Judges Choice Awards 2024 www.acquisition-international.com • Judges Choice Awards 2024 Featured:
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Contents 4 KCStrengthsHUB: Sustained Excellence in Pharmaceutical Talent Strategy & Employee Engagement 5 BlueBlox GmbH: Sustained Excellence in Pharmaceutical Talent Strategy & Employee Engagement 6 Treesition: Sustained Excellence in Ethical Agroforestry Investments 7 RpDoc Solutions GmbH: Sustained Excellence in Drug Therapy Solutions 8 Energy Drive Srl: Sustained Excellence in Solar Energy Advancements 9 Data Regulation - Time for Businesses to Take Their Head-Out-of-the-Sand 10 Digital Infrastructure Strategy: Comparing On-Premises with Cloud and Colocation 6 4 8
4 | Acquisition International, Judges Choice Awards 2024 Sustained Excellence in Pharmaceutical Talent Strategy & Employee Engagement KCStrengthsHUB Awarded with Best Pharma Talent & Strategy Specialist Company from Corporate Vision for two consecutive years prior to 2024, KCStrengthsHUB has been one to watch for many years. Winning an esteemed award in our Judges Choice Awards 2024 from Acquisition International, KCStrengthsHUB has added yet another accolade to its roster. We take a closer look at this multi-award-winning business as its dedication to excellence continues to impress. Contact: Keith Webster Company: KCStrengthsHUB Web Address: https://www.strengthshub.com/kchome1 KCStrengthsHUB is a leading Pharma talent strategy and engagement company serving a high volume of global clients within the pharmaceutical industry. Its exceptional products, including the signature Team Performance Accelerator (TPA®), promise and deliver enhanced performance for pharmaceutical teams, thereby contributing to the overall health and wellbeing of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry. KCStrengthsHUB utilizes its extensive knowledge and experience to help its customers cultivate environments conducive to growth, high engagement, and exceptional performance in the global pharmaceutical workplace. Recognizing that a high-performing team mindset can sometimes lead to stress and burnout, KCStrengthsHUB emphasizes viewing each team member as an individual with unique needs. This approach is a core differentiator for the company. KCStrengthsHUB ensures that teams not only work hard to achieve their goals but also do so in a balanced and efficient manner, minimizing pressure and preventing burnout. By focusing on sustainable high performance, the company contributes to the vital research,development, and results provided by the pharmaceutical industry. KCStrengthsHUB has collaborated with numerous executives and business unit leaders across various functions within the industry, including Commercial, Medical, Market Access, HR, Financial, and Legal. The company has significantly improved employee and customer engagement, wellbeing, and performance for companies such as AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Ipsen, Kyowa Kirin, Merck, Takeda, Upjohn, Pfizer, and Viatris. For seven years, KCStrengthsHUB has excelled in transforming underperforming teams and elevating good teams to greatness, making this transformation its forte. Through coaching leaders to cultivate highperforming teams with a strong sense of belonging, KCStrengthsHUB consistently enhances the employee experience within pharmaceutical organizations. Its world-class onboarding product is particularly effective, accelerating new employees’ integration and fostering a sense of belonging more quickly. The TPA® and Organisational Performance Accelerator (OPA™) products emphasize mindset, behaviors, and results, enabling practical measures for internal culture improvement and team growth. These products help organizations do more than reach their potential—they enable them to exceed expectations entirely. KCStrengthsHUB actively works to improve the mindsets of individuals in its customers’ teams, fostering satisfying careers, highperforming teamwork, and excellent wellbeing across all partnered businesses. As the creator of the TPA® and OPA™ products, Founder and Director Keith Webster takes pride in collaborating with organizations to enhance efficiency, talent, onboarding, and engagement. The company’s dedication to the pharmaceutical industry has led to numerous success stories, reflecting its effectiveness in achieving its mission. Positive feedback from clients under- scores KCStrengthsHUB’s commitment to team improvement. Mark Bray, National Sales Manager at Accord Healthcare, highlighted the uniqueness and value of KCStrengthsHUB’s products in enhancing teamwork, engagement and performance. Rosalina de Abreu, Associate Director and Eye Care Portfolio Lead at AbbVie, praised the company’s ability to help her team achieve high performance by understanding and leveraging individual strengths, ultimately fostering a common language and commitment within the team. Keith Webster attributes KCStrengthsHUB’s sustained impact and success to its core team of world-class coaches, including Sarah Hayes and Tracy Phillips, as well as other significant contributors. This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of the team across the UK and Europe. As a dual citizen, Keith is proud to have established KCStrengthsHUB (Ireland) Limited and is excited to expand into Switzerland. The goal is to deliver the same impactful products that have succeeded in the UK and Europe to pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, continuing the mission of excellence in talent strategy and employee engagement. KCStrengthsHUB’s success is a testament to its innovative approach to team performance and individual wellbeing. By focusing on strengths and fostering a balanced work environment, the company helps pharmaceutical teams achieve remarkable results without succumbing to the pressures that typically accompany high performance. Through its products and personalized coaching, KCStrengthsHUB continues to make a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry, enhancing levels of engagement and performance around the world. The company’s steadfast commitment to improving teams and pharma organisations, globally, ensures that it will remain a pivotal player in the industry for years to come, driving excellence and innovation in talent strategy and employee engagement. KCStrengthsHUB has recently been recognised in our inaugural Judges Choice Awards 2024 and we can’t wait to see its positive influence continue to strengthen teams everywhere for the years to come.
Judges Choice Awards 2024, Acquisition International | 5 Sustained Excellence in Trade Compliance Consulting rade and customs compliance is a must in today’s global marketplace. With countless businesses across the world carrying out their operations on an international scale, what arises is a host of complex issues concerning the requirements for goods in different countries, something that can ultimately make or break a small business or cause enormous losses for a multinational organisation, if not navigated swiftly and effectively. What is required then is an encompassing partner like BlueBlox. Having supported hundreds of companies in more than 160 countries worldwide, Swiss-headquartered BlueBlox empowers businesses as they navigate this complicated trade landscape, ensuring compliance in the import and export of their goods. The winning combination of its end-to-end solutions and international expertise, such as a deep knowledge of the trade in approximately 85 different countries, sees the firm provide its clients with tailored resolutions to these problems, ensuring a seamless journey of goods across borders. Bolstered by the powerful belief that “true sustainable empowerment will be achieved when the government, business, and education sectors work together in unison through trade and not aid”, it is the mission of BlueBlox to create a world of freedom, opportunity, and empowerment. This can be seen further in its core values, which consist of serving with excellence, living with integrity, and working with compassion. By deploying this remarkable strategy on the world’s stage, the company is well on its way to achieving this goal. Working closely with everything from start-up businesses and local import/exporters right through to global manufacturers, BlueBlox is committed to supporting businesses of all shapes and sizes across every industry. By approaching every project from the perspective of a client, the team disrupt normal industry standards and seek a winwin solution that is equal parts efficient and sustainable. This extends beyond the client to include all parties, such as the countries involved in the trade. As Dorothy herself puts it, “We have not tried and tested this approach once or twice. For more than a decade, we have demonstrated its success across numerous countries, varying jurisdictions, and different cultures and languages. When it comes to resolving cross border trade challenges, the BlueBlox approach works, and the great thing about it is that anybody can do it.” Some impressive numbers back up this claim, with more than 2,220 compliance disputes settled, almost 60 regulations improved, and more than 40 rulings secured. Much of BlueBlox’s success can be attributed to its team, a group of individuals without whom the business would be unable to function effectively or achieve the sustainable growth that it does. A collective effort and collaboration have proven instrumental in the company succeeding, and its dedication to continuous growth and expanding the knowledge of its team is standing it in good stead for the future, a period set to be defined by further advancements that will strengthen the company’s legacy and stature in the trade compliance consulting and trade mediation space. Commenting on one such upcoming project, Dorothy explains, “we have spent the greater part of the last decade building a database of information that is required to trade effectively and compliantly.” She continues, “The BlueBlox Trade Repository is a new product that we have launched this year, and sharing this product with the industry is a dream come true.” The Trade Repository is designed to offer traders easy access to vital trade information and resources, providing everything from country legislation to sample shipping documents. Serving as everything from an IOR and EOR advisory through to a service supply chain design and implementation firm, BlueBlox GmbH is being recognised for its outstanding effort in the field of trade compliance consulting, an area for which our judges have noted its sustained excellence and steadfast commitment. Contact Details Contact: Dorothy Diedericks Company: BlueBlox GmbH Web Address: http://www.blueblox.ch Trade Compliance Advisory firm, BlueBlox GmbH, has been operating for a decade, specialised in Service Supply Chain design and implementation, with a focus on Africa, the Middle East, and the Eastern European regions. Working with industry giants and navigating them through complex trade barriers, the business’ holistic services include trade compliance consulting, trade mediation, trade training, trade performance and IOR & EOR Advisory. We catch up with Founder and CEO Dorothy Diedricks for more. T We truly believe that the practical information and guidelines provided within the Trade Repository will assist businesses by providing them with a framework of what information is needed to trade successfully in a specific country. “ ”
6 | Acquisition International, Judges Choice Awards 2024 Apr24741 Sustained Excellence in Ethical Agroforestry Investments Treesition ounded in 2021, Treesition has developed a way in which individuals can simultaneously make money and help to improve our planet. After witnessing the damage being done to the environment, Daniel devised a sustainable model that would have the largest environmentally friendly impact whilst holding the largest appeal to investors. “Our work integrates innovative agricultural practices to produce high-quality wood while enhancing biodiversity and improving soil health. We aim to provide a sustainable source of wood and offer financial products that allow investors to contribute to environmental sustainability,” Daniel explains. The company offers two investment models to its clients – the SereniTree and the LiberTree. Clients that choose the SereniTree model will spend €50 to purchase a Paulownia tree and can recover up to €65 over a ten-year cycle, giving them a 30% return. Clients wanting to invest a larger sum can opt for the LiberTree model, in which they invest €130 to receive a return value of up to 200% over the same ten-year period. The difference of return rate is explained by the fact that with LiberTree, the investment is exposed to tree growth fluctuation and wood market which add risks to the solution. Investments take place over maximum ten years to represent the complete growth cycle of a tree, from the initial planting stage to the final cut. The company will plant the tree in the client’s chosen region, between France, Belgium, or Spain, and will look after the tree until it hits maturity. The trees are planted onto plots owned by famers, who see both financial benefits from the scheme but also the environmental benefits of introducing more trees to their farmland. The Paulownia tree is a versatile species that brings numerous financial and ecological advantages to Treesition’s investment model. The species has a large capacity for CO² absorption and oxygen production and promotes biodiversity by sheltering many insects within its leaves. Paulownia trees are adaptable and can withstand various European climate conditions, making it the perfect species for Treesition. Not only that, but the Paulownia is made of light and resistant semiprecious wood that is often used in construction, cabinetmaking, and in manufacturing musical instruments. This range of applications means that investors have a better chance of a higher return on investment, especially considering the tree’s high rate of growth. Treesition’s heavy focus on the Paulownia tree is exactly what makes the company so unique. Combined with a distinctive business model that allows investors to engage directly with their investments, Treesition offers its clients the opportunity to witness the impact of their contributions to the environment. The company takes this a step further, seeking to educate the public about ecologically responsible investing. Through active engagement, such as workshops, webinars, and site visits, Treesition educates clients on sustainable timer production. “Treesition serves a diverse clientele ranging from individual ecoconscious investors to institutional stakeholders interested in sustainable projects. Our approach is consultative and educational; we focus on demonstrating the environmental and financial benefits of agroforestry,” Daniel says. Of course, the company’s commitment to the environment is a direct reflection of the hardworking team at Treesition, and their enthusiasm for the mission. Treesition encourages a culture of continuous learning and improvement, ensuring that team members are both professional and passionate about what they do. With extensive research and training, the company is continually improving and growing. “Our staff are the backbone of Treesition. They play a critical role, not only in our day-to-day operations, but also in driving our vision of integrating sustainable practices with profitable returns. From the field workers managing agroforestry operations to our financial analysists devising eco-investment products, each member contributes uniquely to our ecosystem,” Daniel tells us proudly. Most recently, the company has celebrated the launch of its Green Canopy initiative, which involves the extensive planting of hybrid Paulownia trees across new sites in Europe. This will boost wood production whilst increasing biodiversity and soil quality in the new sites. Looking ahead, Daniel tells us that Treesition plans to expand the Green Canopy initiative to North America, allowing the company to explore more territories for future expansion. What’s more, the company plans to extend its model to cover avocado trees, with returns based on the fruit production. We look forward to seeing what is next for Treesition, as the company continues to provide exemplary green investment opportunities that benefit our pocket and our planet. Contact: Daniel Dos Santos Company: Treesition Web Address: https://treesition.com/ Located in Sautin, Treesition is a unique business that provides green investment opportunities through promoting agroforestry. Specialising in Paulownia trees, Treesition focuses on the cultivation and management of environmentally impactful agroforestry. Company Founder and CEO Daniel Dos Santos tells us more. F
Judges Choice Awards 2024, Acquisition International | 7 The company has had endless success in its mission to support medication management. Clients report that the introduction of RpDoc Solutions’ software has greatly benefited their practice. For example hospitals have been primarily using paperwork for the medical process, leaving room for error. Now, hospitals can implement RpDoc Solutions’ software, so the medication process can become streamlined. Data is now available in one place, which all authorised members of staff can access, making the entire process much safer and more efficient. Its efficacy has certainly been recognised, as RpDoc Solutions was awarded the first prize for Patient Safety by the German Patient Safety Action Alliance, as well as achieving first place for the MSD Health Award. RpDoc Solutions is revolutionising the world of medication management, easing the process for professionals and patients alike. For displaying such clear innovation, the company rightfully features in our Judges Choice Awards 2024. We commend the company for its continuous efforts to support and manage responsible drug therapies and look forward to another year of prosperity for RpDoc Solutions. Contact: Simone Grandt Company: RpDoc Solutions GmbH Email address: s.grandt@rpdoc.de Web Address: www.rpdoc.de Sustained Excellence in Drug Therapy Solutions Founded in 2003, RpDoc Solutions has been dedicated to developing and distributing software solutions for the optimisation of dug therapy safety and processes for outpatient, inpatient, and cross-sector usage. The company provides a wide range of support to healthcare professionals, including medication safety software, support for providing responsible drug therapy, and medication management tools. “RpDoc Solutions develops and implements solutions for supporting the quality, safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of drug therapy in all sectors of care. Evidence based clinical decision support focused on clinical relevance is a key feature, as well as using the routine data of health insurance companies to support healthcare professionals and patients,” Simone says. RpDoc Solutions offers its services to all professionals within the care sector, though Simone notes that the company’s main client base consists of physicians, pharmacists, hospitals, and health insurance companies. RpDoc Solutions has established a solid reputation across the industry as a reputable business that produces top-notch solutions. Simone tells us, “Our products are based on extensive expertise of the drug treatment process, a unique set of algorithms, and a proprietary database for clinical decision support.” The Hospital Future Act, or Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz, was introduced in 2020 with the aim of accelerating the digitalisation of the German health care system. This investment programme was designed to promote digital processes in hospitals and provide them with essential, modern equipment. While the initiative is imperative to the correct functioning of the care industry, it can also be a daunting and complex change. The software produced by RpDoc Solutions is compliant with the criteria of the digitalisation projects one, four, five, and nine of the Hospital Future Act. Not only do RpDoc Solutions provide healthcare professionals with IT-supported process optimisation, but it also provides continuous consultation following the solution. The experts at RpDoc Solutions are on hand to offer training, support, and regular inventories to ensure that the solution continues to benefit both the business and its clients. It has been noted across the industry that the incorrect combination of drugs is a well-documented cause of preventable harm to patients. What’s worse, only one in two prescription errors are detected without the use of electronic support. To combat this, RpDoc Solutions has introduced the SafetyScan, a system designed to prevent up to 80% of prescription errors. SafetyScan has been approved as a Class 1 medical device and works by displaying the relevant medical knowledge related to the drug therapy, dosages, and patient information such as age, gender, kidney function, and medical history. SafetyScan does not provide therapy suggestions, rather provide all the needed information in a digestible manner that allows for the healthcare professional to make an informed decision. “RpDoc Software is the only software for which a significant reduction of mortality of patients with polypharmacy has been proven in a prospective randomised trial,” Simone tells us. Based in Saarbrucken, RpDoc Solutions is an industry leader, specialising in the development and distribution of solutions that support responsible drug therapy across all care sectors. As the company is named in the Judges Choice Awards 2024, CEO Simone Grandt tells us more.
8 | Acquisition International, Judges Choice Awards 2024 Sustained Excellence in Solar Energy Advancements Planet Earth. Our home. A home that, over time, we have mistreated and let fall into disarray, if unintentionally. Thankfully, it isn’t too late to pick up the pieces and rebuild what we once had, and nobody believes this more than Energy Drive. Bringing together managers, professionals, and entrepreneurs with a mutual aim to protect and restore the environment, Energy Drive is a solar energy organisation that presents people with tangible solutions and energy benefits. Join us as we explore how, for the past fifteen years, Energy Drive has been reimagining the art of sustainable solar energy installation. Contact: Giampaolo Pavone Company: Energy Drive Srl Web Address: https://www.energydrive.eu/ Born from the vision of individuals who, to this day, remain aligned with the goal of safeguarding the wellbeing of our planet, Energy Drive is a specialist in leveraging technology for the sake of our environment. Since its inception back in 2009, the collective has developed into an organisation that actively encourages people to venture through life with the environment in mind. Leveraging an innovative approach, combined with the expertise of its highly experienced team, Energy Drive has championed the solar market with its flexible, long-term, and undeniably dynamic products and approaches. Spanning four offices – namely in Milan, Rome, Naples, and Cagliari – Energy Drive is able to offer both products and services that have been meticulously designed with clients’ needs in mind. In its own words – “We contribute to improving the quality of life of families and companies by offering integrated energy self-sufficiency solutions. We offer free energy consultancy to evaluate all the possibilities for making homes and businesses greener.” Partnered with Energy Drive’s unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service, the collective continuously succeeds in crafting solutions that revolve around safeguarding the planet’s climatic balance in a convenient and accessible way. As a renewable energy specialist based in Italy, Energy Drive not only benefits from its reach, but also from the area’s Smart Centres. Designed to optimise and assist the assets of both active and potential customers alike, the Smart Centre acts as a service centre that capably dispatches presales and post-sales support to the energy, mobility, domotics, water, and greet building sectors. In essence, this makes it possible to view various technologies, and even share personalised savings projects with specialised personnel in the pursuit of finding qualified assistance. Ultimately, this ensures that each client receives the most for their money, guaranteeing that every investment is worth its weight in gold. From the moment it entered onto the scene, Energy Drive hoped to be a dependable company upon which clients could rely in regard to their solar energy needs. Following this framework has enabled the collective to position itself as an E.S.Co. (Energy Service Company) and Benefit Society. In doing so, it can consistently deliver meaningful sustainable solutions to all manner of individuals, all while trying to mend the bond between humanity and nature. However, being an E.S.Co. doesn’t force Energy Drive to only focus on this community-wide empowerment – it also grants it the opportunity to offer the integrated design, installation, maintenance, and management of a variety of systems. Put simply, Energy Drive has spent countless hours shaping itself into a company for the people and the planet, and it’s clear that this work has certainly paid off. In recent years, saving energy has never been more integral. Between the decline of our planet’s health and the surge of energy costs, people are searching far and wide for solutions that are built to last. Thankfully, entities such as Energy Drive have stepped up to the mark, allowing families and business owners to access services that align with their sustainability goals. Through the application of its products and solutions, Energy Drive hopes that it can encourage the pursuit of a better tomorrow, and it’s for this very reason that we at Acquisition International are delighted to feature it among our Judges Choice Awards 2024. We can’t wait to monitor Energy Drive’s continued impact as we progress toward the future of green energy.
Judges Choice Awards 2024, Acquisition International | 9 Data Regulation - Time for Businesses to Take Their Head-Out-of-the-Sand Mark Roebuck, DPO and Founder of ProvePrivacy explains how companies struggling to keep up with data regulation adherence demands should look to internal Data Champions. For companies of all sizes, across all sectors, the prospect of keeping up-to-date and adhering to an increasingly complex data regulatory landscape is a daunting one. For those organisations in highly regulated sectors, such as the public sector, education and legal, the pressure to adhere and to ensure that staff understand the nature of compliance and their role in it means it can appear to be an almost impossible task. As a result, organisations are sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the issue. The problem is it will not get any better and in fact is likely to get more complex. The varying cost of adherence Companies are struggling to work out how they can afford to put into place the processes needed to ensure adherence. This cost comes in a variety of forms. Budgetary restraints impact not just smaller firms but enterprise level too. The implementation of new technology or the management of legacy systems that are needed to conform to regulation can be a costly, but necessary step. Equally ‘time’ can be a cost that most companies are struggling to come to terms with. This can particularly be the case with SMEs which lack the internal resources to ensure adherence. However, this can also be the case for public sector organisations who often struggle with reduced budgets and the ability to attract the necessary staff. Remembering why regulations are implemented in the first place These logistical and financial costs make this seem too big a task for most companies to even contemplate. Even for those attempting to adhere, the temptation to treat the road to compliance as a tick-box exercise is understandable. However, it is important to remember why regulations are introduced in the first place. Regulations are designed and introduced to confront a particular need or threat that is impacting companies and customers. Therefore, regarding them purely as a tick-box exercise to secure adherence means that companies are missing the point and putting data and customers at risk. The tick-box route also means that once adherence is secured it tends to be forgotten about, thought of as a completed task, allowing the IT team and the company as a whole can take their ‘foot off the gas’. In reality, regulation has to be an ongoing process. Current methods mean it is hard for companies to ‘Excel’ at adherence Alongside the ongoing process of data regulation adherence companies are also struggling with their current regulation solutions. Many are still utilising Excel forms, which whilst recording information cannot be regarded as an effective method of ensuring ongoing adherence nor ensuring data security. Equally, whilst Excel can be used as a risk register, it does not allow companies to identify and subsequently manage risk as part of the same solution, which stifles the adoption of Excel as a holistic solution. We have seen that the result of a data breach can be disastrous and the number of organisations being impacted is rising. A Government report highlighted that half of businesses (50 percent) and around a third of charities (32 percent) reported having experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last twelve months. This rises to much higher levels for medium-sized businesses (70 percent) and even higher for large companies (74 percent). So, with more organisations than ever being impacted by data breaches so the cost of a breach also increases. Research has found the average cost of a data breach in the UK averaged at an incredible £3.4 million. Add to this more research, this time from security company Egress which shows that four-in-ten employees have been sacked as a result of email security breaches it is clear that the consequence of a data breach has never been more costly, for customers, organisations or employees. The cost of a breach means that Excel and similar programs are no longer effective ways of monitoring security and adherence to regulations. Equally, companies have to take their heads out of the sand hoping the issue will go away – the cost is too high. Data Champions It is not all bad news though. Some companies are turning to solutions that help ensure data protection risks are captured and addressed as well as ensuring compliance is part of everyday work. At the heart of successful compliance are people. Utilising the organisational design of a company and working intimately with employees, by making them ‘Data Champions’ organisations can empower staff to take responsibility for adherence. Too often companies place the responsibility on one person or department to ensure compliance. However, Data Champions working in specific departments throughout an organisation can have a much better overview of where the risk lies and what needs to be implemented to close vulnerabilities. Making compliance a part of everyday life or as it’s sometimes known ‘data protection by design and default’, means that it becomes a much more manageable task, rather than a daunting one. Alongside this, implementing a solution that can help manage the policies brought in to deal with data protection risks (and also keep a record of who owns the policies as well as, crucially, who has read and understood the policies) means that suddenly companies have a more accurate and comprehensive overview of how the company sits in terms of its adherence to regulation. So, with Data Champions in place, a solution that allows an overview on one dashboard of risks, reports and policies and adherence part of everyday tasks, keeping all staff members advised on what the latest threats look like and what their role is in ongoing compliance is a logical next step. Education is a key element of adherence. Data Champions can speak to their specific teams to ensure that each member knows what risks impact their department and so data protection by design and default naturally comes into being. Regulations are not going to go away, in fact for many sectors the regulatory landscape is going to get more complicated and rigorous. Therefore, turning to affordable solutions that can help ensure compliance, whilst empowering employees to take responsibility and keeping data safe is a sensible choice. The increasingly complex regulatory landscape means businesses have to confront the challenges of adhering to compliance
Judges Choice Awards 2024, Acquisition International | 10 Migrating to serviced offices Businesses that are experiencing growth or are already at a mediumsized level, tend to be already discussing their next steps. Usually driven by the increase in energy prices, higher borrowing, operational costs, and evolving work patterns, they tend to reassess their property portfolios. One focus has been the migration to serviced offices. Lambert Smith Hampton, Commercial property specialist cites Mordor Intelligence forecasting: “that the UK market will grow by 8% per year during 2022-27.” There also been an ‘exceptional rise in demand’, for flexible offices in the UK, according to Savills reports. It also highlights that the increased demand has led to an increase in prices by 15% and enquiries are up by 17%. Despite that, issues have begun to arise with serviced offices. With critical business technology being operated within a shared space, restrictions have emerged. First off, serviced offices are rarely equipped with the necessary infrastructure and connectivity to host high-growth company needs. The power supply is shared throughout the entire building and can therefore be insufficient. Also, connectivity options and data management capabilities tend to be at a bare minimum. Shared offices also lack the necessary physical and cyber security assets. With the demand in costs, a serviced office typically has less physical security than a data centre and on-site staff aren’t comprehensively trained in cyber-security. From a technological Digital Infrastructure Strategy: Comparing On-Premises with Cloud and Colocation When it comes to digital infrastructure, deciding between utilising either ‘on-premises’ or cloud remains to be a divide amongst all business decision makers and both sides have their benefits, depending on which way you look at it. Considering cloud for example, its often believed to be a runaway success. The UK Regulator Ofcom had produced a report into the domestic cloud service market and noted that the UK cloud infrastructure market is expanding, with overall revenues increasing from a rate of 35% to 40% annually. Despite that, Synergy analysts have discovered that by 2027, enterprise data centres will still account for more than a quarter of data centre capacity. This year, there were 350 UK IT leaders involved in a 2024 research project, which recorded 93% of its respondents who have been involved with a cloud repatriation project in the last three years. Furthermore, 25% of those businesses have already migrated half or more of their cloud-based workloads back to an ‘on-premises’ infrastructure. However, for many businesses, especially those experiencing growth, SMEs and medium-sized enterprises, the reality is there are two types of ‘on-premises’ infrastructures. Some businesses (usually within technology) will host their own data internally within their own data centre and there are others that will host their entire IT infrastructure within their own office. The latter group of companies are often seeking solutions to manage their servers and treat it as a critical asset which they need to protect.
Judges Choice Awards 2024, Acquisition International | 11 perspective, serviced offices are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks because they use less secure connections to keep the costs low. Finally, serviced offices have limited space for businesses looking to grow. By having a limitation on room-size, this can restrict business attempts to scale their IT infrastructure, because their office operators need to prioritise space for furniture etc. Colocation data centre When it comes to digital infrastructure, serviced offices often bring challenges for high-growth businesses. It is difficult for them to operate their own, expensive property facility or carry their everexpanding infrastructure with them. On the other hand, businesses can experience a lack of control over their own technologies, so are forced to reduce their control over systems, and key processes. Then there is the case of growth not being a ‘one time deal’ for businesses. It goes beyond legacy on-site strategies, expansions and adapting their infrastructure with every opening of a new facility. With a colocation centre, businesses can move their IT infrastructure, while focusing on their growth and agility. Firstly, businesses can exploit a flexible office space to move, optimising their capital expenditure (CAPEX) investment and operational expenditure (OPEX), by acquiring the minimum they need. In context, this is often a complete migration to OPEX as businesses seek to release themselves of expensive liabilities. The increased agility can fuel businesses to expand their operations. They also receive reassurance of greater security, and as they evolve, their colocation partner can also advocate a wider range of suppliers in connectivity, and ecosystems. Business operations can become more resilient as the colocations provides managed connectivity, power and cooling issues which can assist their sustainability concerns. The issue however for businesses, is finding the right colocation partner who are local to them, available for support across the UK and can deliver transparency at a reasonable price. However, once a business finds a suitable colocation supplier, than they can benefit by splitting their IT infrastructure into a dedicated colocation space and benefit with the best of both worlds. They can gain an optimal operation focus with more control over costs and greater flexibility to grow. Adopting an interconnected approach To optimise any IT infrastructure migration, businesses need to clarify their approach within the decision-making process. They can do that in five simple steps: 1. Establish what the data is going to be used for and thus, the primary attributes in successfully managing it. Is speed of access the top concern? Or security? Or real-time analysis? Consider scalability, business continuity and disaster recovery. 2. Define the technologies that will most effectively serve these key purposes. Technically, this means assessing space, power, cooling, and connectivity requirements and accounting for data volume, bandwidth, and downtime. 3. Find and connect with suppliers in those spaces that are prepared to become real partners. In a digital, data-driven age, the software and infrastructure a business is built on, matters. Tour facilities and develop service level agreements (SLAs). 4. Develop a detailed migration plan that anticipates delays and establishes clear definitions of success. Install and configure hardware to achieve this, spanning routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers and virtualization platforms and hypervisors if applicable. 5. Keep on eye on the future: embracing data and taking steps towards managing and optimising it, typically accelerates growth for a business. As such, businesses must ensure that any strategy to put the data in the right place now, does not mean it is in the wrong place tomorrow.
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