Building a Data-Driven Foundation to Super Charge Your AI Journey

5/5 (2)

5/5 (2)

AI has become a business necessity today, catalysing innovation, efficiency, and growth by transforming extensive data into actionable insights, automating tasks, improving decision-making, boosting productivity, and enabling the creation of new products and services.

Generative AI stole the limelight in 2023 given its remarkable advancements and potential to automate various cognitive processes. However, now the real opportunity lies in leveraging this increased focus and attention to shine the AI lens on all business processes and capabilities. As organisations grasp the potential for productivity enhancements, accelerated operations, improved customer outcomes, and enhanced business performance, investment in AI capabilities is expected to surge.

In this eBook, Ecosystm VP Research Tim Sheedy and Vinod Bijlani and Aman Deep from HPE APAC share their insights on why it is crucial to establish tailored AI capabilities within the organisation.

AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-1
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-2
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-3
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-4
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-5
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-6
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-7
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-8
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-9
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-10
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-11
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-12
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-1
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-2
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-3
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-4
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-5
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-6
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-7
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-8
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-9
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-10
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-11
AI-Powered Enterprise_HPE_Ecosystm_eBook-12
previous arrow
next arrow
Shadow

Click here to download the eBook “AI-Powered Enterprise: Building a Data Driven Foundation To Super Charge Your AI Journey”

AI Research and Reports
0
Beyond Reality: The Rise of Deepfakes

4.8/5 (5)

4.8/5 (5)

In the Ecosystm Predicts: Building an Agile & Resilient Organisation: Top 5 Trends in 2024​, Principal Advisor Darian Bird said, “The emergence of Generative AI combined with the maturing of deepfake technology will make it possible for malicious agents to create personalised voice and video attacks.” Darian highlighted that this democratisation of phishing, facilitated by professional-sounding prose in various languages and tones, poses a significant threat to potential victims who rely on misspellings or oddly worded appeals to detect fraud. As we see more of these attacks and social engineering attempts, it is important to improve defence mechanisms and increase awareness. 

Understanding Deepfake Technology 

The term Deepfake is a combination of the words ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’. Deepfakes are AI-generated media, typically in the form of images, videos, or audio recordings. These synthetic content pieces are designed to appear genuine, often leading to the manipulation of faces and voices in a highly realistic manner. Deepfake technology has gained spotlight due to its potential for creating convincing yet fraudulent content that blurs the line of reality. 

Deepfake algorithms are powered by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and continuously enhance synthetic content to closely resemble real data. Through iterative training on extensive datasets, these algorithms refine features such as facial expressions and voice inflections, ensuring a seamless emulation of authentic characteristics.  

Deepfakes Becoming Increasingly Convincing 

Hyper-realistic deepfakes, undetectable to the human eye and ear, have become a huge threat to the financial and technology sectors. Deepfake technology has become highly convincing, blurring the line between real and fake content. One of the early examples of a successful deepfake fraud was when a UK-based energy company lost USD 243k through a deepfake audio scam in 2019, where scammers mimicked the voice of their CEO to authorise an illegal fund transfer.  

Deepfakes have evolved from audio simulations to highly convincing video manipulations where faces and expressions are altered in real-time, making it hard to distinguish between real and fake content. In 2022, for instance, a deepfake video of Elon Musk was used in a crypto scam that resulted in a loss of about USD 2 million for US consumers. This year, a multinational company in Hong Kong lost over USD 25 million when an employee was tricked into sending money to fraudulent accounts after a deepfake video call by what appeared to be his colleagues. 

Regulatory Responses to Deepfakes 

Countries worldwide are responding to the challenges posed by deepfake technology through regulations and awareness campaigns. 

  • Singapore’s Online Criminal Harms Act, that will come into effect in 2024, will empower authorities to order individuals and Internet service providers to remove or block criminal content, including deepfakes used for malicious purposes.  
  • The UAE National Programme for Artificial Intelligence released a deepfake guide to educate the public about both harmful and beneficial applications of this technology. The guide categorises fake content into shallow and deep fakes, providing methods to detect deepfakes using AI-based tools, with a focus on promoting positive uses of advanced technologies. 
  • The proposed EU AI Act aims to regulate them by imposing transparency requirements on creators, mandating them to disclose when content has been artificially generated or manipulated. 
  • South Korea passed a law in 2020 banning the distribution of harmful deepfakes. Offenders could be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to USD 43k. 
  • In the US, states like California and Virginia have passed laws against deepfake pornography, while federal bills like the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act aim to mandate disclosure and counter malicious use, highlighting the diverse global efforts to address the multifaceted challenges of deepfake regulation. 

Detecting and Protecting Against Deepfakes 

Detecting deepfake becomes increasingly challenging as technology advances. Several methods are needed – sometimes in conjunction – to be able to detect a convincing deepfake. These include visual inspection that focuses on anomalies, metadata analysis to examine clues about authenticity, forensic analysis for pattern and audio examination, and machine learning that uses algorithms trained on real and fake video datasets to classify new videos.  

However, identifying deepfakes requires sophisticated technology that many organisations may not have access to. This heightens the need for robust cybersecurity measures. Deepfakes have seen an increase in convincing and successful phishing – and spear phishing – attacks and cyber leaders need to double down on cyber practices.  

Defences can no longer depend on spotting these attacks. It requires a multi-pronged approach which combines cyber technologies, incidence response, and user education.  

Preventing access to users. By employing anti-spoofing measures organisations can safeguard their email addresses from exploitation by fraudulent actors. Simultaneously, minimising access to readily available information, particularly on websites and social media, reduces the chance of spear-phishing attempts. This includes educating employees about the implications of sharing personal information and clear digital footprint policies. Implementing email filtering mechanisms, whether at the server or device level, helps intercept suspicious emails; and the filtering rules need to be constantly evaluated using techniques such as IP filtering and attachment analysis.  

Employee awareness and reporting. There are many ways that organisations can increase awareness in employees starting from regular training sessions to attack simulations. The usefulness of these sessions is often questioned as sometimes they are merely aimed at ticking off a compliance box. Security leaders should aim to make it easier for employees to recognise these attacks by familiarising them with standard processes and implementing verification measures for important email requests. This should be strengthened by a culture of reporting without any individual blame. 

Securing against malware. Malware is often distributed through these attacks, making it crucial to ensure devices are well-configured and equipped with effective endpoint defences to prevent malware installation, even if users inadvertently click on suspicious links. Specific defences may include disabling macros and limiting administrator privileges to prevent accidental malware installation. Strengthening authentication and authorisation processes is also important, with measures such as multi-factor authentication, password managers, and alternative authentication methods like biometrics or smart cards. Zero trust and least privilege policies help protect organisation data and assets.   

Detection and Response. A robust security logging system is crucial, either through off-the shelf monitoring tools, managed services, or dedicated teams for monitoring. What is more important is that the monitoring capabilities are regularly updated. Additionally, having a well-defined incident response can swiftly mitigate post-incident harm post-incident. This requires clear procedures for various incident types and designated personnel for executing them, such as initiating password resets or removing malware. Organisations should ensure that users are informed about reporting procedures, considering potential communication challenges in the event of device compromise. 

Conclusion 

The rise of deepfakes has brought forward the need for a collaborative approach. Policymakers, technology companies, and the public must work together to address the challenges posed by deepfakes. This collaboration is crucial for making better detection technologies, establishing stronger laws, and raising awareness on media literacy. 

The Resilient Enterprise
0
Ecosystm VendorSphere: Microsoft’s AI Vision – Initiatives & Impact

5/5 (2)

5/5 (2)

As tech providers such as Microsoft enhance their capabilities and products, they will impact business processes and technology skills, and influence other tech providers to reshape their product and service offerings. Microsoft recently organised briefing sessions in Sydney and Singapore, to present their future roadmap, with a focus on their AI capabilities.

Ecosystm Advisors Achim Granzen, Peter Carr, and Tim Sheedy provide insights on Microsoft’s recent announcements and messaging.

Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-1
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-2
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-3
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-4
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-5
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-6
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-7
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-8
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-9
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-1
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-2
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-3
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-4
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-5
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-6
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-7
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-8
Microsoft-AI-Vision-Initiatives-Impact-9
previous arrow
next arrow
Shadow

Click here to download Ecosystm VendorSphere: Microsoft’s AI Vision – Initiatives & Impact

Ecosystm Question: What are your thoughts on Microsoft Copilot?

Tim Sheedy. The future of GenAI will not be about single LLMs getting bigger and better – it will be about the use of multiple large and small language models working together to solve specific challenges. It is wasteful to use a large and complex LLM to solve a problem that is simpler. Getting these models to work together will be key to solving industry and use case specific business and customer challenges in the future. Microsoft is already doing this with Microsoft 365 Copilot.​

Achim Granzen. Microsoft’s Copilot – a shrink-wrapped GenAI tool based on OpenAI – has become a mainstream product. Microsoft has made it available to their enterprise clients in multiple ways: for personal productivity in Microsoft 365, for enterprise applications in Dynamics 365, for developers in Github and Copilot Studio, and to partners to integrate Copilot into their applications suites (E.g. Amdocs’ Customer Engagement Platform).​

Ecosystm Question: How, in your opinion, is the Microsoft Copilot a game changer?

Microsoft’s Customer Copyright Commitment, initially launched as Copilot Copyright Commitment, is the true game changer. 

Achim Granzen. It safeguards Copilot users from potential copyright infringement lawsuits related to data used for algorithm training or output results. In November 2023, Microsoft expanded its scope to cover commercial usage of their OpenAI interface as well. ​

This move not only protects commercial clients using Microsoft’s GenAI products but also extends to any GenAI solutions built by their clients. This initiative significantly reduces a key risk associated with GenAI adoption, outlined in the product terms and conditions.​

However, compliance with a set of Required Mitigations and Codes of Conduct is necessary for clients to benefit from this commitment, aligning with responsible AI guidelines and best practices. ​

Ecosystm Question: Where will organisations need most help on their AI journeys?

Peter Carr. Unfortunately, there is no playbook for AI. ​

  • The path to integrating AI into business strategies and operations lacks a one-size-fits-all guide. Organisations will have to navigate uncharted territories for the time being. This means experimenting with AI applications and learning from successes and failures. This exploratory approach is crucial for leveraging AI’s potential while adapting to unique organisational challenges and opportunities. So, companies that are better at agile innovation will do better in the short term. ​
  • The effectiveness of AI is deeply tied to the availability and quality of connected data. AI systems require extensive datasets to learn and make informed decisions. Ensuring data is accessible, clean, and integrated is fundamental for AI to accurately analyse trends, predict outcomes, and drive intelligent automation across various applications. ​

Ecosystm Question: What advice ​would you give organisations adopting AI?

Tim Sheedy. ​It is all about opportunities and responsibility.​

  • There is a strong need for responsible AI – at a global level, at a country level, at an industry level and at an organisational level. Microsoft (and other AI leaders) are helping to create responsible AI systems that are fair, reliable, safe, private, secure, and inclusive. There is still a long way to go, but these capabilities do not completely indemnify users of AI. They still have a responsibility to set guardrails in their own businesses about the use and opportunities for AI.​
  • AI and hybrid work are often discussed as different trends in the market, with different solution sets. But in reality, they are deeply linked. AI can help enhance and improve hybrid work in businesses – and is a great opportunity to demonstrate the value of AI and tools such as Copilot. ​

​Ecosystm Question: What should Microsoft focus on? 

Tim Sheedy. Microsoft faces a challenge in educating the market about adopting AI, especially Copilot. They need to educate business, IT, and AI users on embracing AI effectively. Additionally, they must educate existing partners and find new AI partners to drive change in their client base. Success in the race for knowledge workers requires not only being first but also helping users maximise solutions. Customers have limited visibility of Copilot’s capabilities, today. Improving customer upskilling and enhancing tools to prompt users to leverage capabilities will contribute to Microsoft’s (or their competitors’) success in dominating the AI tool market.​​

Peter Carr. Grassroots businesses form the economic foundation of the Asia Pacific economies. Typically, these businesses do not engage with global SIs (GSIs), which drive Microsoft’s new service offerings. This leads to an adoption gap in the sector that could benefit most from operational efficiencies. To bridge this gap, Microsoft must empower non-GSI partners and managed service providers (MSPs) at the local and regional levels. They won’t achieve their goal of democratising AI, unless they do. Microsoft has the potential to advance AI technology while ensuring fair and widespread adoption.​​

More Insights to tech Buyer Guidance
0
Meeting Market Trends and Customer Demands​: Analyst Guidance for Tech Providers

5/5 (2)

5/5 (2)

2024 has started cautiously for organisations, with many choosing to continue with tech projects that have already initiated, while waiting for clearer market conditions before starting newer transformation projects. This means that tech providers must continue to refine their market messaging and enhance their service/product offerings to strengthen their market presence in the latter part of the year. Ecosystm analysts present five key considerations for tech providers as they navigate evolving market and customer trends, this year.

Navigating Market Dynamics

As organisations refine their AI approaches, tech providers must adjust their market strategies - Sash Mukherjee

Continuing Economic Uncertainties​. Organisations will focus on ongoing projects and consider expanding initiatives in the latter part of the year.​ This means that tech providers should maintain visibility and trust with existing clients. They also need to help their customers meet multiple KPIs. 

Popularity of Generative AI​. For organisations, this will be the time to go beyond the novelty factor and assess practical business outcomes, allied costs, and change management.​ Tech providers need to include ROI discussions for short-term and mid-term perspectives as organisations move beyond pilots.​

Infrastructure Market Disruption​. Tech leaders will keep an eye out for advancements and disruptions in the market (likely to originate from the semiconductor sector)​. The disruptions might require tech vendors to re-assess the infrastructure partner ecosystem.

Need for New Tech Skills. Tech leaders will evaluate Generative AI’s impact on AIOps and IT Architecture; invest in upskilling for talent retention.​ Tech providers must prioritise creating user-friendly experiences to make technology accessible to business users. Training and partner enablement will also need a higher focus.

​Increased Focus on Governance​. Tech leaders will consult tech vendors on how to implement safeguards for data usage, sharing, and cybersecurity.​ This opens up opportunities in offering governance-related services.​

5 Key Considerations for Tech Vendors

Click here to download ‘Meeting Market Trends and Customer Demands​: Analyst Guidance for Tech Providers’ as a PDF.

#1 Get Ready for the Year of the AI Startup

Get Ready for the Year of the AI Startup - Tim Sheedy

While many AI companies have been around for years, this will be the year that many of them make a significant play into enterprises in Asia Pacific. This comes at a time when many organisations are attempting to reduce tech debt and simplify their tech architecture. ​

For these AI startups to succeed, they will need to create watertight business cases, and do a lot of the hard work in pre-integrating their solutions with the larger platforms to reduce the time to value and simplify the systems integration work.​

To respond to these emerging threats, existing tech providers will need to not only accelerate their own use of AI in their platforms, but also ramp up the education and promotion of these capabilities. 

#2 Lead With Data, Not AI Capabilities 

Lead With Data, Not AI Capabilities - Darian Bird

Organisations recognise the need for AI to enhance their workforce, improve customer experience, and automate processes. However, the initial challenge lies in improving data quality, as trust in early AI models hinges on high-quality training data for long-term success.​

Tech vendors that can help with data source discovery, metadata analysis, and seamless data pipeline creation will emerge as trusted AI partners. Transformation tools that automate deduplication and quality assurance tasks empower data scientists to focus on high-value work. Automation models like Segment Anything enhance unstructured data labeling, particularly for images. Finally synthetic data will gain importance as quality sources become scarce.​

Tech vendors will be tempted to capitalise on the Generative AI hype but for sake of positive early experiences, they should begin with data quality.​

​​#3 Prepare Thoroughly for AI-driven Business Demand 

Prepare Thoroughly for AI-driven Business Demand - Achim Granzen

Besides pureplay AI opportunities, AI will drive a renewed and increased interest in data and data management. Tech and service providers can capitalise on this by understanding the larger picture around their clients’ data maturity and governance. Initial conversations around AI can be door openers to bigger, transformational engagements.​

Tech vendors should avoid the pitfall of downplaying AI risks. Instead, they should make all efforts to own and drive the conversation with their clients. They need to be forthcoming about their in-house responsible AI guidelines and understand what is happening in AI legislation world-wide (hint: a lot!) ​

Tech providers must establish strong client partnerships for AI initiatives to succeed. They must address risk and benefit equally to reap the benefits of larger AI-driven transformation engagements. ​

#4 Converge Network & Security Capabilities 

Converge Network & Security Capabilities- Darian Bird

Networking and security vendors will need to develop converged offerings as these two technologies increasingly overlap in the hybrid working era. Organisations are now entering a new phase of maturity as they evolve their remote working policies and invest in tools to regain control. They will require simplified management, increased visibility, and to provide a consistent user experience, wherever employees are located.​

There has already been a widespread adoption of SD-WAN and now organisations are starting to explore next generation SSE technologies. Procuring these capabilities from a single provider will help to remove complexity from networks as the number of endpoints continue to grow. ​

Tech providers should take a land and expand approach, getting a foothold with SASE modules that offer rapid ROI. They should focus on SWG and ZTNA deals with an eye to expanding in CASB and FWaaSas customers gain experience.

#5 Double Down on Your Partner Ecosystem

Double Down on Your Partner Ecosystem - Tim Sheedy

The IT services market, particularly in Asia Pacific, is poised for significant growth. Factors, including the imperative to cut IT operational costs, the growing complexity of cloud migrations and transformations, change management for Generative AI capabilities, and rising security and data governance needs, will drive increased spending on IT services.​

Tech services providers – consultants, SIs, managed services providers, and VARs – will help drive organisations’ tech spend and strategy. This is a good time to review partners, evaluating whether they can take the business forward, or whether there is a need to expand or change the partner mix.​

Partner reviews should start with an evaluation of processes and incentives to ensure they foster desired behaviour from customers and partners. Tech vendors should develop a 21st century partner program to improve chances of success.  ​

Access More Insights Here

 

0
Anticipating Tech Advances and Disruptions​: Strategic Guidance for Technology Leaders

5/5 (2)

5/5 (2)

2024 will be another crucial year for tech leaders – through the continuing economic uncertainties, they will have to embrace transformative technologies and keep an eye on market disruptors such as infrastructure providers and AI startups. Ecosystm analysts outline the key considerations for leaders shaping their organisations’ tech landscape in 2024.​

Navigating Market Dynamics

Market Trends that will impact organisations' tech investments and roadmap in 2024 - Sash Mukherjee

Continuing Economic Uncertainties​. Organisations will focus on ongoing projects and consider expanding initiatives in the latter part of the year.​

Popularity of Generative AI​. This will be the time to go beyond the novelty factor and assess practical business outcomes, allied costs, and change management.​

Infrastructure Market Disruption​. Keeping an eye out for advancements and disruptions in the market (likely to originate from the semiconductor sector)​ will define vendor conversations.

Need for New Tech Skills​. Generative AI will influence multiple tech roles, including AIOps and IT Architecture. Retaining talent will depend on upskilling and reskilling. ​

Increased Focus on Governance​. Tech vendors are guide tech leaders on how to implement safeguards for data usage, sharing, and cybersecurity.​

5 Key Considerations for Tech Leaders​

Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-1
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-2
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-3
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-4
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-5
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-6
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-7
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-8
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-9
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-1
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-2
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-3
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-4
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-5
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-6
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-7
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-8
Anticipating-Tech-Advances-Disruptions-9
previous arrow
next arrow
Shadow

Click here to download ‘Anticipating ​ Tech Advances and Disruptions​: Strategic Guidance for Technology Leaders’ as a PDF.

#1 Accelerate and Adapt: Streamline IT with a DevOps Culture 

Over the next 12-18 months, advancements in AI, machine learning, automation, and cloud-native technologies will be vital in leveraging scalability and efficiency. Modernisation is imperative to boost responsiveness, efficiency, and competitiveness in today’s dynamic business landscape.​

The continued pace of disruption demands that organisations modernise their applications portfolios with agility and purpose. Legacy systems constrained by technical debt drag down velocity, impairing the ability to deliver new innovative offerings and experiences customers have grown to expect. ​

Prioritising modernisation initiatives that align with key value drivers is critical. Technology leaders should empower development teams to move beyond outdated constraints and swiftly deploy enhanced applications, microservices, and platforms. ​

Accelerate and Adapt: Streamline IT with a DevOps Culture - Clay Miller

#2 Empowering Tomorrow: Spring Clean Your Tech Legacy for New Leaders

Modernising legacy systems is a strategic and inter-generational shift that goes beyond simple technical upgrades. It requires transformation through the process of decomposing and replatforming systems – developed by previous generations – into contemporary services and signifies a fundamental realignment of your business with the evolving digital landscape of the 21st century.​

The essence of this modernisation effort is multifaceted. It not only facilitates the integration of advanced technologies but also significantly enhances business agility and drives innovation. It is an approach that prepares your organisation for impending skill gaps, particularly as the older workforce begins to retire over the next decade. Additionally, it provides a valuable opportunity to thoroughly document, reevaluate, and improve business processes. This ensures that operations are not only efficient but also aligned with current market demands, contemporary regulatory standards, and the changing expectations of customers.​

Empowering Tomorrow: Spring Clean Your Tech Legacy for New Leaders - Peter Carr

#3 Employee Retention: Consider the Strategic Role of Skills Acquisition

The agile, resilient organisation needs to be able to respond at pace to any threat or opportunity it faces. Some of this ability to respond will be related to technology platforms and architectures, but it will be the skills of employees that will dictate the pace of reform. While employee attrition rates will continue to decline in 2024 – but it will be driven by skills acquisition, not location of work.  ​

Organisations who offer ongoing staff training – recognising that their business needs new skills to become a 21st century organisation – are the ones who will see increasing rates of employee retention and happier employees. They will also be the ones who offer better customer experiences, driven by motivated employees who are committed to their personal success, knowing that the organisation values their performance and achievements. ​

Employee Retention: Consider the Strategic Role of Skills Acquisition - Tim Sheedy

#4 Next-Gen IT Operations: Explore Gen AI for Incident Avoidance and Predictive Analysis

The integration of Generative AI in IT Operations signifies a transformative shift from the automation of basic tasks, to advanced functions like incident avoidance and predictive analysis. Initially automating routine tasks, Generative AI has evolved to proactively avoiding incidents by analysing historical data and current metrics. This shift from proactive to reactive management will be crucial for maintaining uninterrupted business operations and enhancing application reliability. ​

Predictive analysis provides insight into system performance and user interaction patterns, empowering IT teams to optimise applications pre-emptively, enhancing efficiency and user experience. This also helps organisations meet sustainability goals through accurate capacity planning and resource allocation, also ensuring effective scaling of business applications to meet demands. ​

Next-Gen IT Operations: Explore Gen AI for Incident Avoidance and Predictive Analysis - Richard Wilkins

#5 Expanding Possibilities: Incorporate AI Startups into Your Portfolio

While many of the AI startups have been around for over five years, this will be the year they come into your consciousness and emerge as legitimate solutions providers to your organisation. And it comes at a difficult time for you! ​

Most tech leaders are looking to reduce technical debt – looking to consolidate their suppliers and simplify their tech architecture. Considering AI startups will mean a shift back to more rather than fewer tech suppliers; a different sourcing strategy; more focus on integration and ongoing management of the solutions; and a more complex tech architecture. ​

To meet business requirements will mean that business cases will need to be watertight – often the value will need to be delivered before a contract has been signed. ​

Expanding Possibilities: Incorporate AI Startups into Your Portfolio - Tim Sheedy
Access More Insights Here

0