Last year, DST saw an unprecedented number of implementations of its leading business process management solution (BPM), AWD, from upgrades and from new clients.
As 2012 drew to a close, there were 61 live production roll-outs of AWD10 around the world! In the following article, DST brings you updates from some of its clients who have successfully upgraded to AWD10, along with information on its annual client events and its popular Webinars.
Unum AWD10 upgrade
Unum, one of the UK's leading financial protection insurers, successfully upgraded from AWD v3.1 to AWD10 in November last year. With around 400 users, the organisation was DST's very first Windows NT Server client to implement AWD in the UK, back in the 1990s.
Unum is now running Windows 2008/WebSphere/SQL Server and has migrated all AWD view-stations from desktop PCs to a Citrix farm as part of the upgrade project.
With AWD10 in place, Unum can now model business process flows in the solution's new portal functionality. In real terms, the ability to analyse processes using the latest version of AWD will help the organisation to eliminate waste and improve the services to its 1.9 million UK customers.
Banco Santander
Cater Allen, Santander UK's private banking arm, has chosen AWD10 as the process management platform for its business. It is confident DST's solution will help it keep operational costs down while the business continues to grow. The project is already under way and due for completion in 2013.
Advance Forum Europe 2013
This year's Advance Forum Europe will be held at Haberdasher's Hall, in London, on Tuesday 23 April. For over 15 years, the annual user forum has been a premier assembly for the exchange of ideas and insights regarding AWD products and services, and a must-attend event for DST's clients. The forum strives to challenge the way employees, managers, and executives think about processes, and to empower delegates with the knowledge and tools required to develop solutions that will advance their organisations.
The event will be DST's biggest ever, packed with plenary and break-out sessions, client presentations, hands-on stations, and a keynote speech from the prominent economist and futurist thinker, Hamish McRae. DST will launch AWD Case Management, which allows you to use the strengths of the solution to manage both knowledge workers and transactional processes.
As part of the forum, DST is running a half-day AWD training workshop in its Moorgate office, in London, on Wednesday 24 April. At the workshop, the company's expert consultants will be on hand to guide you through the AWD modules, with practical examples from years of implementation experience.
The conference will be preceded by an evening networking meal on Monday 22 April, at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Rhodes Twenty Four.
For more information about the event, please visit: http://events.signup4.net/AFE2013.
Advance Conference 2013
This year, DST broke from tradition by leaving the familiar surroundings of Kansas City and heading for the sunshine of Florida to host the Advance Conference. The company's US-based user event, the biggest event in the AWD calendar, was held at Omni Hotel and Resort in Championsgate, Orlando, from 25-27 March.
As with previous years, the conference was split into several streams, each one focusing on the use of AWD from either a business, technical or strategic standpoint.
Hands-on labs were available across all three days, allowing delegates to learn at their own pace on a variety of topics, including monitoring, case management, communications, process design and form design. There were also some specialist technical labs available.
The popular Learning Lounge was available throughout the conference. The lounge provided a forum for small, informal discussions on specific AWD topics, in which delegates got to address questions directly at the company's AWD experts.
On the final day of the conference, Alison Levine delivered an inspirational keynote speech. As the team captain of the first ever American Women's Everest Expedition and successful entrepreneur, Levine shared her experiences of taking on both corporate and physical challenges.
After three days of learning and networking, DST's delegates had the chance to unwind with an evening of dinner, dancing and entertainment at the famous Hard Rock Cafe.
New Webinar series launched
In October, DST launched a new series of Webinars, in order to demonstrate how its business process management solution can be utilised to help alleviate a variety of key business problems. Delegates also had the opportunity to ask questions to DST experts, and share information and insights with other business leaders and IT professionals from across the globe.
The first Webinar in the new series, held in October and titled: 'Can remote working redefine the workplace?' explored the use of information technologies and telecommunications to create and manage organisational and cultural change in the workplace. Guest speaker for the session was Dr Chris Ridgewell, Director of Wisework UK, who specialises in the implementation of flexible working practices.
In DST's December Webinar: 'Business process management with AWD10: architecture and solution overview', the company examined the design elements and capabilities of AWD10, where the solution fits within an enterprise architecture, and how it can help organisations to reduce the cost of operations while achieving operational control.
This year, DST will deliver another series of Webinars, which will address the latest challenges facing the financial services industry. The first of these, taking place on 6 June, will tackle the impact of the impending UK Mortgage Market Review (MMR) reforms on the operational lending process.
Please visit DST's Web site for more information about its Webinars and events: www.dstsystems.com/solutions/bpm/events/.
So, what's next for 2013?
2013 is already off to a great start, and looks set to surpass last year in terms of AWD10 upgrade projects, new client signings and events.
One trend DST is noticing is that customers who have upgraded to AWD10 are leveraging even greater value from the solution through the re-engineering of their business operations and processes. The company expects to see this activity accelerate, as more of its customer base begins to exercise the features of AWD10 to help solve their key business issues.
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