Helping business ownersget the IT support theyreally need

It is sometimes said that manufacturingcompanies succeed despite IT ratherthan because of it

Too cynical no doubt, but it is certainly true that thelimitations of IT systems are reflected in the productivity oftheir users. And the open, collaborative innovationstrategies used by design and engineering departments togenerate ideas and reduce cycle times can also expose yourcompany to risk, making intellectual property vulnerable tocorruption, sabotage and theft.

The art of connecting the automotive industry is a series of short papers exploringthe ICT requirements of different functions in automotive manufacturing. Thispaper considers how technology can be used to improve the productivity of designand engineering teams. Technology itself however is only part of the answer. Howit is deployed and configured is equally important and this is as much an art as ascience. We call it the art of connecting.

Improving the productivity ofdesign and engineering

• Helping teams to share information morequickly and easily.

• Overcoming communications inefficienciesand shortening cycle times.

• Reducing the risk of ambiguity andmisunderstanding.

• Improving the efficiency with which designersand engineers collaborate, within theenterprise and across the supplier base.

automotive

The list of concerns isn’t onlyendless, it’s growing

As manufacturing companies offshore work to low costregions and outsource design and engineering tasks tospecialist 3rd parties – some of whom will in turn sub contractparts of the work to others – the vulnerabilities increase.

Even when you’re confident that your design data is securehow sure are you that the data is being correctlyinterpreted and understood? That the pause on your audiocall isn’t accompanied by puzzled looks on yourcontractors’ faces, or eyebrows cocked in disbelief?

These are concerns that executives responsible for designand engineering functions must prepare to address, andthere’s much that can be done.

Technologies to consider

We recommend you consider the following to get workdone faster, better and more cost-efficiently

1. The productivity of design and engineering teams isinextricably bound to the performance of the systems theyuse. Behind the systems typically sits a mesh of multi-tiered and loosely coupled applications that must traversea complex delivery chain – involving web 2.0 code, 3rdparty and cloud services, ISPs and many other variables –before your users can access them. Improving userresponse times is often very easy, but only if your ITdepartment has (and knows how to use) the latestnetwork monitoring tools for end-to-end visibility of the

application delivery chain. If they don’t – and a 2014study shows this to be the case with 45% of US andEuropean companies – then you should consider inviting aspecialist communications provider to advise on how userresponse times can be improved.

2. Where your IT infrastructure bottlenecks rather thanaccelerates your design and engineering work, considerthe use of infrastructure-as-a-service and cloud-basedofferings. These offer an easy way to provision computingcapacity, storage, network connections, bandwidth andother infrastructure on an as-you-need it, when-you-need-it basis, paying only for what you consume. The bestproviders use only latest generation technologies, anadvantage that many IT departments find hard to match.

3. Consider using a large, global 3rd party provider tocloak your designers and engineers with security. Suchproviders can recruit and maintain levels of expertisethat their customers, on an individual basis, cannotrealistically hope for. And because they service manyclients they develop expertise in mitigating a widerange of threats on a daily basis, ensuring theircapabilities are honed to a high degree. Work withthem to implement the capabilities needed to identifyand authenticate users of your systems, serving themwith access levels appropriate to their status. Toencrypt data for secure onward communication. Tomanage firewalls, remove viruses, protect criticalservers from denial of service attacks and enforceglobally consistent security standards not just withinyour own four walls but across your partner ecosystem.

4. A variety of unified communications tools exist tominimize the risk of ambiguity or misunderstandingwhile improving the productivity of your staff. From

Unsatisfactory performance of critical softwareapplications that frustrate users and delay time tomarket. Engineers emailing sensitive data over theinternet to partners that your IT group hasn’t yetprovisioned access to corporate systems for. Designerssaving files on USB sticks to work on at home or inairport lounges. Inadequate storage capacity orinsufficient bandwidth in the workplace that causeemployees to mail large files from their private emailaddresses or participate in video conference calls fromtheir home PCs.

CAD vaults accessible to anyone – including visitors –on the campus wifi. Inconsistent application ofsecurity policies that leads a trusted employee tocommunicate a design change to a contractor notthrough the system-of-record but via an unorthodoxwork-around that lacks version control and puts theintegrity of the product design at risk.

Poorly administered or incorrectly configured firewallsthat create more risk than they prevent. The inabilityto enforce common security standards across thepartner ecosystem.

The all-too familiar problems of inefficient IT

Offices worldwide

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13 January 2015

high definition video solutions that incorporate richaudio for an ‘in-person’ experience even whenparticipants sit thousands of kilometers apart, tounobtrusive instant messaging solutions. Even thehumble phone call has been revolutionized. Presencetechnologies tell you, before placing the call, whetherthe person you want to speak to is available to talk. Ifnot, use email instead. Once connected, a video call isjust a click away, and document sharing a click further.If it becomes necessary to connect a 3rd party simplyclick to connect them to the call. The calls can berecorded, archived and made searchable for reuse.

These suggestions however are just the starting point and wewould be delighted to discuss the matter further with you.

Why BT?

BT Global Services provides the networked IT andcommunications services which leading automotivemanufacturers rely on to collaborate across complexindustrial ecosystems. The breadth of our serviceofferings, the depth of our industry know-how, our localpresence in more than 170 markets ensure that we areideally placed to improve the efficiency with which designand engineering departments perform.

Customer showcases

Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur,London, New Delhi, New York, Singapore, Shanghai,Sydney and Tokyo or BT’s global innovation center atAdastral Park, Ipswich, United Kingdom.

Get in touch

Gerard O’Neill

Head of MarketingAutomotive Industry Practice

gerard.oneill@bt.com +49 89 2600 8617

Martin Hunt

Senior Business Development DirectorAutomotive Industry Practice

martin.hunt@bt.com +49 89 2600 8187