Agility in the Retail Sector: Speeding the Time to Market – Fujitsu managing consultant Jeremy Worrell argues that if retail organisations are to thrive in future, they must improve time-to-market by rethinking their processes, governance and management. Only then can they hope to eliminate major causes of delay and successfully introduce systems that give them the necessary speed and flexibility when launching or making changes to products.

How to put the UK’s Railways Back on Track by Transforming the Customer Experience – In this piece, Fujitsu UK’s Head of Rail, Nick Chisnall, argues that to boost the efficiency of UK railways in line with the McNulty report’s recommendations, the industry needs to embrace open, component-based systems that give train operators the flexibility to offer revenue-boosting retail innovations for customers as well as a raft of other compelling cost and efficiency benefits.

Intelligent Investment Cycles - An End to Boom or Bust – Retailers have a reputation of running their IT systems into the ground – no matter the cost in terms of reliability, usability and lost competitive edge. But their businesses will be much better served by the adoption a rolling strategy of renewal, based on the shelf life of systems and timed around business obsolescence rather than technical obsolescence. 

Rail, Retail and Reality – The rail industry has seen a steep rise in demand is gearing up to absorb further changes: passenger and journey numbers will climb, while aggressive revenue growth targets will concentrate decision-makers’ minds.As it morphs into a modern, massmarket consumer proposition and leaves behind an era of undifferentiated utility service, what can rail learn from the retail sector?

Real Outsourcing for Retailers – Despite the continuing stream of signifi cant contract awards, IT outsourcing has not been able to shake off a reputation tarnished in the retail sector by some high-profile early terminations and moves to bring components back in-house. It’s our opinion that, provided four simple rules are followed, outsourcing will generate real value and strengthen the core of any retail business.

Reinventing the Retail Bank Through Greater Customer Intimacy – Jeremy Worrell, a B2C consultant in the Private Sector Division of Fujitsu UK & Ireland, argues that high-street bank branches in the UK risk becoming irrelevant if they do not quickly embrace change. In order to assure themselves of a bright future, they need to differentiate themselves from online competitors by creating a consumer-focused revival, inspired by the broader retail industry, to create greater customer intimacy.  

Self-service Revolution – The evolution of retail is marked by increasing customer empowerment. But in a multi-channel world, retailers are in danger of losing their grip on what customers want – and how they want to get it. It’s our opinion that retailers must make self-service about customers rather than technology.

Setting the Pace in the Mobile Banking Race – With the mobile web poised to become the channel for ecommerce, mainstream retail banks must now act now to ensure they don't get left behind. With the transition to m-banking, they won't just be competing with each other: high-tech start-ups and mobile network providers have already proved they can disintermediate banks in markets such as South Africa and Japan.

What's In Store? – With e-commerce growing at an annual rate of around 20%, you could perhaps be forgiven for assuming the physical store is on the wane. Think again. The in store experience is being rejuvenated with state-of-the-art technology.

Why retail banks must learn the art of the possible – Other business sectors are maximising the new opportunities presented by the latest customer engagement technologies. Banks need to follow suit – and quickly

Overcoming Separation Anxiety: The Art of Business Divestment – Fujitsu's Graeme Wright argues business leaders must plan more effectively when engaging in divestment activity. Critically, he says, they must involve their CIOs from the very outset of discussions if they are to navigate the IT, cultural and strategic challenges of any separation successfully. He illustrates the benefits and opportunities this could bring, as well as warning of the potentially ruinous consequence of neglecting IT and people issues.

The Paybacks of Adding a Lean Dimension to Engineering Services – Fujitsu's Andy Taylor argues the merits of a flexible, lean approach to tech support often refered to as “break-fix”. He shows how proactive monitoring and predictive maintenance can drastically reduce costs and improve service levels, often through the implementation of simple, commonsense measures. But he cautions CIOs must work with service providers like Fujitsu who have a specific, proven commitment to continual service improvement.