In my last blog post, I discussed how a Center of Excellence can help businesses transform. Technology CoEs allow businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors by building up capabilities in cutting-edge, rare technologies and strategizing for the growth of the company and customers. Technology CoEs create technology experts who help customers kickstart projects and contribute to a positive return on investment.
This blog will be about how Nitor implemented this. Although it may sound like an advertisement for Nitor (which it is in some way), I don’t think there has been much said on the internet about how to go about developing niche people. We invested heavily in developing Technology CoEs to provide leading services using almost all the methods listed below.
Pre-sales activities
New Project enablement
Analyse Complicated Tasks
R&D is extensive
Project Technology Advancements
Combining these tools and our ability to identify and monetize in the unknown helped us create Technology CoEs that gave us a competitive advantage.
Focus on these six technologies when building your TCOE
We have dedicated Technology CoEs in Nitor for six of the key technologies we offer:
DevOps
Any organization’s developers and operations teams remind me of Janus, the Roman god of opposites. They are facing the opposite direction. Nitor’s clients could use DevOps to get their teams working together and accelerate their software development processes. Nitor invested in a Technology CoE to develop relevant expertise. The evolution of DevOps As a Service attracted the attention of businesses.
DevOps is not the first step.
Data Engineering
There is data everywhere! Data engineering and analysis became necessary with the massive amount of structured and non-structured data generated daily. We invested time in developing expertise on technologies like synthetic data generation, and we explored a variety of data governance software to add to the Technology CoE. This helped us gain expertise in Data Engineering and Analytics. Data engineers are human microscopes, if you ask my opinion. They peer into data to uncover things you will later thank them for.
AIMS
You can think it up! We used artificial intelligence and machine learning to make our machines think, learn, unlearn, and relearn. I suppose humans also need to do this. We used a variety of AIML technologies, including Deep Learning, H2O.ai Airflow, ML.net, and more, to execute 16 projects.
You should probably start focusing on AI after reading this sentence. I should have written a blog, and I hope you’re still with me).
Blockchain
It’s the secrecy that I find most appealing. We concentrated on implementing Multichain Blockchain and developing distributed Blockchains using tools like Hyperledger Explorer. Rust Web assembly, Substrate, etc. To hone skills in implementing Blockchain for business. Nitor’s Blockchain Center of Excellence helped Nitor improve efficiency in every process phase, from defining the use cases to developing a Proof of Concept, scaling, and executing.
The Blockchain is a digital asset that you should have.
Mobility
Nitor’s expertise in Mobile is defined by its extensive over a decade of experience, agility, and robust tech stack that defines a Center of Excellence. We differ from our competitors by defining customers’ needs and translating them into high-performance apps agilely. This is something that you should do as well. I don’t think you need me to convince you that it’s worth exploring what happens when your business is in the palm of your customer.
Testing and Automation
Nitor has several CoEs in Testing & Automation. These include Test Automation, Managed Testing Services (MTS), Performance Testing, and Security Testing. We cater to various industry segments, including BFSI and Retail. You can achieve great things by automating your processes and testing what you produce.
You can now replicate Technology CoEs for all the technologies your business has invested in. This comprehensive list of Dos and Don’ts of Technology CoE will speed up your implementation.
First, all stakeholders must participate fully, even in the early stages. A misalignment or misunderstanding of the goals can lead to the failure of the Technology CoE.
Second, we must remember that communication is key to facilitating this. This can be achieved through periodic check-ins where data on progress are presented. You can also use this time to discuss gaps in your understanding and adjust the course if necessary.
In the early phases of CoE, patience is required when setting the foundation and mastering the technologies.
Technology CoEs work best when a core team is assigned from the start. It is important to remember that frequently changing teams can lead to a disruption in the final results.
You will incur upfront costs for a Technology CoE, but you will see the benefits when things begin to pick up. This fact must be known by all the stakeholders involved.
It is important to remain practical when implementing a Technology CoE. You must define your deadline for realizing the investment in the CoE.
When choosing a new technology, you should choose one with a strong market presence. You should avoid investing in technology that is too old or too new. You should aim for the Goldilocks Zone.