Sydney, 12 August 2026 鈥� The organisations winning with AI are not always the biggest spenders. They are the ones who simplified their operations, built trusted data foundations and acted deliberately rather than waiting for conditions that may never be perfect.  
That was the central message at 麻豆原创 NOW AI Tour today, where 麻豆原创 SE hosted presentations from more than 20 customers at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, each sharing stories that span active AI deployments and the foundational transformation work that makes AI possible. 
Among those on stage were Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, Fortescue, SA Power Networks, Woolworths, Zespri, TAFE NSW, Toyota Finance, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Metcash, Linfox, Rheem and Suntory Oceania. 

“We’ve moved past asking whether AI matters,” said Angela Colantuono, President and Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Australia and New Zealand. “The question now is whether it’s making the difference that actually matters 鈥� and the organisations here today have answered that. They are also not waiting for perfect conditions. They are acting now, and that is what sets them apart. Rachel’s appointment reflects our commitment to helping our customers make that same shift.” 

麻豆原创 appoints Rachel Hunter as Head of AI, ANZ 
麻豆原创 also announced the appointment of Rachel Hunter as Head of AI for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Hunter brings more than 25 years of experience leading cloud, data and AI teams across Asia Pacific and ANZ, most recently as General Manager, Cloud, Data and AI at Davidson. 
She also founded DataSeeds Consulting and has held senior leadership roles at Databricks and Oracle. At 麻豆原创, Hunter leads AI Customer Advisory across ANZ, helping organisations translate AI ambition into practical, governed and scalable adoption. 

“AI has already found its place in Australian and New Zealand business; not in the strategy deck, but in the day-to-day,” said Hunter. “The most widely used applications are helping finance teams process invoices faster, helping marketers personalise connections with customers and helping operations teams catch problems before they escalate. This is not experimental AI. It is already working.” 

What Australian and New Zealand businesses are听actually doing听with AI听
麻豆原创’s analysis of the most widely deployed AI use cases across its ANZ customer base for the twelve months to听mid-year听2026 shows AI is already embedded in everyday business operations 鈥� from听tailoring marketing emails to processing invoices听and听monitoring operations in real time.听

The analysis underlines how Australian and New Zealand听organisations听are embracing AI to automate core business tasks.听Finance automation accounts for three of the top five听use cases, with AI removing manual, error-prone work from expense processing, invoice听capture听and compliance.听Meanwhile, marketing intelligence听is strongly represented, reflecting how deeply AI has already embedded itself in听customer engagement, while听the presence of AI infrastructure听use cases听may signal a growing understanding that听maximising听value from AI is dependent on business context and cross-organisational听integration.听

The Autonomous Enterprise听
麻豆原创 reinforced its vision for the Autonomous Enterprise at the event 鈥� a future where AI is embedded into the business applications听organisations听already rely on. Networks of AI agents are increasingly able to understand business context, recommend actions and execute routine work across finance,听procurement, supply听chain听and HR under human oversight,听fundamentally transforming the future of work.听

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SYDNEY 鈥斕�The business functions with the greatest potential to unlock enterprise-wide AI value may also be creating its biggest constraints, according to听a听new听analysis of听global research released today at 麻豆原创 NOW in Sydney.听听

The new research found that, while enthusiasm for enterprise AI is driving both investment and ROI, siloed adoption has created five enterprise fault lines that threaten to mitigate potential gains. In particular, Finance teams are forging ahead in a silo, Legal teams are struggling with governance gaps, shadow AI is rife in customer-facing teams, HR is managing a data deficit and Procurement teams are dealing with innovation outrunning its foundations.  

“Organisations听aren鈥檛 missing out on value from AI听because听they听lack ambition or investment.听Instead, the dollars are falling through听the听cracks听between functions,” said Rachel Hunter, Head of AI, 麻豆原创听Australia听and New Zealand. “The听organisations听that make the most of AI听will be those听who remove AI sprawl and听connect the discipline of Finance, the oversight of Legal, the pace of听Sales and Marketing, Procurement’s innovation and the workforce focus of HR around trusted data and shared outcomes.”

Organisations听aren鈥檛 missing out on value from AI听because听they听lack ambition or investment.听Instead, the dollars are falling through听the听cracks听between functions.

Rachel Hunter

Inconsistent AI sprawl across functions has enterprise-wide consequences for outcomes 

The new insights have been sourced from the 麻豆原创 Value of AI 2026 report, which spoke to 2,600 business leaders across 13 countries to explore how business invest, implement, and drive value from AI. The new analysis has identified key challenges across five critical business functions. 

Finance is mature but its silos could slow everyone else.听听

• Finance听respondents noted they had invested more than any other function, leading to 65% noting they were scaling or leading in AI automation and 52% scaling or leading in generative AI.
• Yet only 16 per cent of its AI is currently deployed across functions, though that鈥檚 expected to rise to 45 per cent in just two years.  
• Only 34 per cent of Finance respondents consider themselves data ready for AI, and integration or interoperability is its largest agentic AI barrier. Given Finance touches all points of the enterprise, keeping its AI capability siloed may limit far more than Finance’s own returns. 

Legal is least ready to govern the AI it is most aggressively deploying.听听

• Legal respondents apply AI to more tasks than any other function at 33 per cent today, which is expected to reach 50 per cent in two years.  
• Yet 49听per cent say AI is not delivering its full potential, the highest of any function.听听
• While Legal respondents were most likely to note听a defined AI strategy听at the leadership level (82%),听it also reported听the lowest听governance听readiness听for AI processes and frameworks听at 26 per cent. The function intended to provide the guardrails听is itself听most in need of stronger foundations.听

Customer-facing teams are moving fast and creating governance exposure.听听

• Sales and Marketing respondents have the second highest data readiness at 63 per cent, trailing only Operations, and the ranked the highest for piloting agentic use cases (68%).  
• Yet more Sales and Marketing respondents said st shadow AI was the most material AI risk to them at 80 per cent,  while 73 per cent reported shadow AI use at least occasionally. The function may be moving faster than its data readiness or governance today. 

HR could听lead workforce transformation if its data can earn trust.听

• HR respondents emerged as one of the front leaders in Generative AI maturity, with 24 per cent leading in implementations despite respondents having the one of the lowest average AI spending levels at US$25.1 million.  
• Yet data readiness stands at just 37 per cent. In a function responsible for the enterprise’s most sensitive workforce decisions, that data gap could undermine the transformation HR is best placed to lead. 

Procurement’s听innovation is outrunning its foundations.听

• Procurement respondents are ahead of most other functions in leading agentic AI maturity and cross-functional AI deployments, despite lower spending than some functions like Finance. 
• Its听respondents are also听strategically aware, being the most likely to agree听(78%)听that听delivering ROI from AI听requires data听readiness,听integration听and use-case readiness.听听
• Yet 86 per cent report incomplete or inconsistent data 鈥� the highest of any function. Procurement’s ambition is clear, but without stronger data foundations it risks creating isolated breakthroughs rather than scalable enterprise value. 

Strategic adoption, not investment, now determines value 

For leaders, the next phase of AI is not about adding more isolated use cases. It is about joining the strengths already present across the business to extending Finance’s discipline beyond its boundaries, equipping Legal to govern at the pace of adoption, bringing shadow AI into trusted environments, giving HR the data quality needed to transform work responsibly, and connecting Procurement’s innovation to dependable data and enterprise workflows. 

“The听organisations听pulling ahead will treat AI as an enterprise operating model, not a series of departmental technology projects,” said Hunter. “That means shared data, connected processes, clear governance and a workforce equipped to use AI with confidence. Investment matters, but integration is what turns it into value.”

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Sydney, 16 July 2026 | After years of having an acknowledged AI trust deficit, Australian businesses are embracing AI faster than ever, with investment, adoption and expectations on ROI all increasing according to new 麻豆原创 research. But that new-found confidence may also be creating new blind spots.

AI now supports over a quarter (29%) of tasks in the average Australian business, up from 25% last year¹, with leaders expecting that to reach 48% within two years, up from 41% in 2025. While Australia still trails high-adoption markets including the US, Germany, China, Japan and India, its higher-than-average pace of growth could potentially help close the gap.

The听麻豆原创 Value of AI Report 2026, conducted by Oxford Economics across more than 2,600 business leaders in 13 countries, identifies a clear gap between Australia鈥檚 AI ambition and its readiness to deliver on it, particularly around data foundations, governance frameworks and leadership oversight.

鈥淭hink of this as Australia鈥檚 AI school report: improving, but still not working to its potential,鈥� said Angela Colantuono, President and Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Australia and New Zealand. 鈥淲ith an estimated AU$150 billion of AI-related infrastructure investment promised over the next several years, Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn AI confidence into national competitive advantage. But infrastructure alone won鈥檛 get us there. And with multiple new AI obligations coming into play for Australia between now and the end of the year, driven by local and international regulation, organisations need to strengthen their data foundations, governance frameworks and leadership structures. Otherwise, we risk building the rails for an AI economy without being ready to run on them.鈥�

Investment and ROI is accelerating

As an average, Australian organisations expect to spend approximately AU$35.5 million² on AI this year, up from AU$27.5 million last year, with a further 44% increase expected over the next two years. That said, Australian spend still trails the global average of AU$40.4 million by around AU$5 million, a gap that reflects both the opportunity and the urgency to move faster.

Returns are growing alongside that investment. Australian companies expect to drive ROI of 19% this year, up from 15% last year, and rising to 37% in two years 鈥� though still below the global average.

“The returns are starting to come but not fast enough, and not for everyone. AI value compounds over time. The organisations that act now, focus on the right end-to-end processes and get their data in order will look back in two years and be glad they did. The ones that wait will be asking why the gap got so hard to close,” continued Colantuono.

Agentic AI is central to those ROI expectations. ROI from agentic AI is expected to reach AU$21.2m in the next two years, more than quadrupling from last year鈥檚 estimates of AU$4.4m. Despite this, 62% of Australian businesses say they are satisfied with their current AI ROI, even though over half acknowledge AI is still not achieving its full potential.

Governance needs work

The governance picture is more concerning. Only one in five (22%) say they are mostly or fully ready in AI governance when it comes to skills and expertise, against 33% globally. Some 42% suggest they are deploying agents faster than they can standardise and govern them, rising to 68% when including those who are unsure. Over half (54%) of business leaders say employees are increasingly accepting AI outputs without sufficient scrutiny.

The operational risks are real: 43% do not have human-in-the-loop processes for agentic workflows, while nearly half (49%) report that AI agents have already taken incorrect actions during pilots or deployment, typically causing some rework and delays.

Leadership structures also trail global peers. Under half of Australian companies have a dedicated AI leader responsible for AI adoption (46%), leadership KPIs for AI (33%), or even training on AI capabilities and risks (41%).

Professor Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW鈥檚 School of Computer Science and Engineering, said 鈥淟ack of understanding risks driving decisions by fear rather than evidence, and so closing the governance gap must start with closing the trust gap. Artificial intelligence is only valuable if people know when to trust it, and when to question it. Good governance shouldn鈥檛 be viewed as slowing innovation. It鈥檚 what allows organisations, employees and the broader community to adopt AI with confidence.鈥�

Data recognised as essential, but readiness lags

While Australian leaders rank integrated data systems (64%) and data quality (51%) as the biggest enablers of AI readiness, data quality remains the biggest challenge for AI in Australia, with the share of businesses that say they are data-ready for AI falling from last year; nearly three-quarters (73%) report challenges with poor data quality.

Sovereign AI requirements are also shaping how organisations scale 鈥� 99% of Australian organisations say they now operate under some form of sovereign AI framework or requirement, and 76% cite data residency constraints that limit model choice.

Workforce readiness will determine whether momentum translates into value

More than four in five (82%) Australian businesses are not convinced their upskilling is keeping pace with AI鈥檚 rapid evolution, while 77% report shadow AI occurs at least occasionally. Only 1% of leaders believe AI will have no impact on workforce planning.

鈥淭hese findings point to an urgent need for role-specific training, stronger safe-use guidance and change management that brings employees along as AI becomes embedded in daily work,鈥� said Colantuono.

Confident adoption, early stage maturity

Australia鈥檚 maturity is progressing, particularly in generative AI, where 53% of organisations are scaling or leading 鈥� close to the global average of 54%, but still 17 percentage points behind the US, China and Germany. The gap is wider on agentic AI, where only 19% are scaling or leading versus a global average of 24%.

On more established technologies, Australia sits close to the global average in software automation and RPA but trails in traditional machine learning at 52% who are scaling or leading versus 59% globally.

In addition, the dominant adoption pattern remains project-by-project 鈥� targeted deployments within individual processes rather than coordinated, enterprise-wide transformation. Additionally, Australian organisations are less likely than global peers to connect AI strategy to industry-specific priorities.

鈥淎ustralia has moved from AI hesitation to AI momentum,鈥� Colantuono concluded. 鈥淣ow we need to turn that momentum into maturity: stronger governance, better data and a workforce ready to use AI with confidence. Get that right, and Australia won鈥檛 just catch up, it can lead the world in responsible, high-impact AI,鈥� concluded Colantuono.

More information on the research will be shared at the 麻豆原创 NOW AI Tour taking place at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on 12 August.听 For more information or to register, click .

For the full report click here: 麻豆原创 Value of AI 2026 Australia

¹ For the 麻豆原创 Value of AI 2025 research findings, click here.

² Respondents were asked to provide听financial听estimates in USD. AUD figures are based on an听exchange听rate听of AUD $1 = USD$0.69, using the exchange rate听as of 13 July 2026.

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Sydney, Australia 鈥� 9 April 2025 鈥� The upcoming Mastering 麻豆原创 Connect 2025 conference is set to enhance its comprehensive agenda with 麻豆原创 joining the program as a platinum sponsor including the addition of a dedicated 麻豆原创 Spend Connect Procurement Track. This new track complements the existing Enterprise Asset Management and Supply Chain Management tracks, offering attendees a holistic view of 麻豆原创’s integrated solutions.鈥�

Scheduled for 5鈥�6 June 2025 at the Royal Pines Resort in Gold Coast, Australia, Mastering 麻豆原创 Connect has been a cornerstone event for 麻豆原创 professionals, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across various industries.

鈥淎s tariffs and trade wars dominate the headlines, the importance of resilience in enterprise asset management, supply chain and procurement is even more stark,鈥� said Mastering 麻豆原创 CEO, Annette Slunjski.

鈥淭his is a vital time for the community to come together to learn from each other on best practices to unlock value from existing 麻豆原创 solutions, boost resilience using AI, automation and predictive analytics and deliver an agile foundation for organisations to embrace better mobility, sourcing, business process, data quality and planning approaches.鈥�

The dedicated Procurement Track will delve into using AI insights to drive more strategic procurement and build business value outside of just cost control. Sessions will cover procurement, purchasing, sourcing and operational efficiencies through AI. 听Workforce flexibility, how to take proactive control of compliance needs and the requirement to create a collaborative connection across functions, suppliers and trading partners will be discussed.

The topics will be of particular interest to procurement, finance, sourcing, category and contract executives.

By expanding its program, Mastering 麻豆原创 Connect 2025 aims to provide a more integrated and enriching experience for 麻豆原创 users, partners, and thought leaders. This initiative reflects the conference’s dedication to bringing the community together for real-world learning from those at the frontline of 麻豆原创 ecosystems.鈥�

Event Details:

• Event: Mastering 麻豆原创 Connect 2025鈥�
• Dates: 5鈥�6 June 2025鈥�
• Location: Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Australia鈥�
• Tracks: Enterprise Asset Management, Supply Chain Management, Procurement鈥�

For more information and to register, please visit .

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Governments in Australia have always taken pride in furthering a strong service culture. Whether it鈥檚 healthcare, social services, or public infrastructure, Australians expect seamless interactions with government agencies. However, as digital technologies rapidly evolve, the public sector must keep pace to meet rising expectations鈥攂oth at the front- and back-end.

For the Australian Public Service (APS), this digital transformation must be done within tight budgets, strict procurement processes, and government priorities. While citizens expect government services to match the convenience of banking or retail, IT projects face intense scrutiny to ensure value, security, and compliance.

The challenge is clear: How can agencies modernise digital services while staying within financial and policy constraints?

Doing more with less

The first method that many agencies have employed is to deliver new services from the cloud.

This alleviates the need for the upfront capital investments required when building on-premises solutions and shifts purchasing to a pay-as-you-go model that can deliver a greater lifetime value return.

The cloud model has an additional benefit since it provides agencies with immediate access to the latest technical enhancements from cloud providers.

This includes the many AI-based capabilities that are now a core offering of cloud-based services, delivering new capabilities to analyse data and automate processes. These developments improve decision-making and streamline service delivery, freeing workers from mundane tasks to focus on more rewarding activities.

Importantly, AI-based services are fast to deploy and can, in some instances (such as AI-assisted code development), accelerate service creation without raising costs.

AI is already delivering important new capabilities such as enhanced fraud detection, where AI quickly identifies patterns and anomalies in large data sets.

AI is also automating the onboarding of new staff, ensuring they enjoy a smooth arrival process and can quickly become productive contributors. We are also seeing agencies experiment with generative AI, which provides a conversational interface into complex systems in finance, procurement, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), HR, and other business units. AI can automate routine tasks in finance, procurement, and other processes, freeing employees to focus on higher-value activities using automated data entry, predictive analytics, and AI-driven bots for common tasks.

Fighting complexity for long-term benefits

The ability to generate value can be further enhanced through the adoption of agile development methodologies which emphasise shorter project development cycles to accelerate the time to outcome.

Breaking large digital transformation goals into modular parts means they can be delivered incrementally, reducing the risk in their delivery.

This combination of the cloud, AI, and agile methodologies is proving critical for helping government agencies around the world meet mandates to do more with less, by enabling them to implement cost-effective, modular projects in preference to traditional large-scale system replacements.

But there is another way that public sector agencies are solving the challenge of improving services without raising costs; by taking a standardised approach to service design. This is often described as taking a 鈥榗lean core鈥� approach to service design using a foundation of standardised best practice processes, with agency-specific customisations moved out to the edge.

This approach is not only faster to implement, but ensures upgrades and extensions are easier to implement as future designers do not need to untangle the customisations of the past.

Keeping the way clear for future optimisation is more important now than ever thanks to the rapid advances in process design and delivery that are being enabled by advances in AI.

A more efficient future state

When these new capabilities and developments come together, they unlock incredible potential for agencies to quickly modernise services while reducing costs and risk, and even smaller agencies can gain rapid returns on investment.

Furthermore, by creating development programs that focus on standardisation and iterative processes, agencies gain the potential to share learnings that can further accelerate outcomes and come together in collaborative projects that reduce process duplication. They prioritise those activities that will have the most impact 鈥� a critical factor in periods of constrained spending 鈥� as returns are delivered much faster than with traditional methods.

Reducing customisations and implementing shorter-term development cycles creates more opportunities to share insights and avoid duplication. When done correctly, automation not only ensures that data readily moves across an agency鈥檚 environments but also relieves staff from performing time-consuming activities. This is especially critical for larger departments, where many requirements might be duplicated across smaller agencies.

While each of these new developments holds significant potential for accelerating outcomes and reducing costs, agencies still need to create compelling business cases to support them.

Therefore, it is critical that government planners and architects embrace these concepts as quickly as possible and weave them into the fabric of the business case.

Over time, this focus on iterative development and rapid returns on investment can lead to the creation of dynamic business cases where services development programs match evolving goals and with increased likelihood of successful delivery.

Modernisation as protection

While the benefits of modernisation to citizens and agencies alike are compelling, there is an additional benefit that can be gained, which in some instances may be the most critical of all.

Agencies today face an unprecedented level of cyber threats, which are delivered using attack methods that were barely conceived of when many of their current systems were implemented.

Despite cyber teams’ best efforts, rapid evolution in the threat landscape has created a scenario where constant patching and monitoring is needed to ensure that aging systems are protected from modern attacks, creating a costly, high-risk security scenario.

Modernisation can not only ensure services are elevated to the best standards, but also makes them easier to defend from attack through the adoption of automated patch management, which is a core aspect of cloud offerings.

Modernisation can also ensure that new services comply with regulatory requirements 鈥� a factor that can be further enhanced using Sovereign Cloud environments that are specifically tailored to local regulations and can be readily updated as those requirements are adjusted.

All these developments allow agency leaders to meet their obligation to continuously improve citizen services within an environment of budget constraint.

And by delivering smaller projects that provide a rapid return on investment, they not only reduce ongoing expenditure in the long term, but also reduce the risk and cost to ensure that services are secure in the short term.

The post How can Governments Modernise Operations for Greater Efficiencies? appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

Sydney 鈥� 21 October 2024 鈥� Successful Australian midmarket organisations are more likely to put a high priority on generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) than those who are seeing lower revenue growth 鈥� and they are adopting new AI innovations in every corner of their business.

A recent study by (NYSE: 麻豆原创) found Australian midmarket businesses, defined as companies with between 250 and 1,500 employees, with high revenue growth are more likely to put a strong priority on the adoption of Gen AI (50%) than those with lower revenue growth (43%).

“Business AI is the biggest opportunity for businesses in Australia today,鈥� said Dr. Kim Oosthuizen, Head of AI, 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand.

鈥淏ut the benefits of Business AI are not only restricted to larger enterprises. Every organisation can realise the opportunities that AI offers in a relevant, reliable and responsible manner. That isn鈥檛 just summarising emails and creating images. It鈥檚 helping us complete the tasks we don鈥檛 want to do, providing insights quickly and reliably helping solve business problems.鈥�

Adopting AI is a top organisational priority in Australia

The study, which surveyed 783 organisations in Australia and 12,003 globally, found use of artificial intelligence is a top organisational priority for midmarket businesses.

Adopting Gen AI is a medium or high priority for 90% of Australian businesses, while adopting standard business applications of AI like machine learning for data analysis and predictive analytics was a top priority for 88%. Other key priorities include preparing for cybersecurity threats, making operations more environmentally sustainable and addressing gaps in supply chains (all 89%).

Artificial intelligence is seen as a priority to transform organisational processes in every corner of the business.

Half of midmarket organisations in Australia place a high priority on AI to transform their data security and privacy (50%). Other high priority areas ripe for AI transformation include creating new business models (48%), implementing agile processes (47%), optimising supply chains (45%), boosting decision-making (45%) and personalising user experiences (45%).

AI is creating value for Australian businesses today

But AI isn鈥檛 just being planned to achieve future benefits. It is being implemented today.

AI is already in use to a moderate or strong degree in midmarket Australian businesses to gather market intelligence (85%), as well as to monitor for cybersecurity threats, detect fraud, monitor regulatory compliance, develop forecasts and budgets, and automate recruitment processes (all 84%).

Australia ranks higher than the rest of the world when it comes to AI uptake for monitoring cybersecurity threats (84% vs. 78% moderate and strong use), detecting fraud (84% vs. 78%) and gathering market intelligence (85% vs. 78%).

鈥淎I is not new. In fact, we鈥檝e been using it for decades,鈥� continued Oosthuizen. 鈥淢ore than 27,000 customers are already using 麻豆原创 Business AI today, including hundreds in Australia. We鈥檝e released more than 70 Generative AI use cases in the past year, and we expect more than 100 use cases to be available by the end of 2024. We are making AI accessible for all businesses today. The time to explore the benefits of Business AI is now.鈥�

Australian midmarket businesses see data as key risk to growth 鈥� and AI adoption

Yet challenges remain to drive growth in Australian midmarket businesses.

Respondents noted supply chain disruption (38%) and business siloes (35%) as key internal challenges to growth, alongside issues with lack of integration between systems (34%) and lack of change management processes (33%).

Data is also cited as an organisational risk when it comes to AI. Midmarket businesses in Australia said the biggest risks to their company from AI were acting upon incorrect information (35%), finding and retaining talent (33%), insufficient data size and quality (33%) and lack of transparency in results (32%).

“The better the quality and scale of your data, the better the results of your AI,鈥� concluded Oosthuizen. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why working with a technology partner like 麻豆原创 is critical, because it is already built into the applications that power the most critical business processes. Only then can Australian businesses of every size make the promise of Business AI a reality.鈥�

A spotlight on AI in finance

In Australia, the top three best use-cases for AI in finance is forecasting and analysis (33%), summarising investment portfolio performance (29%), conducting fraud detection (28%) as well as tax and regulatory compliance mandates (28%).

Financial departments in Australia have experienced the benefits of AI, with 90% of departments who had implemented AI citing a positive impact on both business growth and their ability to simplify everyday work.

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing strong interest and adoption in AI from financial departments among Australian businesses as the technology drives great efficiencies and cost controls. From payroll and tax management through to meeting complex compliance regulations, there are various areas ripe for intelligent process automation – freeing up resources for more innovative financial decision-making,鈥� added Oosthuizen.

A broader view on technology investment

Successful Australian midmarket organisations are focusing on technology to drive business growth and overcome challenges. Respondents with high revenue growth said their number one technology priorities were outsourcing systems to a managed service provider (18%), investing in new or updated analytics products and decision-making tools (17%) or moving software systems to the cloud (17%).

Conversely, Australian midmarket businesses with low revenue growth are prioritising investment in new analytics products and decision-making tools (20%), building customised software tools in-house (17%) or investing in new business software systems (16%).

鈥淔or Australian businesses to continue thriving, pace and operational cost efficiencies are paramount, which requires a move to the cloud.听 When our customers are in the cloud, they access latest technologies faster and take immediate advantage of 麻豆原创 Business AI,鈥� commented Oosthuizen.

鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 AI is already embedded into our customer鈥檚 applications and it relies on a gold mine of decades of relevant business data curated from huge customer data sets. We implore Australian organisations to partner with experts in AI, utilising their solutions 鈥� be it customised or off-the-shelf 鈥� in line with business needs.鈥�

Oosthuizen added, 鈥淲e deliver our technology in collaboration with our partner ecosystem, ensuring businesses are applying AI in the right ways, and utilising managed service providers should they require extended IT teams. It鈥檚 about taking the worry out of AI model creation and implementation, so our customers can quickly adopt the burgeoning technology and bring out their best.鈥�

About this research

麻豆原创 Insights collected data from 12,003 respondents across 20 nations and 28 industries. Respondents were from organisations with between 250 and 1,500 employees, with director to C-suite titles. The study was conducted in March-April 2024 via an online survey.

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Based in Sydney, this boutique consulting firm started 11 years ago with a focus on customer experience solutions within the 麻豆原创 technology stack. Now, with a team of 70 and an expanded range of services, they remain committed to their founding principles.

According to Sara Ebadi, Customer Success Director at FAIR, the business thrives on a simple idea: happy employees make happy customers and happy customers keep coming back.

Sara Ebadi, Customer Success Director

Establishing Values

“Our uniqueness lies in delivering consulting services in a trusted and ethical way, and that’s been our ethos for 11 years,” Sara highlights. “It’s all about bringing trust back into consulting and doing the right thing.”

This commitment stems from the experiences of FAIR鈥檚 Founder, Mehrab Ebadi, who saw a disconnect between consultants and customers on critical challenges related to their staff and customers.

“These issues have always been close to my heart, even before solutions and technology come into play,” says Mehrab. “That includes having the courage to say ‘no’ to customers and genuinely help them on their journey. FAIR isn’t just a name; it’s a reflection of our beliefs.”

“It’s our way of being and operating,” Sara adds. “We are driven by honesty, integrity, transparency and loyalty. These values guide how we go to market, treat our employees, interact with partners and give back to the community.”

One of the company鈥檚 top priorities is keeping FAIR鈥檚 unique culture alive as it grows. They hire based on values and attitude first, passion second and skills third. New hires are paired with a ‘buddy’ who embodies FAIR鈥檚 culture.

Mehrab Ebadi,听Founder

Driving Value for Customers

FAIR鈥檚 culture translates into many customer benefits, including a commitment to building their internal capabilities.

“It’s about enabling the customer,” Sara explains. “Sometimes that means sacrificing revenue by having fewer people on-site and using the customer鈥檚 internal staff instead. This approach shows them that we prioritise their best interests.”

FAIR also takes a unique approach to Application Management Support (AMS). Instead of merely responding to issues, they work with their customers to understand and address root causes, helping them to prevent future problems.

“We educate customers on doing things the right way, allowing them to use their budget for more innovation,” Mehrab points out. “They can spend their money on things that generate more value.”

Proving Value

FAIR鈥檚 long-standing relationship with their very first customer, Officeworks, demonstrates the strength of their model.

“Officeworks trusts us, and they know they are getting value,” says Mehrab. “Despite having four different CIOs over the past 11 years, they continue to return to us.”

While this model helps retain customers, translating these success stories to new prospects can be challenging. To address this, FAIR has developed a capability to quickly assemble proofs-of-concept based on client specifications to demonstrate their value.

FAIR also follows this rapid and nimble approach when it comes to implementation, such as when the team created a new app for the Department of Education to manage Working with Children checks from a paper-based manual process to an integrated online journey, in just two weeks using 麻豆原创’s Business Technology Platform (BTP).

“Other partners would have taken months to create a proof of concept,” Mehrab explains. “This showcases the agility of a small organisation with the skills to demonstrate value quickly.”

A Continuing Journey

Since its beginnings, FAIR has maintained a strong association with 麻豆原创, continually expanding skills across the 麻豆原创 product suite, including introducing greater AI capabilities.

“I grew up in the 麻豆原创 landscape,” Mehrab highlights. “I started as an intern with a consulting company implementing 麻豆原创 solutions in Sweden. I was fascinated by how systems drive business efficiencies. This inspired me to offer internship programs at FAIR and invest in the local Australian youth to give them the same chance I once was given. 麻豆原创’s vision and commitment to continuous improvement keep me in the 麻豆原创 landscape.”

FAIR Consulting Group is dedicated to doing things differently – with integrity and a focus on building lasting relationships. They have the skills, values and drive to continue impacting their team and customers positively by putting the trust back in consulting.

The post FAIR Consulting Group – Putting the Trust Back in Consulting appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

But while the sector is dominated by several major players, it is also home to an ever-changing crop of up-and-comers.

These so-called junior minors are often born to prove the economic viability of speculative ventures. Should their initial returns prove promising, they find themselves needing to quickly adopt the systems and processes of a much larger business, and that includes the software systems that run them.

However, according to Jason Heaney, co-CEO of the Australian technology consultancy , these fast growth businesses often lack the time, funding, and experience to manage a full

Jason Heaney, DyFlex Solutions

“A lot of these companies are initially run on very basic accounting software, and that’s fine when you’ve only got a handful of people and a few dollars of expenses,” Heaney says. “But once you start on a feasibility study, you need a bit more rigour and control.”

DyFlex was founded in 2010 with a vision of bringing to mid-market businesses in the resources sector, using a templated approach that could be both quickly applied and easily repeated. Heaney says Dyflex鈥檚 initial goal is to deliver a core set of capabilities that provide a solid foundation for the business’ growth.

“Then we bring on additional functionality as they go through their mining life cycle,” Heaney says. “For example, when they get into construction, we bring on the projects module, and when they get into operations, we bring in supply chain functionality and maintenance functionality.”

The early success in mining has been the springboard for Dyflex to now be a national business with over 180 people across all states.

Heaney adds 鈥渢his experience has enabled us to spread to many industries well beyond mining. It鈥檚 remarkable how growing businesses can be very similar in their constraints and core needs. Take a wind or solar renewable energy business for example: basic accounting quickly leads to projects, procurement and maintenance.鈥�

Heaney says the challenge is often made greater by the fact that many of the business leaders in these organisations have never implemented an previously and need to be carefully guided through the process.

It’s a collaborative journey, rather than the customer just telling you what they need – they are looking for advice,” Heaney says. “And what鈥檚 interesting about the mid-market is that generally they’re almost as complex as the bigger guys but working at a smaller scale and often on a limited budget. It takes business expertise and not just software knowledge to guide them.

“It’s interesting how you take that complicated business model and fit it into a world where you don’t have the free capital to spend whatever you want, but we’ve sold 麻豆原创 into companies that had only five users when they first bought it. Any myth that 麻豆原创 is too complex or too expensive has been well and truly busted.”

Heaney says the factor that has enabled DyFlex’s approach to succeed is that despite the complexity of junior miners, there are generally many points of commonality in how they operate. Hence a solution that is applicable to one miner, such as accounts or the master data model, will usually be applicable to many more.

This template approach has also meant that DyFlex has been able to implement 麻豆原创 in as little as three or four months.

“Most CEOs now see the benefit of the whole fit-to-standard idea,” Heaney says. “It’s been accepted that they’re not different, and if we’ve already done it elsewhere and it’s proven, they’ll take that as accepted.”

Heaney says this approach has been sufficiently compelling to dissuade miners from assembling their own solutions from smaller best-of-breed suppliers, especially once they understand that the ongoing integration costs of that approach are unattractive in comparison to the ease of management that comes with an integrated system such as 麻豆原创.

Heaney says the templated 麻豆原创 approach also provides a more stable platform that enables miners to remain compliant with the regulatory and reporting regimes within which they operate, including for cross-border transactions.

Furthermore, Heaney says the presence of 麻豆原创 within a mid-market business can give comfort to both investors and bankers that the business performance data they are provided with is accurate.

“It’s rock solid with controls and compliance and all these sort of things,” Heaney says.

The lean, agile, fit-to-standard approach has proved to be just as successful in other industries that Dyflex has worked with over the last ten years.

DyFlex has also expanded what it can offer to its customers by building out its skills across the 麻豆原创 range, including with SuccessFactors and Ariba, using the same templated approach that has proved successful with core ERP. The success of DyFlex’s template approach, and across the resources sector specifically, has in turn strengthened its relationship with 麻豆原创.

“Whenever we’ve spotted gaps, we’ve always had access to the development team back in Germany,” Heaney says, “Even though we’re talking to the biggest ERP company in the world, there is a channel for us to get our customers’ ideas and our issues resolved. 听麻豆原创 has been very generous in how they’ve made people available to us.”

Heaney says he has never doubted his company’s decision to build templated solutions on the 麻豆原创 platform.

“We have confidence that 麻豆原创 actually does the job,” Heaney says. “It’s reliable, it’s robust, it’s fit for purpose, and the 麻豆原创 tool set has never let us or the customer down.”

The post How Dyflex is growing the next generation of Australian miners and other mid-market businesses with 麻豆原创 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

Using the knowledge gained working with tens of thousands of clients around the world, we ensure agencies – and the citizens they serve – can benefit from the latest in best practice thinking.

Each customer also benefits from close to $10 billion dollars we spend each year on research and development. This investment ensures our software incorporates the latest processes and technologies, implemented in a safe and effective manner, including the rapidly emerging field of .

This experience means we are very familiar with the pressures that public sector agencies face to transform and improve their service offerings. We have also worked hard to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation and have evolved with our clients through the different eras of computing, from mainframe and client/server deployments to today鈥檚 cloud-based environments, ensuring we can meet demands for agility and cost-effectiveness.

Resetting Perceptions: Solutions for Agencies of all sizes

However, our heritage in delivering large and complex systems for some of the world鈥檚 most sophisticated organisations has at times overshadowed the value we can bring to smaller organisations and the speed at which we can deliver it.

We believe it is time to reset thinking when it comes to who we are, what we can do, and who is supported by our business.

Cost Effective for All Sizes

While has found success assisting some of Australia and New Zealand鈥檚 largest government departments, we have also helped some smaller agencies achieve remarkable results on limited budgets.

For example, at Fire & Rescue NSW, is bringing together data from multiple systems to underpin new financial planning and management reporting processes. The implementation has automated and accelerated numerous processes and shortened the delivery of month-end reports by a whole week. Staff can focus on making strategic decisions rather than crunching numbers, and the agency is well placed to harness and predictive analytics to support its role protecting the people of NSW. It鈥檚 estimated this has saved them over 20,000 hours of effort each fire season.

And at Australia鈥檚 Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the implementation of is delivering more than $1 million in projected savings in the first six months thanks to improvements in product allocation and import scheduling. The solution also uncovered a $500,000 revenue opportunity, showcasing how 麻豆原创 solutions drive both operational efficiency and growth.

Speed to Value: Rapid Cloud Adoption

Our rapid adoption of cloud-based delivery means organisations can now access the latest technologies at unprecedented speed. This capability has been instrumental in supporting governments during national crises where fast turnarounds are critical.

This was demonstrated repeatedly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where quickly developed government support programs demanded similarly rapid turnarounds to create the systems that would deliver them.

In Germany for instance, the Federal Government quickly realised that COVID-19 lockdowns would have a dramatic negative impact on the country鈥檚 cultural industries and responded by allocating 2.5 billion euros in aid. The money was to be distributed by the 16 German states, but some lacked the capability to deliver it efficiently.

A solution was proposed by the Hamburg Ministry of Finance, which offered to develop a platform using and that could be used by the 15 other states. A comprehensive solution was developed spanning self-registration, screening, application, entitlement, dispute handling, and payment, the platform was up and running in just three weeks.

This same system later evolved to incorporate generative AI, which was critical in helping Hamburg accept and interpret the hundreds of pages of information that applicants supplied when applying for grants, saving between 13,300 and 33,100 hours of manual processing per year.

Another story of 麻豆原创鈥檚 agility was told in Japan in the wake of the 2024 New Year鈥檚 Day earthquake. 听麻豆原创 Japan stepped up to develop and implement an application on 麻豆原创 BTP in just 72 hours consolidating and visualising data from a wide range of sources to support the government鈥檚 response. This capability underscores 麻豆原创 ability to deliver rapid solutions in times of need.

Supporting Local IT Growth

No software company knows Australian and New Zealand governments and agencies better than 麻豆原创. We have been supporting the Australian Government since 1988 and today we are assisting everyone from the largest departments to regional councils.

麻豆原创鈥檚 contribution to the Australian economy is not limited to technology alone. We employ more than 1,400 staff across Australia, and our ecosystem of over 625 partners 鈥� half of which are small businesses 鈥� helps bring our solutions to life.

Whether it be FAIR Consulting Group鈥檚 focus on delivering value for its customers while driven by its values, Dyflex鈥檚 support to the growth businesses at the forefront of Australia鈥檚 energy transition, or DalRae鈥檚 strength in delivering innovation for Government customers, these Australian businesses driving local growth and employment by helping our customers integrate 麻豆原创 solutions.

In 2023, 麻豆原创 further strengthened its commitment to Australia by launching an Australian sovereign cloud capability, generating 70 new local jobs. That service is now live for local clients with specific needs for localised data hosting, including commercial organisations such as Toll Group.

Collectively, Oxford Economics has estimated 麻豆原创 Australia has contributed more than $900 million to the local economy. And that doesn鈥檛 include the productivity benefits our solutions have delivered for our customers across various sectors.

Public Sector investment in 麻豆原创 solutions delivers benefits across the Australian economy, creating jobs while ensuring citizens benefit from systems that embody the latest developments in AI-powered technologies.

A Proven Partner for Public Sector Success

麻豆原创鈥檚 systems and processes have been developed from best practices learned through decades of collaboration with Australia鈥檚 public sector and organizations around the world.

If you’re looking for cutting-edge solutions, backed by 麻豆原创鈥檚 nearly $10 billion annual investment in R&D and deep expertise in running public sector agencies cost-effectively, while also contributing to local economic growth, then talk to 麻豆原创.

The post Building a Smarter Australia: How 麻豆原创 is Powering Government and Local IT success appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

麻豆原创 NEWSBYTE 鈥� 2 October, 2024 鈥� today announces a new initiative in partnership with , a $6 billion international construction and engineering operation, which has transformed the learning and development of 5,500 staff across the globe.听听听

Named LOR Learn, the new platform is a central portal for Laing O鈥橰ourke employees to access personalised, role-based learning modules that are critical to their career growth. The implementation of LOR Learn has delivered learning programmes to more than 700 people per month, using just 10 per cent of the organisation鈥檚 Learning and Development budget. LOR Learn delivers a significant democratisation of learning for the business, and ensures everyone has equal opportunities to grow.听

Powered by technology, the resources reflect a shift in how employees wish to consume educational materials.听听

Speaking at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors HR CONNECT 2024 in Sydney, Helen Fraser, Director – People, Laing O鈥橰ourke, Australia, said: 鈥淲e are dedicated to fostering a self-directed learning culture, underpinned by scalable, cost-effective, and high-quality learning interventions enabled through 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors. Our new solution revolutionalised our approach to learning in a comprehensive and easy to navigate program. 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors is critical to our commitment to providing a culture designed to empower our employees to embrace learning, because we know employees in an environment which encourages their career growth are much more likely to stay.鈥�听

鈥淲e also knew our people sought bite-sized, bespoke learning opportunities similar to the content they consume on Instagram and TikTok. Our employee engagement surveys told us people want control over their learning. They want opportunities for blended learning, which means classroom-based interactions supported by online learning materials, peer coaching, and social learning networks. Our new 麻豆原创 Build WorkZone platform helps us deliver that to our people,鈥� added Fraser.听

鈥淲e have seen excellent employee uptake of the platform, with solid average usage per month. We have already seen LinkedIn Learning activated seats increasing from 35% to 95%, and we hope it drives further staff engagement and retention, as well as helping to grow our internal promotion rates,鈥� said Fraser.鈥�听

In Australia, LOR Learn hosts 155 bespoke learning pathways that drive employees to lead their own learning journey. The resources cover topics as diverse as Engineered Safety, AI, Indigenous Affairs, Team Management and Commercial Services.鈥疶he team has collaborated with subject matter experts to create 350 custom learning assets and launched 17 learning spaces, with more in various stages of delivery – including the recent addition of a Low Carbon Materials Learning Space.鈥疨lus, more than 50 learning ambassadors are using AI content tools to create new learning content across the country.听听

Over the next 12 months, Laing O鈥橰ourke plans to digitise the Career Toolkits, utilising WorkZone, the talent intelligence hub and LOR Learn to have all career pathways linked to the learning and development opportunities all in one, easy to navigate, place. Additionally, Laing O鈥橰ourke plans to host a National 鈥楧rive your Development鈥� Learning Day, where the organisation will showcase all the diverse ways in which its employees can access and engage in learning.听

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Angela Colantuono, President and Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Australia, said: 鈥淲e are thrilled to build on our long-term partnership with Laing O鈥橰ourke in Australia to power its new employee learning hub. In an age of high attrition rates, it鈥檚 vital for businesses to keep employees motivated through engaging personal development resources that ultimately bring out their best. Our 麻豆原创 Build WorkZone technology allows Laing O鈥橰ourke staff to access all of their learning materials in one place 鈥� the ease and speed of the user experience has driven exceptional staff uptake and engagement.鈥澨�听听

Laing O鈥橰ourke in Australia has been a customer of 麻豆原创 since 2016, using 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors Employee Central for managing its total workforce and improving people experiences. LOR Learn was rolled out by Laing O鈥橰ourke in Australia earlier this year.听听

The post Laing O鈥橰ourke reimagines employee-led learning with 麻豆原创 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.