Cloud platforms have evolved from being technical novelties into mainstream services that are transforming day-to-day operations within increasing numbers of Australian businesses.
These were the views shared by Oracle’s customers, David Watkins, General Manager – Finance at APN Outdoor, Jana Kotatko, General Manager, Marketing at NRMA and Bruce Nolte, Chief Information Officer, Hungry Jack’s Pty Ltd, at a media roundtable hosted in Sydney today by Oracle.
The forum was moderated by Doug Hughes, Vice President, Cloud Applications Development at Oracle Japan and Asia Pacific and it looked at the customer perspective on the impact of cloud computing in underpinning rapid innovation and how it delivers significant benefits within their businesses. From marketing and sales activities to financial and back-office functions, cloud platforms are reshaping workflows and improving agility.
Hughes said, “Cloud is changing the heart of business. Marketing can optimise their campaigns on the fly. Finance can get figures in hours when it used to take days or even weeks. Cloud is a strategic enabler, and it is only going to become more so. Success breeds success, so as one part of the business dips their toe in the water and gains the benefit, so the roll out moves on to other areas. Cloud is keeping companies agile, with its constant updates and improvements. The next generation of C-suite executives are really getting involved and understand how it impacts the whole organisation, not just their department.”
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Streamlining processes
David Watkins, General Manager - Finance at APN Outdoor, said the adoption of a cloud-based platform has allowed his company to radically streamline its financial systems. "We were growing quickly and required systems with sufficient flexibility to meet our future needs," he said. "Most importantly, we needed to reduce the time required for month-end processing and find ways to gain more timely access to business information."
Watkins said APN Outdoor also needed a standardised and scalable platform that could support its growth strategy. "We were coming from an environment that was very customised, and so, as we grew, the changing requirements of the business were challenging to accommodate," he said. "By moving to the Oracle cloud, we have been able to transform our workflows and ensure we are ready for new opportunities.
"A big benefit of using the cloud is that you don't need to have a conversation every couple of years about making a significant capital spend to bring underlying systems up to date. Instead, they can be extended gradually as our requirements change."
Transforming marketing
Jana Kotatko, General Manager, Marketing at NRMA, said adoption of a cloud-based marketing platform has radically changed the approach her organisation is taking when it comes to targeted marketing campaigns.
"For us, it is less about being focused on the underlying technology and more about being able to create campaigns that resonate with our various target segments," she said. "The cloud allows us to achieve this in ways that previously were not possible."
Kotatko said NRMA was now able to launch a new campaign, monitor response, and then quickly adjust components as required. "Being able to do this in such an agile way means we can gain optimal results regarding ROI on our marketing spend."
Business focus
The panel agreed one of the key benefits of cloud adoption is the opportunity it gives for a business to focus on strategy and growth rather than on technology.
Hughes claimed that the next decade will be all about constant evolution and innovation. “We need to think about technology in a different way. It's not just something that supports business processes and activity, but a platform on which we can build new and exciting things. Those organisations that harness this powerful approach will be best placed to succeed and create the Australia of the future,” said Hughes.
Kotako added, "I find trying to stay up-to-date with all the latest advances in technology is impossible. There is simply no way I can hope to read enough or talk to sufficient people to be sure I am keeping up with the rate of change and innovation."
She said a much more effective approach is to choose a technology partner who can manage the underlying technology for you, freeing up time and resources that can be focused on business growth.
Flexible foundation
Panellists confirmed one of the most significant benefits of cloud adoption was the flexible foundation it provides business. Rather than needing to invest in and manage complex internal systems, capacity and capabilities could be acquired as business needs dictated.
Bruce Nolte, Chief Information Officer, Hungry Jack’s Pty Ltd, talked about the significant business transformation his company is undertaking and how the cloud is playing an integral part.
“We are in a fast-moving market. Our Marketing team needs to have the systems in place to compete in the digital and social worlds and the flexibility to react to changing market needs. We need to be able to launch products quickly and bring new technologies into our restaurants, as well as have far better capabilities to capture and analyse data so that we can better control the business and enable strategic decision making.
“Our ‘cloud first’ strategy helps provide that important foundation, giving us a platform from which we can grow the business and innovate.
“We are not in the IT business; we are in the burger business. I don’t want a large, internal team supporting old-school, on-premise systems with tightly coupled integration. We want off-the-shelf capabilities that we can just switch on, that give us the flexibility and scalability to respond to changing business needs, and that incorporate industry best practice processes, so that we can catapult our business forward some years.”
Nolte said it was clear that, if you work with the right IT partner, you can be confident they will take care of all the underlying technology and allow you to focus attention on growing your business.
The panel concluded by emphasising that there has never been a better time to discuss innovation. In every industry sector, companies are being disrupted by changes in technology, competition and customer demands. It's only by embracing innovation through using the cloud as an enabler that will allow them to succeed in the future.