Mature security organisations are realistic about securing in complex environments. In fact, in two years from now, many organisations believe some of their current vulnerabilities will be less of a liability. For example, 28 percent fewer respondents see networks as a significant security concern in two years as they do today.

What are the only vulnerabilities they expect to see the same or more of a challenge two years from now? Operational Technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT). Another increasingly common risk factor according to security leaders is the cyber resilience of their partner small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their ecosystem.

However, with Zero Trust principles and integrated security, organisations can help build cyber resilience and secure collaboration across their digital estate – including OT, IoT and partner access.

IT and OT

IT is the devices, networks, systems and apps that allow organisations to collaborate and work together. For example, the cloud, a computer, or server.

OT is the back end of the organisation. It’s the hardware and software that manages industrial equipment and systems. For example, industrial control systems or warehouse equipment.

As organisations connect their systems together, this can result in increased exposure to vulnerable OT systems. According to the Ponemon 2021 State of Industrial Cybersecurity, 63 percent of the respondents indicated that their organisation had at least one OT/ICS cybersecurity incident in the past two years.

At the same time, IoT resides in both IT and OT environments. With the added stress of privacy concerns and regulatory requirements, organisations need a holistic approach that unifies IT and OT security.

Multiple layers of defences such as multifactor authentication, endpoint protection, patching, monitoring, identity-based protections and network segmentation can help build resilience and secure collaboration.

Lime and minerals producer Lhoist wanted to ensure their critical OT systems were secure. With Microsoft Azure Defender for IoT, they boosted security while also helping bridge the IT/OT divide.

“We had a malware outbreak occur while we were running proofs of concept to select our OT security solution. Azure Defender for IoT performed well, immediately detecting the suspicious traffic. We were able to pull the plug on the malware before it could stop production,” says Clément Herssens, CISO.

IoT

IoT is now deeply embedding into organisations, bringing convenience and functionality. However, they’re also an entry point for cyber criminals. Our research found 20 million devices that use the default password ‘admin’ in just 45 days of signals. That’s 20 million vulnerabilities.

To ensure critical systems and infrastructure keep running, it is essential for all IoT devices designed, evaluated, and operated securely. IoT manufacturers and cybersecurity experts developed sets of best practice standards for IoT device cybersecurity, which is reflected across policy, such as the European Technology Standards Institute for consumer IoT security.

Build cyber resilience by gaining visibility into assets and risk across your IoT and OT estate. Leverage automation for continuous monitoring and threat detection. By applying Zero Trust, you’ll implement IoT projects built with secure collaboration and resilience in mind.

For Lhoist, not only are they confident in the security of their IoT and OT systems, but they find they also benefit from a wealth of data that helps them optimise and streamline performance.

Partnerships

According to (ISC)2, 64 percent of businesses claim to outsource more than a quarter of their daily business tasks to suppliers that require access to their business data.

And for security leaders, this is a concern. A World Economic Forum study found 88 percent of leaders concerned about the cyber resilience of SMEs in their ecosystems.

When working with partners, you must make sure they have well-defined security and privacy assurance requirements. At Microsoft, we use machine learning to scan active supplier contracts and ensure they meet our requirements periodically.

A Zero Trust approach helps ensure that only the right people are getting the right level of access

How to build resilience and security

To build resilience and secure collaboration in your IoT and IT/OT technology, we need to have the right approach. Build a strong foundation with Zero Trust and a comprehensive implementation of security tools that work across your entire digital environment.

Find out more

Unifying Operational Technology and IT Security

Microsoft Executive Summary Of Forrester’s The State of IoT Security, 2021 Report

Imagine security that drives innovation

The post Unify your digital environment for secure collaboration appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

Sometimes it takes a crisis to fully grasp an opportunity. Virtual wards were invented in the early 2000’s by Dr Geraint Lewis, now Director of Population Health at Microsoft. Despite that, it’s only in the last few years that they have taken the NHS by storm. Virtual wards help reduce hospital admissions, keep patients safer, and discharge them earlier in collaboration with social care where appropriate.

Watford General Hospital was an early adopter. They use remote monitoring technology to monitor patients’ symptoms and physiological parameters such as heart rate, level of oxygen saturation and temperature. Their app-based model proved overwhelmingly popular with staff and patients alike. In a survey conducted on behalf of the NHSE, 95 percent of patients found the application easy to use and 93 percent were pleased with the remote care service.

See virtual wards in action: NHSE Director of Digital Care Models Tara Donnelly shared a video showing how remote monitoring technologies supported over 78,000 people across England between November 2020 and May 2021.

Widespread remote care is closer than you think

COVID-19 may have been the catalyst, but the long-term potential of harnessing remote technology is clear. By the end of 2021, over 53 virtual wards were providing over 2,500 ‘beds’ nationwide. They support people with a range of conditions. From acute respiratory infections to urinary tract infections and chronic pulmonary disease to more complex presentations, such as people living with frailty.

The NHS is now spending up to £450 million to create at least 25,000 virtual ward beds over the next few years. They help increase capacity, efficiency and safety. Additionally, virtual wards allow health and care providers to: “Fully exploit remote monitoring technology and wider digital platforms to deliver effective and efficient care,” according to the latest operational and planning guidance from the NHS. 

At Microsoft, we’re helping health and care providers harness technology to bring the hospital ward into the home. For example, the staff at Kendal Care Home in Cumbria have been using Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Teams. This allows GPs to speak to and assess elderly residents in a COVID-safe way—something they’ve celebrated as a “game changer”.

Virtual wards: A hospital in every home?

There’s a reason why hospitals the world over are organised into wards. Now imagine making use of all the systems, staffing and daily routines of a hospital ward—developed and improved over decades—but in the patient’s home. That’s the power of a virtual ward. The point is that remote monitoring and communication technology are essential but not sufficient. To provide safe and effective care, you must apply these technologies within a robust framework. That’s why virtual wards mirror the structures and processes of their real-world counterparts, while replicating several core functions digitally.

Any virtual ward must include:

• Admission process—an easy to follow, step-by-step process to onboard new patients remotely.
• “Call bell” system—patients can call for help via a video conferencing and messaging app. There’s also failsafe backup arrangements in place.
• Regular observations—remote monitoring allows clinicians to keep an eye on each patient’s vital stats. Differing from patient to patient, these may include blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate etc.
• Tests—patients can conduct blood, urine and other routine tests. These can be uploaded remotely under guidance from clinicians where required.
• Medicines—patients should receive instructions and prompts about which medicines to take, at what time, and can confirm what they’ve taken.
• Ward rounds—video conferencing enables a virtual ward team to review patients face-to-face
• Board rounds—remote whiteboard and productivity tools enable a virtual ward team to quickly review all the patients under their care
• Escalation—a streamlined process moves patients to a real hospital if their condition deteriorates.
• Engaging the support network—extend communication channels to friends and family and formal carers.
• Discharge process—a system for patients to leave their virtual ward and return to the care of their GPs.

Aside from the high level of care coordination, one of the main reasons why virtual wards are so popular with patients is all the above can be done while they sleep in their own beds—and enjoy their own food!

The potential of virtual wards is clear for all to see. At Microsoft, we’re excited to see how remote care evolves. Also, we’re proud to play a key role in supporting the nationwide roll out.

Find out more

Find out more about Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare

About the author

Umang is a Chief Clinical Information Officer at Microsoft with a passion for ensuring that technology delivers its full potential and value in healthcare. He is also a practising NHS paediatrician and has a background working across multiple sectors covering both payors and providers. Umang was a foundational member of start-up Babylon Health which had a successful IPO in 2021 on the New York Stock Exchange. With Microsoft, Umang is helping shape the digital transformation in health across the UK which is aiming for better outcomes through seamless integration and innovation. 

The post Virtual wards, real world benefits appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

Azure IoT enables you to develop with choice. With Azure, you can implement edge to cloud IoT solutions using the languages and OS you are familiar with. Whether you want to leverage a managed service with pre-built solution templates, build custom fine-tuned solutions with platform services, or build advanced workloads that can be run on edge devices in on-premises environments, Azure is a great place to get started with IoT.

Azure IoT technologies and services provide you with options to create a wide variety of IoT solutions that enable digital transformation for your organization. For example, you can:

• Use Azure IoT Central, a managed IoT application platform, to build and deploy a secure, enterprise-grade IoT solution. IoT Central features a collection of industry-specific application templates, such as retail and healthcare, to accelerate your solution development process.
• Use Azure IoT platform services such as Azure IoT Hub and the Azure IoT device SDKs to build a custom IoT solution from scratch.

Resources

• What is Azure Internet of Things (IoT)?
• Azure IoT Learning Journey
• Azure IoT on Microsoft Docs

Get started with Azure IoT

With Microsoft Learn, you can kick off your journey into Microsoft IoT with easy to understand training – and best of all, it’s free! This is the perfect way to work through new software.

• Introduction to Azure IoT
• Microsoft Azure IoT strategy and solutions
• Develop IoT solutions with Azure IoT Central
• Create your first Azure IoT Central app

Learn more about Azure IoT

Already using Azure IoT and want to go further? Whether it’s learning something new within Azure IoT or becoming certified, there’s plenty more to explore and discover.

• Set up an IoT Edge Gateway
• Develop with Azure Digital Twins
• Explore and analyse time-stamped data with Time Series Insights
• Automate IoT devices management with Azure IoT Hub
• Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty
• Exam AZ-220: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer

Further resources

• New Azure features and functionality for July​ 2021
• Creating a bionic arm with open source software
• Improving the lives of children through games
• Sign up for the Monthly TechNet UK IT Pro Newsletter for more!

The post Getting started with Azure IoT appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

Firstly, it will have an impact on how an organisation is able to operate and respond throughout this period. Safety, physical distancing, moving to remote working where possible, and potential staff shortages will all affect an organisation. Secondly, it will likely change how utilities look to operate in the future.

The future of utilities: driving digital

For some of our customers, we’ve found the focus for them has purely been supporting core business activities and keeping the grid reliable. However, for others it has presented an opportunity to accelerate their digital optimisation and transformation strategy.

The industry is already transforming. To succeed in the future of the utilities industry, the right balance between reinventing, growing its core business, and expanding into new business models and revenue streams must be maintained. The IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Utilities 2020 Predictions Report highlights a few statistics:

The journey to an agile organisation

Digital technology is clearly not new for utilities, but for many, COVID-19 has rapidly accelerated adoption. Utility organisations have reacted quickly and in some cases, have started to actively explore how their business will operate in the future. The future of the utilities industry will focus on digital dexterity. We’re already seeing a less technology risk-averse customer appear.

To help with this process we are supporting in three key ways:

1. Navigate the now: Supporting our customers’ most pressing needs to maintain business continuity despite the disruptions and restrictions of the moment.
2. Plan the comeback: Helping our customers prepare to rebound their business as restrictions ease in a time of continued uncertainty and upheaval.
3. Shape the new normal: Helping to reimagine our customers’ business models to leverage insights, streamline operations, and realise business efficiencies to succeed in an environment that will likely be permanently altered from pre-pandemic times.

Many are still very much focussed on the first two phases. This includes; employee safety, business continuity, expanding remote operations, and finding new ways to engage with customers.

There is also a desire to accelerate back to a ‘new normal’, or at least a new way of operating. Utility businesses are well prepared. However, there are a number of ways to enhance the response to potential issues that arise in the short-term. This can even be done while allowing new ways of working in the future.

We’ll take a look at how the utilities sector can leverage technology to gain these capabilities in order to operate as effectively as possible.

Impact on industry and rising trends

The delivery of power services will continue as normal as utilities focus on core operational business activities. However, construction, renewables, and new business projects are likely to be impacted due to logistical and supply chain issues.

We’ve seen shifting consumption patterns and drop in demand as well as customer churn and bill revenue losses. This will make the future more difficult to forecast. UK energy companies will find themselves re-prioritising IT tasks and managing customer expectations differently.

However, the International Renewable Energy Agency doesn’t believe COVID-19 will impact the transition to net-zero C02 emissions. Now is a great opportunity to assess and address sustainability opportunities ready for a ‘greener’ new normal.

How digital technology opens key opportunities for utilities

Businesses are responding and planning their comeback. We’re focussing on working closely with utility businesses to maximise the impact of their digital technology investment.

Our customers are exploring opportunities to work differently, and this will have the maximum business impact. This includes increasing remote monitoring and automation to reduce onsite presence and streamline operations.

By increasing digital engagement, utilities will leverage new channels and technologies to deliver more personalised customer experiences. The use of analytics to drive personalised customer experiences, including proactively contacting at-risk customers, is a new area to adopt.

Most utility organisations had to implement various forms of social distancing, including quickly enabling a remote workforce. Moving to remote collaboration tools and cloud-based platforms not only empowers a remote workforce, but keeps firstline workers onsite connected.

Use forward-looking strategies for agility now and tomorrow

The utilities sector must ensure that it has forward-looking strategies in place to address various scenarios that may arise during the three phases. Business continuity will remain of paramount importance. This is to ensure the grid stays reliable and workers and customers stay safe and healthy.

There is a real opportunity to consider future investments in a greener and sustainable power system. The UK government is formulating policies to stimulate the economy. Energy infrastructure that will help meet future carbon reduction targets is a strong area for investment. Utilities have an opportunity to increase their investment and focus on efficient and carbon-reducing energy infrastructure that is sustainable, technologically advanced, and future-focussed.

To be successful in the future of the utilities industry, organisations must continue a journey of digital agility. Look at technology and processes aligned to optimisation and innovation. You must also learn to follow a ‘business innovation sprint’ mindset: think big, scale fast, and fail fast.

Roberta Bigliani, Vice President of IDC Energy Insights sums this up well:

“It is not easy, but utilities must maintain the right balance between reinventing and growing their core business while expanding into new business models to get new revenue streams. This requires top management to balance investments accordingly, to have the courage to challenge the status quo, and to disrupt the old ways of working — opening companies to the ecosystem to ignite innovation and recruit scarce talent. It also requires a new company culture — less bureaucratic and more agile — with the goal of making companies relevant, resilient, and more flexible toward risk”

In the next blog in this series we will dive deeper into the customer experience and asset optimisation areas, with new insights from our partner SparkBeyond.

Find out more

Learn how to support resilient operations

About the author

Rik is responsible for establishing and driving Microsoft’s strategy and position in energy and resources in the UK.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Rik worked at Cisco for 13 years, with global roles in digital transformation, IoT/IIoT, and security in energy and process industries, specialising in new and emerging technology adoption. He created a number of global solutions, validated designs, training and collateral for industrial environments, with a focus on the OT/operational domain.

Rik has worked in various standards bodies/consortia including Open Process Automation, IEC61850, IEC62351, and been UK Cigre SCD2 Lead.

He has written for industry publications and journals, authored multiple technical and business white papers, and is a published author with a book on advanced security for IoT/IIoT.

Rik holds a Bachelor’s Degree, and an MBA focused on international leadership.

The post Digital agility: the future of the utilities industry appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

There’s also the challenge of staying resilient and adapting to the changing needs of your business. In our whitepaper Reconciling the Irreconcilable, we look at the challenges faced by infrastructure projects and how interoperable solutions can help. By using a digital building lifecycle, the industry also has a key opportunity to boost sustainable industry growth, fix the supply chain, improve site safety and productivity, and drive innovation.

[msce_cta layout=”image_center” align=”center” linktype=”blue” imageurl=”http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/industry/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/06/whitepaper800x.jpg” linkurl=”https://info.microsoft.com/UK-DIGTRNS-CNTNT-FY20-06Jun-22-MSConstructionWhitePaper-AID-3013731-SRGCM3575_01Registration-ForminBody.html” linkscreenreadertext=”Download the whitepaper: Reconciling the Irreconcilable” linktext=”Download the whitepaper: Reconciling the Irreconcilable” imageid=”36465″ ][/msce_cta]

See how implementing smarter lifecycle management, flexible workplaces, or using technology to help your employees can address your needs and support your resilient operations.

1.      Workforce safety and protection

Employee safety and protection will always be a top priority for organisations. We also expect new processes and procedures to be implemented as the industry returns to site.

AI-infused IoT wearables and sensors in the field can also monitor and report to ensure health and safety best practices are being followed, or alert when there’s potential issues, like spills or leaks.

Microsoft HoloLens 2 infused with AI will allow employees to survey sites and create innovative, highly precise, sustainable solutions, delivered in an agile, flexible off-premises environment. It can also be used by on-site employees to access instructions hands-free while on the job.

2.      Connected Workers

Help employees stay engaged through Microsoft Teams and virtual desktop environments. Teams lets employees securely chat, meet, share and collaborate on files together no matter where they’re located. Virtual desktops enable employees to access the apps and information they need securely, from anywhere.

Additionally, use tools such as the HoloLens 2 and Dynamics Remote Assist will enable on-site employees to collaborate with experts in different locations. These tools also help upskilling employees with new processes.

3.      Smart lifecycle management

As the sector looks to control cash flow and make cost savings, whilst also planning ahead for economic recovery, it will be essential to optimise supply chains. Through better use of data across the supply chain, organisations can adapt to complex scenarios in real time.

Reduce physical onsite presence, and streamline operations with IoT technologies for remote monitoring, remote control, and automation of simple tasks.

You can then take advantage of the data collected to create processes and quickly adapt to changing working patterns. Deliver an intelligent, connected field service by moving from a costly break–fix model to proactive, predictive maintenance.

4.      Stay secure

As organisations move to more digital processes, it is critical organisations have security infrastructure in place to detect, respond, and protect against threats.

Microsoft builds its products with security-by-design, making it easy for your IT team to keep control of the whole digital estate. Think about implementing multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and creating strong security policies. Keep employee education up-to-date.

Help build a stronger future

We strongly believe there is a huge opportunity for technology to help transform the Built Environment Sector, whilst also supporting resilient operations.

By creating smart, interconnected sites, data, and people, we can bring together the skills and information today needed for tomorrow’s innovative projects. Which is a really exciting opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.

Find out more

Learn more about our vision for the Built Environment

4 ways the construction industry can use technology to fix the supply chain and empower employees

Learn how we’re supporting resilient operations

About the author

Adam has worked at Microsoft for over 13 years and is energised by the culture, direction, and strategy as an organisation. He is passionate about the amazing opportunity this provides to empower customers to achieve their goals.

Adam currently leads the Built Environment Team at Microsoft in the UK, where they enable the business outcomes of organisations in the Design, Engineering, Construction, and Facilities Management Industries through digital technology. The Built Environment sector is particularly interesting area to focus as there is a huge opportunity for the industry to transform and it has an impact on all of us in our daily lives.

The post How to support resilient operations in the Built Environment Industry appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

Within the manufacturing industry, in particular, this challenging period has revealed some uplifting stories of collaboration. Many businesses are working hard to help the wider community, sometimes in partnership with their day-to-day competitors.

For example, Ford, GE, and 3M pledged to pool their resources and expertise to help make ventilators, respirators, and other medical equipment. Toyota did the same, while supporting patient transportation and even drug development and infection-control research.

Microsoft has also played its part, working with a consortium of major industrial, technology, and engineering companies to help produce medical ventilators for the NHS, as part of the VentilatorChallengeUK.

[msce_cta layout=”image_center” align=”center” linktype=”blue” imageurl=”http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/industry/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/06/STI-employees-with-assembled-ventilators.jpg” linkurl=”http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-gb/about/ventilator-challenge/” linkscreenreadertext=”Find out more about the Ventilator Challenge” linktext=”Find out more about the Ventilator Challenge” imageid=”37458″ ][/msce_cta]

Return to work

Reflecting on recent events and the prospect ahead, whilst appreciating that this is not an easy time for many, we can also see exciting new opportunities for the manufacturing industry. With a change of perspective and smart decision-making, manufacturers can potentially recover faster, build resilience, and drive future innovation. 

In a spirit of partnership, we feel that an approach to recovery could be broken into three chronological phases:

Traditionally, the manufacturing sector has not been an early or keen tech adopter. But if we can learn anything from the current situation, it’s that digital transformation is now an imperative, not an option. To ensure a safe and secure return to work, each of these phases should be seen as a core part of your wider digital transformation journey.

But what does each phase really mean for you and your workforce in the post-lockdown period?

‘Navigate the now’ means what it says – business continuity is your number one objective. You can help enable this by freeing your employees to easily work, collaborate and service customers remotely.

‘Plan the comeback’ involves creating safe working environments and agile factories, with more resilient, responsive, and transparent supply chains.

The third phase, ‘Shape the new normal’, looks ahead. It includes using cloud technologies like Azure and powerful new apps to gain a competitive edge by freeing up creativity and delivering new services.

Learning from the challenge

The VentilatorChallengeUK required consortium partners to work together rapidly to create and ship life-saving medical products. They needed to coordinate supply chains, set up new processes, make components, share new training content, and deliver the products at scale.

Setting aside the unique circumstances, this experience showed how, when needed, we can come together with the help of digital technology to support operations while controlling business costs.

For example, Microsoft HoloLens headsets enabled consortium employees to be trained rapidly, while keeping at a safe distance from each other. Operatives could rapidly get more help from off-site experts using hands-free video-calling through Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist.

The coordination of multiple suppliers was handled by Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, which helped identify over 800 constituent parts.

This pragmatic approach can help businesses cut time and expense while accelerating output beyond customer expectations. In this case, the consortium was able to ship 1,500 ventilators in three weeks.

Building for success: Five pillars

While Microsoft is often initially thought of as a software developer, we’re also a major product manufacturer. In fact, we ship 42,000 SKUs from 33 facilities to over 100 global subsidiaries and retail locations.

It’s therefore appropriate that the consortium’s success – along with lessons learnt from our own experience as a manufacturer – have helped us see new ways forward. I share these ideas with you here in the belief that they may help you drive greater resilience, stronger operations and ultimately more orders.

1. Transforming the workforce

 When lockdown began, we made Microsoft Teams widely available, including to the NHS. While enabling business continuity, Teams also empowers employees to work at their very best wherever they might be located. One customer saw Teams usage rise from zero to 35,000 users in a week, then up to 80,000 in three weeks. 

2. Engage customers in new ways

Cloud-based cognitive services, such as Microsoft’s Healthcare Bot, have helped healthcare institutions to significantly reduce their workloads. It can cut call volumes by up to 50 percent. This has freed caregivers to focus on treating patients rather than fielding incoming requests.

3. Create more resilient supply chains

The ventilator consortium also brought together Microsoft partners to quickly build and oversee their supply chain within a few weeks. Using Dynamics 365 and PowerApps, our Supply Chain Control Towers and dashboards quickly provided cross-consortium supply chain visibility. This powerful technology can cut inventory investment by 10 percent and boost planning efficiency by up to 60 percent.

4. Build more agile factories

Making processes more agile is a big opportunity. This explains why IDCs 2020 manufacturing trends report says, 60 percent of manufacturers plan to shift their focus from technology to process change management by 2022. For example, you could automate tasks with Dynamics 365. You could also create a ‘digital twin’ of your site to easily monitor and optimise resources, processes, and data.

5. Unlock innovation and deliver new services

All businesses are becoming digital businesses: According to IDC, 70 percent of manufacturers will create 50 percent of new products and services using cloud-based innovation platforms. This would come as no surprise to our consortium partners. They worked seamlessly across three clouds, with data enabling smarter decisions at every step. In fact, the VentilatorChallengeUK itself stands as an exciting case study of what the cloud can help manufacturers achieve.

Despite the turbulence of our times, we remain focused on helping you stay productive, successful, and inspired to achieve more as you return to work. That’s why we’ll be extending this blog into a mini-series. Each one will look at how digital transformation is helping businesses like yours go from strength to strength.

Please check in next week for our next instalment.

Find out more

Join the Microsoft Manufacturing Summit and see how to build a resilient and sustainable future

Learn how to support resilient operations

About the author

Richard is responsible for leading Microsoft’s approach into the UK Manufacturing industry. 

Richard joined Microsoft 14 years ago, where he has held various leadership roles across the business, the most recent of which is to establish and drive Microsoft’s strategy into the UK Industrial sector. He works closely with businesses and partners across automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing focussing on how digital transformation can enable them to achieve more. 

He also works closely with associated industry bodies and consortia, supporting industry collaboration, growth and skills development. 

Richard holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting. 

The post A roadmap for recovery: How manufacturers can return to work safely appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

To succeed in my role to empower M&S and their colleagues to achieve more, it’s really important to ‘walk in their shoes’ to truly understand about their business and their challenges from a day-to-day perspective. For that reason, myself and three Microsoft teammates spent the day in M&S Kingston store food hall on the crazy run up to Christmas.

On arrival, we split ourselves up, joining the M&S store colleagues in four busy areas: sandwiches, cakes, vegan/gluten-free/celeriac etc, and meat. I spent my time in the hectic aisles of meat with turkey, stuffing, gravy, and pigs in blankets. As you can imagine, these were flying off the shelves as people stocked up for their Christmas celebrations.

We took on standard tasks like initial checks for past use and sell by dates. Damaged items were removed and we pulled forward items to fill shelves. We also replenished empty shelves with new stock arrivals. There is a great customer first mentality at M&S, so helping customers is prioritised over these tasks and a positive part of our day.

The day was a great experience and you felt part of the team. We even felt almost proficient helping customers find Christmas specials like ‘pigs in blankets’, stollen cake, and snow globe gin!

Our experience brought a further respect for how a retail store has to operate to meet their customers’ expectations. Especially at such a busy time. It also gave us some great live examples of where technology could transform a store operation. It can help by streamlining tasks and increase customer focus time.

How to improve customer experiences

We saw how M&S achieved great customer experiences using technology in a few areas.

M&S are deploying Microsoft Teams to all stores in the first half of 2020. Colleagues access this via Honeywell Android handsets and managers use Surface Go devices.

This allows staff to easily communicate and collaborate together. It doesn’t matter where they are in the store or if they are at head office, or in another location. Staff know that in Teams they have everything they need and can easily reach someone if they need more information.

M&S is embracing digital automation by replacing manual and paper-based tasks.

Building intelligent store operations

Microsoft and M&S have partnered up on Dynamics 365 Connected Store to capture key information with Azure Computer Vision and IoT to gain actionable insight to drive efficient store operations.

Dynamics 365 Connected Store empowers staff to improve in-store performance using real-time observational data. Everything from customer movement to the status of products and devices is tracked to help M&S optimise store operations, protect inventory, and increase profitability.

Improving employee and customer experience

These add up to a proactive intelligent operation that increases the balance of time store colleagues have with customers versus store tasks.

Spending time in our customer’s shoes at M&S Kingston was a great fun experience. It provided a hands on view to a retail store operation, which helped us understand how we can provide the right technological solutions to M&S to increase customer experience and help employees be more collaborative, communicative, and productive.

It is clear that transformation with technology can improve the core focus to a customer first retail operation.

Find out more

Creating the future of retail: 3 ways to transform your customer experience

Watch the session from Future Decoded: Delivering a connected commerce experience

Insights for the savvy retail leader

Set your teams up for success: The Art of Teamwork guide

About the author

David is the CTO for Commercial Enterprises at Microsoft UK, which includes leading a community of Technology Strategist working with the UK’s largest commercial businesses. Additionally, he is aligned with Marks & Spencer.  In this role,  David partners with M&S Tech leadership to deliver positive business outcomes through their digital transformation program – as a trusted advisor – helping to inform their plans and decisions by orchestrating the right Microsoft information/resource/investment at this right time.

Previously David studied Chemistry at University, then worked for Shell for 10 years. He joined Microsoft nearly 15 years ago. He worked in strategy and marketing roles before focusing on technology and transformation in last four years.

The post Helping deliver positive business outcomes: Walking in your customer’s shoes appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.