Capgemini S.A. is focused on helping customers transition into a new age of technology tools. In combination with VMware, Inc., Capgemini is seeking to help customers enhance their businesses through social, mobile, analytics, or the cloud. These services, and implementing them with customers, is Capgemini’s “sweet spot.”

Sheryl Chamberlain, Capgemini VP and Global Partner Executive, sat down with Dave Vellante and John Furrier on theCUBE at VMworld 2014 to discuss Capgemini methodology and upcoming trends in the tech world.

Open source drives collaboration and new ventures

Capgemini takes a customer-centric approach, Chamberlain said. First, they listen to what the business is trying to achieve from data and analytics. Then, then go to their tech partners and figure out what solutions will best serve their customers.

New open source technologies, in addition to an atmosphere of openness, have opened up what Chamberlain called a “new world of collaboration.” Momentum, she mentioned, has been building around open source the Internet of Things. A few questions that Chamberlain has been collaboratively investigating include: “How can we use the information that we’re getting as we’re using our devices?” And “how can we integrate the next generation of success?”

Read more after the video.

Big industries using new tech to solve old problems

Capgemini is transforming along with their customers. While it’s maintained focus on the stack, Chamberlain said that Capgemini noticed that “customers are consuming smaller amounts of technology.” Many customers have already made transformative changes to their infrastructure, and are now tying to solve specific business problems. Capgemini is concentrating on helping businesses figure out how to best the data they’re collecting from customers.

Some of the concrete ways Capgemini facilitating customer change are through Cloudification and SaaSification. Capgemini becomes part of business teams that make the decision-making process when changes occur.

Use case: Agriculture

Chamberlain used an agriculture company as an example. “They need to understand what’s going on in the field.” Capgemini can help that customer understand trends, like “when water will be more important or not important.” By facilitating data analysis, Chamberlain said that Capgemini can help the company figure out how to get more crops out of the land in the most effective way.

Use case: Retail

She also cited the retail business as an industry hungry for transformative technology because brick-and-mortar retailers now have to compete with online stores. A shoe company, Chamberlain posited, might be able to use an app to eliminate the waiting process and gain a better, faster understanding of their inventory. That way, in-store customers get faster answers to their questions and access to more knowledgeable customer service.

Next stop: Brazil

Shifting gears, Vellante asked Chamberlain to comment on Capgemini’s investment in Brazil. Capgemini considers Brazil to be a center of excellence because it is blossoming with new industries and new markets. Top Brazilian companies are looking for innovative technology, which is exactly what Capgemini finds most exciting.

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