MICROSOFT
ecosystem back . This ecosystem has to empower folks to do differently . We have to make sure people have the psychological safety to go try new things , and to fail forward in a growth-oriented and empowering environment .”
Microsoft is here to help its customers with these cultural transformations , just as much as the technology transformations . “ We ’ re a tech company , but more than that , we ’ re a mission partner , and that means we cover everything – including people and skilling , process and policy , and modernisation of how an organisation does business – because it all matters ,” Maxwell describes . “ If any one of those pillars should fail , the entire transformation is at risk . These are foundational elements , and the defence ecosystem needs to get them right .”
Accelerate change or lose When it comes to implementing change , there are a number of barriers to adoption , such as policy , process , acquisitions , skilling and trust .
Acquisition processes for military and defence are a great example of the transformation needing to happen in all areas – beyond just the tech . From a historical perspective , defence procurement methods were set up to support the years and decadeslong procurement of large , monolithic hardware platforms . But , when it comes to the fast-paced world of software , that procurement system has serious limitations .
“ If you want to go buy a ship or a tank or an aeroplane and you have all your requirements defined up front , then perfect . The acquisition system works for that ,” Maxwell says .
“ But where that system struggles is in the procurement of capability where the requirements are not as well understood , or are evolving in real time - which often includes software . It is really challenging for our defence customers to go buy commercial technology and software-centric capabilities with legacy acquisition methods that were set up to buy giant , monolithic , well-defined pieces of hardware .”
As a result , Microsoft is working to advise defence customers on how to transform their processes to support the digital transformation they are trying to drive ; therefore , enabling them to obtain the commercial technology and software innovation that is proving essential in modern conflicts – while helping customers remain compliant with their own processes . Maxwell points back to the General CQ
Brown quote : “ Accelerate change or lose .”
“ The defence ecosystem has to accelerate change , and this is not just a technology story ,” she comments . “ This
38 July 2023