Since attending the Adapt CIO Edge event back in Feb, the team have been discussing the immense change we're all collectively grappling with, be it technology skills in market, strategy and governance of AI technologies such as ChatGPT or just on how to do 'more with less' when it comes to cloud and associated technology investments as the cost of living challenges in Australia hit BJSS' key industries including Retail, Health, Utilities and Consumer Markets and Public Sector.

So what did we hear at Adapt and how are we placed in Australia to meet the challenge?  

Digital, Are We Sick Of It Yet?

Digital transformation has been a buzzword for several years now, and with the rapid advancements in technology, it has become a crucial factor for businesses to stay competitive in the market. Businesses are using cloud technology, data technology, and software to help them transform their business processes and customer experience. However, what do customers think about digital transformation using these technologies? At Adapt we found that CIOs, Heads of Technology and General Managers of Digital are all still keenly focused on making the most of digital investments, however the desire to work with partners like BJSS that are 'full stack' aligned, allows them to do 'more with less' when it comes to software engineering expertise, and avoid building siloed, single-task aligned teams which duplicate effort and cost. 

Improved Customer Experience - More Important Than Ever

We heard at Adapt that improved CX is still very high on the transformation agenda, especially now that competition tightens and share of wallet especially in Retail, Insurance and Utilities heats up. One GM of Technology we spoke to re-iterated that their growth through acquisition now needs to come together under 'one brand', reducing customer engagement silos, driving CX investments in cloud, data and digital services, and continue to drive towards their vision of a ‘single customer view’. 

Increased Trust And Transparency

The range of customers we spoke with made it very plain that trust, transparency and ultimately strong outcome delivery was their desire when partnering into the future. Our discussion with the CIO of a major health insurer explained that with an easing labour market, purely augmenting engineering capability was still common, however working with partners that were willing to back themselves for an outcome and would heavily invest in developing requirements and problem statements would stand out as their technology transformation partners of choice. BJSS 'Enterprise in Agile' playbook was of particular interest to new clients we met (https://www.bjss.com/ea-delivery-patterns), as they seek to tighten up the value they obtain from their approved budgets, meaning traceability of outcomes and their own ability to deliver on time and on budget becomes a stronger focus. 

Diversity Of Technology Experience

Multi-cloud, poly-cloud, polynimbus cloud, regardless of what the market refers to it as today or tomorrow, is here to stay. At BJSS our Enterprise Cloud offering, which spans Microsoft, Google and Amazon means that we are cross-skilling our people whilst building IP of great value to our customers as they continue to take a 'right workload for the right cloud' approach. What this meant for customers at Adapt, was that they are seeking consulting and engineering depth, as well as breadth which is one of BJSS' great advantages. As a 30-year veteran of the global digital transformation consulting and engineering landscape, but 2 years-young in Australia, the interest in BJSS' insights in application transformation and cloud adoption was insatiable.  

Conclusion

Adapt CIO Edge this year was fascinating. We were fortunate to engage with construction, health, public sector and utilities clients who all reiterated the same thing, 2023 will be a tougher year when it comes to technology investments. However, if they can do 'more with less' (for example, work with consultants and/or engineers with a greater depth of industry and technology experience) to optimise their partner relationships, then they would do that. BJSS is setup well for this shift and build on our immense success in getting setup in Australia in the last 18 months. Onwards and upwards for future Adapt events.