Interview of TAdviser with the director of the department of information technologies "British American Tobacco Russia" Darya Grishina

Darya Grishina: Our company – a part of the British American Tobacco group, and it is natural that the Russian IT strategy is a continuation global. Principal focus of strategy - business process optimization and increase in their efficiency. Technologies develop very quickly and propose many new solutions which were impossible several years ago. We look at new technologies, at mobility of our users, at the solutions helping to integrate business of group into a whole, and we implement solutions which do the company of more effective.

Darya Grishina: IT department of the company – the equivalent partner of business, our tasks are naturally entered in business challenges of the company. Information exchange goes in two directions. On the one hand, we react to business requests, we find optimal IT solutions for different tasks, and with another – we look for opportunities for process optimization and proactively we offer technologies which can improve work. Interaction happens at all levels – from ordinary business analysts to the top management.

Darya Grishina: Interaction of IT and business has two components: it is live permanent contact in the course of accomplishment of operational tasks and more structured, formalized project work within which plans are formed regular meetings, discussions are held.

Darya Grishina: We will continue integration of IT systems "BAT Russia" with the global systems of British American Tobacco. One of the main components of this process is a SAP implementation as single information platform for support of operating activities of the company worldwide. It provides uniformity of business processes - taking into account regional specifics and the legislation, naturally. Project completion on implementation of one more SAP product - Success Factor - as single global platform for HR is planned for this year.

In the past, the 2016th year, the main work plans of department were connected with upgrade of the tools directed to increase in efficiency of daily work of employees. We carried out updating of the operating system – passed to Windows 10, and made it some of the first in Russia in the tobacco industry. Updating of the version of Windows and implementation of Office 365 opened for us new opportunities for increase in mobility of users. There came the correct moment, first, to begin to use new tools of the organization of joint work, and secondly, to move ahead towards cloud computing. As we see, they bring to business real benefit.

Darya Grishina: As we the public international company, data on the IT budget of the Russian division, as well as any other regional, we cannot open. We regularly compare the indicators to Gartner analytics on the companies of the FMCG sector, and we note that we keep within the industry average indicators.

In terms of budget optimization, we work on that by means of new technologies to redirect investments of the company from the general services on other directions and projects - those which increase business performance. For example, in 2016 we refused ownership of own printers and their service by own efforts for benefit of receiving printing as service on outsourcing. It brought to the company big economy of the IT budget, and the saved funds will be allocated for the new directions bringing to the company commercial benefit.

As for plans for 2017, our priority task is providing the same level of the IT service in the most optimal way.

Darya Grishina: First of all we had an opportunity of flexible scaling of a management system for printing. Now we can change the number of the rented printers depending on our current demands, and - at the affordable price. Besides, service provides the security level necessary for us using authentication of employees – users receive the documents sent to printing only according to the admission.

Several years ago the market in Russia was not so developed – such offers or was not, or they were too expensive.

Now we consider the possibility of distribution of experience of outsourcing and on other services. Similar experience already was – for example, last year in the towns of Russia we passed from allocate circuits to Internet access that provided big economy of means without loss in communication quality.

Darya Grishina: This market became much more mature, than a few years ago. There were worthy offers, in terms of expense optimization on the services provided by data centers.

Darya Grishina: So far as concerns appendices which personal data, yes, only the Russian contain. And in general global strategy provides transition to a cloud platform of Microsoft Azure. So, "BAT Russia" is going to use at the same time both the Russian, and foreign data centers.

Darya Grishina: These are the projects on optimization of data centers (Cloud Full Potential), upgrade of network, on further integration of business which are already mentioned by me based on SAP Success Factor and also promotion of tools for increase in efficiency of joint work - Windows 10, Office 365, conference communication based on Skype for Business. Except the listed projects, we also upgrade process of management of production, in particular, we expand a quality control system.

Darya Grishina: During the EPIC project (Enhanced Productivity in Cloud) in 2016 we transferred about 3,000 users to the new operating system and a packet of office applications. And for field employees, and them at us about 1,000, migration on Windows 10 was implemented within one day. Fundamental difference of this migration from previous – the concept of self-service, independent updating of OS by users. We for the first time tried such approach, and it completely was repaid. Certainly, we provided a number of the "insurance" moments - for example, prepared detailed instructions and selected in each department of champions of changes who passed to a new system the first and could help colleagues.

Darya Grishina: The small team of IT specialists consisting of employees "BAT Russia" and Croc companies, after all was involved – on a case of emergence of problems.

Darya Grishina: Cloud computing – a strategic reference point of British American Tobacco. The first successfully implemented a pilot project on transition to Microsoft Azure in South Africa. A part of servers are placed in the Republic of South Africa for compliance to the local legislation.

Russia is the second local market where the migration task from own servers in a cloud is seriously set. We have high expectations from the project in terms of expense optimization and also in respect of scalability and flexibility that in the long term will simplify implementation of any new initiatives or carrying out reorganization of business. Now we are at a preliminary stage – we discuss the choice of commercial data center with business divisions. Fortunately, the level of development of commercial DPCs, telecommunication infrastructure in Russia is not worse, than in Western Europe.

Darya Grishina: Give a specific quantitative assessment not easy. Let me illustrate possible benefit on the example of already implemented project on transition to Office 365 and Windows 10. Economy at the global level makes about 10 million pounds sterling annually.

Darya Grishina: First of all due to standardization of the software and consolidation of IT service of business users.

Darya Grishina: We implemented several projects on Agile methodology. In particular, we used factory in St. Petersburg as the pilot platform for implementation of one of production automation systems on Agile methodology. We came to a conclusion that methodology it is necessary to ground on the correct soil. In other words, from an iteratsionnost of releases there has to be some commercial benefit. It was not succeeded to notice it on production owing to specifics and stability of production processes. However, for example, in the project with the marketing organization which was done by colleagues from Australia and Canada the project startup in several stages proved to be much more effectively. Therefore we are positive to the methodology, but for ourselves accurately we define efficiency of application in these or those projects.

Darya Grishina: Structure of IT support of business and IT services today cardinally another, than, for example, 10 years ago. For 95% these spheres are given on outsourcing. For example, the external service ServiceDesk provides support of corporate IT systems in the Moscow offices, at two factories and in more than 100 regional departments across Russia. Own employees "Russia" occupy with BAT mainly management or analytical roles, they are focused on vendor management and quality and also on implementation of IT-Innovations for optimization of services.

Darya Grishina: The biggest change, the event in the last two years, – transition to outsourcing for project implementation. In 2016, for example, about 30% of project works were executed through outsourcing. When implementing the project on SAP implementation of only 30% of an implementation team specialists "BAT Russia" made, other 70% - specialists of our partners.

I believe that this correct solution as it allows us to attract on specific projects of specialists with unique experiment and competences on narrow specializations which organically develop in system integrators and the consulting companies.

We expect more active introduction of their competences and experience with new technologies when implementing our projects from our partners. Specialists of the partner should be able to join successfully the general project team and to bear the part of responsibility. In my opinion, the main indicator of successful work of the contractor in the project is when in a work progress all work on the project as a uniform command without separation into employees "BAT Russia" or external specialists. For example, in the EPIC project specialists Croc proved quite so.