A lab can be located in completely different subject areas. For example, some colleagues deal with the impact of AI and algorithms on our society (AI Trust Lab). Others investigate possibilities for the use of modern IoT devices in the cloud. Still another Lab uses an experimental setup of an industrial control system to put security to the test at the convergence of IT and OT (Information Technology and Operations Technology) systems in a use case.
A Lab has also formed around our internal video community. The employees of this lab have identified the frequent lack of communication in IT projects as a problem. Far too often, projects are communicated exclusively with texts and possibly static sketches on PowerPoint. The community of the Video Lab makes this medium usable and transports the central messages, which are often difficult to grasp for many in IT projects, in a more understandable and accessible way.
Using the Eraneos Cloud Lab as an example, we would like to explain how a Lab can offer added value to us as a company, to our customers and also to our employees. The Eraneos Cloud Lab deals with cloud infrastructures, hybrid solution architectures and modern software development paradigms. In addition, following the "eat your own dog food" principle, it provides the infrastructure for many of the other labs. In doing so, the Cloud Lab follows several objectives:
- Tinkering with new solutions - playfully trying out new technologies with a "just try it" mentality.
- Implementing new automations and software on cloud platforms to support customers, e.g. in the context of PoCs and internal processes
- Increasing our hands-on experience in the cloud i.e. building a strong Infrastructure & Cloud Community
- ... of course also just having fun
Eraneos does not want consultants who can simply paint nice slides with hot air behind them, but we want to offer our customers sound technical advice, whereby we try out new technologies ourselves as pioneers, and gather experience before the technology is widely used on the market (or not).
In addition, it is important in Eraneos's culture that consultants have fun trying new things, discovering new ways of doing things and being able to show clients alternatives. This is how we increasingly differentiate ourselves from implementation consultancies that apply standardized solution approaches regardless of the facts in the field.
Particularly in our current Solution Architecture and Cloud Foundation projects, we are increasingly discovering the tendency to slay every problem with a "solution for everything". However, Eraneos sees the potential in having technologically experienced consultants understand the technical context of the customer and jointly develop a solution in which users are at the center and the tool is adapted instead.
Anyone familiar with the consulting industry knows that there is always a huge mountain of work to be done at the end of the year, as all projects still have to be completed while the current year's budget has not yet been used up. In contrast, there is often a certain lull at the beginning of the year. This period can be used ideally! After all, we then have time to deal with new topics or the further development of existing topics.
We have cemented this through the idea of the Lab Week - where for one week the focus is on the topic work and thus greater progress can be made and one can deal with it more intensively. Often it is difficult to work efficiently on a new topic or to investigate an exciting technology in depth in just a few hours.
A head start is only possible if you lead the way. This is similar to venture capital for start-ups. New topics also require an initial investment of time to build up. In the end, we bring expertise on topics with which we in turn generate added value for our customers. There are various ways of doing this - hiring experts or building them up ourselves. The market for experts is thin on the ground, especially in the IT world, as any recruiter who has had to recruit for an IT position knows.
At Eraneos, there is a clear mentality that talents can start without expert status and are continuously trained. In this way, the talents grow over time and become experts in the future. It is essential for us that our employees also touch technology ("get your hands dirty") - only in this way can true understanding (and trustworthy consulting) develop.
Working on the "technology front" holds a lot of unique opportunities. And extremely fun to try out! However, it also holds (technological, organizational, time) risks that must be understood with time-intensive investment - or else you just try it out.
That's the goal of Lab Week. Gather hands-on experience with electronics, software, AI, etc. in new environments or build on innovative approaches. Completely without corporate strategies, PowerPoint slides, but with the hackathon mentality of verifying theories and trying out new technologies.
The direct side effect? Our consultants create new things in an exciting environment. Together in small teams. And, in turn, have become more part of Eraneos's culture.
What were the most formative results of the Lab Week? The focus during the week was not on developing directly usable results or products. Rather, the shared learning was important to us - the memories of all the laughter and all the "aha" moments. As a result, we also gained many new members in the Lab communities and hope (in the medium term) for even more exciting projects with our customers.
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The unique combination of competencies in consulting, engineering and project management allows Eraneos to support its customers comprehensively. This includes, for example, strategy development, system procurement or the management of major projects.