Transcript of a sponsored BriefingsDirect on planning and preparing for a journey to the cloud.

1. Hybrid Cloud World Demands More Infrastructure
Standardization for Global Service Provider Steria
Transcript of a sponsored BriefingsDirect on planning and preparing for a journey to the cloud.
Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes. Sponsor: HP
Dana Gardner: Hello, and welcome to the next edition of the HP Discover Podcast Series. I’m
Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, your host and moderator for this
ongoing sponsored discussion on IT innovation and how it’s making an impact on people’s lives.
Once again, we’re focusing on how companies are adapting to the new style of IT to improve IT
performance and deliver better user experiences, and business results. This time,
we’re coming to you directly from the HP Discover 2013 Conference in
Barcelona.
Gardner
We’re here the week of December 9 to learn directly from IT and business leaders
alike how big data, mobile, and cloud, along with converged infrastructure are all
supporting their goals.
Our next innovation case study interview highlights how European IT services provider Steria is
exploring cloud standards and the use of cloud across hybrid models. We welcome on this
subject Eric Fradet the Industrialization Director at Steria in Paris. Welcome Eric.
Eric Fradet: Thank you, I’m glad to be here.
Gardner: For those of our audience who may not be overly aware of Steria, tell us a little bit
about what you do, where you do it, and how your business is doing?
Fradet: Steria is a 40-year old service provider company, mainly based in Europe with a huge
location in India and also Singapore. We provide all types of services related to
service provider, starting from infrastructure management to application
management. We help to develop and deploy new services for all those customers.
Gardner: There’s a lot of interest in cloud these days, with lots of interest in
trying to decide to what degree you should have a cloud infrastructure
implementation on-premises, with some sort of a hosting provider, or perhaps
Fradet
going fully to a service-delivery model vis-à-vis a software-as-a-service (SaaS) or
cloud provider. How are your activities at Steria helping you better deliver this choice to your
customers?
Fradet: That change may be quicker than expected. So we must be in a position to manage the
services wherever as they’re from. The old model of saying that we’re an outsourcer or on-

2. premises service provider is dead. Today, we’re in a hybrid world and we must manage that type
of world. That must be done in collaboration with partners, and we share the same target, the
same ambition, and the same vision.
Gardner: Today, we’re also seeing quite a bit of discussion about which platforms, which
standards, and which type of cloud infrastructure model to follow. For your customers or
prospects, how do you go to them now, when we’re still in a period of indecision? What are your
recommendations? What do you think should happen in terms of the standardization of a cloud
model.
Benefit, not a pain
Fradet: Roughly, I assume at first that the cloud must not be seen as disruptive by our
customer. Cloud is here to accompany your transformation. It must be a benefit for them and not
a pain.
A private solution should be the best as a starting point for some customers. The
full public solution should be a target. We’re here to manage their journey and to
define with the customer what is the best solution for the best need.
Gardner: And in order for that transition from private to public or multiple public or sourcedinfrastructure support, a degree of standardization is required. Otherwise, it's not possible. Do
you have a preferred approach to standardization? Are you working closely with HP? How do
you think you will allow for a smooth transition across a hybrid spectrum?
Fradet: The choice of HP as a partner was based on two main criteria. First of all, the quality of
the solution, obviously, but there are multiple good solutions on the market. The second one is
the capacity with HP to have a smooth transition, and that means getting the industrialization
benefits and the economic benefits while also being open and interconnected with existing
information systems.
That's why the future model is quite simple. Our work is to know we have on-premises and
physical remaining infrastructure. We will have some private-cloud solutions and multiple public
clouds, as you mentioned. The challenge is to have the right level of governance and to be in a
position to move the workload and adjust the workloads with the needs.
Gardner: Of course, once you've been able to implement across a spectrum of hosting
possibilities, then there is the task of managing that over time, not just putting it there, but being
able to govern and have control. Is there anything about the HP portfolio, or what you’re doing in
particular, that you think is important, as we try to move beyond strictly implementation, but into
going operations?
Fradet: With HP, we have a layer approach which is quite simple. First of all, if you want to
manage, you must control, as you mentioned. We continue to invest deeply in ITSM because

3. ITSM is service management. In addition, we have some more innovative solutions based on the
last version of Cloud Services Automation (CSA). Control, automate, and report remain as key
whatever the cloud or non-cloud infrastructure.
Gardner: Of course, another big topic these days is big data. I would think that a part of the
management capability would be the ability to track all the data from all the systems, regardless
of where they’re physically hosted. Do you have a preference or have you embarked on a bigdata platform that would allow you to manage and monitor regardless of the volume, and the
location?
Fradet: Yes, we have some very interesting initiatives with HP around HAVEn, which is
obviously one of the most mature big-data platforms. The challenge for us is to transform a
technologically wonderful solution into a business solution. We’re working with our business
units to define use cases that are totally tailored and adjusted for the business, but big data is one
of our big challenges.
Traditional approach
Gardner: Have you been using a more traditional data-warehouse approach, or are you not yet
architecting the capability. Are you still in a proof-of-concept stage?
Fradet: Unfortunately, we have hundreds of data-warehouse solutions, which are customerdedicated, starting from very old-fashioned level to operational key performance indicators (KPI)
to advanced business intelligence (BI).
The challenge now is really to design for what will be top requirements for the data warehouse,
and you know that there is a mix of needs in terms of data warehouses. Some are pure
operational KPIs, some are analytics, and some are really big data needs. To design the right
solution for the customer remains a challenge. But, we’re very confident that with HAVEn,
sometime next year, we will have the right solution for those issues.
Gardner: All right. Lastly, Eric, the movement towards cloud models for a lot of organizations
is still in the planning. They are mindful of the vision, but they have also housecleaning to do
internally. Do you have any suggestions as to how to properly modernize, or move towards a
certain architecture that would then give them a better approach to cloud and set them up for less
risk and less disruption? What are some observations that you have had for how to prepare for
moving towards a cloud model?
Fradet: As with any transformation program, the cloud’s eligibility program remains the key.
That means we have to define the policy with the customer. What is their expectation -- time to
market, cost saving, to be more efficient in terms of management?
Clouds can offer many combinations or many benefits, but you have to define as a first step your
preferred benefits. Then, when the methodology is clearly defined, the journey to the cloud is not

4. very different than any other program. It must not be seen as disruptive, keeping in mind that you
do it for benefits and not only for technical reasons or whatever.
So don't jump to the cloud without having strong resources below the cloud.
Gardner: Excellent, very good. Please join me in thanking our guest. We've been discussing
transition to cloud with Eric Fradet, the Industrialization Director at Steria in Paris. Steria is a
large and leading European IT services provider. Thank you.
Fradet: Thank you.
Gardner: And also thank you to our audience as well for joining us for this special new style of
IT discussion coming to you directly from the HP Discover 2013 Conference in Barcelona.
I’m Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, your host for this ongoing series of
HP sponsored discussions. Thanks again for joining, and come back next time.
Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes. Sponsor: HP
Transcript of a sponsored BriefingsDirect on planning and preparing for a journey to the cloud.
Copyright Interarbor Solutions, LLC, 2005-2014. All rights reserved.
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