Converge Tech and Business Week in Review – February 11, 2017

In Digital Transformation by Shelly KramerLeave a Comment

business and tech review

Every week is an exciting week when it comes to what’s happening in the tech space—here are the stories we found most interesting this week in tech and business.

Building the predictive enterprise: What CIOs should tell CEOs about artificial intelligence. Digital transformation is happening at a fast pace and people within your organization need to be ready to embrace the many changes. And the pace of tech innovation is only going to speed up. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful technology that can help companies turn into predictive enterprises. But AI presents challenges, even for the most savvy of technology leaders. As with anything, it’s best to embrace AI strategically instead of diving in without a game plan. This includes seeking the answers to strategic questions like:

How can we use AI to allow us to provide better customer service?
How can we use AI to help our employees make better, more informed decisions?
How can that impact our bottom line?
What are our KPIs with the implementation of AI?
What does success look like?
How will we measure ROI?

This is a great article on the topic of building the predictive enterprise shared by Hollis Tibbets. If this topic interests you, check it out.

Tech companies continued to rally against Trump’s immigration ban.  America’s biggest tech firms including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter have stepped into a legal fight against President Trump’s travel ban. The companies recently filed legal briefs in a case brought by the attorneys general of Washington and Minnesota, which follows a week of provocative comments from tech leaders speaking out against the President’s executive order which bars foreign nationals from seven Muslim majority countries. As of this past week, the order has been halted temporally by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Many tech giants depend on highly skilled immigrants to fill key positions and many of these same tech companies have deep concerns that the travel ban (if allowed to be reinstated) may damage their growth prospects more than keeping us safe.

Check out this TechCrunch article shared by Finola Howard to learn more.

Must-Attend Events for CIOs and Tech Leaders in 2017.  Are you looking to stay on top of emerging trends? Maybe your role in your company is to know what your customers are excited about. Maybe you are looking for new customers or want to hear from industry experts in the technology field. No matter what your reason or goal, attending industry conferences is always a great strategy. This is especially true in the tech industry where things evolve quickly. There are so many conferences happening, the challenge is knowing which events to attend. Bobby Boughton of OnRamp has put together a short list of some of what he considers the best top tech events for CIOs and tech leaders. Before you finalize your conference schedule for this year, maybe check these out.

4 keys to transforming an organization with AI. According to IDC corporate spending on AI technology will surge to $47 billion in 2020, a six-fold increase over the $8 billion recorded last year. The research firm also predicts that by 2019, over 110 million consumer devices with embedded intelligent assistants will be installed in U.S. households. You can already see this being embraced gradually by consumers with the rise of connected devices like the Amazon Alexa Robot or the Google Home device. Disruption is happening and companies who have not embraced transformation need start adapting and levering AI and machine learning. Of course, as mentioned earlier, this is easier said than done.  If your own company is working to build or integrate AI-based products and services that address real consumer needs into your business model, this post shared by Bob Hayes is sure to interest.

Facebook enlists help to verify ad data after inaccurate reports. In an attempt to salvage the trust of brands and business partners in its advertising data, Facebook is undergoing an audit by the Media Ratings Council (MRC).  Facebook reports its goal here is to verify the accuracy of the information it provides to partners.  The social media giant will also offer more detailed information regarding ad impressions for both Facebook and Instagram. The data will also include the duration (in milliseconds) an ad was on the screen; the duration 50 percent of the ad was visible and the duration the entire ad was visible. This will be good for brands, and will alsohelp the social media giant be more accountable and transparent with its data.  For more details, check out this article from Engadget shared by Mattias Grenhall.

Photo Credit: sdejongh Flickr via Compfight cc

Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years' experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging development, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly's coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”

Leave a Comment