Orange Business Services (Orange) Industry Analyst Event Introduces the ‘Digital Dexterity’ Theme; Main Priorities Include Digital & Data, Smart Mobility, Cloud & Cyber-security Summary Orange Business Services organized its first fully virtual industry analyst event ‘Analyst Day 2020 – Digital dexterity for new value creation’ during July 8 and 9, 2020. The company leveraged an online Webinar platform to brief the analyst community on its performance during 2019 and strategy and road-map looking forward within the context of the Orange Group Engage 2025 program. In terms of a first effort for a virtual event Orange organized and ran the series of plenary presentations and breakouts very effectively. There was good access to the executive team for Q&A, the sessions ran to schedule, and there were no technical glitches experienced (at least not by this analyst!). 2019 - a Year in Review Orange Business Services grew its overall revenue during 2019 by +1% to achieve €7.8 billion compared with the previous year 2018. During the course of 2019, Orange focused on its core network assets business, as well as four specific growth domains, namely:
Orange Group Engage 2025 Program The ‘Engage 2025’ model is about reinventing the operator model. Engage 2025 is also about co-creation for a future proof company and delivering global digital equality. Orange Business Services is shaping its strategy in accordance with the Group level objective of concentrating on AI and data as focal points for innovation. The Orange Group sees the B2B opportunity as strategically important with good potential, and aims to back the Orange Business Services business unit to accelerate growth. Additional areas that the Orange Group aims to support and achieve accelerated growth include the Africa/Mid-East region; and mobile financial services. Sustainable growth for the Orange Business Services B2B activity will see priority development in the following product and service areas:
Future Roadmap & Strategic Directions
Integration and Services Orange’s Multisourcing Integration (MSI) program has made strong progress in the market, and the company intends to grow its pipeline and capabilities. Consulting is also an area where the service provider expects growth, and it has strong credentials in terms of qualified and experience professionals to help deliver. Operational Technology (OT) is an area that Orange believes it can capitalize upon, especially as manufacturers migrate towards Industry 4.0, as well as other opportunities in Smart Mobility (connected car, smart city, etc.). Orange is in a strong existing position to bolster its OT position, leveraging existing market entrenchment in IIoT and cellular connectivity solutions, and proven skill-sets and consulting expertise. Orange Business Services has grown its MSI business very successfully and Clavem Research believes the ambition to further grow the MSI pipeline is highly feasible. However Orange will face increasing competition from large SIs, as well as other telcos and market disruptors. HPE for example now has a strong SD-WAN capability through its acquisition of Silver Peak, which will increase the competitive pressure on Orange in the network integration segment. The combination of Aruba and Silver Peak within HPE gives the MNC segment attractive integrated network and cloud transformation options including edge-to-cloud networking for wired, wireless LAN and WAN connectivity. Orange can highlight its network assets as a differentiator. Meanwhile other providers such as Cato Networks are making aggressive plays on SASE. Aryaka is flexing its muscles with partnerships: including cooperation with 8x8 to offer UC, a new agreement with Check Point for integrated security with SD-WAN-as-a-Service, and a relationship with Alibaba Cloud giving access to new markets in China and internationally. Covid-19 Highlights Orange Business Services did not pause in its activities to provide and support its customers when most of Europe and other parts of the world were in lock-down. Moreover, Orange did not furlough any staff. Ongoing business continuity was an objective from the outset, whilst Orange Healthcare and mobility solutions and AI/data skill-sets proved to be very important to help control the impact of the pandemic. Orange Business Services took positive initiative to add capacity to its network to support the new dynamic of remote working (WFH – work from home) as well as upgrading and strengthening bot security and cloud platforms. Looking forward, Orange thinks that the virus will change the way we do business and in response it will focus on the following areas to deliver service to clients in the post-Covid-19 world: Analyst Opinion
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorJoel Stradling, Founder & Lead Analyst Archives
November 2020
|