClickSoftware.

 

Therefore Brown’s session at this year’s ClickConnect UK conference was highly anticipated and it provided a great opportunity to gain some insight into the tools Brown used when approaching these tasks.

However, what was also particularly illuminating was some of the out of the box thinking and left-field role models that Brown looked to when building his own specific approach to change management that were revealed as he made his way through his presentation.

There were a number of excellent moments at the recent ClickConnect UK conference and one that stood out in particular was when Simon Brown of vehicle glass replacement giant Belron shared some of his secrets for achieving change management success...

Of course there are a number of well known and well established change management theories and processes with names such as ADKAR, Kotter, and APMG as well as tools such as the Change Curve familiar to those who have explored the area and Brown has embraced a number of these when adapting his own approach - which whilst being sophisticated and comprehensive enough to ensure success in the various projects he’s undertaken with Belron, also remains rooted in what is essentially a fairly simple concept.

In fact there is one fundamental tenant that Brown holds at the centre of his approach to change management. That is simply to ensure we engage the ‘Head, the Heart and the Hands’ throughout the change management process.

 

If we are going to achieve a successful transition from one approach to another then it is absolutely vital that each of our team absolutely understands what the benefits will be for making the change (Heart), exactly why we are making the change (Head) and exactly how we will be making that change (Hands).

Such a three-pronged approach will help overcome many of the conventional, to be expected barriers to adoption amongst a team.

It will also help speed up adoption, as if done correctly, messaging around the change will engender emotional buy-in, plus speedier adoption of the incoming new tools and processes.

However, before even trying to seek the approval and buy-in from the workforce, it is absolutely crucial and fundamentally important Brown believes that we have full buy-in from the board – something that he admits was a significant part in the successful change management projects he has undertaken whilst at Belron.

In fact that support went right to the very top with Brown able to utilise a video of the video of the Autoglass Managing Director himself outlining why the organisation were about to go through such a significant change in their core operating processes.

What is also important Brown emphasises, is to keep the messaging the same throughout.

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be using varied formats to deliver that messaging – in fact the more ways we can find of delivering the message whether it be via email, video, poster letter, meetings or any other manner you can think of, means more chance of both connecting with different members of the team (different people respond better to different stimuli) and ensuring the message gets understood via consistent reinforcement.

Nor does it mean that those delivering the message (again whether it is in person, print or video) should be sticking doggedly to a highly regimented script full of legalese and marketing blurb.

Again whilst this may tick a number of boxes in the corporate handbook, it will ultimately fail to convey the key ‘what’s-in-it-for-me’ message that will help you connect with the hearts and minds of your workers. What is important however is to keep the same core messaging throughout all the different communication channels.

Very simply there should be some fundamental facts that all those involved in the change management roll out are aware of. Facts that should form the bedrock and foundations of any messaging relating to the change.

 

In the case of Autoglass such continuity was ensured by delivering a program of two day events for every manager involved within the change management process that was not only supported by the involvement of top tier motivational speakers but also at least one senior director at each event to help clarify exactly what the reasons for undertaking the change were, and what benefits would be delivered both on the personal and the business level.

In Brown’s own words ‘Repetition is crucial, as is having all senior leaders standing shoulder to shoulder delivering the same core message. One of the well-established change management processes that Brown and the team at Belron incorporated into their own change management approach was ADKAR a system developed by one of the leading organisations within the niche consulting sector of Change Management Prosci.

Standing for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Re-enforcement, ADKAR provides a clear easily followed structure to help build a cohesive strategy in how to tackle a change management project and sits at the heart of Belron’s change management processes.

In fact when reflecting back on some of the learnings he had made from previous change

management projects at Autoglass it was straying slightly from the simple ADKAR structure that was their biggest single mistake Brown admits.

Whilst following the stages correctly throughout an initial phase of rolling out field service automation tool ClickSoftware, the one area that got overlooked was the final stage of the process ie: re-enforcement.

“We were so busy getting the next group live that we didn’t spend enough time focussing on the re-enforcement stage” explained Brown and this could potentially lead to undermining much of the good work that had been undertaken so far.

The danger being that unless the successes of the roll out are being re-enforced through continuous positive messaging there is a danger that some of the more negative pain points of the change process, and there inevitably will be some in any change management project, can become magnified.

 

"If people fill that empty space [where positive reenforcement discussions should be] with negatives then there is a risk of people re-enforcing those negatives” explained Brown.

The other well established tool that Brown embraced is the Change Curve. Essentially a visual tool that shows four key phases an individual will go through when undertaking a change - namely being denial, doubt, exploration and acceptance (although there are numerous variations on these four stages cited by different consultants etc.)

The benefit of using the change curve Brown explained was that first it creates an environment wherein anxiety, which is a natural emotion most people encounter when facing change, is easily and comfortably discussed in a constructive and functional manner.

Secondly and perhaps most importantly is that it provides a single language for discussing the change management process at all levels throughout the process.

For example a manager could discuss where his team are in terms of the change curve, when feeding back to the senior change management team with a clear description that is easily understood by everyone involved in the discussion.

Equally such a conversation could be had on a one-to-one basis with a team member as the manager tries to help them along the change management journey.

As mentioned earlier in this article there are many varying processes and tools that can be applied to change management.

Indeed what Brown and the team at Belron have done very successfully in their approach to establishing their own blueprint for successful change management is to identify those tools which worked well in the framework of their existing corporate persona, and adapted them to their needs - rather than rigidly following a set of business processes that may not quite fit with their existing corporate policies etc.

It is this flexibility and adaptability that is a key component in the success of Belron’s change management strategies to date alongside a constant evaluation of what is working and subsequent refinement of processes - coupled of course with Brown’s own clear passion for the subject, a passion which has also led him to drawing further inspiration from more leftfield sources.

 

One of these that Brown spoke about was New York City Police commissioner William Bratton who famously brought significant change to the NYPD successfully reducing crime rates at a time when all of his predecessors had failed.

Bratton is a fascinating character worthy of study for anyone interested in the traits of leadership, but his work with the NYPD truly struck a chord with Brown who comments ‘I saw in him and what he was doing a number of elements that could be part of the ADKAR model’ Brown explained. “He just intuitively led tremendous change”

And this perhaps brings us to the final ingredient of good change management.

It needs to be led by someone inherently in tune with the people they are trying to guide through the change management process. Something both Bratton and Brown have in common.

“I think you have to be a strong, people focussed leader rather than someone who is perhaps more driven by figures, someone who is highly competitive” Brown concludes and again he is fortunate to be working for an organisation which shares this ethos.

“Strong emotional intelligence, and people leadership are fundamental part of being a leader within our group.” he adds and it is this core trait that seems to be running through the spine of Belron from CEO down.

Whilst this is not easy to replicate, it is clearly at the heart of their continuing success in delivering successful implementations of new systems and tools that have pushed them to forefront of their sector and ahead of their competitors and peers.

 

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Having undertaken a research project to assess the current appetite for the Cloud as a platform for field service management systems, Field Service News in partnership with ClickSoftware brought together a panel of senior field service executives to discuss the findings at the iconic Gherkin building in the heart of London’s business district...

 

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There is also a more detailed briefing report available for download if you want to know more - Access the full Briefing report by clicking here

 

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It was a typical British winters day: cold wet and grey. However when a selection of the field service industry’s senior executives came together to discuss the findings of a recent research report published by Field Service News in partnership with ClickSoftware the debate and discussion was lively, engaging and illuminating.

Held in the iconic 30 St Mary’s Axe, affectionately known by locals as the Gherkin, the backdrop to our conversations was the ever impressive London skyline, inspiring even with the cold, persistent rain beating down outside.

And perhaps what better place to discuss the Cloud than amongst the clouds?

The obvious starting point for the conversation was to identify who within the group was currently utilising a Cloud-based field service management solution and what had driven them to opt for the Cloud.

Keith Mackie, Director of UCC Coffee UK & Ireland was the first to offer us his thoughts.

“I’ve been with UCC Coffee for three years and when I arrived they had a solution that was partly Cloud-based but I changed it mainly because of the utility of the system itself.”

 

 

“The decision for me was based around the ability to get data out of the system. For me that is one of the keys to any system.”

 

“The Internet of Things is a big driver. What our customers want more and more is live data. How do we feed that data back to them?”

It was clear that this challenge around accessing and delivering data wasn’t unique to Mackie and UCC Coffee. The conversation quickly turned to the importance of being able to get data from the field and feed it directly into both a field service management system as well as the wider ecosystem of ERPs and CRMs etc.

Mark Jones, Head of Technical Services, Roland DG, commented: “I think in terms of having the engineer turn up equipped with the right tools and parts and in terms of being able to maintain a high first time fix rate, then it’s extremely important. That would certainly be one of the benefits we would be seeking”

 

 

“We’re not quite there yet, but in the next generation or generation after that of our product there will be that intelligence to take that information. That will also enable us to examine life-cycles of machinery.”

 

“Typically you see the bath tub curve: when your products launch you tend to get teething problems and you ramp up on calls and then as things mature and settle down you get a really good period where machines are reliable and ticking along smoothly. Then as you come to the end of the product life-cycle you start to see things ramp up again.”

“To be able to have that intelligent data, to measure that, would also provide a great tool for sales and marketing.”

The data highway

Jones’ point again reiterated the importance of data within the modern field service operation so the question was put to the group “Is it fair to make the assertion that the adoption of the Cloud, whether it be in FSM solutions or any others such as CRM and so on is hugely driven by the ease of access to data that it provides?”

John Cullen, VP Global Marketing Brand & Services, for mining and aggregates giant Metso, led the group in agreement that this is indeed the case.

 

 

“As everyone has been saying: if you can get information on the state of your equipment, then you can optimise your operations, you can know what services to deliver to your customers.”

 

“One challenge I see as a concern is that, yes there is lots of data, but I think you can actually drown under the data. You can have access to anything but in the end what is it you want it for? What is the business process that you actually want to be applying this to? If you don’t have that view, I think you can take the wrong path. In the marketing side of my work. I see a similar thing: through analytics we can have lots of information but we can get blinded by,  even paralysed by, the information.”

“The same thing can be true here; you have to have a view of what you want to use data for, then you select the right pieces of data. You start doing it in a structured way otherwise you end up with a system that doesn’t fulfil your needs.”

[quote float="right"]The question of how configurable is your system is for that very reason. I don’t want to be told what data I’m going to get, I want to choose what data I’m going to get.

Mackie then went on to add further to this point commenting: “There is the question of how configurable is your system is for that very reason. I don’t want to be told what data I’m going to get, I want to choose what data I’m going to get.”

 

“I might want to analyse it differently today than I do tomorrow depending on what I’m looking for. Am I looking for first time fix, parts usage, mean time between failure? All of those stats are important and you have to be able to configure them very easily.”

Again the consensus of the group was that this was very much a key desire for most companies. As Cullen stated: “Businesses evolve, they’re not static.”

Flexibility

This brought us again to another often celebrated benefit of Cloud computing:  the fact that the Cloud is scalable and Cloud based solutions can grow or shrink with a business accordingly.

Paul Hingley, CMR Business Manager, Siemens, took the mantle stating that by 2020 all their products will have the functionality to send diagnostic data. “Where we are going as an organisation is making our service department more proactive and the Cloud we are developing is completely open” he explained.

 

“The more that you open up the technology, and the diagnostics for the technology, then the more the data becomes relevant and has value. The other problem we have is that some of the large Big Data companies are selling data but there is nothing behind it and that is the worry, because it gives Cloud a bad name.”

 

Security in the Cloud

Of course no conversation around the Cloud can be held without mentioning the ever present elephant in the room, security. With Hingley raising the topic of a giving Cloud a bad name the conversation was steered to perhaps the one question that has dogged the Cloud since its inception - is it secure?

One of the interesting findings of the research was the amount of people who admitted that breaches in consumer Cloud products such as Apple’s iCloud impacted their perception of the security of enterprise level Cloud solutions.

But what was the feeling of those in the room when it came to the security of the Cloud?

“If you were to ask us what would be at the top of our list of our priorities I would certainly say security.” stated Caroline Winwood, Customer Services Director at Dyson. "We take it very seriously at Dyson across everything from our intellectual property through to our customer information.”

“In my role, I inherited a system which is server based. One of the reasons was that our back office ran this way so integration was deemed easier but security was also very high on the list.”

 

“The success of any software implementation lies in alignment between Operations and IT.  Both teams need to take on the shared responsibility for delivering a scalable platform that meets operational and reporting needs while ensuring that the fundamentals of security and on-going support are also taken care of,” Winwood added.

 

Indeed, Winwood’s point seems to be hugely pertinent in today’s landscape as the challenge for many companies is marrying this balance of the need for security often led by the IT department, especially for a company such as Dyson whose products sit at the top of their field in terms of the technology they deliver and the needs of the business in being able to deliver the levels of service also expected of a market leader.

However, Cullen’s Metso are one organisation that have embraced the Cloud across the business putting their trust within their Cloud provider to ensure their business data remains as secure as it would if they had remained with an on-premise solution. As a company we are actually embracing Cloud technology. Our complete storage and office environment has gone online with Microsoft, so we are trusting of Cloud security."

" Where we actually see an issue is with our customers and their machinery and the concerns that they have and those come on two levels. First is the commercial level: if you have a lot of data about their operations then you know exactly how they are doing in the market. You know if they are struggling or if they are doing well and a lot of companies feel uncomfortable about that.”

“Then the second area is when you are talking about the ability to get into the machinery and change settings. It has the ability to not only ruin a company commercially - for example, you could make their energy consumption go up - but also you could actually kill people as well by mis-settings. So the integrity and safety of their sites is an issue.”

Given the concerns being raised around security the question was put to Tim Faulkner, VP EMEA of ClickSoftware, of how he define the difference between the enterprise Cloud security against the Cloud in the consumer realm when speaking to his clients and prospective clients.

“Well there have been a number of interesting different points raised,” began Faulkner. “From a security perspective, if a company like Amazon Web Services has a breach it’s going to get into the news for sure because it’s a big company, it’s a clear target, so it’s newsworthy.”

 

“But companies like Amazon or Azure, that’s their livelihood. They are investing a lot into the policies, the protocols and the procedures for maintaining security into the sites and the resilience of the systems. They can afford to invest so much more than a normal enterprise can in security measures and most of the breaches actually tend to be within a company's own data centre.”

 

“I think media has an impact on our perception but in this case the security of the Cloud versus the security of a normal company, versus the measures of a normal company and what they can afford to put in place, I don’t think the perception is really aligned with the reality that we have.”

“For most companies it’s unaffordable to put in the same level of security that they should expect from a Cloud service vendor.”

One company that perhaps do fall into the bracket of being large enough to be able to build their own levels of security that could match that of a Cloud vendor however is Belgian telecoms giant Proximus. “I think it is also about losing control, or at least the perception of losing control,” commented Marc Cornelis, WFM Lead, Proximus.

“In our company, hosting ClickSoftware and other applications in the Cloud, it’s like giving up all the data, all your core business data, into the Cloud, where you don’t have the perception of control."

"We have more than one data centre, and we are managing our own data centres and also for other customers. Our point is: why should we host our own data in a Cloud solution without having control of where the data is in the world?”

“We just don’t see why we should run an application like ClickSoftware, which is one of the core applications for Proximus, in a Cloud solution.”

Enabling process change

Of course one of the often cited reasons for slow adoption for the Cloud in certain areas including field service is the existence of legacy systems and the mindsets that often come embedded in such long-standing processes.

As Cornelis explained “It’s about change, it’s changing the environment; we have always been used to having everything hosted in the Proximus environment. We need to change, see how it works and then build up the confidence and build up the controls.”

Indeed, the Cloud has sometimes been referred to as a great leveller within enterprise as those companies unencumbered by such legacy infrastructure are able to embrace the technology and its benefits perhaps more easily than their larger more established competitors.

 

“It’s something of a timing issue and also a generational issue as well, if I’m being honest,” commented Mackie.

 

“I could not imagine the cost of hosting all of our data on-site for a hundred thousand service calls. I think it is almost generational, people are so used to their information being hosted somewhere else.”

“If I was starting the business I work in now I wouldn’t even consider having an in-house solution, whereas for a multi-national that sense of control is more important but I think as things move on it’s a timing issue. I think as people become more comfortable with remote data access and using data that they don’t actually control then I almost think this problem will dissipate. I think we may be pushing at an open door.

In fact, there is evidence of such a swing in attitudes changing within the market already as Alistair Martin, Director of Product and Services, Unisys explained. “In fact we are seeing the opposite of what a lot of the conversation here is. We typically supply to some of the largest banks in the world through to the police force so very, very secure systems. But we are actually seeing that customers, because of demographics, because of a lack of skills, are becoming more open to look at Cloud solutions.”

“Applications as a Service is an area we are doing a lot of work in now, with customers coming to us now to actually run their applications somewhere out there. It’s a big change.”

 

As the rain continued to drench the London skyline, the consensus amongst our panel of leading field service experts was indeed very much in-line with the headline findings of our research.

 

The Cloud is gaining momentum as a valid platform for field service management solutions and wider enterprise applications. However, for those largest companies, legacy systems remain one challenge, whilst a need to overcome old ways of thinking around security and control are another.

What was interesting was that amongst our panel, every member understood the potential benefits of the Cloud, and that easy access to data was perhaps the biggest driver of all. But the lingering fears around security continue to cast a shadow for the Cloud for many and as such the journey to Cloud based computing still does seem to require an internal leap of faith, which is something each company can only achieve in their own time.

 

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Want to know more? There is also a more detailed briefing report available for download if you want to know more - Access the full Briefing report by clicking here

 

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Incredible fuel savings and impressive reduction in CO2 emissions for Scottish local authority after implementing telematics solution from TomTom Telematics...

The Organisation:

Connecting the shores of Loch Lomond with Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire provides access to some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery and a network of towns and villages.

There are three town centres; Clydebank, Dumbarton and Alexandria. The council has a fleet of 380 vehicles that are used in delivering services for the residents of West Dunbartonshire. This fleet is made up of cars, vans and minibuses as well as specialist vehicles such as refuse collection trucks and road sweepers. The fleet has a capital value of approximately £8 million and annual running and operating costs of over £2M.

The Challenge:

Running vehicle fleets does not only incur costs – as a signatory to Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration, the council has a carbon reduction commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by one third by 2015. The cost of fuel to the council has increased significantly over recent years and it is clear that the council needs controlling mechanisms to regulate and influence the sustainable use of fuel.

Added to this, there was concern over the usage of council vehicles and the need to know where and how council property was being used. With a highly recognisable fully branded fleet, West Dunbartonshire are aware that they are continuously visible and that tax payers note any inappropriate use. Coupled with this comes the incidence of public challenges and spurious insurance claims against the council.

 

Tracking of the vehicles was becoming necessary to cut rising costs, raise efficiency and save time on administration.

The Solution:

In March 2010 the council installed TomTom LINK 300 GPS tracking boxes into 260 of their fleet of vehicles. This was a significant investment for the council, particularly at a time when budgets were being trimmed in every area. Nevertheless the Fleet and Waste Services Division led by Rodney Thornton, was confident that its introduction would reduce fuel costs.

Following research and a competitive tendering exercise, the council selected TomTom Business Solutions to provide the solution.

Driving more economically, efficiently, and safely, will reduce the council’s carbon footprint and longer term costs for the council. It was clear that many drivers, however unwittingly, were wasting valuable resources because of the way they drive.

Reducing average speed and instances of harsh braking and cornering delivers direct, measurable reductions in fuel consumption, servicing and maintenance costs and is proven to reduce accidents.

As a result of improved control of the vehicle fleet, the council is projecting that fuel usage will be down by around 70,000 litres in the period April 2010 – March 2011 when compared to the previous year.

 

Ultimately, the council has not only saved huge costs, they have succeeded in reducing their annual climate impact.

“Improvements to the way council vehicle operators carry out their duties has reduced our annual fuel costs by over £100,000 per annum, reduced servicing and maintenance costs in the longer term, will extend the working life of a number of vehicles and decrease the production of CO2,” said Rodney Thornton.

West Dunbartonshire council are so impressed with the results of the TomTom solution, they are incorporating the TomTom ecoPLUS into a selection of the vehicles across the fleet.

The ecoPLUS provides businesses with live data such as fuel consumption and live carbon footprint so vehicles can be accurately benchmarked and best practice developed to help achieve wider objectives such as fuel saving and carbon footprint reduction. TomTom ecoPLUS will enable the council to further reduce fuel consumption, by gaining a real time view of the fuel efficiency of each vehicle, showing when and where fuel is wasted.

Idling time in particular has been highlighted as a major contributor to fuel wastage in this sector.

 

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