Thanks to its network model, Reply combines a deep knowledge of industrial sectors with the ability to support customers’ technological evolution.
Automotive
In 2022, Reply solidified its role as a partner of the main automotive groups in the evolution of production and logistics activities, as well as in the development of services onboard the vehicle through the design of advanced connectivity systems. In a highly competitive context due to the entry into the market of new players, the Group is supporting the main car manufacturers with integrated projects covering all phases of the supply chain
Reply’s support ranges from the management of raw materials to the programming of production, from logistics to distribution and after-sales phases. Taking advantage of the proprietary platforms (LEA Reply for logistics and Brick Reply as a Manufacturing Execution System) and its strong skills in the cloud computing field, the Group is contributing to the transformation of the entire supply chain with a holistic vision and personalised solutions.
The pervasiveness of the ACES paradigm (Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared) is increasingly conditioning the automotive sector, pushing it towards greater sustainability of industrial activity and vehicles themselves. An important development area concerns the design of autonomous and semi-autonomous driving systems, where Reply sits alongside the manufacturers in designing architecture and application solutions.
Reply is also active in the development of V2i connectivity platforms (Vehicle to Infrastructure) that exploit innovative end-to-end architectures for the management of the next generation of integrated services with traffic and electric charging infrastructures. With its cross-industry skills, the Group supports the dialogue between car manufacturers, utilities and third-party players in the creation of advanced mobility ecosystems.
Integrating data-driven marketing solutions, augmented/virtual reality and 3D systems, Reply is supporting the sector in the digitisation of pre-sales and sales processes. Virtual showrooms, e-commerce, and open finance solutions guide the potential buyer in relation to the configuration of the model, the subscription of value-added services, and requesting instant credit.
Energy & Utilities
Reply has consolidated experience in the energy & utility sector, with its knowledge of the main market dynamics and the ability to design, implement and manage solutions for some of the main operators in the sector. This ranges from energy & demand management to the management of new mobility services and charging of electric vehicles, up to smart grid solutions, asset management, forecasting and generation from renewables.
In 2022, the trend towards a global energy crisis that began to emerge during the pandemic, has accelerated the transition by energy producers and distributors towards a more sustainable and secure energy system, Driven by global carbon neutrality objectives, the main operators are investing in technological innovation projects, to become increasingly resilient.
Leveraging skills and solutions based on the cloud, IoT, big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, Reply is supporting operators in developing new tools to evolve energy component forecasting and monitoring processes, optimise operations, and activate new services and interaction patterns with consumer and enterprise customers.
Financial Institutions
Reply supports the main European players in the banking and insurance sector, combining a distinctive specialisation in the most relevant technologies, with significant knowledge of the regulatory framework, market dynamics and the evolving needs of operating and business models. In 2022, its leadership has been consolidated in European markets, by expanding its presence in Germany and France.
In addition to regulatory developments, technology has been the main driver of change in recent years, obtaining benefits in terms of the income statement and the balance sheet. In fact, financial institutions are increasingly becoming ”tech companies” and to be successful they must innovate the entire value chain they manage (sales/distribution, operations, procurement).
Artificial intelligence, digital assets, and re-platforming of legacy infrastructures are key themes in the investment plans of banks, insurance companies, asset managers and other financial operators. Cloud computing plays the role of supporting innovation projects. This ranges from payments to wealth management, from customer onboarding to process optimisation and efficiency.
Government & Healthcare
Reply’s activity in the government context is strongly oriented towards the design and implementation of an interoperable public administration, with the integration of big data and open data, artificial intelligence and deep learning, cloud and new architectures. The technologies are applied to improve the relationship with users and govern internal business processes.
In the healthcare and pharmaceutical fields, Reply has developed a suite of services based on territory-based healthcare, combining traditional skills in healthcare services (cost optimisation, process digitisation, electronic health records, management of healthcare materials and logistics), with skills in life science innovation, and solutions based on artificial intelligence at the service of new areas of bioinformatics (genomics, radiomics, predictive and precision medicine, digital pathology). It has also strengthened its offering to hospitals and telemedicine services and products, implementing its vision on the patient journey and health population management, improving the efficiency of monitoring and treatment processes from a connected care perspective and through promoting the ”One-Health” model. The model aims to enhancing the possibilities of treatment and prevention deriving from the connection between data, technologies and applications of the health sector with those of the pharmaceutical, environmental, food and welfare industries.
Logistics
In 2022, Reply developed solutions aimed at the logistics processes of various industries, including fashion, retail, automotive, healthcare and food & beverage. These solutions specialised in the management of flows of raw materials, finished products, fleets and automated warehouses. Reply’s logistics expertise is recognised by several analysts, including Gartner, which included the LEA Reply platform in the ”Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems 2022”.
Reply is supporting customers in the design and rollout of new distribution methods for e-commerce and quick-commerce, thanks to the implementation of micro-fulfilment centres and ”just in time” processes. This support also includes the adoption of electric vehicles, robots and drones in intra-logistics contexts, enabled by the Internet of Things.
In 2022, the areas of intervention have been further extended to sustainability and de-carbonisation of the supply chain, omnichannel models, and the adoption of flexible working models in the logistics and transport fields. Thanks to partnerships with leading industrial and logistics companies, experiments in the field of computer vision, autonomous goods delivery and wearables have also been strengthened.
Manufacturing
The digitisation of industrial procurement, production and maintenance processes is increasingly transforming production plants into open and flexible ecosystems, capable of improving management communication flows and supply chains, obtaining benefits of cost reduction and maximising results.
Following this trend, in 2022 Reply supported numerous European industrial groups in the process of adopting specific cloud-native Digital Manufacturing Platforms. Reply has supported customers in a number of other relevant areas in relation to this complex transformational process: Procurement; control and planning systems based on the new cloud-native generations of ERP, MOM and MES; production planning and control; and in the integration with supply logistics networks.
Reply’s skills extend from planning and control to product lifecycle management, with significant experience in implementing solutions from partner vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, and from its own portfolio of platforms and accelerators, such as Brick Reply (MES) and Axulus Reply (Industrial Internet of Things). Particular attention is dedicated to the development of Industrial IoT solutions, as well as underlying new generations of connected products and services.
Retail
In 2022, retailers invested significantly in evolving business models, driven by pressure on margins due to rising costs (energy, transport and human resources). Customers have been price-sensitive but at the same time have shown a need for personalised experiences, high-quality services and fast delivery.
Reply has been involved in several initiatives to address these challenges by creating consistent and personalised omnichannel experiences and supporting relevant brands in the implementation, launch and management of engagement and sales platforms.
Reply is also supporting operators in this sector to understand the potential of the new Web3 models. Leveraging its technical capabilities and industry knowledge, Reply has developed several accelerators, including a virtual point of sale solution in the metaverse connected as a new channel to customer engagement platforms. This ”showcase” in the metaverse is allowing retailers to gain a better understanding of the future dynamics in their industry.
Telco & Media
In recent years, as hyperscalers were progressively expanding their presence in the traditional telco space with business models based on innovative technological capabilities, players in the industry have made massive investments in conventional assets, without redefining the underlying technologies. To overcome this trend, Reply is now supporting telcos in their transformation to software-based operators, starting with the redefinition of their technological foundations and creating cloud platforms capable of managing the entire technological stack, from network access to front-end channels, and in the definition of new business models enabled by composable architectures.
The evolution of the Telco market requires not only the massive adoption of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud and Edge Computing and the Internet of Things, but also the renewal of Business Support Systems (BSS), so that they can be integrated into a technological context oriented towards value-added services where Telco operators become increasingly Service Providers. Reply has significant specialist experience in these areas and has also built a strong positioning not only on BSSs but also in infrastructure areas, specializing in Network Engineering, Network Operations and Network Testing & Validation.
In the Media sector, publishers are reacting to the profound crisis of traditional channels, which is leading to a search for innovative digital solutions and new products that can satisfy customer preferences. Reply is supporting relevant European players in the process of converging offers, contributing to the design and implementation of new bundles made up of fixed/mobile broadband connectivity, value-added services and premium editorial or TV content.
Over the years, Reply consolidated its leadership in different markets by combining a constant vocation for innovation with an offer structured on the main pillars of digital evolution.
Artificial Intelligence & Automation
Artificial Intelligence is the technological area that saw the greatest acceleration in 2022. The market’s attention on the results of generative AI systems, such as Dall-e and ChatGPT, and the search for efficiency has prompted companies to deepen their knowledge and adopt systems for the automatic creation of images, texts, and videos. Reply capitalised on the work done in the last two years on leading platforms such as GPT-3, offering customers the possibility of using artificial intelligence as an accelerator of both business processes and operations.
Reply has also consolidated its experience in the field of artificial intelligence applied to industrial contexts with specific projects related to quality control, predictiveness, cybersecurity, and automation of operational tasks. This is supporting the introduction of efficient and flexible business processes, in a concept of ”hybrid work”.
Projects combining machine learning and natural language processing have been developed in the field of financial services, e.g. in the field of fraud detection and for real-time credit score/rating calculation. In the healthcare sector Reply has developed specific applications based on AI models aimed at the analysis of radiological images, drug research, and personalised treatment plans.
In the field of customer interaction, AI technologies have been used to analyse data or customer sentiment, but above all, to create the intelligence component linked to digital humans. In 2022, the development of digital human beings guided by artificial intelligence has enriched a catalogue of solutions aimed, in particular, at customer relationship management.
The development of edge AI solutions, which involve running artificial intelligence algorithms directly on edge devices instead of sending data to the cloud for processing, has also seen a significant increase in 2022. In recent months, Reply has participated in the development of edge AI solutions for the manufacturing and energy/utilities sectors.
A particular field of artificial intelligence is the automation applied to business processes. The insurance sector has been among the most active in this regard, particularly in the automation of back offices and document management services. Thanks to a large ecosystem of partnerships with vendors and start-ups, the creation of accelerators allowed Reply to support customers in areas where automation makes it possible to deal with enormous amounts of data. This includes extracting key information and reacting quickly, even in an automated manner, such as in procurement, supply chain, and risk management.
The push towards hyperautomation has also seen the enhancement of AI-powered software engineering. Developers are benefiting from greater efficiency and reliability of the code, which is completed, evaluated, and made secure in near-real time by automatic systems. Therefore, artificial intelligence is increasingly intervening in the development, testing, and deployment phases of software solutions, improving the efficiency of teams.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the architectural reference in all the solutions developed by Reply for its customers. With significant experience in the design and deployment of complex multi-cloud and hybrid architectures, Reply supports companies operating in several industries like manufacturing, financial services, automotive, utilities, and retail in the migration from legacy systems to the cloud and launch of innovative cloud-native projects.
Global strategic partnerships with AWS, Microsoft, Google and Oracle support Reply’s ability to maintain and evolve solutions and services in the Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Function-as-a-Service models. Reply’s proven ability to work with multi-platform architectures allows companies to easily integrate proprietary cloud-native platforms and Software-as-a-Service offered by global partners such as Adobe, Salesforce, and SAP.
As part of its commitment to sustainable technology, Reply is investing in GreenOps methodology and technologies like edge computing, which brings computation and data storage closer to the user, resulting in reduced data transfer and lower energy consumption. This move towards edge computing has opened up new opportunities for the development of innovative applications and services, with faster response times and improved user experiences.
In 2022, Reply consolidated its expertise in fields like observability and site reliability engineering (SRE) and of the CAFFE (Cloud Adoption Framework for Enterprise) structured cloud adoption methodology. In addition, Reply strengthened its ability to design, implement and evolve cloud governance and FinOps solutions, helping optimise investments and recurring infrastructure costs for customers.
Cybersecurity
In the last two years, to deal with a continuous increase in cybercrime and geopolitical tensions, Reply has responded with a significant expansion in its ability to assist its customers in the protection, security, and compliance of applications, infrastructures, data, and IoT devices.
In the area of detection and response to cyber threats, Reply has developed significant experience in setting up systems such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR), providing customers with high reaction speed and risk containment.
With the adoption of the DevSecOps paradigm, the joint Reply-customer development teams instil the culture of IT security in the application design and development cycle. Furthermore, the automation of test activities supported by artificial intelligence strengthens the reliability of the code.
In 2022, in addition to the technical skills of information risk management, Reply consolidated a strong knowledge of the legal and regulatory context. In the enterprise and consumer sectors, particular attention was paid to the world of data protection and privacy, as well as data from IoT devices.
Digital Experience & Customer Interaction
Through its global network of communications agencies and specialised technological companies, Reply offers a range of digital solutions that help organisations build exceptional digital experiences for all their stakeholders, including customers and employees. From defining brand strategies to creating omnichannel experiences and deploying underlying processes, Reply leverages its distinctive capacity to link technology, data, and creativity, with solid methodologies and relevant partnerships with major vendors.
By supporting the design of engaging ”phygital” user experiences that are consistent with brands’ values, Reply helps companies create flexible and modular digital experience platforms (DXP) and sales solutions that can manage content, communications, and the commerce of goods and services. Reply’s technological capacity supports companies in adopting headless architectures, where the digital experience is combined with efficient order management and delivery processes, regardless of the goods delivery channel.
To ensure that both customers and operators have complete visibility into their operations, Reply integrates customer data platforms (CDP), ERP, and supply chain systems, creating a fluid, people-centric, and hyper-personalised brand experience. Partnerships with leading CRM solution providers allow companies to enhance customer interactions with advanced analytics solutions leveraging zero-party and first-party data while safeguarding customer privacy.
For Reply, one area of particular focus is the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning to drive greater personalisation in digital experiences, boosting engagement and driving sales. On top of this focus is the integration of social media and messaging systems into digital experience platforms. By enabling customers to interact with brands through multiple channels and touchpoints, Reply helps clients create a seamless and cohesive brand experience that deepens customer loyalty.
In 2022, Reply supported clients in the entertainment, fashion, and gaming sectors with the launch of digital experiences based on Web3 pillars such as NFT, spatial computing, mixed reality, 3D, and blockchain. As the ”Decentralised Web” continues to evolve, companies and consumers will increasingly experience immersive experiences in the metaverse. The development of more secure and flexible digital identities will be supported by the adoption of avatars and 3D photo-realistic digital humans interacting with natural voices.
Internet of Things
For Reply, IoT is one of the most mature technological domains, thanks to significant experience in both the industrial and consumer fields. The widespread diffusion of sensors is enabling new business models, especially in the enterprise environment. The market is seeing a growing diffusion of connected products and devices, supported by cloud-based services and increasingly sophisticated IT security systems, again with links to artificial intelligence.
The growth of edge computing has made possible a new era of connected products, primarily cars and industrial vehicles. Connected vehicles make it possible to improve safety, energy optimisation, comfort and onboard entertainment. They are also an important first step towards autonomous driving.
In manufacturing contexts, Industrial IoT systems are used to collect data on machinery, company fleets and connected products, to favour the predictability of maintenance, the improvement of production processes and the efficiency of logistics systems They can also gather useful information for the design of new products and services.
In 2022, in addition to developing numerous projects in the manufacturing, energy and insurance fields, Reply strengthened the laboratories dedicated to the safety and testing of connected products. Reply also continued the development of the Breed Reply incubator, operating globally in the selection of internationally promising start-ups and scale-ups in the Internet of Things and deep-tech space.
Reply’s in-depth knowledge of the industries in which its customers operate ensures it can design, implement and evolve numerous solutions featuring a rapid time to market and broad customisation flexibility.
Axulus Reply
Axulus Reply is the Reply solution for cloud-based Industrial IoT operations management, which provides different predefined frameworks on specific use cases for the digitisation of manufacturing companies. The tool offers a modular approach, with templates and libraries that allow companies to identify possible scenarios, simulate the added value, configure the most suitable technical solutions and implement them through the adoption of scalable workflows, up to the production environment.
Brick Reply
Brick Reply is the platform dedicated to the digital transformation of industrial operations. Thanks to its micro-service architecture, a set of vertical applications that can be used on the move, and the strong connectivity capacity with machinery and sensors, Brick Reply provides a flexible tool for supervising and controlling production activities. The platform allows predictive management of operations, exploiting artificial intelligence techniques applied to data collected from the field and managed in the cloud. Among the various innovations introduced in 2022, connectors were implemented to link the main ERP solutions on the market, primarily SAP 4HANA and Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions.
China Beats Reply
China Beats Reply is Reply’s marketing intelligence and social listening platform dedicated to understanding the Chinese market and its vast data ecosystem. It connects to all major Chinese e-commerce platforms, search engines and social media. News streams, patent databases, and publicly available open data sources are also integrated. The platform collects relevant data related to different industries, including automotive, fashion, consumer goods, and technology.
Discovery Reply
Discovery Reply is Reply’s Enterprise Digital Experience Management platform, which centralises the management of images, video, audio, documents and data in a secure, fast and complete way it maintains full control over the entire life cycle of digital assets and products, from loading to enrichment to distribution on the different channels. Integrating artificial intelligence technologies simplifies the management of content classification processes with the aim of making it easily searchable and improving team collaboration in terms of workflow effectiveness and efficiency.
Lea Reply
LEA Reply is the Reply platform designed for making supply chains efficient, agile and connected. It is built as a suite of micro-services that cover different supply chain execution processes, including warehouse management, inventory, distribution, delivery and store logistics. LEA Reply integrates AI technologies, robotics, machine learning and IoT with a roadmap of constant extension of the service offerings. For example, the new ”Resource Planning” service is dedicated to the efficiency and optimisation of available resources.
Pulse Reply
Pulse Reply is a data-driven insight solution. The platform combines data science and marketing intelligence into one dashboard and includes advanced data modelling and visualisation capabilities. Pulse Reply is designed to allow users to monitor business performance and support forecasting. With the integration of machine learning algorithms, Pulse Reply can automatically notify users when changes in a KPI are detected, as well as providing evidence for the reasons behind these changes and explaining their potential impact.
Sonar Reply
Sonar Reply is the Reply platform dedicated to data-driven trend research, developed in collaboration with the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). The solution was designed to offer a user experience similar to that of search engines and is intended not only for data analysis professionals but also for researchers and journalists. The core element of Sonar Reply’s architecture is an ever-expanding database that currently includes over 40 million indexed scientific publications, patents, expert blogs, news articles and other documents.
TamTamy Reply
Conceived as an Enterprise Social Network platform to facilitate communication and collaboration within companies, TamTamy now supports several projects dedicated to training and human resource management. Among the specialisations, some TamTamy versions are dedicated to sales networks, online event management and the creation of supplier portals. In 2022, the ”Digital Experience Platform” cloud solution was launched for the construction of secure, fast and easy-to-manage public sites using a no-code visual editor.
Ticuro Reply
Ticuro Reply enables processes to support prevention and continuity of care even remotely, according to the connected care model for digital healthcare. Delivered in SaaS mode, it takes advantage of IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) technology to connect to medical devices, multi-parameter and environmental wearable sensors greater and continuous collaboration between patients, caregivers and healthcare staff from remote locations, both in the prevention phase and the more critical treatment and rehabilitation phases.
X-Rais Reply
X-RAIS Reply is Reply’s artificial intelligence solution to support radiological diagnosis processes through deep learning. It is specialised in different diagnostic methods and specific anatomical regions and can support medical diagnosis processes through medical techniques of image recognition. In 2022, the training of the identification model of micro-calcifications in mammography was completed.
To offer the most suitable solutions for the different needs of companies, Reply has established important partnerships with the main global vendors. In particular, Reply presents the highest level of certification on leading enterprise technologies from partners such as Adobe, AWS, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, and SAP.
Adobe
The main areas of collaboration between Adobe and Reply are marketing automation, digital information management and digital asset management. In these domains, Reply develops solutions that allow optimised targeting, personalisation, and optimisation of content, while ensuring efficient marketing operations and high-level user experience.
The growing geographical coverage of the Reply/Adobe partnership (Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, and USA) allows client companies to have a single partner capable of integrating application developments, customisations of Adobe products and knowledge of different industries. With significant experience on the Adobe Experience Platform, Reply is an Adobe Platinum Partner and AEM Specialised Partner at the EMEA level.
AWS
Reply has been confirmed by AWS, for the ninth consecutive year, in the restricted global circle of Premier Consulting Partners. Particular experience has been gained over the years in the cloud migration of large company systems. Reply offers cloud computing services, content processing and distribution and end-to-end support ranging from the creation and integration of custom applications and platforms to 24/7 maintenance and management services.
Reply has certified skills in Data & Analytics, DevOps, Oracle, Migration, IoT, Industrial Software, SaaS, Machine Learning, Financial Services, Security, Retail and Energy, as well as those related to the Managed Service Program and Well-Architected Program. In 2022, AWS recognised Reply as the ”best system integrator’ and ”best security partner’ for the EMEA area.
Reply consolidated its partnership with Google at the Premier level through specialised companies operating in Europe, the United Kingdom and the USA, collaborating with the Google Ads and Google Cloud divisions. With Google Ads, Reply has obtained certifications in Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and Apps.
In relation to consulting services and system integration on Google Cloud technologies, Reply has been recognised for its specialisations in Machine Learning, Infrastructure, Cloud Migration and Expertise in Conversational Design, Data Lake Modernisation, Data Warehouse Modernisation, Application Modernisation, and Security Analytics & Operations. Through its partner companies of Google Cloud, Reply has been confirmed as part of the Managed Services Provider initiative for 2023.
Microsoft
Reply is a global partner of Microsoft, thanks to a large network of highly specialised companies in terms of industries and technologies. It operates in Europe, the United Kingdom, the USA and Brazil. Reply designs, builds and distributes solutions on the three Microsoft clouds: Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. In 2022, based on close collaboration and delivered projects, Reply obtained the status of Microsoft Globally Managed Partner, becoming one of the few Global Microsoft partners to earn all Microsoft Solutions Partner designations in the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.
Over the years, the collaboration between Reply and Microsoft developed significantly in different fields: from migrations to the cloud, to the development of solutions based on IoT, metaverse, artificial intelligence and robotics. Furthermore, it is built upon a strong specialisation in the implementation of modern work platforms to help companies support rapidly evolving hybrid working models.
Oracle
Reply has seen a growing recognition of ”Service Expertise” for the OCI and Oracle Cloud Application offerings, confirming itself among the leading Oracle Cloud Service Providers in the world, and representing a point of reference for managed services on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Reply also stood out for its time to market of the new Oracle Lakehouse platform, being nominated among the Oracle strategic partners for the projects implemented on this solution. The Group has developed several strategic projects based on Oracle Xstore, CX Unity and marketing automation solutions. It has also confirmed its leadership in the ERP and SCM fields thanks to several international deployments based on ERP Cloud and Netsuite technologies.
Salesforce
Reply is a Salesforce Consulting Partner with certifications and experts in Europe and the USA. Reply’s skills cover the entire Salesforce offer: Sales, Service and Marketing, Commerce for B2B and B2C, Integration with Mulesoft, Analytics with Tableau and Collaboration with Slack. Furthermore, Reply’s experts work with various Salesforce extensions for CPQ, Field Service Lightning, Pardot and Einstein AI.
Reply is one of the few Salesforce experts in the world in the automotive sector and has been recognised as an Automotive Cloud Launch Partner by Salesforce. In addition, Salesforce awarded Reply ”Implementation Partner of the Year” for the DACH region in 2022 and ”Community Impact Partner” for its commitment to equality, diversity and sustainable development, as well as its active participation in the Salesforce Talent Alliance.
SAP
In 2022 Reply extended its SAP offer to the US market, becoming one the most competent global SAP service providers, and recognised as a leading innovator among over 20,000 SAP partners. This development led to the victory of the SAP Pinnacle Award 2022 in the Customer Excellence category, which recognises Reply’s outstanding contributions as an SAP partner. In addition, Reply received the ”SAP Quality Award” for the ninth consecutive year in recognition of the quality and relevance of its activities.
Reply is investing in the new SAP sustainability portfolio and its integration into the entire digital value chain. Together, Reply and SAP are collaborating in the IT Sustainability User Group, an initiative started in 2022 by Reply and co-founders like SAP.
In 2022, Reply activated different international working groups between IT professionals, user experience experts and industry specialists. Their research and development activity allows them to monitor innovations on the market and accelerate new solutions’ time to market.
Metaverse & Digital Humans
The metaverse and digital human technologies are rapidly maturing, allowing companies to re-design their interaction with customers. To support customers from different sectors in exploiting these new virtual worlds, Reply leverages its significant expertise in real-time 3D, artificial intelligence and blockchain, as well as international experience with Reply Game Studios in games and augmented, virtual, and mixed reality applications.
Reply started various initiatives to help its customers adopt the different technologies and new operational and organisational methods needed to establish themselves on the main platforms of the metaverse. These areas include 3D modelling, 3D reconstruction of environments, custom world creation, branded experiences, avatar creation, NFTs, and other resources based on extended reality technologies.
Reply is also developing distinctive experiences in the AI-powered Digital Humans area, with customised virtual presence solutions based on real-time tracking and the use of advanced natural language interpretation and generation models. These solutions will support the next generation of brand ambassadors and digital assistants for their stakeholders, including customers and employees.
Web3 & Digital Assets
The technologies that lay the foundation for digital assets, such as blockchain, are growing in importance at an international level, offering new opportunities in various sectors and primarily within the financial industry, both at the banking and insurance level and in more specific areas of asset & wealth management.
Payment tokens, security tokens, utility tokens and NFTs are the main kinds of digital assets. Reply has developed a deep understanding of the specific properties of each asset, allowing its customers to navigate this new phenomenon and supporting them in building journeys and innovative elements in their industries. Reply’s consolidated experience in the key elements of this technology (distributed ledger technology and blockchain) and in the underlying strategic and operational dynamics, enabled it to structure a continuous observatory on digital assets at an international level and to build accelerators that can support and accompany its customers in the definition and subsequent implementation of new services and business models.
Mobility evolution
Thanks to the global drive towards ever more sustainable vehicles, electric mobility is rapidly gaining momentum as a solution to everyday transportation needs. With advances in battery technology and a growing charging infrastructure, electric vehicles are becoming more accessible and affordable.
Carmakers are collaborating with major players in the energy & utilities sector to create connected ecosystems, in which cars and commercial vehicles can use the potential offered by ”Vehicle to Infrastructure” connectivity, optimising their ecological footprint and at the same time increasing the reliability and durability of electric and hybrid mobility.
Reply founded international working groups focused on the development of solutions for charging networks, bi-directional charging, battery lifecycle management and e-mobility platforms. Together with major carmakers, it is advancing autonomous driving experimentations, leveraging its distinctive capabilities in AI, cloud, and edge computing.
Sustainable & Green Innovation
The production and use of computer devices and systems are energy intensive and have a significant impact on the environment. It is important to consider the sustainability of ICT throughout its life cycle, from production to disposal, and in terms of hardware and software. Measuring energy consumption and applying recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol ICT Sector Guidance to assess the impact of ICT are crucial steps towards improving sustainability in the sector.
By focusing on energy-efficient programming and developing best practices in software engineering, cloud and web design, Reply is taking a proactive approach to mitigate the environmental impact of ICT. Matcha Reply, Reply’s proprietary methodology for managing sustainability in projects, follows the principle of integrating sustainability issues into the planning, execution and monitoring of ICT projects, improving their environmental and social impacts and promoting long-term sustainability.
Reply also believes that addressing sustainability in ICT requires collaboration between companies, governments and other stakeholders and actively promotes knowledge sharing, development of new partnerships and co-creation of innovative solutions. With this spirit, Reply has launched the IT Sustainability User Group, in which relevant players from different sectors investigate and test methodologies.
Next-Generation Telco Networks
Historically, telecommunications companies have been heavily tied to their network equipment vendors. This condition has consolidated a model in which architectures are composed of vertical silos and characterised by significant vendor lock-in, with a huge impact on rigidity and costs.
Network softwarisation and Telco Cloud are some of the areas of innovation that are consolidating, now supported by the paradigm of network disaggregation and the availability of edge computing sites, distinctive assets of telcos. Network cloudification aims to implement the network as cloud-native software and leverage established cloud mechanisms to support performance, reliability, and security needs.
After standing out through support with the rollout of numerous network unbundling initiatives, Reply is collaborating with the main international organisations and the major European telcos in the design and standardisation of solutions based on open source and collaborative ecosystems. These solutions can increase the efficiency of broadband and mobile networks, while improving the sustainability of networks and enabling new business and service models.
In the Reply laboratories, prototypes and innovative ideas are developed to have a strategic value for our customers.
Area 42
In Area42 we explore the potential of the most innovative robotics, advanced mobility, virtual reality and metaverse technologies to find areas of application capable of innovating our customers’ business models.
Area 360
Area360 is the laboratory dedicated to the development and testing of real-time 3D interactive immersive experiences and virtual and augmented reality solutions. The focus of the testing is for use in contexts such as training, collaboration, and virtual review of products or projects or to create experiential contact points in the metaverse.
Test Automation Center
Thanks to a proprietary framework and AI/ML-based validation and monitoring techniques, the automation centre monitors the quality of business-critical products and services throughout their entire life cycle, anticipating potential critical issues and setting corrective actions.
IoT Validation Lab
IoT validation laboratories are used to design, integrate, validate and implement IoT connectivity solutions and related products, in an integrated way with assessments of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
Cybersecurity Lab
The cybersecurity lab makes it possible to evaluate different security scenarios applied to contexts such as adaptive cloud security, secure software development lifecycle, network security infrastructure, application and data security and security assessment.
Immersive Experience Lab
the lab tests various areas of application of extended reality. This range from sales to marketing, from design to production, from maintenance to operations, and up to professional training.
As a leader in digital transformation, Reply promotes change towards a more sustainable world and operates in compliance with the highest ethical standards and the rights of future generations. To take concrete action and make change happen, Reply has defined its Green Approach, an ambitious plan to reduce the environmental impact of its business by achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 and net-zero emissions by 2030.
To meet these objectives, Reply is integrating key environmental practices into its business strategy and operations, promoting social and environmental awareness and responsibility among employees, customers, suppliers and all other business stakeholders. Understanding and using technology is the basis of Reply’s mission, with increasing commitment to the creation of IT solutions that are inherently sustainable (green tech) and the development of sustainable projects with the use of IT solutions (for example, solutions based on artificial intelligence to achieve sustainability goals).
Reply’s focus on sustainability issues is also expressed through the management and reporting of activities compliant with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the Communication on Progress (COP), and the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), for increasingly broad and transparent reporting as well as through CDP reporting. The Reply Green Approach is made up of concrete actions in various areas.
Energy and emissions
Purchase of renewable energy
Evolution towards a green fleet with hybrid and electric vehicles
Introduction of energy efficiency improvements in the offices
Expansion of the Reply Forest and activation of a compensation program
Natural resources
Maintenance and extension of certification for environmental management systems (ISO 14001)
Maintenance and extension of certification for environmental management systems (ISO 14001)
Attention to the environment through the reuse of promotional materials
People
Building a safe and positive work environment that is favourable to diversity, inclusion and equal career opportunities
Development of skills and professional careers, through specialisation and technical update courses and workshops on soft skills
Health protection through wellness and prevention initiatives to reinforce the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle
Governance
Compliance with applicable regulations on environmental and human rights issues is an indispensable foundation for maintaining commercial relations with public and private entities
Prevention of inappropriate behaviour in both the public and private sectors
Encouragement of employees to promptly report incorrect behaviour, guaranteeing the possibility of reporting any problem without any consequences on their work activity
Customers and suppliers
Selection of collaborators and the building of virtuous and lasting relationships
Commitment to supporting customers in the challenge of sustainability and the decarbonisation process.
Since its inception, Reply has stood out as a network of professionals from the best universities who have grown together based on strong shared values. Today, this approach has been taken on a global scale. In 2022, with an international market context marked by strong turbulence, Reply vigorously carried forward its plan to insert resources with great potential, supported by a strong link with the academic world of each operating country.
The selection criteria for young graduates are rigorous and concern both the relevance of their university and the distinctiveness of individual curricula. Alongside the selected professionals recruited in particular in emerging markets, they are asked to fully adhere to the Reply value system.
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The Customer is the protagonist of Reply’s value system. Our employees make the customer’s objectives their own and pursue them with a sense of responsibility and high moral integrity while maintaining a collaborative spirit. An annual survey involves all Reply’s customers to detect the level of satisfaction with the activities carried out.
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Excellence is the guiding thread of this value system. The search for quality must be daily and constant, focused on the continuous improvement of own work and the benefits brought to customers. A strong merit-based evaluation system makes it possible to value and reward excellent results every year.
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Innovation must be the essential and daily element of all projects, which must be carried out with a pragmatic approach, combining courage in choices and the ability to discern the most suitable solutions for the context, not only from an IT perspective. Internal reward systems reward the most innovative ideas and projects.
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Speed has established itself over time as a speciality of Reply teams in the market. The capitalisation of the experiences gained and the collaboration with the main vendors allows us to respond in a quick and measured way to the needs of the customers. A strong shared methodology accelerates designs and implementations.
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Teamwork is the glue of the Reply approach. The younger professionals bring the skills acquired in their academic career by joining teams led by people who have followed the same path, and who have been progressively recognised as having seniority, leadership and knowledge transfer skills.
The result of the integration between a strong value system and constant attention to the enhancement of competence and knowledge has always allowed Reply to grow organically, putting its people at the centre as protagonists of its offer in the technological, consulting and creative fields.
Having diverse teams, with people of different genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds, educations, experiences and preferences, represents a valuable asset for Reply. Consistent with its values, it has implemented procedures to ensure that employees are compensated fairly and consistently considering the type of job, position and career level and is committed to guaranteeing gender pay equity, while guaranteeing all its employees a wage adjusted to the cost of living in all the countries in which it operates.
To develop a community open to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, the Reply All-Uniquely Diverse program has been defined, which aims to discuss issues related to inclusion and diversity to stimulate continuous improvement. Guided by principles of transparency, fairness and openness to dialogue, new ways of collaborating and learning from each other are proposed. There is a clear awareness that the best solutions and the most innovative ideas arise from this diversity.
Wellbeing
The health and safety of its employees are of fundamental importance to Reply. For this reason, Reply pays particular attention to protecting the health and safety of its employees, by adopting the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the workplace and through training and information activities aimed at preventing and effectively managing the occupational risks associated with the performance of activities. The Covid-19 emergency was managed through recourse to home-based working, an approach already inherent in the Group’s model, without significant changes in normal operations.
The Reply Wellness program has been active since 2018, with various activities divided into three domains: nutrition, fitness and prevention. For each of these categories, there are annual programs and specific activities, linked to global campaigns or specific events.
Continous learning
Aware of the importance of a diversified, inclusive and rewarding workplace, Reply constantly invests in the growth and enhancement of its people, guaranteeing professional development paths and creating the conditions for a collaborative and motivating work environment. Making everyone feel equally involved and supported is important for improving everyday working life and for creating an environment in which to nurture ideas and innovation.
The professional development of people is consistently promoted by continuous training activities. For this reason, in 2022, Reply continued to invest in skills development and professional career development support programs, specialisation and technical refresher courses, and soft skills workshops. Furthermore, the internal ”Social Network” office acts as an enabler for skills improvement thanks to a training program with user-generated content, allowing Reply employees to act as lecturers and speakers on trending topics of interest to the company.
Attention to the development of talents and skills is encouraged and applied not only within the employee community but also externally, to students and professionals who participate in a variety of activities aimed at them. Among the various programs, there are post-graduate masters, online team competitions on the main themes of innovation or for the production of innovative projects, and collaborations with teams of university students during their academic careers.
Climate change and environmental sustainability represent a challenge for everyone, but also an opportunity. For this reason, Reply has defined guidelines and a road map of actions to reduce its emissions and achieve carbon neutrality targets by 2025 and net-zero emissions by 2030.
The main initiatives of this plan concern:
The continuous monitoring of its emissions on the widest possible scope, including indirect emissions;
The transition to 50% electricity from renewable sources in all countries by 2025;
The evolution towards a green fleet, with the target of 30% of hybrid/electric vehicles in 2025;
The introduction of energy efficiency improvements in all offices by 2030 (in Italy);
The adoption of the Environmental Policy guidelines to reduce and monitor the impact of corporate activities on the environment;
The establishment and expansion of the Reply Forest to absorb tons of CO2 and to support reforestation;
Neutralising the impacts of residual emissions with carbon removal offsets. Although carbon reduction is the primary objective of our sustainability actions, residual emissions will have to be offset.
Added to these is Reply’s commitment to achieving zero-waste status by 2030, reusing and recycling wherever possible and creating limited edition gifts for employees who actively contribute to the initiatives. Furthermore, through the Reply to the Earth program, Reply raises awareness among employees to be attentive to their environmental impact during their daily work, for example through the choice of sustainable mobility or the use of recycled materials.
Reply sees compliance with regulations as an indispensable foundation in the management of commercial relations with public and private entities. The Group, in addition to acting in compliance with the national regulations in force in the countries in which it operates, carries out its activities by pursuing sustainable and inclusive growth, operating in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and adhering to the principles promoted by the United Nations Global Compact.
The Code of Ethics establishes, explains and formalises Reply’s values and guides all its staff on how to behave and act in the right way in their daily activities, with customers, suppliers, and business partners. Its adoption by all employees makes it possible to create and maintain a common ethical culture among the teams, allowing everyone to act in line with Reply’s values.
In all the countries in which Reply operates, specific channels have been set up for sending reports. In particular, the Whistleblowing Policy is active, aimed at encouraging employees to promptly report incorrect conduct, guaranteeing the possibility of reporting any problem without any consequences on their working activity. In addition to compliance with laws and regulations, there is the security of information systems, which is a fundamental requirement for guaranteeing the reliability of the processed information, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the services provided by the company. To ensure information security and privacy aspects in the services provided, Reply has adopted a framework, which is aimed in particular at preserving:
Confidentiality, ensuring that data is accessible only to authorised users and systems;
Integrity, safeguarding the correctness, completeness, and accuracy of the data;
Availability, ensuring that authorised users and systems have access to data when needed.
Reply also involves its suppliers in sustainability initiatives aimed at raising awareness of these issues and gathering ideas for internal sustainability projects. In 2021, the Supplier Code of Conduct was introduced, which integrates the provisions already present in the Code of Ethics and defines the standards that suppliers must respect in terms of labour laws and human rights, worker safety, and environmental sustainability. Reply implements all actions aimed at requesting and monitoring compliance with the rules and practices of the Code of Conduct and, in the event of non-compliance with these minimum criteria, the appropriate countermeasures to be implemented are evaluated.
To assess the compliance of the supply chain with the Code of Conduct, the first Self Evaluation campaign was launched in 2022, managed by suppliers through completion of a self-assessment questionnaire.
Finally, Reply is constantly updated on the latest insights on ESG issues from non-governmental organisations, the academic world, and industry trends. This allows the Group to update its frameworks and best practices and be at the forefront in terms of sustainability.
