RECOGNITION FOR TOP SOUTHERN TECH 100


TM


Entrepreneurs and businesses from the technology world gathered together at Oakley Hall, Basingstoke, for the annual Southern Tech 100 Awards


During the three-course dinner, two eminent speakers presented their views on the future of technology. Claire Vyvyan, senior vice president, Dell EMC UK & Ireland, described how Dell was now much more than just a PC manufacturer, having transformed into an all-round software and solutions provider.


Scott Dodds, CEO, Ultima Business Solutions, outlined his company’s focus upon IT-managed services, and in particular, the advent of RPA ‘Cloud-based Robotic Process Automation’, which has the potential to fundamentally transform the way in which business works.


Claire Vyvyan, senior vice president, Dell EMC UK & Ireland


Back in September 2016, Dell completed the largest merger in technology history to acquire EMC Corp. The $60 billion deal repositioned Dell Technologies (the group’s new trading name) as a one-stop shop for businesses seeking information technology solutions.


“We do still make PCs, but nowadays we do so much more than that ...”


Vyvyan, who was appointed to head up Dell EMC UK in November 2016, first outlined the new structure of Dell Technologies then shared her views on the future of technology, and finally discussed Dell’s culture, its approach to recruitment and the personal development of its employees.


“The world is about software, not infrastructure.”


Vyvyan explained that Dell now has numerous brands and products of which the public is not aware; names such as RSA, Pivotal, and VM Ware. These are software solutions which work both inside and alongside other well-known online platforms, spanning a wide range of industries, from energy, to healthcare, to automobiles.


“We are reinventing cars for a digital future”


Autonomous vehicles remain one of the biggest talking points, and Vyvyan described how Dell was turning the standard car into a rolling data centre, full of clever applications. In the (not so distant?) future, she predicted that this would be the choice for those who wanted the pure functionality of a car to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’, whilst reassuring the petrol heads in the room that there would always be room for those who preferred the more manual driving experience!


Business THE TM MAGAZINE 48 businessmag.co.uk


However, the inexorable trend remains for software to be a disruptor for traditional industries. Already, clever applications in data centres drive around 40% of global retail spend, and their presence is being felt everywhere as billions of devices become mini data centres, from the apps in devices which manage your home, through to fully-autonomous driverless cars.


As far as the personal angle is concerned,


Vyvyan explained that Dell appreciates different generations have different expectations from their employer, but all need to buy into Dell’s culture of continuous change. Dell is therefore conscious of the need for a wide mixture of personnel who will require different motivations to achieve their goals, and, for its part, will encourage diversity and reward performance.


Scott Dodds, CEO, Ultima Business Solutions


“To become the trusted long-term IT partner of UK businesses by providing robust and flexible solutions which bring real business benefit”


Ultima’s USP in IT-managed solutions is encapsulated in its mission statement, which as Dodds explained, is based around three business areas – business solutions, risk, property – and five pillars:


• Risk management – the core consultancy piece


• • • •


Strategies and planning – putting the right IT solutions alongside business strategy


Supply & Logistics – sourcing the most appropriate IT products


Implement and optimise – leverage Ultima’s IT consultants and project managers


Managed services – 24/7 support and managed services.


Within this context, Dodds went on to outline Ultima’s ‘Business Agility Concept’, defined as M3H. This represents the mathematical formula for cubic metres per second, which is how the rate of flow can be measured...or, put another way, the formula for the expression of ‘change’.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2017


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