Obviously, if you are going to create ship-shore and shore-ship integrated processes, you need a stable communications platform. Over the last five years, there has been much talk about 'always-on' VSAT satellite communications. We have yet to see, other than very specialized areas, applications in the maritime industry that require an 'always-on' connection.
One concern I have is that the current inherent redundancy that is built into de-coupled processes, will disappear if 'always on' is adopted without careful attention being given to the processes themselves. Without this, and therefore the effective use of bandwidth, value enablement will suffer and potentially ill-conceived and inefficient deployments will take place. There is no such thing as always-on, and the environment--mid-Atlantic or other ocean--is not comparable to the operating conditions most of us are familiar with.
What changes do you expect to see in the coming years that are related to mobile communications in the maritime industry?
The introduction of Inmarsat FleetBroadband will, or at least should, send the application providers back to their drawing boards. Cost-effective bandwidth, especially with the data rates now becoming offered, is a double-edged sword. As costs go down, there is a tendency to stop putting effort into ensuring the effective use of resources. Not only is this wasteful, it can also lead to a lack of visibility and eventually, knowledge of the underlying business processes and value drivers. With the new Inmarsat platform, application vendors have an opportunity to present us with a new generation of applications to build value on this platform. Alternatively, they could just stop worrying about how much data they send and, more importantly, ask themselves why they are sending it.
Crew [social] calling costs from vessels have reduced dramatically over the last few years. Crew e-mail is provided free of charge by all of the major shipping operators, and new offerings such as GSM on board by Blue Ocean Wireless, are becoming available.
WiMax is starting to be offered by major ports to allow vessels to connect whilst approaching port. This, of course, greatly reduces the cost of communication and lengthens the period for which a vessel may be online. Very recently, Singapore announced plans to build a WiMax network that will allow vessels to connect whilst they transit the Singapore straits.
What keeps you awake at night?
It is questions like how do I make better use of our IT investments, how do I get business departments to buy into BPO and BPR, how to better support Wallem Group's clients, and how to ensure Wallem stays ahead of competitors cost effectively.
In short, value! Value realization, reduction of waste, effective use of resources, reduction in unnecessary rework of systems or processes, are the key concerns. The key operational systems in the Wallem Group must operate effectively and efficiently, to the point where they are taken for granted. This, however, can lead to them being undervalued and ignored until a major upgrade is required. This is wasteful and should be avoided by ensuring a good portfolio management is in place and properly funded.
Change management within the business units brings its own challenges as re-engineered processes and offshoring are implemented. Ensuring that the business units see IT as a value enabler, rather than a cost center, is the key, and this takes work on both sides of the fence. IT must speak the language of business and not the other way round.
If you were not a CIO, what would you be and why?
I enjoy challenges and teamwork. In 2003, I started sailing again, having not sailed since leaving school. We purchased a small yacht in 2004 and having promised my wife that I would only cruise or sail socially, I ended up entering my first off-shore race in early-2005. The preparation for, and participation in, the Hong Kong-to-Philippines San Fernando Race was an eye-opener for me. The teamwork required and experienced when competing in a race, is something I try to emulate during the projects we implement. Good forward-planning, sticking to the plan whilst being flexible in delivery, is a necessity in off-shore racing and good practice in IT delivery.
There is a saying that 'worse things happen at sea', and from personal experience, this is true. The ability to think under pressure, to recover from setbacks and, most importantly, to be patient and keep one's sense of humor are all prerequisites to surviving off-shore. Whilst the personal physical danger may not be, well at least one would hope, the same during an IT project, these are none the less required skills.
So if I were not a CIO, I would like to have been a professional off-shore sailor.
Editor's note: Patrick Slesinger and his team are busy completing the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system. Read what else is on Wallem's tech agenda in ZDNet Asia's IT Priorities special report.
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