Making a strategic move to the cloud means companies need to be prepared for a new way of thinking and operating. Moving to the cloud isn’t—and shouldn’t be—business as usual. It’s a switch that demands fresh attitudes in defining what an implementation is and a completely new way of working. A global cloud transformation can be complex and overwhelming for a company that is not adequately prepared. To achieve success, it is imperative that the technology aligns with both a clear executive vision and crucial business processes. Equally as important, the company needs to commit to a change strategy that enables everyone, from executives to individual users, to engage the new system and understand its role within the organization.

1. Global Cloud
Transformation: Setting
the Stage for Success
The Agile
Enterprise

2. The Agile
Enterprise
introduction platforms ultimately offer a more flexible
and scalable way to meet today’s business
Making a strategic move to the cloud means
challenges (vs. on-premise solutions). Because
companies need to be prepared for a new
cloud technologies have removed many of the
way of thinking and operating. Moving to
“We can view market
burdens of ongoing hardware and application
the cloud isn’t—and shouldn’t be—business
maintenance costs, IT departments are freed
share for any given
as usual. It’s a switch that demands fresh
to focus on business innovations that can
attitudes in defining what an implementation
is and a completely new way of working. A
ultimately fuel company growth. product, and we can
global cloud transformation can be complex But without a broader company change, track product tests. It
almost goes without
and overwhelming for a company that is not the benefits of the cloud will not be
adequately prepared. To achieve success, it is realized. Success is dependent on making
imperative that the technology aligns with both a commitment to become a more agile saying that the Gates
a clear executive vision and crucial business enterprise. An agile enterprise not only senior leadership team
has embraced the
processes. Equally as important, the company embraces flexible technology, but also
needs to commit to a change strategy establishes processes that promote
that enables everyone, from executives to continuous innovation, leaves room for a little reporting capabilities of
individual users, to engage the new system and chaos, guides users to embrace change and Salesforce and is eager
understand its role within the organization.
to continue to use it as
collaboration, and leverages a multi-sourcing
Bluewolf has a proven methodology that resource strategy to match ongoing innovation
enables enterprises to set the foundation for to the pace of business (something Bluewolf a solution for navigating
real change and ultimately achieve success. calls an “ elastic workforce”). Transitioning our commercial sales
Best practices, developed over a decade of
interests.”
to the cloud is not a single project, but an
helping hundreds of companies with complex, iterative journey that must include a method
global implementations, provide a validated to execute, measure, and sustain innovation Karl Moritz, Senior Vice
roadmap to achieving company goals with within the organization. President Global End-Market
the cloud. Strategy, Gates Corporation
cloud technology and the Characteristics of an Agile Enterprise
agile enterprise Promotes continuous innovation
in processes.
Cloud computing has the potential to
Leaves room for a little chaos.
promote significant cultural changes across a
Trains people to embrace change and
global organization. By moving to the cloud,
collaboration.
executives are embracing a vision that the
Remains iterative through elastic
old way of doing things is not an effective
resources.
strategy to keep up with the pace of change in
Embraces flexible technology.
today’s business environment. Cloud-based
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3. Global Cloud Case Study
Company the entire region online. In addition to customizing
Based in Denver, Colorado USA, Gates Corporation Salesforce for the needs of each region, Bluewolf also
is a world leader in industrial engineering and transferred all of the data from the previous CRM
manufacturing. The company employs over 14,500 solution used by Gates and coordinated on-site, end-
staff and has operations in all of the world’s major user training localized for each country.
markets, including North and South America, Europe,
Languages Deployed
Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
English, Spanish, German, French, Italian
Challenge
Number of Currencies Deployed
Because of an inability to efficiently generate metrics
Thirty-six
on customer interactions, sales personnel could not
easily view the status of leads. This deficiency delayed Results
the time it took to close many deals. Gates wanted Gates improved efficiency at managing and following
to standardize global reporting and metrics for five up on leads, which led to the ability to close proposals
different regions (Northeast, Middle East, South more quickly and generate increased revenue.
America, Asia and Europe) while giving regions ability Because managers can now see how well sales reps
to customize processes. pursue leads, Gates created a follow-up incentive
program, and, since that time, the effectiveness of
Implementation strategy
prospect follow-ups has improved greatly. Gates
Gates Corporation decided to deploy Salesforce
leadership has recognized the value of Salesforce to
globally. Using a Bluewolf Blueprint, the company
the extent that the team has re-purposed the global,
gained a clear vision of requirements, timelines,
internal, and professional sales training program
and costs. Bluewolf began by deploying Salesforce
to not only include onboarding to the solution, but
in one region at a time, with each region building
positions Salesforce as the centerpiece of their sales
out customized processes that matched local
reporting strategy.
requirements. To ensure the success, Bluewolf
deployed pilot tests within each region before bringing
common global cloud Siloed operations and platforms
implementation challenges Though a company may be global, many
Global cloud implementations present of its international business units and IT
enterprises with unique challenges that add departments operate autonomously. Multiple
complexity and scale to any typical cloud applications and tools, used for the same
implementation. After more than a decade of purpose across the globe, make it impossible
experience helping thousands of companies to get a holistic global view of the business
implement successful cloud projects, Bluewolf from a reporting perspective. This reliance on
has identified common challenges unique to legacy systems can complicate integration,
global transformations: and is especially true when the company has
grown by acquisition. A critical step before
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4. embarking on a broader, global rollout is to there are the more tangible differences in
clearly communicate a vision and collaborate language, currency, security, and compliance
with appropriate stakeholders. that companies may not review and plan for
during the initial phases. Cultural differences
No clear goals can be a major reason why global cloud
Along with communication and collaboration, implementations fail if they are not taken
some companies establish vague goals for into consideration.
technology projects such as “a 360-degree
view of customers” or “more visibility into Time zones
sales pipeline.” But without defining a clear If regions need to work together and
set of measurable business objectives and collaborate toward a common goal, then
their corresponding strategies, it is difficult time zones become a barrier to getting
to build the right supporting processes. It is the work done. A team in Brazil may have
not uncommon for there to be misalignment to wait for a response from a team in the
between the overall goals expected by United States that is five hours behind. Also,
corporate, and the specific strategies, many companies underestimate how much
activities, and key metrics employed by on-site work is needed for a global cloud
different regions and business units. Lack of project to be successful. Cutting costs in
leadership alignment around key business this area may not be effective because it is
goals and how each business unit will measure often the relationships that are built during
and achieve them, is a major reason why implementation that drive how the project will
global cloud implementations fail to produce fare beyond go live.
impactful results.
Data migration
Cultural differences This is a major issue even for single regional or
From simple communication methods to business unit cloud implementations. When
distinctions on how each region trains and a company looks at a global implementation,
adopts new technology, regional distinctions data migration becomes increasingly complex,
can have a more profound effect than many including data in multiple languages, different
companies realize. For example, though leader address formats, disparate data sources, and
rankings and dashboards effectively promote the quality of the data. Compliance around
adoption in the United States, they may not data quality within specific regions can also
translate as well in Japan where goals are complicate global cloud implementations.
always set at a group level rather than an Since data is the foundation for any cloud
individual one. These issues tend to be the application, it is imperative that data
result of not taking the time to effectively migration and ongoing management is
gain buy-in at the beginning of the initiative, considered upfront.
across the global organization. Additionally,
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5. Salesforce: Single vs. Multi-Org?
Should your company leverage a single instance of Collaboration Needs
Salesforce or implement a multi-instance strategy? When a common customer exists, leveraging a
Throughout our 12 years in this ecosystem, we have single org can make it easier to share data between
established a point of view that there is no one-size- geographies and segments, achieve company-wide
fits all approach. It is critical to step back and look collaboration with applications like Chatter, and better
at your organizational processes, objectives, and align marketing, sales, and service processes. In cases
culture holistically before determining how to roll out with geographically segmented customer bases or
a global footprint. Below are some decision criteria to business lines that don’t need to cross-sell, they can
consider: autonomously operate in multiple orgs.
Organizational Structure Flexibility
Is the enterprise currently centralized or Agile custom development with Salesforce is easier
decentralized, and will this change in the near with the multi-org approach since there is direct
future? In terms of technology, are the backends regional control. Not only can different groups
centrally controlled? Detailed analysis of operations use different editions, but there is also no risk of
is critical, especially for companies that grow impacting other business segments, so less time is
through acquisition. spent gaining buy-in. A single org requires a strong
globally focused governance strategy and changes to
Global Reporting Requirements
modules, fields, and workflow must be agreed to by
Having a single org makes it easier to generate a
and/or communicated to all business units.
360-degree view of customer data, forecasting,
and real-time executive reports. It is still possible to Data Concerns and Admin Capabilities
establish global reporting under a multi-org approach, Regulatory compliance, data security, storage, system
however master data management strategies become integration, and even sheer data volume can all
increasingly important and additional work is needed. impact the ideal choice in org structure. Company
culture also plays an important part. If an enterprise
Business Process Synergy
is driven centrally from a global headquarter, a single
When business units share similarities between
management hub or administrative strategy may be
products and sales processes, a single org approach
preferred. If the company operates with more regional
can deliver operational efficiency and visibility.
autonomy, an approach that provides localized
However, mandating standardized processes globally
control might increase the administrative burden, but
can be challenging, as it requires not only evaluating
ultimately make a company more responsive.
and prioritizing real business drivers, but also strong
change management to transform behaviors.
global cloud implementation Establish clear goals and metrics
best practices Why is the organization moving to the
Along with common challenges identified cloud globally? What business goals will the
from helping clients with global cloud technology support? The more specific the
implementations, Bluewolf has developed a set goal, the easier it will be to design processes
of best practices that have been proven to set that support it. For example, a goal to increase
the stage for success: revenue by 10 percent within two quarters is
very specific. As one strategy, leadership could
agree to focus existing sales reps on cross-
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6. The Case for Global Cloud Governance
What Is Cloud Put simply, cloud governance is the policies, processes, and framework for
Governance? continuing to innovate on live global cloud applications. The objective is to
establish global system stability and to ensure changes are made rapidly with
clear business benefits.
The Importance Without cloud governance, the organization will strain to keep pace with user
of Cloud requests, adoption, market shifts, and new releases. A governance strategy can
Governance help your company create an established method to filter and prioritize change
requests to ensure that they deliver global business value.
The Role Enterprise IT departments are generally process and quality experts, and it
of IT makes no sense to take away what IT does well. Instead, the conversation
should be about adapting traditional governance strategies to leverage the
unique benefits of global agile cloud development. Cloud governance is unique
from traditional governance models in its ability to encourage IT to partner with
business leaders and innovate at the pace of business.
The Role of The business plays an equally important role. Since they are customer facing,
Business they provide the context for business users and lead efforts to innovate in ways
that produce employee and customer value. Leaders work together to define
clear, measurable goals and help communicate the importance that the cloud
and deployed processes play in driving organizational value.
The Key to successful cloud governance is the establishment of a global
Governance governance board. The board is comprised of both executive and regional
Board departmental stakeholders. Executive stakeholders work on high level
innovation and strategy, while departmental stakeholders ensure
enhancements are value-added.
The pace of business change combined with the rate of innovation that cloud technology brings to market,
means that the vast majority of companies may only realize a subset of the benefits promised. For a more
in depth look into Bluewolf’s unique approach to cloud governance, please review our white paper, Cloud
Governance: Empowering Innovation at the Pace of Business.
and up-selling opportunities. Technology regional needs and how do those differ from
and processes can enable this strategy corporate’s needs? A clear understanding of
by highlighting such eligible customers. how the enterprise operates globally helps
Additionally, by making the right KPIs visible define a method to execute. Contrary to
via real-time dashboards, leaders can the methods of traditional consulting firms,
effectively coach the activities and behaviors Bluewolf does not recommend organizations
that dictate success towards executing the move their entire enterprise to the cloud in
sales strategy. one big-bang approach. Instead, we advise
adopting an iterative process by which more
Understand the enterprise and more valuable systems or functions are
How does the whole organization operate? migrated. Developing a roadmap of what
Centralized or decentralized? How do can move and when, will help define this
the regions operate, and on which tools new journey of operating in the cloud. The
and systems do they rely? What are the plan might also include ancillary factors for
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7. example, considering new types of devices What talent is needed to fill key roles?
why bluewolf?
since many users operate off-site. Successful rollouts require a dedicated system
When undertaking a global
administrator, project managers, business cloud initiative, it’s important
Communicate, communicate, communicate analysts, developers, stakeholders, and other to work with a company that
Any change can lead to confusion. Build a key roles to support the application. A flexible has experience. For over a
strong business case to get buy-in at the team that can objectively operate inside decade, we’ve been delivering
highest levels and this support will help mute and outside the organization, and offer new on the promise of the cloud,
bringing agility to the most
any broader cultural resistance in the long insights and skill sets can be the difference
competitive companies around
run. The CFO must be educated on a shift that between unforeseen events and keeping the world. As the only salesforce.
reduces capital expenditure, but necessitates costs down. com partner in the world with
a stream of operating expenditure. The IT team Platinum Consulting status on
must be involved in the process of assessing Define change management three major continents, we can
workloads and workflow, and helping to select It is critical to win the support of end-users. provide enterprises with 24x7
global coverage and deeper
partners. Legal counsel might need to be With strong education and coaching programs,
local expertise across America,
consulted on service-level agreements or advocacy can be built from the ground-up.
Europe, and Asia Pacific. Our
data privacy and protection. Procurement will Determine the best training methods based on global clients work with us
have to be educated about the very different cultural preferences, languages, and regional because we:
needs with regards to IT spending, both needs. Users in Canada may prefer e-Learning Are dedicated to driving
upfront and ongoing. modules whereas users in Europe tend to rely transformation across an
on classroom training. It is a good idea to hold enterprise’s culture and
Create a Cloud Governance strategy round tables with power users and top team processes—not just the
technology.
First, companies need to ensure that there players to decide how consistent changes and
Thrive on transparency,
aren’t breaches to rules or laws under which training will be communicated.
accountability and agility—
they operate. With the cloud, a common we flex with your needs.
concern for global companies is around Apply new, yet proven,
compliance regarding how data may travel
summary processes across the
into other countries or regions or where More companies are looking to the cloud to customer lifecycle, and use
take efficiency and competitive advantage to efficient team models to
certain levels of privacy need to be protected.
reduce resources.
Second, companies need a framework the next level. A decision to implement cloud
Are a pioneer in offering
for making decisions and a process for technology across the globe means the entire multi-resourcing models
executing against those decisions quickly. enterprise must be prepared because the as one global partner
Cloud technology offers an infinite amount challenges can be complex and overwhelming. for consulting, managed
of possibility and changes available to users, Technology alone is never the answer, but services, and IT staffing.
when technology aligns with crucial business Offer Bluewolf Beyond, a
which can quickly get out of hand on a global
program to help manage
scale. Cloud Governance establishes rules for processes, a fundamental shift in business
change and innovation post
how to set priorities for enhancements or occurs. Bluewolf’s experience, proven go-live.
changes to the technology based on the value methodology, and focus on agile business Have built the strongest
that change brings to the global business. processes enables global enterprises to change strategy, eLearning,
achieve transformational success and beyond. and training organization in
Put the right team in place the industry by focusing on
user-driven innovation
Talent is a huge factor in determining the
that matters.
success of any global cloud implementation.
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