Page 21 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

thrilled to have been named a leader in this new IDC Marketscape”, value chain. Industry volatility means our oil and gas clients need
said Andrew Smart, a senior managing director and energy lead to digitally transform their businesses quickly to become more
for Europe, Accenture. “The oil and gas industry is currently facing efficient and crucially more resilient. We are committed to applying
unprecedented challenges, which will be felt throughout the whole deeper industry insight and expertise to help our clients drive
the changes needed to emerge stronger from the current crisis
and face the challenge of the energy transition going forward.”
Additionally, the report noted Accenture’s significant experience
in digital transformation use cases spanning the value chain and
its innovation architecture. Also noted as a differentiator was
Accenture Ventures’ work in partnering with and investing in over
5,000 start-ups and supporting acquisitions like Enaxis Consulting,
which provides digital transformation services to the oil and gas
industry. IDC also cited Accenture’s long-standing relationships
with industrywide platform providers such as SAP, Microsoft,
Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Salesforce, and a variety of
technology players through its strong partner ecosystem. "Digital
transformation is a consulting-led business, and to embark on a
successful journey, oil and gas companies need more than just an
IT service provider,” said Gaurav Verma, Research Manager, IDC
Energy Insights. “They need a business and technology partner
who can help them clear business bottlenecks. Accenture has
clearly positioned itself to meet this need, with a comprehensive
solutions portfolio and partner ecosystem, global footprint and
agile approach to technology-driven innovation. The ability to
combine vision and execution for companies across the value
chain is Accenture’s strength in the domain of oil and gas digital
transformation."

AT&T Expands Relationship with Cradlepoint

AT&T and Cradlepoint are trying to make it easier for first
responders and enterprises to get end-to-end wireless wide area
network (WAN) solutions from AT&T. Customers can now order
Cradlepoint wireless edge solutions and have them fulfilled and
billed directly from AT&T. Select Cradlepoint wireless routers
are being offered with AT&T's LTE service along with an optional
AT&T Wireless Broadband (AWB) data plan. Cradlepoint has been
developing a deeper relationship with AT&T for a while. It was the
first to support Category 18, or 5G Evolution as AT&T calls it, for
over a year before other suppliers entered the market, according
to Cradlepoint CMO Todd Krautkremer. Now with COVID-19, a lot
of first responder agencies are dealing with unforeseen expenses
and by offering this payment option, they can pay overtime via
their wireless bill rather than making an upfront payment all at
once. Enterprises likewise are capital constrained at the same
time they need wireless routers and WAN technology to support
their communications. "In recent months, we have witnessed
more businesses and public safety agencies than ever deploying
wireless WAN solutions on AT&T LTE networks in response to
the global health crisis," said Robert Boyanovsky, VP, Enterprise

21 MAY 2020