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Highlights

00:05 — Aaron introduces the latest Back @ IT episode, explaining the Oracle Industry Lab’s aim to give people hands-on experiences with the latest technology and physically experience its real-world impact.

01:27 — Oracle continues to focus on industry-specific solutions and outcomes for its customers; a topic the company will dive into during its keynote segment at the Cloud Wars Expo in June.

01:43 — Aaron is joined by Vice President of Oracle Industry Lab Burcin Kaplanoglu to learn more about the lab’s impact and big-picture goals.

02:49 — Burcin describes how he arrived at the Oracle Industry Lab, including nearly 17 years of experience in the construction engineering industry. The experience fueled an idea to build a construction site to simulate real-world use cases and solve customer problems.

04:23 — Implementing a simulated environment and scaling to multiple locations proved its value — according to Burcin, simulating real-world cases resolved nearly 80% of issues that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

05:07 — Bringing things to life and seeing outcomes firsthand pays off with customers.

05:58 — In the first 18 months of operations, Oracle had over 2,000 engagements from people all over the world. The lab, which began as a double-wide trailer, now occupies a three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility. The project has grown to facilitate multiple industries that learn from each other’s experiences.

07:42 — The lab has also proven value in fueling a partner ecosystem. Burcin describes Skydio‘s indoor autonomous drone testing within the new warehouse site.

10:02 — In another example, Burcin described the use of the lab featuring tools designed to provide precise measurements in plane manufacturing.

11:09 — The “why” behind a cloud company investing in physically testing and validating solutions is simple: To work with customers and co-innovate, to be good custodians of data, and to show evolving use cases when engaging with customers.

12:24 — Aaron discusses drone-captured data to facilitate quality assurance processes. Wrangling data points together into contextual, sensible information that can lead to better decision-making will become even more important as the mass of available data grows.

13:52 — Making sense of data is a complex process, particularly as industry data remains largely siloed. What each individual company has “is not enough” — more data is needed to reach the desired business outcomes.

15:19 — The drive to better contextualize data is in service of the customer.

16:00 — In a recent press release, Oracle announced new labs in both Chicago and England. the U.K. lab is focused on mobility and sustainability. It includes a train station, roads, a construction site, “food and beverage chaos,” and everything needed to fully simulate autonomous transportation. Lab capabilities are constantly evolving.

18:52 — Burcin clarifies the lab is not to be confused with a demo center. While capable of demonstrations, its main goal is to identify the technology, skills, and Oracle tech needed to solve problems.

20:45 — Emphasis on the experiential continues to take shape in the post-pandemic environment. Expectations endured a massive shift as workers operated outside corporate offices. Oracle’s new test site provides the ability to “show, don’t tell” when it comes to new products.

22:38 — Upon building the initial site, which consisted of a trailer, a steel structure, and a fence, the superintendent attached RFID tags with duct tape. The tags stayed in place through harsh conditions for 18 months, long enough that Burcin still jokingly claims the most important lab finding remains the power of duct tape.

23:55 — There is tremendous value in simplifying rather than overcomplicating things.

24:33 — Aaron and Burcin close with key takeaways. Burcin encourages CXOs to focus on their end-users — the industry professionals getting hands-on experience with these tools. Figuring out what the end-user needs and providing it accelerates adoption.

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Web3, Blockchain, and NFTs continue to grab a lot of attention, but what do they really mean? And what types of opportunities exist? Behind the scenes, a lot of companies are building unique solutions on top of blockchain to deliver a new way of doing business. This is creating the potential for better transparency, crafting new NFT valuations, and redefining what Web3 could be.

To help me decipher all of this is Susan Falola. She is the Founder of JUUBIX, a Go Global Award Winner – Frontrunner in Fintech 2021, a Strategic innovator, blockchain and NFT expert, and a strong advocate of DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Highlights01:32 — Introducing Susan Falola, CEO and Creative Director at JUUBIX.

02:34 — What is JUUBIX? Susan explains the business of providing stakeholders as a service and establishing an entirely new collaborative marketplace for talent, companies, and investors. The JUUBIX ecosystem immerses users in emerging technology services, such as NFTs, the Metaverse, and blockchain products to explore innovative new sources of revenue.

05:10 — The Metaverse introduces the conjunction of physical, digital, and virtual aspects of business. The emergence of new technologies also means new challenges—and potential for innovative solutions—to fill gaps in a given product or service. JUUBIX is an example of a model that successfully identifies and fills those technological gaps.

06:17 — When it comes to emerging technologies, networks can experience rapid growth, due to the vast pool of knowledge available worldwide. JUUBIX connects collaborators anonymously through interests, skills, and needs and thus naturally adopts a diversity of ideas.

08:58 — The model overrides any biases, intentional or otherwise, when seeking the right person or skillset to fulfill a need.

10:28 — There are more opportunities with blockchain technology beyond the trending topics in the news like crypto and NFTs. Blockchain is an infrastructure providing unmatched levels of transparency in the supply chain.

12:15 — How does blockchain technology relate to the community-driven value of NFTs?

15:22 — The JUUBIX ecosystem naturally converts users into the network’s assets. So, how does blockchain technology relate to those assets’ increase in value as user skillsets are repeatedly validated?

17:41 — AI aids the process of sorting through massive volumes of data and developing an algorithm capable of providing intuitive evaluations of potential collaborators in the JUUBIX network.

20:29 — There are use cases for empowering individual employees, investors, entrepreneurs, and those who might be overlooked due to gender, ethnicity, or level of experience.

22:58 — Creating a network of anonymized stakeholder connections is just one of the countless possibilities emerging technologies have created, despite the spotlight hovering almost exclusively on crypto and NFT news.

25:10 — Watch for Susan’s upcoming publication, “Metaverse or Meta-for-the-worse?”

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Yes, we’ve all seen and heard commercials about 5G for our personal phones. But there’s much more to it than that. Think about the huge need inside of the industrial IoT space or functionality inside of smart factories; or think about utilities, energy, and water communications.

But this doesn’t mean that 5G will solve all the problems. Let’s be real. But it does mean when properly implemented, 5G can unlock new capabilities for the enterprise.

In this special episode, and in conjunction with my recent visit to the Oracle Industry Innovation Lab, I had the opportunity to chat with the Chief Revenue Officer for Verizon Business, Sampath Sowmyanarayan. We dive into 5G, the Verizon Business and Oracle partnership, unique use cases of 5G, the impact across multiple industries, and much more.

“We’re working very closely with the Oracle in their [innovation] lab and one of the things we see in 5G is we can’t go it alone. We work with the three hyperscalers, cloud providers as well – the ecosystem is big. You can use the Verizon 5G network or you can go through any of our partners, but you still get the best.”

• Sampath Sowmyanarayan, CRO Verizon Business

Highlights

03:31 — While we often see commercials for 5G from a personal aspect, there are many opportunities with 5G across the enterprise. There’s also the opportunity for multi-access edge computing. How many companies are recognizing the top benefits from these?

04:33 — There are three major use cases for 5G:

1. Mobility — delivering higher bandwidth and latency
2. Fixed Wireless Access — broadband speeds available wirelessly in a small box
3. Mobile Edge Compute — bringing together the power of the 5G network with the power of the cloud

6:30 — 5G is beneficial for locations such as venues and warehouses. There are many use cases in various industries that started off with basic connectivity and have now grown as 5G has the ability to provide a lot of data at very low latency.

08:45 — Verizon Business is working closely with Oracle in its lab, as they recognize the need for co-innovation and partners with so many B2B use cases. Each lab is dedicated to an industry or vertical. For instance, the lab in Atlanta with Emory University is focused on healthcare.

09:48 — The ecosystem is big—the Verizon Business 5G network can be accessed through a number of its partners. Partner ecosystems have unlocked co-innovation and co-creativity to keep customers at the center.

11:04 — What factors should be considered when getting started with the 5G journey? Firstly, Sampath recommends working with trusted communication and network partners.

12:08 — Secondly, Sampath encourages quickly gaining an understanding of how 5G can change the workflows in your business. What capabilities of 5G can you use to unlock changes in your workflow? How can 5G help with your digital transformation?

12:32 — Further, you need an ecosystem to make it work—there is no one partner that can provide all of the tools.

13:38 — The manufacturing industry seems to be ahead of the curve with 5G adoption.

16:02 — There has been a rise in smart factories popping up. With 5G in industries like manufacturing, it’s more than just what’s running on the line. It’s also about safety, awareness, and quality control.

16:38 — With massive amounts of data flowing, there are many attributes of 5G that benefit this—high speed, low latency, device density, power consumption, and reliability—but its speed and latency are the backbone.

18:18 — Quality control is a critical component.

19:15 — As many companies worldwide have made sustainability a focal point, 5G will play a part in contributing to the sustainability goals. For instance, it helps reduce energy consumption and emissions with workflows. There have also been related use cases with AI and sustainability.

For more in-depth insights on the categories that matter from top experts, register now for the Cloud Wars Expo.

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For far too long, cybersecurity has been viewed as a cost center instead of how it can build real value for businesses. This has led to bad decisions, wrong tech investments, and putting the wrong people in certain positions.

Further, cyberattacks continue to increase in volume and sophistication. If your company is already in a bad state, the cyber-threats will exacerbate the issue and increase the speed of the company’s downfall.

So, what are some of the best ways to help be prepared? How can we develop a cybersecurity mindset from the C-suite on through the rest of the organization?

To help me answer these questions, I’m joined by Robert Wood. Robert is the Chief Information Security Officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a fellow Acceleration Economy Analyst, and co-host of the Cybersecurity as an Enabler channel and speaker at the upcoming Cloud Wars Expo event.

Highlights01:45 — Robert wrote an article discussing how security teams can build value. Oftentimes, building value can be challenging for security teams due to issues of communication.

03:50 — Security teams and leaders need to embrace what and how their organization does to provide value for its stakeholders. With that, they should be considering what positive and even negative impact they can have in the process of delivering value.

05:05 — There needs to be a change in perspective and a zero-trust mindset. Whether or not an action is intentional, the actions of security team members can impact the downstream of delivering value to customers.

07:40 — Is it difficult for security teams to address certain stakeholders without getting too technical? A lot comes down to how the security team communicates.

09:45 — Cybersecurity can become very complicated. Although security has been around for a while, there is still a newness factor when it comes to cybersecurity. This newness factor should be a foundational thing that is discussed at all levels and integrated into all parts of an organization.

11:00 — There are great tools available that can improve security processes. How can security teams balance the overload of tools and stay on top of their responsibilities?

12:10 — The Ambidextrous Organization is a model that Michael Tushman at Harvard introduced. It can be used to evaluate how your organization is extracting value through its operations and how it’s exploring new ways to add value.

13:20 — Sounil Yu has developed a framework called the Cyber Defense Matrix. Essentially, it’s a NIST cybersecurity framework, which involves identifying, protecting, detecting, responding, and recovering. It also includes different asset classes. This can also help identify redundancies.

15:40 — Having a framework or structured way to look at your portfolio is important, as it can better demonstrate your unique solutions.

18:00 — With a rising number of cyberattacks per week and per organization, AI and machine learning tools are playing a role to complement cybersecurity efforts.

22:05 — AI models can learn from scenarios and create synthetic data to create new cybersecurity models.

23:40 — Cybersecurity gets decision support in a variety of ways.

24:20 — President Biden had released a statement about national security. He put an emphasis on better collaboration between the federal government and private sector, critical infrastructure owners, and operators. Further, he suggested they must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors.

25:30 — A major part of better working together and managing collective risk is to continue talking about it to create awareness, maintain people’s focus, and encourage action.

28:30 — Everyone in security should be critically thinking about value—what value does your team bring, but what value do you, as an individual, bring to the organization?

30:45 — Before jumping into AI and machine learning, it’s important to have a good data strategy as well as the right tools, framework, and ecosystems in place. Having a data mindset shift is foundationally important.

33:27 — Also, think in a collective mindset in terms of how you, your team, and your organization are adding value to the broader community.

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Big data and managing that data is bringing big cloud players to the table. And we’re not talking about just any big cloud player – we are talking about Google Cloud jumping out in front with its recently announced Google Cloud BigLake.

My colleague Bob Evans, Founder of Cloud Wars, shared in a recent Cloud Wars Minute that “Google Cloud’s position is now one of no limits, as explained at their data cloud Summit. They are promising limitless innovation, limitless data, limitless reach, scale, and workloads. They put together a lot of new product announcements to try to pull this all together.“

But what does this mean from a practical perspective for those trying to wrangle the data from disparate locations?

In this episode, I’m joined by Pablo Moreno, data scientist, AI expert, Acceleration Economy Analyst, and host of the Data Revolution Channel. We’ll dive into what Google BigLake is, what it means in the “big data” world, and much more.

Highlights00:07 — Google Cloud released its BigLake solution to help people harness data from various locations in this hybrid or multi-cloud world.

01:27 — Pablo considers BigLake as a disruptive idea. It’s a common platform solution to connect every data source, domain, warehouse, and more regardless of the brand or technology. With everything going digital, the idea of having one vendor to provide every solution seems unfeasible, as every cloud, department, and technology has its own needs and focus.

03:41 — Massive data and multi-clouds present some struggles for users. For instance, people could be trying to manage data stored in one place with one type of infrastructure, then go to another cloud database that has a different structure and different purposes. The challenge to overcome here is bringing all of these together and making sense of them.

04:19 — The BigLake toolset enables access to harness the controls on a singular platform and then apply governance on top of that. The key to success with business intelligence tools includes being able to source and unify data from different locations.

07:04 — The solution breaks down the barriers to allow users to bring any data source in, including open data formats. It also enables users to leverage BigQuery as well as have acceleration of performance.

07:44 — How big is big data? In terms of what Google is bringing to the table with BigLake and BigQuery, there are massive volumes of data. So, large companies need to have a platform to harness these large amounts of data.

09:26 — The size of the company is not the only factor that can play into the size of the data. It also depends on who you are and what you do. Big data is just relative to organizational needs.

11:01 — Google Cloud is leveraging its Dataplex component. It’s managing, monitoring, and governing data across these multiple data lakes. So, not only is Google providing the place for data, but it’s also providing the tools to help you manage and govern the data.

11:58 — Having access to such a variety of data from different angles through a common platform requires a certain level of governance and understanding. IT professionals and users need to be aware of what’s happening, their capabilities with that data, and the capabilities of the data.

12:51 — You need to be relocated with security, have enhanced education, and analytical techniques. Further, users need to be educated on ethics and compliance.

13:52 — Google Cloud announced its Data Cloud Alliance. Its core goal is its commitment to solving the skills gap for skills development for practitioners in modern data and analytics. Another core principle is its commitment to reducing complexity challenges with data governance, privacy, and loss prevention as well as global compliance.

15:07 — This level of commitment provides an ethical principle foundation through collaborating with other companies.

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This episode is brought to you by Cloud Wars Expo running June 28-30 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Go to CloudWarsExpo.com for more details.

Droves of people realized during the pandemic that there is more to their careers, and companies were hit with the realities of having real employee experiences that matter.

Further, the shift in expectations puts an onus on organizations and CXOs to deliver on these expectations through digital investments, upskilling, and much more.

To help me explore all of this on this episode is Scott Vaughan. He’s an experienced CMO, and Board Level executive with many years of advising and leading the organizational go-to-market strategy, and Acceleration Economy network analyst.

Highlights

00:15 — This episode is brought to you by the Cloud Wars Expo. This in-person event will be held June 28th to 30th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

00:42 — As an experienced CMO and board-level executive, Scott Vaughan joins for a conversation on the next generation of the great resignation and the reimagination of employee experiences.

02:02 — There has been a recent shift with the idea of the great resignation. One cause of this period could be due to major events that we have experienced and witnessed over the past couple of years—from the pandemic to racial and social injustices, and even simply life changes. The unevenness of society and businesses has created a surge of people stepping back and reflecting, shifting the great resignation more so toward the great reshuffle.

04:35 — Aaron reflects on a leadership mentor program that he was part of. Something that stood out to him during conversations with young professionals was that their passion is driven by their curiosity.

06:30 — There are two forces coming together in the great reshuffle. There are workers who feel displaced or couldn’t work for some time. Then, there are companies that need to find talent. Now, companies are waking up to realize they might just need to build their own programs and development efforts.

“It’s about attitude and aptitude that’s going to create the altitude if we can find the right kind of people.”

Scott Vaughan

07:58 — With the explosion of working from home, many saw the ease of accessibility to digital tools and learning capabilities. For instance, digital tools such as Zoom become more accessible to enable users to connect and collaborate for personal, professional, and educational purposes.

08:45 — Further, there’s a generation of native digital workers and talent that now have the tools to learn faster. Companies can take advantage of these opportunities by bringing in talent that could be from another industry but has high growth potential for both the company and the individual.

09:24 — The concept of ‘anti-work’ does not imply that people hate working. Rather, it’s intended to highlight how people were treated by an employer or their work environment and what they’re against in the workplace. People want to work where they feel valued.

10:24 — There’s a new set of criteria considering not just work-life balance, but work-life integration. It’s not necessarily to work more hours, but to rethink the strict, artificial standards that were in place.

11:15 — An important point that workers are prioritizing now is if they share the same values as the company. Do you share the same aspirations about things that matter? Companies are implementing specific types of diversity and inclusion efforts as well as acknowledging cultural values.

12:04 — Companies have been implementing sustainability efforts now, as many people have values that align with the environment and sustainability.

12:44 — Is there a lack of digital investment from companies? What impact does this have on a worker’s decision to work for a company? This can be a barrier to the employee experience. It’s an advantage to potential employees to stay modern with a digital infrastructure, mindset, and culture to ensure that it’s not just about the consumer experience, but also the employee experience.

15:40 — The company culture and company values can be the greatest contributors in industries that might have a staffing shortage. Companies need to be able to understand what their employees want and need, then make that part of the process. Additionally, companies need to have the ability to empower their employees to make the right decisions.

18:30 — There needs to be a customer-centric focus, too. If you’re focusing on your employees and customers, there’s going to be a symbiotic relationship of how things interact, especially in industries that are heavily dependent on employee-to-customer engagement.

“When you’re in the middle of a great resignation moving to a great reshuffle…there’s going to be a different environment that business leaders have to pay attention to.”

Scott Vaughan

20:02 — It’s more about initiatives and outcomes versus specific tasks and jobs that have to be done. That’s where empowerment comes in.

21:12 — With the pace of change in the workplace, it’s important to stay upskilled, as the jobs and roles that existed several years ago no longer exist as they do now. They’ve morphed into something different than they’re traditional thought of. This gives employees the opportunity to transform themselves as the business values and business evolution charge forward.

24:30 — People are becoming more empowered when it comes to pay equity and transparency. Business leaders need to be proactive about checking in and not just giving raises, but also looking at total compensation and all that can be done to continue maintaining empowered employees. In addition, business leaders shouldn’t wait for laws to be put into place to implement transparency.

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There is ample focus on STEM for women in technology, but underneath that is a typical view of front-end or back-end development.

While this is still very necessary, there are many other aspects of business technology that need everyone to have a seat at the table. Further, with the expansion of the metaverse, this seat will take on new forms, but needs openness to foster inclusiveness.

With all this in mind, I’m joined by Kathryn Rose. Kathryn is the CEO & Founder of wiseHer. She seeks to empower women and girls and equip them with the insights, guidance and tools needed to succeed.

Highlights00:23 — Aaron dives into the conversation with Kathryn about keeping a diverse mindset, especially in STEM fields. Her company will soon be launching a B2B brand, specifically for channel organizations and a technology channel called ‘Channel Wise.’ Recently, Kathryn’s organization was also a semi-finalist for ‘Startup of the Year’ at Summit.

03:16 — February 11th was International Day of Women and Girls in Science. So, Aaron reviewed initiatives behind this, finding that there are nearly 6,900 participants around the program. One initiative that Kathryn has worked with is Tech Girls, which specifically focuses on STEM initiatives for girls in middle school.

06:03 — Master Sergeant Briana Mullane with the Air Force Cyber Command stated that the biggest challenge working in a STEM field is the self-assessment of your own capabilities. In any professional environment, women often deal with imposter syndrome.

08:43 — The Metaverse provides opportunities for creative ideation, sharing your voice, and allows people to determine their own virtual presence to represent who they are. What kind of potential does this have to include the voices of women as another sector in the STEM field?

10:19 — There may be more limitations in a physical space. So, how can we reframe the conversation on making the virtual world not just a poor copy of the physical world?

10:53 — There needs to be diverse voices in the development of new technologies, such as AI systems. When the majority of programmers are male developers, how can technology be developed to recognize female voices as well?

11:49 — A current effort with AI is inherent bias. Because AI is going to be the back end on top of all the data, bias is shifting in different ways as it’s feeding into the development of new technologies, including the Metaverse. So, as the Metaverse continues to be developed, it’s not going to be a poor representation of the physical world, but an opportunity to reimagine it into a virtual space.

12:50 — Startups tend to see a more immediate impact of the work compared to larger enterprises, where it has to pass through several layers for approval.

16:11 — The STEM field is constantly evolving. There are many jobs now in technology that isn’t just coding nor do they require a computer science degree.

17:15 — A lot of companies, such as IBM, have instituted the idea of ‘the new collar worker.’ They have started career academies and removed requirements, like having a Bachelor’s degree, to encourage people at all levels by providing avenues for them to get involved. However, a major challenge is not just getting women and others from different demographics excited about being part of technology, but retaining them.

18:31 — In an article about the Metaverse, Aaron covered the ‘Gaming Grandma’ who is in her 90s and just got involved with gaming.

19:28 — There needs to be a level of awareness of available technical resources. This helps break down old-school perceived barriers. For instance, apprenticeship programs can be incredibly valuable.

20:24 — Kathryn encourages technology channel partners to consider regional technology academies and programs, as they are incorporated as part of the public school system. Further, some high schools provide career exploration and opportunities to gain college credits.

23:30 — It’s one thing to open the door, but it’s another thing to keep the door open. One of the biggest challenges, particularly for women in any field, is that there needs to be a welcoming culture. There are people ready to work, businesses just need to be prepared to lean in.

24:24 — Businesses need to have a diverse mindset and be intentional about the people that they recruit. Additionally, businesses need to foster a culture of inclusivity and provide the necessary resources.

For more in-depth insights on the categories that matter from top experts, register now for the Cloud Wars Expo

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For too long, new frontiers of technology have been scary to many. And artificial intelligence is no exception. Further, tt’s important that we showcase the humanness in AI and realize that AI needs people to flourish, but, more importantly, provide guidance.

AI should be used to augment humanity in an ethical way. In order to do this, a strong community of AI advocates is needed to democratize these core values along with the AI capabilities.

In this episode, I’m joined by a leader in the global AI community, Dalith Steiger. She is the Co-Founder of the SwissCognitive which is a World-Leading AI Network committed to unleashing AI in business.

Highlights

00:44 — Dalith Steiger jumps in to answer questions, such as:

• What should we expect from AI?
• What should we expect from people within the technology?

02:52 — At SwissCognitives, Dalith explains how they prefer to talk about cognitive technology rather than AI. For instance, when talking about artificial intelligence, they are not seeking to copy the human brain or human beings. Rather, cognitive technology implies the cognitive development of technologies.

04:30 — While AI technology can seem like futuristic science fiction, it’s actually a reality now. Technology is an iterative process. So, if we aren’t sharing knowledge with the technology, how can the devices learn?

06:29 — AI is breaking barriers between different groups of people and cultures, such as through real-time language translations. Especially during the pandemic, the ability to connect with different people and cultures is a major advantage of technology.

10:30 — How can we continue to break down these barriers? While many worry that AI is going to replace people, it should be helping to augment people, furthering abilities for personal connections, experiences, and exchanging ideas.

11:44 — What are the expectations, themes, capabilities, and barriers of AI? While these all vary, Dalith explains how we should not talk in absolute terms. We shouldn’t make claims such as, “Everything and everyone is going to be replaced by technology with what we’re doing.”

“Shift from technology-literate people to people-literate technology”

Dalith Steiger | Co-Founder of SwissCognitive

13:54 — Not everything that can be developed and implemented is being developed and implemented. People tend to be afraid of something if they don’t know about it. So, people need to understand the power of technology and the opportunities that technology presents.

15:46 — The more we know, the better we can act. We have to be conscious of AI ethics.

16:27 — Not only does technology need to be learning, but humans need to be learning as well, developing maturity when it comes to the usage of this technology and how we interact with it.

17:16 — AI has the potential to help preserve natural resources, such as providing the ability to simulate something prior to development. In addition to considering ethics with people, how can we ethically be using AI for sustainability?

19:19 — At some point, people are going to have to put trust in the technology in order to remove the fear.

22:48 — Technology is not dangerous—it’s the people behind it. We wouldn’t have cybersecurity if we would trust a human being. We have to set the rules, but we shouldn’t limit ourselves too much.

23:43 — If you want to be a world champion, you have to innovate, as innovation doesn’t talk about growth, but about added value.

SwissCognitive is a World-Leading AI Network committed to unleashing AI in business. We are a highly respected cross-industry global community of business leaders and AI experts transparently exchanging about the development & implementation of AI. While spotlighting hands-on use cases, challenges, successes, and opportunities – both in the boardroom and on global stages, driven by turning AI into a key economy-booster.

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Clifford Stoll once said, “Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom.”

So, is data still important? In reality, this is a catch-22 question. On one hand, we need data to drive the decision-making process. However, on the other hand, if the data is siloed, bad, outdated, or incomplete, this creates the perfect storm of unrealistic goals and horrendous decisions.

With all this in mind, Glenn Hopper, CFO of Sandline, joins me in this episode to explore the evolution of CFOs, digital optimization versus transformation, the impact of AI, and what fuels the data-driven CFO.

Glenn is the author of Deep Finance: Corporate Finance in the Information Age and is passionate about transforming the role of Chief Financial Officer from historical reporter to forward-looking strategist.

Highlights

00:02 — Finance leaders are diving into the technical aspects of data and determining how to balance the strategy around this. What should CFOs and finance leaders be focusing on? Glenn Hopper joins to unpack the need for digital optimization versus transformation within finance teams, the path of data to wisdom, and more.

02:40 — The intent behind Glenn’s book is to advocate that all finance professionals need to know enough to be dangerous when it comes to technology and coding. The book serves as a roadmap for CFOs to lead digital transformation in their businesses.

04:35 — While looking backward is still vital to identify trends, CFOs are going beyond forecasting. Simply being a conduit of information doesn’t add value. The role of the CFO moving forward requires adding value to every bit of data.

06:13 — If the CFO is just a conduit, then they aren’t really needed. The CFO needs to provide strategic value, expertise, and value knowledge to fully explain the data.

07:03 — As data becomes more available, automation is being further incorporated into finance and accounting functions. If workers are being replaced by automation, what then happens to the finance department? Finance professionals will need to upskill and be placed in positions that provide more value.

“From a psychological standpoint, [automation] helps the person realize that they are more valued than just being a data entry person…they should feel like they’re more valued as a person with their knowledge and experience.”

10:00 — Since the introduction of data lakes, there has been a great progression in the democratization of data, such as increasing access to data. CFOs can be part of this, as the same skills used in finance functions can be transferred to data science; it just takes it to another level.

11:55 — Having access to data that goes farther out enables more productive, informed, and strategic conversations within organizations. The quote from Clifford Stoll encapsulates this idea well—emphasizing the need to have data to back up strategies and decision-making conversations.

“You can have this massive amount of data that you’re collecting…but if you’re not doing anything with it, who cares? It’s just noise.”

14:01 — By using analytics to translate data, CFOs can determine their first steps towards descriptive statistics and identify correlations. Then, they can move through their next steps by using that information to better understand business structure and develop predictive analytics. Having this level of understanding then leads to the pyramid of wisdom. This is when you can truly run a proper data-driven organization.

15:50 — Collaborative experience comes behind that wisdom. Conversations with peers are essential to harness that experience and input to maximize the potential of your data.

16:23 — Further shifting the focus, CFOs become the messenger of the findings—from the Board of Directors all the way down to frontline workers.

17:12 — As the CFO, your objective isn’t going to be protecting operations over sales. As the CFO, you can keep the other C-level people honest and have your own data insights because your view is not through the filter of operations.

19:43 — Where should there be strategic investments in certain technologies or upskilling through HR efforts?

20:20 — While Covid-19 has activated hyper-growth, many companies are seeking the next steps of digital transformation. Glenn encourages companies to not miss the mark—technology is advancing and businesses need to be prepared to digital transform to maintain a competitive edge.

22:27 — There have been increasingly more moves towards the augmentation of the human. People need to grasp the difference that they are not being replaced by technology, but that they could be replaced by a person who is understanding of the evolving and advancing technology.

23:41 — In this past, businesses and industries took longer to reach a point of revolutions. Now, the pace of change is much faster.

“Digital transformation…it sounds like one and done. And it’s not really…It’s more of an evolution.”

26:35 — It seems that digital transformation has been overused or lost its original meaning and what it was intended to be. It has morphed into multiple different things. Rather, organizations can shift their view to digital optimization as well as it being an ongoing process—continually optimizing at an increased pace of change, moving forward faster.

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Throw out any traditional notions of what Higher Ed used to be. Students are now made up of all ages, backgrounds, geographic locations, and more. Further, our blended world of virtual and physical create challenges and opportunities for both students and faculty alike.

The current generation is now taking the knowledge and skills they’ve learned and applying it truly astounding and practical ways – ways that creating a future of sustainability for future generations.

In this episode, I’m joined by Christine Welcher who is a Director with QuestionPro and focuses on Academics and Nonprofits, specifically, Universities and other higher education institutions.

She shares her real-world experiences with students reimagining ancestral knowledge and bringing it into a new era.

Highlights00:33 – Christine shares her background and how QuestionPro is impacting universities for market research by surfacing detailed insights into higher education.

01:29 – The pandemic forced many higher ed institutions to reevaluate their technology and experience of faculty using the technology. This created a huge need for cloud solutions for learning and teaching and opened up new ways to engage.

04:09 – Faculty have now had to pivot their time to be available as students want to learn at all hours based on their needs. Universities have had to engage students where they are to learning can happen anywhere at any time.

06:17 – COVID disrupted so many levels of society which meant that this was the time that many people decided to go back to school. Further, they felt the need to shift careers in a totally new direction.

09:24 – Christine shared her experiences of visiting Vietnam with a program she used to run. This program allowed here to engage with students that are bringing life back to rural and farming communities. These areas had been decimated by the war and two and three generations of ancestral knowledge was lost.

13:55 – People are reclaiming the land that was hit hard by the war – even turning craters creating by bombs into beautiful landscapes with ponds and bridges.

17:21 – Christine shared a quick takeaway challenge: Don’t take the STEM courses for granted. Infuse the learning with passion to create something priceless.

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AI for AI – feels a bit like inception, but artificial intelligence is now being used to optimize AI models. Now, this is not self-aware AI, but it is aware when new AI models are introduced into the ecosystem. So, what are the benefits?

First, these new AI solutions are reviewing the AI code base to streamline it and make it more efficient. Second, this has shown a downstream impact on resource consumption which creates cost savings for organizations. This also feeds into the global sustainability efforts to reduce the overall carbon footprint by using resources more efficiently.

Further, we are seeing a convergence of AI and blockchain which will create explosive impacts on financial services and crypto.

Joining me on the podcast to dissect all of this is Dr. Leslie Kathan, CEO of TurinTech and Researcher for UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies. We’ll explore this shift in AI, how blockchain is disrupting traditional financial institutions, and how our emotions factor into financial decisions.

Highlights

01:31 – Dr. Leslie Kanthan has an extensive background in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and graph theory. Additionally, he has over 10 years of experience in financial services and automated markets, making quantitative trading, quantitative research, and data science.

02:22 – TurinTech was developed based on a paper that Dr. Kanthan had published with three co-founders called, “Darwinian Data Structure,” which scientifically proves that they can optimize code.

03:44 – When optimizing AI, what is the expected outcome? By using cutting-edge techniques and models, the goal is to reduce the memory, the CPU, and the energy consumption of code.

06:50 – As new code and models are frequently introduced, AI for AI will compare new models to your own models. So, the AI model is being improved as it’s going through the learning process. AI for AI is like a symbiotic relationship; it requires optimization and continual learning.

08:07 – The processes with the AI models involve optimizing data structures as well as parameters. Because there is full transparency with the process, machine learning can also be applied to the strategy to continuously improve the parameters to continuously improve efficiency and accuracy.

09:44 – Considering explainable AI, the outputs show what was understood, what it’s doing, and what information it did ingest. Once there’s explainable AI, it’s easier for non-tech users to understand.

11:00 – As the blockchain is emerging, it is also causing disruptions to the institutionalized traditional mindsets around financial services. Artificial intelligence and distributive technologies, specifically blockchain and cryptocurrency, are the two frontiers right now. The survey paper regarding cryptocurrency trading combines both elements of AI optimization and how it can be applied to cryptocurrency trading using sentiment analysis.

13:39 – There’s much volatility that there are individuals and elements that can move the market and prices. Dr. Kanthan explains how they use their model generator and optimizer to effectively model this using NLP and using sentiment analysis.

16:23 – While many are still trying to figure out how to better leverage blockchain and financial services, the emergence of DOWS is causing a ripple effect and some uncertainties in the crypto world. Essentially, its purpose is to allow for approval and authentication through a group member voting system—enabling it to be regulator friendly and providing fairness.

20:17 – Sometimes it takes a force to get companies and people to shift and accept the digital-first perspective. There’s going to be a convergence of all these technologies coming together—cryptocurrency and blockchain, AI, and even the metaverse.

22:46 – Now, the metaverse is quite visionary—but there will be people who will grow up with it already having existed and be familiar with that technology space.

23:39 – The share price of the largest hardware suppliers of AI is going through the roof because the consumption for that hardware is massive. Consumers that are using this hardware have numerous use cases and thousands of models.

25:00 – There is profitability, but is AI costing a lot right now economically? If you can cut down the cost, reduce energy consumption, and maintain your targets, then you can achieve good profits and continue to reduce costs.

27:00 – Implementing AI is not intended to replace people—it’s to augment and encourage people to be more efficient through upskilling.

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Gold fever. That phrase conjures up images from the past of pioneers, tenacity, exploration, and sacrifice. Yes, gold was calling to many people looking to strike it rich. People invested everything they owned on a dream of something better.

However, throughout this period of time something else happened, and it wasn’t about the gold. Many history books were written about the communities that sprung up that turned into small towns, then to cities. This growth led to the expansion of the railroads, increased commerce, but also concerns of safety and would it turn into something real.

Just like the gold rush era, the metaverse is here. It represents a time of excitement, uncertainty, opportunity, and untapped potential. And, just like that long ago time, there are doubts, security concerns, and will the surreal become something tangible.

With all this in mind, I’m excited to have the host of the “My Metaverse Minute” channel, Kieron Allen. We’ll explore the metaverse from different angles, share our curiosity, and leave you with much to consider.

Highlights

02:28 — Facebook’s big splash into the metaverse created a ripple effect with other companies. But, in reality, early forms of the metaverse harken back to AOL chatrooms, Second Life, or The Sims.

05:52 — Early settlers recognized the potential as they migrated towards the west. This sets the tone of the metaverse as this era of a new frontier.

06:38 — This ties in with the Web 3.0 approach, which is about decentralization. The metaverse intrinsically links with Web 3.0, enabling users to have a piece of the Internet.

08:02 — Behind decentralization, many things are sitting on the blockchain. For example, Walmart is wanting to offer a new virtual currency sitting on the blockchain.

08:32 — Innovation often starts with a hunt for profits. This current ‘gold rush’ is similar to the era of people migrating to search for gold, but it turned into something bigger—the metaverse going to explode to serve multiple purposes.

09:41 — As the metaverse matures over, it’s going to open up many more possibilities, such as the ability to virtually have consultations with a healthcare expert. It becomes a space where it doesn’t just have one purpose but collectively impacts other areas.

11:07 — Governance, regulatory compliance, and data privacy are going to carry into the metaverse. Regulations will still come into play, as users still access the metaverse with wires and cables similar to computers. However, what will governance look like when it comes to the portals used to access the metaverse?

13:44 — It’s disrupting our traditional connectivity to the virtual world. Companies are going to have different ways to access it that challenge the traditional method.

14:56 — With its high level of immersion, being in the metaverse also has personal safety implications and could have a psychological impact on users.

17:01 — Another controversial aspect is the implications it could have on body image. If users can be something else inside the virtual world, what kind of impact does that have psychologically?

18:20 — Self-portrayal could lead to an interesting use of the metaverse, such as how users represent themselves if they were to use it for job recruitment.

21:06 — There’s much to stay open-minded about with the endless possibilities to expect with the metaverse.

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The evolution of edge computing has come a long way in some respects while still retaining a hold on things developed decades ago. However, the growth of AI, the focus on the metaverse, and smartphones becoming smarter have caused many to feel out of the loop or scratch their heads with what really matters.

Why should these tech areas be a focus for you? No matter your place in the tech journey, it’s important to understand what these things are as they impact you now, whether you realize it or not.

So, the intersection of the metaverse and edge computing, AI, closed loop systems, and what’s on the horizon for the edge in 2022 are all covered in my chat with Leonard Lee. He is the founder of neXt Curve, fellow analyst for the Acceleration Economy, and podcaster for the “Cutting Edge”.

Highlights:02:58 — Leonard Lee has shared content as part of the Analyst Network, such as covering hybrid clouds, IoT, and the rise of edge cloud. With various terms floating around, Leonard breaks down terminology pertaining to the edge—cloud computing, edge cloud, and fog computing.

03:52 — When referring to cloud computing, Leonard describes it in a traditional sense of where cloud computing started off.

04:26 — Edge computing is essentially distributed computing. He presents it as a counterpoint to what’s happening with endpoint computing, which is stretching the boundaries of where things connect and compute.

06:47 — Fog computing looks at edge computing from an IT networking perspective.

08:12 — Smartphone technology is advancing to have an awareness of nearby devices, creating an ecosystem. Additionally, it has become a technology that’s been adopted into everyday life.

10:11 — Since the Metaverse has been around for a while, what catalytic factors are causing change to advance technologies? What is new and different about the Metaverse that’s getting people excited?

12:15 — While security is fundamental, the value of the Metaverse is going to be generated and delivered through the privacy and trust aspects.

12:55 — How does the edge play into the Metaverse? It’s going to be an essential extension of current infrastructure to support cyber-physical interfaces. Furthermore, the ability for smart technology to recognize other local devices will enrich the Metaverse experience.

14:09 — Metaverses are technically just virtual worlds. However, there’s a variety of Metaverses forming that involves IoT and the instrumenting of things.

15:18 — From a security standpoint, the Metaverse can be viewed as a new threat or attack surface. With GDPR as well as other AI governance and policies, data privacy concerns should be a priority, as it boils down to how much trust you have in your interactions.

16:20 — Closed loop systems keep processes internal and tightly secured. Aaron shares a recent example of an AI closed loop system for edge deployments within a manufacturing environment.

17:41 — Leonard takes a look at the merging of 5G, AI, and emerging edge computing or cloud computing. Together, these technologies would result in closed loop autonomous systems.

19:06 — With edge computing, you can localize the elements of an autonomous system without having to send data to the cloud—bringing decision making closer to where things are actually happening. By doing that, you are able to take advantage of low latencies.

20:18 — Autonomous systems are constantly learning. Inference is applying learning and model training enables it to be a closed loop system.

22:56 — As the interest in edge cloud continues to grow, major cloud service providers continue to move towards the edge. Over this next year, we can expect much thought to go into how to make these things happen and transform with edge cloud.

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Artificial intelligence is all the rage today. Unfortunately, people treat it as a cool new fad to jump on without realizing the massive impact AI has today. But the future of AI will demand our attention in how we work and what our expectations will be.

Further, AI will become more than a tool in a newfangled tech toolbelt. Think of collaborative AI as your new digital assistant that you can talk to, interact with, and will understand your native language. Mind-blowing? For sure, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, where do we go from here? To help me understand the future of collaborative AI and its impact on humans and how we work is Aleksandra Przegalinska. She is the Vice Rector at Kozminski University, Research Fellow for the American Institute for Economic Research, and a frequent speaker and contributor to the AI Community of SwissCognitive.

Highlights01:50 — With her recent research, Aleksandra received a grant for her work with AI. The first part involves collaborative AI and how AI should be an extension of what we do—to support and collaborate with humans, not to replace what we can do.

03:01 — For the second part of the grant, they are using conversation AI systems and further developing based on new types of algorithms and neural networks. These systems, called 'transformers,' go beyond the functions of a simple chatbot. For instance, with human supervision, transformers can write short stories or blog posts and translate texts in a contextual way.

05:31 — The advancement of these neural networks introduces new possibilities of delivering clear speech synthesis and a more granular understanding of word pronunciations and meanings. Because of this, transformers will be able to serve as an assistant that understands what you're saying and your intentions with a specific context.

07:58 — There are many companies trying to democratize AI to make it easier to build upon, such as with low-code/no-code and citizen developers. There are those who understand the deep technical aspect of AI. On the other hand, there are people still trying to understand it, use it, and learn about this technology. How can we bridge the gap between this divide?

10:10 — By democratizing AI, it will be more accessible and more people will be able to benefit from it. Now is a good time for AI simplification as well as AI complexity.

16:22 — A lot revolving around AI involves the collaboration of people and ideas. How can collaborative AI be used?

17:30 — Collaboration with humans requires advanced neural networks. Additionally, the system would have to adapt to the pace that a human works. The idea is essentially to create human-centric systems that can either do something with humans or complete the part of a task that contributes to a bigger solution designed by humans.

19:53 — During the Industry Cloud Battleground digital event, a manufacturing session mentioned the emergence of micro-factories using a combination of IoT, AI, and other technologies to streamline output.

The idea was to create human centric systems that can do something either with humans or part of a task that would contribute to a bigger solution that a human comes up with.

21:03 — On the retail side, people are repurposing shipping containers to create mini-stores to bring the retail experience to events and farmers' markets. These retailers use AI and analysis to determine what products to bring based on the customers at the events. This requires contextual understanding and translating the digital into the physical.

21:54 — Collaborative AI is on the horizon. There will be more applications of specialized AI in different domains and sectors. There can't be a generic approach to AI—it has to be specialized, but it relies on specialists within each industry to adopt it and provide feedback for improvements.

23:49 — With the lines blurring between industries, there also needs to be AI collaboration with other AI components.

24:54 — Transformers are an example of the future of AI, as these systems continue to advance with contextual and conversational AI. Also, specialists should explore the possibilities of AI within their specific industries, as it serves as a useful assistant and tool to enhance various domains.

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The reliance on data has become a concrete must-have for any business that wants to stay competitive. And throw out any notion of getting real insights if data is siloed across disparate systems.

Further, we expect data to be a useful predictor of future decisions. However, data output can be both positive and negative, and mature leaders should be comfortable accepting both. By doing this, companies become data-driven, open to transparency, and adaptable to ever-changing customer expectations.

In this episode, Scott Vaughan joins me to break down the impact of data on marketing, CXOs, sales, and more. Scott is a B2B CMO and go-to-market leader with a belief in collaboratively building businesses, expanding markets, accelerating growth, and developing impactful teams that create value.

Highlights

01:32 – As data has become an increasingly important asset, cloud database platforms have become more valuable as they help organizations pull data together for strategic use. Over the past two years, companies have had to shift their strategies due to customer expectations shifting. So, how is data opening up new opportunities for go-to-market strategies?

03:07 – A data-driven organization is one that is accountable and makes informed decisions—everything is based on data. Nowadays, the business can solely be data. With a proactive approach, being data-driven enables businesses to identify market opportunities and ideal customer profiles to predict trends. Furthermore, the data will be used to determine what products and services that businesses will offer.

04:33 – Data can also be used for risk assessment and predictability—financial risks, security risks, and more.

05:13 – How is data impacting culture? Also, how do you create a data culture? It’s critical to emphasize data trust and transparency. It needs to be available for company-wide use to make informed decisions and ensure the organization is developing a data-driven culture.

07:13 – Data goes both ways. Businesses need to foster a culture that’s open to accept data output.

08:48 – Additionally, in making the data transparent, they need to apply the data as they present new ideas and strategies that can drastically change the business trajectory. From a culture standpoint, if the data reflects your culture values, it’s evident that your business is becoming data-driven.

11:02 – What actions are you taking as a result of the data? As part of being data-driven, businesses need to be actionable and think forward on how they’re going to use the data.

Data can go both ways, right? It’s going to expose some things, and you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable; and truly use data, not for credit, or to prove something right

12:16 – Data is resetting expectations vs. realities. How are you going to use the data? How are you going to protect it? Also, how will you build brand trust with it? If you’re not actively using the data, it loses its value.

15:04 – For example, Scott shares about a fashion company he reviewed. It uses scanning technology to assist customers with sizing. There’s also a variety of retailers and manufacturers in its system, which requires significant inventory management. When inconsistencies arise, data becomes critically valuable as it enables the business to identify where customers need more support. Data attributes measure to guide businesses through changes.

18:10 – Data is a new way to engage with customers. It opens doors for customers to provide feedback that drives change. It even enables the personalization that customers are wanting nowadays.

20:51 – Citizen data scientists are filling the gap between the technical side of data and business decision-makers. They aim to make sense of the data to drive the culture.

23:09 – By leveraging AI, businesses can further accelerate data and make it actionable. It can also help accelerate data trust. The culture needs to trust the data so the customers can trust the service and products they’re purchasing, thus building customer loyalty.

23:52 – During a recent Prove It discussion, Building Trust with Customer Data, the panel had discussed the spherical look of data—it’s not just a flat plane or a 360 view. Businesses need to look at data from all angles to fully surface insights.

24:18 – If you want to be a data-driven company, the data strategy and data culture must be embedded everywhere and through every action.

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In our rush to create volumes of data, we have become awash in it to the point of madness. But, when you have the mindset and goals to leverage “Data + AI”, then you have a powerful combination.

Additionally, data + AI can accelerate insights and decision-making that would have been impossible in the past. The efforts in the realm of AI are now focused on accelerating, augmenting, and collaborating with humans. So, what’s on the horizon?

Joining me on this episode to discuss this is Thomas “AI Nerd” Helfrich. He is the CEO of instarel.ai, an advisor to the SwissCognitive, content contributor to The AI Journal and Entrepreneur Media, and an official member of the Forbes Technology Council.

Highlights01:31 – AI has significantly grown, as there has been rapid adoption of AI across companies in several industries. However, there are still some who don’t see its full potential. So, has an AI overload caused people to be overwhelmed and not fully understand this technology?

04:44 – There’s a misconception that AI is going to replace people. But the human element is still critical to AI success. Rather than taking jobs, AI will create exponentially more opportunities and high-paying jobs.

06:45 – There’s still inherent bias, as humans are the ones writing the algorithms. Often, it’s just a bias that appears because something wasn’t accounted for. It’s not intentional, but it requires humans to correct it.

08:45 – In order to build trust in the system, you must be able to explain why decisions are being made based on the outcomes of that system or algorithm.

09:28 – When patterns of bias arise on both sides of your model, you can refigure the model to eliminate areas of unfairness if you have the transparency to make revisions. However, there’s a greater issue if the unfair model is hyper-profitable or accomplishes the business’ goal. While there needs to be transparency, there will also still be a gray area in how to address perceived bias.

11:52 – Although machine learning is intended to improve the customer experience, it can also hurt the customer experience. How can there be a counterbalance to using machine learning?

Should we be doing AI? That’s not our core business? You need to have it as a core business strategy to have a chance, and not become the next Kmart or Blockbuster.

16:48 – Modern-day AI systems need to be built for purpose. If you’re going to use these technologies to enhance the customer experience, they need to be equipped to process information that will enable them to help customers.

18:11 – AI helps with initial engagement, but does it help improve the business process? Does it provide data that suggests ways to improve the system?

20:09 – Small and mid-market companies may have to navigate AI tools and leverage them in different ways, as a higher level of AI may seem out of reach for them. Fortunately, as AI continues to develop, it will become more accessible and easier to use.

22:05 – Along with the rise of cloud technology, there has also been a recent rise with AI clouds being purpose-built for certain industries. It has shifted more to customization versus just building a system.

25:30 – Intelligent automation, AI, and other advanced technologies, nowadays, have to be part of your strategy, as it enables businesses to make informed decisions faster.

27:26 – When it comes to expectation versus reality with AI, realistic components are that it’s built for purpose, looks at big picture items, and integrates well within your system. Additionally, AI is a tool to be intentional with and should be a part of your core foundational strategies.

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A lot of content across Acceleration Economy has covered the practical use of artificial intelligence, surfacing actional insights, and real-world impacts. But uncertainty still exists for many people.

How can we cut through this doubt and bring about a democratized AI/ML future? True success with artificial intelligence can be found through co-innovation and education.

Peter Lee, CEO of RapidMiner, joins me on this “Back @ IT” episode to share his perspectives on AI, ML, collaboration with partners and universities, co-creation initiatives with customers, building trust in AI, and much more.

Highlights

• 00:42: The founding of RapidMiner didn’t start in a traditional sense. Peter shares how Dr. Ingo Mierswa wrote a seminal paper on applications of machine learning in real-world use cases. He was then challenged to help a major European telecom solve issues predicting customer churn.
• 05:02: Shockingly, less than 10% of AI/ML models that are created and could have a real impact aren’t deployed into production.
• 07:01: RapidMinder recently partnered with Braincube to create a complimentary joint value proposition. This exemplifies the ability to collect, manage, and find value from your IoT platform and data.

It’s important that people build trust and see that AI adoption is driving measurable, tangible outcomes…as well as working towards this greater goal of immense change.
PETER LEE | CEO, RAPIDMINER 13:04: As Peter has learned through experience, it is imperative to take time to understand industries, sectors, and personas. This helps map a customer’s business problem, drive revenue, cut cost, manage risk, and deliver actional insights into the wealth of data. * 16:29: Citizen data scientists are bridging the gap between the data scientist side and the business side. In turn, this brings harmony across the multiple personas of finance, technology, operations, and line of business to solve vexing problems. * 20:21: Continuous innovation in the candle didn’t result in the electric light. The right questions need to be asked to bring about immense change. Further, partnerships and co-creation with customers improves digital literacy and creates room for game-changing competitive advantages. * 25:57:* Peter shares his final thoughts on big data and AI by stating that the more data, the better. Harnessing data and using advanced analytics will drive superior outcomes.

Dive deeper into my overview of RapidMiner on the Enterprise AI Impact channel. I cover how they are delivering lightning-fast data science, and uncover more about who they are, what they do, its most unique application, and who they have impacted.RapidMiner brings artificial intelligence to the enterprise through an open and extensible data science platform. All of which is centered around its core mission: Reinvent enterprise AI so that anyone has the power to positively shape the future.

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Diversity and inclusion are more than just buzzwords to create the “warm and fuzzy” feelings. There are great examples of real-world changes happening that are truly impacting Women in Technology.

However, as technology evolves, and people evolve, there is an urgency to continue the necessary conversations. It’s all too easy to think that things are better, and we can coast forward. Changing the norms requires consistent effort to create continuous evolution.

In this episode, I’m honored to have Gayle Keller join me to share her thoughts on these topics. Gayle truly has a passion to empower women in ways to take risks in their drive to follow their goals and dreams, specifically in STEM areas. She gives a voice to women everywhere through her Theodora Speaks podcast.

Highlights

• 00:25 – Gayle Keller is the Chief Reinvention Officer at Gayle Keller LLC and Theodora Speaks. Along with helping women take calculated risks in their careers, she also works with companies and universities on gender inclusion initiatives.
• 00:58 – During the Community Summit event in October, Gayle spoke as part of the Women in Tech panel. She shares highlights from that event, such as exchanging ideas in person, the opportunity to foster collaboration, and supporting women in technology to be more confident in the workplace. A key takeaway that Gayle emphasized was that it’s not a debate about women versus men, but a conversation about how to work together.
• 04:52 – How has the conversation changed to encourage women in business and in technology? Although it’s trending in the right direction, there’s still a way to go.
• 06:28 – If we see it, we can become it. If we don’t see it, we can’t become it. That’s where the gender gap lies.
• 06:58 – Why should I care? There are various factors that play into the gender pool becoming smaller. If you’re going to climb the corporate ladder yourself or if you’re an executive, you are tasked to hire diversification and be more inclusive within your organization. So, what kind of pool do you have to pull from?

Because it’s how we work together…it’s not a battleground of men versus women…it’s the inclusion. My big thing is helping women become more courageous and confident in their careers 08:27 – With an increasing acceptance of diversification in schools, is that acceptance translating into the workforce? * 10:13 – Maintaining inclusion initiatives within your organization can prevent you from hiring just to fill gaps. Furthermore, these frameworks enable you to have a bigger pool of qualified people to hire from. Hiring managers need accountability to not just fill the gap and hire the wrong person. * 11:03 – While using solutions to upskill and find the right talent is incredibly important, there are technologies that can still lead to an unfair hiring process. For instance, machine learning can help determine which candidates are qualified for a job. However, it can still exclude certain demographics, such as single mothers needing flexible hours. So, it would still result in an unfair hiring process. By recognizing these issues, you can adjust your systems to open up a greater pool of talent and be more inclusive when hiring. * 13:54 – How are organizations going to adapt to attract the right talent? Accommodating flexibility is essential, especially in a post-pandemic work environment. * 15:36* – Gayle shares her initiatives through partnerships with universities and companies to address topics, such as inclusion and diversity. Partnering with universities can start a new framework, modeling new expectations for the companies that students will eventually work for.

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Without a doubt, data is the backbone of what is happening now, which speaks to the true value of data as a critical asset for any company.

However, people are drowning in data and are really struggling to make sense of it in a real, practical way. The true power of data is often found in a community of people passionate about helping others unlock the true benefits of data.

Joining me today to discuss the transformative nature of data is Eli Adry. Eli is the Founder of Emboodo which helps companies use data to their advantage through SEO, SEM. Additionally, Eli is the Marketing Director for Data Hunters.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 02:07 – Eli talks about his background and his early experiences discovering the potential of the internet. For example, there's an abundance of marketing possibilities with search engines. During his first digital marketing project, Eli applied high data skills to the potential he saw with search engines, email marketing, and e-commerce. The project showed incredible growth for the early 2000s.
• 05:40 – The growth of e-commerce strategies has continued to boom because of the pandemic’s impact. For instance, the logistical and supply chain challenges are still prevalent globally.

Future-Proofing with Data & Marketing Strategies

• 06:26 – Key concepts for harnessing data to future proof:
  • How data impacts businesses
  • What businesses are trying to get out of data
  • Actionable strategies around digital marketing efforts to support business goals
  • Determining the business digital marketing presence
  • How to engage with an audience and draw attention to the brand
  • Navigating omnichannel
• 08:28 – Holding meetings to discuss ideas and strategies as well as applying data enables companies to be more productive in future-proofing.

Using Data Insights to Develop Strategy

• 09:49 – Sometimes you must apply business intelligence to ensure you're harnessing the right data insights and be actionable.
• 12:36 – The rise of data clouds and services, such as Snowflake, Databricks, and DataRobot, help businesses make sense of data. Data should foster impactful conversations about leadership. Furthermore, moving beyond the data is about converting the data into a story that you can leverage, make sense of, and make business strategic decisions from.

External Data

• 15:34 – The biggest challenge for the data scientist within an organization is bringing the message of the data and having the decision-makers land on a solution based on the data. In addition to data internal to the company, business decision-makers also need to look at the external data available.
• 19:38 – In a recent Back @ IT episode, Aaron had a conversation about the impact of epidemics, getting population data, and other external data points. For SMBs, external data is more important as it can influence the entire profit for that year.

Community & Customer Experiences

• 23:26 – By understanding how everything is connected, businesses can better understand how to be connected to their communities. From the SEO perspective, customers can generate content, then you can focus more on the customer experience.

25:51 – With community support, businesses can exchange expertise to further improve decision-making and strategy development.

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How many of us take our devices for granted? The plethora of devices available has seeped into our everyday lives to a point of familiarity. We don’t give a thought to the processes between the device and the provider. Furthermore, we don’t use the term “edge computing” when we talk to Siri, Alexa, or Bixby.

What is edge computing really? We hear 5G and think, “I have that already,” but do you? Now there is talk of 6G and beyond, which feels a bit like sci-fi at this point. How can we make sense of all this in a practical, strategic way that could impact our companies and the people’s expectations?

Joining this episode is fellow Acceleration Economy Network Analyst and Founder of Next Curve, Leonard Lee. We’ll chat through this murky topic, hit on some practical notions, why 5G is important, and how connectivity impacts trust and reliability that is needed for many processes.

Highlights

• 02:36: What is this edge stuff all about? It’s important to bring clarity to enterprises, the C-suite, and other business leaders.
• 05:28: 6G discussions are happening that are very premature at this point. The current uses for 5G are still being discovered and have a long way to go.
• 08:53: Telcoms are still building infrastructures to support 5G and address the needs of rural areas. Leonard argues that infrastructure drives innovation. For example, FaceTime disrupted the notions of traditional networks.

A better way of looking at it is the technologies get rolled out when the infrastructure operators or the service providers are ready for it. 12:06: What is the catalyst for driving innovation? In part, it’s a mutual feedback cycle with customers and technology providers. Also, it’s helping people understand this information in a real way. * 16:02: Leonard outlines the tactic he will be taking to guide people, like a compass, to the information they need to see how 5G can be leveraged. This information will cover service delivery models, challenges, and problems that need to be solved, and the benefits of the convergence of various technologies. * 19:13: It’s important to address the expectations from the personal side and the business side, and the overlap between the two. Further, the deliverability of outcomes doesn’t always translate into something viable. * 22:49:* What’s the difference between edge computing and endpoint computing? The key to innovation is to understand the difference and where to infuse AI and other functionality. This will impact the future of the distributed computing paradigm.

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The growth of RPA is quite amazing. Back in 2020, it hit about $1.5 billion and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.8% from 2021 to 2028.

However, this growth is not translating into adoption or adaptation by many enterprises. Why? The lack of collaboration across the C-suite to strategically invest in the technology at the right time, coupled with the lack of understanding of the techno-babble, hits the bottom line in ways never imagined. All of this speaks to the need for strategic thinking and process implementation across all areas of the business.

To help me unpack these important topics on this “Back @ IT” podcast episode is Wayne Butterfield. He’s an automation expert with over a decade of experience in RPA, bots, process improvement, and more. Further, he is the Global Head of intelligent automation solutions for ISG Automation.

Highlights

• 02:05: The growth of RPA is great, but has also caused misconceptions on what is “normal” automation versus “intelligent” automation. Wayne breaks down what real intelligent automation is.
• 06:12: Automation is meant to replace handwork and not headwork. Currently, the “intelligence” that many juxtapose with automation is really pre-built logic compared to ad-hoc decision-making.
• 09:41: According to Wayne, we have designed a way of working that incorporates the greatest automation technology there this is – the human brain. However, when we try to automate human problem solving or think outside the box, we are left with a very poor process.
• 13:58: From a technology perspective, we are trying to create a digital worker with RPA. A worker that can look, read, communicate, or do something much as a human worker does with mundane tasks.

I don’t think AI should be artificial, I think it should be augmented intelligence…augmentation of the workforce is one of the big plays over the next three to five years 17:25: Governance of AI and automation are critical, but every organization has a slightly different take on their governance models. The important factor is to ensure the governance is spread across the entire organization – one small change, such as in invoice layout, can cause a big process fire. * 20:41: Many companies are setting up a Center of Excellence to help with their overall governance models. But, there is still a struggle with who “owns” the automation process since it touches so many different areas of the organization. * 25:34: Wayne emphasizes that the collaboration between robotic and human workers on the desktop, not necessarily in the factory, is really key over the next few years, regardless of the department. * 30:02:* Process could either be your biggest friend or biggest foe. This leads to a couple of things to always keep in mind: First, never automate a bad process. Second, the future of work is not to replace all people, but to augment them with technology.

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We can all acknowledge that the pandemic forced many to change – and through this, they discovered the many limitations of the applications they had been using – and wanted a change.

So, why is it important to discuss challenges and system migrations? This is a tough topic for many financial leaders to discuss as it requires strong commitment and a future-proofing mindset to set up your company for long-term benefits and growth.

With this in mind, I’m joined today by Kristi Bernhardt, VP of Finance and Administration at Manpower of Lansing, Michigan. We’ll chat through their challenges, the journey, and the outcomes.

Highlights

• 02:09: Kristi outlines the operational landscape of Manpower of Lansing across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio to provide staffing services to their clients.
• 03:48: Frustration, lack of insights, and inability to see trends were just a few of the pain points with the old accounting system.
• 06:47: The wall was hit during the pandemic. The decision to make the move to another system was spurred by slow access and having to connect through a VPN. It was clear that long-term success was only achievable by moving to a cloud-based system.
• 10:18: As with any transition to a new system, a big hurdle that had to be overcome was the difficulty and uncertainty. However, Kristi was shocked by how Sage made the process simple and organized. The expectations were understood for every step.

As a leader, I won’t make big decisions without the input of my team…if they’re not on board with change, it’s not going to be successful for any of us. 14:16: Insights into the data were critical – not just financial data, but data that impacted finances at the periphery. Now by leveraging a cloud solution, the entire team can access the data when needed no matter where they are. * 19:00:* One of the major long-term benefits of switching systems was the time savings – especially when it comes to closing the books each month.

Manpower of Lansing was able to cut off 4 to 5 days from the month-end process. 21:23:* Kristi shares a couple of key takeaways: + Keep your team involved in the decision-making process. + Find the right consulting partners that understand your business and guide you through the process while avoiding pitfalls.

This “Back @ IT” episode is part of the “Future Office of the CFO” program and is brought to you by Sage Intacct, an official underwriter. Sage Intacct can increase ROI and transform your organization with the first and only preferred provider of the AICPA for accounting and financial management software for companies of any size.

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Think about this: Marketing is more than an email. More than a click on a site. More than an automated process. It’s not a joy ride on the back of some marketing solution.

So, why do so many people still hide behind these things? Are they still effective? Yes, but there is more to marketing than marketing automation tools. And, with people ditching the pitch more and more – a buyer-controlled accelerated economy demands that experiences are valued above perks.

Joining me today to get practical and real about marketing is Scott Vaughan, a B2B CMO and go-to-market leader with a belief in collaboratively building businesses, expanding markets, accelerating growth, and developing impactful teams that create value. Further, Scott is an Acceleration Economy Analyst focusing on the Chief Marketing Officer and marketing’s role and contribution to this massive business movement.

Highlights

• 01:35: Marketing was caught flat-footed during the pandemic. Today marketing has to play a much larger, proactive role in the buyer-seller relationship. The buying process has not flipped to be more buyer controlled, it’s really accelerated.
• 05:01: Automation, low-code/no-code tools, AI, data companies, tech companies, and solution providers are all flourishing. And, if you want to do business, you have to be more digitally minded, you have to really be able to think about experiences – this is no longer academic.
• 09:20: Technology is just a piece of the solution. It requires marketers to rethink because marketing has to play that larger and more proactive role. Buyers want to buy on their own timeline and control the process. We can’t just send emails and a three-step automated email and say, “Okay, well, we sent your stuff. Are you ready?”

What never gets lost in this in this acceleration economy is storytelling, and things like showing people, not telling people 12:29: The acceleration economy is shaking up marketing in a great way. Overall, this speed, this idea of experience, and being able to do what’s truly needed – you don’t need to build a heavy infrastructure to support a lot of that. * 15:35: Educating buyers in a different sense of not just the solution or the service, but all those periphery things around it that lead up to the decision point. All those things need to be put more front and center. * 18:46:* Marketing has to reimagine the buyer experience and deepen their market and customer knowledge. Otherwise, you will miss the opportunity because you are not relevant.

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The line is drawn by the CFO: Future-proofing starts here. But, where do you start?

• Many CFOs start with their people, for good reason. People are the most valuable resource within any company.
• Others look at processes. Things can be done better.

However, many times the back-office ERP system is the primary hindrance. Your people are top-notch, and they have the processes down to a science. But, people and processes reliant on an outdated application will halt any chance of competing in the acceleration economy.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, Maggie Rogness, CFO of Quicksilver Express Courier, joins me to share her ERP migration story, the challenges they faced, and the outcomes of using a better ERP system.

Highlights

• 02:36: Quicksilver Courier Express has been around since the 1980s starting with legal paperwork delivery. The evolution of the company has kept pace with the changing technology: from fax to email to the cloud.
• 04:26: Maggie outlined the struggles with using Dynamics GP (Great Plains). They implemented many add-on (ISV) solutions which ended up costing them a lot of money and did not produce the results they expected.
• 07:12: The old ERP system “was this new sort of dinosaur”. There was a huge struggle to get data out with reporting to help with the decision-making process.

“We just had to come at it with an open mind…when we tried to merge old with new [we asked] ‘What if we just throw a lot of this old out and just at where we want to go the future?'”
Maggie Rogness | CFO, Quicksilver Express Courier 09:50: It was important for the IT department to focus on more critical items versus the upkeep of many legacy, home-grown systems. This started with moving into the cloud and into the future. * 12:44: The challenge was real, as Maggie shares, to revamp processes, refocus people, and reimagine priorities. The Sage Intacct solution allowed them to do all of this and more. * 15:16: The flexible API structure of Sage Intacct allowed Quicksilver to utilize different solution providers and put the ERP in the center. * 18:41: Reporting was a huge need for Quicksilver and having the ability to create “10 reports in 10 minutes” spoke volumes in how much time could be saved. This led to a more efficient decision-making process. * 20:51:* Maggie ends with great tips and perspective:

Dream big. For example, what is the “hold grail” of a report.
Don’t put band-aids on your systems or processes. Trying to find ways to “just make things work” will hinder the push towards the future company vision.
Lastly, to CFOs she emphasized: Really go for it!
Sage Intacct continues to lead the cloud financial management revolution. Part of the Sage Business Cloud, Sage Intacct is used by thousands of organizations from startups to public companies to improve company performance and make finance more productive. As a best-in-class system, our cloud accounting software products and financial management solutions deliver deep accounting capabilities across multiple industries designed with a single aim—to accelerate your success.

To learn more about Sage Intacct, to book a demo, or schedule a discovery call, check out their briefing center here: https://accelerationeconomy.com/listing/sage-intacct/

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The pandemic disrupted much of the global economy and supply chain, and there was also a lot of uncertainty.

Of course, we consumers felt the impact when shopping, but retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers were reeling from the shockwave. Some companies were in a good position to pivot to meet the demand, while others were greatly unprepared.

In the midst of all of this, technology really helped fill the gap between predictability and uncertainty. So, to highlight this, I’m joined by Sofia Martinez, Associate Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for Reily Foods. We’ll chat through how they partnered with Workday using Workday Adaptive Planning to redefine & streamline finance and demand planning & analysis. We’ll also dive into the importance of data for financial decision-makers to have intelligent conversations with peers to drive quality decisions faster.

Highlights

• 01:57: Sofia highlights her background and Reily Foods with its 100+ year history.
• 04:12: The Food Industry Association is out with its latest U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report and how, due to the pandemic, 49% of consumers are cooking or preparing their own meals more. Sofia touches on this point, the ripple effect on food suppliers and the strain on the supply chain as well as the major pivots companies had to do.
• 07:07: The impact of the pandemic shifted everyone’s expectations which created a major shift in demand planning. This allowed technology to fill in the gap and surface insights. And, for Reily Foods, this was especially critical. Workday helped them get real analysis which supercharged and accelerated their decision-making process.

One source of the truth…if everyone opens this report at any given time, they will have the latest information…to make their decisions and feel very comfortable. 14:05: Reily Foods made the strategic decision to invest in their technology ahead of the pandemic. This put them in the perfect position to be ready for the uncertainty that was to come. * 16:32: Sofia shares the amazing reporting capabilities from Workday that allows them to dimensionalize the data, and even see run rates out through the next year. * 20:19: The tedious data entry caused Reily Foods to lose critical insights into the business operations. Workday allowed them to go deeper into the day-to-day processes and see if they need to adjust labor assumptions somewhere along the line, or staffing assumptions. * 23:37: Wild swings in the labor markets and uncertainties in the commodities markets make it tough to forecast your need, or monitor shifting customer expectations. Additionally, gathering all the necessary data to then organize and analyze it requires a huge amount of time. Sofia said they were able to flip the script and easily click a button to get the exact report they need. * 27:48:* “I was very lucky that I had a leadership team that was very open. And I think, you know, we really kind of laid it out for them,” said Sofia. “They had seen the challenges that we had with some of our forecasting and budgeting. And we were able to show just the accessibility, the adaptability and the ability to react.”

Reily Foods is a 5th-generation, family-owned company that provides the wholesome and authentic foods and beverages that create meals and memories that bring together family and friends.

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The topic of tax is crazy enough with the many laws and regulations on the books for local, state, and federal governments. Now, we are adding AI into the mix and trying to create a clear path forward.

But, artificial intelligence, bots, and taxes are starting to play in the same sandbox. However, there are pros and cons that both sides of the debate voice pertaining to “robot taxes”.

To help me discuss these complex topics, I’m joined by Robert Seamans, Associate Professor of the NYU Stern School of Business and Director of NYU Stern’s Center for the Future of Management.

Highlights

• 01:51: Rob shares his background and experience as an economist by training. Much of his research involves the economics of new technologies and the firms that are adopting them. Then, he sees how the technologies are affecting the firm. He considers this in terms of its performance as well as in terms of how it organizes itself.
• 04:05: The idea of a robot tax is sometimes referred to as an automation tax. But, we need to consider if robot taxes make sense or not.
• 07:58: Taking a look back at history, the innovation of the steam engines in the UK, or early electrification in the US, or early IT in the US in the 1980s and 1990s – all of this lead to productivity growth and a boost to the economy.

“Firms that are adopting AI are seeing faster growth [and] more employment. The firm’s that aren’t adopting these new technologies are getting left behind.” - Robert Seamans, Associate Professor of the NYU Stern School of Business 14:05: The definition of a robot has shifted over time. This creates a challenge. It’s a semantic exercise, but really sets the stage of this: How can you tax a robot if there isn’t a clear definition of it? * 18:14: There is early evidence that the firms adopting new technologies, such as AI, are actually hiring more workers. * 22:09: Rob emphasizes that the place where people come from, that support Universal Basic Income, is a place of wanting to improve things for workers. These are the policies that we want to be thinking about. We especially want to consider these as more and more robots AI and other technologies enter our economy. But, Rob doesn’t think a robot tax is the right policy. * 25:06:* Firms that are adopting new technologies, such as AI and automation, are the ones that really benefit the most as they are also investing in their existing human capital as well as in new human capital.

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Epidemic. We hear that word and immediately conjure bad images in our heads. Rightly so, as much of this can be attributed to false ideas and behaviors.

But, what if epidemics could be seen in a positive way?

For context, Merriam-Webster defines the word epidemic as this: “affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time“.

Based on this definition, we should be striving to affect the world around us by spreading more than just disease, but compassion, creativity, positivity, and awareness of our humanness.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, John Cordier, CEO of Epistemix, joins me to discuss how we can rethink epidemics, and spread ideas and behaviors towards positive outcomes.

Highlights

• 01:35: John dives into how the seeds of Epistemix started at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, they were an NIH Center of Excellence for modeling infectious disease for a little over a decade.
• John S. Burke, MD, Distinguished University Professor of Health Science and Policy, and John Grefenstette, PhD, prior Senior Scientist for Public Health Dynamics Lab, are co-founders of the company.
• 03:36: Malcolm Gladwell’s book “The Tipping Point” had a great influence on the ideas that are part of the fabric of Epistemix.

The disease is the easy part, getting the human behavior right, is what’s difficult. 06:20: A computational agent is a component of how individuals are represented in the data models being created by Epistemix. This allows them to determine behaviors and patterns that would impact the spread of diseases. * 12:08:* John shares the work they did with Freeman on the impact in the events industry. The outcomes of the research indicated that attending in-person business events is safer than daily activities like going to the grocery store.

Events are really such an important cultural thing. On a sociological level for society, it’s where we can share ideas, create shared experiences, and get to know one another in in ways that we couldn’t before. 17:03: The demographic of specific geographical regions compared to the converging of people at an event are the research models that Epistemix produces. This allows them to have an apples-to-apples comparison on individual impacts, health and safety protocols, and mask requirements, for example. * 20:16:* Overall immunity and the boost from vaccinations are leading us to a tipping point where COVID vaccines will be commonplace like flu vaccines.

I’m very proud of the company. We’ve been able to find [ways] of being able to bring people back together and help answer the questions on how do we do this safely. 25:37: From a data perspective, there are dynamics of this epidemic that are behaving in very distinctive wave patterns. Much of this is impacted by behaviors across regions, but also weather patterns through seasonality. * 30:42:* Myths abound around diseases, allergies, and sickness being tied to the weather. However, this can be attributed to how people behave during certain seasons and weather patterns. For example, festivals, sporting events, etc.

Looking at epidemics, they can be a positive thing. [For example] there could be things like the adoption of home solar panels. 35:26:* The narrative of something can shape the spread of ideas and behaviors. But, one thing to consider is the spread of compassion to surface the humanness of people in spite of the surrounding circumstances.

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If you ask 50 people what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, you will likely get 50 different answers. However, people and AI are interacting more so now in ways that many aren’t aware of. But, there are positives and negatives in the use of AI and this can create opposing ideas on how to best wield it.

Further, people are complex beings, but we aren’t automatons. And, automation and AI can be great assistants in getting work done. But a big question remains: Are we thinking about AI incorrectly?

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Donald Farmer, Principal at TreeHive Strategy and Director of Collaborative Research at Nobody Studios. He helps me unpack the intersection of people and AI, its positive uses, inherent bias, and more.

Highlights

• 02:13: Donald outlines the genesis of TreeHive Strategy and the beautiful treehouse that is the setting for his creative processes. Additionally, he shares how the treehouse was built by Nelson Treehouse on the show called “Treehouse Masters“.
• 04:37: Nobody Studios takes a unique approach to the venture capital concept. The premise is that entrepreneurs are free to focus on bringing their ideas to life while the studio focuses on raising capital, streamlining the finances, and more.
• 08:16: Algorithmic bias is often perceived in an overwhelmingly negative context. However, not all bias is bad. Donald clarifies this point and shares his newer thoughts on an article he wrote in 2019 called “Let’s get clear about algorithmic bias“
• 12:10: Donald talks about an actual story of people and AI. A single mother was impacted by an AI algorithm in a negative way. Donald was able to assist the team to update the algorithm to account for flexibility in work schedules due to last-minute changes or needs that the single mother may face.

The real value [of AI] will come when human beings augment the automation and intelligence, and we bring our human values, insights, and complexity to things which otherwise are automated. 17:03: Companies need to be really in close touch with their customers. As AI technology usage has grown, the personal touch seems to be lost or the “little things” are overlooked. * 21:56: Disruption from AI is no longer sci-fi. Companies know they need to be strategic about AI usage. However, while some companies have adopted AI and are scaling their efforts, other companies are still kicking the tires. * 24:10: AI offers a fantastic opportunity for education at a personalized level. Every student has a different learning style and great teachers adapt to that. But, AI can make an enormous difference in education, but it’s not really happening. * 26:01:* People are not automatons. We are complex, but not algorithmic. It’s important we realize that we meet people in that complexity – surface the humanness and bring our values and insights to technology.

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App usage for day-to-day has increased dramatically over the past few years. It's estimated that there are about 88 apps being used per person to get work done. But, how many of them are helping with work efficiency?

To break through some of the "app noise", it's important to ensure the apps you use can fill gaps that you struggle with.

In this "Back @ IT" episode, I'm joined by Kieron Allen, Business Apps analyst for the Acceleration Economy Analyst Network, and recent author of "Top 10 Apps Driving Digital Transformation".

Highlights

• 01:47: Kieron shares his background and experience in journalism and his core focus on cybersecurity, business apps, and emerging technologies.
• 03:51: Two levels of adaption are taking place around app collaboration: Employers are trying to make it easier for employees to work from home. However, employees need time to adapt to the new environment.

I think what's interesting about business apps that focus on that work from home culture is that it's not just about direct communication...and being able to share and collaborate on material, but it's also about being able to stay inspired when you're outside of the office 07:07: Grammarly has over 30 million customers using the tool, and Kieron finds that it helps him be more consistent and concise. * 08:54: Working from anywhere will have its set of tech issues. And, having a tool like TeamViewer can help streamline the troubleshooting process and get you back to work quicker. * 12:25: Staying inspired throughout the workday can be tough. And, staying focused on what's important to you can be difficult. With this in mind, Kieron touched on a great app he uses called Pocket. This app allows you to "save articles, videos, and stories from any publication, page, or app. And, you can curate your own space filled with everything you can’t wait to learn". * 14:40:* Apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams seem to have taken the workplace by storm. But, there are other alternatives if you want to keep things super simple. One such app that Kieron likes is called Jitsi Meet which is free to use and no account is needed.

[This "Back @ IT" episode is sponsored by Vertex]

Vertex offers tightly coupled sales and use tax solutions for D365 Finance & Operations as well as integrations to many Microsoft Dynamics ERP platforms, including Dynamics 365 Business Central and Commerce, Dynamics AX, Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, available in single- or multi-tenant cloud and on-premise deployment models.

Vertex is a leading provider of tax technology and services worldwide, enabling companies of all sizes to streamline, automate, and standardize taxability and calculation on every sales and purchase transaction.

To book a demo or request a discovery call, check here for more information.

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The impact of technology across the workforce is truly remarkable. Further, automation has changed how we work and the definition of work. And, a necessary part of this definition is the automation journey goals. These goals will involve people establishing the guidelines, what needs automated, what still needs human intervention, and what’s too complex to automate.

All of this sets the stage for purposeful intent by the areas of technology, finance, operations, and lines of business collaborating to streamline the processes.

In this “Back @ IT episode, I’m joined by Aaron Tran, Founder and CEO of Workflow86. We’ll chat about automation and people, collaborating to tackle cybersecurity, the role the CFO plays, and more.

Highlights

• 00:43: Aaron Tran explains the purpose of Workflow86, how they came up with the name and the purpose of its solution.
• 05:07: The genesis of Workflow86 was to automate workflows for risk assessment, risk analysis, and cybersecurity. There were significant issues using Zapier and Intgromat due to complexities in the business logic.
• 11:02: Many large organizations still have archaic systems and spreadsheets. Additionally, a lot of teams know what they need to automate, but have run into multiple barriers. A disconnect exists between the operational expertise and trying to scale the processes.

When you’re looking at complex workflows, really high value mission critical stuff…humans always inevitably have some kind of role to play. 14:54: One customer of Workflow86 needed to generate hundreds of custom contracts. The workflow put in place enables them to create the contracts as part of its funding of organizations. * 18:52: Many times the issue when trying to streamline a process is due to tribal knowledge. The finance department, for example, knows the steps, knows the process from beginning to end, but isn’t sure how to automate it. * 22:04: The most popular approach is leveraging components to keep people involved. This approach is termed “human in the loop”. If the CFO, for example, needs to make a decision, they can approve or reject something which will trigger the next step. * 26:21: Workflow86 partnered with CyRise to fill the gap between cybersecurity experts and the resources and tools. This helps thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that have no cybersecurity tools. * 31:50:* There has never been a better time to start automating than now. Using a low code tool to get you out of using spreadsheets, or if don’t know how to code, can help jumpstart your automation journey.

Workflow86 is an all-in-one no-code workflow automation platform. Other solutions allow users to automate workflows by connecting different external apps together. This approach works great for certain types of workflows, but it makes the entire workflow reliant on external dependencies. This introduces technical limitations, transactional inefficiencies, and reliability issues.

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The value of data has been vastly underestimated. Additionally, it’s sometimes viewed as “out of sight, out of mind” – until a data breach happens.

So, how can this be rectified?

Cue the CFO. You might think this is something the CIO should manage. And, you would be partly correct. However, the CFO needs hands-on involvement in how, when, why, and what is being invested in technology.

Data as an essential asset should be important enough to a line item on the balance sheet. This creates visibility to the organization and the value that the CFO has placed on the data.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Jason Yaeger, CEO of Tenacity Cloud. We chat about security, privacy, value, and the importance of the CFO’s role in creating a culture to value data.

Highlights

• 02:03: Jason outlines his 25-year experience in technology. He has worked with the healthcare and financial industries. Additionally, he has led teams as Operations Manager, VP of Operations and Product Development, and Chief Security and Revenue Officer.
• 06:26: Security should be viewed holistically. Previously, a focus on just the ingress or egress of legacy on-premise systems was more simplistic. However, the points of access have increased dramatically.
• 09:51: Web-enabled devices are everywhere. But, do they all make sense? Do we need AI-infused smokers or grills?

If the CFO can’t assign value to their data…then it’s not very easy to justify spending money on securing it. - JASON YAEGER | CEO, TENACITY 13:15: Many times there is a false sense of security that’s pervasive through an organization. This can lead to bad decisions and costly fines for non-compliance. * 15:22: More than 25% – actually closer to 50% – of data breaches are the result of infrastructure mistakes. The goal of Tenacity is to help companies focus on proactive security. * 18:21: Data privacy laws and compliance regulations are forcing companies to make data a central asset. If a company were to violate a GDPR rule and is fined, that means the data has value. But, if it’s not on the balance sheet, then it’s not visible. * 21:39: Business leaders are asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking, “How much does this cost?”, decision-makers should be asking, “If we don’t do this, what are we saying ‘No’ to?” The investment to mitigate the risk is far less costly than the outcome of a data breach. * 25:19:* Security shouldn’t be viewed as a hindrance to the business objectives. For example, if your company processes credit cards from customer purchases, you need to be PCI compliant. If you aren’t compliant, this can be a loss of business from customers and vendors.

Alignment in the top top level leadership – the CIO, CFO, and CEO – plays a critical role. And, the CFO needs to make it known, “Anything from a security perspective needs to be brought to my desk”. 33:42: It’s critical that CFOs implement accounting rules to further assign value to the data. However, this is only one part of the solution. The other part is to create a culture to value data. This helps investors, employees, and customers realize that the data is not valueless. * 36:50:* Insurance for data does help somewhat. But, unlike a physical item that could be stolen, if data is stolen, it can’ be undone – it’s permanent. And, the increase in ransomware attacks should be a wake-up call to start placing greater value on company data.

Tenacity Cloud is to help companies mitigate security threats, fix misconfigurations, and manage cloud spend from one intuitive platform.

The platform provides:

• Cloud Asset Management: Delivers comprehensive visibility across all your deployed resources.
• Security Posture: Provides real-time insights into your Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). This is analyzed from workloads, networks, user activity, data, and configurations to prioritize and remediate threats to your cloud.
• Budget Intelligence: Get immediate, detailed access to current and past cloud spend so you know where it’s going.
• Compliance Monitoring: Track compliance scores over time, identify open issues immediately, and track your team's progress towards remediation.

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate of almost 33% by 2028, and there is no stopping in sight.

However, the pendulum is finally settling towards the middle now. Low-code/no-code solutions were the shiny new toy when they burst onto the scene a few years ago. And, this created a surge in citizen developers who were creating things everywhere.

On the other end of the spectrum, professional developers need a flexible solution to democratize RPA. And, they need a way to create reusable components across their ecosystems.

In this "Back @ IT" podcast episode, I’m joined by Antti Karjalainen, CEO and co-founder, and Peter Steube, Head of Content Marketing and Partners Ecosystems for Robocorp.

We’ll chat through Robocorp’s unique differentiators, the Robots as a Service (RaaS) concept, the future of RPA, and much more.

Highlights

• 00:24: Antti introduces himself and states that, since 2018, he has been "building on this vision of open ecosystem in RPA". Next, Peter introduces himself and outlines his responsibilities for global partnerships and alliances.
• 02:26: There is a non-profit foundation, formed in 2015, that Antti is a part of that is built on an open-source project.
• 06:45: The need for a balance between citizen developers and professional developers is needed. There are people who want to go deep with RPA while others like the low-code approach.
• 08:51: Robocorp is seeing huge growth across its Partner Ecosystem. The growth has been organic and has seen healthcare as a big driver of adoption.

In June 2021, Robocorp closed on a $21 million Series A investment round to fuel its continued growth.
Source: https://robocorp.com/blog/robocorp-closes-21-million-series-a 10:11: Peter outlined their approach with the Partner Ecosystem to "win at both ends of the marketplace". This enables organizations to massively complex needs backed by "10 years of libraries and keywords". * 13:42:* Larger companies want to create a Center of Excellence around RPA. The CoE provides a way for automation leaders to target specific use cases within their organization.

The vision was that that these [RPA] bots are going to be leveraged by companies of all sizes, not just enterprise - Antti Karjalainen | co-founder/CEO | Robocorp 18:03: The focus of Robocorp is to deliver bots that can do routine work, but that can also be infused with intelligence. People are utilizing the bots for hyper-science, document processing, and robocalls, for example. * 21:17:* Specific industries, such as healthcare, are looking to RPA to streamline processes. Additionally, the bots can run on-premise, in the cloud, or through independent software vendors.

Robocorp's goal is to fuel the creators, the experimenters, the thinkers, and the doers. Makers of things with a noble cause — liberating humans to use their energy on what’s important at work.

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This “Back @ IT” episode is part of the “Future Office of the CFO” program and is brought to you by Sage Intacct, an official underwriter. Sage Intacct can increase ROI and transform your organization with the first and only preferred provider of the AICPA for accounting and financial management software for companies of any size.

According to CFO Financial News, the total ransomware costs for data recovery should exceed $20 billion in 2021.

Additionally, many small and medium-sized businesses are the most likely targets as they aren’t as secure as enterprise organizations. And, the average ransom requested for a business of this size is $5,900.

So, how can businesses of any size be more resilient and invest wisely to future-proof the business?

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I chat with Nick Lumsden, CTO of Tenacity Cloud. We’ll chat about the impact of governance across finance, tech, operations, and lines of business, the strategic role of the CFO, pitfalls companies face when trying to implement a governance model, and much more.

Highlights

• 02:43: Organizations have become increasingly complex. The company does not have to be large in size to have complex environments to manage.
• 06:58: The alignment between technology and CFOs is a really good thing for technologists. Also, technology is seen as less of a cost center burden and more as an advantage.
• 10:15: Obligations to shareholders, customers, and employees increase the need for rigorous system audits and compliance. The intellectual property of any company is critical to its operations.

What are the standards that we’re going to adhere to, in order to ensure that we’re not a statistic…that we’re not on the front page of The Wall Street Journal? 15:12: Everyone thinks they are meeting all the regulatory requirements. A system, such as Tenacity, can surface the surprises that should be fixed. Nobody wants to check all the systems from a compliance perspective. * 19:00: AI components can help us humans make sense of massive datasets. And, spot anomalies in spending to mitigate future risk. * 23:30: The Tenacity AI models can be trained to work with specific industries, such as healthcare. This provides better governance to ensure the correct compliance from HIPAA to ISO 27001 to NIST 800-53, and more. * 26:05:* We should ask ourselves, “What could I be doing to free up time?” Automation is not meant to replace humans but augment them. However, this opens up new areas to consider and shifts in business processes.

Sage Intacct continues to lead the cloud financial management revolution. Part of the Sage Business Cloud, Sage Intacct is used by thousands of organizations from startups to public companies to improve company performance and make finance more productive. As a best-in-class system, our cloud accounting software products and financial management solutions deliver deep accounting capabilities across multiple industries designed with a single aim—to accelerate your success.

To learn more about Sage Intacct, to book a demo, or schedule a discovery call, check out their briefing center here: https://accelerationeconomy.com/listing/sage-intacct/

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This "Back @ IT" episode is part of the "Future Office of the CFO" program and is brought to you by Tipalti, an official underwriter. Tipalti provides a comprehensive, multi-entity accounts payable solution which helps customers wipe out 80% of their payables workload.

In this "Back @ IT" episode, John Thomas, CEO of Zact, joins me to chat about the evolution of the CFO's role, the strength needed in collaboration, and being a model for compliance.

Highlights

• 01:50: From a background in engineering to Amadeus to CEO of Zact, John highlights his journey and curiosity that led him to FinTech.
• 04:56: There is tremendous pressure to move quickly. And, CFOs need to move quickly not by just closing the month, but real-time information to make decisions faster.
• 08:18: When someone hears, "Finance needs this", unfortunately, most people put it on the backburner. Procrastination leads to collaboration breakdown.

If the CFO can only tell what has happened already, you lose a certain amount of control of how the organization behaves strategically. 11:07: If operations or sales use the excuse of "look at the statement" for their corporate card spending, this does nothing for collaboration. The CFO is unable to project spend and investments in needed technology or people. REAL dialogue needs to happen across all areas of the organization. * 15:03: Manufacturing, for example, can leverage IoT to be more proactive in machinery maintenance or replacement. This creates a more predictable pattern of cost for the CFO. * But, what's the equivalent of IoT in finance? Real-time data is needed for finance to not only balance the books but strategically predict outcomes and future needs. * 18:32: As crazy as it sounds, many hotels are still using faxes when people use booking sites. This is then manually entered into the system. Wouldn't it make sense to use integrated systems to accelerate the process? * 21:36: CFOs can enable set the tone of compliance. Documented policies are important. However, technology needs to be leveraged to enforce and streamline the policies. * 26:00:* Unfortunately, many FinTechs don't take compliance seriously. Compliant systems need to be routinely audited. The urgency of responsibility needs to be a driver of conversations and collaboration.

By automating the whole payables process, we’re modernizing the most archaic practice within the business world. But Tipalti is more than just technology. Behind the platform are people who know that payables is all about, well, people. Employees, suppliers, partners, company leaders—those who have long accepted the status quo, believing they had to perform the job manually.

To learn more about Tipalti, to book a demo, or schedule a discovery call, check out their briefing center here: https://accelerationeconomy.com/listing/vertex-inc/

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This “Back @ IT” episode is part of the “Future Office of the CFO” program and is brought to you by Vertex, an official underwriter. Vertex is creating opportunities for companies around the world, helping them stay compliant in an ever-changing tax ecosystem.

Understanding the practical uses of data and AI is a growing challenge for Chief Financial Officers. It’s critical that CFOs ask strong questions, enabling them to become data arbiters and navigate technology investment decisions.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, Pulak Sinha, CEO of Pepper, joins me to chat about data growth and stewardship, examples of how data and AI are empowering finance, and how the CFOs role has shifted.

Highlights

• 00:30: Pulak shares a bit about Pepper, an investment management platform company. And, he is proud of the 20+ year transition from an immigrant from India to CEO of a major company.
• 03:46: A central theme of platform development is data management. Not only as a core back-end component but a true asset.

These CFOs…have to be using data in ways that other organizations are not. Data and AI are going to be critical 07:10: Some business elements are now considered “table stakes” such as resilient security and data stewardship. * 09:56:* Diversification is an important aspect in financial teams, credit management, asset management, and portfolio management.

[CFOs] actually can do much more than others can do in asset management…they can create a level of transparency, which is very important for whichever firm they’re working for. 17:22: The pressure on CFOs to be “data ready” is vital today. On one hand, this means being technically savvy and understanding the data. On the other hand, CFOs need to be prepared to present the data, no matter the audience. * 22:08: Making practical sense of “buzzwords” is crucial to CFOs. This points to where investment dollars will go, what tools to use for forecasting, and following rules-based governance. * 24:56: While industry cloud solutions are providing huge gains in speed to “go live”, not one solution is the answer to all organizational needs. CFOs that are reviewing FinTech solutions need to realize that a blend of solutions might be needed to address the unique company requirements. * 29:15:* When deploying new technology, CFOs must consider the long-term impacts. How often will a system need to be replaced? Did we invest in a bad system? Is the current system creating opportunities for us to grow and scale?

Vertex offers tightly coupled sales and use tax solutions for D365 Finance & Operations as well as integrations to many Microsoft Dynamics ERP platforms, including D365 Business Central and Commerce, Dynamics AX, GP, NAV, available in single- or multi-tenant cloud and on-premise deployment models.

To learn more about Vertex, to book a demo, or schedule a discovery call, check out their briefing center here: https://accelerationeconomy.com/listing/vertex-inc/

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Still today, “tribal knowledge” is a big hindrance to true technology adoption. Further, traditional AI notions have hurt any true momentum on its adoption.

The tribal knowledge comes from the mindset of the cliche of “we have always done it this way”, or the sense of job security.

What can be done to challenge these notions and create a more transparent AI approach?

Highlights

• 01:15: AI is impacting the way we work and resetting our expectations. However, what most people consider AI is what Romi refers to as “real AI” or “rhetorical AI”.
• 02:38: Romi highlighted that current AI models are, at their core, just “manipulation of data”. They aren’t really intelligent. But, many perceive them that way, as AI has become more democratized in our everyday life.
• 07:13: According to Schumpeterian logic, as the cycle goes down, new technology will create new jobs. But, the planning of artificial intelligence needs to carefully roll out. It has to be in concert with governments, educational institutions, and more.

I actually look at data like water…it’s necessary for life… However, you can have a flood and be inundated. 11:52: The agricultural industry is seeing great benefit from the use of AI to understand weather, water usage, and growth patterns. * 15:30: Currently, the real estate industry is leveraging AI to impact the listing of houses. By using a cell phone, they can scan the house to understand its condition, the quality of appliances, the shape of the house, and more. They can translate the input into a real-time output to determine the value of your house. * 19:34:* Romi stressed the importance to truly understand what AI is all about. And, to beware of false claims, but embrace the real claims.

If you are still struggling with the notion of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing, I encourage you to read the articles on the “AI/ML” section.

AI is here and real. It’s not science fiction. It may be difficult to understand the practical use. But, go in with an open mind and a plan.

Lastly, if you are looking for AI solutions, but aren’t sure which companies are out there, then check out the “Enterprise AI Battleground” channel.

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Technology is an integral part of our everyday human life. There is no escaping the impact that technology has had across the globe. Unfortunately, many tend to focus on just scaling technology for its capabilities and features.

How can we shift our thinking to leverage the technical advantages we have?

Technology requires purpose, ideas, creativity, and governance driven by people. And, companies are seeing the positive and negative impacts of technology on humanity. As such, many organizations saw the "critical role of science, technology, and innovation".

Kate O'Neill, author and "Tech Humanist”, joins me in this podcast episode. Kate is focused on helping humanity prepare for an increasingly tech-driven future by teaching businesses how to make technology that’s better for humans.

Kate's insights and expertise have been featured in outlets like WIRED, and she has appeared as an expert commentator on the likes of BBC, NPR, Marketplace, and NBC News.

Highlights

• 01:58: Kate shares her early "claim to fame" where she won a statewide programming competition in the first grade. And, she was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix as their Content Manager.
• 05:32: Disney theme parks have truly honed their organizational philosophy to create "magical experiences". This approach has driven the practical use cases of scaling technology that is, without a doubt, truly magical.

“The future is just the timeframe that exists based on our decisions today” 11:21: There is tremendous pressure that companies face to create great consumer interactions between the digital and the physical. * 13:57:* Kate outlines her self-titled term of "optimistic futurist". She defines the juxtaposition of her optimism with the realities of technology.

"Historically only two lenses we've ever been given to look at the future through that is dystopia, and utopia" * 19:36: One of the concepts that Kate uses in her work is "both/and". Technology is increasingly shaping the world we live in. However, organizations can keep strive for humanitarian goals and, at the same time, focus on the revenue streams while scaling technology. * 24:33: We should keep sustainability goals in mind to address the human scale problems with our fast-paced technology growth. The U.N. has outlined 17 goals of sustainable development goals that articulate the ways we need to improve life on earth. * 27:22: The agriculture industry is seeing huge gains with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify weather patterns, crop layout, soil composition, and more.

Kate’s expertise in data-based business models, integrated experience strategy, and human-centric digital transformation comes from more than 25 years of experience and entrepreneurship leading innovations across technology, marketing, and operations in category-defining companies. She was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix, where she created the first content management role and helped implement innovative dynamic e-commerce practices that became industry standard; was founder & CEO of [meta]marketer, first-of-its-kind analytics and digital strategy agency; developed Toshiba America‘s first intranet; led cutting-edge experience optimization work at Magazines.com; and has held leadership and advisory positions in a variety of digital content and technology start-ups, consultancies, and agencies.

The latest book from Kate, "A Future So Bright: How Strategic Optimism Can Restore Our Humanity and Save the World", is available on September 7, 2021, and can be ordered on Amazon.

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Making sense of any data is necessary to make crucial business decisions. Data has considerable value now and is a commoditized asset. However, we are inundated with data today, and try to harness the data is a challenge for many.

If the volume of data is going to only increase, how can data be translated into actionable insights?

I’m joined by Pablo Moreno, Microsoft MVP and Business Data Scientist for Dell, to discuss data analysis, different ways to view it, and getting the most out of your data. Pablo is an expert in analytics, business intelligence, machine learning, and more.

Highlights

• 01:15: Pablo outlines his Spanish heritage and his background in artificial intelligence and machine learning for legal operations.
• 05:16: The explosion of big data about 10 years ago provided a way for Pablo to use his statistical knowledge to provide insights to others.
• 08:07: Data analysis has come a long way from using Excel as the only tool. This led to Pablo write a book called "Machine Learning in Power BI with R and Python".
• 11:04: Power BI combined with artificial intelligence is surfacing information in amazing ways. But, many business professionals still struggle with understanding how to consolidate and make sense of the data.

Business intelligence is why things happened or didn’t happen in the past…in order to improve my direction in the future. 18:34: Microsoft has made big investments in Power BI to increase the capabilities and extend the functionality by combining it with Azure. * 21:17:* Pablo shares his mission to invest 30%-35% of the book proceeds to social causes. This is done by: + Participating and investing money in Python applications and packages development optimized for Power BI usage. + Funding and paying tuition to individuals without resources to be educated in data literacy. Agreements are in place with some universities and other academies who collaborate in this cause.

Information about Pablo's book can be found here: https://mlbi.io/pages/index-machine-learning-in-power-bi-with-r-and-python

Please note that the English version of the book will be published in November 2021.

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03:06: Tim highlights his book called "Landing Page Optimization" which has been translated into 6 languages. He then outlines the premise of his latest book "Unleash Your Primal Brain".

04:43: Humans have a natural "instant gratification" component. This is notion is factored heavily into social media app and marketing efforts to grab our attention.

07:19: A retail environment study was conducted to see how the kind of music playing would impact people's purchase decisions for wine. This surfaced how easily people are influenced by their environment.

You need to look at how people think and make decisions. And if you want to apply that in business or marketing, then you can say, how does that brain that we have, and isn't changing, apply or is influenced by technology?10:53: None of us is an island. Humans are made to be hyper-social and communal and this is reflected by our cultural beliefs.

14:52: Some companies try to be non-confrontational, but when companies actually have a clear point of view and stand for something, this becomes a magnet for attracting people. People that care about your values and beliefs.

16:58: Leaders and organizations need to be telling the stories that reinforce their values. This will attract the audience of customers and be reflected by the employees of the company.

20:58: When companies are honest and connect through storytelling, they will share what failed, what didn't work, how you can learn from it, and how it affected you.

22:04: Tim's book is an effort to level the playing field with big corporations that are using artificial intelligence and algorithms.

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Some sales approaches and processes have been implemented through the years. Many of these processes have had some success and proven quite useful for some time. However, many have fallen by the wayside with the rise of digital business, social media, customer expectations, and more. As a result, these approaches have turned into sales myths and behaviors that are detrimental to organizations.

When the pandemic hit the world, some companies faced a crisis with their sales strategies. These companies hadn’t diversified their portfolio, or their staff, or thought that the way they had always done things would help them ride through the storm. This couldn’t be further from the truth. So, what can companies and sales teams do?

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Ken Lundin, the President of Ken Lundin & Associates where they challenge sales myths and old-school ways of thinking. We will chat about learning from misfortune, diversity and inclusion, re-thinking sales approaches, and more.

01:21: Ken Lundin shares his personal story of misfortune from 2008 and how this forced him to re-evaluate things.

04:32: How “failing forward” (nod to Gayle Keller) changed Ken’s outlook and two orientations that changed things for him.

The "maybes" in the middle [stink] ...where you just hold on to doing a thing too long07:07: How did the pandemic impact the challenges people faced? Were they already there or were they exacerbated?

09:15: When corporate goals are being hit, then underperformers “have a cover”. When many things shifted over the past 18 months, “busy work” was exposed and doesn’t amaze folks.

The number one thing that [sales teams] do wrong [is] they don't truly understand their customers and their customers’ plight so that they can actually add value by exposing the latent pain, the unknown pain.13:20: Customers will speak up when they realize you aren’t providing value to them. This can put you in a position where the customers are seeing you as a risk.

16:15: Many companies saw tremendous growth during the pandemic, but this was impacted by the industry you were in.

19:06: The impact of technology tools in sales teams and needs to be evaluated as the sales teams grow. What worked for a team of 20 people, may not work for a team of 50 or 100. One tool that is helping salespeople identify how to write better email messages is called Lavender.

24:10: Technology needs to scale as the business scales for customer relationships and internal users of the tech tools.

26:06: Diversity and inclusion are changing how managers, leaders, and coaches are approaching business decisions. There are unique ways of looking at things that would have been possible without diverse though leadership.

Ken Lundin & Associates utilizes "The Sales Alpha Roadmap™" which focuses on

• Launch (Match Product to Market)
• Lift (Gain Sales Altitude)
• Locate (Choose the Right Destination)
• Level Flight (Seek Balance; Avoid Turbulence)

To learn more about Ken Lundin & Associates, check out their website.

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) still feel nebulous to many organizations and don’t really understand how they can harness the capabilities. Many are just starting their RPA and AI journey, but are still struggling with practical use cases.

However, the future is exciting as companies ramp up their efforts and really scale RPA and AI across the enterprise. This effort could really showcase the true possibilities of fully intelligent automation.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Olivier Gomez (OG), the CEO of Intelligent Automation Corp and a member of the Forbes Technology Council. We’ll discuss RPA and AI, the challenges organizations face, democratization, unique use cases, and much more.

Highlights:

• 01:33: Olivier highlights his background, and that he’s French. He also outlines the revolution that’s happening with automation and the physical interactions of machines and humans.

As we evolve away from an emerging industry into a more mature industry…we [can] expand the scope to add a brain to the bot 07:36: The ecosystem of technology is growing by the day. Automation can enable]speed of action, saving a life, going into areas where it’s actually very dangerous for humans to go. * 14:48:* Understanding the applicability of new technologies is the number one challenge. What is the art of the possible?

Any new technology needs to be understood and industrialize and then governance will be applied to it 17:19: The concern of ethics, bias, and risk are still huge concerns for many companies. How long will it take for things to fall into place utilizing standardization? * 21:27: People are expecting returns on their investment and are expecting an improvement of the time for value. * 25:01:* As RPA and AI become more democratized, they will break out of the “bubble of geek” and the rest of the world be a lot less afraid to leverage these tools.

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With the diversification of thought, ideas, and passion comes remarkable innovation. While we have come a long way as a society in regards to women in the workforce, and especially women in technology, there is still much to be done.

So, what can be done to address the stigmas and disparities that exist? And, what strides have been made to bring us to a more healthy balance of diversity in the workforce?

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Gayle Keller of "Gayle Keller LLC" and podcaster on "Theodora Speaks". Her passion is in “motivating others, and [inspiring] working women to reinvent themselves in order to have balance and fulfillment in their careers. Her methodology empowers women to take calculated risks and to pursue their most cherished career aspirations.”

Highlights:

01:40: Gayle outlines her expertise and the goal of her podcast, Theodora Speaks. This is a podcast series that celebrates risk-taking women in tech and STEM and have successfully “failed forward” and told the trials and tribulations of their lives.

In the valleys is where we have our lessons learned…and how we …better ourselves to go in the next thing.04:31: Gender inclusion in the workforce is Gayle’s passion. She is helping women’s groups and universities understand how to promote themselves in the workforce.

07:58: There are more girls interested in STEM and STEAM classes, but there is a long way to go. Some STEM camps or LEGO camps are only seeing low single-digit attendance for girls.

09:42: Out of the pandemic, Gayle saw about 2.5 million women leave the workforce. So, how do we get them back? And, how do we attract them?

14:20: It’s important for kids to have tech and STEAM role models early in life. Later, it’s important to have mentors and business coaches that continue this role model mentality.

17:17: Gayle outlines how she works better with men than with women, and the reasons behind that.

Women only make up 25% of the workforce in STEM. And only 18% are leaders. I encourage everyone to think about gender inclusion at the corporate level.21:26: It’s vital that we maintain women in tech because of family demands or if they become moms. Their thought leadership can be a loss if women are not considered important to the organization. How can this be addressed?

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The importance placed on security can’t be stressed enough. However, many people and organizations are becoming more and more frustrated with intrusions due to password issues. So, what are we to do?

Biometric security has increased over the past few years and we are marching faster towards a passwordless world. But, what can we expect, and how can we identify bot interaction versus human interaction as potential threats to our applications and networks?

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Justin Macorin, Cybersecurity and Behavioral Biometrics expert with Pointmount Inc. We’ll chat about what behavioral biometrics is, new security legislation, passwordless implications, activity tracking, and more.

Highlights:

• 01:48: Justin outlines his background and what led him to the cybersecurity work and specifically to behavioral biometrics.
• 03:39: What is behavioral biometrics? Justin lays out the answer as the way we interact with hardware and physical devices.
• 05:10: How different entities are interacting with computers through artificial intelligence and bots.
• 08:51: The rise of data privacy, and now biometric legislation, has placed greater importance on security. This puts an onus on organizations to have a security governance model in place.

Illinois was probably the first state that that introduced biometric legislation* 11:10: The difference between buzzwords and practical application of systems and security have real-world implications.

It’s imperative for organizations to really take a security-first and data-centric approach to really everything they do.* 13:03: Security is a continual process that should be reviewed, updated, and adapted to stay on opt of threats and attack factors. * 14:46: What does the future look like if we all go to a passwordless ecosystem? * 17:20: The impact a cookieless world will have on security, marketing, and tracking. * 20:44: How we identify bots versus humans that interact with devices or applications. Does this change our approach to security?

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Brand recognition, informative content, and creating unique consumer experiences are just a few challenges that companies face when trying to stay competitive. And, as the pace of our accelerated economy continues to increase, getting your company noticed in a crowded market is a daily struggle.

In order to have that edge, companies pour huge investments into marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure their message is heard. However, with the constant change of search engine algorithms, greater concerns around privacy and data tracking, and the soon demise of third-party cookies, staying ahead is a headache for many marketers.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I chat with Steve Wiideman, President and SEO expert of Wiideman Consulting Group, and SEO instructor for "Academy of Search". We’ll delve into the murky world of SEO, surface practical insights, and provide ways for you to get more educated on this topic.

Highlights:

• 01:08: Steve highlights his experience from the 90s with gaudy, goofy-looking websites with scrolling marquees to his current focus on digital marketing around paid and natural search.
• 02:16: Waxing nostalgic about the days of “Ask Jeeves” and AOL disks in the mail.
• 04:06: The evolution of search engine optimization and how it impacts digital marketing across many different aspects.

The mindset of the modern marketer should be focused on how do I create the most helpful page for the ways that people are searching* 06:41: SEO is more than just surfacing your company’s message, but creating authenticity around the company’s brand. * 08:21: Steve shares insights into keywords, page performance, page signals, and qualified content. * 10:38: Creating an amazing experience for consumers across devices is can be more important than money spent on paid advertising.

The principles are still there: Make suvre from a technology standpoint that users can find and interact with the content they need and help solve their problem* 14:15: Solidifying the content and message across your websites cements your brand and expertise versus trying to have content about anything and everything. * 16:49: Recent security updates from many companies have shifted the way marketers think about targeting audiences. * 19:07: As third-party cookies start to crumble, Steve is excited about the prospect of more privacy and fewer concerns over data being compromised. * 21:02: SEO diversification is critical for digital marketing success or risk being non-competitive. * 22:38: Get educated on the right SEO principles. Don’t fall for the promises of making you number one in Google search.

If you would like to learn more about SEO and key marketing strategies, be sure to check out Steve's courses on the "Academy of Search" site.

Be sure to use this exclusive promo code for discounted or free future courses: SEOSTEVE

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has changed how people approach the automation of mundane tasks by offering unique capabilities. But, RPA’s impact in key areas of the organization is still misunderstood. RPA is typically utilized for automating mundane tasks, which is great, but without a secure, governed process, RPA will quickly become unmanageable.

Coming to grips with the true capabilities of RPA instead of just thinking it’s a fancy buzzword is still a challenge for many organizations. The role that people in leveraging RPA is vital to dispelling the many myths that exist around automation.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’m joined by Ronak Mathur of Mater Hospital to help provide insights into RPA. Ronak is an Automation Architect with many years of experience across multiple industries. We will address the struggle many still have trying to understand RPA, practical ways to use RPA, the importance of security, and much more.

Highlights:

• 00:58: RPA has moved beyond a buzzword now and is a critical part of organizations. However, misconceptions still exist along with fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
• 04:25: Repositioning RPA as a productivity enabler will help counter the fear of the “bots taking my job” mentality.
• 05:54: Governance is critical for RPA along with collaboration across the organization. Having a Center of Excellence group will help define the boundaries, people, security, and ensure RPA is aligning with the overall company goals and objectives. By doing this, trust is built up in what RPA can do, should do, or shouldn’t do.

“It's all about the trust what we have built up in the past few years (with RPA), and what’s delivered”* 09:04: Ronak highlights the biggest surprise of the inclusion of artificial intelligence within RPA. The entire process is now infused with AI to enhance automation and reduce manual workloads. * 10:56: People are still a vital element to the adoption, success, and scalability of RPA. However, people need to realize that RPA can shift their focus to more critical tasks instead of mundane tasks.

“it's always people plus technology, it's never the technology will take away everything”* 13:21: AI and machine learning are opening up new possibilities with automation. However, RPA coupled with AI and ML isn’t being adopted greatly outside of enterprise organizations and a few mid-market players. * 16:02: RPA is making an impact in the industry clouds area that’s being offered by many companies. This really allows companies to have the speed to go-live that’s needed in our accelerated economy. * 19:10: Data migration is a huge struggle for many companies as they are transitioning from legacy systems to cloud-powered applications. RPA can speed up this process through automation and lift a huge burden from staff.

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Many companies positioned security secondary to other critical business applications initiatives and strategic planning. Unfortunately, this can lead to long-term impacts such as costly system updates, regulatory non-compliance, loss of data integrity, and more.

Having security as a foundation to all business applications and systems, and within all business processes, will set you up for success down the road. And, addressing misconceptions around security, and companies that offer security testing is key to mitigating risks and attacks.

To help unpack all of this, I'm joined by Ted Harrington. Ted is a leader of ethical hackers, best-selling author of “Hackable”, keynote speaker, consultant, and podcast host, specializing in penetration testing, secure software development, and related areas of cybersecurity.

Highlights:

• 01:52: Ted Harrington sets the stage on ethical hacking, the talented group he collaborates with, and the timely book he wrote called “Hackable”. This book identifies misconceptions that companies have about security and replaces them with something more effective.
• 04:00: What is an ethical hacker? How does this role impact the security world and organizations?
• 05:18: Media, in many forms, has misconstrued what a hacker really is. Ted highlights the core experience of a hacker is being a problem solver. What a hacker does with that experience diverges into the positive and negative routes.
• 09:53: In the effort to pivot quickly during the pandemic, many companies positioned security as an afterthought. It was then added as a bolt-on versus building on a secure foundation. This can really impact a company’s long-term business applications strategy.
• 16:09: The shift to a passwordless model can change how people interact with devices and where things are headed.

Authentication is proof of who you are, and authorization is proving whether you're allowed to do a thing.* 18:15: Humans are wired to be lazy based on our evolutionary survival instincts. This sets up humans to be lazy with their passwords. * 21:08: What are the biggest vulnerabilities that are happening for the sake of the “rush to market”?

Organizations think about security as a cost center that they want to minimize. They don't see it as an opportunity.* 25:06: How the ethical AI component is impacting security for healthcare, finance, and more. Artificial intelligence can help build resilience into systems that have foundational security principles. * 32:36: Addressing misconceptions around security, tools and services offered by many companies, and the output of security penetration testing. * 36:40: Ted’s book “Hackable” is targeted to those that are tech engineers, Chief Technical Officers, or Chief Information Security Officers, heads of development, and more. * 38:18: Ted is happy to chat with folks that are looking for answers to critical security questions and where they need to improve.

Ted Harrington is the #1 best-selling author of HACKABLE: How to Do Application Security Right, and the Executive Partner at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), the company of ethical hackers famous for hacking cars, medical devices, web applications, and password managers. He’s helped hundreds of companies fix tens of thousands of security vulnerabilities, including Google, Amazon, and Netflix. Ted has been featured in more than 100 media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Forbes. His team founded and organizes IoT Village, an event whose hacking contest is a three-time DEF CON Black Badge winner. He hosts the Tech Done Different podcast.​

To get help with security consulting and security assessments, or to book Ted to keynote your next event, visit https://www.tedharrington.com.

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I’ve covered in prior episodes the impact industries are having on tech and how tech is impacting various industries. However, these industry cloud solutions are being heavily invested in by big companies such as SAP, Oracle, Workday, IBM, Salesforce, Google Cloud, and Microsoft.

The reason could be that “industry clouds will be the new normal post-pandemic” as stated by Jujhar Singh, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Industry Clouds at Salesforce.

What are your thoughts?

Highlights:

01:18: The projected growth of the cloud computing market would hit about $791 billion by 2028.

01:54: Speed is a critical element as organizations look to leverage industry cloud solutions.

02:49: SAP CEO, Christian Klein, noted the increased interest across the automotive industry in data sharing as an enabler in cloud growth.

03:26: Jujhar Singh, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Industry Clouds at Salesforce, stated that “Industry clouds will be the new normal post-pandemic”.

04:16: Consumer spending habits have changed, expectations of quality and service have increased.

04:44 Consider these questions:

• Has your company changed its business model to meet newer expectations?
• Have the people in your company elevated or upskilled to compete in the acceleration economy?
• Has automation and AI been rolled out to meet the ever-increasing need to be faster?
• Are the cloud solutions you are using meeting your critical business needs and provide a foundation for the future?

Sources:

• https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cloud-computing-market-102697
• https://www.telcotitans.com/deutsche-telekomwatch/sap-ceo-sees-more-european-industry-clouds-ahead/3243.article
• https://www.protocol.com/Sponsored-Content/industry-clouds-will-be-the-new-normal-post-pandemic-heres-why
• https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/15000-consumers-and-business-buyers-weigh-in-on-the-future-of-customer-engagement/

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Without a doubt, artificial intelligence has infiltrated society and how we work today. Many of the business applications and social media apps we use are infused with AI in some way. This has changed our expectations of app interactions and outcomes which impacts our decision-making process.

Additionally, we are seeing investments by major companies in industry clouds to streamlining the unique experience in these verticals. AI will continue to be infused into these solutions which will shape the future of the business applications experience.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I am joined by Cem Dilmegani, Founder of AIMultiple, to dive into the impacts of AI on industries and people, and where the future of AI is headed.

Highlights:

00:43: The topic of AI has been increasing and more and more people are interested in the topic. Cem outlines his past experience with @McKinsey and founding @AIMultiple.

02:07: AI has become more democratized and included in many business applications to the extent that it’s not viewed as AI specifically.

05:13: The early days of AI were very experimental and it wasn’t mature enough to be included in more mature and robust systems. But now AI has matured to be an integral part of the backbone of technology and expanded upon through machine learning.

07:16: Low-code / no-code applications are leveraging AI due to its democratization which is empowering citizen developers and professional developers alike. This has led to the rise of citizen data scientists as data is more digestible and easily usable.

11:38: Humans are still a fundamental and critical part of the future of technology and AI. It will become a symbiotic relationship where humans are learning from AI and AI is learning from humans.

14:44: Industry cloud solutions are utilizing AI to enable businesses to see quicker implementation and ROI. And, people have adapted to these ever-changing technology advancements.

18:26: How do businesses decide when to buy versus build AI solutions? And, what is the future of AI as it relates to business applications?

20:14: Deep learning research has hit some limitations due to its computation-intensive nature. High-quality data is needed to train the AI models which will aid in natural language understanding. This speaks to the fact that AI has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.

Additional resources:

• https://www.akkio.com/ Akkio is a visual platform for training and deploying AI models in minutes without coding. They have a free trial, too.
• https://twitter.com/GaryMarcus Gary Marcus writes about the challenges with supervised deep learning and approaches to overcome them
• https://aimultiple.com Aggregates public and private data on new technology solutions to help businesses choose with confidence.

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Over the past several months, companies were forced to shift their technology strategies and which applications they would invest in. For some companies, this was a struggle as the solutions available were difficult or took too long to implement.

By keeping a pulse on the needs of organizations, Solver developed a solution that is easy to implement and can produce results in one day. Solver’s QuickStart solution coupled with Dynamics 365 Business Central surfaces important data that the Office of Finance needs for critical decision-making.

In this special episode of “Back @ IT” for the Dynamic Communities DAC News Desk, I’m joined by Nils Rasmussen, CEO of Solver. Nils not only highlights the capabilities of QuickStart, but how some of their customers are using QuickStart in some surprising ways. Thank you Solver for sponsoring this episode!

Highlights:

01:06: The impact of the accelerated economy has changed expectations for organizations with a higher focus on quality and speed.

02:51: Many companies saw typical implementations take months as they’re replacing homegrown Excel models or legacy reporting tools. Solver set a high bar for shifting expectations for implementation speed.

04:38: Solver’s beta program saw incredible results of time to value by a factor of 20 over their initial goal of a factor of 10.

05:25: Traditionally, a lot of time was wasted in the creation of the report versus the report being analyzed and surfacing critical data for decision-making.

06:22: Solver’s QuickStart has a foundation on the 50/50 rule. 50% of what most people need to run their business is available out-of-the-box. QuickStart is flexible and configurable so that the other 50% can be customized for unique needs for individuals or departments within the organization.

07:52: The traditional role of the Office of Finance and the CFO has changed in the past few years. There is a greater focus on strategic initiatives versus transactional focus.

09:02: Four big trends are going on with the Office of Finance: Migration to the cloud from legacy on-premise systems; the maturity of Dynamics 365 Business Central as a viable ERP option; the emergence of marketplaces for add-in solutions and apps; the growth of industry clouds (verticals) for business applications.

14:23: Nil’s highlights that we are in a new era of the “roaring 20’s”, and the future of technologies for the next decade is very exciting.

16:19: Solver has developed a unique relationship with Microsoft and is leveraging Azure for their solutions which enables them to easily layer into Dynamics 365 applications.

20:42: Customers are utilizing Solver QuickStart in unique ways such as part of their migration process from on-premise to the cloud. This allows them to validate their financial data throughout the migration process instead of afterward.

See how Solver QuickStart can empower your organization, or connect with Solver to book a demo or get answers to your questions.

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The pandemic forced many companies to evaluate their processes, technology, and people and make drastic changes. As a result, technology came to the forefront to help solve many challenges and fill critical gaps.

In spite of all of this, Solver stepped up to the plate to develop a truly remarkable solution in the mid-market and SMB space. Solver’s QuickStart solution for Business Central has time to value that is amazing. Not only is it faster than the out-of-the-box Business Central capabilities, but provides powerful analytics, customizable options, and much more.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, Tad Remington, Chief Commercial Officer at Solver, joins me. We’ll dive into what Solver QuickStart is, what it can do, and the impact it can have for customers. Thank you Solver for sponsoring this episode!

Highlights:

00:54: The pace and speed of business expectations are visible in this accelerated economy. Mid-market and SMBs alike are looking for quicker ROI in their tech investments.

02:31: Solver QuickStart can quickly “read” a companies Business Central chart of accounts and dimensions which is converted into a standard set of financial and planning templates.

05:02: Customer feedback drove the capabilities of Solver QuickStart and provides the flexibility for unique customizations that customers can create to meet their business needs.

07:04: Every level of the company will get value from the solution, quick time to value, and be able to leverage 50 analytics dashboards out of the box.

08:42: Why did Solver create QuickStart, to begin with? Customers will be able to save weeks and months of time by not having to create many of the solutions on their own.

14:35: Solver’s strong partner ecosystem drives further innovation and creativity to meet customer needs in micro-vertical markets.

18:56: Accelerated time to implement through the partner network and understanding the various ISV solutions.

21:03: Where can customers and partners find information about Solver QuickStart?

23:10: Solver is excited about this revolutionary solution for mid-market and SMB customers.

Click here to find out more about Solver QuickStart or connect with Solver for a demo!

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Low-code/No-code tools have been on quite a journey. They started off as just a shiny new toy for tech-savvy business users and evolved into full-fledged, robust applications for both citizen developers and pro developers to utilize.

In this “Back @ IT” episode for the @Dynamic Communities DAC News Desk, I’ll dive into the low-code/no-code arena and explore the evolution, the contention, and the collaboration.

Highlights:

00:31: The low-code/no-code market will continue to grow with projections of $187 billion by 2030.

01:53: What does low-code/no-code mean and how did it get started?

03:10: Who are some of the players in the low-code/no-code space? Some are familiar names while others are still trying to make a name for themselves. The entire premise is to provide easy-to-use tools for tech-savvy folks to leverage to create apps for their unique needs.

05:05: The rise of the citizen developer spawned a new category of creators, not just power users.

06:17: The early onset of the low-code/no-code tools cause controversy and sparked negativity in the pro-developer community.

07:12: Vendors listened and built capabilities for pro devs and citizen devs to collaborate on these low-code/no-code apps. This led to the growth of truly creative and business-necessary apps.

Looking to connect with your peers in person? Then join us for the Summit North America #conference, Oct 12-14, 2021. Check here for details: https://summitna.com

Looking for more #interviews, #podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Want more "Back @ IT" podcasts wherever you go? Then subscribe here: https://back-at-it.transistor.fm/

Sources:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/05/13/low-code-and-no-code-in-2021-are-they-as-useful-as-they-seem/?sh=263aef9a160f
• https://www.mendix.com/low-code-guide/
• https://www.creatio.com/
• https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/
• https://appian.com/
• https://www.salesforce.com/products/platform/low-code/
• https://www.servicenow.com/
• https://cloud.google.com/appsheet

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With the rapid pace of change in technology today, it’s refreshing to hear the impacts that tech is having in the healthcare space. Technology really came to the forefront during the pandemic and was an enabler to truly remarkable experiences with patients and medical professionals.

In this special “Back @ IT” episode for the Dynamic Communities DAC News Desk, I’m joined by Paul Swider, Chief Philanthropy Officer for RealActivity and Directory of Philanthropy for the Boston Healthcare Technology Group. We dive into all aspects of healthcare technology from early days and the tech foundations to AI-driven chatbots to the patient experience journey.

00:00: Show highlights - telehealth visits to cutting-edge AI-assisted remote capabilities, and more.

02:03: Introductions with Paul Swider - a 25-year veteran in the tech space. Preparing for Y2K back in the day.

03:03: Brief history of what Y2K was and the fear of what would happen.

05:09: Background on RealActivity that founded in conjunction with the Dartmouth Medical Center to build mission-critical solutions for healthcare.

06:09 Building the foundations of a patient journey leveraging technology as a precursor to today’s machine learning models. This leads to patient experience during their hospital stay and afterward.

07:34: Epic Systems acquires the solutions that Paul developed to roll that into their solutions. Epic extended their patient portal by leveraging the Microsoft stack.

09:23: The growth of the digital tech market for healthcare is expected to reach about $640 billion by 2026.

10:48: How technology is helping healthcare solve critical issues such as bringing down costs, and the changing landscape of how hospitals and doctors are paid and incentivized.

13:42: The expectations of experiences that people have with technology and healthcare that is powered by vast amounts of data.

14:18: The impacts of the pandemic in healthcare technology caused things to speed up in a massive.

15:11: How bots (chatbots) helped people gain access to care and answers they needed regarding their health.

16:00: Technical transformations and people’s expectations are feeding into this concept of the “Acceleration Economy”. Since 2016, investments increased over 300% to reach a total investment of $1.36 billion to date.

17:30: Back to bots... and how many are powered by Microsoft’s Azure Health Bot. Paul covers the background of this bot and how it’s being utilized to solve various issues.

19:38: Data accuracy is key to how the bots are leveraged and expectations that are delivered to patients to curate the experiences.

21:25: Industry clouds are providing a quicker path to implementation by having pre-built tailored solutions. Paul provides his insights into the Microsoft Healthcare Industry Cloud and the industry cloud standards.

25:30: Breaking down other players in the healthcare industry cloud space such as Google (https://health.google/) and IBM (https://www.ibm.com/cloud/healthcare).

28:15: How leading tech companies are building tech standards and collaborating with each other to drive impact in many areas such as humanitarian efforts.

29:50: The wrap-up...Technology can help bring out the humanness of people to truly make a real change.

Sources:

• Boston Healthcare Technology User Group: https://www.meetup.com/healthcare-tech-community/
• Paul Swider Blog: www.paulswider.com/
• Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/health/microsoft-cloud-for-healthcare
  • https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/health-bot/
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/bot-services/health-bot/
• IBM Watson Health: https://www.ibm.com/watson-health/learn/healthcare-technology
• Google Cloud for Healthcare: https://cloud.google.com/solutions/healthcare-life-sciences

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ArtificialIntelligence image recognition technology has seen some great strides in the past couple of years. This brings a level of excitement to what the future holds for AI-assisted technology.

In this “Back @ IT” episode for the @Dynamic Communities DAC News Desk, I’ll explore some great examples of where #computervision is being utilized, some pros and cons, and things to consider if you are looking to leverage AI tools like this.

Looking to connect with your peers in person? Then join us for the Summit North America #conference on Oct 12, 13, and 14, 2021. Check here for details: https://summitna.com

Looking for more #interviews, #podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Want more "Back @ IT" podcasts wherever you go? Then subscribe here: https://back-at-it.transistor.fm/

autonomousvehicles #selfdrivingvehicles

00:37: The growth of the image recognition market

01:31: Is the push for autonomous vehicle usage viable now? And, what are the ethical and safety considerations?

03:26: How “The Molly Problem” is helping answer questions about AI governance for self-driving vehicles and the impact on people.

04:48: From pastries to cancer treatment. How AI is recognizing cancer cells to help with early detection.

08:08: Final thoughts: Fear of the unknown, being open to change and new potential, and embracing tech now.

Sources:

• https://www.whatech.com/markets-research/semiconductor-and-electronics/699614-image-recognition-market-size-business-opportunities-by-leading-players-share-development-expansion-merger-acquisition-new-product-launches-and-pricing-analysis-details-shared-in-the-report
• https://research.aimultiple.com/image-recognition/
• https://www.itu.int/en/myitu/News/2020/10/26/14/38/Self-driving-cars-autonomous-vehicles-Molly-Problem-AI-for-Good
• https://www.inputmag.com/tech/this-tasty-pastry-spotting-ai-can-identify-cancer-in-patients#:~:text=A%20Japanese%20computer%20scientist%20used,Now%20it's%20helping%20doctors%2C%20too.&text=A%20fascinating%20account%20in%20The,used%20to%20study%20cancer%20cells.
• https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-pastry-ai-that-learned-to-fight-cancer
• http://www.corp.bb-brain.co.jp/

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With the rise of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in the past couple of years, it has spurred quite a few myths as to what RPA can or cannot do.

In this “Back @ IT” episode for the Dynamic Communities DAC News Desk, I’ll dispel some of these myths and give you insights into what’s really happening.

00:55: You have decided to implement RPA...So, what’s next?

02:26: Myth Number 1: RPA will kill jobs.

04:00: Myth Number 2: RPA is only for very large enterprise companies.

05:08: Myth Number 3: RPA can only be used for simple tasks.

06:13: Myth Number 4: RPA will never make mistakes.

07:38: RPA Expo details
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If you are looking to learn more about Robotic Process Automation, then join us on May 20th at 11am ET for our free RPA Expo digital event. This three-hour event will feature short-form, to-the-point discussions to set the standard in delivering an accelerated master class on the application of RPA to drive business, process, and customer value.

Sources:

• https://www.cfo.com/technology/2021/04/youve-decided-to-adopt-rpa-now-what/
• https://www.itprotoday.com/machine-learning/why-rpa-adoption-will-continue-grow-even-after-pandemic
• https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-09-21-gartner-says-worldwide-robotic-process-automation-software-revenue-to-reach-nearly-2-billion-in-2021
• https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2021/04/fact-or-fallacy-rpa-can-boost-agencies-quickly-and-inexpensively
• https://www.automationanywhere.com/company/blog/rpa-thought-leadership/five-rpa-myths-debunked
• https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2021/04/fact-or-fallacy-rpa-can-boost-agencies-quickly-and-inexpensively

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Nowadays, many companies talk about transformation in many aspects from people, to processes, and more. But, the focus on digital transformation actually encompasses many of these areas as it relates to technology.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I am joined by Lipi Sarkar, co-author of the book “Building a Digital Future”, and an experienced Programme Director with 20 years of experience. We will unpack the topic of digital transformation through the people involved, how industries are impacted, and what the future workforce will look like.

• 01:47: A little bit about Lipi Sarkar.
• 02:22: The acceleration of digital transformation and the people, process, and digital aspects that make this happen.
• 05:00: Humans Plus Technology
• 06:06: The impact of digital transformation from the employee and customer perspectives.
• 08:12: How automation is streamlining work.
• 09:09: Insights about the book "Build A Digital Future With Dynamics 365".
• 12:00: Phasing in technology and the pace of change.
• 13:50: The digital future will see an explosion of jobs in the workforce.
• 15:39: Microsoft's Industry Clouds and how they accelerate various sectors.
• 18:04: The perfect storm is happening around partners, customers, and consumers to create the digital future.
• 20:10: The Wrap-Up: Takeaways as people navigate their decision journeys.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

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The emergence of specific tech for Robotic Process Automation came out in the early to mid-2000s, and since that time has seen tremendous growth across multiple industries. However, many companies in the SMB space are still hesitant to adopt RPA.

In this “Back @ IT” episode, I’ll explore the question of “Are SMBs Ready For RPA?”. I’ll dispel some myths, highlight areas to start with and leave you with a few questions to consider when evaluating RPA.

00:58: The explosive growth of RPA.

01:41: The power of AI is not necessary to implement RPA.

02:57: Where to start in your RPA implementation?

04:08: RPA bots can be your assistant.

05:02: People make technology possible. It will always be Humans Plus Technology.

06:33: RPA is leveling the playing field between SMBs and Enterprise companies.

07:09: Things to consider when looking into RPA.

09:00: Upcoming RPA Expo digital event

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you are looking to learn more about Robotic Process Automation, then join us on May 20th at 11am ET for our free RPA Expo digital event. This three-hour event will feature short-form, to-the-point discussions to set the standard in delivering an accelerated master class on the application of RPA to drive business, process, and customer value.

Sources:

• https://www.uipath.com/blog/why-rpa-is-right-for-the-smb#:~:text=Though%20they%20might%20face%20these,able%20to%20successfully%20implement%20RPA.
• https://www.debrarrichardson.com/blog/smbs-think-robotics-process-automation-rpa-is-out-of-reach-think-again
• https://www.cigen.com.au/cigenblog/5-steps-implementing-rpa-small-medium-businesses
• https://www.automationanywhere.com/company/blog/learn-rpa/rpa-for-small-business-why-and-how-to-start

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With attention spans shorter than ever before, it can be tough trying to get someone's attention. Content is flying at us from every direction, but it's important that the content is engaging and available at the right times.

In the "Back @ IT" episode for the Dynamics Communities DAC News Desk, I look at the distracted consumer and the paradox that exists with the informed consumer. Additionally, I'll highlight areas to focus on and the impact on the decision journey.

00:52: Looking back at ways companies tried to get our attention.

01:57: Studies show our attention spans have gotten shorter over time.

02:45: Forrester Research found marketers are wasting billions on digital ads.

04:30: Make sure information is available wherever the consumer is.

05:29: Coupling engaging content with easy-to-use tools and sites.

06:46: Engaging consumers during their decision journey is critical.

07:47: Quote: "companies seeking to stay engaged with their customers will be defined now".

______________________________________________________________________________________

Looking to connect with your peers in person? Then join us for the Summit North America conference on Oct 12, 13, and 14, 2021. Check here for details: https://summitna.com

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

______________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

• https://www.cusolutionsgroup.com/trends/just-how-distracted-are-consumers
• http://marktruelson.com/the-paradox-of-informed-vs-distracted/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/02/08/four-ways-for-marketers-to-combat-customer-distractions-in-2018/?sh=1e6076ba2a0f

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In this episode of “Back @ IT”, I examine the impact that RPA is having across many industries, and the growth that is being felt in areas that were previously thought to be out of reach for automation.

With RPA tools easily available, it’s time for you to examine your automation strategy, or plan automation to scale as your company is growing.

00:26: The broad impacts of RPA in the global market

01:18: Finance and banking industries are seeing gains in complex regulatory areas

02:42: The utility industry is benefiting with huge ROI from implementing RPA

04:11: The telecom industry is reducing response times and cost

05:11: Upcoming RPA Expo digital event

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you are looking to learn more about Robotic Process Automation, then join us on May 20th at 11am ET for our free RPA Expo digital event. This three-hour event will feature short-form, to-the-point discussions to set the standard in delivering an accelerated master class on the application of RPA to drive business, process, and customer value.

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Consumers are more informed than ever before. This puts tremendous pressure on organizations to ensure they have the right content in the right places and at the right times. This truly impacts the purchasing decisions no matter where they are in that purchasing cycle.

With the global e-commerce market is set to hit about $24 trillion by 2025, the purchasing power of the consumer is enormous.

In this episode, I explore the concept of the informed consumer and leave you with a few areas to consider in your content strategies.

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Looking to connect with your peers in person? Then join us for the Summit North America conference on Oct 12, 13, and 14, 2021. Check here for details: https://summitna.com

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

______________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

• https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-130/Accenture-Retail-Research-POV-Wave-Seven.pdf
• https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30239/71-More-Likely-to-Purchase-Based-on-Social-Media-Referrals-Infographic.aspx
• https://blacksmithapplications.com/blog/5-cpg-marketing-challenges-in-2021/
• https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/best-budget-apps

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We have all experienced the cookies message on websites and in apps. But some companies are ditching third-party cookies and forcing developers to adapt as well.

In this episode, I'll take a look into the crumbling web cookies, what they are, and what the impact will be for marketers and businesses.

How will you adapt for the changing cookieless landscape?

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/10/18656519/what-are-cookies-website-tracking-gdpr-privacy
• https://clearcode.cc/blog/difference-between-first-party-third-party-cookies/
• https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21064698/google-third-party-cookies-chrome-two-years-privacy-safari-firefox
• https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56680795
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/04/09/how-businesses-can-market-in-a-third-party-cookieless-world/?sh=40e13cba3597

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With the proliferation of devices today, they have become an extension of people in many ways. Whether it's our phones, voice-activated devices, or mixed/augmented reality (AR), customers are naturally leveraging these as they create an experience.

More than than, businesses are having to transform the way they utilize AR as tool internally and externally. AR opens doors for people to collaborate in new ways that are still being explored.

In this episode, I'll dive into the augmented customer and different ways to think about leveraging augmented reality.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

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Maybe it's not "why should I leverage automation?", but really “why am I NOT leveraging automation?". The risks of not implementing a solid automation strategy and executing on it will determine the longevity of your company. The world is moving swiftly and if automation is not part of your future strategy, then the world will pass you by.

In this episode, I'll cover key areas that could be impacted by automating, or NOT automating.

• Human error
• Data integrity
• Customer experience

These are just a few of the areas to consider in your automation efforts and really elevates the discussion around your automation decisions.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

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Did you know that where your automation is located can have an impact on its success and performance? Many folks now are putting everything in the cloud basket for easy setup, but this approach is not always the best. Utilizing a hybrid approach for not only systems, but people can greatly improve the performance and success of your automation efforts.

• Have you considered Edge Computing in your automation processes?
• Are all your automation processes and applications just in the cloud?
• Are people still a strong factor in your automation strategy?

This episode focuses on the strategic location of your automation workloads and factors to consider in each area.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

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Did you know 45% of the activities individuals are paid to perform can be automated? This represents about $2 trillion in annual wages in the U.S. alone. This speaks to the fact that many companies haven't fully embraced automation. This also highlights that organizations need to know when to implement, pivot, or scale their automation.

In this episode, I'll cover the "when" of automation which is critical to the success of any automation effort.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• Entando: https://www.entando.com/page/en/5_reasons_to_invest_in_business_process_automation?contentId=BLG2289&modelId=25
• McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/four-fundamentals-of-workplace-automation#
• Sutisoft: https://www.sutisoft.com/blog/potential-risks-of-not-automating-t-e-expense-reporting-process/

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Automation is critical to the success of any business today, but this doesn't mean that you can slap automation in place and hope for the best. It may not always be clear, but understanding what should or shouldn't be automated can truly impact your organization.

This series will explore The Who, What, When, Where, Why of Automation. In this episode, I'll take a look at the "what" of automation.

What areas need to be considered when trying to understand what to automate?

• Start with something
• Be cautious when automating
• Don't automate inefficient processes

Each of these areas and more will be covered along with some practical advice.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

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With automation tools everywhere you look, people are still sometimes overlooked as a critical part of the automation equation. However, this means taking a look at what type of people are needed for each part of your automation process.

Part of the automation process is asking simple, but powerful questions such as:

• What's holding you back from adopting automation?
• Do you need to review your current automation process and strategy?
• Do you have plans to scale your automation as your organization grows?

Each of these questions will require people at each and every phase. In this episode, I'll take a look at the people needed and things to consider between bots and people.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Additional DAC Resources:

• AR and RPA – Exploring Accounting Terms and Acronyms
• Public Cloud Adoption Framework
• Cloud Migration: Inside the Pivot with Kevin Armstrong of Enavate

Sources:

• Industry Arc: https://www.industryarc.com/Report/15290/automation-solutions-market.html
• Business Wire: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210329005554/en/Logistics-Automation-Market-by-Component-Function-Organization-Size-Vertical-and-Region---Global-Forecast-to-2026---ResearchAndMarkets.com
• Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/automation-may-take-jobs-but-ai-will-create-them/
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholaswyman/2019/03/25/the-age-of-automation-is-here-how-to-navigate-the-new-world-of-work/?sh=68ac2c184227

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Many of us felt the impact of the pandemic in some way when we consider the Food and Beverage industry. Obviously, as consumers, we saw our favorite restaurants close or shift in how they operate. For many restaurant owners or workers, this directly impacted their livelihood. Many made difficult decisions to close their doors, while others found innovative ways to keep going.

In this episode, I'll serve up insights into the Food and Beverage industry, highlight innovations, the tech impact, and leave you with some thoughts to consider in your innovation decisions or efforts.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Related DAC Content:

• Reserve your seat for the upcoming AR Automation Binge
• Binge the on-demand AP Automation digital event
• DAC News Desk: Getting the low-down on Dynamics GP with Jen Kuntz
• How Automation is Impacting the Food Industry
• Improving Food Safety Quality Control using D365, Azure, and the Power Platform

Sources:

• CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/26/restaurant-industry.html
• Meticulous Research: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/03/18/2195294/0/en/Food-Automation-Market-to-Grow-at-a-CAGR-of-9-5-From-2020-to-Reach-29-4-billion-by-2027-Says-Meticulous-Research.html
• PR News Wire: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-food-and-beverage-industry-cleaning-services-market-size-to-reach-revenues-usd-2-4-billion-by-2026--arizton-301254944.html
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/louisbiscotti/2021/03/15/food-and-beverage-preps-for-post-pandemic-future/?sh=2bbdabb423ec
• NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976589485/the-food-and-beverage-industry-is-getting-a-lifeline-in-the-latest-relief-packag
• Drinkpreneur: https://www.drinkpreneur.com/beverage-howto/5-key-technological-innovations-in-the-beverage-industry/
• Consumer Affairs: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/airlines-are-starting-to-bring-back-in-flight-food-and-beverage-service-032521.html
• RyPax: https://rypax.com/is-your-brand-ready-for-smart-packaging/

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Brick and mortar banks took a 1-2 punch from the pandemic and from digital banks in 2020. Some are bouncing back while others are feeling the sting. This sets the stage for this episode on Industry Impacts.

The FinTech space saw huge growth over the past few years and will hit about $22.6 billion by 2025. Ingenuity coupled with AI, ML, and other solutions caused a shift in the FinTech competition landscape. Stripe, Paypal, and Amazon are now seen as competitors with the likes of JPM.

Where does this leave you? Listen in as I explore FinTech, SMBs, and leave you with some food for thought.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Related DAC Content:

• Reserve your seat for the upcoming AR Automation Binge
• Binge the on-demand AP Automation digital event
• Back @ IT Take: Cybersecurity Is Taking A Hit - Could It Be A Good Thing?
• Why Top Retailers Are Pushing Buy Online, Pick Up in Store - BOPIS
• Back @ IT: Industry Impacts - The Tech, The People, and You

Sources:

• Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/global-22-6bn-ai-fintech-190000418.html
• NASDAQ: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/jpmorgan-chase-risks-being-left-behind-in-a-fintech-world-2021-03-17
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2021/03/10/how-fintech-is-evolving-in-2021/?sh=72d24d261d0c
• ReadWrite - FinTech Developments: https://readwrite.com/2020/11/03/fintech-development-trends-that-you-must-know-about/
• NASDAQ - NFTs are the latest craze: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/move-over-bitcoin%3A-nfts-are-the-latest-crypto-craze-2021-03-19
• ReadWrite - Blockchain: https://readwrite.com/2020/07/28/blockchain-a-platform-for-iot-solutions/
• OA Online: https://www.oaoa.com/news/business/truenorth-and-boost-ai-enter-partnership-to-supercharge-digital-customer-experience-with-conversational-ai/article_5544f6a3-5ae2-546b-837e-f1e1e6e2a03f.html
• IT Pro: https://www.itpro.co.uk/security/cyber-crime/359013/fintech-startup-raises-200-million-to-fight-digital-banking-fraud
• Pymnts: https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2021/docyt-small-business-finance-data/

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The hospitality services and venues that we all took for granted saw an enormous impact in 2020. Some are looking for a rebound this year and going forward. But, this could mean compromises for consumers, a shift in focus for businesses, and collaboration for IT with other areas of the business.

These key areas of change could really shape your business, process, and customer value which impact your bottom line. The voice of the consumer is a powerful tool to persuade or deter based on their experience.

Many hoteliers are adopting new tech tools and services to provide contactless experiences, but that means some sacrifices, in some ways, for consumers. Are you willing to take the risk?

In this episode, I’m landing in the Hospitality area to highlight some of these innovations, risks to consider, and the impact on you.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• The Courier: https://www.mccourier.com/smart-hospitality-market-emerging-trends-covid-19-impact-high-cagr-analysis-by-top-players-nec-huawei-siemens-ibm-cisco-schneider-electric-and-others-future-scope-and-forecast-2026/
• Travel Pulse: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-technology/robotic-technology-and-ai-revitalize-the-hotel-experience.html

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We all buy stuff -- small, big, simple, complex, it doesn’t matter. What has changed, though, is how we interact with retailers, how we buy things, and what retailers are doing that's different.

This series dives into the impacts of tech on the industry and the industry’s impact on tech, the people impacting these changes, and what this means for you.

Something to consider is that AI alone in supply chain management solutions will reach over $15B globally by 2026. This speaks volumes in that many retailers aren't utilizing AI and have potential missed opportunities to connect with consumers.

In this episode, I examine the retail industry, touch in AI, and hit a few key areas for you to consider:

• The relationship of retail with tech.
• The impacts to supply chain and warehousing.
• Real-world examples of how technology is being used.
• The people needed to harness data and provide actionable insights.

Looking for more interviews, podcasts, and insightful blogs? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Want more "Back @ IT" podcasts wherever you want? Then subscribe here: https://back-at-it.transistor.fm/

Sources:

• Austin American Statesman: https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2021/03/17/austin-retailers-livestream-reach-shoppers-expand-base-coronavirus/4733118001/
• CISION PR Newswire: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-retail-market-report-2021-2030-market-is-expected-to-reach-29361-95-billion-in-2025-at-a-cagr-of-7-301232417.html
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
• Research and Markets: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/03/22/2196655/0/en/Insights-on-the-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Supply-Chain-Management-Global-Market-to-2026-Integration-of-AI-with-Internet-of-Things-Presents-Opportunities.html
• IoT for All: https://www.iotforall.com/3-outstanding-benefits-of-iot-in-retail-to-speed-up-your-business

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With the transportation market projected to register a CAGR of about 6% by 2027, this leaves plenty of room for improvements in the transportation tech space. There have been many new transportation advances in the past few years, and more on the horizon.

Self-driving cars, safety concerns, EVs, -- what’s the impact on us as consumers and businesses?

Missed a prior episode? Check it out here: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• Grand View Research: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-transportation-systems-industry
• DMagazine: https://www.dmagazine.com/commercial-real-estate/2021/03/there-is-game-changing-news-about-transportation-in-the-immediate-future/
• Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/ev-batteries
• Global Energy Metals Corp: https://www.globalenergymetals.com/cobalt/cobalt-supply/
• Axios: https://www.axios.com/sidewalk-robots-legal-rights-pedestrians-821614dd-c7ed-4356-ac95-ac4a9e3c7b45.html
• Amazon: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/meet-scout
• Ford: https://www.ford.com/new-hybrids-evs/

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Healthcare and technology in many ways have a symbiotic relationship. And, the telehealth market is expected to hit about $20 billion in revenue by 2026. However, there are still a few roadblocks holding back the healthcare industry. In this episode, I'll unpack some great advanced in healthcare using artificial intelligence, real-world use cases, and things that seem to hold folks back from adopting the latest healthcare advances.

Miss other episodes? Check out our DAC Editorial section: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• National Center for Biotechnology Information - Challenges and opportunities for telemedicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7164871/#sec0015title
• AI and Cloud to Empower the European Telehealth Market Securing Efficient Access to Essential Healthcare Services: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-and-cloud-to-empower-the-european-telehealth-market-securing-efficient-access-to-essential-healthcare-services-301248973.html
• Amazon Care: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/amazon-confirms-nationwide-expansion-telehealth-services
• News Medical LIfe Science: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210317/New-bioink-allows-3D-bioprinting-of-human-tissues.aspx
• GBT Researching Remote Operated Robotics Technology for Medical Applications: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gbt-researching-remote-operated-robotics-110000065.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM46zWDLjU6RqOM2TVmSlyunsY9ruoDZWapjjmKh7k-mWmg66HyDkyB5ccMdIyOVdtRgvpuvWIchkfWCNuUU05pqES0_t9EVM-WjhDzv8MYDmXZQ8Ugn2OzqKhzTpNFY7tAH0aXOjYmiQr1BtsSy0Kmdk7lfft3eeGg6ksrJiqSU

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When the pandemic struck, the education industry took a hit with many educators and learning institutions scrambling to meet the demand for remote learning. Since then, there are come to light many creative ways, even low-code/no-code apps, that teachers have connected with students, but it has also shone a light on the need for education and tech to work more closely together.

In this episode, I'll unpack personal perspectives on the remote learning impact, the further disruption that's needed, and challenge you in a few areas going forward.

Missed a prior episode? Check it out here: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/01/20/the-top-5-tech-trends-that-will-disrupt-education-in-2020the-edtech-innovations-everyone-should-watch/?sh=3b1c55002c5b
• Chronogram: https://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/solving-the-stem-jobs-crisis/Content?oid=12482167
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/03/15/the-future-of-work-why-we-need-curriculum-innovation-more-urgently-than-ever/?sh=5121662b36ad
• Tech Bullion: https://techbullion.com/ways-the-blockchain-technology-can-impact-education/
• Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cant-code-you-can-still-make-your-own-apps-11583347927
• Microsoft Mesh: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mesh

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Change is inevitable, but real, impactful change that is driving your digital transformation requires a hard look at your industry, the tech, and the people involved.

In this series, I'll explore various industries that are going through transformations, the impact of tech on those industries, the impact of industries on the tech, and how it impacts you.

This episode focuses on areas that will impact your business, no matter the industry. I'll call out a few areas to consider that are industry-specific so that you don't get boxed in.

Curious about our DAC Editorial content? Then check it out here: https://mydacfeed.com/partner/dac-editorial

Sources:

• Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA): https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/what-marketers-need-to-know-about-virginias-consumer-data-protection-act/
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa

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A lot was covered in this Business Process Automation series: Workflow Tools, AP Automation, RPA, AI, NLP, ML, Chatbots, and more!

These aren't just fancy buzzwords, but real tools you can leverage to streaming processes, encourage creativity, empower people, and scale your organization.

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You have to admit, chatbots are everywhere. These bots powered by AI and Machine Learning are on practically every website or embedded in many apps. Some are in your face while others are more laid back. Whatever the approach, the use is growing.

In this episode, I'll chat about chatbots, covering practical use cases, and alerting you to their potential dark side.

Sources:

• IBM: https://www.businessinsider.com/chatbot-market-stats-trends
• Analytics India Mag: https://analyticsindiamag.com/story-eliza-first-chatbot-developed-1966/
• Jumpstart Mag: https://www.jumpstartmag.com/chatbots-friends-and-assistants-of-the-future/
• The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2016/3/24/11297050/tay-microsoft-chatbot-racist

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What is Natural Language Processing (NLP) as it relates to Artificial Intelligence? Are there practical applications for its use? In this episode, I'll answer those questions and leave you with some practical tips for when you look to implement NLP.

Sources:

• Research and Markets: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ac4vu1
• Healthcare IT News: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/using-natural-language-processing-unlock-sdoh-unstructured-ehr-data
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/06/03/5-amazing-examples-of-natural-language-processing-nlp-in-practice/?sh=3facb6601b30

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If you use a smartphone, chances are you have used Machine Learning and didn't even know it. ML is not just a fancy buzzword being thrown around but has true practical applications. In this episode, I breakdown Machine Learning, what it is, algorithms used, and in-place use cases.

Sources:

• Business Wire: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005330/en/Machine-Learning-Market-to-Grow-by-USD-11.16-Billion-During-2020-2024-Alibaba-Group-Holding-Ltd.-and-Alphabet-Inc.-Emerge-as-Key-Contributors-to-Market-Growth-Technavio
• IBM: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/machine-learning
• HBR: https://hbr.org/2018/01/artificial-intelligence-for-the-real-world
• Springboard: https://www.springboard.com/blog/lp-machine-learning-unsupervised-learning-supervised-learning/
• Towards Data Science: https://towardsdatascience.com/5-types-of-machine-learning-algorithms-you-need-to-know-5ac7fce8920d
• Carnegie Mellon: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom/pubs/MachineLearning.pdf
• Google AI Platform: https://cloud.google.com/ai-platform
• Amazone SageMaker: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/
• Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio: https://azure.microsoft.com/
• IBM Watson: https://www.ibm.com/watson
• CIO: https://www.cio.com/article/3571171/3-use-cases-for-machine-learning-you-probably-havent-thought-of.html

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Automating analytics is the next big step in the Business Process Automation arena. But, are you prepared? There are several things that need to align such as AI, ML, and Data to truly drive success in APA.

Listen in as I explore these areas and leave you with a few cautionary thoughts and takeaways.

Sources:

• Alteryx: https://www.alteryx.com/analytic-process-automation/what-is-apa
• PwC: https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/financial-services/library/analytics-and-automation.html
• CIO Review: https://www.cioreview.com/news/big-data-trends-to-watch-out-in-2020-nid-32356-cid-15.html

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In episode 4 of this series, I'll explore RPA (Robotic Process Automation), a new term you should get familiar with, address some fears (of bots??), and leave you with a couple of tips.

Sources:

• Back @ IT: Thoughts on RPA: https://mydacfeed.com/view/video/back-it-segment-thoughts-on-rpa
• Gartner: Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-strategic-technology-trends-for-2021/
• Cigen: 3 Ways to Settle RPA and Intelligent Automation Fears in Your Organisation: https://www.cigen.com.au/cigenblog/3-ways-settle-rpa-intelligent-automation-fears

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Considering the CAGR of 11% by 2024, the AP Automation category is going to continue its growth trajectory. The question is: Have you implemented an AP Automation solution or strategy within your company? In episode 3 of this series, I dive into AP Automation, risks to consider, people to consider, and leave you with a few thought points.

Sources:

• Zycus: https://www.zycus.com/blog/procurement-technology/accounts-payable/whats-next-in-accounts-payable-automation.html#:~:text=The%20global%20AP%20automation%20market,11%25%20during%20the%20forecast%20period.
• DAC AP Automation Guidebook: https://advance.biz-tech-insights.com/whitepaper/LP-Decision-Acceleration-Community-1-land.html

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Workflow tools abound in many different flavors and choosing the right one can be difficult. In episode 2 of this series, I highlight a few examples, examine the growth in the industry, and leave you with a few tips and takeaways.

If you missed episode 1, be sure to check it out here: https://mydacfeed.com/view/video/back-it-exploring-business-process-automation-and-how-it-impacts-you-episode-1

Sources:

• Workflow market size source: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/workflow-management-system-market-size-share-trends-research-analysis-growth-rate-business-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-covid-19-impact-2021-01-12
• Power Automate/Microsoft Flow release source: https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/announcing-ga/
• Power Automate Forrester source: https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-forrester-TEI-of-power-automate.html
• Zapier info source: https://www.drift.com/blog/how-zapier-grew/

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With the expected growth to reach $152 billion by 2024, the Business Process Automation arena is a big area to explore. but we will break this down during this multi-part series. I'll explore best practices, areas to automate, and tools in these areas, and tips to help you along the way. So, join me during this journey as I go through this adventure.

Source:

• CAGR source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200723005562/en/Global-Shared-Services-Market-2020-to-2024---Industry-is-Driven-by-the-Need-for-Business-Process-Automation-and-Cost-Reduction---ResearchAndMarkets.com