O2 has integrated CloudSense's Order Management stack into O2 Business' Salesforce.com platform in a bid to increase efficiency and bolster its customer relationship capabilities.
The sales and service cloud-based platform has been deployed within O2's Joined-Up Business operations, which is a division that aims to help companies connect their IT, staff and customers through communications products.
Ricky Mortimer, e-enablement programme manager at O2 Business, spoke to Computerworld UK and explained why it decided to opt for a public cloud offering over an on-premise deployment.
"Given the business challenge we have around managing this increasing portfolio of products [through O2 Joined-Up Business], whilst trying to drive down costs, cloud allows us to implement without large up front CAPEX costs and gives us a quick time to market," said Mortimer.
O2 has integrated CloudSense's Order Management stack into its Salesforce.com platform, which includes applications such as CS ClickApprove, CS Configurator and CS Orchestrator. These enable O2 to manage its products, quote customers, carry out electronic approval for contracts and enable end-to-end fulfilment in the cloud.
"We were using Salesforce at the time for lead-to-opportunity management - so pure sales pipeline stuff. We looked at how we could take that lead-to-opportunity and extend it all the way through to lead-to-cash," said Mortimer.
"The target was to do that in a way that would leverage the Force.com environment and run everything natively inside that platform."
Mortimer said that moving from lead-to-opportunity to lead-to-cash would enable O2 to develop a fully cloud-based CRM platform.
He said: "Our strategy is to get a full CRM system in place, 100 percent in the cloud, integrated into O2's systems via our service orientated architecture."
By running applications natively inside the Force.com platform, O2 was able to use Salesforce's other cloud services, such as Chatter, mobile and native security features.
O2 selected CloudSense over one other shortlisted company, an American-based firm called ChikPea, due to its "track record and proven experience of delivery".
Prior to this deployment O2 had been using a combination of manual processes and Microsoft Office products, but over the past 12 months has managed to get 800 users on the new sales and service platform. It plans to increase this to 3,500 users over the next 18 months.
Although Mortimer couldn't provide specifics about efficiency or cost targets, he did say that O2 Business will "grow and diversify its portfolio of products without increasing its operating costs".
He also stated that although the thought of cloud made many within the business "go pale in the face", the platform is running to service levels beyond what Mortimer was able to agree with Salesforce's commercial team.
"There were a number of concerns around cloud, not just the security element. This is business-critical activity and uptime is essential - this was clearly a big leap of faith," said Mortimer.
He added: "I tried to demand high service levels from Salesforce, but wasn't able to agree targets with the commercial team.
"However, we are actually operating to levels much higher than what I attempted to agree - we are operating at beyond 99.9 percent uptime.
"We have been using it for the best part of a year now and we haven't had an outage yet, which isn't what you expect from new platforms and new technology. Typically what you would be looking at is hundreds of minutes of downtime and how you would reduce that."
O2 also recently announced that it has signed a five-year managed services deal with China-based services provider Huawei. It will be transferring 118 staff to work for Huawei's managed services business, where under the agreement, Huawei will be charged with planning, implementing and managing Telefonica's core transmission, mobile access and network in the UK.
Lenovo turns mobile broadband operator for 3G-equipped ThinkPads - zdnet.co.uk
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14 hours ago by SoapyTablet on Ultrabook vs laptop: Is an ultrabook worth £500 more?Vodafone deny dodging corporation tax - Newbury Today
Reports in the national media stated that the mobile phone operator off-set the tax bill against its capital expenditure, which rose from £516m to £575m.
Despite an increase in earning before interest and tax, the firm’s British corporation tax bill fell from £140m in the year to March 31, 2011 to zero.
The Sunday Times reported that Vodafone had used a web of offshore companies, mainly based in tax-haven Luxembourg, to erase its liability, and even claimed a tax refund from the government worth £4 million.
The firm has acted within the law but has again sparked anger in regard to its tax-paying responsibilities.
Protest group UK Uncut condemned the reports and said the firm’s “cosy” relationship with the Government must be scrutinised.
UK Uncut has run demonstrations against the communications giant since October 2010 after Vodafone reached a ‘settlement’ on a long standing tax dispute with HMRC which was believed to have saved it up to £6billion in tax.
Green Party spokesman, Adrian Hollister, from Brightwalton, has been a frequent critic of Vodafone’s tax history, and he called on the Government to intriduce a windfall tax on people, trusts and companies “to ensure that they pay fairly and in the spirit of honesty within the countries that they trade.”
“I can’t help wondering why our tax system is designed to support the rich and the largest corporations (both of whom seem to pay little or no tax),” he said.
“By moving money to overseas locations and transacting through countries with no tax/lax laws and no accounting standards, the super-rich and large corporates get away with a lot. It’s about time these groups paid fairly and in the spirit of honesty within the countries that they trade.”
Vodafone Group released a statement in response to the claims and criticism and said its UK corporation tax liabilities had nothing to do with its Luxembourg subsidiary.
The firm said for every £4 it makes in profit it pays £1 in corporate taxes globally.
“Even though only 4 per cent of our overall operating profit comes from the UK, we contribute around £700m to the UK exchequer every year,” it said.
“We paid £14bn into the public purse worldwide in 2011 if you include payroll and sales taxes as well as fees for spectrum.
“As in most countries, there are tax reliefs for capital investment and interest costs in the UK, which applied in this case.
“We are an international business: 96 per cent of group operating profit, 95 per cent of our customers and more than 90 per cent of our employees are outside the UK.
“This is reflected in a £300million increase in tax paid outside the UK in 2011-12: we make more money elsewhere, so we pay more taxes elsewhere.
“We paid more than £2.3bn in taxes around the world last year.”
It also emerged that the firm’s highest paid employee, chief executive Vittorio Colao, more than doubled his pay package last year from £6.6m to over £14m including more than £12million in bonuses.
Here she comes! Cheryl Cole announces dates for her FIRST solo UK tour - Daily Mirror
Cheryl fans may struggle to contain their excitement after it was announced the singer will embark on her first solo UK arena tour.
It's been a good week for Cheryl who wowed Wembley at the Summertime Ball and her new single Call Me Name when straight to No.1 within hours of release on iTunes, clocking up record breaking sales.
Now it has been confirmed that the Fight For This Love singer will tour the country and Ireland for the first time as a solo artist.
Cheryl will play eight shows in October, including the O2 Arena and a homecoming at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle.
She opened as a special guest for the Black Eyed Peas European tour in 2010 and played four sold-out arena tours as part of Girls Aloud.
She's one of the most exciting performers in music and will be performing songs from previous albums 3 Words and Messy Little Raindrops, as well as new material from the much awaited A Million Lights which will be released June 18.
There will plenty of surprises in store for fans who can purchase tickets from 9am on June 15 at Live Nation.
Can't wait until October to get your Cheryl fix? Read more below.
"Cheryl Cole is losing her touch": Desperate star adds nothing to the nation and it's time she went away: Read Mirror Online's guest columnist Fleet Street Fox brutal opinion on Cheryl.
Cheryl Cole pointless and unworthy of Prince Harry? She’s the perfect modern day celebrity and would blow Kate Middleton out of the water: Sunday Mirror celebrity columnist Dean Piper bit back at the Fox with his praising verdict of Queen Chez.
CHERYL COLE TOUR
6 Oct Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
7 Oct 02, London
9 Oct Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield
11 Oct Echo Arena, Liverpool
12 Oct LG Arena, Brimingham
13 Oct Manchester Arena,
15 Oct SECC, Glasgow
17 Oct Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
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