This document summarizes a New Zealand cloud infrastructure company's transformation journey from an infrastructure provider to a cloud services provider focused on continuous innovation. The company experienced high growth but also challenges maintaining innovation. It created a small team to focus on strategy, customer problems and value-driven solutions. The team pivoted the company to software-define its infrastructure for more efficient, automated operations and a better digital user experience. The journey included developing a new interface for all services, continuously iterating based on feedback. Challenges included maintaining vision and velocity. Learnings highlighted that people and culture are key to digital transformation, and an agile approach helps focus on continuous improvement.

1. Software Defining an Infrastructure Company -
A Transformative Journey
Mike Walls
Head of Portfolio & Professional Services – Revera

2. Disruptive change can blindside anyone, anytime

3. Our Story
Successful NZ cloud infrastructure company
• 2005 a service provider out of a storage engineering company
• 2011 an up-start beat the big boys for the AoG panel
• 2016 transact with resellers, start-ups, SMBs, banks, utilities etc.
Exponential growth
• 45%+ yoy growth
• $18M > $100M+ in ~5 years
But; there were challenges in fast paced growth!
Reduced innovation and increased chance of blind spots.
So we needed to re-focus - with two goals:
1. Get focus back on R&D and CSI – to continually innovate and transform
2. Pivot from Infrastructure to Cloud services provider and digitise transactions (CX)
.

4. Refocus to Continuously Add Value
Created a small dedicated team focused on strategy, ideation, MVP
• Removed from everyday business
• Focus on quick GTM to validate
Focus on Customer – Problem – Value – Solution
• Utilised Lean principles
- define the value proposition – lean canvas
- focus on business result and then define technology
- define & build technology by quick experimentation (MVP)
- measure success
- learn (stop or iterate)

5. The Need to Transform
Pivot from Infrastructure to a Cloud services provider and digitise transactions (CX)
• software define our infrastructure & future – orchestrate & automate
• go digital - feature rich user interface to our services
= More efficient operations
- reduce resource burden associated with manual tasks
- release resource to do more value add
= Better user experience
- end user self consume, provision, change on demand
- value-add data from dashboards and reports
But; we were an infrastructure company with an engineering mind set

6. The Journey So Far
• We developed a vision and strategy for where we wanted to go
- CEO on-board – a requirement to software define
• Developed CloudCreator as interface to all services
- continuously iterate
- client feedback & requirements
- new products & services
- used specialists when required – UX review
• Working on the next disruptor
• Created a new team – focused on software development
- name and org structure as a focal point
- used Agile as framework to build team around
- team of multi-skilled co-located people
- assigned one of us as Product Owner
- organisational Agile training
- picked some quick wins to iterate quickly with

7. Challenges
• Success = enormous backlog
• Product Owner loss = loss of vision
• Siloed SMEs = reduced velocity
• CICD not considered from start = reduced velocity
• Bi-modal MVPs often require integration back into business

8. Good Learnings
Technology is a key enabler; but
People and Culture are at the heart of DX
Agile and Lean are great tools for DX
• empower people (collaborative, self-managing, multi-skilled teams)
• focus on customer experience (canvas, prototype, UX)
• help focus on what’s important (canvas, standups, sprints)
Agile
• is not just about two week sprints – mind-set is key
• needs to plug into your organisational DNA to truly work
• requires Leadership buy-in
• Product Owners are crucial
• requires good people
DX is continuous improvement
• CSI needs to be enabled
• start small and iterate

9. Disruption can blindside the best of us
• learn from disruption to change
• comes from outside traditional parameters
• focus on ones self and those that matter
People respond to change if its impactful
• create a culture and focus
• story tell
An agile iterative process delivers
• small multi-skilled teams
• response was broken into smaller achievable
and impactful chunks
Images are powerful

10. Thanks for listening
Any Questions?

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Friday 18 November 2016
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Wednesday 23 November 2016
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8:30am Tuesday 29 November
2016 (Rangitoto 1 & 2, Level 1,
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