2017
Thomas Dübendorfer, SICTIC Identity crisis – who are you, really?
Guy Lachappelle, Basler Kantonalbank Anytime, anywhere
Walter Strametz, CTO, ti&m ti&m channel suite goes blockchain
Matthias Plattner, UBS Digital aikido in the finance industry
Our digital identities – let’s get personal
ti&m special
Dear Reader,
Who are you, really? Yes, you, the person looking at this booklet. This question that comes up so rarely in analogue media is truly part of the fabric of our digital world. Anonymous consumption is now a thing of the past. Today’s Internet wants to know who it’s dealing with. But this raises some important questions: how do I want to be perceived as a person or compa-ny, and to whom do I want to show or dis-close which parts of my identity? In this 2017 edition of ti&m special, we will, as al-ways, get to the heart of the topic with a wide range of articles and opinions from world-class experts.
Security and trustIt’s a situation we have all been in. All you want to do is transfer some money, but in order to do that, you have to jump through the hoops of a complicated login proce-dure. You might even need some extra hardware alongside your username and password that, of course, you don’t have to hand. Annoying, yes, but by no means a worst-case scenario.
Because usability and security are one as-pect of your personal identity – general availabil-ity is another. Imagine for a second that you were unable to access the digital world for just one week. No online banking, no making spontaneous plans on Facebook, no music from your streaming provider and having to actually call the takeaway to order your pizza.
Our digital identities – let’s get personalEditorial by Thomas Wüst, CEO and founder of ti&m AG
This dependency we have is going to grow even more signifi-cantly over the next few years as the key trend within the world of digitalization is and remains the digitalization of the customer relationship, or more generally, the digitalization of touchpoints. Every point of contact between people, between companies,
between companies and people, or – continuing on from last year’s topic – between things on the Internet, requires each of the parties participating to know with whom they are in-teracting.
Here at ti&m, personal identity already plays an impor-tant role within our product portfolio. With the ti&m security
suite for secure and simple authentication, and ti&m dig-ital onboarding to assist with this complex process
between companies and their customers, we of-fer an excellent foundation for digital customer
relationships.
The digital brandFor companies, there is also a much larger challenge here that goes beyond these traditional aspects of security: how do I dig-
italize my value proposition, and how do I transport and transform
my brand for the digital world? It’s no longer just about authentication; it’s
about the company's perception on the market, the core of its business.
Digitalization is therefore a busi-ness strategy, not (just) an IT strategy. And it has different objectives. Where back office efficiency was once the
Editorial 2017
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main goal of an IT strategy, a digitalization strategy focuses on the development and positioning of new services based on new technologies, such as blockchain, deep learning and big data. This, in turn, involves deep, far-reaching transformations within almost every department of a company, giving it a new profile and changing perceptions – creating a new, digital identity.
Agility and speed through local collaborationAt ti&m, we have been guiding companies on this journey for more than 10 years. And if we have learned one thing for certain, it’s that no path is quite like any other. Each company has to find its own, individual route to its digital identity. This realization has, in turn, shaped our own identity as a consultancy and software developer. We work in multifunctional teams who support our customers with expertise covering every aspect of the journey, from the initial idea, through the design and development stages, and on to the production of the final software. This requires us to work incredibly closely with our customers, integrating them into our creative and development processes. And that only works if we can be on site and communicate directly across every disci-pline. Taking all of these aspects into account, we developed our formula for successful innovation:
excellent people + speed + agility + vertical integration = innovation.
I hope that these articles inspire you with new and exciting ideas about the wide-ranging concept of digital identity. We believe that it is a topic with no simple solutions and answers – that is, a topic worth discussing. Here at ti&m, we are more than happy to discuss it with you, and look forward to hearing your feedback.
With digital regards, Thomas Wüst
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Interview18 “Branding is like a soap bubble” Simon Neuner, Head of Marketing & Communications, Helsana
30 Change from within Birgit Storz, Consultant, Egon Zehnder
44 “The brand is like a lighthouse” Karin Baltisberger, Head of Corporate Communications, Mobiliar
49 Facets of “true” identity Fiona Könz, artist
Vision6 Identity crisis – who are you, really? Thomas Dübendorfer, President of the Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC)
8 Customers and the digital village square Rolf Olmesdahl, CIO Raiffeisen Schweiz
22 Digital aikido in the finance industry Matthias Plattner, Head Technology & Processes, Global Financial Intermediaries, UBS
36 Robot identities Thomas Ankenbrand, FinTech specialist, Lucerne University
46 The value of identity Harald Böttcher, Principal Security, ti&m
Market & Trends12 Long live the gaming instinct! Jost Schweinfurther, UI/UX Designer, ti&m
14 Anytime, anywhere Guy Lachappelle, President of Basler Kantonalbank
20 ti&m channel suite goes blockchain Walter Strametz, CTO, ti&m; Michele Forte, Principal ti&m
26 Are you a mind reader? Dorian Tanase, Lead Engineer, ti&m; Alem Filli, Senior Software Engineer, ti&m
38 Strong digital identity for start-ups Patrick Siegenthaler, Director Sales, Qumram
48 Because they know who we are Linard Campell, Head of Digitalization & Business Development, ARGUS der Presse
Content
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ti&m – We digitalize your business.ti&m stands for technology, innovation, and management. We are market leaders in digitalization and security products as well as for innovation projects in Switzerland and EU financial centers. We offer our discerning clients vertical integration throughout the IT value chain. At our branches in Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, and Frankfurt am Main, we currently employ over 270 outstanding engineers, designers, and consultants. And further branches in Europe will follow. The basis of our growth is our strength and values: courage, a wealth of ideas, agility, and entrepreneurial flair, coupled with sustainability and Swissness.
50 Networked world – Networked identities Thomas Moretti, CEO, Reto Scagnetti, Head of Sales; QuoVadis Trustlink Schweiz
54 Digital, mobile, individual and automated Hansjörg Leichsenring, Editor, Der Bank Blog [The Bank Blog]
Experience11 Who am I – and if so, how many? Lars Minth, Program Director “IAM Bund”
16 Digitalizing the customer relationship Stefan Rüesch, Head Digital Banking, ti&m; René Konrad, Head Products, Member Board of Directors, ti&m
25 hack an app uncovers talent Tanja Beeler, Marketing Professional, ti&m
32 Secure customer logins are simple Martin Burkhart, Head of Product Management Airlock
34 Consolidation is needed now Philipp Dieringer, IT project manager, ti&m
35 Ready for the future of energy Ivo Maritz, Head of Cyber Security (CSO/CISO) Thomas Zinniker, Head of Information & Communications Technology, BKW
39 How to invest in FinTechs Thomas Wüst, CEO, ti&m
40 Autonomous post buses: transporting you to the future Simon Rimle, Head of Communication and Public Affairs, PostAuto
42 hack an app for Managers Marco Berg, Head Frankfurt, ti&m; Markus Nigg, COO, Member of Executive Board, ti&m
43 Leaders as the brand Barbara Liebermeister, Head of the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ)
52 Customer experience vs. data protection? Oleg Huber, Managing Director, Jahia Solutions Germany
6VISION
The bad news about identity theft just never stops. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, more than 28.6 million sensi-tive personal data records were accessed by unauthorized per-sons during the first eight months of 2016. These data breaches occurred in banks, authorities, schools, industry, the military and the healthcare sector. The US Department of Justice’s recent estimates of the total financial losses from instances of identity theft officially reported by a total of 17.6 million US citizens in 2014 stand at 15.4 billion US dollars.
Digital identity has been ignoredWe have been living in an “information society” for over 30 years, and our society and economy depends on information and com-munications technology more and more each day. Today, it takes just a split second to communicate with billions of people across the world. But have we paid enough attention to one of the most important aspects of human interaction in the digital world – the individual’s identity?
What do we actually need a reliable digital identity for? It is needed for carrying out secure transactions on the Internet, to monitor access to sensitive data, to provide lawful access to regulated services such as financial transactions or to guarantee that the person with whom you are communicating from afar really is who they say they are. In short, it ensures that the digital society and economy function and that we gain control of cyber-security.
The state of affairs in EuropeNowadays, there are many approaches that can be taken to cre-ate and verify a reliable digital identity. Unfortunately, up to now, there has been no generally accepted global standard. At the moment, almost every European country is coming up with its own solution. Some are still in the early stages, while others have
a fully fledged system in place. For example, Belgium issues its citizens with an e-ID in the form of an identity card with certifi-cate-based online authentication and a PIN-protected digital sig-nature. Children up to the age of 12 receive a kids' ID that serves as a travel document and digital passport, and thanks to the “Hello Parents” service, parents can be contacted in an emergen-cy via stored telephone numbers using a centralized emergency number. Foreigners receive an electronic residence card, which also serves as an electronic signature. In Estonia, the law has allowed electronic signatures since 2000. The ID card can also be used as a travel document within the EU and, in addition to the electronic signature, it also enables Internet voting among other things. This was used by 31 percent of voters in the parliamen-tary elections 2014. There are numerous other projects within the EU.
What is Switzerland doing?In Switzerland, the SuisseID does not play a major part in the identification, authentication and electronic signature solution. The age of the smartphone surely calls into question the future of a separate chip card with a separate reader. With Swisscom’s Mobile ID, digital identity and a secure authentication solution are integrated directly into the SIM card, which is compatible with most current smartphones. This enables users to log in securely to online portals. A PIN provides extra protection. Currently, none of these solutions has obtained a critical mass and therefore, there is no standardized digital identity for Swiss residents. In turn, this stops the majority of online services from integrating these for authentication solutions into their sites.
PragmatismIn Switzerland, as in the rest of the world, the physical mailing address is still one of the most important – and often grossly underestimated – factors creating identity. Most companies and authorities assume that as long as mail can be delivered to per-son X at address Y, then only person X will read it. This is how citizens receive access codes, bank cards, credit cards, PINS, checks, etc. There is enormous trust placed in the reliability of deliveries and the trustworthiness of the postal service. However, there are over 2 billion people in the world who do not have a bank account, and people who live in slums or with no fixed place to stay do not have an officially assigned address. One of the demands made by the banking regulation (KYC – know your cus-tomer) is that the customer should have a valid mailing address.
Author
Dr. Thomas DübendorferPresident of the Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC)
Thomas Dübendorfer gained a doctorate in IT at the ETH Zurich and has been a lecturer in information security there for the last ten years. He worked for Google for seven years and also worked in Silicon Valley. He is a member of ti&m’s advisory board and is the former president of the Information Security Society Switzerland (ISSS).
Identity crisis – who are you, really?
Digital identity // Having a reliable digital identity is crucial to a secure information society. Some European countries provide their residents with
comprehensive digital identification systems. How does Switzerland compare and which entities could provide a global digital identity?
Thomas Dübendorfer, President of the Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC)
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Who could develop a global identity system?The ideal scenario would be for everyone to receive a standard-ized, secure digital identity at birth. Public authorities are best placed to do this, as they already register births and also issue travel documents such as passports or ID cards. But it would also make sense for other entities that come into direct contact with their customers and are extensively used. In particular, this would include: the road traffic office (drivers’ licenses), banks (bank customers), insurers (policy holders), phone companies (SIM cards), Apple (Apple ID), Google (Google account), Face-book (account), LinkedIn (account), Tencent (QQ messaging ac-count) etc. It is interesting that the large Internet corporations on this list, especially Google, LinkedIn, Facebook or Tencent, have usually never validated their customers’ physical address and often do not even know it. However, many of these accounts have a high level of credibility because extensive fraud prevention measures prevent fraudulent accounts from existing in large numbers or from going undetected for long. Could it be conceiv-able that we will soon only have to prove that we can be reached via our LinkedIn account, for example, rather than giving a mail-ing address?
Who are you, really?How can we check that someone really is who they say they are? The huge financial losses caused by identity theft demonstrate that it is not that easy. Always verify whether someone 1. knows something specific: e.g. password, PIN2. owns something specific: e.g. keys, bank card3. has a specific characteristic: e.g. iris scan, finger print4. is in a specific place: e.g. special room, at the airport5. can do something specific: e.g. is proficient in a musical
instrument
In addition, there are over 100 industrial solutions available that enable one or several such tests to be carried out on the Internet. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The FIDO Alliance is cur-rently attempting to standardize the application programming interfaces as a minimum, so that they can be more easily inte-grated into online platforms. This is a step in the right direction, but is not a fully satisfactory solution. It will therefore be exciting to see how things progress.
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The FinTech scene is looking for the next IT El Dorado, the IT in-dustry is reinventing itself and conference organizers are tripping over themselves to offer ever more digitalization events. They skillfully use the prevailing feeling of uncertainty and disorienta-tion to fuel heated debates about the impacts of digitalization. Many people are wondering whether the financial sector is really in danger of becoming irrelevant, whether the value chain will re-ally break down, and whether the hype surrounding digitalization will die down again at some point.
The key questions for many companies and their IT divisions are whether the business model needs adapting and how to do this, how much to invest and where to invest it, and how to main-
tain company identity while remaining in control in the digital age. The only way to achieve success is to stand out from the digital mainstream and to skillfully combine old and new values.
A return to core and specialist skillsChanging times always provide the opportunity for companies to focus on their core and specialist skills. Against this backdrop, an organization must develop its strengths and pursue the route to digitalization that is right for it.
Nowadays in the banking sector, it is almost impossible to make products stand out from the competition. Therefore, differ-ent characteristics are needed to set us apart. Raiffeisen’s coop-
Customers and the digital village square
Banking // New digital services are springing up all over the financial sector: online identification, mobile payment solutions and
online mortgages are just a few examples.
Rolf Olmesdahl, CIO Raiffeisen Switzerland
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erative community fundamentally differentiates it from the com-petition, with its right of participation, local roots and direct benefits for members. With more than two million members – who are therefore co-owners – we have been living out our coop-erative values for more than 100 years. This makes Raiffeisen one of the oldest communities in Switzerland. It is therefore im-portant to link these values, core skills and specialist skills with the new possibilities offered by digitalization – but how, exactly?
Customer proximity, participation and self-helpDigital channels provide the opportunity to use and promote our community even more. The key element for us to transfer into
the digital world is customer proximity. But how can this “digital proximity” be created?
The village square plays a central role in the life of local com-munities. That is where people meet, exchange ideas and orga-nize events. In the coming months and years, this village square will be increasingly digitalized. Members will obtain information from their local Raiffeisen bank, do business and speak to cus-tomer advisors or other members via the digital channels on our digital Raffeisen village square.
The digital channels will also enable us to further democra-tize the participatory elements underpinning Raiffeisen. We would therefore like to involve our colleagues and members more PH
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closely in the development of new products and collect regular feedback about the range of products. In the future, new oppor-tunities for participation, such as e-democracy and e-voting may lead to the expansion of our existing general assembly. We have now digitalized the cooperative principle of self-help by setting up a crowdfunding platform.
Combining physical and digital presenceDespite all our digital efforts, one thing remains critical to us: personalized advice is still enormously important. When custom-ers have complex needs, it is essential that we meet them face to face, as well as via video conferencing, sharing platforms and chat functions. This creates trust – mutual trust is particularly important in the banking sector and always will be, because we are dealing with sensitive financial data.
On digital platforms, our customers’ trust is strengthened by our comprehensive security solutions. Companies who do not offer customers enough protection in the digital world will lose the customers’ trust – and once that trust is lost, customers will immediately look for alternatives.
Combining digital and traditional channels intelligently in dai-ly working life is an exciting challenge. In the coming years, as part of our omnichannel strategy, we will gradually integrate our platforms and offer our customers a consistent customer expe-rience. Customers want the same Raffeisen experience wherever they are, whether that is on a website, a Raiffeisen app or in a branch office.
Our advisory service is customized to meet the needs of cus-tomers in different stages of life (young people, families, pension-ers). Using new technology, products are more client-specific and more efficient. With this approach, and with comprehensive IT support, it will be easier for our customer advisors to develop trust and communicate their expertise.
Simplicity and an integrated business modelMany of our customers have predominantly simple, straightfor-ward needs: to deposit money in an account and to withdraw or transfer it later. First and foremost, our digital services should meet these basic needs as simply as possible. In future, customers should no longer be bothered by countless forms and cumbersome application procedures. We are there-fore confining this complexity to background processes wherev-er possible.
In most cases, today’s digital services only cover single bank-ing processes. In many companies, digital solutions are intro-
duced within a very short timeframe and in quick succession, but are by no means fully integrated.
In the absence of an integrated business model, this ap-proach will fail. Customers will not perceive the overall entity as simple or intuitive – on top of the legacy system, non-integrated digital islands will continue to push up IT costs.
The challenge of speedA focus on customer needs, simplicity and core competencies is even more important given the increasing number of external market players, who are providing individual components of the traditional banking value chain, and are becoming direct competitors with the banks. Until recently, the banking world, especially in Switzerland, had the advantage of being able to generate high returns in a “protected market” without much pressure to adapt.
This is definitely a thing of the past. However, there is a further challenge in addition to those previously mentioned, and that is speed. If market players do not focus on core competen-cies, link these to an intuitive business model and facilitate corre-sponding digital solutions, then they will be doomed to failure.
The bottom line: digital proximity as an opportunity for RaiffeisenWe all know that most people tend to reject radical transforma-tion. However, we also know that competition and striving for further, higher and better has brought humanity a long way. And here in Switzerland in particular, we have continued to find sur-prisingly good and successful solutions under immense pressure in seemingly desperate situations.
With this in mind, I consider the digital challenge facing bank-ing in Switzerland to be an extremely positive opportunity. It will give us the motivation we need to refocus and retain the long-term competitiveness of Swiss Banking.
At Raiffeisen, we have recognized the sign of the times, laid the groundwork, and are ready to gradually make digital proximi-ty, as well as physical proximity, a reality. With Raiffeisen’s solid footing and a clearly defined business model, we have a good basis to retain our individuality in the digital world.
Author
Rolf OlmesdahlCIO, Raiffeisen SwitzerlandRolf Olmesdahl is Head of IT (CIO) and Member of the Executive Board at Raiffeisen Switzerland. He was previously Global Head of Application Development & Maintenance at Zurich Insurance Group and a member of the Group Leadership Team globally responsible for IT application development and IT maintenance. Prior to that, he was global CIO for the General Insurance division at the same company for three years. Rolf Olmesdahl began his professional career at UBS, where he worked his way up from a commercial trainee to a member of the group managing board within 30 years. At UBS, he was in charge of private banking, commercial banking and retail banking, among other responsibilities. He holds an Executive MBA from IMD Business School in Lausanne.
“The customer should not be bothered by countless forms and cumbersome application processes.
We are therefore confining this complexity to background processes wherever possible.”
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In 2012, as a reaction to the proliferation of systems and identi-ties, the federal council decided to establish standardized IAM processes (Identity and Access Management) and associated tools as part of its ICT strategy.
In addition to ensuring compliance with legal and organiza-tional principles, the program that was launched principally pur-sued two seemingly divergent directions. By developing a net-work of high-trust inter-operable identities, existing identities and the rules and permissions associated with them are reused, while central and national IAM services improve the cost-effec-tiveness and efficiency of identity management.
The program was successfully completed at the end of 2016 and valuable insights into the factors critical to the program’s success were gathered.
Central management combined with intensive communicationThe balancing act set out above required the program to have an appropriate governance structure. Central management is unavoidable, since identity management is an infrastructure is-sue and, as such, is not a main feature of specialist applica-tions. However, decisions that are made centrally must be transferred to specialist applications. The program relied on project managers and initiators having fixed contacts, which meant that the necessary information could be disseminated in a targeted way.
The solution needed to be embedded top-down in the federal government’s overarching processes and business logic archi-tectures, so that it would provide a sustainable and inter-opera-ble solution to the federal administration. The associated require-ments ensure that the solution is consistent. On the other hand, a lot of time and resources were also invested into ongoing tech-nical project management, alongside the program, which sup-ported projects connecting existing technical IAM systems with-in the federal administration. The program therefore benefited from experience gained from projects, which had direct influence on the program’s outcomes.
Ideally an imperceptible resultA number of important results were produced in the course of the five-year program, such as processes and requirements, as well as effective identity and access management technology. These will ensure that the federal administration has a long-term, sustainable approach to governance. The less visible the
Author
Lars MinthProgram director “IAM Bund”
Lars Minth studied IT, business management and information security in Germany, Australia and the UK. Since 2012, he has been the program director of “IAM Bund” and previously advised the NATO nations and the Swiss military in the fields of information security and capability development in highly sensitive areas. He has over 10 years’ experience in program management and as an information assurance, cyber-security engineer and architect.PH
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Who am I – and if so, how many?
Identity Management // In the federal administration, many systems managed employees’ identities and access rights. In the end, there
were three times as many digital identities as employees – this represented an unacceptable security risk for ministries.
Lars Minth, Program Director “IAM Bund”
results, the better the solution, as far as the end user is con-cerned. In the end, the end user should not really notice the re-quirements around IAM. Instead, they should be able to go about their digital business quickly, simply and with complete trust in its security.
EXPERIENCE
MARKET AND TRENDS
At the beginning of the 21st century, a British programmer from the computer game world coined the term “gamification”. Five years later, gamification was rediscovered by Bret Terril, then se-nior director of Zynga. Even today, transferring game mechanics to contexts not typically associated with games is a generally valid description of this process. Gamification has the goal of controlling the user's behavior and increasing their motivation.
Fundamentally, the idea of increasing customer loyalty and visibility through playful elements is not new. Discount coupons,
decals or even air miles programs were already a popular means of customer loyalty. With the rise of the computer game industry and the rapid development of smartphones and apps, this devel-opment has accelerated further.
The borders are blurredA wide range of gaming variants have developed in a relatively short time. One of these is “serious games”. This may sound like a contradiction. It means, however, that these applications have
Long live the gaming instinct!
Gamification // It is not only scientists who are experimenting with elements of the game industry. Marketing departments are also attempting to increase customer loyalty through game-oriented
methods.
Jost Schweinfurther, UI/UX Designer, ti&m
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Author
Jost Schweinfurther UI/UX Designer, ti&m
Jost Schweinfurther is a passionate UI/UX designer. After studying illustration, media design and communication design, he collected over 10 years of experience in the game industry. At ti&m, he is now developing serious games, edutainment, and surveytainment with the help of design thinking and gameful design approaches.
a role to play in education and training. They can be attributed to the areas of e-learning or even edutainment. There are serious games that are almost indistinguishable from a conventional computer game.
“Surveytainment” is specially optimized for the requirements of surveys. For a survey to be successful, as many people as possible should participate in it, and at the same time, the bounce rates must be kept low. This is achieved with user-friend-ly, visually sophisticated presentations that are tailored to the target group.
Citizen ScienceThe realization that human beings are even more creative than a computer in the areas of pattern recognition and spatial percep-tion has initiated a development in science. Researchers use people’s intuitive abilities to tackle a wide range of problems in scientific areas such as medicine, art, or astronomy.
In “FoldIt”, the user folds protein molecules in a three-dimen-sional space. The application, developed by the Center of Game Science at the University of Washington, has already proven a success. Users unraveled the unknown structure of an enzyme that is associated with the AIDS virus in monkeys within a very short time. This was a concrete problem that, for a long period of time, had been unsolvable by classical research .
“ARTigo” is a platform game with the aim of assigning key-words to artwork. The user wins if they find the most appropri-ate terms with their choice of words. As a nice side effect, the coordination of the results with the general public is, so to speak, included.
“Galaxy Zoo” is also a cataloging game, this time with galax-ies instead. The number of users indicates how successful the concept is: In over 10 million images, some 80,000 users have classified spiral nebulae and stars into various subcategories.
Gamification 2.0The effect of gamification is recognized as a marketing tool, but it has also been criticized. While some established game design-ers criticize the principle of gamification as a betrayal of the true nature of games, economists such as Manfred Holler also see it as an “exploitation of the gaming instinct”.
New solutions are already on the table. The current mix of badges, levels, achievements and points is fading into the back-ground in favor of a more sustainable development of gamifica-tion. This new approach, called “gameful design”, attempts to embed the players' own interests into a game concept, and is therefore much more demanding.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is regarded as one of the last uni-versal scholars of Europe in the late 17th century, and was well-versed in philosophy, mathematics, politics and diplomacy. Now-adays, however, specialists in the various disciplines rule the
roost. To maintain a holistic view of an issue, workshops are equipped with interdisciplinary teams, as they are expected to achieve better results. Vertical integration means, therefore, bun-dling the expertise of programming, design, business, security technology and marketing together in such a way that the re-quirements of complex topics can be fulfilled.
Gameful design as a differentiation strategyGameful design concepts are a current trend. Discerning con-sumers of digital content can be inspired with unique experienc-es. Another point of view is that customers are not fully aware of their needs in our fast-moving times.
When is gameful design successful?The acceptance of playful applications has greatly increased in recent years. Reservations and overly critical voices have recent-ly become quieter. Certain criteria, however, are still decisive for the success or failure of an application. Human psychology plays an important role here. If one manages to put the user into a deepened mental state through interactive elements and story-telling, they will be fascinated by the game. This form of inspira-tion or motivation is also often referred to by players as an im-mersion effect. The user identifies themselves with a virtual character in a digital game environment.
The great strength of gameful design applications is not to sell products or services. Rather, the focus is on the subject itself. A playful approach with gameful design facilitates access to com-plex topics, such as stock trading or insurance.
If the user is supplied with a steady stream of tasks, the diffi-culty level slowly adapting to the user's performance and tempo, lasting motivation on the part of the user is almost certain.
As has always been the case in the game industry, the suc-cess formula “Easy to learn – hard to master” applies here too.
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“A playful approach with gameful design facilitates
access to complex topics, such as stock trading or
insurance.”
MARKET AND TRENDS 14
Digital transformation is transforming the world of work in a dra-matic way: Machines are learning to think and intelligent ma-chines are becoming become omni-present. This is resulting in changes to organization, the requirements profile of employees, management and business models. These changes offer both opportunities and risks. On the one hand, new customer groups can be gained with digital services, or customers can be offered added value by means of networks. On the other hand, however, the attack on the value chain through sector-unrelated industries is also clearly increasing. This is especially evident in the banking sector, where FinTech is increasingly competing with the tradi-tional banking business. The battle for the customer is decided – in the physical as well as in the digital world – directly on the customer interface.
Consistent orientationDerived from its business strategy, the Basler Kantonalbank group has defined the roadmap for digital transformation. In the first step, its focus is on the customer interface; in the second step, it addresses the standardization and automation of the un-derlying processes. The strategy is to make all basic financial services available in all customer segments, both physically and digitally. The customer should be provided with a unified experi-ence that impresses them with its convenience and quality. Basler Kantonalbank is very clearly oriented towards its strategic orientation as a “consultancy bank”. This approach is not in op-position to traditional banking or physical branches, but is seen as being an extension of and complementary to the existing product and service offering. The customer should ultimately be able to decide when, where and how they would like to deal with the Basler Kantonalbank.
Personalized bankingToday’s customer is mobile and wants to be informed around the clock, regardless of location. Digital savvy, they want to have access to their (digital) bank: to make payments, carry out transactions, get information and, if necessary, seek advice. Their journey begins on the Internet. And if an online product appeals to them, they will decide with or without prior consulta-tion at their local branch or via the online consultation service.
The border between the online and offline world is becoming fluid. If the product or service is so sophisticated that the cus-tomer requires advice, they will look for direct and personal con-sultation on the spot. The virtual branch and the physical branch complement each other and are interconnected. Inter-action with the customer must be simple and characterized by a uniform experience. The Basler Kantonalbank is therefore in-vesting not only in digital transformation, but also in the mod-
Anytime, anywhere
Banking // For the Basler Kantonalbank, the digital transformation has, as a first step, a dedicated customer focus. It identifies the consistent implementation of the cross-channel approach and the investment in
customer contact points as the key to success in the future.
Guy Lachappelle, President of Basler Kantonalbank
“The virtual and the physical branches are
linked. Interaction with the customer must be
characterized by a uniform experience.”
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ernization and complete redesign and reconceptualization of its branch network.
The fact that all sales channels are smoothly intertwined is, without doubt, a quality feature of the bank. At the same time, there is an opportunity to learn more about the behavior and the needs of the customer. When all this customer data is processed intelligently, a comprehensive customer image emerges. From this information it is again possible to develop needs-oriented of-fers – in the sense of “with the customer means for the custom-er”. The focus is on improving the experience for the customer.
Independent of location, time and channel, The customer opens up completely new doors for the bank in terms of its mar-keting strategy, and gives its (new) products and services a kind of omnipresence. However, the digital transformation also re-quires a cultural change, as in the medium to long term it will af-fect the daily work and requirements profile of employees, as well as the management. This, in turn, places high demands on the personnel department.
15
Author
Guy Lachappelle President of Basler Kantonalbank
Guy Lachappelle has been President and CEO of Basler Kantonalbank since 2013. At the beginning of his professional career, he held various positions in banking and corporate consulting. The Basel-born lawyer continued his education with an Executive MBA at the University of St. Gallen.
Strategic partnershipsExcellent advice and support, across all channels, will become a decisive competitive advantage in the medium term, as the bank wants to differentiate itself from others in a similar way to its physical presence. And without the satisfaction and loyalty of its customers, no long-term, profitable customer relationship will be possible in the near future.
Nevertheless, it may be advantageous if the bank also con-siders joining a community with other banks or other industries throughout its digitalization process. A contradiction? No, but
certainly a simplification: Regulatory requirements (such as the customer account opening process defined by Finma) apply to all banks. Addressing these, and defining and implementing the processes does not constitute a sole positioning feature. It is therefore advisable to implement such processes in cooperative ventures. Not every bank must develop this expertise itself, and the costs can be reduced through synergies – for example, in the same service model. The Basler Kantonalbank is pursuing this form of partnership.
Digital transformation not only means evolution, but banking revolution. Our investments in the currently difficult market envi-ronment are considerable, but we are convinced that this will be worthwhile in the medium to long term, and the implementation of the current strategy will provide the basis for the bank of to-morrow.
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EXPERIENCE 16
Today, when one speaks of digital platforms and tools, this does not only refer to the presentation of information or the focused handling of transactions. The step between the dynamic and un-foreseeable interaction of the user with the platform is increas-ingly being digitalized. In the case of a company portal, this is the interaction of the company with its customers and thus the core of the customer relationship. It is therefore important to shape this interaction in a way that conveys the identity of the compa-ny, the nature of its customer contact, its culture and, of course, the character of its products and services – a challenge that is only technical to a minor extent.
Flexible technological basisWith the ti&m channel suite , ti&m has created a software platform that bridges the gap between technical functionality and the com-plete freedom of design for digital customer contact. Based on a “lightweight” integration layer, various classes of functional mod-ules are offered, which can be flexibly orchestrated in a manner appropriate to customers' needs. On the one hand, these include basic interaction steps, such as the chat with the customer con-sultant, the secure exchange of documents or the arrangement of an appointment. On the other hand, they include prefabricated or individually developable modules that realize the complete ser-vices of the company. In the banking sector, for example, they might take the form of a robo-advisory tool, a personal finance manager (PFM) or various financial calculators. A central module is digital on-boarding, the digital opening of a customer relation-ship. The programming interface, channel suite development kit (CDK), ensures the individual expansion capability and is therefore the enabler for a powerful ecosystem of business components.
Individualization via “front-to-back”To be able to develop on this technical basis, the “front-to-back” approach is supported. This enables customer contact corre-sponding to the identity of the company. First, the interaction
with the customer is designed free of legacy restrictions. The development of “customer journeys” and resulting UX prototypes is realized and tested for its impact, without having to worry about the integration points of the underlying business systems. This corresponds to the need to work out the optimal solution in fast iteration cycles and to gain initial experience on the market with early releases.
With the ti&m channel suite, ti&m has poured its understand-ing of the way that digitalization solutions are created into code. Vertical cooperation of all roles, from the business visionary to the designer to the developer, absolute focus on the acceptance of the customer, and fast delivery of solutions, are critical to the success of digital projects.
Author
Stefan RüeschHead Digital Banking, ti&m
Stefan Rüesch has been digitizing various business areas as a manager and strategy consultant for banks and Internet companies for 17 years. At ti&m, he is responsible for the area of digital banking.
Author
René KonradHead Products, Member Board of Directors, ti&m
Rene Konrad has been active in the areas of customer portals, client on-boarding, mobile and web security, and credit risk for over ten years. He is the founder of several e-commerce and digital marketing startups. PH
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Digitalizing the customer relationship
Digital Customer Platform // Who is the customer? How do I identify them? How can I be sure of their identity? What requirements do they have?
How do I provide them with the right information at the right time? These are the most important questions the ti & m channel suite has to answer
as a digital customer platform.
Stefan Rüesch, Principal of Digital Banking, ti&mRené Konrad Head of Products, Member of the Board of Directors, ti&m
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Speed, innovation, andintegration are the key aspectsof digital businesses! ti&m channel suite is the platform for digitalizing your customer relationship – quickly, easily, and effi ciently on all channels. A variety of business modules based on a microservice architecture and modern technology stack help you carry out your unique interactions with your customer. See for yourself: ti8m.com/channelsuite
SWISS-MADEDIGITALIZATION
ti&m channel suite – your customer relationship, digitalized. René Konrad will be happy to advise you: +41 44 497 76 05www.ti8m.com
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“Branding is like a soap bubble”
Brands // Digitalization is creating completely new challenges for companies: it is forcing them to redefine how they deal with factors
such as privacy, recruitment and marketing. Or, as Simon Neuner says: “Where there was once a solid wooden block, we now have a
flexible soap bubble”.
Simon Neuner, Head of Marketing & Communications, Helsana
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Interview partner
Simon NeunerHead of Marketing & Communications, Helsana
Simon Neuner has held a leadership role at Helsana since 2011 and has been the Head of Marketing and Communications and a top-level manager there since 2016. He was previously a managing director at Meta Design. He has a varied education history, including a Master of Advanced Studies degree. He is also part of the digitalization working group at Helsana.
ti&m: What role do you feel brand identity plays in a digital world?Simon Neuner: A brand provides orientation. In this world, in which our basic social and personal truths are constantly being brought into question, consumers are looking for something solid that they know and trust. I believe that the “Helsana” brand plays a very important role in the sector. Customers associate certain qualities and features with our brand.
What are these basic social and personal “truths” you say are being redefined as part of the digitalization process?For me, it’s primarily our individual and collective understanding of how we handle personal data, and the opportunities, risks and demands that companies have to deal with as a result. When I see how people today are completely comfortable with sharing their most private and intimate details on Facebook, Twitter, or Pokémon Go, not only with the general public, but also with com-panies, I see a fundamental departure from our understanding of data protection as recently as at the turn of the millennium. And larger Internet companies have consistently been capitalizing on this “legitimized” use of data. When I get into my car today, Google knows where I live and that I’ll be home in 25 minutes
even though I've never, at least not actively, told the company my address. Google and other companies like it have established a personal approach and the ability to anticipate our needs in the digital world, and this has now become a benchmark for cus-tomers’ expectations. Modern customers expect companies to know everything about them so that they can provide them with useful services depending on what’s happening to them in that moment. What effects are these new truths having on Helsana’s busi-ness?The effects are going right to the heart of our corporate identity. Or as our CEO puts it: “We are having to shift from payer to play-er”. In the past, our role has been more or less limited to the transfer of risk, i.e. taking premiums from the customers on the one side and then paying out on claims and in the form of ser-vices on the other. In the future, we will have to simplify, look forward and create, in order to draw our customers in with dif-ferentiated services. One asset that we don’t yet use actively, and the use of which comes with a lot of unanswered ques-tions, is our policyholders’ health data. With big data analyses and digital interaction, we could use this information to create real added value for our customers. We are already taking our first steps by working on making our existing interactions with customers who take advantage of our services more efficient and affordable. Next, we can begin to communicate more effec-tively with our healthy customers who do not yet use our ser-
vices, and whose interactions with us have so far been limited to paying their premiums. This, of course, comes with huge new challenges for the lawmakers and for us, as part of the health system, in terms of developing a new understanding of privacy and data protection. Are your staff going along with this transition? Good question. Our staff are, of course, a key part of our corpo-rate identity, and therefore, our brand, too. As part of our trans-formation from payer to player we have to develop new ways of working, and to do that we will need a new type of employee. Agility in carrying out projects, the courage to try – and the cour-age to fail – and a general willingness to change are character-istics that we haven’t really focused on in the past. But we have managed to make some progress in the past few years. In my area, we now also have more people who aren’t looking for a permanent position, but just find it exciting to drive things for-ward with us for a while. Then maybe they will move on, or may-be they will find a new challenge with us. We can and have to be able to deal with both eventualities. We try to have the people we need to progress on-board during each phase of this constant change process. Being dynamic as a company also means hav-ing to be dynamic when it comes to staffing structures. And I’m proud to say that we are doing a really good job when it comes to finding the right people. We have so many brilliantly skilled young people here now, who are excited to work with us. And this is, in turn, becoming part of the face of our brand, which we show to the outside world. Which brings us back to branding. What tools do you use to manage and develop your brand?In the age of social media, traditional brand controlling clearly doesn’t work the way it used to, back when brands typically had just a one-way communication system with their customers. In my opinion, today the quality of the interaction is key. This means that it’s not just the messages we send out that have a direct influence over how people perceive our brand, our ability to keep our promises, and deliver on our claims, does too. If we fail to deliver, any negative feedback is immediately out there for everyone to see, shaping their opinions. In the past, branding was something solid, like a wooden box, with a clear, unchang-ing shape. Today, I see branding more as one of those giant bubbles that street artists like those on Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich make – there’s a definite, closed shape, but it is always changing and adapting. And we definitely don't want it to burst (laughs).
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“In the age of social media, traditional brand controlling doesn’t work
the way it used to.”
MARKET & TRENDS 20
Blockchain is going to change the world. While most people hear the term and just shrug, those who are “in the know” can see its almost unlimited potential. Its most well-known proponent, Bit-coin, has already achieved a market cap of around $15 billion. For comparison: on the Swiss Exchange, Credit Suisse’s market cap is approximately $30 billion. Blockchain can be seen as both a blessing and a curse for the finance industry. On the one hand, a shared blockchain promises enormous cost savings, as each bank would no longer have to operate its own transaction sys-tem. On the other, blockchain’s decentralized nature makes it a direct threat to the banks’ traditional business models. The ex-ample of Bitcoin shows that purely digital wealth, without coins or authorities, can work without centralized mechanisms, and therefore, without banks. Particularly in countries where (state) institutions are suffering from a lack of public trust, this digital competitor to analogue currency is booming. The financial world is taking these developments very seriously, as R3 – a consor-tium founded by 70 of the world’s largest financial institutions with the aim of establishing the standards for a banking block-chain – makes abundantly clear.
ti&m channel suite goes blockchain
Blockchain // It has enormous potential, but actually implementing blockchain technology is still proving difficult for many companies.
ti&m offers a range of modules to help them get started, from developing their business case through to training and complete
modules for the ti&m channel suite.
Walter Strametz, ti&mMichele Forte, Principal, ti&m
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Author
Walter StrametzCTO and Member of the Board of Directors, ti&m
Walter Strametz has expanded the garage approach at ti&m, combining agility, speed and innovation with the latest technologies. He is responsible for technological direction and for developing the relevant expertise at ti&m.
ti&m began developing its first prototypes based on blockchain more than two years ago. We were drawn in by the technology and its amazing ability to solve big problems. For an enthusiast, it feels like being there when the wheel was invented. But at the same time, the concept can be hard to grasp for our customers. How relevant is it for a Swiss cantonal bank to help shape a glob-al standard? Why should consumers pay with Bitcoin rather than Francs? The city of Zug recently took part in a pilot project that saw it accept Bitcoin payments for the first time; the number of transactions proved to be relatively modest.
Connecting digitalization and realityOver the same time frame, we have been able to successfully position the ti&m channel suite on the market. Everything, any-time, anywhere, enriched with artificial intelligence and easy for customers to use: that’s our new philosophy. The ti&m channel suite sits gently on top of predecessor systems without replac-ing their cores, connecting the concept of digitalization with the reality of established IT landscapes. Blockchain, on the other hand, is a disruptive alternative to the back end. A fail-proof,
Author
Michele FortePrincipal, ti&m
Michele Forte has worked at ti&m for 7 years and is responsible for startup collaborations and innovation, particularly within the FinTech sector. His 20 years’ experience as a software architect across various sectors gives him a unique insight into the potential of new innovations.
21
distributed technology that offers a safe and secure place to record transactions.
If you want to interact with blockchain today, you need a lot of technical expertise. Practical usability is not yet a key focus for this new technology. The ti&m channel suite, on the other hand, is designed to make transactions simpler for the user. The integra-tion of both technologies – i.e. ti&m channel suite goes blockchain – is therefore a logical next step.
The benefits for our customers are enormous. Blockchain modules can be integrated into value creation processes without customers having to immediately replace existing systems. Ideas are tested in terms of their practicability and relevance in ti&m garages to create an optimum foundation for innovation in this challenging environment. We take a “front-to-back” approach – we follow the entire customer journey from design through to prototyping, integrating back end functions at as late a stage as possible.
Starting with benefits and the customer experienceIn many places, we are asked for an example of a real, worth-while business case that is based on blockchain. In our opinion, it is less about a lack of opportunity than an unwillingness to take a new path, even if it only involves taking a few small initial steps. In many software projects, we see an awful lot of invest-ment in questionable functionalities, simply because the budget cycle permits it – the economic sense is not considered. Invest-ment in new areas that do not fit so neatly into existing process-es or organizations, on the other hand, routinely have to be justi-fied in terms of their economic benefit, even though learning and strategy should be at the forefront. With the ti&m channel suite,
Your placeon blockchain
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Blockchain technologiesBitcoin: The oldest and most successful implementation of blockchain is open to everyone. Its objective is to create a peer-to-peer cash system, an anonymous digital currency. Bitcoin helped blockchain technology to really take off, but the Bitcoin blockchain itself can only be of limited use in terms of programming.
Ethereum: The number two product in the blockchain world focuses not on digital currency, but rather on programmability (smart contracts). Like Bitcoin, this blockchain is freely accessible and is managed by the Ethereum Foundation in Zug. Smart contracts are the technological driving force of the blockchain revolution. The approach is similar to calling up a function on a central global computer that is accessible to everyone, and onto which anyone can upload a program for others to use.
Hyperledger: Hyperledger was created by the Linux Foundation in December 2015, and unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, is designed not for public use, but rather for the exchange of data in the B2B sector.
Take your place on the blockchain starting line with ti&mThe fast-track approach to blockchain: Start with a business case or a one-to-four-day exploration of the blockchain concept in the ti&m academy. If we do not have a ready-made ti&m channel suite module for you, it goes to the ti&m garage. There, we will find or develop the optimum product before putting it through a “learning loop” with (potential) customers.
Expanding or developing a concrete product: use blockchain for both with ti&m.
our process focuses on never putting just the technology in the foreground – a “hammer looking for the nail” approach – but on always starting with the customer experience and benefits be-fore moving “backwards” step by step. This also applies to solu-tions that build on the unique characteristics of blockchain. Get in contact with us to explore the benefits for yourself.
VISION 22
If I were a bank employee reading relevant articles, blogs and commentary on a daily basis, I might be getting scared. Value creation chains are being broken, disruptive FinTechs are taking over the field, and robo-advisors are serving customers based on insights derived from artificial intelligence. Millennials – who are said to be highly disloyal to brands – invest their assets through decentralized systems (blockchain). So was Bill Gates right in 1994, when he said: “Banking is necessary, banks are not?”
Yes and no. Yes for banks that have not faced up to the (tech-nical) challenges. With the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, this development became even more accentuated. In addition to the technological transformation, old business models and prac-
Digital aikido in the finance industry
Private Banking // Private banking will not escape the effects of technological advances, such as automation and artificial intelli-gence. Matthias Plattner makes a case for combining old values
with new technologies and draws an analogy based on the martial art, aikido.
Matthias Plattner, Head of Technology & Processes, Global Financial Intermediaries, UBS
tices had to be comprehensively reformed. However, to avoid go-ing too far off topic, this article will stay focused on the issues related to technology.
And what does that have to do with aikido? Aikido is a school of self defense in which the attacker’s force is redirected to one’s own advantage. At its core, it strives for harmony and balance. An analogous concept from nature would be symbiosis – with mutu-al advantage, as opposed to parasitism.
Using these insights as a “philosophical foundation,” let us now consider the forces at work in private banking and the oppor-tunities to use them for one’s own advantage or for the advantage of everyone.
23
visors” are increasing dramatically due to the effects of global-ization, increasing complexity, the velocity of money and the half-life of knowledge. The supposed threat to the advisor’s job from the attack by technology is turned into an opportunity un-der the aikido philosophy. If we use these forces to initiate a symbiotic relationship between personal expertise and modern technology, everybody wins – the bank, the advisor, and, above all, the customer.
Promising technologies on the horizonI have been following the developments in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics for some time, and I am simultaneously fascinated and worried by the possibilities that these develop-ments promise.
One of the problems with intelligence is that there is no con-sensus on what constitutes it. It is certain, however, that there is a connection between intelligence and learning. Scientists have been trying for years to mechanically replicate processes like thinking and learning, and to program computers for tasks that require human intelligence. These computer-generated results are regarded as artificial intelligence (AI). An interesting subfield of AI is focused on mechanical learning. In this field, generally speaking, first only the program objective is formulated, then large quantities of data are fed in, and the achievement of objectives is measured. Based on the results, the program optimizes its code and there-fore iteratively approaches the optimal condition.
The fact that this actually works was only recently demon-strated by “AlphaGo” – the computer that beat Go master, Lee Sedol. Sedol seemed to be amazed at the computer’s unexpect-ed and creative moves.
So there are already systems capable of learning, which have achieved excellent results within the context of isolated problems. But multidimensional, human-like artificial intelli-gence is still a very long way off. We are not yet in a position to realistically estimate the possibilities. And we are only begin-ning to deal with questions regarding the ethical, moral, legal and political implications.
Time leap – how could the future look?A few selected future scenarios are presented below, based on the approach of reinforcing human capabilities through the use of state-of-the-art technology, or using automation to provide customers with time.• Customized 24/7 research & impact bots: At present, it is not possible to be aware of all innovations or changes and to evalu-ate the effect on each individual customer. After the customer has determined his or her life objectives, and the corresponding allocation of savings and investments has been made, self-learn-ing systems connected to enormous information systems (some of which are also self-learning) constantly monitor the achieve-ment of objectives and identify possible risks. The advisor, in the PH
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Banking is all about emotionsIn private banking, the customer’s needs are not to be regarded as a simple pursuit of returns, but rather as an expression of individual and emotional life goals (such as education, marriage, homeown-ership, protection in case of illness, retirement security and safety). The bank advisor therefore becomes a “life advisor.” Key skills are empathy, active listening to grasp the situation, questions for clar-ification, and an extensive education to interpret context. Extensive professional knowledge is, of course, also essential.
The customer is ultimately looking for confirmation from someone who has legitimacy based on contextual, environmen-tal, or subjective factors. The demands placed on these “life ad-
“When there is a symbiotic relationship between
personal expertise and technology, everyone wins.”
VISION 24
meantime, works with the customer to identify any need for ad-justment, whether the objectives are lasting and – perhaps even more importantly – whether the objectives are realistic and com-prehensive. This highly cognitive process will remain the domain of humans in the long run. However, the computer will handle the monitoring in a highly individualized, connected manner.• Deep learning in portfolio management, monitoring, and cred-it risk management: Based on the already existing quant models (simply put, algorithms that execute commands – or in this con-text, system decisions – based on decision trees), artificial intel-ligence will emerge that will make highly individualized and ratio-nal decisions on the basis of complex patterns. The emotional evaluation will then be performed by the customer and advisor. Similarly, credit risk systems will link increasing amounts of data in real time, while checking more and more items.• Communication and foreign languages: There are many differ-ent communication systems available for the customer to com-municate with the advisor. Short messages arrive via chat, and the customer uses voice commands to indicate whether he or she would like to watch a short explanatory video or read a text document. The customer can discuss a current issue with the customer advisor via video chat, and logs will automatically be generated. The content of these logs is interpreted by AI sys-tems, causing the customer profile to be permanently amended. Interpreter systems are available to the customer and advisor in real time to overcome any language barriers. Such systems are not only capable of mastering dialects, but are also voice-modu-lated, and therefore, personal. Both the customer and the advisor can evaluate emotional states based on real time evaluations, in order to, for instance, uncover and address cognitive disso-nances (uncomfortable emotional state when making decisions).• Auto-compliance up to cyber-defense: In the bank of the fu-ture, the customer advisor will be actively accompanied by his or her robo-compliance officer. This AI – as long as it is active – in-terprets the context in which the advisor currently is. If the advi-
sor is speaking with a customer by telephone, the AI can use highly developed voice recognition and a connection to the knowledge database to provide relevant information on the appli-cable compliance rules – very specifically, in fact. If the advisor is preparing a proposal for the customer, all products or compo-nents selected by the advisor are continuously examined and, if applicable, suitable alternatives are proposed.• Automation of administrative tasks: There are already pro-grams today that can convert spoken language (even Swiss Ger-man!) to text, word for word and in context. Session logs, as well as conversations with customers, are automatically and accu-rately digitally available (corresponding requirements already exist in the context of financial market regulations, such as MiFID II). Voice-controlled assistance systems will book trips, make res-
Author
Matthias PlattnerHead of Technology & Processes, Global Financial Intermediaries, UBSMatthias Plattner is responsible for the global digitalization strategy of the UBS division “Financial Intermediaries” (independent asset manager). He has worked in various roles and locations (Zurich, Frankfurt and Singapore) for 17 years. For the last few years, he has been working intensively on the specific issue within the context of digitalization in the finance B2B sector. As part of his master's thesis to obtain an eMBA in business engineering, he also applied himself intensively to the digitalization possibilities of the customer journey in ski regions. The paper was recognized as the “Best Business Engineering Paper 2015/2016.”
ervations at restaurants and schedule other appointments. The tiresome task of looking for possible dates will no longer be nec-essary, since the assistants will also be connected to the sys-tems of customers, colleagues and suppliers (with appropriate rights, of course), thus enabling optimal coordination (including directions, etc.).
Appeal to the technology industryAs previously explained, the success of a symbiosis is based on the interplay between various organs. There is a give and take. For this to work, a standardized exchange or communication must be ensured. If the communication interfaces were to change continuously, the symbiosis would fall apart.
Where nature has biochemical processes, technology has interfaces or APIs (application program interfaces). For me, these represent the path to an exciting future that will benefit all customers. Instead of disruptive systems that seek to displace, we should think about a symbiotic strategy and work to enable the rapid integration of new inventions in existing organisms in order to bring them forward as a whole system.
Progress demands responsibilityThe developments are displacing current job profiles, but new ones will emerge – to what extent, no one knows yet. I am not yet entirely clear on the scope of all developments and what legal, ethical, social and education policy-related challenges are asso-ciated with them. But as a father of two children, aged 10 and 13, I am aware of our responsibility to actively think about these sub-jects and increase the necessary awareness of them, or play an active part myself.
I would like to end this article with a quote from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido: “Aikido is not a technique to fight and defeat an enemy. It’s a way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family” – and this certainly applies to digital aikido as well.
“Instead of disruptive systems, new inventions
should be integrated quickly in existing organisms.”
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Talent is sought after everywhere – especially in IT. But talent cannot simply be found, it has to be promoted and uncovered, ideally early on. hack an app, our ti&m youth promotion program, has been working at this for eight years. In this time, much has happened in the innovative environment of IT – routine is nowhere to be found.
Energizing talentThe subject of IT is still often neglected in schools. To encourage young talent to choose the path to IT, hack an app has taken up the cause of energizing them for the subject and offering them a first step into the world of programming. For ti&m employees, it is natural to want to share the joy of IT; hack an app is already part of the corporate culture.
There are many reasons why IT is one of the most exciting fields to work in. One of the most important reasons is assuredly that, in our digitalized world, IT is the driving force for innovations and new solutions. This means that information engineers ac-tively shape our future.
So modern IT is in no way boring or lonely. Creativity and teamwork are in demand. In keeping with the concept of vertical integration, kids taking part in hack an app can experience all the steps it takes to create a successful app – from design and de-velopment, to the presentation to parents. This is because the IT sector is looking for more than just programming skills; it is also looking for design and communication skills.
Promoting talentWe want the course to promote IT expertise and fresh ideas di-rectly in the software engineers of tomorrow. So one of the things we do is program a car racing game with the kids. To keep the course fresh and relevant, the kids give direct feedback. This pre-vents the course from becoming too technical or even boring. Accordingly, the new generation of software engineers seemed rather unimpressed by the Internet of Things. An app that turned
a lamp on and off by voice control did not unleash any torrents of excitement and only managed to make a lasting impression on the developer himself. New approaches were necessary to make the subject more fun to learn. The kids then proved to be very creative in inventing new products with IoT function.
We are now delighted to once again be able to introduce exciting modules in the hack an app course for 2017. In the process, we always want to stay agile, uncover talent, and ener-gize it for IT.
Author
Tanja BeelerMarketing Professional, ti&m
Tanja Beeler studied journalism and communica-tion science as well as political science at the University of Zurich. Since the start of 2016, she has been working as a marketing professional at ti&m. In addition to various events and HR marketing, she also oversees the hack an app project.PH
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hack an app uncovers talent
Talent promotion // Talent before hierarchy is one of the key values at ti&m. No wonder talent promotion is one of the most valuable
objectives of our company – not only for our employees, but also, above all, for children. The future of information technology starts in
the classrooms of today.
Tanja Beeler, Marketing Professional, ti&m
ti&m community engagementFor 2017, around 15 courses are once again planned throughout Switzerland (in German, French and Italian). This includes courses in schools, for companies and their employees’ children, and at ti&m locations. Our sponsorship packages offer businesses the opportunity to use hack an app courses to develop IT skills in young people. The courses can be conducted at a school of your choice or on your company premises – talk to us.
PRACTICE
MARKET AND TRENDS 26
More and more products are being developed at an ever-increas-ing pace thanks to digitalization. The associated disadvantage for the customer is that this makes it increasingly difficult to choose. Marketing therefore needs to use new strategies and tools to support customers in the decision-making process. In the ideal scenario, the customer is offered a customized and per-sonalized product that is exactly what they want or need.
Successful sales and marketing departments work with busi-ness intelligence (BI) tools and technologies that allow them to transform customer data into useful information. This is used to acquire new customers and maintain existing ones, for example, when developing personalized marketing campaigns, determin-ing personalized prices, identifying attempts at fraud or predict-ing churn rates. Creating meaningful customer profiles is the key technique. The more diverse the data source, the more meaning-ful the profile.
Gathering relevant customer dataData sources can be roughly divided into three categories: cus-tomer channels, internal systems and external systems. Custom-er channels, such as company websites or online shops, are the primary points of contact that help us to understand customer preferences and interests. Internal systems are less customer focused. They reveal purchasing history or the nature of the rela-tionship between the company and the customer, for example. External systems, such as social media, provide a broader view of the customer and give their actions a wider context.
Handling a variety of sources requires data to be integrated into analysis or BI platforms in an application-specific manner. Customer channels are usually connected in real time to trigger actions during the user session. Other data sources require on-demand integration or import via batch processing, for exam-ple. Whatever the integration method, there are two crucial PH
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Are you a mind reader?Dorian Tanase, Lead Engineer, ti&m
Alem Filli, Senior Software Engineer, ti&m
Analytics // Are millennial men the right target group for a Pampers marketing campaign? Of course – if they have
children. Anticipating what the customer wants is like mind reading. This is now possible by analyzing customer
behavior and situations.
27
Author
Dr. Dorian Tanase Lead Engineer, ti&mDr. Dorian Tanase has more than 15 years of IT experience. His current focus is on big data and analytics solutions. He graduated from ETH Zurich with a degree in complex systems.
Author
Alem Filli Senior Software Engineer, ti&mAlem Filli studied IT, and for some years, his focus has been on data analysis and big data. Using ti&m analytics, it was possible to develop a product that meets the demands of modern data analysis.
points: Firstly, it needs to be possible to associate processed in-formation directly with a customer. Secondly, data must be col-lected as soon as possible using an incremental approach. In this way, initial results can be obtained quickly and results can be constantly improved using agile methods.
Customer profiles comprise all customer-related data. Groups (clusters) are formed from customers with correspond-ing characteristics, such as similar goals or the same marital status. These are described using virtual representatives, known as personas. They include names, photos and backstories. Ex-ample: To identify the relationships between different purchases, a BI specialist uses an affinity analysis to examine an online shop’s entire sales. He observes that a significant number of pur-chases include Pampers and beer. These sales correspond to the core characteristics of “Dave”, the persona of a young father who shops frequently. To simplify this persona’s user journey, Pam-pers are promoted automatically if beer is added to the shopping cart. But is Dave actually a father? It is necessary to incorporate several data sources, including social media, to get an unequivo-cal answer to this question.
From customer profiles to customer clustersA customer profile is essentially nothing more than a multidimen-sional vector, with each data source adding a further dimension. A range of techniques and algorithms are needed to identify clus-ters from these vectors. Finding the right mix of algorithms and techniques, and setting their parameters, is an iterative process. The k-means algorithm is one of the most widely used. In this process, observations (an n-dimensional vector) are assigned to clusters on a continuous basis. These observations might be customer interests identified via customer channels, purchasing patterns or level of income, or the internally identified risk type. However, they also include parameters, such as travel habits or marital status, which are identified via external systems and are not directly related to the company.
Dave’s persona becomes more defined while experimenting with this data. It is possible to deduce that he is trying to save money from his middle-class income to secure his children's fi-nancial future. Therefore, a long-term risk-free investment prod-uct or life insurance would interest him.
From a clear picture to successful actionsOnce significant clusters have been identified, products and ser-vices suitable for these customer clusters need to be deter-mined. Marketing campaigns are designed using all the infor-mation about clusters and the corresponding customers, and these are tested and verified using A/B testing. Identifying test customers to validate different actions is at the heart of A/B testing. Group A receives an email newsletter with general infor-mation about life insurance. Group B receives a personalized email. Group C is shown an investment idea on their preferred channel. At the end of the test cycle, analysis will determine which action was the most successful (new life insurance poli-cies taken out).
Are you ready for the next step?Therefore, from a technical point of view, mind reading is already possible today. It is an iterative process that consists of collect-ing relevant user data, segmenting customers into clusters, de-veloping and validating marketing actions, resulting in a global rollout. Modern technologies and exploratory approaches will support you to design the simplest process possible, allowing you to read your customers’ minds.
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Continually enriching the customer profile refines the persona.
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Courage
Swissness
Vertical integration
Agility Ideas
Sustainability
Modern art as a part of daily life at ti&m and a source of inspiration. For our clients, too. Creativity and inspiration through an encounter with fine art and as a symbol for the spirit of invention that makes ti&m’s innovations possible in the first place.
art@work
Our annual summer event, shake the lake, is the symbol for agile and talent-focused IT, where you get wet every once in a while but always reach the shore.
shake the lake
Our coding camp is an inspiring way to show young people the immense variety and diversity in IT careers. Creative and sustainable development of young talent is part of our investment in the future.
hack an app
We integrate the entire IT value chain.
Implementation-oriented and independent.
BUSINESS _Banking _Insurance _Digitalization strategy _Requirement
engineering _Start-up enabling
PRACTICES _Design thinking _ti&m scrum _Agile coaching _SAFe & LeSS
IT _Architecture _Project management _Reviews & evaluation _Security cloud computing
Creativity generatesemotions.
SKILLS _User experience design _Visual design _Responsiveness _User-centered design _Interviews and
contextual inquiries _Personas and scenarios _Information architecture _Wireframes _Prototyping _Usability tests _Living style guides
Agility and technological excellence.
COMPETENCE CENTER _DevOps _CMS solutions _Digital analytics _Java Enterprise _Front-end/UX _Integration (EAI, SOA, BPM) _Microsoft solutions _Mobile solutions _SAP _Security _Social business _Systems engineering _IoT
Digitaltransformation.
CHANNEL SUITEThe platform for digi- talizing your customer relationship.
SECURITY SUITEStrong authentication and high usability on all channels.
Full-service digitalization.
AREAS _Digitalization as a
service _Hosting of innovative
solutions in highly regulated industries _Infrastructure enginee -
ring & consulting
CONSULTING DESIGN AGILE PROJECTS
PRODUCTS INNOVATION HOSTING
We create legends in theti&m garage.
You can rest safe in the knowledge that it will take just three to nine months to get your product from an initial vi sualization or prototype to being ready for launch. And of course, we will also help you leave the garage, for example, by adding your new product to your normal operating processes.
CULTURE OF INNOVATION_Quick results_Empowerment_Entrepreneurial thinking
TIME BOXED & CO-LOCATED_Design thinking_Vertical integration_Outstanding multifunctional teams_Agile software engineering
ti&m garage
ti&m stands for technology, innovation, and management. We are market leaders in digitalization and security products, as well as innovation projects in Switzerland and EU fi nancial centers. We offer our discerning clients vertical integration throughout the IT value chain. At our branches in Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, and Frankfurt am Main, we currently employ over 270 outstanding engineers, designers, and consultants. And further branches in Europe will follow. The basis of our growth is our strength and values: courage, a wealth of ideas, agility, and entrepreneurial fl air, coupled with sustainability and Swissness.
We live strong values!Creativity and sustainability as a basis for value-based growth. Independence, high personal commitment, and clear, implemen-tation-oriented advice in daily business.Talent over hierarchy. Teams over lone wolves. Leadership at all levels – these are our values and the basis of our ti&m culture.
ti&m We digitalize yourcompany!
270 employees and growing
NO.1 among Swissinnovation companies
25% growth per year
TOP10 largest owner-managed Swiss IT companies
100% owner-managed
2005 company founding
4xZurich, Bern, Lausanne,Frankfurt am Main
100% vertically integrated
CHANNEL SUITE
SECURITY SUITE
SWISS-MADEDIGITALIZATION
Agile peak performance with personal commitment. Thomas Wüst, +41 44 497 77 55, and Markus Nigg, +41 44 497 77 49, will be happy to advise you. ti8m.com
Courage
Swissness
Vertical integration
Agility Ideas
Sustainability
Modern art as a part of daily life at ti&m and a source of inspiration. For our clients, too. Creativity and inspiration through an encounter with fine art and as a symbol for the spirit of invention that makes ti&m’s innovations possible in the first place.
art@work
Our annual summer event, shake the lake, is the symbol for agile and talent-focused IT, where you get wet every once in a while but always reach the shore.
shake the lake
Our coding camp is an inspiring way to show young people the immense variety and diversity in IT careers. Creative and sustainable development of young talent is part of our investment in the future.
hack an app
We integrate the entire IT value chain.
Implementation-oriented and independent.
BUSINESS _Banking _Insurance _Digitalization strategy _Requirement
engineering _Start-up enabling
PRACTICES _Design thinking _ti&m scrum _Agile coaching _SAFe & LeSS
IT _Architecture _Project management _Reviews & evaluation _Security cloud computing
Creativity generatesemotions.
SKILLS _User experience design _Visual design _Responsiveness _User-centered design _Interviews and
contextual inquiries _Personas and scenarios _Information architecture _Wireframes _Prototyping _Usability tests _Living style guides
Agility and technological excellence.
COMPETENCE CENTER _DevOps _CMS solutions _Digital analytics _Java Enterprise _Front-end/UX _Integration (EAI, SOA, BPM) _Microsoft solutions _Mobile solutions _SAP _Security _Social business _Systems engineering _IoT
Digitaltransformation.
CHANNEL SUITEThe platform for digi- talizing your customer relationship.
SECURITY SUITEStrong authentication and high usability on all channels.
Full-service digitalization.
AREAS _Digitalization as a
service _Hosting of innovative
solutions in highly regulated industries _Infrastructure enginee -
ring & consulting
CONSULTING DESIGN AGILE PROJECTS
PRODUCTS INNOVATION HOSTING
We create legends in theti&m garage.
You can rest safe in the knowledge that it will take just three to nine months to get your product from an initial vi sualization or prototype to being ready for launch. And of course, we will also help you leave the garage, for example, by adding your new product to your normal operating processes.
CULTURE OF INNOVATION_Quick results_Empowerment_Entrepreneurial thinking
TIME BOXED & CO-LOCATED_Design thinking_Vertical integration_Outstanding multifunctional teams_Agile software engineering
ti&m garage
ti&m stands for technology, innovation, and management. We are market leaders in digitalization and security products, as well as innovation projects in Switzerland and EU fi nancial centers. We offer our discerning clients vertical integration throughout the IT value chain. At our branches in Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, and Frankfurt am Main, we currently employ over 270 outstanding engineers, designers, and consultants. And further branches in Europe will follow. The basis of our growth is our strength and values: courage, a wealth of ideas, agility, and entrepreneurial fl air, coupled with sustainability and Swissness.
We live strong values!Creativity and sustainability as a basis for value-based growth. Independence, high personal commitment, and clear, implemen-tation-oriented advice in daily business.Talent over hierarchy. Teams over lone wolves. Leadership at all levels – these are our values and the basis of our ti&m culture.
ti&m We digitalize yourcompany!
270 employees and growing
NO.1 among Swissinnovation companies
25% growth per year
TOP10 largest owner-managed Swiss IT companies
100% owner-managed
2005 company founding
4xZurich, Bern, Lausanne,Frankfurt am Main
100% vertically integrated
CHANNEL SUITE
SECURITY SUITE
SWISS-MADEDIGITALIZATION
Agile peak performance with personal commitment. Thomas Wüst, +41 44 497 77 55, and Markus Nigg, +41 44 497 77 49, will be happy to advise you. ti8m.com
IN CONVERSATION 30
ti&m: You are focused on change processes in banking and the digitalization of financial institutions and how this affects the perception and identity of these companies. In your experience, which are the most important aspects to undergo fundamental change as a result of comprehensive digitalization?Birgit Storz: Customer expectations develop quickly as part of progressive digital transformation. These are increasingly shaped by private individuals’ everyday user experiences outside the banking sector, such as in their dealings with Internet compa-nies. This also applies to corporate banking. Successful new pro-viders enter the financial services market, occupy certain impor-tant customer interfaces and increase the pressure on established financial institutions. It is therefore no longer enough to keep digitalizing existing business models. In reality, disruptive trends must also be identified and addressed – even if this can-nibalizes certain business segments. As a consequence, banks need to greatly increase their innovation and the speed at which they adapt, even in times of finite resources and increasing de-mands in terms of regulations and compliance. Digitalization should be strongly focused on the fundamental needs of cus-tomers and on relevant customer interfaces. Willingness to change must become a part of corporate culture. In my opinion, this is the most important but also the most difficult task.
Does a change in values inevitably go hand-in-hand with digi-talizing a company and its relationship with customers and the outside world? Will new skills be required? Which established values are also critically important in the digital world?The traditional values of trust, respect, team spirit, a sense of responsibility and integrity actually become more important within an increasingly dynamic environment and competitive landscape that requires a high degree of adaptability. Other val-ues are reinterpreted. For example, the cautious way of thinking
that is currently prevalent needs to give way to disciplined ex-perimentation, to an extent. It is okay to make mistakes if they can be identified quickly and result in learning. But this can only work if traditional incentive and monitoring approaches are reas-sessed. Collaboration models often need to be redesigned. Clos-er internal and external corporate networks become even more important in times of increasing freedom.
How are these values established in the banking world?Ultimately, there is a wide range of instruments for addressing the various aspects of change, which can also change individual values and corporate culture over time. I am convinced that long-term change processes need to be driven from within, although innovation may be boosted through the involvement of an orga-nizationally distinct corporate incubator or a venture capital arm. Primarily, I see managers at all levels as the key to change. A lot can be achieved if they value the opportunities offered by change and ensure that frameworks and incentives are designed in such a way that allows people to work together optimally and bring their talents and strengths to the table. Without capable manag-ers, there can be no consistent concentration on what really mat-ters. They are the only ones able to create the time and freedom needed to question the status quo and the seemingly obvious, to address possible resistance and to overcome setbacks. That is a real challenge, because to work, it needs authenticity.
How can a customer’s identity be verified and protected? And how can the personal relationship between bank and customer (“How are the kids?”, “Are you well?”) be replicated digitally?Customer interactions via digital channels obviously require safe, user-friendly authentication and authorization, as well as appro-priate data security to protect all sides from abuse and establish trust. Furthermore, studies show that confidence is boosted
Change from within
Successful transformation // This begins and ends with managers who consistently focus on the needs of customers, empowering
their teams and astutely influencing organization.
Birgit Storz, Consultant, Egon Zehnder
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Interviewee
Birgit StorzConsultant, Egon Zehnder
Consultant at Egon Zehnder, with a focus on financial services and FinTech. Previously a manager in various banks, most recently head of Commerzbank’s SME segment management and development division and founder and CEO of main incubator GmbH, a subsidiary of Commerzbank.
strongly by the brand and by the opportunity for personal con-tact, including in-branch. Established banks have a clear advan-tage in this respect. For instance, within an omni-channel ap-proach, customers can decide how they use each channel and how strong the level of personal interaction should be. To en-hance personal interaction with the consultant, chat or video functions can also be used alongside face-to-face conversations in-branch, for instance.
How do you view the current FinTech scene in Germany? Does it have the innovation and drive to bring a German or European direction to the digital finance sector, or will Anglo-American models be implemented across the board? In its narrower sense, the FinTech market is currently more of a regional market due to regulatory provisions and different eco-systems. While e-commerce, software or Internet business mod-els can be rolled out relatively easily in different regions, the same cannot be said of financial services. Quite apart from that, there are trail-blazing innovations in Germany and continental Europe that have no equivalent in the USA or UK. Some German FinTech companies, such as 360 Treasury Systems, have grown over time and have become international market leaders. I am therefore convinced that European FinTech can influence the di-rection of their home markets and beyond. Even though the USA leads the league tables in terms of venture capital etc., I also find it exciting that two of the most valuable global FinTechs at the moment come from China.
How did working with FinTechs and digital transformation change the way you understand your working environment and professional goals?I learned a lot from the FinTech scene’s successful founders. My understanding of security and stability changed. The value that I
attribute to creating one’s own freedoms and self-determined ac-tivities increased significantly. As a perfectionist, a principle such as “better done than perfect” would have been anathema to me in the past. However, what fascinates me the most is how much can be achieved with limited resources and the right attitude. If I succeed in getting my team enthused about a topic then that can bring about real change. If it's all about measuring my perfection-ism, then I will never have enough resources. I am therefore more interested than ever before in changing mindsets and under-standing my partner’s values. I question apparent truths more vigorously to drive things forward and find answers. In a lecture a while ago, a student asked me: “Why do corporations still need their own large headquarters?” This is an interesting question in light of the development of attractive co-working spaces and col-laboration tools, etc., as well as more flexible ways of working, which shows that we are no longer limited by the axioms of the familiar working environment.
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32EXPERIENCE
Completely different requirements apply to a customer access system (consumer IAM, abbreviation cIAM) than to an employee identity and access management (IAM) solution. For example, a consumer IAM solution needs to recognize a far greater num-ber of identities. Dedicated cIAM solutions enable an extremely high number of identities to access systems during concurrent sessions. Moreover, their design should result in high-perfor-mance scalability for millions of users. A specialized cIAM solu-tion can make a profound difference in cost when compared to traditional versions, which can be significant when a high num-ber of identities is being managed.
User self-service and help deskUser self-services are one of the core functionalities of cIAM solutions. In this type of solution, administrator or help desk in-tervention is not needed to register, expand a customer profile or change a password. This means that user self-services free up support staff, drastically reduce costs and shorten user waiting times. Should help desk support be needed at any time, the sup-port coworker can access the customer’s account using dele-gated administration rights. The co-browsing feature enables the help desk coworker to run through individual operations with the customer.
Fast self-registration really reduces the barrier preventing customers from using the service, leading to a rise in the num-ber of customers and prospective customers. User manage-ment can be designed to be flexible and dynamic, thanks to the option for connecting to user directories such as Microsoft Ac-tive Directory or LDAP and a diverse range of integrated token solutions.
In this way, cIAMs improve user comfort as well as security and customer satisfaction. Single sign-on means that users only need to register once. Strict authentication for increased security and compliance regulations can be implemented using the step-up procedure.
Flexible authentication Companies should have the option to choose and switch be-tween different modes of authentication. The most basic method is a simple password, while the most complex includes modern, strict authentication processes. Again, administrator or help desk intervention is not usually needed for this.
An example of simple authentication is when customers register via social media accounts. In this case, customers bring their pre-existing digital identities with them (Bring Your Own Identity). This results in a huge increase in the number of registrations because users do not have to complete long regis-tration forms. Users find interactive authentication measures particularly annoying. This requires them to carry out an addi-tional step to verify their identity. In more complex environ-ments, such as when opening an account digitally, a risk-based (adaptive) data access control is recommended for verifying user identity.
When risk-based authentication is used, smart, intelligent security software takes account of contextual information when an application is accessed and registers information such as time of day, place of access, device ID as well as browser infor-mation (client and session fingerprinting). Together, these give a good indication as to whether the access attempt is normal or potentially fraudulent. Depending on the application, a sufficient level of security can be attained in this way at no great expense, while reducing the number of interactive authentication steps.
Levels of security depending on applicationCompanies differentiate between the distinct security require-ments of different areas. For example, a bank's mortgage calcu-lator is not security-critical, and a personalized stock ticker only needs to be authenticated simply, but e-banking must be strictly authenticated.
The software increases the acceptance of the user if they activate single sign-on for an application environment that al-ways requires a higher level of security. To do this, the user types
Author
Dr. Martin BurkhartHead of Product Management, Airlock
After graduating from ETH Zurich with a degree in IT, Martin Burkhart initially worked as a software developer. He then returned to ETH and focused on the anonymization of network data and applied cryptography for collaborative security protocols. Martin Burkhart was head of IAM integration projects at Ergon and has been in charge of product management at Airlock Suite since 2013.
Secure customer logins are simple
Access Management // Unlike identity and access management solutions designed for employees, customer access systems need to be particularly flexible and almost endlessly scalable, and above all,
should not deter first-time users with awkward procedures.
Martin Burkhart, Head of Product Management, Airlock
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an SMS code for example and then gains access to all relevant applications for the rest of the day. In consumer IAM systems, single sign-on has created a seamless customer experience. If the portal or applications become too complicated because of various login requirements, the customer will start to look for al-ternatives. Federated single sign-on (SSO) should support stan-dards such as SAML, OAuth 2 and OpenID Connect.
Consumer IAM solutions are more exposed and therefore more likely to be victims of hacker attacks than traditional enter-prise IAM solutions. Using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) is the best way to protect cIAMs against abuse. Thanks to the com-bination of cIAM and WAF, customer interactions via forms (Smart Form Protection) can always proceed securely and the IAM system is protected from script attacks.
Innovative approaches, such as Dynamic Value Endorsement (DyVE), ensure that JSON objects are dynamically searched for values that are authorized for the current user session. This facil-itates the simple securing of REST APIs, which is also used in-creasingly with smartphone apps. Targeted web fraud attacks can also be detected early on in the user interaction and suitable preventative measures taken.
It is also important to be able to integrate a cIAM solution into technical interfaces. This supports flexible access to existing services and allows the solution to be embedded in existing solu-tions or portals. It is also advantageous to synchronize the vari-ous directory services in the cIAM solution to merge identities from different user directories. PH
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Airlock Suite Airlock Suite combines filtering and authentication in a balanced complete solution, setting new standards in terms of usability and services. In Switzerland, Airlock is a de-facto standard for online banking protection and, in combination with the ti&m security suite, is also used internationally in many environments with high security requirements.
Airlock Suite application
dashboard on a smartphone.
34EXPERIENCE
Nowadays, customers want to access information using various devices anytime, anywhere. They want to do business and be able to interact with a very wide range of different people. “Digi-tal identity” is therefore in the spotlight even more. It can be ver-ified in any number of ways, depending on the type of digital service, application or action. Verification ranges from entering
a username and password to presenting official documents, such as driver’s license, passport or ID card. According to the level of confidentiality required, a recognized digital identification method is needed to guarantee that we are interacting with the correct person.
Cornerstones of customer on-boardingIn the banking sector, the market for identifying customers using digital channels changed in the past year because of legal frame-work conditions and new requirements from the regulator. New customer on-boarding is seeing huge changes mainly due to the prevalence of video identification. The customer can now open an account conveniently at home or on the road, instead of need-ing a personal appointment in branch, which always used to be the case. Video identification as a digital way of proving identity, the acceptance of the digital signature and the option to connect with “Know Your Customer” systems (KYC) to guarantee regula-tory requirements formed the basis of seamless, digital on-board-ing of authorized customers and business relations. This is being followed with great interest in the financial sector and beyond.
Revolutionary change thanks to blockchain technology?The use of blockchain technologies now promises to consolidate today's various ways of proving identity on one secure, trust-worthy and transparent platform, independent of the service or application. This means that financial, healthcare, local govern-ment, trade or public transport applications would refer to the same identity and the same process for opening new customer accounts. Time-consuming processes, such as the KYC process would only need to be executed once. This increases customer security as well as improving efficiency and reducing costs, as the unique identity can be managed by the customer and they can therefore control which aspects of their identity they want different companies or institutions to access at any time.
However, up to now, other regulatory steps were required alongside the technical hurdles. For a long time, banks in partic-ular relied on local solutions. However, the newer versions of these established the user-friendliness, process consistency and security that are now the yardstick for all future developments. Author
Philipp DieringerIT project manager, ti&m
Philipp Dieringer studied electrical engineering and information technology at ETH Zurich and has worked as a project manager in the financial sector for more than five years. His current focus is “Digital On-boarding” and he is in charge of various innovation projects at ti&m. PH
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Consolidation is needed now
Customer identity // The basis for the next stages in modern e-bank-ing was formed with the release of video identification and the
acceptance of digital signatures. These different proofs of identity could be consolidated by blockchain.
Philipp Dieringer, IT Project Manager, ti&m
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ICT is making a decisive contribution to BKW’s new identity with solutions for innovative products and services, as well as opti-mized processes, which exploit rapidly advancing digitalization and reduce costs in the long-term. In this context, ICT has an active role to play in making BKM’s new identity as a leading energy and infrastructure provider a reality.
We are developing smart solutions for our new and existing business through agile projects. Effective requirements engineer-ing on the part of the business and a profound understanding of the business on the part of the ICT department are crucial to this. This leads to successful applications with a modern and inspiring user experience, which results in value-added products and services. When business and ICT see eye to eye, then togeth-er they can achieve the best solution quickly and pragmatically. Therefore, on one hand, progressive digitization is optimizing and improving the existing business model in the long term. This is a three-pillared approach:
1. Our portal strategy is based on a 360°-view of and for the customer. This manages digital exchanges between our
customers and customer services. To this end, we have com-pletely updated our website my.bkw.ch to reflect our new iden-tity. On this site, our private customers in BKW's supply region can now see the same information as our telephone operatives. We are also gradually amalgamating web information about in-dividual products on onePortal, which is complemented with agile apps.
2. All marketing and sales activities relating to our customers are processed in an integrated, digital way in customer re-
lationship management. This includes energy supply, mains con-nection and services. With futureCRM, we are implementing a corresponding application that is closely linked to our back end systems.
3. Back end processes from finance, to personnel, assets, purchasing and sales have been standardized in line with
Industry 4.0. To this end, futureERP SAP S/4HANA 1511 replaced our 15-year-old SAP system at the start of this year.
On the other hand, BKM’s new identity is being shaped by new innovations that which will lead to transformative growth. SmartHome is a good example of this from the field of the Inter-net of Things (IoT): The BKM Home Energy product optimizes energy consumption in a detached home using the synergy of a photovoltaic system, heating, warm water and thermal pumps, solar power storage batteries and a charger for an electric car.
Individual technologies are added to the integrated internal energy consumption control every quarter.
Through a balance of optimization and innovation, ICT, in close cooperation with business, is successfully supporting the long-term transformation of BKW's identity from a rather old-fashioned energy company to a leading, agile energy and infrastructure supplier.
Author
Ivo MaritzHead of Cyber Security (CSO/CISO), BKW
Ivo Maritz studied structural engineering at ETHZ and was an IT assistant at the University of Bern. Over the last 30 years, he has managed the ICT departments of companies including Roche and OC Oerlikon. As the head of IT (CIO), he drove BKW’s ICT department’s transformation from 2014 to 2016. He has been head of Cyber Security (CSO/CISO) since January 1, 2017.
Author
Thomas ZinnikerHead of Information & Communications Technology (CIO), BKW
After graduating, Thomas Zinniker worked for several years as a software engineer, project manager and business consultant at the University of Applied Sciences of North-West Switzerland. He moved to BKW as business applications manager at the start of 2016, after ten years as CIO of Forbo. He has been CIO since 1/1/2017.
Ready for the future of energy
Energy // Radical upheaval forces an energy supplier to reinvent itself and its corporate identity. BKW is becoming the leading
energy and infrastructure provider. It is shaping the future of energy – simple, secure, integrated.
Ivo Maritz, Head of Cyber Security (CSO/CISO), Thomas Zinniker, Head of Information & Communications Technology, BKW
IoT in energy sector optimizes consumption
photovoltaic system
Hot water
Heating solar power accumulator
charging point
EXPERIENCE
36VISION
Robots are leaving the factories and are becoming common-place in the home, on the roads, in healthcare and in agriculture, providing autonomous assistance. They advise and entertain us in the virtual world. As a result, the divide between human and robot is starting to disappear – and it’s happening more quickly than we realize.
What makes us unique individuals?The technical and official answer is our identity. According to Wikipedia, our identity is the sum of all the essential characteris-tics that result in a person, an animal or a thing being described as an individual. Being identical, therefore, means being exactly the same. This excludes people and animals. Things, on the
other hand, can certainly be identical. However, with a number or an IP address, they can have their own unique ID.
Having said that, identity should not be confused with person-ality. A possible definition of personality would be a set of charac-teristics such as values, behavior, memories and knowledge. This presupposes the ability to learn. The philosopher, John Locke, summed it up accurately in 1690, when he said that only beings with intelligence and legal capacity can have personality.
Robots can have an identity. But can they have a personality? Two aspects will be looked at in closer detail below: intelligence and responsibility. The first part presupposes the (social) ability to learn – which in turn enables the development of values and behavior. The second deals with the consequences of this ability.
Robot identities
Law // We are living in a real and in a virtual world at the same time. The challenge we face today is that technological progress
is making it increasingly difficult to differentiate between human beings and machines.
Thomas Ankenbrand, FinTech specialist, Lucerne University
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Author
Dr. Thomas AnkenbrandFinTech specialist, Lucerne University
Thomas Ankenbrand has worked in the FinTech department at the Financial Services Institute in Zug (IFZ) at Lucerne University since 2015. He is also on the board of various companies in the financial sector and lectures at the University of Zurich.
Are robots intelligent?By intelligence, we generally mean a person’s cognitive ability. Artificial intelligence refers to algorithms that display intelligent behavior and simulate human behavior. In that sense, machines are well on their way to being or becoming intelligent. Robots can now move autonomously, can communicate with each other (and with human beings) from any location, can learn and can use cognitive logic to make decisions independently. Their be-havior, as a reaction to their environment, can even be unpredict-able to a certain degree.
There is the possibility and the fear that intelligent robots might surpass the intellectual capabilities of humans in the near future. This would mean that we had lost control of our own cre-ation. Or, to paraphrase Goethe “The spirits I have summoned, I now cannot banish”.
Can machines assume responsibility?What happens then, if robots make poor decisions? Can an intel-ligent robot be held responsible for its errors and be condemned? Which legal basis applies here? To be held responsible requires free will and an awareness of right and wrong.
In a technical sense, a robot has free will because of its abili-ty to learn and it can be programmed to have an awareness of right and wrong. Admittedly, the only harm it will cause for which it can be held responsible is within the parameters of a conflict or a programming error. A typical example of a conflict is an un-avoidable (non-fault) accident involving an autonomous vehicle
where the robot has to choose what to damage. If it moves to the left, it damages the garden fence. If it moves to the right, it hits the traffic island.
Nowadays, the user or owner is liable if an accident occurs involving a self-driving car, for example. This opens up a gap between responsibility and influence that contradicts estab-lished legal principles and our general sense of justice. The alter-native is product liability, where the manufacturer is responsible for damages. This raises the question as to whether a manufac-turer can or wants to bear the potentially huge risks. Alternative-ly, it would be possible for a machine to have its own assets, or at least insurance, to meet potential claims for damages. Imag-ine a self-driving Uber vehicle. It earns money, and uses it to pay for its upkeep and any insurance required.
Legal capacity is inscribed in the code of civil law in Switzer-land for private individuals and legal entities. For private individu-als, identity starts at completed birth and ends with death. For legal entities, it starts with an entry in the commercial register and ends with a deletion from it.
The EU project “RoboLaw” discussed responsibilities as well as dangers. The legal committee also submitted a draft report to the EU parliament. Robots could be regarded as electronic per-sons, thereby becoming a legal entity with a legal identity, rights and obligations. This would recognize robots’ technological de-velopment and abilities. It would mean a convergence of the rights and obligations of people and robots.
The relationship between humans and machinesUnder certain circumstances, it might be conceded that intelli-gent robots have a personality. Many people today already foster intensive, albeit one-sided, relationships with things. Robots capable of emotional relationships are being developed. The humanoid robot, Pepper, created by Aldebaran Robotics and SoftBank, is one of the first examples of this. It can read emotions and show, or at least simulate, them.
However, human beings can now not only be replaced, but even immortalized. A robot can be created as a copy of a person. This allows the person to communicate from beyond the grave by means of the robot who has learned the individual's behavior-al patterns. This simulates virtual immortality. Is this fiction? No. Etermine already offers this now, by initially conserving all avail-able data and behavioral patterns from a person in a virtual robot, or an avatar, of the dead person.
Soon, intelligence and responsibility may no longer be ways of differentiating between humans and machines. Perhaps the only difference in the future will be flesh and metal. But biologists may have another view on the matter.
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MARKET & TRENDS 38
Often, just having a new idea, an innovative product or a new ser-vice is not enough to make a breakthrough. Start-ups depend on another key success factor: creating and shaping a digital identi-ty. Visibility is paramount, alongside sufficient financial resources, team spirit and discipline. Only then will the company succeed in targeting and winning over customers with its message.
Visibility can be achieved as part of a marketing strategy, us-ing measures such as advertising, event participation and contri-butions to specialist publications. However, achieving visibility through social media presence is cheaper, more efficient and also relatively straightforward.
Exploiting untapped potentialQumram has recognized that it is not only the company’s activi-ties that are important. The involvement of the whole team
counts too. The social presence of employees is an underutilized resource in many companies. The Qumram culture encourages staff members to become involved in different social networks and thereby to exert influence in diverse ways. The digital identity of Qumram is shaped by the engagement of our staff.
Successes need to be measurable. This is also the case for digital identity. We initially watched the development of our fol-lower numbers on Twitter. To meet our need to measure our overall social influence, we then moved on to considering our Klout score (from the word clout = impact). Klout scores mea-sure the reputation of an individual or organization in the digital world. Their digital identity, i.e. their influence on social media. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with three factors feeding into the calculations of the secret algorithm: The quantity of friends/followers, the mobilization capacity (interactions such as likes, comments or shares) and the scores from the individual’s own network. The Klout scores of some Qumram employees are now already higher than that of the Qumram organization itself. This is further proof that social media are an extremely individualistic mouthpiece. At the global level, the unchallenged front runner is the still-incumbent American President Barack Obama, with a Klout score of 98.
What a Klout score means in everyday termsCompanies such as KPMG use the social presence of a com-pany and its employees to help with evaluation when drawing up its “Top 100 Global FinTech Ranking”. Qumram creates an envi-ronment in which it is possible to continuously expand social influence. For example, every week the Marketing Department compiles a digest of information, which can be shared on social networks by employees. This strategy works, as is evidenced by our placing in the KPMG Global Top 100 List, as well as by the entry of two of our employees in the list of the Top 30 Swiss FinTech Influencers (as of September 2016) compiled by fintechnews.ch.
Author
Patrick SiegenthalerDirector of Sales, Qumram
Patrick Siegenthaler (Klout score at the time of going to press: 60) is responsible for sales in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for Qumram AG, with a focus on financial services. He has more than 15 years of IT experience, as a Senior Project Manager, Program Manager and Business Unit Director with Unic AG, SBB AG and the Municipal Utility of Winterthur. PH
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Strong digital identity for start-ups
Klout Score // A top tip: Use people’s vanity to strengthen the digital identity of your organization and
to increase its visibility.
Patrick Siegenthaler, Director of Sales, Qumram
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EXPERIENCE
Over the last few years, fledgling FinTech companies have been getting involved in the financial services market: businesses that exploit the most up-to-date technical developments to create brand new services. In the process, previously generally accept-ed truisms are ignored, traditional value chains are challenged, and there is “disruptive” innovation.
Every young start-up dreams of becoming the next PayPal. Established players are also putting their old money into new business models to stay in the game tomorrow.
ti&m and FinTechsAt ti&m, we do not directly consider ourselves to be a FinTech company, and we are also not a financial services provider. How-ever, this development goes right to our very core,and for three different reasons: As an advisor to our customers, we not only want to be able to understand how new technologies work, but also to be able to evaluate the effects on the market of the solu-tions based on them. As a software company, we offer a plat-form for digital customer interaction with our ti&m channel suite; we are interested in innovative FinTech services, which we can integrate into the ecosystem of ti&m channel suite. Combined with flexible interaction processes and their diverse basic func-tionalities, such as chat, with secure document exchange or a complete digital on-boarding process, we will be able to offer, for example, a deep learning solution for banks that will already be perfectly integrated into their customer interactions. And, last but not least, as founder and CEO of ti&m I am of course an en-trepreneur. By definition, many new ideas make my heart beat faster. If these ideas are moreover based in our core competen-cy, that is, technology, and if they fit in with our established mar-ket segments, then my pulse really starts racing. So that we do not put our hard-earned cash into a bubble that will burst, how-ever, we follow a model as investors that is appropriate for us as a company.
Smart capital and market accessOur most valuable capital is our knowledge and reputation in the market. This is also the capital that we are prepared to invest. We therefore supply start-ups with effective software development and powerful tools such as our ti&m channel suite development kit (CDK), thereby helping them achieve an extremely short time to market. Integration into the ecosystem of our ti&m channel suite also guarantees access to market.
Providing this access to our core assets is not without risk for us as a business. We therefore place extremely high priority on determining technical and social parameters, alongside a
business case indicating likely success. This means that the so-lution must be on our technological radar, and that the start-up must above all be receptive to our philosophy of collaboration – vertical, locally-assembled teams who are engaged in design thinking, whose approach is agile and who strive to be suppliers without compromise.
The first success stories, which include a video-supported identification solution and an electronic payment solution, con-firm the potential of our investments.
Author
Thomas Wüst CEO, ti&m
Thomas Wüst is CEO, President of the Board of Directors and founder of ti&m. He studied computer science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and has spent the intervening 25 years working in the fields of IT consulting, software engineering, and IT project development. As an entrepreneur, he believes in the success of collaboration based in holding clear values.
How to invest in FinTechs
Investments // Start-ups in the FinTech field are worth investing in. ti&m makes its own distinctive investments: Access to know-how and the market – but only under specific circumstances.
Thomas Wüst, CEO, ti&m
EXPERIENCE 40
PostAuto, the city of Sion, the canton of Valais and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne have been undertak-ing trials of two autonomous shuttle buses under the auspices of Mobility Lab Sion Valais since the end of June 2016. The two vehicles, developed by the French company Navya, are 100 per-cent electrically powered. The autonomous minibuses follow a precisely programmed circuit to the exact centimeter around the streets of Sion, the capital of Valais.
They call automatically at eight stops, brake independently when they encounter an obstacle and are capable of correctly rec-ognizing pedestrians as well as buildings. “It is as if the shuttle bus is running on virtual rails”, explains Project Manager Jürg Mi-chel. “If it leaves the route it has previously learned, it stops.” If this happens, for example, because the bus has to avoid an illegally parked car, then the on-board computer issues a notification. The two shuttle buses can transport up to eleven people at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour. Although journeys are always ac-companied by trained staff – known as “Grooms” – the buses do not have a steering wheel, accelerator or brake. An emergency button is available in case it is needed to stop the vehicle.
The vehicles are able to proceed extremely precisely both day and night, and can recognize any street obstacle or signal thanks to state-of-the-art sensors. A program developed by the Laus-anne start-up company, BestMile, monitors and controls the two autonomous vehicles.
Trials not without incidentOperations are still sometimes interrupted, since the system con-tinues to experience certain teething troubles. The service was
suspended for two weeks at the end of September due to an in-cident. One of the SmartShuttles touched the open tailgate of a parked delivery vehicle between the Place du Midi and the Place du Scex. Following this event, which resulted in minor damage both to the delivery vehicle and the SmartShuttle, which had been traveling in autonomous mode, the trial was temporarily suspended by PostAuto.
The technical data contained in the black box was investi-gated, the various route sections analyzed, the event discussed with the accompanying staff and the accident scene was even reconstructed. After the possible reasons for the collision had been intensively reviewed and measures had been determined to prevent a similar incident in the future, the trial operation was resumed in October.
Special permits requiredThe legal requirements for the deployment of autonomous ve-hicles on public highways have not yet been conclusively deter-mined. Therefore special permits are required. PostAuto is working on this issue in close collaboration with the vehicle manufacturer and the responsible authorities at federal, can-tonal and municipal level. Passenger safety takes the highest priority for all the companies and institutions involved in the trial. Concurrently with this unique pilot scheme in Sion, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne is working on the integration of a fleet of autonomous shuttles into the public transport system, to facilitate a needs-based service, for example. A key precondition for project success is undertaking operations in real time while accommodating the differing re-
Autonomous post buses: transporting you to the future
Autonomous vehicles // Autonomous post buses have no driver and are able to navigate smoothly using their powerful sensors. For the first time, a company is testing this technology
in the public domain in Switzerland.
Simon Rimle, Head of Communication and Public Affairs, PostAuto
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Vehicle dataManufacturer: Navya Length: 4.80 m Width: 2.05 m Height: 2.55 m Unladen weight: 2400 kg Seats: 11 Battery performance: 6 to 12 hrs. Battery charging time: 5 to 8 hrs. Maximum speed during trial phase: 20 km/h
A folding ramp in the vehicle helps individuals with reduced mobility to access the vehicle. The shuttles are equipped with two emergency stop buttons and surveillance cameras. During the trial phase, a safety driver (Groom) is always on board.
TipsBoth the autonomous shuttles run in the afternoons from Tuesday to Sunday. On Fridays the service starts at 3:00 p.m., since Sion market takes place in the mornings. During the trial phase, travel is free. The SmartShuttle App can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store. It shows the current location of the two shuttles. During the trial period, the operating hours may be subject to change at any time. Please ensure you check the following website for the up-to-date timetable and additional information: www.postauto.ch/smartshuttle
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Author
Simon RimleHead of Communication and Public Affairs, PostAuto
Simon Rimle has been Head of Communication and Public Affairs as well as a member of the executive board at PostAuto since 2012. The business college graduate previously held various roles with Swiss Federal Railways, eventually becoming the Head of Communication and Marketing for SBB Real Estate. He is also a member of the board of the information service for public transport (LITRA) as well as of the Schweiz Mobil foundation board.
quirements of passengers: Flexible timetables, request services and house-to-house services are all being planned or at least considered.
Testing use in the public domainPostAuto, together with its collaborators, hopes that the large-scale trial will enable them to address not only numerous techni-cal issues but also the question of whether the deployment of autonomous shuttles in the public domain is feasible, viable and meets a need – especially in the public domain, for example in pedestrian zones, car-free areas or on company sites not previ-ously served by public transport. The objective is not to replace the existing post bus routes with autonomous vehicles, but rath-er to diversify the means of transport. Therefore, there will be no job losses for drivers. PostAuto is in transition from being the leading public bus transportation company in Switzerland to be-coming an integrated mobility provider. For this reason, it would like to be able to accompany passengers from departure to PH
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arrival with suitable services. The trial of autonomous shuttles, which will continue until October 2017, therefore fits in very well, since these could perhaps one day be deployed where no trans-port has previously been available.
EXPERIENCE 42
As managers operating in the midst of sweeping digital transfor-mation, we are confronted with hype over another technological innovation every few months or so that demands our attention. Omnichannel, IoT, Blockchain, Big Data – you name it. In this cli-mate, we do not feel very comfortable making groundbreaking decisions, despite being well-versed in the art of skating on thin ice when arguing our case and having realized through the course of our careers that our colleagues are generally no smart-er than us. Because one thing that we have understood is that digitalizing our company really is a game-changer!
This is where “hack an app for managers” comes in: manag-ers can explore topics hands-on with their peers and like-minded colleagues in one-day workshops. Topics currently offered in-clude the Internet of Things and the blockchain. Further topics are in the pipeline and events can also be tailored to your needs.
The smart door and the Internet of ThingsHow is a smart door created? A magnetic sensor and a lens are used to take a photo of the person entering when the door opens. Using magnetic sensors and a small camera, this scenario is ex-plored in HaA4M’s “Internet of Things (IoT)” session. How are things linked? How are chips programmed? How is everything linked into a case? At the end of the workshop, participants
achieve success and satisfaction by creating a functioning proto-type, giving them real insights and experience of the process.
The smart contract in the blockchainThe blockchain is definitely THE hot topic of the moment, espe-cially in the financial sector. It has enormous potential and some pundits think that it may threaten the very foundations of the entire financial industry. This makes it even more important to really understand how the blockchain works, as this is the only way that new business cases can be considered objectively. What is a smart contract and how is it implemented? What makes the blockchain secure? What are the current develop-ments in the blockchain world? These questions will be dealt with and discussed hands-on.
hack an app for managers addresses the challenges of the VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) head-on. The learning process is no longer linear and constant and neither are the developments and changes that are happening all around us. The change process and our search for solutions are characterized by trial and error, iterative methods, visualization and intensive discussions.
Author
Marco Berg Head of ti&m Frankfurt
Marco Berg has many years of experience as a managing director and CD in digital agencies. He was responsible for digital campaigns and interactive projects for DAX 50 companies in the automotive, technology and financial sectors. Marco Berg has been on board at ti&m since August 2016, as principal and head of the Frankfurt office.
Author
Markus Nigg Markus Nigg, COO, Member of ti&m’s Executive Board
Markus Nigg has a background in business administration and computer science. He was the CFO for various companies for several years. He joined ti&m AG in 2007 and is responsible for the entire business operation. Markus Nigg is a member of the Management Board and Board of Directors of ti&m AG.
hack an app for managers
Training // Last year, hack an app for managers (HaA4M) was developed on the back of the successful hack an app for young people (see p. 25).
The essential learning technology works very well for both groups, enabling them to discover and experience technology hands-on.
Marco Berg, Head of ti&m, FrankfurtMarkus Nigg, COO, Member of ti&m’s Executive Board
Contacthack an app for managers is offered as a flexible course for interested managers within the ti&m academy (http://www.ti8m.ch/academy), or alternatively, as an on-site corporate course on request. Contact Marco Berg, [email protected] PH
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What is the hallmark of a brand? It is recognized by its presence, or rather, by its look and feel. And it makes a clear pledge to the customer, which can be seen in Audi’s slogan, “Vorsprung durch Technik”, or BMW’s slogan, “Joy of driving”, for instance. In a for-mulaic way, these slogans encapsulate the qualities that distin-guish Audi and BMW’s products.
Being recognized for certain valuesThe same thing applies to leaders who are seen as having a “per-sonal brand” by the people with whom they come into contact. They are also identified with the values and convictions of their environment, which are in turn demonstrated by particular types of behavior. This means that the first step for leaders when devel-oping their brand is to be aware of their own values and convic-tions, strengths and also their weaknesses – in other words, what makes the individual unique and distinctive. The self-per-ception needed to understand our impact grows from this aware-ness and helps us to adopt a confident attitude, even in turbulent
times. In turn, this gives a clear signal to those around us: you can have confidence in this brand or person, because they have confidence in themselves.
Presenting and marketing yourself“As a leader, you should be a brand and present and market your-self as such” – many leaders have initial reservations about this call to action. This is because they associate the term marketing with attributes like flashy and loud. But not all brands are flashy and loud. There are many that are defined by cool understate-ment. The same applies to self-marketing for leaders. Here too, it’s not always about who can shout the loudest, although a con-fident leader should never hide their light under a bushel. It is more a question of always conveying what you stand for and what is important to you as a person to the outside world.
This is how credibility and confidence are created. And these factors are increasingly important for successful leadership in the changing VUCA world.
Credibility and confidence as success factorsThe future is increasingly unpredictable. All company decisions and plans are subject to review. What seems right today can prove to be wrong tomorrow – because of changes to the market or technical innovations, for instance. This is also unsettling for employees. As a consequence, they increasingly look for direc-tion and a clear framework. But who can give them this in a busi-ness environment that is seemingly in constant flux? Ultimately, it has to be their leaders.
Therefore, work on being a brand that your employees can trust and have confidence in, because it is distinctive and credi-ble, predictable and reliable. This will ensure that you are a suc-cessful leader in the digital age.
Author
Barbara Liebermeister Head of the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ)
Barbara Liebermeister leads the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ), in Frankfurt am Main, which supports companies in giving their employees the skills they need for the digital age (www.ifidz.de). The economist and management consultant is also in demand as a conference speaker. Her new book “Digital ist egal: Mensch bleibt Mensch – Führung entscheidet” (Digital or Not: People are People – Leadership Decides) will be published by Gabal-Verlag in March 2017.PH
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Leaders as the brand
Leadership // In the digital age we are bombarded with more and more information, and brands become
increasingly important as they give us a framework and a direction. Increasingly, leaders must also develop themselves as brands, who are identified with certain
values and convictions by their employees.
Barbara Liebermeister, Head of the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ)
EXPERIENCE
INTERVIEW 44
ti&m: In your opinion, what role does brand identity play in an ever more digitalized world? Karin Baltisberger: For Mobiliar, the brand inherently has a very important role to play. Especially in the digital world, of course. With increasing information overload, the brand is like a light-house, providing direction, trust and recognition.
How do you safeguard the perception of your brand across all the communication channels and pathways? We are well-known throughout Switzerland, thanks to our ani-mated adverts, which have been running for 18 years, and our “Liebe Mobiliar” commercials (“Dear Mobiliar”). “Liebe Mobiliar” has become a common saying too. This is obviously a superb foundation for us to build on. In response to the new demands of the digital world, Mobiliar has recently undergone a sympathetic brand refreshment. We built on our mission statement, which has retained its essential features for many years and represents our values: “We are there for our customers, come what may”. It is essential to us that our promise is one that we can keep. We are not claiming to make our customers’ lives safer. But we are there to help them if something does happen. We keep this prom-ise on a daily basis. Our top ratings in surveys demonstrates cus-tomer satisfaction with this. To what extent do corporate values play a role in the brand design?To a very large extent. Ideally, the representation of the brand conveys an authentic image of corporate values. Each contact,
whether virtual or in a face-to-face meeting with a customer, shapes the brand’s image and identity. Our employees are the key to this success. They live and represent our corporate val-ues and thereby create our brand’s “soul”. This requires particu-lar attention and needs to be continually maintained. It makes sense, therefore, to give our employees a digital understanding of our corporate strategy. To do this, we have built a dedicated portal that conveys the most important elements of our strate-gy. The strategy is brought to life using short texts and video material. A strategy can only be successful if the employees un-derstand it and understand how they contribute to it. It’s not about giving them a comprehensive policy framework to take away. It’s much more about sharing a common direction with them. In a rapidly changing world, quick decisions are often necessary too, and employees have more individual responsibil-
“The brand is like a lighthouse”
Brand identity // For an insurance company such as Mobiliar, with a 190-year company history, it is important to combine the achievements of the
past with the opportunities of the present: personal contact is important, but digital channels are too. Karin Baltisberger demonstrates how Mobiliar
is maintaining its identity in the age of digital upheaval.
Karin Baltisberger, Head of Corporate Communications, Mobiliar
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ity. This means that they need to understand the company's strategy and values.
If you were to speculate, what do you think the company's direction will be, going forwards?Personally, I see an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary direc-tion for Mobiliar. The company has been in existence for 190 years. Our predecessors must have done something right for the business to have reached such a ripe age. And this is what we are building on: we are looking for the right balance between tra-dition and innovation. We are taking the best of the analog world and combining it with the new skills and opportunities that digi-talization has to offer. Let's take our general agencies as an ex-ample. They are at the heart of Mobiliar. They are located in 160 places in Switzerland and the employees know their customers.
If something happens, they pull on their boots and get down there. At the same time, the customer can now also contact us digitally and report a loss to us in 90 seconds via our app. As Switzerland's most personal insurance company, we have a duty to know our clients in this situation too. The new digital options help us in this endeavor.
Does this mean that you are following a “change from within” strategy?Not exclusively. As a company, we will always need external input to give us new momentum. Ninety percent of our project budget has been set aside for developing our current business model, while we are investing ten percent in “speed-boat projects” that try out visions for the market of tomorrow. We are also investing in digital companies such as HR service provider, Trianon AG, real estate and automobile platform, Scout24, and security deposit provider, Swiss Caution. This means that we are bringing digital expertise in-house and extending our product range.
What do digitalization and digital identity mean for you personally?I consider digitalization to be a gift. It offers so many opportunities for me as an individual, both professionally and personally. For all the risks and pitfalls of social media platforms, they still offer inde-pendence from the geographical and societal restrictions imposed by the analog world. Digitalization is not only changing the way that we use technology but also our way of working, our culture and our society. I like change and enjoy shaping it.
Interviewee
Karin BaltisbergerHead of Corporate Communications, Mobiliar
Karin Baltisberger (33) has been head of corporate communications for Mobiliar since 1 September 2015. She established Mobiliar's corporate newsroom, which began operating at the start of the year with a team of around 30. The skilled communicator previously worked as a journalist. Most recently, she worked in various senior positions at Ringier, including Blick Group’s newsroom news editor.
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Major information traders, such as Google, Facebook etc., have joined the battle for digital identity. Social logins and authentica-tion solutions vie for the user’s favor by offering simple process-es and maximum convenience. Although this development may seem welcome, it does however pose a series of challenges. First among these is the question of data protection. Today we have the technological capacity to evaluate even massive quantities of data in a targeted fashion, thanks to Big Data and Cloud tech-nologies.
Data acquisition is in a position to track every single one of our steps or heartbeats, via smartphones and wearable technol-ogy. For example, our smartphone – or the organization behind it – is familiar with our habits and knows where we are going next and what the traffic is like at the moment, before we have even set off. Location information is just one example of data that fa-cilitates conclusions about our identity once it is related to indi-vidual context. Data is also generated from our need for informa-tion and entertainment across all digital channels, and from the sometimes extremely personal information that many of our fel-low human beings are prepared to share with their friends on social media.
Given the potential value of all this data, it is difficult to entrust the respective platform operators with the sole responsibility for its utilization. Even the insistence of the providers that the per-sonal data will only be used for internal purposes does not offer sufficient reassurance.
The controversial nature of this issue is also reflected in legis-lation. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, EU Regula-tion 2016/679), which will be binding in Switzerland from May 2018, regulates the processing of personal data within the EU. The platform http://lobbyplag.eu gives an instructive insight into the way in which both data protectors and large IT companies have attempted to exert an influence on the Regulation.
The basic principle of the Regulation is to give the owner of the data – that is, the individual – more control and therefore more responsibility. The specific consent of the owner is there-fore required for the storage or processing of data not directly related to the respective business process (e.g. telephone num-ber for e-banking). Furthermore, a comprehensive right to be for-gotten is to be granted. Personal data must therefore either be deleted or, where this is not possible technically, excluded from being processed. The correct implementation of the regulation is to be ensured by newly-appointed data protection officers within companies, and by country-specific auditors.
We will doubtless become intensely involved with the GPRD and also the revised digital payment services regulation (PSD2), which likewise contains far-reaching stipulations affecting per-sonal data.
This is perhaps the right moment to reflect on the “digital val-ue” of our customers. Digitalization not only demands the transfer of existing processes to digital media, but also an entirely new and holistic consideration of what makes the customer – their identity (not only digital), with all their needs, rights and obligations.
Author
Harald Böttcher Principal Security, ti&m
Harald Böttcher has been a Principal in the Security Division at ti&m since 2009. He was previously a solutions architect and team leader in various firms and has amassed 20 years’ experience in consulting. He studied electrical and production engineering and earned his degree at the University of Applied Sciences in Zürich. PH
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The value of identity
Data protection // Information is the currency of the 21st century. If we follow this chain of thought, then the logical conclusion is that our
digital identity is the account that we use to manage this currency.
Harald Böttcher, Principal Security, ti&m
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MARKET AND TRENDS 48
Because they know who we are
Media monitoring // The data overload that goes hand in hand with digitalization signals the end to companies’ exclusive sovereignty
over their data. On the other hand, the combination of automated analysis and human experience also offers entirely new opportunities.
Linard Campell, Head of Digitalization & Business Development, ARGUS der Presse
These days, every company has to be actively involved in devel-oping its digital identity. If it does not do so, then the company runs the risk of having absolutely no influence over its own image. This happens if companies do not communicate active-ly and become topical on the Internet without influencing it. The illusion that things will be overlooked against the background noise of information overload will be shattered with the first shitstorm. Active development therefore means gaining kudos with the right message at the right time, shaping the way that the company is perceived and creating a high degree of relevance.
Communication as a central corporate functionGone are the days when individual departments were able to communicate with customers, employees, journalists or inves-tors without taking a mutually consistent approach. A central corporate function is needed to ensure that editorial content, current information and messages are consistent and powerful enough to be heard through the flood of data. Internal informa-tion silos need to be broken to ensure that all activities are coor-dinated and rest on an appropriate infrastructure.
Media monitoring – or what is relevant todayIn addition to centralized output, it is essential to monitor how the company is perceived on the Internet. While all media data can ostensibly be found on the Internet somehow, analysis is very time-consuming or even unfeasible for individual compa-nies, given of the thousands of posts every day. This is where the expertise of specialist providers is needed. Ideally, they work with a combination of human and machine intelligence. This is the only way to find and identify insights in a timely manner. Here, we are talking about the strategically relevant insights that can have an effect on the business.
Linking online and offline content presents another major challenge. This concerns the interplay between online news and social media and traditional media such as print, TV, radio and billboards.
The next step: AutomationIn this context, media monitoring is used as the basis for auto-matically triggering predefined activities. An example of this would be an advertising campaign that will only be automati-cally triggered if there is a positive reaction on social media to a particular event within a defined target group (such as women under 35).
Author
Linard CampellHead of Digitalization & Business Development, ARGUS der Presse
Linard Campbell is deputy CEO at ARGUS der Presse AG, the leading Swiss media monitoringcompany, where he is in charge of digitalization & business development. He was previously responsible for operations and product management. He studied at the University of St. Gallen and has a Masters in Business Engineering (EMBE St.Gallen).
Even though these automated analyses are very powerful and give results quickly with relatively low costs, the real competitive advantages can only be reaped if the results generated are inter-preted correctly and turned into insights. Human experience, imagination and creativity must also come into play.
Therefore it is important to go digital early, to use the advan-tages of automation and build experience as a result. At the end of the day, only the hybrid interplay of humans and machines will guarantee success.
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Facets of “true” identity
Area of conflict // As an artist, one of the areas Fiona Könz deals with is the issue of authenticity. Here she sees clear parallels
with social media.
Fiona Könz, artist
IN CONVERSATION
ti&m: Fiona, you are going to be our art@work artist in 2017. As an artist, what does the term “identity” mean to you?Fiona Könz: That’s a difficult question – does identity mean something different to me as an artist than a “normal” person? Consciously or unconsciously, as an artist, my work is very much influenced by me as an individual and by my character. But it’s certainly not just about me, – just like everyone else, I am influenced by my environment, by our society, by my im-pressions and so on. At the start of my career, I thought very deeply about how much of my identity I really wanted to reveal. Maybe I also thought about how I wanted to present certain facets of myself, so how I could control or enhance the image of myself conveyed to others through my work. Over time, those musings have disappeared. Or perhaps I have internal-ized them. Nowadays, when I portray something of myself in my art, I feel “that’s how it is for me”. I am perfectly at home in the identity that has been extended by my art.
Do you see a parallel there to a digital identity that might be created though a Facebook profile, for example?If you choose the right level of abstraction then you can see parallels everywhere. But one thing is certain. The “revealing” and the “portraying” mentioned above also play a big part in people’s online identity. However, the lack of control is ultimate-ly sobering. When you portray something, your “true” identity always manages to reappear through the back door. If some-one Photoshops their profile picture to conform to an ideal of beauty, then that also gives away that person’s fundamental lack of self-confidence. You can make a statement that is put on record and that you may have to answer for later – that is what’s it also like with my work in a sense. A sense of humor can often help.
So is the documented hangover a counterpart to your art work then?I'd say so, yes, but luckily it's not just hangovers that are docu-mented. What I would admit to in this comparison is the interplay of exposure and imposition. In art, like social media, it is about presenting facets of your “real” identity and exposing it to your audience. However, while you can play with this tension in art, and that is part of its appeal, it can be dangerous to do so in the social media arena without thinking about it care-fully. And with all the analysis of shitstorms and hate blogs re-cently, I wouldn't want to make a comparison with art any more.
In conversation with
Fiona KönzArtist
Fiona Könz comes from the Engandine but lives, studies and works in Zurich. She studies art and media at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and works in various media, both conceptually and experimentally. In 2016, she took part in the exhibition for the Bodenseekreis newcomers’ art prize with her work “Kein Bild” (“No picture”). She studied biochemistry before embarking on her artistic studies. fiona.koenz.comPH
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Facets of “true” identity Fiona Könz, artist
IN CONVERSATION
This seems like the right time to ask you about the facets of your identity that you intend to bring to the art@work #012 project. I am a person that other people like to listen to and who is also defined to a certain extent by interaction with people. I am therefore looking forward to working with the mix of techies, analysts, facilitators and extrovert designers that I’ve encoun-tered up to now when I've visited you.
Fiona, we are also looking forward to you working with us and to your previews in October. Thank you for joining us.
Fiona Könz: “Kein Bild” (“No picture”).
MARKET & TRENDS 50
In the physical world, our legal identity is defined by specific details such as name, date of birth, place of birth and residence as well as by biometric characteristics such as gender, height, eye color and fingerprints. In the virtual world, our digital iden-tity is more amorphous and inconsistent: We slip into various identities with usernames and passwords we have chosen for ourselves, we are registered with dozens of portals and use multiple services. Often the physical identity behind the digital one is unrecognizable, and sometimes it is even deliberately veiled or hidden.
For many transactions in the digital world, however, it is es-sential to know who is logging in and with whom information is being exchanged. Every object in the virtual world needs to be unambiguously identified, whether it is a server, a laptop, a smartphone or a person, in order that the integrity of identity- related processes may be assured.
It is only possible to do business in the digital world once it has been established beyond any doubt who the object is, and whether the information communicated or displayed is trust-worthy.
The certificate as a digital passport to the virtual worldAs is the case in the physical world, passports to confirm iden-tity are available for the virtual world, known as digital certifi-cates. A digital certificate is a collection of data confirming spe-cific attributes of persons or objects. What is paramount is that, just like passports, these digital certificates are as forgery-proof as possible and that they may be checked at any time. For cer-tificates this is guaranteed by cryptographic procedures, which ensure the authenticity (correctness of the information) as well as the integrity (immutability of the information contained in the certificate).
Just as passports are only issued by official bodies in a strict-ly regulated manner, the issuing of legally valid digital certificates is tightly controlled. Certificates for devices may be issued by any organization. However, the certificates awarded are only classed as trustworthy and accorded worldwide recognition by current operating systems, browsers and applications if an organization submits to regular checks by internationally respected accredita-tion bodies (e.g. WebTrust).
Digitally qualified certificates as the highest level of trustThe awarding of individual digital certificates is regulated at dif-ferent security levels (e.g. ISO 29115). Qualified certificates are regulated at the highest level. They are controlled at legislative level and may only be awarded by bodies recognized by the rele-vant state. Organizations wishing to issue certificates in Switzer-land, as well as in the EU and in Liechtenstein, must be accredit-ed by the state. The body responsible for this in Switzerland is the Federal Office of Communications. Annual audits by KPMG – as the federally-appointed accredited recognition body – en-sure compliance with all standards and adherence to strict issu-ing procedures.
If documents are signed using qualified digital certificates, then these have the same legal effect as a signature by hand. This equality is explicitly regulated by law in Switzerland (Swiss Law of Obligations Art. 14 Para. 2bis), in the European Union (eIDAS 910/2014 Art. 49) and in Liechtenstein (Signature Act Art. 4.1). The issuing body must first establish beyond doubt the physical identity of a natural person, before a qualified certificate can have legal effect. The identification requirements are ex-tremely stringent: In Switzerland, the Ordinance to the Federal Act on Electronic Signatures (acronym: VZertES) expressly
Networked world – Networked identities
Digital certificates // Qualified certificates are the highest standard for digital identities and enable digital on-boarding with
a legally binding signature. The innovative unification of the legal, technical and procedural levels facilitates a brand new
customer experience.
Thomas Moretti, CEO, Reto Scagnetti, Head of Sales, QuoVadis Trustlink Switzerland
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Selected examples of digital certificate applications.
Identity
Data encryption
e-billingProtection
Authenticity/Integrity
Secure websitee.g. Online
shops
Access protectione.g. e-banking
Online contracts e.g. digital
on-boarding
Secure mail traffic
Protection Authenticity/
Integrity
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Author
Thomas MorettiCEO QuoVadis Trustlink Switzerland
Thomas Moretti graduated with a Swiss Federal Diploma in Business Information Science in 1996. He has over 25 years of experience in IT and is an expert and specialist in the areas of IT security, PKI, digital certificates, electronic certifi-cates and data encryption. He became CEO in 2015 and has managed QuoVadis in Switzerland since then.
Author
Reto ScagnettiHead of Sales QuoVadis Trustlink Switzerland
As an engineer with additional business manage-ment training and over 20 years of experience in the sales management of IT services and SaaS solutions for small and large companies, Reto Scagnetti is an experienced and competent advisor for customers and partners. He is a digitalization and innovation enthusiast.
requires an appearance in person, among other things. From 2017 onwards, the fully revised ZertES will also permit video identification.
Application example: digital on-boardingDigital certificates have already been employed for over 20 years. The Signature Act was introduced in Switzerland in 2003. How-ever, there are as yet very few examples of situations in which signatures by hand have been replaced by qualified signatures.
This is primarily due to the complexity of the interplay of all the necessary levels:• Legal requirements and regulations• Technical infrastructure and compliance• Process flow and integration into existing environments
The full digitalization of processes and the replacement of hand signatures is only possible when all three levels are seamlessly combined.
At the present time in Switzerland, we are seeing the intro-duction of the first projects generating an entirely new customer experience through the innovative interplay of all three levels: fully digital on-boarding in the field of finance, with qualified elec-tronic signatures for banking customers.
The qualified certificates are issued in an “on-the-fly” process and supplied to the e-banking platform. This enables the agree-ment of a legally binding contract with natural persons who have not previously applied for a digital certificate. The same technol-ogy also enables the banking customer to register entirely elec-tronically for additional financial products, e.g. for a credit agree-ment. Since the whole process takes place within the browser, the banking customer does not need to install any software and access is possible via any device and without any restrictions of time or location.
Close collaboration between financial services firms, financial software suppliers and the certification authority has ensured full compliance with all legal and technical requirements, with regard to both financial regulations and the issue of qualified certifi-cates. The customer is led through the on-boarding process by well-thought-out guidance, which facilitates a whole new type of user experience.
In the near future, the use of the qualified signature will be introduced into additional processes, thereby enabling innovative flows and business models.
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PRACTICE 52
In the digital world, there is oversupply, which makes it ever more difficult for customers to choose. The various options often differ only in small details and the next supplier is only ever a mouse click away. In this environment, it has become even more import-ant for companies to set themselves apart from the crowd and to offer the customer unique and tailor-made market experiences. If a company wants to be successful, it must focus on the custom-er and their individual requirements. A sustained business rela-tionship can only be built through a personalized customer expe-rience above and beyond all digital points of contact; it is this relationship that will ultimately lead the customer to prefer your option to that of the competition.
Modern customers expect the company with whom they are doing business to remember all previous contacts, purchas-es and communications and for these to feed into the current interaction. In order to meet this expectation, businesses have
to collate all customer data from the various company systems – whether this is held in the content management system, the extranet, the online shop or the CRM software. Only when all the data has been gathered does a comprehensive picture emerge, enabling the company to offer a tailor-made customer experi-ence.
Customer insecurityOne of the dangers of the customer relationship is the inherent conflict: On the one hand, customers would like the company to know about them and their preferences – but on the other hand they do not want to give away too much about themselves. The reason for this is customers’ lack of control over what happens to their data. This is a not entirely unfounded fear, since some-times even the companies themselves do not know what hap-pens to their customer data.
Customer experience vs. data protection?
Data protection // A comprehensive customer experience and data protection are often considered irreconcilable opposites. This is because
on the one hand, companies need in-depth customer profiles. On the other hand, customers do not want to give away everything about themselves.
Now there is an innovative solution to this problem.
Oleg Huber, Managing Director, Jahia Solutions Germany
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Author
Oleg HuberManaging Director, Jahia Solutions Germany
Oleg Huber is Managing Director of Jahia Solutions Germany GmbH, part of the Jahia Group. He is responsible for business development in the German-speaking countries. Jahia is a supplier of a cutting-edge open-source digital experience platform that unites solutions from CMS software, portal, intranet/extranet and online shop.
One example of this is website tracking: It may be the case that visits to the website are not tracked by the site operator them-selves, but rather by a third-party provider. It is not uncommon for over 50 (!) different trackers to be active on the website of a supplier. Even the operators themselves are often not aware that third-party providers are collecting data about their customers.
Data protection as an opportunityFortunately, public awareness about data protection has in-creased: Customers are complaining more and more frequently about their data being passed on. The law is also becoming in-creasingly strict about the protection of personal data on the In-ternet: The new EU General Data Protection Regulation will there-fore come into force from 25 May 2018, and with it also the “right to be forgotten”.
By this deadline, companies should be in a position to dis-close to their customers all the data they have collected about them and, where necessary, to give them the option to delete this data, among other things. Companies that are not able to do so risk significant penalties, which could amount to up to 4 percent of their worldwide turnover. For this reason, no company can af-ford to neglect the issue of data protection.
However, more and more companies are recognizing that the issue of data protection does not merely impose obligations on them, but also offers them a major opportunity. For if customers know that a company behaves responsibly with their personal data and does not pass it on to third parties, then that creates trust – and trust is an important component of a comprehensive customer experience. Customers will in turn reward the compa-nies they trust with their loyalty, which is the precondition for a long-term relationship between business and client.
Customer experience and data protection as a single unitThis is exactly where the Apache Unomi Project comes in. The project was initiated in 2013 by Jahia, the Swiss provider of an open-source digital experience platform. Its foundations were laid during an OASIS project that was concerned with developing a standard for the exchange of data between different profile management systems. The objective was to ensure data protec-tion and at the same time to create the possibility of exchanging data between the systems – irrespective of the manufacturer of each software solution. The project was later introduced to the Apache Foundation by Jahia.
Apache Unomi links customer experience and data protection together as a single unit: It helps marketers to understand their customers better, by making it possible for businesses to ex-change customer data between the different company systems and thus to build up comprehensive customer profiles. At the same time, however, it also ensures the protection of personal data and makes it possible for customers to retain full control over their data at all times.
Thanks to Apache Unomi, each customer can manage their own profile. Among other things, they can see what data has al-ready been collected from them, and has the option of determin-ing whether data should be deleted or anonymized. The custom-er remains in control, even to the extent of being able to delete their entire profile at the touch of a button. As a result, they always enjoy complete transparency and are able to determine the level of personalization for themselves.
The bottom lineA comprehensive customer experience is not fundamentally at odds with data protection. Quite the opposite: Sustained trust is only generated when a company can give its customers the con-fidence that they themselves are free to determine at any time what personal data is collected and what happens with this data – and sustained trust is the foundation of every long-term busi-ness relationship. Companies should therefore make every effort of their own accord to give their customers full control over their data. The Apache Unomi Project initiated by Jahia will support them in the process.
Apache Unomi: Interlinking of customer experience management and data protection.
Objective achievement,
scoring
Deletion of own
data
Profile management (lead, visitor,
contacts)
Trans-parency Anonymi-
zation
Reporting
Data protection
User tracking
Control of one's own
data
A/B testing
Segmen-tation
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Digital, mobile, individual and automated
Financial services // New technologies will make the financial services of the future digital, mobile, individual and to a large extent automated.
Customers expect the same quality from banks that they have become accustomed to from other sectors.
Hansjörg Leichsenring, Editor, Der Bank Blog [The Bank Blog]
Two technological developments have radically changed society and the economy in recent years: On the one hand, we have the Internet, whose boundless growth could not have been predicted when it first came into being more than 25 years ago. On the other hand, the smartphone has paved the way for mobile Internet us-age and has thereby facilitated an almost infinite variety of new applications and business models.
These two mega-trends have also increasingly taken hold in the area of financial services, even though idea of the digitaliza-tion of these services has only recently become a hot topic. Inter-
net banking has already existed for many years, and is now used by consumers in many countries as their primary method of con-ducting everyday banking business. Conversely, face-to-face sales channels (particularly bank branches) are decreasing in importance, even though they will never entirely disappear.
FinTech as a catalystIn recent years, a new trend has also arrived in the financial field, which has picked up on the two aforementioned trends and acts as an additional driver: the phenomenon of FinTech.
55
The term is a conflation of ‘Financial Services’ and ‘Technology’. Young companies – known as FinTech start-ups – try to pro-vide innovative products and services in the area of financial services via the Internet, aiming to improve on those offered by established institutions. At first glance, their options are simpler, easier, quicker and more customer-oriented than traditional fi-nancial products or providers. They frequently offer additional price advantages.
Are banks becoming superfluous?It is becoming a common refrain that banks are on the way to be-ing superfluous, and that the financial transactions of the future will be conducted via technology companies. Remember the say-ing of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, in the 90s: “Banking is neces-sary, banks are not”. It seems unlikely, however, that it will come to that. Banking transactions are regulated, for good reason, and companies wishing to offer them need a license. These are only granted, however, to real banks with corresponding capital strength, and that is sure to remain the case.
Four trends for the future of financial servicesBanking will nevertheless see even more significant changes over the next few years than it has seen over the same period in the past. Four key trends are likely to characterize the banking transactions of the future:
1. The banking transactions of the future will be primarily digital: Customers expect the same options and function-
ality from banks as they have come to know and value from e.g. Internet shopping. This applies not only to simple services, such as an account balance query, but increasingly also to more com-plex transactions. As a result, just as today, ordering books, elec-trical items and tickets online has become a normal everyday activity, so tomorrow it will become more and more usual to request and purchase bank products and services over the Inter-net. Easy-to-use digital tools will help customers to get an over-view of options and prices and will assist them in choosing the right products. By contrast, branches and direct personal contact with advisors will decrease in importance. Instead we will see the development of virtual spaces, where advice will be given if required, whether by video, text or voice chat.
2. The banking transactions of the future will be mobile: More and more people are using smartphones and tab-
lets, whether for shopping, gaming or social networking. No wonder that mobile banking is already experiencing tremendous growth. Approximately one third of visits to Internet banking sites are made from mobile devices already. This figure is expected to rise to 50 percent within one to two years. In the future, you will be able to open and manage a bank account or securities account quickly and independently of location, no matter whether you are on the train, on the bus, on the tram or at home in your living room at the time.
3. The banking transactions of the future will be individual: The interplay of digital developments, such as artificial in-
telligence and Big Data, will in the future facilitate a much higher degree of individualization in financial services. It will become possible to make use of available data and evaluations to antici-pate customers’ individual financial requirements in advance and to proactively make them aware of these. “Pull banking” will therefore become “push banking”.
4. The banking transactions of the future will become increasingly automated: Intelligent apps will eventually
exploit the technologies described (and other new technologies of the future) to construct a self-learning rule system. It will thereby become possible for individual finances to be directed and managed largely autonomously, with consideration to the individual customer’s requirements.
Just as we are already anticipating that autonomous driving will become a trend of the future, so too, will we see autonomous banking become a reality. The first steps are already being taken with robo-advice, digital financial management and chatbots for customer service.
Author
Dr. Hansjörg Leichsenring Editor, Der Bank Blog [The Bank Blog]
The author has been professionally involved with banking and financial services providers for over 30 years and, as the editor of “Der Bank Blog”, reports on current and underlying developments in the financial sector. He is also a sought-after speaker and presenter at home and abroad. www.hansjoerg-leichsenring.de, www.der-bank-blog.de PH
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