APAC COLUMN
Digital Transformation
Matt Gutierrez
November 11, 2020 | 10 min read
In life, change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.
- Warren G. Bennis
The last month has been an exciting new dawn for our company as we rebranded to Lumen to reflect the changing nature of our business, our service offerings, and deeper focus on building and increasing capabilities to meet diverse customer needs.
Of course, with any major business transformation such as ours, it is important for our employees, partners and wider ecosystem to understand that Lumen is not just a name change. It has been a thoughtful and strategic evolution to get to this point as we respond to dramatic changes to the business landscape and what our customers demand from us.
We are in the middle of the 4th Industrial Revolution (also referred to as 4IR or Industry 4.0) – described by the World Economic Forum as an opportunity for decision-makers and policy-makers to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centered future1. Industry 4.0 has several considerations for businesses which include:
- Changing customer expectations. Armed with access to data at their fingertips, today’s customers are more informed and are empowered with more choice. Customer experience (CX) is rapidly becoming the heart of a business.
- The notable shift towards cloud-first strategies to yield a competitive edge, move applications out of data centers, and develop more secure and agile ways of working.
- Workplaces are becoming smarter and more efficient by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and automation. From repetitive business processes to operations and IT strategy, workplace automation is now essential to digital transformation.
- A company’s ability to act on data will drive amazing application experiences across industries. Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, efficient and consistent edge computing has become more of a necessity, as teams are further from their data centers than they’ve ever been.
- The current pandemic situation has also been an accelerator for organizational transformation and has moved the workforce online. In fact, customers have become more committed to digital transformation and increasing capabilities.
The 4th Industrial Revolution will have a substantial impact on both society and the future of business.
These were some of the strongest driving forces behind the change. The services and solutions we deliver to our customers have also transformed dramatically. Research has underpinned the Lumen mission; the majority of global IT decision makers in a June 2020 Quadrant Strategies survey2 say the 4th Industrial Revolution will have a substantial impact on both society and the future of business, and 91% believe that a business’ ability to quickly acquire, analyze, and act on data will be a key factor in determining if they will be a technology leader in the future.
Find out how IT leaders are shaping their businesses for the 4th Industrial Revolution
At Lumen, we have realized that to deliver on what our customers need we have to build and invest in capabilities to effectively acquire data, understand what it means, and quickly deliver actions to be competitive. We are now moving forward on a single platform for creating exceptional customer experience for the solutions that are critical to help businesses harness the power of Industry 4.0: networking, cloud, security, and communication and collaboration. The Lumen platform helps customers deliver smart cities, retail and industrial robotics, real-time virtual collaboration, and automated factories. It also powers business applications that require high-performance networking and security.
How will our customers in Asia Pacific benefit from these changes?
A new survey by Ernst & Young3 finds that whilst the Asia Pacific region may be lagging in the digital transformation race at the moment, it is set to hit the front within two years, driven by a strong and growing customer focus. ‘Meeting changing customer demands’ was the most popular answer when respondents were asked about the drivers for change. As a result, in two years’ time, 87% of Asia Pacific companies will be well advanced on the digital transformation journeys, ahead of their counterparts in Europe and the Americas.
87% of Asia Pacific companies will be well advanced on the digital transformation journeys.
Industry 4.0 is bringing about rapid changes in technology, with business leaders in APAC significantly concerned about keeping pace with advances in technology. Conversations are becoming increasingly geared towards AI, 5G and edge computing and what drives digital transformations. However, as these technologies generate more and more data, businesses need a robust, secure, and agile network to stay ahead of this surge. Fiber technology offers enhanced security and advanced connectivity for data and applications and can play a crucial role in powering innovations in the 4IR such as smart home devices, smart cities, and more.
The volume of available data across Asia Pacific has also grown exponentially in recent years. This is fueled by new consumption demands and patterns, new data tools and the growth of digital native businesses. For instance, let’s take a look at internet usage and consumption habits:
- Australia – Internet users spend an average of 5.5 hours per day using internet services, including approximately 3 hours viewing streaming services and internet broadcasts – 45 minutes streaming music and 1.5 hours using social media4.
- Japan – There were 116.5 million internet users in Japan in January 2020, a decrease of 2.1 million (-1.8%) from the year before. However, social media users increased by 3 million (+3.8%) to 82 million from April 2019, and mobile connections increased by 6.1 million (+3.3%) from January 20195.
- Singapore – As of mid-2020, Singapore had the second highest rate of internet penetration within the Southeast Asian region6, with 88.4%. Out of the total population of people in Singapore approximately 4.8 million were internet users. Singaporean children get their first internet-connected device at the age of eight, below the global average of 10, making them among the youngest in the world to go online. As such, gaming sites, online shopping, content sharing and social media platforms profit significantly from the digital native market7.
WATCH: Find out how the Lumen platform powers your business for the 4th Industrial Revolution
The foundation of Lumen’s new platform is supported by four key solution pillars. Each of these are designed as complementary components that organizations of every industry can benefit from as they work to adopt the next-generation technologies.
- Adaptive Networking – Unparalleled Connectivity: scalable, high bandwidth that intelligently adjusts to real-time data and application needs.
- Edge Cloud – Superior Performance: high-performing, low-latency platform for delivering the best application experience.
- Collaboration – Enhanced Productivity: simple solutions designed to boost interactivity and engagement via applications.
- Connected Security – Uncompromising Protection: intelligent and proactive protection built-in to your data and applications platform.
The fundamental value of our platform is that we can simplify the delivery of our customers’ applications on a high-performance, secure, worldwide solution that places the right application at the right place using digital-first methods.
Helping to create unique business value
The Lumen platform combines our network assets, cloud and edge connectivity, security and collaboration solutions to deliver the fastest, most secure platform for next-generation applications and data for businesses of the future.
Written by
Matt Gutierrez
Matt Gutierrez is the Senior Managing Director, and the business leader overseeing Lumen in Asia Pacific with a focus on the company’s profitable revenue growth, expansion, and strategic development.
- Fourth Industrial Revolution - World Economic Forum
- 6 Keys to Success in the 4IR - Lumen
- Tech Horizon: Six Habits of Digital Transformation Leaders - EY
- ROI Growth Agency
- Digital 2020: Japan - Datareportal
- Internet penetration in Southeast Asia as of May 2020 - statista
- Internet Usage in Singapore - statista
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