The 2024 OpenText Government Summit is in the books, and there were some key takeaways from 14 sessions during the day-long event.
Here are some of the highlights:
#1 AI is ubiquitous in government
The amount of interest in the public sector around the desire to use AI across the hybrid IT landscape is significant. Regardless of where government employees sit – whether in OCIO leadership roles, the developer community, cyber security, IT operations, or within mission bureaus – hunger for AI is absolutely everywhere.
At the OpenText Government Summit, Mark Schaan, the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy from the Government of Canada, and Dr. William Stephens, Acting Dean of Applied Technology of the Foreign Service Institute, Department of State, discussed the importance of allied nations creating a common framework of what AI is (and what it isn’t). Canada has drafted the Artificial Intelligence Data Act (AIDA), which proposes a skeletal regulatory framework that would allow growth and innovation while curbing bad actors. “We need to find the sweet spot,” Schaan said at the summit.
Stephens discussed his role in helping to draft the U.S. Executive Order on the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI, which was signed by President Biden in October. “It’s important that we include a focus around education and training,” Stephens said. “Where we are going is an AI society.”
OpenText SVP for Engineering John Radko shared a story with summit attendees about the R&D team at OpenText experimenting with a generative AI model using a text database full of contracts. The generative AI tool was able to generate accurate summaries and trends analysis of the contracts, but when the R&D team added a single movie review to the database, the GenAI tool slowly began incorporating movie characters and plot points into the summary of the contracts terms and conditions. “AI is not there yet,” Radko said. “but the promise is undeniable.”
The other aspect of AI to remember, according to Radko, is that “AI doesn’t lie,” because AI doesn’t have intent to deceive. It simply guesses when it doesn’t know the answer.
Radko shared a series of recommendations for government agencies exploring generative AI. A balance must be struck between security and findability. According to Radko, the solution for government is to limit the amount of information to search. The more you can restrict and tailor the information, the better the GenAI will be. In order to have successful AI, it is critical to have information management, privacy, governance and compliance all in place.
David McKeown, Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity for the Department of Defense, said it’s important to treat AI like a human. “It could pose an insider threat, or it could draw the wrong inferences,” McKeown said. He stressed the need to “crawl, walk, run” on the journey toward a fully-automated AI cybersecurity posture, and even then making sure the right checks are in place. He said AI-driven cybersecurity uses are lagging behind other uses in the Defense Department. “I’ve witnessed more of the operational uses of AI and how it’s jump-started mission sets,” he said. “We are looking forward to having AI help in cyber.”
#2 FedRAMP is ready for its closeup
A panel made up of public sector and private sector speakers discussed the state of FedRAMP. Dave Hinchman, Director of IT and Cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office, said that no one truly understands how much a FedRAMP authorization costs. Hinchman said if the costs were better understood, both government and the cloud vendor community could budget and plan more effectively for deployments.
Sandy Federick of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission OCIO expressed a desire for more scientific tools listed in the FedRAMP marketplace.
The entire panel expressed frustrations around the lack of resources in the FedRAMP program management office. As a response, the Defense Department has announced a FedRAMP equivalency program. “With 10 to 12 accreditations a year, the FedRAMP pipeline can’t keep up,” McKeown said. “We will consider cloud solutions from the FedRAMP marketplace or those certified by a third-party assessor.”
Federick said in order to fully realize the benefits of moving to the cloud, there is a need for change management within government agencies. “Everyone wants to continue operating the way they did in the data center, but you can’t afford to move the same operations to the cloud.”
She also said she would like to see better documentation from vendors, which would help offset a gap in agency skillsets.
#3 DoD is leaping forward in its goals to achieve Zero Trust by 2025 and meet the mandates of M 23-07
The Summit’s morning keynote speaker, David McKeown, highlighted four areas that the Department of Defense cyber security team is currently focusing on: 1) Getting governance straight and interfacing with the interagency, particularly around critical infrastructure; 2) Improving cyber security of the defense industrial base by checking compliance levels; 3) Keeping production pipelines up and increasing resiliency; and 4) Increasing collaboration with the defense industrial base – moving beyond coffee and donuts toward more impactful partnerships.
Mark Patrick, Chief Records Officer from DoD, says he looks at records management like a garden: the goal is to create a fertile environment where flowers can grow in the service of a knowledge worker picking the perfect flower to make a decision. “All information, structured or unstructured, has a lifecycle. You want to make sure it’s discoverable and want to make sure it’s the final version signed by the authorizing official.” Patrick called this the decision advantage the Defense Department is seeking by making information available to the knowledge workers who need it, when and where they need it.
As DoD evolves its records management, the plan is to achieve zero-click compliance, Patrick said, letting AI automatically categorize and set up a records retention schedule.
#4 Citizens are seeing a positive impact from government investments in CX tools
Niki French, who leads customer service at the Transportation Security Agency, described how a nationwide survey of travelers asking about their experiences with security agents resulted in positive scores in the 90th percentile. “That was a great day sharing those results with the TSA Administrator,” she said.
French mentioned one year where TSA mapped the customer satisfaction survey data against the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores – and there was a meaningful correlation between citizen satisfaction and employee satisfaction. This correlation supported the critical need to look at citizen experience as an end-to-end system, she said.
French also mentioned that publishing individual TSA scores by airport has served to produce a healthy level of competition, with each team trying to move up the rankings.
#5 OpenText public sector customers are making great strides
Adrian Carter, Chief Enterprise Architect Director, USDA OCFO, and ClearInfo President Chris Robins shared insights around the OCFO’s journey to modernize USDA’s financial systems. The benefits of improving employee productivity and compliance were important to stress to generate employee buy-in, Carter said. Another factor was the language used. When the word “purge” was mentioned as part of the data cleanup stage, some stakeholders protested until they were reassured that their information would be retained in an archive system.
Patricia Wada of the Massachusetts Department of Health, shared lessons learned about installing a system that sends millions of personalized, tailored member notices each year. MassHealth provides health benefits to 1.8 million qualifying children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities. MassHealth must communicate daily among members and providers with a high volume, customizable notification system, building toward an estimated 10 million notifications over the course of a year.
And that’s not all…
Other sessions discussed IoT and the role of identify management; the importance of providing identity governance to control information chaos; information sharing and the Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s cyber security; transforming IT operations management; and OSINT as an intelligence discipline.
Our customers and partners all seemed to find value from attending the OpenText Government Summit, and we encourage those who joined us – and those who might have missed it – to check out our public sector solutions, or simply contact us for more information.
We’ve seen countless headlines over the past few years about the skills gap and the talent shortage. According to Forbes, “from increased job satisfaction and loyalty to better retention rates—and ultimately better employees—continued learning benefits everyone involved.”
Learning new skills or improving existing skills drives many positive outcomes in our professional lives. It increases our confidence, boosts our value as employees, enables us to become more proficient at our jobs and ultimately, can lead to promotion or other types of recognition.
OpenText™ Learning Services is here to help you increase your skills, raise your profile at work and take the stress out of planning your training schedule with guaranteed to run classes. We know that cancelled training is disruptive to you and your project schedules, so our guaranteed to run courses will not be cancelled regardless of registration volume.
Here’s the scenario. You’ve been approved to take some training. You know you want training delivered by a subject matter expert within a certain time period. Finding a course that is guaranteed to run allows you to schedule your training with 100% confidence in acquiring the skills you want, when you want them, with an expert instructor.
We’ve made it easy to identify these classes in our online course calendar. Simply select the product suite that reflects your training needs, the time period in which you want to attend the class, your geographic region, and then check the ‘guaranteed to run’ checkbox. Your search results will only include the guaranteed to run options.
Use the Course Calendar to find ‘guaranteed to run’ classes
If you’re looking for guaranteed to run classes that cover the legacy Micro Focus portfolio of products, please reach out to your regional training office and they will be happy to review the options available.
The OpenText Learning Services team is dedicated to delivering world class training, helping you realize value from your solutions because you have the skills you need to be successful.
AI changes everything—every role, every organization, and every industry. Those who make the most of it will be poised to lead their industries. Are you ready to put this game-changing technology to work for you? Join us at OpenText™ World Europe 2024 to learn how you can reimagine work with AI.
OpenText World Europe is coming!
Our complimentary event will be held in three locations: London (Queen Elizabeth II Centre, April 15), Munich (MOC—Event Center Messe München, April 16 & 17), and Paris (Maison de la Chimie, April 18). At each event you’ll hear about opentext.ai, our blueprint for how work can be reimagined by applying AI to daily workflows, and OpenText Aviator, our family of generative AI capabilities that leverage large language models (LLMs) and private data sets to solve specific use cases. You’ll also learn about how information management helps power and protect your information, a pre-requisite for getting the most out of AI.
Here are just a few additional reasons to join us in-person for a jam-packed event in one of these beautiful cities.
#5 Network with peers
Discuss trends, challenges, and solutions with like-minded professionals during the day at networking lunches and breaks, and continue the conversation through the evening at our exclusive receptions:
London—Fasten your seatbelts, you’re off to Rio. After an inspiring day discovering how OpenText™ Aviator can fly you to new heights of human potential, the QEII Centre transforms into a very different atmosphere thanks to the the sights, sounds, and sensations of the Rio Carnival.
Your evening takes off with a drinks reception, followed by an immersive mix of dynamic projection and live performances by professional samba, lambada, and carnival dancers in magnificent feather costumes, as well as capoeira masters, LED artists, and drummers. It will be a night to remember.
Munich—As the sun sets, the BMW Welt venue will welcome OpenText World Europe attendees to an exclusive area reserved just for you. Prepare to be immersed in a world where the prestigious BMW brand and its distinguished family, including MINI and Rolls Royce, come to life in an unparalleled setting. This is your chance to experience theselegendary automobiles up close, in an environment that blends history with the cutting edge of today’s technology.
But it’s not just about the cars. This evening is a celebration of excellence and connection. Indulge in exquisite cuisine, network with like-minded professionals, and enjoy entertainment that promises to captivate. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this extraordinary night and get swept away by the magic of one of Munich’s most sensational venues.
Paris—Experience the extraordinary! Join us at our evening event on-site at the Maison de la Chimie where you’ll have the exclusive opportunity to witness the captivating performance of Moulla live. Immerse yourself in an evening of inspiration and entertainment, followed by a delightful reception featuring a curated selection of gourmet food and drinks. This is not just an event, it’s an experience where you can connect with like-minded individuals, network, and create lasting memories.
#4 Meet up with local experts
Talk to OpenText specialists who understand the unique struggles you face every day in your region, industry, or role. Learn best practices, hear about the latest use cases, and see live demos of solutions that will help you work smarter. You’ll also have the chance to take advantage of hands-on labs, educational sessions, one-on-one meetings, a bustling expo floor including OpenText partners, and fantastic networking opportunities.
#3 Listen to inspiring speakers
There are key moments in history when technology advancements are so significant that industries, societies, and cultures are radically advanced. AI is one of those moments that is revolutionizing the business world, much like the internet, mobile, social, and digital. We are entering a fantastic age of innovation and opportunity in which AI plays the role of force multiplier for human potential. In his keynote presentation, OpenText CEO & CTO Mark J. Barrenechea will discuss how technology can enable global organizations to build for growth, experience, sustainability, trust, and efficiency.
For years, cloud has been the preferred delivery method for digital transformation, automation, and improved decision making. Now, information management in the cloud has become a prerequisite of AI. In his keynote, OpenText CPO Muhi Majzoub will dive into OpenText’s cloud roadmap to showcase how security, trust, and governance is at the center of serving our customers with our deeply integrated solutions.
#2 Be in the know
What’s new and what’s next for the extensive OpenText product portfolio? Find out at this event. Keynote presentations, showcases, turbo talks, sessions, and more will fill you in on the innovations included in our CE 24.2 launches and outline our product roadmaps. Learn about our latest OpenText Aviator capabilities, get live demos of products that interest you, and discover new ways our solutions can help you overcome challenges and reach your business goals.
#1 Expand your AI horizons
Get the latest information about how AI can help your organization reimagine work. See live demos of OpenText Aviator in action and hear about our opentext.ai strategy and roadmap for AI innovation. And learn how information management builds a strong foundation so you can take flight with AI.
As AI becomes mainstream, security is more important than ever. Organizations must prepare their data for AI with a trusted information management foundation so that it is accurate, reliable, and well-managed. And they must hone their cybersecurity skills, including threat intelligence and risk management. At OpenText World Europe, you will have the chance to learn how your organization can best reap the benefits of AI while avoiding its risks.
Whether you’re just learning about AI or starting to implement, OpenText World Europe 2024 is where you can get all the support you need for your AI journey. We look forward to seeing you there!
OpenText World 2024
Join us this November in Las Vegas for our premier user conference! Explore the benefits of information management, AI, cloud, security and more.
As we approach St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, our thoughts have turned to what it means to be lucky. Most definitions of the word include the concept of good things happening by chance. Here at OpenText, however, we know that the key to good things happening for our customers is planning.
In September 2023, we introduced the L.O.V.E™ by OpenText™ Customer Success Model. It centers on the tenets of Land, Operate, Value, and Expand throughout the entire customer journey. Its purpose? To achieve seamless engagement, efficient onboarding, widespread adoption, and strategic planning for our customers. The pivotal first step on that journey is success planning.
Unlocking value
Expanding upon the foundational principles of our L.O.V.E model, we are thrilled to introduce our Customer Success Planning Framework. Our dedicated Customer Success teams use this framework to help you expertly navigate through their entire OpenText journey to reach value realization.
The art of connection
For large-scale initiatives, success planning is the roadmap that guides organizations toward their desired outcomes. It’s more than just a process—it’s a shared commitment to excellence. At its core, success planning establishes long-lasting relationships. We develop trust among key stakeholders and sponsors, understanding their aspirations and challenges. It’s these connections that form the foundations for success.
Defining with purpose
Success planning also focuses on defining the primary business challenges and objectives that will shape a successful journey. We work to align with what drives our customers, and we’re not just focused on milestones but purpose. We identify measurable success goals that are commitments to effectively realizing value and meaningful business outcomes.
Efficient success planning
An effective success planning framework propels your efforts forward. OpenText Customer Success Services don’t just guide; we help define, in partnership with you. Our six-stage Success Planning Framework ensures attention is paid at very phase of the process, from value definition to growth and expansion. Working in partnership with you paves the path forward to value realization and achieving the desired business outcomes. The following outlines our six-stage Success Planning Framework that our OpenText Customer Success teams are committed to.
Start your journey to better business outcomes today! Learn more on our OpenText Customer Success Portal (login required) and be part of our L.O.V.E. journey.
Performance testing stands as a critical pillar ensuring the robustness and efficiency of applications. Yet beneath its seemingly straightforward premise lies a labyrinth of complexities that your team must navigate. And as industries evolve and applications become more complex, the need for efficient performance testing is greater than ever. Let’s look at the primary challenges:
Tune into an on-demand webinar featuring RSA Insurance Group and walk through their performance testing journey with OpenText LoadRunner solutions.
Comprehensive performance metrics
One of the main challenges developers face is establishing comprehensive performance metrics. It’s not merely about measuring response times or throughput; it involves delving into various dimensions such as resource utilization, scalability, and reliability. Determining the appropriate metrics requires a deep understanding of the application’s architecture, user expectations, and business goals. Failure to define relevant metrics can lead to skewed results and misinterpretations, ultimately compromising the effectiveness of performance testing efforts.
Realistic test scenarios
Once the metrics are outlined, teams encounter the intricate task of devising realistic test scenarios. Unlike functional testing, where inputs and outputs are predefined, performance testing demands the emulation of diverse user behaviors and system loads. Crafting scenarios that mirror real-world usage patterns while encompassing peak loads and edge cases is a intimidating endeavor. Failure to simulate actual usage scenarios can result in overlooking critical performance bottlenecks, leaving the application vulnerable to failures under stress.
More and more technology
The ever-expanding landscape of technology adds another layer of complexity to performance testing. With the proliferation of cloud-native architectures, microservices, and containerization, applications are becoming increasingly distributed and diverse. Testing the performance of such complex systems requires a paradigm shift, the adoption of scalable testing frameworks, and strategies for monitoring and analyzing distributed environments.
Variable testing environments
The variability of the testing environment also poses a significant challenge for developers. Factors like network latency, hardware configurations, and third-party dependencies can introduce unpredictability into performance test results. Ensuring reproducibility and consistency across different testing environments is paramount.
Organizational challenges
In addition to technical complexities, teams also grapple with organizational challenges in integrating performance testing into the development lifecycle. Limited resources, time constraints, and competing priorities often relegate performance testing to an afterthought rather than an integral part of the development process. Fostering a culture that prioritizes performance and emphasizes collaboration between development, testing, and operations teams is essential for overcoming these organizational barriers.
The journey of performance testing is full of complexities that demand expertise, insight, and collaboration. From defining meaningful metrics to orchestrating realistic test scenarios and navigating technological and organizational hurdles, developers face a variety of challenges. Embracing these complexities and adopting a holistic approach to performance testing is imperative for delivering resilient and high-performing applications.
Don’t forget! Join us in hearing Donald Stewart, Sr. Performance Test Engineering Lead at RSA Insurance Group, and David McLeish, Product Manager Performance Engineering solutions at OpenText, walk through RSA Insurance Group’s thrilling journey with OpenText LoadRunner solutions. Get insights into the challenges RSA faces, how they manage them, and some of their best practices.
In today’s dynamic business landscape, staying competitive means leveraging technology to streamline operations. In the relentless pursuit of enhancing efficiency, every wasted resource, operational hiccup, or compliance misstep can impede progress and chip away at profitability. Yet, many organizations unwittingly face these challenges due to fragmented systems and disconnected processes.
The solution? Embrace ERP integration. It’s a strategic move that not only resolves existing inefficiencies but also lays the foundation for sustainable growth and competitive advantage. Let’s delve into the critical aspects where ERP integration proves indispensable and how to build the business case for the investment to your decision makers:
ERP integration can help you avoid:
Wasted resources and higher operating costs
Fragmented systems breed inefficiency, leading to wasted resources and inflated operating costs. ERP integration streamlines operations by harmonizing disparate systems, eliminating redundant tasks, and optimizing resource allocation.
Errors and compliance issues
Manual data entry and disjointed processes increase the risk of errors and non-compliance. Integrated ERP systems ensure data accuracy and enforce standardized processes, mitigating compliance risks and safeguarding the organization’s reputation.
Supply chain disruption
Supply chain disruptions can have far-reaching consequences in today’s interconnected business ecosystem. According to a recent study by IDG, 86% percent of organizations have experienced delays with ERP integration, and lack of integration expertise was reported as the top reason. ERP integration fosters seamless collaboration with suppliers, enhances visibility across the supply chain, and enables proactive risk management to mitigate disruptions effectively.
ERP integration can help you deliver
Streamlined operations
By automating workflows and centralizing data, ERP integration streamlines operations, reduces cycle times, and improves overall productivity. It empowers employees to focus on value-added tasks rather than wrestling with manual processes.
Data consistency and accuracy
Achieving data consistency and accuracy is paramount for informed decision-making. ERP integration ensures that data flows seamlessly across departments, providing stakeholders with a single source of truth for reliable insights and analysis.
Improved communication and collaboration
Siloed systems inhibit communication and collaboration among teams. Integrated ERP systems break down these barriers, facilitating seamless information sharing and fostering a culture of collaboration across the organization.
Cost savings and enhanced reporting
ERP integration yields significant cost savings by reducing manual effort, minimizing errors, and optimizing resource utilization. Moreover, it enables enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities, empowering decision-makers with real-time insights for data-driven decision-making.
Scalability and flexibility
As businesses evolve, scalability and flexibility become imperative. Integrated ERP systems are inherently scalable, adapting to changing business needs and accommodating growth seamlessly without disruption.
Regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance is non-negotiable in today’s business landscape. ERP integration ensures adherence to regulatory requirements by enforcing standardized processes, maintaining audit trails, and facilitating compliance reporting.
Customer satisfaction
Seamless operations and personalized service drive customer satisfaction. ERP integration enables organizations to deliver exceptional customer experiences by providing timely and accurate information, anticipating customer needs, and ensuring prompt responses to inquiries.
Efficient supply chain management
From inventory management to supplier relationships, ERP integration optimizes every facet of the supply chain. It enables better inventory visibility, reduces lead times, strengthens supplier relationships through data-driven insights, and enhances overall supply chain resilience.
In essence, ERP integration is not merely a technological upgrade. It’s a strategic imperative for driving operational excellence, ensuring regulatory compliance, and delivering superior customer value. By embracing ERP integration, organizations can navigate today’s complex business landscape with confidence, resilience, and agility, positioning themselves for sustained success in the digital age.
Explore your business case with the B2B ERP migration ROI Calculator
Get an instant estimate of time and cost savings when you work with a integration partner on your ERP integration.
Modernization is at the top of the list for many corporate treasury departments. This journey involves significant transformation, a crucial aspect of which is partnering with forward-thinking banks. According to a recent Strategic Treasurer report titled “The Latest in Treasury Perspectives,” a substantial 49% of treasurers are looking to their banking partners to prepare for disruptions in treasury management. This statistic reflects the industry’s recognition of the evolving landscape and emphasizes the importance of cultivating strategic partnerships with financial institutions that share a vision for innovation and resilience.
The path towards the digital transformation of corporate treasuries
The traditional treasury role, once primarily centered on cash management and risk mitigation, is evolving rapidly. Treasurers now navigate the crossroads of strategic decision-making and technology adoption to keep pace with shifting markets, regulations, and customer demands.
Treasurers’ expectations from banks
Corporate treasurers increasingly raise their expectations as they turn to banking partners for innovative solutions that streamline operations and provide real-time visibility. This transformative shift extends beyond a transactional relationship; it signifies a transition from banks being mere service providers to evolving into strategic allies. A recent CGI survey reveals that over 40% of respondents prioritize automated payment remittance and receivables tracking, emphasizing the significance of these features.
Meeting these expectations requires banks to enhance their user experiences, offering greater clarity on these essential treasury tools. Treasurers now demand more than traditional banking services. They seek sophisticated technology, integrated solutions, and advisory services strategically aligned with their financial goals and organizational strategies.
Banking solutions leading the way
Forward-thinking banks are rising to the challenge by offering a spectrum of digital solutions designed to empower corporate treasuries. These solutions cover cash management, liquidity management, payment processing, risk mitigation, and more, providing a holistic approach that simplifies daily operations while enhancing strategic capabilities.
Streamlining cash management
Modern banking solutions enable treasurers to automate cash positioning and forecasting, gaining real-time insights into cash flow. This ensures optimal liquidity management, mitigating the risk of over-leveraging or hoarding excess cash.
Effortless payments
Traditionally a manual, time-consuming task, payment processing undergoes transformation through digital solutions offered by banks. These streamline payment workflows, minimizing the need for manual intervention, accelerating processing, reducing errors, and ensuring accurate and efficient financial transactions.
Proactive risk mitigation
Treasurers are turning to banking partners for tools that provide proactive risk mitigation. Banks offer solutions to protect against currency fluctuations, market volatility, and other financial risks by leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics.
Reporting for informed decision-making
Effective treasury management relies on accurate and timely reporting, and banking solutions play a pivotal role by integrating data from various sources and automating reporting. This ensures treasurers have the financial insights necessary for informed decision-making and regulatory compliance.
The digital transformation of corporate treasuries has already begun. Treasurers, no longer confined to legacy processes and manual tasks, are embracing technology to achieve efficiency, accuracy, and strategic expertise. The partnership between treasuries and their banking partners lays the foundation for this transformation. As corporate treasuries go digital with the support of their bank partners, the future appears brighter than ever.
If you are a bank and would like to learn more about some of the solutions OpenText provides to improve treasury services for your clients, contact us!
The promise of AI is intoxicating, with opportunities to transform productivity throughout the enterprise. For many companies, it feels like a race, pushing to tap into all AI has to offer as quickly as possible.
But it’s important to remember the saying, “Don’t run before you can walk,” as it, in fact, pays to move a bit more methodically.
When it comes to generative AI, information management and content services are critical foundational elements that help organizations turn content into a strategic and competitive advantage—acting as a springboard to reimagine work and supercharge innovation.
At this year’s AIIM Conference in San Antonio, TX, we have four different learning opportunities to help you assess your organization’s AI readiness and see what’s new with content services to help you boost AI accuracy, data security, and operational experiences.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Opportunity #1: AIIM Solution Keynote—Great AI Needs Great Information Management!
April 4; 10:00-10:30am CDT in Keynote Theater, Texas Ballroom
As organizations navigate the future of work, efficiency is sometimes hindered by “digital friction,” the challenge people face in using technology for daily tasks. In this session, I’ll explore how generative AI holds the potential to redefine modern work—if organizations find the sweet spot between innovation and safeguarding information.
Discover why robust information management programs, based on sound governance principles, are vital to get the most out of GenAI investments.
Opportunity #2: Fireside Chat
April 4; 1:50-2:20pm in Crocket C
Join Ted Tomes, Director, Spatial Data & Document Control, and Gregg Greene, Digital Technology Engineering Advisor from Western Midstream, as they discuss the integral partnership between Document Control and Digital Technology in shaping robust information strategies for operational excellence. Discover how they utilize innovative technologies like AI to streamline information flow, enhance user experience, and prepare a future-ready organization.
Opportunity #3: AIIM Demonstration Session—Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Making the AI Pivot
April 4; 11:45-12:10pm CDT in Crocket A
Demand is high for automation and efficiency, with McKinsey calling generative AI “the next productivity frontier.” AI is not just another technology or business case but will shape what it means to be a company and how organizations address modern work challenges.
And the most exciting part, most organizations have just scratched the surface of what is possible!
This immersive session co-presented by myself and Tracy Caughell, OpenText Sr. Director Product Management, combines demos with practical advice, will help you propel your content services programs, using AI-powered automation to ensure the security, relevancy, and accuracy of your organization’s data.
Opportunity #4: See OpenText Content Cloud in Action
OpenText booth in AIIM Solution Lounge
This is your opportunity to discover what’s new with OpenText™ Content Cloud, our suite of end-to-end content management solutions. Stop by the OpenText booth to catch demos with OpenText product experts and see how to:
Power intelligent search and insights:OpenText™ Content Aviator, an AI-powered intelligent assistant, puts chat-based conversational search, content discovery, summarization, and translation right at employees’ fingertips.
Extend Microsoft 365 capabilities:OpenText™ Extended ECM meets employees where they work, integrating with Microsoft to bridge content silos and connect content to process.
Elevate content management:OpenText™ Core, an agile cloud solution, integrates with key business applications to boost productivity and accelerate business processes.
But wait, there’s more!
Maybe you’re chomping at the bit to fine-tune your AI and information management strategy and don’t want to wait until we’re together at AIIM24 to get started. We’re with you!
This session will uncover why smart information governance practices are essential for confident GenAI deployment and how to mitigate risk, while making information retrieval faster and more intuitive. Register today.
Ready to be off and running with GenAI to get most of your organization’s information? If you haven’t already, secure your spot at AIIM24. It’s an action-packed event you don’t want to miss.
Welcome to the February 2024 edition of our e-Invoicing & VAT compliance newsletter. This newsletter contains the most recent collection of updates to our real-time country updates blogs.
If you wish to keep abreast of the latest news from the OpenText Blogs page, navigate to “News & Events” and select e-Invoicing.
This issue, our Hot Topics section includes the news that Poland has postponed its e-Invoicing mandate, potentially indefinitely and address the question of what companies should do about this.
In “Compliance news and updates” you can read the latest world news on mandates as Malaysia moves towards their August 2024 mandate and Belgium’s mandate is back on the agenda for January 2026.
Meanwhile, we take a somewhat poetic look at the mandate in France and whether companies really need a certified provider or not – asking “To PDP, or not to PDP, that is the question”!
Hot topics
January 2024 – Poland’s e-Invoicing Mandate Postponed Indefinitely Due to System Errors
On 19 January 2024, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domański unexpectedly announced that the implementation of their proposed national e-Invoicing mandate had been postponed indefinitely.
This marks the second time Poland has postponed the mandate, having previously pushed it back six months from an original timeline of January 2024 to July 2024.
The KSeF system has been operational in a “voluntary phase” since January 2022, and businesses had been reassured by the Ministry of Finance that the KSeF system was ready for full implementation. This makes the recent discovery of critical errors and concerns about the platform’s ability to scale to the expected volumes of invoices all the more surprising. While the Ministry had previously claimed the system was capable of handling 100 million invoices per day, it appears that this figure may fall short of the actual demand due to peaks in processing on the first and last day(s) of each month.
Given the risk that businesses would be unable to issue invoices in the event of a system failure, the ministry has prudently decided to pause the mandate. A comprehensive external audit of the system is now planned to evaluate the issues and formulate a plan to resolve them. Only after the audit is complete and a remediation plan is in place will a new timeline be announced. The Ministry made clear that this will not be in 2024.
KSeF remains available on a voluntary basis
It remains unclear whether the Ministry will take this opportunity to address the already well-understood deficits in the KSeF system, such as the inability to include attachments with invoices issued through the platform. This common business practice is currently unsupported by the KSeF system, leaving businesses with the unenviable task of sending attachments separately via e-mail or other means, and buyers having to reconcile these attachments with the invoice received via KSeF.
Simultaneously, doubts have been raised about the compatibility of KSeF with the European Commission’s planned ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age) reforms. While ViDA has not yet been approved, it seems likely to proceed eventually, leaving Poland with a pressing need to adapt KSeF yet again to meet the demands of the reforms.
Although the Minister’s decision may be pragmatically welcomed as a step towards ensuring business continuity, it also comes as a blow to the many enterprises who have already invested in technology to connect to KSeF.
However, OpenText obtained confirmation directly from the Polish Ministry of Finance that: “KSeF still works in an optional version, and you can use it. Taxpayers can still integrate their financial and accounting programs with the National e-Invoice System.” In other words, KSeF is still available to be used on a voluntary basis as it has been since January 2022, and Polish companies can continue to roll out their e-Invoicing solution leveraging KSeF.
A unique opportunity to explore the benefits of e-Invoicing
As we all know, there are significant benefits in switching to electronic invoicing, in terms of reducing the costs and effort associated with manual invoice handling. This leads to faster payments, improved cash flow, and better customer and supplier relationships.
For suppliers sending invoices to their customers, there remains an obligation to obtain consent from your buyer to switch to electronic invoicing. However, the buyer does not need to establish a direct API connection to KSeF in order to receive their invoices electronically. They can register to manually download invoices from the KSeF portal in either PDF, XML, or HTML format. Multiple invoices can be downloaded together in ZIP format.
Buyers receiving invoices from their vendors can proactively provide consent in order to begin receiving their invoices. It seems likely that larger suppliers will be keen to proceed with automated e-Invoicing due to all of the business benefits.
OpenText Professional Services Community Survey can assist clients by finding out which of their buyers are ready to receive e-Invoices via KSeF, and which of their larger suppliers are willing and able to send e-Invoices.
Businesses should therefore see this as an opportunity, rather than a setback. As governments recognize the complexity of national e-Invoicing regimes, businesses too must understand that this is going to be more complicated than they expect. This is especially true for multinational companies with entities operating in multiple regimes affected by the impending mandates not just in Poland but also Romania & Malaysia (2024 mandates), Germany, Greece, Spain, and Slovakia (2025 mandates), and France, Belgium, Croatia, and Latvia (2026 mandates).
This wave of impending mandates will drive incredible demands on businesses to modernize and digitize their entire order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes in a very short space of time, and in a manner that facilitates far greater agility. An agile and robust global platform for electronic invoicing will be an absolute necessity in order to meet the requirements of multiple national mandates in a very short space of time.
Poland’s “voluntary option”, therefore, represents a perfect low-risk approach to trying and testing your e-Invoicing strategy and platform in advance of the next major mandate.
E-Invoicing & VAT Compliance news and updates
February 2024 – Belgium – e-Invoicing mandate back on the agenda and planned for January 1, 2026
Despite concerns that e-Invoicing would be off the table until late 2024, the Belgian finance minister has relaunched a legislative proposal to introduce mandatory e-invoicing for domestic business-to-business (B2B) transactions. The draft legislative proposal, adopted by the Council of Ministers on September 29, 2023, aims to implement the e-invoicing obligation on January 1, 2026.
The bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 1 February 2024 and now awaits the royal seal and the publication in the official gazette. While Belgium still needs to receive a derogation from the European Commission in order to proceed, their application was submitted in October 2023 and there is no good reason to expect such a derogation would be refused. Still it remains an important milestone on the road to any e-Invoicing mandate.
What’s in scope?
The proposed B2B e-invoicing mandate includes all taxable persons established in Belgium and Belgian branches of foreign entities (foreign businesses with mere VAT registration in Belgium are not included).
Companies would be obliged to issue invoices in an electronic structured data format for domestic transactions in Belgium. The format proposed is PEPPOL-BIS UBL – which complies with the EU standard format EN-16931.
These invoices will need to be exchanged using the PEPPOL network or another compliant system agreed by both parties. PEPPOL was originally established for the purpose of business to government (B2G) e-Invoicing and although it has gradually been expanded for business to business (B2B) use cases it has yet to form the basis of a national B2B e-Invoicing mandate such as that proposed here so there is still certainly room for issues to arise during implementation of the mandate.
The PEPPOL network operates through certified Access Points which ensure data security, the integrity of transaction data, and the authenticity of the parties involved in any exchange. While companies are quite within their rights to purchase or build their own PEPPOL Access Point the model is mostly used through service providers like OpenText in what is effectively a “four-corner model” or interoperable model.
When the mandate goes live, sending of manual paper invoices, along with PDF invoices via email as well as other electronic invoicing approaches such as traditional EDI will no longer be allowed in a domestic B2B context.
This will result in significant disruption for businesses who have already invested in OCR technology or electronic invoicing solutions that rely solely on PDF or EDI.
What’s different from the previous attempt?
As we reported in our August 2023 update, political disagreements derailed the process previously – so what is different this time?
This time around, a single “big-bang” approach is being proposed with no phased implementation; the mandate would apply to all Belgian VAT-registered entities from January 1, 2026.
An associated e-reporting obligation is expected to be defined and introduced later, although most likely will simply be a straightforward 5-corner model as already used in countries like Hungary and South Korea, where service providers will report a subset of the invoice data to a government portal.
This is a very pragmatic approach, since, once the initial phase is over and all tax payers are successfully sending/receiving invoices and have reaped the benefits associated with eliminating manual invoices, it will be relatively straightforward to add the additional reporting step. If only all tax authorities took such a pragmatic approach that focuses first on the business benefits for taxpayers, before adding any additional burdens around tax reporting.
Be prepared
While we have seen high profile cases of countries delaying their e-Invoicing mandate the Belgian approach has been deliberately simplistic, leveraging the existing proven PEPPOL network in order to avoid potential complications around technical architecture and scalability.
Despite the seemingly distant implementation deadline, and the apparent simplicity of the model, businesses still start to prepare for the potential new mandate as soon as practical. If you are already using PEPPOL in Belgium, for example for B2G e-Invoicing, you may find there is less to do. But for those new to PEPPOL there is still some work to be done.
And of course Belgium is just one of many countries now who’s mandate will be coming soon. While Poland have postponed and no date has been set it will almost certainly be a 2025 deliverable, with Germany, Spain and Slovakia also due to begin their mandates in 2025. And 2026 will not only see Belgium introduce a mandate but also of course France, Croatia and Latvia.
For organizations with operations across these countries having to deal with not just one but two, three, four or even more mandates in quick succession will very likely leave you struggling for resources.
Beginning to address your global e-Invoicing strategy now makes a lot of sense.
February 2024 – Malaysia’s clearance e-Invoicing mandate – what we know so far
Malaysia has joined the increasing number of countries to announce a new mandatory e-Invoicing regime. As well as targeting tax compliance and reducing “tax leakages” the system will make tax reporting more efficient. In addition, the stated goals of the mandate include improvement in business efficiency and supporting the digital economy.
While e-Invoicing has been possible since 2015, it has been optional and not widely adopted. The new plans announced by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) for a Continuous Transactional Controls (CTC) mandate will be phased in over a period of years based on company revenue.
MyInvois portal – high level details
The Malaysian approach includes a central government platform, called “MyInvois” which will validate invoices; hence it is classed as a clearance model. The MyInvois platform will approve invoices prior to issuance and add a unique digital Certification Serial Number to the invoice. Once verified the supplier must share the validated e-Invoice with the buyer / customer.
Companies can either connect directly to the MyInvois portal or use their own application as long as it is able to integrate via the published Application Programming Interface (API).
For those with low volumes of invoices, connecting to MyInvois directly is possible. Here, invoices can be entered manually through a web form, or uploaded either individually or as a batch using a spreadsheet. The portal supports all essential e-Invoice actions, including invoice generation, submission, viewing, cancellation or rejection.
Cancellation/rejection needs to occur within 72 hours from the time of validation.
For those using the API option, this can be enabled either through an existing business application such as your ERP as long as it supports the API, or through a service provider. Invoices can be submitted in XML or JSON format.
There are 55 mandatory fields required under the new system as well as additional annexes for certain circumstances.
Invoices that fail to include the mandatory content or are not in the correct format will be rejected automatically.
More details of the functional and technical requirements can be found at the IRBM portal here.
Scope
The scope of the mandate will cover both domestic and cross-border transactions. Both imports and exports will need to be reported to the IRBM MyInvois portal.
Invoices, credit notes, debit notes and refund notes are all in scope of the mandate. Self-billed invoices are also in scope. There are some exemptions which are detailed in the technical specifications available on the IRBM Portal.
Timeline
The initial implementation date of the mandate has been deferred from June 2024 to August 2024 and slightly simplified from four phases to three. The timeline is now as follows:
For taxpayers with an annual turnover exceeding RM 100 million, the applicable date is now August 1, 2024.
For taxpayers with an annual turnover between RM 25 million and RM 100 million, the applicable date remains January 1, 2025. This simplifies the timeline by removing an additional phase which had originally been slated for January 1, 2026, for businesses with an annual turnover between RM 25 million and RM 50 million. These are now all included in the earlier date.
Finally, for all remaining taxpayers, the mandatory e-invoicing implementation starts on January 1, 2027.
February 2024 – France – To PDP, or not to PDP, that is the question
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?” The famous soliloquy from Hamlet is the crux of the hero’s dilemma. And it echoes the dilemma faced by companies operating in France today. The question at hand: to use a Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP) or not for the upcoming French e-Invoicing reform.
Act I: The Mandate
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” In our play, the stage is set by the French government, which has mandated B2B e-invoicing and e-reporting starting from September 2026. The players of course are all of the companies who are operating in France and must adapt to this new reality.
Act II: The Choice
“To be, or not to be, that is the question.” To be a user of a PDP, or not to be? That is the question companies must ask themselves. The PDP, registered and authorized by the French tax authorities, offers more functionalities and flexibility than the public platform (PPF) or a regular, uncertified Dematerialization Operator (OD). It can process any EDI format, provide archiving tools, and offer specific business applications.
Partner Dematerialisation Platforms (PDPs) are government-certified e-invoicing service providers. They can issue and receive e-invoices directly with the service provider of the buyer without going through the Public Invoicing Portal (PPF). PDPs can convert e-invoices into standard formats such as Factur-X, UN/CEFACT CII, and UBL 2.1 to comply with European Union (EU) norm.
Dematerialisation Operators (ODs) provide similar functions to PDPs but are not certified by the government. They cannot directly issue or receive e-invoices. Instead, they must use the PPF as an intermediary to perform e-invoicing activities.
Act III: The Considerations
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” When choosing whether to use a PDP or not, companies must consider various parameters: the type of invoices they will process, data management concerns, customer/supplier relations, transmission methods, and specific features and functions that they may require. Cost will also be a key criteria, since service providers who certify as a PDP will have significant additional operational costs to achieve and maintain their PDP status.
It’s not a question of good or bad, but of what suits the company’s needs best.
Act IV: The Solution
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” OpenText are a leading provider of e-invoicing solutions and have applied for the role of PDP in France. The list of operators who have submitted their applications can be found on the French tax authority website here.
Of course, applying for PDP status is no guarantee of achieving it and the timelines for certification to complete are still a bit vague. PDP status will only be awarded after the interoperability tests with the public PPF platform are completed. However, as a global and profitable company hosting their own data centers and support infrastructure with the European Union, OpenText remains confident of achieving PDP status.
OpenText intends to operate both as an OD (Dematerialization Operator) and a PDP (Partner Dematerialization Platform) in France, recognizing that not all companies will need all of the features of a PDP.
We are also offering the OpenText e-Invoicing mandate readiness check service to assist customers in assessing the output from their ERP/finance/accounting systems to ensure it meets the requirements of the French legislation.
By partnering with OpenText we can help you achieve greatness in your e-Invoicing journey, and successfully navigate the “undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns” of e-invoicing with confidence.
Act V: The Conclusion
“All’s well that ends well.” With the right choice of partner, companies can ensure a smooth transition to the new e-invoicing system. The question of “To PDP, or not to PDP” will be answered, and all’s well that ends with successful compliance.
For more details reach out to your OpenText account representative or contact us here.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is intended to reflect the direction the industry is moving and does not a reflect a commitment for the OpenText Active Invoices with Compliance (AIC) product development roadmap to meet any particular stated regulations.
LEGAL Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is for general guidance on matters of interest only. The authors are not herein rendering legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice and the content should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional accounting, tax, legal or other competent advisers. While we make every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within is from reliable sources, OpenText is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any result
In a world where environmental responsibility is no longer a mere buzzword, organizations are increasingly integrating carbon reduction initiatives into their operations.
To shed light on the current landscape of IT sustainability, OpenText commissioned Dimensional Research to conduct a sustainability survey of 300+ IT leaders and practitioners in companies across the globe.
We learned that 97% of companies have implemented sustainability initiatives (74%) or plan to do so (23%). IT is at the forefront of sustainability efforts, leading the pack among all departments, but companies are still in the early stages of IT sustainability adoption. IT’s main challenges are a lack of proper tools and expertise. While IT departments have a long way to go in reaching their goals, 41% strive to become net carbon neutral.
The 2023 State of IT Sustainability Report from OpenText reveals IT’s sustainability adoption rates, motivations to adopt, levels of maturity, obstacles faced, next steps, and regional comparisons.
