Disruption in the mid-market
How technology is fueling growth
A mid-market perspectives report
. About the survey
From May 29, 2015 to June 16, 2015, a Deloitte survey of mid-market companies was conducted by OnResearch, a market research firm.
The survey examined technology trends taking place in this market segment to determine the role and value that technology plays and how it
influences business decisions.
The 500 survey respondents represented mid-market companies with annual revenues ranging from $100 million to more than $1 billion. Half of
the respondents were C-suite executives, while the remaining 50 percent held other management roles.
Three-fourths of the respondents represented companies that are privately held, while the remainder represented publicly-traded firms.
One-third of the respondents were from consumer and industrial product companies, with the remainder divided among energy and resources;
financial services; life sciences and health care; technology, media and communications; and other industries.
The full survey results are included in a separate appendix; some percentages in the charts throughout this report may not add to 100 percent due
to rounding, or for questions where survey participants had the option to choose multiple responses.
To access, visit www2.deloitte.com/us/Disruptioninmidmarket.
This publication contains general information only and is based on the experiences and research of Deloitte practitioners. Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering business,
financial, investment, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision
or action that may affect your business.
Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte, its
affiliates, and related entities shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its
subsidiaries.
Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
. Contents
2
Executive summary
4
Introduction
6
Cloud solutions: productivity, affordability, and competitive advantage
10 Analytics: 360-degree visibility for business success
14 Cyber security: bracing for risks
18 Shifting responsibilities, customer focus
20 Conclusion
. Executive summary
Just a few years ago, the idea that a company could put
core financial systems in a computing “cloud” seemed
as far-fetched as a self-driving car. The perceived risks of
placing classified financial information into third-party
hands would appear as unsafe as a car in traffic with no
one behind the wheel.
Technology has changed perceptions and reality by quickly
disrupting legacy business models, however. Innovation
through the cloud and other advancements has provided
access to vast new business capabilities, particularly for
mid-sized companies. As a result, across a breadth of
industries, firms are reaping calculable benefits.
What once
seemed implausible for businesses is now as conceivable as
the autonomous cars engineers want to put on our roads
in the near future.1
Our third annual survey of technology trends in the middle
market demonstrates how technological innovation is
driving transformative change within this critical segment
of the American economy.
Cloud computing, for instance, has expanded from
an abstract notion to a universal need for a growing
number of mid-sized firms, our survey indicates. Cloud
technologies grant flexibility to mid-tier companies to scale
their businesses. With highly specific, subscription-based
services through the cloud — supporting sales, marketing
and enterprise planning functions, to name a few —
mid-sized firms in particular can exercise more precise
control over their operations and have the technological
capabilities to accelerate innovation.
Automatic upgrades and enhancements available
through cloud solutions amplify their impact, enabling IT
departments to improve budgeting and planning.
And
growing numbers of mid-market executives surveyed told
us they favor the capabilities of cloud computing to sustain
a global footprint without incurring the costs that data
centers and proprietary systems entail.
The power of predictive analytics, meanwhile, is providing
deeper insight to companies across their organizations.
The cognitive capabilities of predictive analytics can enable
companies to manage growing volumes of data and
interpret customer patterns with sophistication that did
not exist even two or three years ago. This gives company
leaders rich new information for business-to-business and
business-to-consumer engagements. And the technology
can enable companies to more accurately predict how
and when customers are prone to “like,” repost, or tag on
social media — a gold mine of marketing insights that can
help drive strategy.
Technological innovation is driving transformative change
within this critical segment of the American economy.
Wayne Cunningham, “Self-driving car tech lets computers see our world like never before,” CNet, August 7, 2015.
1
2
Disruption in the mid-market
.
The specter of cyber attacks and their potential to sink
client trust and investor confidence, meanwhile, continues
to emerge as a frustration among executives in our survey.
Respondents reported varying methods to prepare for and
respond to such attacks. And overall concern about the
security of data sent to the cloud has increased in the past
year, executives indicated.
Nevertheless, respondents in our survey were markedly
more positive about expectations for revenue growth
than they were compared to a year ago, and they’re even
more convinced that technology will help them drive
increased sales. That confidence arises as respondents are
more inclined to reinvest revenue into technology. This
year, 30 percent of respondents reported their firms spent
Roger Nanney
National Managing Partner
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Deloitte LLP
more than 5 percent of company revenue on technology.
A year ago, only 19 percent of companies spent a similar
proportion.
In addition, company leaders are endorsing emerging
and next-generation technology with greater intensity.
This year’s survey signaled greater alignment between IT
leaders and the executive suite, particularly as companies
focus on paying more attention to customer engagement.
All of these indicators point to the middle market’s
acceptance of technology as a differentiator, much more
so than just an investment.
Steve Keathley
National Technology Leader
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
How technology is fueling growth
3
.
Introduction
This year’s survey not only looked at technology
investments, but also considered the fundamental
changes that technology is driving within the middle
market. For the first time, we asked company leaders
to provide insight into the role of leadership in driving
these changes. Respondents also indicated how functions
traditionally viewed as back-end are now being linked to
the customer experience.
Across a number of industries, the survey responses
indicate that technology is increasingly embedded
within internal and customer-facing roles. Technology
is expanding and it touches the entire product cycle —
proficiency is as much of an expectation for the developer
as it is for the employee who’s delivering the goods.
Generally, it’s been a strong year for many companies in
the middle market.
Virtually all respondents in our survey
said their firms had posted revenue gains over the past 12
months. And 59 percent said their company’s revenue had
surged more than 10 percent compared to the prior year.
Predictably, the general business outlook among firms
surveyed is trending upward. A third of respondents are
“highly optimistic” about the coming year, while the
pessimism of just two years ago virtually has disappeared.
Hiring managers also have been busy.
Nearly threequarters of firms reported an increase in headcounts over
the past year, compared to 64 percent in 2014.
Increasing revenue was the top driver of companies’
investments in technology, edging out customer
personalization and cost-cutting. Keeping pace with
new technology still is a worry for many companies in
our survey, however. This year, a larger proportion of
respondents across all industries reported that staying
current with technology posed difficulty among their
IT ranks.
This growing concern was most pronounced
among consumer product companies and, notably,
among technology, media, and telecommunications firms.
By and large, however, the middle market is determined
to apply a host of leading-edge technologies to better
engage with their customers.
Generally, it’s been a strong year for companies in the middle
market... the general business outlook among firms surveyed
is trending upward.
4
Disruption in the mid-market
. My company’s business outlook over
the next 12 months appears to be…
Optimistic
86.4%
Neutral
10.8%
Pessimistic
2.8%
How has your company’s headcount
changed over the last 12 months?
Increased
71.6%
No change
20.2%
Decreased
8.2%
How technology is fueling growth
5
. Cloud solutions:
productivity, affordability,
and competitive advantage
For technology managers, the potential benefits of cloud
computing are increasingly apparent. Technology functions
handled off-site in the cloud can free up teams for more
productive tasks. A virtual network can save both physical
space and reduce capital costs. An integrated suite of
sales, manufacturing, and accounting applications in the
cloud can “speak” to each other and fix network errors
before an employee even notices the problem.
A few reasons help explain why mid-sized firms are
expressing greater confidence in cloud computing to help
them meet their business goals.
Consider the democratization of the resources in the cloud.
A startup now can manage a range of employee benefits
by tapping into software-as-a-service, enabling an HR
department to meet specific talent management needs
through cloud-based tools.
Likewise, cloud computing can enable mid-sized firms to
satisfy their technology needs without the responsibilities
of ownership.
Much like the fixed costs of owning a car,
a data center requires facilities, hardware, and engineers.
In a construction company, for example, cloud computing
could enable business-critical staff such as installers to be
trained to use cloud-based project planning systems. This
type of flexibility saves both computer hardware and server
costs, says David Moore, principal and NetSuite practice
leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “They can start covering
more business,” Moore says of companies that are shifting
to the cloud.
“The same people can take on a larger slice
of the pie.”
Across a number of key business functions, at least half of
respondents in our survey reported that these functions
are already cloud-based or are in the process of shifting to
the cloud. The biggest increase was among finance and
accounting, the area most likely to be cloud-based among
firms in the survey.
Mid-sized firms are expressing greater confidence in cloud
computing to help them meet their business goals.
6
Disruption in the mid-market
. In fact, reluctance to try cloud computing has all but
faded. Only 2 percent of companies said they are waiting
to adopt cloud-computing solutions. Two years ago, that
number was 14 percent. What’s more, over the past two
years, the percentage of companies reporting “mature”
deployments within cloud computing increased from 9 to
21 percent.
Lineage Logistics, a warehousing and logistics company
that provides cold chain solutions to leading food, retail,
agriculture and distribution companies, recently migrated
to the cloud to help consolidate a range of back-office
functions, including finance, invoicing, and payroll.
Chief
Information Officer Sudarsan Thattai says the breadth
of the company’s cloud adoption was prompted by its
acquisitive nature: Lineage was founded through the
combination of premier regional temperature-controlled
warehousing companies, acquiring 5 of its 18 legacy
companies over the last year. Integrating newly acquired
companies’ IT systems in the cloud is now much easier —
taking as little as 90 days — and Lineage has eliminated its
“stranded islands of investment” by significantly reducing
its owned IT infrastructure.
“We were spending an inefficient amount of time and
money integrating our acquisitions into the Lineage
infrastructure,” says Thattai, who adds that his dedicated
staff of four was able to manage the cloud migration
in less than 14 months. “With a cloud solution, we are
now able to focus on what really matters — delivering
innovative, sophisticated and customizable supply chain
solutions to our customers.”
Despite such examples, cloud computing has not taken
over exclusively as the go-to technology model for the
middle market.
Rather, the picture is more complicated.
A third of executives in our survey say they still prefer
on-premise delivery.
Which term most closely describes your organization’s
current use of cloud-computing resources?
42.4%
34.4%
26.0%
21.2%
14.0%
9.2%
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
Mature
Building
(successful deployments)
(in deployment phase)
How technology is fueling growth
7
. Tradition plays a role. Many organizations have IT
departments that are built around legacy systems that
represent substantial investments. And making the
switch from enterprise systems to cloud-based systems
incurs complications and costs that may suppress some
companies’ appetites for switching to the cloud. When
asked to identify the greatest challenge to deploying
cloud-based services, 35 percent of respondents cited
ensuring data integrity and reliability.
Another 34 percent
cited confidence in information security.
Some practitioners assert, however, that third-party,
cloud-based security provides more peace of mind than
managing the function onsite. “I’ve been having this
conversation for years,” says Mike McCarron, the chief
information officer at Boston-based Bain Capital, a global
private investment firm. “What I say to the company is,
show me the people in your organization that have more
experience and are better at maintaining secured data than
the company in the cloud.
Their business model depends
on their ability to control and maintain that data.”
Nonetheless, security was not the only concern among
executives regarding the cloud. In nearly every industry
represented in our survey, there was an uptick in
respondents who cite integration with existing applications
and infrastructure as a hindrance to cloud adoption. In
fact, leaders from life sciences and health companies were
the only respondents who didn’t report greater difficultly
in integrating cloud solutions into their technology mix.
Both established vendors and new entrants to this
market are developing proprietary apps, creating entire
crops of cloud integration services.
The trend includes
pre-integrated solutions that merge third-party cloud
applications in order to create a seamless experience.
“These applications are very specific. There are tools that
understand the process, where the connections take
place,” Moore says. “They know how to handle errors, and
the user can’t see any of that.”
Cloud computing: a phased adoption guide
• Understand the key components of your overall IT strategy.
Recognize that your organization doesn’t have to
“virtualize” all systems at once.
• Start with cloud-based applications that support sales, customer service, and other public-facing areas. As
potential next steps, expand cloud-computing capabilities in human resources, accounting, and other internal
needs.
• IT leaders: think of your work as that of a portfolio manager. How will you manage service delivery? If there are
errors, how are they corrected? Work hand-in-hand with legal to manage procurement of such services to avoid
missteps.
• Shift resources that were formerly devoted to on-premise technology support to other business-critical areas.
8
Disruption in the mid-market
.
CASE STUDY
Lineage Logistics:
Exploring the science of big data
for customers’ gain
Some companies talk a big game about employing “data
scientists,” but Irvine, California-based Lineage Logistics
delivers in a real way. The warehousing and logistics
company, focused on cold storage and distribution,
employs an impactful data analytics team of PhD’s who
specialize in disciplines ranging from mathematics to
statistics and applied physics. The team of six interprets
data on an analytics platform that pools operational data
from the company’s more than 100 warehouses around the
country — every five minutes.
“We’re in the business of cold air, and it is critical that we
fully understand and consider the science of air flow and
how to efficiently keep products cold,” says Lineage CIO
Sudarsan Thattai.
Energy costs, or the price tag associated with keeping
customer product cold, are the company’s secondbiggest expense, and the savings generated from the
analytics team’s work goes right to Lineage’s bottom line.
But according to Thattai, Lineage’s push into advanced
analytics isn’t rooted in cost savings — the company’s
major focus is helping customers operate more efficiently
and effectively. “We delight our customers when we bring
to the table new and improved solutions to moving their
product through the cold chain,” he says.
“And when our
customers are happy, it’s a revenue-generator for us.”
The analytics team is constantly looking for ways to address
customers’ evolving needs. Recently, one of the Lineage’s
sales representatives approached Thattai about a client
facing pallet capacity constraints in one of its key markets.
The analytics team performed a “bin pack analysis” of
Lineage’s warehouses in the region, crunching data on the
number of pallets the customer stores, the pallet height,
and the frequency with which the pallets are moved in
order to create additional capacity. The team’s analysis
helped identify a way to realign the pallets’ positioning
in the warehouse, boosting the warehouse’s capacity by
30 percent and expanding Lineage’s relationship with the
customer.
“We increased the building’s square footage
without building anything,” Thattai said. “That’s not an IT
project — it’s a business growth project.”
Other recent analysis performed by the analytics team
focused on realizing 30 to 40 percent efficiency gains
by examining air flows to improve the time it takes to
blast-freeze products coming into its warehouses. With
the enormous amount of data available for analysis,
Thattai says the team avoids becoming overwhelmed with
information by focusing only on the data that supports
the agreed-upon priorities of the business.
“You have to
prioritize or you’re going to get lost in the sea of data,” he
says. “Remaining focused on and in alignment with the
business implications of the data has enabled us to make
the most of our very valuable resources.”
The team’s analysis helped identify a way to realign
the pallets’ positioning in the warehouse, boosting
the warehouse’s capacity by 30 percent and
expanding Lineage’s relationship with the customer.
How technology is fueling growth
9
. Analytics:
360-degree visibility
for business success
It’s an age-old challenge. Since the dawn of commerce,
businesses have been trying to figure out how to track
customers’ behavior and convert those habits into sales.
In pre-digital years, it was print ads and store displays.
More recently, companies have used heat maps to
track customers’ movements inside retail shops. Now
that mobile devices have become standard shopping
equipment, apps and social media listening have emerged
as the way to find out what people are buying or avoiding
altogether.
Advances in analytics are helping take the guesswork
out of the behavior equation. The developments come
at a time when organizations need to find ways to tame,
measure, and monetize the massive amounts of data
flowing into and out of their enterprises.
The insights these
companies pick up through social listening are critically
important, too. Embedded within product ratings, video
shares, and trending topics on social media lies rich data
companies can use in real time to shape their campaigns.
The stakes are incredibly high: companies will get left
behind if they are unable act on these signals.
This year’s survey indicates growing interest among midmarket executives to take action in analytics related to
sales, customer management, and marketing functions.
And among operational functions, more companies
indicate they are using analytics for their talent acquisition
and management needs. Even more convincing proof that
mid-sized companies are more comfortable with analytics
is the diminishing number of respondents who believe their
size is a disadvantage to adoption of analytics.
Nearly 40 percent of respondents said predictive analytics
held the most potential to predict business events,
such as equipment breakdowns and supply shortages.
10
Disruption in the mid-market
.
Planning for business events
Nearly 40 percent of respondents said predictive analytics
held the most potential to predict business events, such
as equipment breakdowns and supply shortages. Among
front-end needs, the percentage of respondents who say
they are using analytics for sales and customer relationship
management activities was up to 60 percent of all
respondents this year, compared to 46 percent in 2014.
Meanwhile, half of the respondents say they are applying
analytics to their marketing activities.
Application performance monitoring company New Relic
has a view of those obstacles down to the millisecond.
The San Francisco-based firm provides its clients with
a real-time view of response times, a critical metric for
e-commerce companies that increasingly rely on selling
products or services on mobile devices. New Relic links to
clients’ servers, gathering and analyzing data on location,
frequency, and other user behaviors so the client can make
changes if necessary. This type of capability is critical for
spikes in online traffic, such as a one-day online sale.
Survey respondents told us they want to use analytics to
help them prepare for the unexpected: to tell them when
to act on leads; to indicate where investments will reap
dividends; to decide how to react to trends and consumer
behavior; and to provide a dashboard with a clear view of
both opportunities and obstacles for their businesses.
“As load increases, performance degrades,” says Mark
Sachleben, New Relic’s chief financial officer.
“If you see
response time degrading from 200 to 500 milliseconds, we
can help isolate the slowdown. We help you fix problems
before your users notice them.”
Which business areas are using or leveraging analytics
within your company?
Sales/customer
management
60.1%
Marketing
49.1%
Finance/tax
42.4%
Manufacturing
32.7%
Human resources
32.9%
How technology is fueling growth
11
. Big data challenges
Managing the staggering amount of data and making sense
of the information collected through analytics is a formidable
challenge. Every minute of the day, some 200 million emails
are sent, Twitter users send more than 250,000 tweets, and
Google records well over 2 million searches.3 It’s little surprise
that industries that handle customer information, such as
retail, or highly regulated industries such as financial services,
are wrestling with the volume and complexity of data. To
complicate matters, the vast majority of that data is an
unstructured, irregular mixture of numbers, text, videos, and
audio that must be deciphered.
By far, the mid-market firms surveyed say their biggest hurdle
in adopting analytics is the proliferation of unstructured
data. While just over a quarter of executives said it was their
biggest problem last year, the proportion swelled to 38
percent this year.
It’s worth noting that both traditional and
startup companies have stepped in to fill enterprise needs in
this space. A search of startup accelerators across the country
is likely to yield portfolio firms focused on big data.
Information officers traditionally have been the ones who
have been in charge of managing this information. That’s no
longer the case.
It’s becoming increasingly important for all
decision makers, from a marketing officer or a manufacturing
lead, to get comfortable with managing big data.
Analytics: a practical guide
• Start at the top: Appoint a leader who understands the technology and will see implementation through from
investment to execution.
• Establish the business case: Which processes in your firm would best be served by predictive, cognitive
capabilities?
• Prioritize: Focus only on that data that helps you realize your most pressing strategic objectives so you don’t
become overwhelmed.
• Start small: Evaluate a pilot in manufacturing or finance. Measure the ROI on that experience to expand
analytics capabilities to other parts of the business.
• Tap new sources: Shop for a provider who can help your company crowdsource some of your analytics
capabilities, which often results in faster execution and lower costs.
Mahbubul Majumder, PhD, lecture, “Big data technology,” Nov. 25, 2014, and University of Oregon lecture, “Transportation – Sensors – and the Smart City,” April 6, 2015.
3
12
Disruption in the mid-market
.
CASE STUDY
New Relic:
On-time performance
through analytics
Frequent fliers know the frustration of waiting for bags,
especially when carriers don’t live up to promises to deliver
them promptly. On the back end of pledges for quick bag
service is San Francisco-based software analytics company
New Relic. The company has a reputation for helping
organizations deliver effective customer experiences through
real-time analytics.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Sachleben offers a definition for
the firm’s mission: to give organizations useful information
about the performance of their applications. And he
embarks on that challenge by asking a few questions
reflecting the goals of improving the user experience:
“What’s the customer experience like?”
where people are accessing the app, how it’s behaving
during peak times such as special offers, and whether trial
users are being converted to paying customers.
Having such
information helps a company make instant decisions about
the direction of a campaign, Sachleben says.
“We help companies understand how many people are
using their application right now, over the last week. We
look at all that information in real time,” Sachleben says.
The company also has made a foray into operational
analytics, such as bottlenecks that might occur in a
warehouse or fulfillment center setting. Sachleben says
the company, which generates more than 700 million data
points each day, removes the burden of information storage
and analytics from its clients via its software as a service
(SaaS) architecture.
“How long does it take?”
“Is it successful?”
New Relic drew praise for helping the government
troubleshoot the Healthcare.gov website in the wake of
its much-maligned 2013 launch.2 Likewise, the company’s
private-sector clients want to improve their responsiveness,
Sachleben says.
New Relic can run its analytics software
on a travel company’s e-commerce site, for instance, and
find out immediately how long a user has to wait for the
app to respond. With analytics, it’s also possible to know
“We store the data, and then we present it in ways that help
you make better business decisions in real time,” Sachleben
says. “We take that very seriously.”
New Relic recently appointed its first chief information
officer, Yvonne Wassenaar, who assumed the position after
serving as the company’s senior vice president of operations.
A key assignment for his colleague in the wake of the
appointment, Sachleben says: “to really look across the
company and come up with a strategy to manage the ever
proliferating amount of data.”
With analytics, it’s possible to know where people
are accessing the app, how it’s behaving during
peak times such as special offers, and whether trial
users are being converted to paying customers.
Video interview with New Relic Founder and CEO Lew Cirne, “How New Relic Helped to Fix
Healthcare.org Glitches,” Bloomberg Television, December 17, 2014.
2
How technology is fueling growth
13
.
Cyber security:
bracing for risks
From subways to cafés and many places in between,
technology has made it possible for data to be transferred
across devices and networks. Public Wi-Fi connections are
nearly universal in airports. Consumers can tap wearable
devices against a point-of-sale terminal, transferring their
banking information in an instant. Pharmacy chains are
using the cloud to manage patient health and wellness
information.
As it becomes easier to transfer personal data, this
information also has become more vulnerable.
Attacks are
increasing in frequency and costing companies more. In a
recent global survey of 350 firms, the companies reported
that the average cost of a data breach had increased by
23 percent between 2013 and 2015, with an average
price tag of nearly $3.8 million per breach.4 The types of
information are as varied as the industries that have been
hit. Hackers may be looking for chemical recipes held by oil
and gas companies.
Or cyber criminals may be on the hunt
for transactional data regarding a merger or acquisition.
Cyber experts posit that it’s only a matter of time before
a company’s records are compromised in some fashion
through a cyber breach. Adnan Amjad, partner, Deloitte
& Touche LLP, who leads Deloitte’s Vigilant Cyber Threat
Management Practice, says an issue of particular concern
for mid-sized companies is enacting training to spot the
types of attempts to get information. Amjad says hackers
are becoming sophisticated in particular with phishing
methods, providing names, email addresses, and personal
details about employees that convince even the most
skeptical employees within organizations to divulge
proprietary information or even write a check.
An email
address off by one letter can be devastating.
In one particularly noteworthy case, an employee received
a series of emails purportedly from the company’s chief
executive officer. “The treasurer kept getting emails and
ended up wiring the money. Someone knew that the CEO
was not around.
By the time the CEO came back, the bank
account had been closed, the money had been transferred
to another account and that was the end of it,” Amjad said.
As it becomes easier to transfer personal data, information
has become more vulnerable. Attacks are increasing in
frequency and costing companies more.
Ponemon Institute LLC, 2015 Cost of Data Breach Study: Global Analysis, May 2015.
4
14
Disruption in the mid-market
. Practitioners say this type of fraud, known as spear
phishing, can be ruinous to the individuals and
organizations targeted through such tactics. “That’s
what I mean by sophisticated,” says McCarron, the chief
information officer at Bain Capital. Cyber criminals are
“building organization charts to understand who reports
to whom. They’re able to send an email to the person who
does wire transfers for the company.
If you don’t have
good process control, then there is no way to stop that
from happening.”
Securing sensitive information remains a top-of-mind
concern among respondents in our survey. But safeguards
against data breaches are approached in vastly different
ways, executives reported.
Spending on cyber security confirms that the topic is top
of mind. While the lion’s share of respondents report
directing between 1 and 5 percent of revenue spend to
security, 19 percent of executives dedicate more than 5
percent of revenue to information security.
In a new question in our survey, 44 percent of respondents
say they encrypt sensitive information as a way to handle
security risks.
Sixty-one percent of respondents say
they have some measure of plans to manage internal
information threats. Two-thirds of respondents say they’re
equipped to manage external threats. Yet only 30 percent
of respondents say they offer internal education and
training on information security matters.
In our survey, the biggest concerns within data security
emerged in a few industries.
Two-thirds of energy firms
reported that moving sensitive information to the cloud
posed a security risk, up substantially from 41 percent in
2014. Executives from energy companies also displayed
growing concerns about internal security threats, with
more than twice as many respondents calling it a risk this
year compared to one year ago.
Of your company’s technology spend,
what percentage is tied to information security?
Above
5%
19.4% of
respondents
Between
1 and 5 %
Less than
1%
56.6% of
respondents
20.6% of
respondents
How technology is fueling growth
15
. Concerns about cloud security spurred an international
standard-setting body to take up the topic. In 2014, the
International Organization for Standardization adopted
the first international, cloud-specific privacy standard.
Among the most significant provisions of ISO 27018, cloud
providers are required to disclose names of sub-processors
and potential locations where personal information may
be stored prior to signing a contract. In addition, cloud
providers are subject to regular independent reviews of
information security.8
The potential for malicious activity through mobile devices
also was on the minds of technology and media executives
we surveyed. Fifty-nine percent of these respondents
perceived risks in their mobile operations this year, a
significant jump from only 17 percent the year before.
Organizations that embrace a “Bring Your Own Device”
environment are often subject to increased risk, says
Amjad.
“It’s relatively easy to exploit and harder to cope
with from an IT perspective,” Amjad says, adding that
organizations are well-served if they have the ability to
remotely delete files on devices that are lost or otherwise
exit the company.
Cyber security: a practical guide to managing risk
• View cyber security as a business issue: Senior executives must be able understand the potential for threats to
cause a business disruption, reputational damage, and destruction of infrastructure. They must lead and enlist
collaboration across the business in the event of a crisis.
• Assess your risk tolerance: Determine which business assets matter most. Establish priorities and funding
accordingly.
• Create awareness across your organization: Develop active learning scenarios; understand common techniques
that potentially could be used to extract sensitive information from your company; rehearse your crisis response.
• Build monitoring capabilities: Perform periodic reviews; build relationships with law enforcement, regulators,
and vendors.
Maria-Martina Yalamova, “ISO’s New Cloud Privacy Standard,” InsidePrivacy website, Covington & Burling LLC, September 23, 2014, and ISO webste.
8
16
Disruption in the mid-market
.
CASE STUDY
Bain Capital:
Process control, value
guide outlook at investment giant
Mike McCarron, the chief information officer at Bain Capital,
firmly believes in process control.
smart business strategy. Technology is one of many elements
within the context of helping companies grow and reach
new markets, McCarron says.
Multiple sets of eyes track movements of money before
transactions are approved by the private investment firm.
The checks and balances extend to financial institutions
where Bain Capital conducts business – the firm enacts strict
controls with banks that disburse funds. Frequent attempts
to breach the company’s systems means control over
process is king.
“It’s not about whether there’s a CIO, about the technology
a company uses, or a platform the company’s on,”
McCarron says. “One of the criteria that we look at is
there an opportunity to invest in technology to make the
company better?”
“We are getting extraordinarily sophisticated attacks,”
McCarron says, citing the new normal of cyber risk.
“The
mistake is that companies don’t think (hackers) are as
sophisticated as we are. And I will argue that they are.”
Since taking the reins of IT at Bain Capital, McCarron has
overseen a cyber education program that includes awareness
through random, “dummy” phishing attacks. Bain Capital
conducts regular, mandatory training that aims to instruct
employees on what not to do, and importantly, where not
to click.
Bain Capital emerged in the pre-digital world of the mid
1980s with an initial fund of $37 million that was managed
by founding partners including former presidential nominee
Mitt Romney.
Since then, Bain Capital and its affiliates
have grown to become a global investment company with
approximately $75 billion in assets under management.5 The
Boston-based firm lists payments provider WorldPay, and
the “buy one, give one” company TOMS, among its private
equity investments.6 The venture capital affiliate includes
consumer brands and enterprise companies across the
spectrum of business functions.7
In addition to venture capital and private equity, Bain
Capital also provides strategic management expertise,
corporate credit and asset management through its
affiliates. McCarron joined Bain Capital in 2010, and says
the firm looks for companies with a long-term view on
“Protecting the IT environment has totally become our
focus,” McCarron says.
But sometimes, even with tight controls, criminals are
able to breach systems. McCarron, a former officer in the
U.S.
Army who later held global chief information officer
roles before joining Bain Capital, says organizations need a
combination of people, tools and data to combat this issue.
“The first layer of defense is training the people that work in
your company. The next step is understanding when there
is a breach, putting in place tools that actually identify the
breach,” McCarron says. “Then you have to ask yourselves,
‘Have I done everything I can to protect that data, the things
I hold dear, the keys to the kingdom?’”
Bain conducts regular, mandatory training that aims
to instruct employees on what not to do,
and importantly, where not to click.
Bain Capital website
Bain Capital Private Equity website
Bain Capital Ventures website
5
6
7
How technology is fueling growth
17
.
Shifting responsibilities,
customer focus
Our survey indicates that increased executive engagement
is having a strong impact on business strategy. While just
10 percent of executives were “leading the charge” in
2013, a third are now.
Mid-market companies have many different titles for
technology leaders — even digital “evangelist,” as some
companies have labeled the job. Whatever the title, the
expectations for the role have morphed into a position
that seeks to fill customers’ needs. Our survey indicates
a groundswell of interest in increased focus on designing
better customer interactions.
Half of respondents say their
IT department is actively building tech platforms to better
engage with customers. About the same percentage say the
IT department is involved in designing products and customer
solutions. And for a third of respondents, technology and
marketing have established joint processes and governance.
New Relic, the San Francisco-based application
performance monitoring firm, recently added a chief
information officer position to its ranks.9 “Our CIO is
focused on making sure that we’re consistent across the
company and have a unified approach to data across
the company,” said Mark Sachleben, the CFO.
“We’ll
be looking at a consistent set of facts. We want to take
a more holistic approach and become a data-driven
company.”
And increasingly, says Deloitte’s Stephen J. Keathley,
IT leaders are being pulled into the user experience.
Forward-thinking companies can establish a partnership
between IT and business in order to make this happen.
“It’s about defining the brand, defining how you want
to interact with customers, and then executing the plan
through technology.”
It’s about defining the brand, defining how you want
to interact with customers, and then executing the plan
through technology.
Clint Boulton, “Analytics Software Maker New Relic Names First CIO to Drive Data Strategy,” The Wall Street Journal online CIO Journal, June 29, 2015.
9
18
Disruption in the mid-market
.
Which of the following statements is true about
your IT department’s involvement with the end
customer of your organization?
51.0% said:
48.4% said:
45.0% said:
We are actively
building technology
platforms to better
engage with customers
Our IT department is
focused on delivering
seamless/integrated
customer experiences
Our IT department is
involved in designing of
products and customer
solutions
41.8% said:
38.6% said:
31.8% said:
Gathering and
analyzing customer
data is a priority for
the IT organization
Our corporate
strategy emphasizes
customer acquisition,
retention and loyalty
Technology and Marketing
departments have
established joint processes
and governance
How technology is fueling growth
19
. Conclusion
Carmakers and technology companies are testing autonomous cars in the hopes of adding
convenience, ease and safety to our daily transportation routines. Likewise, mid-sized firms that
embed leading technologies into their operations can leverage speed to value and enhance their
ability to serve their audiences — customers, investors, employees, and other partners. That success is
dependent, however, on companies that are strategic in their technology investments, hold their leaders
accountable for managing the investments, and instill the value of technology to people throughout
their organizations.
Mindsets are changing in the middle market. Executives who explore the predictive modeling
capabilities of analytics, for instance, can position their firms to win greater market share.
As evidence,
companies are demonstrating the impact of analytics extends far beyond front-end solution for sales
and marketing — warehouses, fulfillment centers, and distribution-related functions also can benefit
from the technology.
Cloud computing packages, meanwhile, are increasingly resilient, function-specific, and better equipped
to integrate into a company’s existing architecture. What’s more, the cloud environment can manage
costs, an important consideration as the talent supply tightens and external demands increase.
In a period of heightened alert over cyber threats, companies have to see the matter as an
organizational capability, not a function-specific task. Mid-size firms are particularly at risk for breaches
as many of them have not built sufficient awareness and monitoring, the very weaknesses malicious
actors seek to exploit.
Regardless of the industry, executives must develop processes to identify, protect,
and monitor the company’s most valuable data.
Across a company’s technology pursuits, leaders can be most effective if they adopt a consistent
approach. Technology investments in marketing should matter to finance. Innovation that’s critical to
the human resources function has an impact on sales.
Vast new possibilities to increase efficiency, reach customers, and grow the bottom line have opened up
through technology.
Companies that seize these innovations are most likely to widen their reach.
20
Disruption in the mid-market
. Contacts
Roger Nanney
National Managing Partner
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Deloitte LLP
rnanney@deloitte.com
Harvey Michaels
National Consulting Leader
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Deloitte Consulting LLP
hmichaels@deloitte.com
Stephen Keathley
National Technology Leader
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Deloitte Consulting LLP
skeathley@deloitte.com
Adnan Amjad
Vigilant Cyber Threat Management Practice Leader
Partner
Deloitte & Touche LLP
aamjad@deloitte.com
David Moore
NetSuite Practice Leader
Principal
Deloitte Consulting LLP
davidmoore@deloitte.com
Rich Penkoski
Principal
Deloitte Consulting LLP
rpenkoski@deloitte.com
Bob Rosone
Director
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services
Deloitte LLP
rrosone@deloitte.com
Research and editorial lead
Janet Hastie
Senior Marketing Manager
Deloitte Services LP
Report design
Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik
Senior Manager
Deloitte LLP
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank all survey respondents and interviewees for their time and the insights they shared for this report,
Disruption in the mid-market: How technology is fueling growth.
. Perspectives
This report is just one example of Deloitte research on
topics of interest to mid-market private companies.
Presented by Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services,
Perspectives is a multifaceted program that utilizes live
events, signature reports, research publications, webcasts,
and other vehicles to deliver tailored and relevant insights
in an integrated fashion.
Please visit our Perspectives library on the Deloitte Growth
Enterprise Services website (http://www.deloitte.com/us/
perspectives/dges) to view additional material on issues
facing mid-market private companies.
Copyright © 2015 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
.