INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 19
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T I M T I M C H U R F C PA
MEET THE
EXPERTS
CHRIS CHELLIAH
D I R E C T O R , 365 A R C H I T E C H S
G R O U P V I C E P R E S I D E N T A N D C H I E F A R C H I T E C T,
CORE TECHNOLOGY AND CLOUD,
O R A C L E AS I A PA C I F I C
It has been widely stated that technology is
moving faster than it ever has, and that it will never
move slowly again. Trying to keep on top of
change is a huge challenge for large organisations,
but smaller businesses with limited resources can
find it particularly tough.
Partnering with an IT provider is important to
stay ahead of the curve, but don’t rely on them as
your only source of information for what’s ahead.
Many small businesses have already made the
journey to the cloud. As with any change, there
are risks to be mitigated as well as benefits to be
realised.
Common misconceptions are that the cloud is less
safe, less reliable or more expensive than traditional
on-premise IT systems. It is worth noting that not all
cloud technologies are the same, so it is important to
do some research first, noting that some organisations
use a multi-cloud strategy to spread their risk.
Cloud technologies generally offer an OPEX
(operating expenses) model that avoids “lumpy”
investments in technology that can typically scale up
and down with your business needs. They can also
support a work-from-anywhere model, where
communications, documents and applications all
exist in a single platform for collaboration.
Understand where your data is stored and how
it is protected from cyberthreats, while driving
efficiency through cloud automation and cloud
dashboards to become a data-driven organisation.
Train your team, attend conferences, phone a friend
and access limitless resources on the web to educate
yourself.
Businesses of all sizes are adopting cloud computing.
Many are making this move for immediate gains,
such as the ability to access business systems
remotely, receiving software updates quickly
and easily, moving spending from fixed capital
to ongoing operations, and scaling technology
infrastructure and applications seamlessly.
The goldmine is being able to free technical
staff from spending hours on system security,
provisioning, maintenance, tuning and upgrades, and
allowing them to focus on projects that will drive
business growth. The International Data Corporation
predicts that by 2023, one in two businesses around
the world will generate 40 per cent of their revenues
from digital products and services.
Whether a business is looking to innovate in order
to grow customer loyalty or to reduce supply chain
and operating costs to increase profitability, there is
almost definitely a technology solution that can help.
Look for a technology partner that fills in the gaps
– Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that you
can pick off the shelf and extend quickly, with low
or no code – but don’t do that in isolation. Look for
a cloud provider that complements these services
with data-driven infrastructure and provides tools
to drive personalisation, automation and customer
engagement.
Business leaders and IT leaders must align on
what the key business priorities are and map out
a plan to achieve those goals with tech innovation.
Cloud-based development platforms and tools help
teams quickly spin up new applications and
deploy new features in iterative steps, allowing
businesses to stay ahead of the pace of change.
Cloud technologies generally offer an OPEX (operating
expenses) model that avoids “lumpy” investments in
technology that can typically scale up and down with
your business needs. They can also support a workfrom-anywhere model, where communications,
documents and applications all exist in a single
platform for collaboration.
_
_
The goldmine is being able to free technical
staff from spending hours on system security,
provisioning, maintenance, tuning and
upgrades, and allowing them to focus on
projects that will drive business growth.
JOSEPH LYONS
Joseph Lyons has been
managing director of Xero
Australia and Asia since
July 2021, after joining the
company as executive general
manager of sales in 2019. He
has worked in roles across a
range of sectors in Australia,
the UK, the US and Canada.
Before joining Xero, he was
the chief commercial officer at
REA Group. Lyons is a member
of the Australian Institute of
Company of Directors, and has
a bachelor of management
focused on marketing from
University of South Australia.
TIM TIMCHUR FCPA
Tim Timchur leads 365
Architechs, a company
focused on cloud
technologies for small
business. He also chairs CPA
Australia’s Environmental,
Social and Governance
Centre of Excellence and is a
member of the Queensland
Divisional Council.
CHRIS CHELLIAH
Chris Chelliah is group vice
president and chief architect
for core technology and
cloud, Oracle Asia Pacific. He
has more than 24 years of
experience in the information
systems industry, 20 of them
with Oracle across different
portfolios in the AsiaPacific, Europe and North
America. He holds a degree in
computer and mathematical
sciences, with first-class
honours, from the University
of Western Australia.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 19