Skip to main content Skip to footer

Accenture’s Cloud Week 2021 event: The time is NOW!

August 2, 2021

JOHANNESBURG; August 2, 2021 – Cloud is exciting. It’s fundamental to business reinvention and it has the potential to reshape business success now, when organisations need it most. Yet enterprise cloud efforts are slowing or stalling as a cloud value gap emerges. This is why the right inputs at the right time can make all the difference.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has today launched Cloud Week 2021, under the theme: The time is Now. This virtual event runs daily between 13:00 and 15:00 from 2 to 5 August 2021, and gives a bird’s eye view on how to maximise the value of cloud and highlights cloud as a business imperative.

Companies have realized the importance of agility, adaptability and scalability. One of the levers of these successful transformations is the adoption of the cloud," states Jigyasa Singh, Cloud First Lead for Accenture in Africa. "The main goal of this event is therefore to help clients discover how to better navigate the cloud and get a head start in the market,” she adds.

According to Accenture, even though 90% of enterprises are adopting cloud in some form, efforts are slowing or stalling because some organisations got stuck in an experimental mindset, while others struggle to make a clear business case for scaling up their use of cloud.

"Cloud Week brings South African organisations four days of insight from cloud experts and enterprise leaders to help them maximise the value of cloud and drive business success," states Singh.

 

We see the launch of the brand new Skills 2 Succeed Africa (S2S Africa) initiative, a curtain raiser for the Advanced Cloud Engineering Centre in South Africa during our Cloud First week. These skills will provide our clients the necessary support to accelerate their technology powered transformation initiatives.

 

The S2S Africa initiative by Accenture, is supported by Salesforce and in collaboration with CapaCiTi, digital career accelerator, adding value to meet a real market need while providing much-needed technology skills to the youth.

 

Kuven Pillay, Director Salesforce Business Group Accenture South Africa, explains: "The current high youth unemployment in South Africa and Africa highlighted the need to create opportunities for young people to enhance their skills to enter the technology workforce. The reality is that demand for Salesforce skilled professionals in Africa far outweigh current talent supply in the market."

 

He adds that it is important to balance the skills talent build and the high demand in the market for Salesforce capabilities. "We know that this is the decade of delivering on the promise of digital and technology. The S2S Africa initiative is a clear testimony that at Accenture we are able to show that we are delivering on our promise of technology and human ingenuity," Pillay concludes

What’s on the agenda?

Day 1: 2 August 2021 – Enterprise Transformation

Cloud is not just about the technology, it is a catalyst for business transformation. Hear from business leaders as they discuss the impacts and winning approaches. We also hear from our experts on the importance of culture, leadership and new ways of working to maximise the value from cloud transformation.

Day 2: 3 August 2021 – Cloud and Data

Cloud, data, analytics and AI are catalysing data-driven business reinvention. Find out how the right combination of these powerful elements can help you unlock 360° business value – enabling insight-driven decision-making and helping you tap into new revenue streams, save costs, scale with ease, serve clients better and build a future-proof organisation.

Day 3: 4 August 2021 – Secure and Sustainable Cloud

How can businesses find growth at the intersection of digital technologies and sustainability, and still operate securely? We dive deep into how to leverage the cloud to protect your business and your customers, and how a thoughtful cloud-first approach can help your business champion a greener future.

Day 4: 5 August 2021 – Innovation and Growth

How do you leverage cloud as a platform to reinvent your business? We explore the power of cloud and digital transformation to drive new innovations and business models. We also hear from our innovation experts and clients on how cloud is powering new opportunities for top line growth.

The event boasts a great line-up, with entertainment by the Ndhlovu Youth Choir in the opening ceremony, as well as emcees Bruce Whitfield and Rapelang Rabana directing the program.

The time is now!

Accenture’s research shows that now more than ever, businesses need to embrace the promise of cloud to mitigate risks, emerge stronger, and get ready to thrive amidst future uncertainties. The danger is, rushing in without a clear strategy can cost the business more, leaving existing legacy applications racking up consumption and costs at an astounding rate.

"An intelligent cloud journey, balances speed and value. Cloud should enable the overall business strategy and ambition and allow businesses to continually innovate" Singh emphasises. "During cloud week, we present case studies, CXO and panel discussions, and deep dives across key topics that would help our customers unleash the value of cloud" she says.

For more information on the event, view Cloud Week 2021.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Contact:

Jonathan Mahapa
Accenture
+27 11 208 3947
jonathan.mahapa@accenture.com.

Stay in the know with our newsletters
Subscribe