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Digital continuity for the semiconductor industry
Why we need it, and how to build it

Ravindra Jadhav & Shekhar Burande
21 May 2024
capgemini-engineering

Learn about major semiconductor industry trends, why digital continuity is important to the sector and what companies can do to create this continuity.

“Good companies manage Engineering. Great companies manage Product”.

– Thomas Schranz

Semiconductors are the backbone of modern technology, playing a pivotal role in virtually every aspect of our daily lives. These tiny electronic components – which manage the flow of electric current in a device – can be found in everything from smartphones and LED bulbs, to cars, kitchen white goods and medical devices.

Looking ahead, the importance of semiconductors is only expected to grow as society becomes increasingly reliant on digital technologies. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G networks all require sophisticated semiconductor technology. These advancements require faster, more energy-efficient, and smaller semiconductors to accommodate the ever expanding demands of a digitally connected world.

As such – semiconductor manufacturers must produce more efficiently, meeting the ever increasing need for ‘smaller, faster, cheaper’, whilst maintaining margins, and dealing with fluctuations of demand and uncertainty of supply. Because of this, it’s increasingly evident that these companies need to better manage the requirements of the semiconductor chip product lifecycle – eg. the mix of chip complexity and the need for specialized ‘mission-specific’ chips, regulatory constraints, and various other challenges. This will allow companies to gain R&D, operational and margin efficiency, and decrease their time to market – largely by enabling digital continuity across their systems.

Below we outline major trends affecting the semiconductor industry which, due to the impact of semiconductors, also have broader global significance.

  • The growing importance of ecosystem partnering and selling across vertical industries: Proof of functionality and new next-gen technology, for example, AI, Metaverse, 5G, and Edge, are driving partnerships across the semiconductor ecosystem to address end markets with complete end-market platforms.
  • 5G is accelerating the pace and possibilities of connectivity – and the use cases it enables: Next-gen connectivity is evolving, from wired and wireless networks to private 5G, which is revolutionizing use cases across a wide range of industries.
  • Verticals are bringing chip design in-house: Semiconductor manufacturers are losing share to a growing number of product/system companies, which are designing chips in-house for use in their own products/services – allowing them to disrupt, differentiate and control the supply chain.
  • The steady shift towards ‘Industry 4.0’ and fully automated manufacturing – Digitization is creating an array of challenges (and opportunities) related to collecting, managing, processing, analyzing, visualizing, and effectively utilizing data – a microchip-hungry endeavor.
  • Increased product innovation and reimagined customer experiences – An increased focus on co-innovation and co-design with the goal of establishing digital continuity and a single source of truth (SSoT) for all product data. The intent is to accelerate product innovation and consequentially delight customers.
  • The value of Moore’s Law diminishing: Semiconductor manufacturers competing on performance, power, and area (PPA) seek creative ways to achieve a competitive advantage, while others add value by producing customizable modular chips called ‘chiplets’ that can be combined to form a complete system-on-chip (SoC).

Why is digital continuity important to the semiconductor industry?

‘Digital continuity’ is an organization’s ability to maintain (and put to use) important information, despite ongoing changes to the organization’s ways of storing data, and relentless evolutions in digital technology. This allows an organization to connect the ‘digital threads’ (information flows) of this data across its systems. Through this intelligent information sharing and monitoring, digital continuity helps the company and its ecosystem to operate more efficiently.   

The ability to manage information will be a competitive differentiator. Success for companies that produce these chips will depend upon these companies achieving a faster time to market with a ‘first time right’ approach. Geopolitical changes and challenges (eg. certain countries ‘reshoring’ the production of core semiconductors for national security purposes) will continue to force the localization of production, and these new greenfield plants will only be able to meet the required pace with the right PLM backbone and digital continuity foundations.

The previous approach to development, ie. using custom homegrown disconnected systems, results in misaligned technical investments and technical debt – namely the accumulated cost of shortcuts taken during software development, creating increased complexity and maintenance efforts over time.

The traditional document-centric development approach often does not allow traceability between requirements, product design, or the front and back-end manufacturing of products. This loss of traceability creates additional costs, quality control issues, compliance risks and sustainability overheads for enterprises.

As such, there is a clear need for an industrialized PLM backbone that provide a single source of truth (SSoT), offering consistency, accuracy, and reliability in the use of data and information across all departments and processes. In addition, rapid integration into end-user product ecosystems (which is required to meet the competitive pace of business today) requires the use of simulation and model-based approaches.

What features would such a PLM backbone require?

  • A complex hierarchical data model: Allowing oversight of variables like chip order part numbers and customer part numbers. It could also manage complex chip design, development & verification and tapeout, as well as finalize die designs. Other capabilities would include register-transfer layer (RTL) design, GDSII data management, mask set management, along with control over reticles & die variants, wafer fabrication & sort – and, ultimately, the chip assembly process to the final product.
    • This data model would also address product complexity and technology development needs for the data models that are used by downstream systems to design and manufacture products. These include engineering bills of materials (EBOM), manufacturing bills of materials (MBOM), and production bills of materials (PBOM).
  • Management of new product introduction (NPI) programs and product portfolios: Meeting the need for new markets, changing consumer demand and emerging technologies.
  • Integrated fabless and foundry management: Once designs are ready to hand over to approved foundries or to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT).
  • IP management: Providing integrated IP reuse that is controlled and secured. Transparent IP management increases efficiency in R&D, operations, and margin efficiency – whilst avoiding the risk of IP infringement.
  • Product sustainability and environmental compliance: Offering integrated material substance declarations and compliance checks for Integrated Device Manufacturer and Original Design Manufacturer compliance management. Ultimately, this can help to increase the effectiveness of semiconductor equipment, moving us towards the future of sustainability compliance in the factory.   

With all the above, the semiconductor industry is looking to build integrated close-loop quality system tracking into its design and manufacturing processes.

An opportunity, for those with the means to seize it

Once the hard work has been done to establish digital continuity across an organization’s many systems, companies can expect increased efficiency in R&D, operations and margins, decreased time to market and, of course, a significant competitive advantage.

Semiconductor manufacturers today have a major opportunity to support the next generation of technology, but will only be able to properly exploit it with the kind of digital continuity that sophisticated PLM provides.

Capgemini’s world class team of semiconductor industry experts is ready to help you build a next-gen secure, intelligent PLM backbone for your semiconductor business.

Our VLSI practice experts be an integral part of your team, working closely with your business product managers and fab leadership team. We also offer pre-configured semiconductor solutions and accelerators for PLM, MES, and ERP triptych products – to help you bring everything together.

Ready to progress, or want to learn more? Meet our experts.

Meet our experts

Ravindra Jadhav

Digital Continuity Presales and Delivery Director
Ravindra has 20+ years of experience, successfully delivering IT products and program solutions for a range of industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive and high-tech. He possesses deep knowledge of product lifecycle development, engineering, manufacturing and the supply chain – and has led many successful customer-centric programs

    Shekhar Burande

    Vice President, Digital Continuity & PLM
    Shekhar is an expert in digital continuity, digital twin domains and is responsible for the Capgemini Engineering’s solution portfolio and Center of Excellence. Shekhar is also an active participant at events and has spoken in sessions on topics of digital continuity on subjects like cloud, battery and gigafactory and climate tech.

      Energy management
      the challenge and the destination

      Sanjeev Gupta
      Oct 15, 2024
      capgemini-engineering

      In this two-part series, Sanjeev Gupta assesses how organizations can ensure their buildings meet sustainability targets – while being cost-efficient at the same time. An Energy Command Center could be the answer…

      Commercial buildings have a dark secret; they are among the planet’s worst climate offenders. Heating, cooling and powering data centres, office blocks and manufacturing plants consumes huge amounts of energy and currently accounts for 30% of all energy consumption, and for 26% of energy-related emissions.

      Consider, for example a data centre. A single data centre’s electricity usage is equivalent to that of approximately 50,000 households. This means that the combined power consumption of all data centres globally is around 200 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy annually, which is more than many individual countries need.[1] By 2025, global data production is expected to reach 181 zettabytes – much higher than the 15.5 zettabytes recorded ten years before, which means more processing will be needed, increasing data centre demands on electricity even more.

      Older buildings contribute significantly to the global environmental impact too. In 2009, one of the world’s most iconic structures, The Empire State Building in New York, underwent a makeover to improve its energy efficiency. Windows were refurbished, insulation was improved, and the building’s HVAC system was upgraded. These changes led to a significant reduction in energy consumption by 38% and annual energy cost savings of $4.4 million. This retrofit has been widely cited as a landmark example of how energy efficiency measures can be implemented in older buildings to achieve substantial energy savings and environmental benefits.

      The figures associated with inefficient buildings are only expected to grow given landlords now have a reduced incentive to undertake green refurbishments as a result of post-pandemic uncertainty around the level of future demand for commercial property.

      This presents a significant sustainability problem that could jeopardise companies’ reputations; reduce their ability to attract and retain talent; and affect their chances of successfully securing new contracts, particularly in the public sector where environmental credentials have become a fundamental part of selection criteria.

      But this sustainability issue also represents a more direct financial problem, because energy costs money. As environmental regulations become more demanding, and as the number of digital technologies deployed in modern facilities proliferates, optimising building energy consumption is not just a choice, but a necessity.

      The need for digital…

      Uncontrolled and unplanned energy consumption sits at the heart of the business energy challenge.

      Ineffective management of the incredibly complex energy environment results in wastage and therefore cost when it comes to buildings and facilities. This is exacerbated when companies use outdated and siloed systems that restrict data-driven decisions and oblige them to respond to issues after they occur rather than preventing them in the first place. They need to take a different approach.

      For example, companies often find it hard to improve the energy efficiency of their infrastructure because they don’t know about their existing inefficient processes, and they don’t fully understand the amount of energy that is needed for the day-to-day running of their facilities – often referred to as their ‘energy baseline’. Knowing the consumption patterns and usage trends, helps them make better decisions when it comes to forecasting and planning budgets. It also helps them to calculate how much energy can be saved if they make changes.

      The question is how can organisations accurately measure their energy baseline, implement better processes, and work towards becoming energy-efficient?

      Digitisation and automation are key elements of any intelligent enterprise-wide solution to address all three. The smart use of technology helps organisations to collect precise data on energy usage and gain valuable insights from equipment data, resulting in significant cuts in operational expenses. This is why digital solutions are so critical to addressing this problem. Digital tools make it simple to monitor, understand, and manage energy production, distribution and consumption related to buildings and facilities. They make optimising energy supply and demand far simpler than it is today. What’s more, the implementation of condition- and prescription-based maintenance based on the energy data digital tools provide can decrease downtime, improve utilisation, and cut maintenance costs.

      Thus, the switch to managing the supply and demand of energy for buildings and facilities through digital tools will have a massive impact for businesses. Research tells us that ‘Demand-side optimisation’ (such as digitisation) can reduce emissions by 25%; electrifying processes can reduce emissions by 30%; and decarbonising energy supplies can reduce emissions by 45%. Together these measures, all enabled by smarter digital tools, can have a tangible impact on closing the net-zero gap by 2050.

      … and the destination

      So what organizations need is a platform for state-of-the-art monitoring and control of the energy of buildings and facilities by harnessing the power of Internet of Things (IOT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. They need an approach that optimises energy efficiency, and that is scalable both operationally as well as geographically.

      Capgemini’s Energy Command Center is designed to meet these needs. It provides precise information about energy consumption and carbon emission via power and energy monitoring and uses smart technology for real time monitoring and control of energy-intensive utility equipment.

      It’s the aggregation, collation, and interpretation of data that is key. With the Energy Command Center, this data supports decision-making for resource optimization and decarbonization. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms facilitate the control of building operations and assets remotely and ensure that expert advice is available at remote locations, thereby reducing downtime.

      In addition, our approach complies with sustainability reporting requirements and enables organizations to demonstrate their commitment to environmental responsibility.

      In the second and final article in this short series, we’ll take a closer look at the Energy Command Center concept, and at the results that might be expected.

      [1]The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud, The MIT Press Reader, February 2022

      Authors

      Sanjeev Gupta

      VP, Engineering and R&D, Capgemini Engineering
      Sanjeev Gupta is a catalyst for the evolution of Intelligent Industry. With a comprehensive understanding of both technologies and business dynamics, he collaborates closely with companies to envision, construct, and optimize new products and services. Sanjeev’s expertise has been instrumental in facilitating business transformations, guiding R&D initiatives, revolutionizing manufacturing processes, and enhancing customer experiences on a global scale across diverse industries. His visionary outlook and strategic guidance continue to redefine industry standards, propelling businesses toward greater innovation and success.

        Transforming customer feedback into actionable insights – a strategic approach

        Dinesh Karanam
        14 November 2024

        How can financial institutions better understand their customers’ needs and preferences? Customer feedback may be the single most powerful tool at your disposal – but there’s a catch.

        Effectively leveraging feedback can help you enhance your offerings, improve customer satisfaction, and foster stronger customer relationships. Feedback serves as a direct line of communication between your customers and you, providing insights into what is working well and what needs improvement. The problem is, feedback is difficult to act on. Let’s look at some hurdles – and solutions – to turning feedback into improved services.

        What makes feedback so important?

        Feedback helps identify market trends and customer preferences, which are essential for strategic planning. For instance, a financial services company might discover through feedback that customers are increasingly interested in mobile banking features, prompting the company to prioritize these in their strategic roadmap. Such insights can inspire new ideas and innovations in product and service offerings.

        Feedback also acts as a performance metric, allowing businesses to gauge their success and identify areas for improvement. But most importantly, addressing customer concerns and implementing their suggestions can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to higher retention rates.

        Challenges to acting on feedback

        Despite the clear benefits, many businesses face challenges in effectively collecting and utilizing customer feedback. Some common challenges include:

        • Data overload
        • Lack of integration
        • Timeliness
        • Quality of feedback
        • Resource constraints

        The vast amount of data from multiple channels (like surveys, social media, and reviews) can be overwhelming, especially when it’s not well integrated or sorted. Where insights are uncovered, delays can result in missed opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, while resource constraints make it difficult for some companies to filter out noise and focus on actionable insights. Together, these challenges hinder businesses from effectively understanding and responding to customer needs. Customer feedback can be thought of as a resource in its raw, natural state. Here’s how you can refine it.

        Traditional methods for collecting customer feedback

        Surveys and questionnaires are foundational tools for collecting customer feedback, particularly in industries like banking. They allow businesses to gather quantitative and qualitative data efficiently. Insurance companies often send out annual satisfaction surveys to policyholders to gauge their experience with claims processing, identify pain points, and understand customer needs. Interviews and focus groups offer deeper, qualitative insights that can be invaluable for understanding customer sentiments and experiences. Financial services firms might use focus groups to gather detailed feedback on new mobile banking features before a wider rollout.

        Digital and modern methods

        Social media platforms offer a wealth of real-time feedback. By monitoring platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, businesses can gain insights into customer opinions, complaints, and suggestions. This method allows for immediate responses to customer issues, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Monitoring review sites and e-commerce platforms may also help.

        Still too slow? Real-time feedback collection through customer service interactions enables immediate problem resolution – which in most cases, is exactly what a customer wants. Chatbots are a crucial part of a customer service strategy, but be aware: high-quality is a must. Nothing frustrates a customer more than last year’s chatbot, taking up their time while failing to help.

        Finally, specialized customer feedback software for systematic feedback collection allows businesses to gather and analyze feedback across multiple touchpoints. Leveraging AI-driven tools to generate personalized surveys and responses enhances engagement and data quality. Going one step further, financial institutions can use AI to tailor survey questions to each customer, based on transaction history and interactions, thus ensuring that feedback is relevant and specific.

        The great advantage to digital methods is their potential for data analysis. With the right software, a bank can instantly transform feedback from multiple channels into clear insights, routed to the right teams in order of importance and urgency. A bank testing out a new feature can learn within hours what their customers do and don’t like, and can begin adjusting accordingly.

        Conclusion

        Customer feedback is a key driver of business innovation, strategy, and customer satisfaction. By addressing challenges such as data overload, lack of integration, and poor-quality feedback, businesses can turn customer insights into powerful tools for growth. And by establishing a system that actively collects, analyzes, and responds to customer feedback, companies can ensure they remain responsive and relevant in an ever-evolving market. With structured feedback systems, every piece of feedback contributes to driving better products and services. Now is the time to integrate customer voices into your strategic decision-making processes for a sustainable, competitive advantage.

        Meet our experts

        Dinesh Karanam

        Senior Director, Business Processes and Augmented Services Leader for North America, Financial Services
        Dinesh leads business and technology transformations for global organizations, using his 25 years of expertise in diverse industries to drive strategic innovation and impactful changes. He enhances operational efficiency and spearheads global teams to deliver significant business achievements, including profit growth and digital advancements. ​

          Turning customer feedback into continuous improvement

          Dinesh Karanam
          28 November 2024

          Collecting customer feedback is only the first step toward improving customer satisfaction and fostering long-term loyalty. Businesses must also analyze, prioritize, and act on these insights. In this blog, we will explore how businesses can leverage advanced data analysis, machine learning, and further techniques to transform feedback into meaningful actions.

          Analyzing customer feedback

          Centralizing feedback data – from channels like call centers, emails, social media, and customer service – improves data integrity, ensures easier tracking, management, and analysis of customer sentiments, and enables more accurate and holistic insights. Robust data integration ensures consistent and accurate data capture from varied sources, making analysis more efficient and actionable.

          Next, quantitative analysis involves using statistical methods and metrics to quantify feedback. Insurance firms can track metrics like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure overall customer satisfaction and loyalty. Common techniques include mean score calculation, distribution analysis, and correlation analysis.

          In contrast, qualitative analysis involves examining non-numeric data such as customer feedback to uncover insights. Financial services can use thematic and sentiment analysis to interpret customer feedback on their online banking experience. Thematic analysis involves identifying recurring themes and patterns in the feedback. Sentiment analysis uses natural language processing (NLP) to determine the sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) expressed.

          Advanced analytics like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) provide predictive insights. Insurance companies use ML-related techniques like clustering and regression to forecast policy lapses. Financial institutions can model the impact of fee changes by using AI to predict feedback outcomes within simulated scenarios, thus anticipating customer reactions.

          Acting on customer feedback

          Prioritizing customer feedback based on impact and feasibility ensures issues are addressed promptly. Scoring models assign weights to factors like urgency, feedback volume, and potential impact on satisfaction. Tools like Excel create scoring systems to identify urgent issues, improving customer satisfaction efficiently.

          Categorizing feedback into groups like product features, service, and usability reveals trends enables targeted action plans. Financial institutions can use this to create focused solutions in categories like app usability, branch experience, and support.

          Now comes the time to implement change. Incorporating customer feedback into product development ensures that features and enhancements meet customer needs and expectations. This keeps offerings relevant and valuable, and ensures long-term success by boosting engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

          Customer service is significantly enhanced when based on feedback. Developing training programs for representatives that address common issues and adjusting protocols for frequent complaints ensures more efficient service. This leads to quicker resolutions, increased customer satisfaction, and builds trust, resulting in stronger customer relationships.

          Finally, streamlining internal processes based on customer feedback increases efficiency and satisfaction. Identifying pain points, optimizing workflows, and using generative AI prototypes help visualize changes and gather further feedback before implementation. This iterative approach ensures solutions align with customer preferences, improving their experience.

          Closing the feedback loop

          Effective communication is crucial for closing the feedback loop. Keeping customers informed about actions taken based on their feedback builds trust and loyalty. Insurance companies can foster transparency by sending personalized emails detailing changes made due to customer suggestions. Communications should be clear, specific, and timely, explaining what was changed, why, and the benefits. Utilizing channels like newsletters, social media, and in-app notifications keeps customers engaged and aware of improvements made to enhance their experience.

          Financial firms should proactively collect regular feedback through surveys, focus groups, or advisory panels, integrating insights into strategic planning and building a culture of continuous improvement. Consistently refining services based on customer input helps them stay ahead of market trends.

          Finally, machine learning enhances feedback analysis by identifying patterns, trends, and sentiment from large datasets. ML refines survey questions, predicts behavior, and detects issues early on, allowing quick adaptation to customer needs. Automating analysis fosters responsive service and product development, boosting satisfaction and loyalty. Effective communication and continuous improvement, supported by ML, strengthen relationships and drive business growth.

          Fostering long-term loyalty

          Feedback is only valuable if businesses can act on it. Through prioritization, categorization, and the intelligent use of data analysis tools, companies can align their offerings with customer needs, resulting in better products, services, and customer satisfaction. Closing the feedback loop by continuously communicating with customers ensures that they feel heard and valued, fostering long-term trust and loyalty.

          For businesses looking to build lasting customer relationships, acting on feedback is key. Implementing systems to prioritize and categorize feedback while leveraging ML for deeper insights can ensure that businesses stays ahead of the curve. This is how you demonstrate a commitment to delivering value based on customer input. Invest in the tools and technologies needed to streamline this process, and watch your business grow by putting customer voices at the heart of your strategy.

          Meet our expert

          Dinesh Karanam

          Senior Director, Business Processes and Augmented Services Leader for North America, Financial Services
          Dinesh leads business and technology transformations for global organizations, using his 25 years of expertise in diverse industries to drive strategic innovation and impactful changes. He enhances operational efficiency and spearheads global teams to deliver significant business achievements, including profit growth and digital advancements. ​

            Progressing toward a more accessible workplace, shaping inclusive futures for all  

            Karine Vasselin
            Dec 3, 2024

            Sixteen percent of the world’s population are people with disabilities; 80% of them are of working age. These numbers indicate a compelling need to ensure workplaces offer equal opportunities for all to pursue successful careers.    

            At Capgemini, our colleagues with disabilities and neurodiverse individuals aren’t defined by their limitations but by their capabilities. As a global organization, it’s our priority to ensure all our colleagues are enabled to excel at work, bringing the best of their creativity and innovation to the workplace. This doesn’t apply to people with disabilities alone but to each one of our colleagues, providing everyone with a more comfortable and inclusive work environment that prioritizes well-being.  

            Creating an accessible workplace is complex and multidimensional.   

            Our commitment to building an accessible workplace – providing tools, support, and flexibility for our colleagues with disabilities – comes from the top. We were an early adopter of the Valuable 500, and our CEO, Aiman Ezzat, recently signed the International Labour Organization (ILO) pledge, furthering our commitment to disability-inclusive sustainability practices.   

            Operationally, we are driving change by working collaboratively with key internal stakeholders who are embedding accessibility principles and processes into core functions. Our actions include building accessible apps through our Group IT function, making office spaces fit for purpose through the Corporate Real Estate and Facilities team, and our work to ensure accessibility throughout an employee’s journey from recruitment to daily communications and our L&D programs.     

            Our award-winning global employee network group, CapAbility, focuses on providing practical support and a platform for networking and advocacy. CapAbility includes a sub-charter, NeuroAbility, that focuses on our neurodiverse colleagues. They are both pivotal in ensuring the culture change needed for success.  

            Three key ways to make our workplaces more accessible for all:  

            An illustration showcasing an employee in a wheelchair working at a desk, an employee using digital tools, and an employee accessing training programs.

            • Ensuring accessibility of workspaces
            • Enhancing digital tools for accessibility
            • Accessibility throughout the employee journey

            1. Ensuring accessibility of workspaces: With our offices in over 50 countries, our Group Facilities team works on multiple fronts to enable independent access for all, making spaces accessible and customizing them based on local needs.  

            We aim to nurture an environment that improves productivity, concentration, and employee well-being across our offices with provisions for quiet zones and well-being spaces, including maternity rooms for nursing mothers. In Sydney and Melbourne, for instance, our offices include multi-faith well-being rooms, while in Belgium, employees have access to a “people room,” a dedicated space that serves as a quiet zone and well-being space for employees, accommodating their different needs.  

            Across Capgemini offices worldwide, we have installed a range of facilities and features both in indoor and outdoor spaces to fit the specific needs of our colleagues with disabilities.  

            An illustration depicting examples of enabling accessibility in our offices through accessibility features, appropriate signage, accessible restrooms, easy navigation, safe emergency evacuation, and more.

            A few examples of how we’re ensuring accessibility in our offices include:  

            • Features like ramps, elevators, wide doorways, and accessible parking spaces 
            • Appropriate signage with large fonts and color contrasts 
            • Accessible restrooms, including stalls to accommodate wheelchair users 
            • Easy navigation with clear directions and guidance for spaces 
            • Availability of EVAC chairs to enable safe evacuations during emergencies.  

            We’ve recently conducted a pilot in collaboration with CapAbility and an external provider led by experts with lived user experiences, for an assessment of our office spaces, benchmarking ourselves against global standards of accessibility in key sites worldwide, which will then be rolled out globally.   

            2. Enhancing digital tools for accessibility: Our IT team ensures that compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the global standard for accessibility, is central to our user experience and service design. This includes creating a corporate design system with libraries of WCAG-compliant components that are reused across all Capgemini websites and applications.  

            In addition to aligning with standards like WCAG, we use research to ensure our applications are truly accessible and user-friendly for everyone. 

            Currently, the IT team is working on a three-point plan to ensure our internal applications comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This plan includes:  

            • Standardizing the process with developers and user experience designers (assessment, remediation, and verification) 
            • Collaborating with vendors to ensure IT applications are digitally accessible 
            • Providing specific screen readers to employees through a premium service platform, along with accessibility features enabled on all laptops 

            Work is also underway to improve the accessibility of our external corporate website.   

            Our remediation plan addresses blockers for users to complete key activities, enhancing keyboard accessibility, color contrast issues, and screen reader functionality.  

            3. Accessibility throughout the employee journey: We believe in enabling all talent to grow their careers right from the time they apply for a role at Capgemini.   

            • Recruiting the best talent: We train our talent acquisition team to ensure diversity in profiles and make sure candidates are selected based on their skills and experiences. We also utilize leading technology solutions where needed in our interview process. Currently, we’re working with the talent acquisition team to update our recruitment application processes, enabling candidates to mention their disability and if they require any specific assistance. For instance, in Brazil, candidates with disabilities are provided with sign language assistance whenever needed. In 2023, we renewed a social agreement with our social partners on the representation of people with disabilities in our workforce in France, setting our ambition to reach 6% by 2026.

            • Making training accessible: To make learning effective, engaging, and seamless, we have made mandatory training accessible and built accessible learning by design, for example, by introducing automated subtitles on our learning platforms.    
            • Improving accessibility of communications: We provide guidance for effective communication as an essential step to ensuring collaboration and engagement for all colleagues regardless of ability. We encourage the use of features like live captioning and transcripts, which, apart from helping our colleagues with disabilities, are also useful to people who aren’t fluent in English, ensuring they feel a sense of belonging as well.   
                
              Our visual identity guidelines address accessibility issues such as the appropriate use of colors, gradients, and typography. We have a toolkit on accessible communications to ensure legibility and universal accessibility.   

            Accessibility and inclusive design principles extend beyond our own operations.   

            The way we apply accessibility and inclusive design principles to our workplace is also equally relevant to our clients’ work, and the social impact we create. The ILO pledge, signed by our CEO, Aiman Ezzat, commits us to accessible products for our clients and partners.  While we work with internal client-facing teams to ensure compliance, we’re already seeing some positive changes.   

            With the implementation of the European Accessibility Act, frog – part of Capgemini Invent – is working toward the goal of making all the products they deliver align with accessibility guidelines. They recently worked on an e-commerce site that complies with the essential requirements. Cards of Humanity is another example designed by frog as a practical tool for inclusive design that involves gamification of the concept, enabling us to anticipate the needs of the diverse future user and adapt to ensure our product is more inclusive.   

            For social impact, our partnership with Youth4Jobs in India includes a dedicated IT training program for youth with disabilities, providing them with tech skills and securing jobs for them.  Capgemini provides both technical and soft skill support to the trainers and candidates. This training includes web development, coding, SQL, and microservices, resulting in full-stack development, and at the end of each training, every successful participant is awarded a certificate of completion by both Capgemini and Youth4Jobs.  

            Global benchmarking ensures our continual progression as an accessible and inclusive employer.   

            It’s a complex journey ahead, but we’re on our way towards achieving our ambition of building a workplace that is fully accessible. We’re constantly benchmarking ourselves against stringent global standards. Capgemini was recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion™” in 2024, with our teams in Brazil, the US, and India achieving top scores in the Disability Equality Index, a platform that benchmarks corporate disability inclusion policies and programs globally. This year, we also received the Zero Project award for our neuroinclusion program, empowering and integrating neurodivergent talent into the workplace, and the MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable Award 2024, recognizing our efforts to build an inclusive, supportive workplace for people with disabilities.  

            Together, let’s continue to improve accessibility in all aspects of our workplace, shaping inclusive futures for all.  

            Karine Vasselin

            Expert in Diversity and Inclusion
            Karine Vasselin is the Group “Inclusive Futures” Lead at Capgemini. With an initial background in research and teaching, Karine is an experienced HR Business Partner and People Manager. A strong advocate of embedding inclusion into business and operating models, she is actively involved in developing joint initiatives with Universities, NGOs, and partners in her ecosystem.

              From benefits to employment: Platform-driven services for real-life work transitions

              Sivaraj Sethunamasivayam and Niklas E Jansson
              Nov 6, 2024

              How are modern technology platforms helping job seekers find work? In the first of two articles, we look at what it takes to help job seekers transition away from public employment services and into work, using real-life scenarios drawn from across the world. From integrating multiple services and providing data-driven personalization to secure data sharing, we argue that the design of today’s digital employment platforms must always be centered on the user.

              In a world where career paths are often unpredictable, public employment services stand as a critical support system. Originally built for simpler times, welfare systems across Europe, North America, and beyond now contend with a diverse, dynamic workforce that requires more than just a job listing. Today’s employment landscape is punctuated by sudden shifts—layoffs, career changes, and the evolving challenges of remote learning and gig work. Digital platforms, designed to accommodate real-life transitions, are transforming public employment services, offering seamless, personalized pathways from welfare dependence to meaningful, sustainable employment.

              To understand this transformation, it’s important to clarify the role of platforms in the field of government technology (GovTech). Modern, citizen-centric platforms leverage advanced data analytics, digital identities, and secure data-sharing to provide services at scale that feel personalized and seamless. However, these platforms are not simple plug-and-play products; they are purpose-built around specific use cases, utilizing a tailored range of digital tools. This approach enables agencies to anticipate and respond to individual needs, moving beyond a rigid, one-size-fits-all model.

              Throughout the following, we meet several individuals who, at pivotal points in their lives, have benefited from these platforms. Their journeys illustrate how these systems are increasingly capable of addressing the real-life transitions we all face at various stages, making the daunting task of rebuilding or redirecting a career both manageable and fulfilling.

              Navigating the employment landscape in uncertain times

              Meet Lisa, a recent finance graduate in Singapore. For her, graduation meant facing a series of difficult, unexpected questions: What next? How do you start a career when your true passion lies outside your degree? Lisa’s situation, like many graduates today, demanded guidance in translating her background in finance into something that truly inspired her—tech. For her, Singapore’s MyCareersFuture platform became an essential tool. She built her profile, detailing her skills, experience, and aspirations, and received AI-driven job recommendations tailored to help her navigate this pivot. Instead of scrolling through endless roles, Lisa saw only the relevant positions, with MyCareersFuture even suggesting skill-development programs to help bridge the gap from finance to tech.
              Just as Lisa’s journey showed her that technology could simplify what once seemed overwhelming, Ismail, a young graduate from London, found himself standing at a crossroads of his own. As the son of a second-generation immigrant family, Ismail felt pressure to secure a “practical” career, but he had yet to find a path that resonated with his true interests. Turning to the UK’s National Careers Service, Ismail started with a series of online career assessments that revealed a hidden passion for environmental science. Through the service’s career matching and skills resources, he saw options he hadn’t considered before. With his results in hand, Ismail connected with employers in his new field and discovered training pathways he could pursue.
              Amara, a factory worker from a rural town in France, faced a different type of career transition. Having worked in manufacturing for over a decade, Amara was suddenly confronted with the reality of automation encroaching on her role. But Amara’s years of experience were valuable, and she knew she had a knack for troubleshooting and process improvement. What she needed was a way to pivot these skills into a more secure, future-proof career. That’s where Europass, an initiative by the European Commission, played a crucial role. Amara used Europass to assess her current skills and discover which fields were in high demand. Based on her profile, Europass suggested online courses in data analysis and project management—both areas that could help her make a smooth transition into a resilient career. For Amara, this wasn’t just about upskilling; it was about adapting her experience to meet the demands of an evolving economy, a journey of resilience and reinvention.
              For others, access to job opportunities isn’t just a question of career alignment or skills; it’s a matter of resources. Raj, from a remote Indian village, had long aspired to become a software developer but was faced with limited educational resources and virtually no access to relevant training. Yet Raj’s ambition remained steadfast. When he discovered Skill India, a platform that provided remote learning opportunities, online labs, and certifications, it felt like the first step toward realizing his goals. With nothing more than an internet connection, Raj could take classes, participate in labs, and earn certifications, all of which enabled him to start building a professional profile. For Raj, Skill India didn’t just bridge a digital divide; it turned a dream into an achievable goal, making him a part of a national vision that taps into the potential of rural talent.
              But career transitions don’t always occur in times of clarity or optimism. For Sarah, an unemployed single mother in the United States, the transition was abrupt and stressful. Laid off from her administrative job, she was suddenly faced with the dual pressures of finding work and supporting her family. Sarah relied on unemployment benefits to make ends meet, but the process was marred by delays. The Unemployment Insurance Modernization initiative transformed her experience, using tech to streamline claims processing. No longer bogged down by long waits and repetitive paperwork, Sarah found that the platform not only reduced delays but also allowed her to focus on rebuilding her career. During a period that felt otherwise destabilizing, the system’s efficiency provided a sense of stability, enabling her to begin looking forward once again.

              Key features of platform-driven employment systems

              In each of these stories, we see common threads that make digital platforms effective in addressing real-life transitions:

              1. Integration of multiple services: Platforms like MijnOverheid in the Netherlands consolidate job matching, skills assessment, training, and benefits in a unified digital space. This integration streamlines access, enabling users like Lisa, Ismail, and Amara to navigate career resources without duplicating their personal information across departments. This “one-stop-shop” approach exemplifies the level of accessibility and interoperability needed in today’s complex job market.
              2. Data-driven personalization: By leveraging user profiles and analytics, platforms such as WorkNet in South Korea provide recommendations tailored to individual journeys. This personalized support helps users like Raj and Sarah make informed decisions based on real-time data, offering guidance that feels intuitive and tailored to their unique situations.
              3. Secure data sharing: Estonia’s e-Residency program exemplifies how secure data-sharing protocols protect user privacy while fostering collaboration across departments. With a secure digital identity, users can engage with multiple services confidently, knowing their information is safe and accessible across platforms, a vital feature in today’s interconnected world.

              Designing for real-life transitions

              These stories underscore the importance of user-centered design in today’s digital employment platforms. For job seekers like Amara, intuitive design enables seamless skill-building and career transitioning. For individuals in high-stress situations, such as Sarah, streamlined processes reduce friction and anxiety. Designing with empathy means understanding that each user’s experience will differ, and that accessibility, efficiency, and clarity are essential for platforms intended to support individuals through uncertain transitions.

              Conclusion: Building a platform-centric future for employment services

              The transformation of employment services through digital platforms marks a major shift in how we address career transitions and labor market dynamics. By integrating services, utilizing data, and focusing on user experience, these platforms provide a robust foundation for supporting job seekers at every stage of their journey.

              However, realizing this vision requires more than just advanced technology. Governments, tech innovators, and civil society must work together to build employment systems that are rooted in accessibility, equity, and long-term impact. With the right investments and a commitment to inclusivity, these platform-driven systems can reshape labor markets and support resilient, adaptable careers for people from all walks of life. For Lisa, Ismail, Amara, Raj, and Sarah, and countless others facing life’s career transitions, digital employment platforms within the GovTech ecosystem offer not just a job, but a pathway to stability and fulfilment in an unpredictable world.

              Authors

              Sivaraj Sethunamasivayam

              Senior Director, Global Public Welfare Expert, Industry Platforms
              “We are proud to partner with public welfare agencies across the world in improving access to social programs, in increasing quality of care and in delivering better outcomes for citizens. As a company, we have the industry, technology and programme management expertise to help governments deal with changing demographics and budgetary constraints by enabling them to deliver large-scale transformations in an integrated yet incremental manner.”
              Niklas Jansson

              Niklas Jansson

              Pega CTO – CTO Office – DCX Europe
              Niklas Jansson is part of the CTO Office for DCX Europe and has a strong track record and experience of working in various digital transformation and customer experience projects across various verticals as well as business and practice development. Niklas focus is on how to use technology to enable businesses create outstanding digital customer experiences and deliver transformative and business centric solutions through platforms, process orchestration, low-code, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agile delivery.

                Powering tomorrow with Generative AI: The AWS-Capgemini partnership advantage

                Alex MirZabeigi
                6 Nov 2024

                Transformation happens at the intersection of scale and vision, and we help our clients get there

                The tech world buzzed with excitement when generative AI burst onto the scene, promising to transform everything from customer service to software development. Now, as the initial hype settles into practical reality, businesses face a crucial question: how do we actually implement this technology? It’s a question that keeps CTOs up at night. Cloud or on-premises? AWS or other providers? And perhaps most importantly – how do we ensure our investment pays off?

                The Capgemini-AWS partnership journey

                Capgemini has spent the last 15 years partnering with AWS to answer these types of questions. Our journey has evolved from basic cloud migrations to cutting-edge AI implementations, earning us recognition as AWS’s Global AI/ML Partner of the Year for 2023. But awards aside, what really matters is how this partnership helps our clients navigate the complex world of enterprise technology. Take Amazon Bedrock, for instance. It’s more than just another cloud service – it’s AWS’ answer to the enterprise need for flexible, scalable AI solutions. Through Bedrock, organizations can tap into a variety of foundation models from both AWS and partners like Anthropic and AI21 Labs. But the real magic happens when you combine this technical capability with industry-specific expertise.

                Industry-specific expertise, combined with tailored AI solutions

                This is where our team of more than 50,000 AWS-trained consultants comes in. We’ve seen firsthand how automotive companies use generative AI to revolutionize vehicle design processes, how financial institutions leverage it for risk analysis, and how manufacturers implement it to optimize production lines. Each industry has its unique challenges, and each requires a tailored approach.

                Cloud vs. on-premises: Finding the right balance

                But let’s talk about one fundamental truth: not every workload belongs in the cloud. Some organizations face regulatory requirements that demand on-premises solutions. Others have specific customization needs that don’t fit neatly into a cloud-first strategy. That’s why we’ve developed expertise in both deployment models. Our Level 1 MSSP Consulting Competency means we can guide organizations to the right choice for their specific situation, whether that’s cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid approach. The hardware aspect often gets overlooked in these discussions, but it’s crucial. AWS’ infrastructure includes cutting-edge NVIDIA A100 and H100 GPUs, plus the company’s own custom-designed Trainium and Inferentia chips. Through our Migration Center of Excellence in India, we help organizations leverage this infrastructure effectively while keeping costs under control.

                Beyond the vendor relationship

                Speaking of control – our partnership with AWS goes beyond the typical vendor relationship. With a dedicated global team and regular CEO-level engagement, we’re able to influence product development and ensure our clients’ needs are heard at the highest levels of AWS. This year at AWS re:Invent, we’re showcasing something special. As an Emerald sponsor, we’re presenting our largest and most ambitious program yet, centered around the theme “Scale, meet vision.” It’s not just a tagline – it’s a reflection of what we’re seeing in the market. Organizations don’t just need technology; they need a way to scale their vision into reality.

                Immersive experiences, meet real-world transformations

                Visitors will experience more than just demos. We’re creating immersive experiences that show real-world transformations across industries. Our interactive client roundtables will dive deep into the three themes that are shaping the future of business: generative AI, innovation, and sustainability. It’s one thing to talk about these topics, it’s another to see them in action. What makes our approach different? We believe transformation happens at the intersection of scale and vision. Anyone can dream big, and anyone can implement technology. But bridging that gap – turning ambitious digital aspirations into practical, scalable solutions – that is where we at Capgemini excel.

                The future of enterprise technology isn’t about adopting the latest tools. It’s about finding the right balance between innovation and practicality, between speed and security, between cloud and on-premises. Through our partnership with AWS, we’re helping organizations find that balance. Ready to explore how AWS and Capgemini can transform your business? Stop by the Capgemini Client Experience Center at Yardbird at The Venetian at reinvent. Let’s talk about your challenges, share some success stories, and explore what’s possible when scale meets vision. Because in the end, technology is just a tool. It’s what you do with it that matters. And with the right partners, the possibilities are endless.

                Capgemini’s exclusive Emerald sponsorship at AWS re:Invent 2024 -where scale meets vision.

                Capgemini is excited to announce its participation as an exclusive Emerald Sponsor at AWS re:Invent 2024! This prestigious sponsorship enhances our reputation as a premier partner in business transformation with AWS. At this year’s event, we will showcase our innovative solutions at the AWS Industry Village, featuring interactive demos across aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, and financial services. Attendees can also look forward to four client speaking sessions and engaging lightning talks focused on energy and industry transformation. Additionally, we invite you to join us at the Capgemini Client Experience Center at Yardbird, at The Venetian, for Gen AI solution demonstrations, a client appreciation event, and a Cloud Realities LIVE podcast session. Join us as we explore the future of technology together!

                Author

                Alex MirZabeigi

                Executive Partner Lead AWS – Capgemini Americas
                Alex is a transformation and partnership leader focused on driving growth through strategic alliances and technology innovation. As the Americas AWS Alliance Leader at Capgemini, Alex leads business development and customer success efforts within the AWS partnership, working closely with AWS teams to develop and implement effective go-to-market strategies. He emphasizes strong stakeholder relationships and solutions-based selling to deliver exceptional value to clients. Capgemini’s broad service range—including strategy, migration, application modernization, Gen AI, cloud transformation, and platform engineering—empowers clients to modernize with agility and speed.

                  Strengthening cybersecurity in the age of AI and Gen AI

                  Marco Pereira
                  21 Nov 2024

                  As cyber threats evolve in complexity, organizations face an urgent need to bolster their defenses. From phishing and ransomware to the rising danger of deepfakes, the landscape of cyberattacks is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Our recent research reveals a concerning trend: Over 90% of organizations experienced a security breach last year, a staggering increase from just 51% in 2021. The impact of these breaches is profound, with nearly half of the organizations reporting direct and indirect losses exceeding $50 million over the past three years. 

                  The escalating threats from AI and Gen AI 

                  Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (Gen AI) are double-edged swords in cybersecurity. While they offer powerful defense tools, threat actors are also weaponizing these technologies. Gen AI, in particular, is lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, enabling more sophisticated and targeted attacks. A striking 97% of surveyed organizations reported security incidents involving Gen AI in the past year alone. 

                  The rise of deepfakes is especially alarming, with over 40% of organizations experiencing financial losses due to these AI-generated deceptions. Additionally, there’s a growing concern around “prompt injection,” where attackers manipulate Gen AI models to compromise the integrity of their outputs. Internally, the misuse of Gen AI tools, such as employees inadvertently uploading sensitive information to external platforms like ChatGPT, further exacerbates the risks. The phenomenon of Shadow AI – the unauthorized use of Gen AI tools outside of IT’s oversight – adds another layer of vulnerability. Moreover, issues like AI hallucinations and vulnerabilities introduced into the code generated through AI tools introduce new challenges, making it imperative for organizations to rethink their security strategies. These threats are being recognized; about 60% of organizations acknowledge the need to increase their security budgets in the current landscape. 

                  The AI Advantage: Enhancing cybersecurity 

                  Despite the challenges, AI is proving to be a formidable ally in the fight against cybercrime. Organizations are increasingly integrating AI into their cybersecurity frameworks, with three out of five leaders believing AI is crucial for effective threat response. AI’s ability to detect and respond to threats faster than any human could is a game-changer. It enhances data security, application security, and cloud protection, allowing organizations to stay ahead of potential threats. 

                  Generative AI is also showing promise. Over half of the organizations surveyed believe that Gen AI will significantly enhance their cybersecurity strategies, particularly in enhancing threat investigation. By automating complex tasks, AI and Gen AI enable cybersecurity teams to focus on more strategic activities, making them more efficient and effective. 

                  AI and Gen AI in action: Real-world applications 

                  AI is already being deployed across various security use cases, from IT to operational technology (OT) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Organizations are leveraging AI to identify and neutralize threats in real-time, with many experimenting with Gen AI for generating threat intelligence and conducting vulnerability assessments. These advanced capabilities are helping to create a more resilient cybersecurity posture, enabling businesses to defend against a wider range of threats. 

                  Building a resilient cyber defense strategy 

                  To fully harness the power of AI and Gen AI, organizations must adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy: 

                  • Develop a clear roadmap: 
                    Integrate AI and Gen AI into existing security systems. Evaluate the benefits and risk mitigation these technologies offer compared to the investment. Ensure there is a robust incident response protocol with clear, actionable steps for rapid intervention. 
                  • Continuous reassessment: 
                    The threat landscape is constantly evolving. Regularly reassess security measures to identify emerging risks and adapt defense mechanisms accordingly. 
                  • Invest in infrastructure: 
                    Acquire advanced communication systems, data management solutions, and cloud computing resources that can support AI and Gen AI applications. 
                  • Establish a robust framework: 
                    Implement strong governance policies to protect data integrity and foster trust in AI models. Focus on selecting and training models that align with organizational needs. 
                  • Integrate AI solutions: 
                    Gradually incorporate AI and Gen AI solutions into your security operations center (SOC) to automate threat detection and response. Ensure continuous monitoring and updating of AI systems to keep pace with evolving threats. 
                  • Employee training: 
                    Educate employees on the capabilities and limitations of AI and Gen AI, ensuring responsible usage and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness. 
                  • Foster a culture of risk awareness: 
                    Make cybersecurity a top priority by promoting a culture of risk awareness. Empower employees to be vigilant and proactive in safeguarding business processes. 

                  Conclusion: Navigating the future of cybersecurity with AI and Gen AI 

                  As AI and Gen AI continue to evolve, so too do cybercriminals’ tactics. The volume and sophistication of cyber threats are increasing, and organizations must leverage these same technologies to mount a robust defense. While Gen AI introduces new risks, particularly from internal and external actors, it also offers significant opportunities to enhance security measures. 

                  To stay ahead in this dynamic landscape, organizations need to adopt a proactive approach – continuously reassessing their security posture, investing in the necessary infrastructure, and building a robust framework that incorporates AI and Gen AI. By doing so, they can unlock the full potential of these technologies, creating a resilient defense system that not only protects their most valuable assets but also fosters trust across their value chain. 

                  For more insights, download our latest research New defenses, new threats: What AI and gen AI bring to cybersecurity

                  Author

                  Marco Pereira

                  Global Head of Cybersecurity, Cloud Infrastructure Services
                  Marco is an industry-recognized cybersecurity thought leader and strategist with over 25 years of leadership and hands-on experience. He has a proven track record of successfully implementing highly complex, large-scale IT transformation projects. Known for his visionary approach, Marco has been instrumental in shaping and executing numerous strategic cybersecurity initiatives. Marco holds a master’s degree in information systems and computer engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA). His unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen enables him to bridge the gap between technology and strategy, driving innovation and achieving organizational goals.

                    Auditing IT resources can enhance your ESG programs

                    Greg Bentham
                    18 Nov 2024

                    A shift in thinking from “life cycle” to “use cycle” can help eliminate e-waste  

                    Instead of seeing ESG programs as an add-on, enterprises are increasingly recognizing that creating a culture of sustainability – and investing in technological advancements to support it – can have positive impacts on the business, brand, and bottom line. And in part one of this blog series, I discussed how to use ESG data strategically, efficiently, and effectively. 

                    Transitioning toward a sustainable economy 

                    Global regulations regarding ESG targets have become stricter, requiring companies to be more accountable for how they address the adverse impacts of their operations. This push for additional accountability is seen in Europe, with environmental directives pushing companies to be more sustainable with their supply chains. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), or CS-Triple-D, is aimed at larger EU enterprises, and will be gradually rolled out, with a compliance deadline starting in July 2027. Across the US, meeting ESG rules also requires a company-wide commitment to change.  

                    Even without regulatory pressure, it can be overwhelming for enterprises to think about the individual elements of ESG – environmental, social, and governance – and how it’s critical to address each interconnected area. Companies can always do more, but one immediate ESG solution that might be overlooked involves auditing your own IT resources. Although it’s only one function within the corporate realm, it underpins everything in an enterprise’s operations. 

                    Assessing the impacts of e-waste  

                    When considering your company’s IT systems, you need to start with human resources. Every staff member likely uses some hardware to do their day-to-day work – laptops, desktop computers, monitors, and mobile phones – and often more than one of each. Also, routers, servers, storage, adapters, cables – the list seems limitless. It’s not hard to imagine the energy use and e-waste inherent in simply outfitting a company’s internal technology needs, just so people can do their jobs. 

                    But when any of these tangible items reach the end of their life cycle, they’re typically dumped into the landfill. By 2030, it’s projected that e-waste will add up to 82 million tons to global garbage piles. And when you go beyond the immediate environmental impact and consider the social repercussions of disposing of hardware, the problem becomes more complex. E-waste is often shipped to areas where citizens live lower down the socioeconomic ladder. That means vulnerable people, like women and children working in the informal recycling sector, are often exposed to dangerous chemical substances like lead. 

                    All of this is further complicated when the hardware a company needs to replace is remanufactured. Manufacturing the latest laptops or smart phones involves sourcing minerals and rare earth elements. This disrupts the natural landscape and also impacts people who don’t have the means to resist this continuous encroachment. 

                    Shifting from life cycle to use cycle 

                    Ideally, products should be thought of as useful in perpetuity – from manufacturing to the time when valuable materials can be extracted from them for future use. Before enterprises can start putting this ethos into practice, they need a clear accounting of their IT resources. ServiceNow has a system for tracking assets, which provides companies with a solid foundation for strategically managing resources. They can determine not only what assets and systems are consuming in the form of energy but also plan for optimizing their use cycle. 

                    Tracking tools must be robust and extend into all areas of the corporation. Enterprises must first self-assess their sustainability metrics, identify problems, develop a baseline for change, and then continuously report on the improvements. ServiceNow’s workflow engine breaks down siloed data to speed up sustainability reporting and improve the reliability of the results.  

                    Leveraging the power of integration 

                    Currently, companies will still require stacked solutions from multiple software vendors to address carbon management, ESG reporting, SEC reporting, and statutory compliance; however, ServiceNow acts as a powerful integration platform to support it all. It allows enterprises to access data and information across a range of corporate functions and bring it together in one place for further analysis.  

                    Another beneficial outcome is that companies can spend less time trying to decipher disconnected data and dedicate more resources to implementing corrective action plans. Naturally, enterprises can extend these sustainability principles to other areas that go beyond tracking assets to optimize IT resources and reduce e-waste.  

                    As a ServiceNow consulting partner, Capgemini is helping enterprises across industries develop long-term strategies and mobilize programs and practices to help them on their journey to a sustainable future. 

                    Author

                    Greg Bentham

                    Greg Bentham

                    Expert in Enterprise Architecture, IT Transformation

                      Advance ESG programs to reduce emissions – and exposure to risk

                      Greg Bentham
                      Greg Bentham
                      19 Nov 2024

                      Companies with integrated data and automated workflows are leaders in achieving climate targets 

                      With every hurricane, forest fire, or flooding event, climate-change targets and the associated deadlines seem to loom larger. Companies around the world in sectors from energy to finance have become increasingly motivated to track the progress of their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs. And not meeting regulatory standards has led to lawsuits and financial penalties for some.  

                      An automative giant was sued in 2021 for “delayed sharing of emissions-related reports” while, the following year, the US SEC fined an investment bank $4 billion “for failing to follow ESG investment policies and misleading its customers.” As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and organizations amplify their risk when their ESG programs aren’t keeping up with the pace of change in regulations. 

                      How to achieve ESG maturity with ServiceNow  

                      Although any reduction in carbon emissions, terrorist financing, or cybercrime (to cite some ESG examples) is a step in the right direction, C-level executives are facing increased pressure, including from key stakeholders, to accelerate their progress along the ESG maturity spectrum. 

                      ESG programs at many companies aren’t as effective as they could (or should) be. Consider hindsight and foresight. Some review ESG data solely for compliance reporting; that’s a hindsight view of the data use. Farther ahead on the spectrum, foresight comes into play. Companies with advanced EGS maturity seek insights from the data to inform corrective-action initiatives to drive climate-change reductions. Enterprises even farther ahead use data for modeling and scenario planning in ongoing efforts to support ESG practices.  

                      ServiceNow’s integrated platform is an all-in-one solution that can help organizations use ESG data more strategically, efficiently, and effectively by eliminating corporate functional silos, improving workflows, and enhancing transparency. It offers a holistic approach to ESG programs across an enterprise’s operations, enabling cross-functional teams to work more cohesively to achieve large-scale sustainability goals. 

                      Take action to move ESG plans along the spectrum  

                      The cultural shift toward ESG maturity can be a game-changer. However, many enterprises aren’t far ahead in their journey. They’re still using energy-draining hardware that contributes to emissions, rather than curtailing them. And the systems and tools that legacy technology supports make it onerous and time-consuming for business units to analyze the disparate streams of data. Other organizations are well into their overall digital transformation but haven’t fully embedded ESG into their end-to-end operations. They might still see ESG data as an add-on rather than an untapped source of real-time intelligence.  

                      As a ServiceNow consulting partner working with companies to help them achieve maturity in their ESG journey, Capgemini first leverages our industry-specific experts for a two-part discovery process. Our qualitative assessment evaluates the organization’s readiness for change, while our quantitative assessment involves baselining the empirical data, they’ll use to drive their ESG program. 

                      Capgemini is leading by example. We’ve already embedded leading ESG practices and behaviors into our own operations. By continuously improving our programs over just 15 months, we are now on track to reach net zero by 2040, a 10-year improvement from our original target. Moreover, we are on record in our commitment to help our clients decarbonize through our advisory services, the engineering of sustainable products, the optimization of supply chains and operations, the deployment of sustainable technology solutions, and finally, ESG reporting. 

                      Shift from assessment to implementation 

                      There’s a tremendous volume of data that companies can access and draw insight from, and ServiceNow has developed specific solutions, including an ESG module for carefully assessing an organization’s risks. It gathers data sets from disparate locations – such as ERP and CRM systems, financial general ledger, and cloud systems – and pulls it into automated workflows. Then the data can be processed and synthesized to produce seamless and secure ESG reporting.  

                      ServiceNow is also using the power of generative AI to make the technology itself more efficient by only accessing essential data sets. This ensures that what could be a resource-taxing solution is sharpened and fit for purpose. Then Capgemini can get very granular in the ways we help our clients drive more effective programs and scenario plans for improving ESG practices. 

                      Our expertise, technological know-how, and understanding of the global marketplace presents an excellent opportunity for Capgemini and ServiceNow to drive comprehensive ESG programs for our partners, complete with robust workflows and transparent reporting to lower carbon emissions and reduce your risk exposure. 

                      In part two of this blog, I explore the importance of auditing your own IT resources. 

                      Author

                      Greg Bentham

                      Greg Bentham

                      Expert in Enterprise Architecture, IT Transformation