Leading Digital Infrastructure for New Value Together

Thilo Rockmann

CEO of LzLabs

Since 2011, LzLabs, a company that aims to unlock the value embedded in legacy systems by transforming existing IT into modern computing environments, has built and refined technology that revolutionizes how business is done.

Despite all the current discourse around innovation, it is important for businesses to remember that what is new today will be old tomorrow, so it is important to continuously adapt and make improvements. As I work as a CIO myself, I know that if you already have an existing environment that provides value, it is often very challenging to move away from it. If you’re starting from scratch, it is relatively easy to adopt new systems, but when you have an existing business that really drives current value, then it can be very difficult. Unfortunately, there is no such silver bullet that takes you directly to the promised land.

While all of this may sound as complicated as open-heart surgery, there is no need to panic. As challenging as it sounds, if you follow the right approach not just choosing one product that takes you to the promised land, but working with the right people, working with the right services, building interoperability, seeing what you can preserve, and maintaining value you will get there. The right approach is key.

I know that businesses always want significantly more than can be delivered in a specific timeframe, because there is always work to be done, but you want to make sure to work with people that have done it because they have the experience. Therefore, what we at LzLabs try to do is something very similar to solving a mathematical equation, which involves incremental steps that eventually get you to the right answer. It was not an accident that one of the world’s greatest philosophers and mathematicians Rene Descartes said, “Those who walk slowly but always follow the right path can go much further than those who run and go astray.” As much as you want momentum, be aware to not do too much in a single step.

Allow me to provide an example here of what we have achieved with a bank in Italy, BPER Banca. Their objective was to get to market quicker, as at the end of the day, getting closer to customers and delivering quality services is what is most important. We have been helping them on two fronts, by running applications on two platforms in parallel, allowing the bank to still use the same data on the back end and save on costs, and by helping them in the system test environment. The solution provides binary compatibility, preserving some of the elements built into applications, while also improving testing capabilities.

Our solution ensures interoperability, which drives changes now while still owning the past, because full change is not something that is going to happen overnight. Typically trying to do a big jump from one end to the next end, knowing full well that you have to have another couple of jumps afterwards, isn't the solution.

LzLabs' collaboration with Huawei focuses on integrating applications into new environments and building a new innovation platform for a seamless transition. The partnership allows for joint platform integration, flexibility and scalability, while preserving existing applications and innovating only where necessary.

Our view is to preserve what needs to be preserved, because not everything that you do today is necessarily bad. You want that value and you need that value. Change only what needs to be changed. Be sure to integrate well with other solutions, partner with others for the right solution, and take back control of open technologies. Finally, always remember to allow for iterative and incremental changes.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, products, and technologies of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. If you need to learn more about the products and technologies of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., please visit our website at e.huawei.com or contact us.