Cloud, DATA and AI: Its Decision Time!

Transformation has picked up the pace; businesses are realizing value at fast pace as well. News is, while all the dynamics are changing basics are still the same. Organizations that are agile and can look beyond immediate, are moving faster, failing faster in initiatives, getting up and winning even faster. Then there are those who are waiting, we all know future belongs to whom.

We have come to a cross road where three important platform decisions are an absolute must to be taken now. As these platforms will define competitive strength or as a matter of fact ability of Enterprises to survive and thrive.

 Cloud:

Cloud has moved from a Consumption Model decision to Operating Model. One can not have high fixed cost, low utilization and delayed value delivery baggage to compete with agile and sharp competitors. So it’s not an option any more question is more what one should look into.

·      Hybrid cloud: You can’t throw away your existing investments as it has years of industry experience and data in it. A cloud that can dovetail in your current investments and provides the agility is the answer.

·        Regulatory Compliance: A must have to avoid unnecessary risk and higher cost of compliance.

·        Data Protection: Read the fine prints of contracts offered; if you are contributing to your cloud provider data then you might be helping your competition. Data has to be protected and should remain private to you.

·        Security: It should be built on cognitive insights and provide holistic cover, else you will keep chasing rather than staying ahead.

Data:

Yes data is new natural resource like oil. Similarly it needs investment to make most out of it like any such resource. Enterprise need to build Data Platform keeping below in mind.

·        Invest in Governance and Quality: Remember bad fuel will choke the engine. So if there is no investment on governance and quality you will have Data that will lead to wrong or no direction.

·        Focus on Insight not Technique: Big Data, Data Lakes, MDM, DWH are the means and Actionable Insights are the end. Think through to the end with proportionate focus on means. Over focus will make you out of focus.

·        Be Holistic: Transformation is 360 degrees so you cant exclude any constituency. You have to cover Customers, Partners and Employees to create the impact.

It all leads to a platform decision and not a product one as every thing has to contribute together to deliver the value.

AI:

Intelligence needs augmentation in business and not as add on features. Businesses need to Think so that you can Out Think your competition.

·        Build as Core Capability: Its not about Used Cases you can solve today, its about capability of your business to think. Used Cases will get you in the traps of ROIs of this vs. that. Building an organization capacity will open up new and unlimited potential both on saving costs and improving revenues.

·        Differentiate between Data Science and Analytics: Analytics platform can give you similar looks but they are not the same. Answer lies in building right Algorithmic Models and you would need Data Scientists not BI experts to build the AI engines.

·        Leverage Global Innovations:  No organization has capability to do all on its own. There are Super Heroes like Watson out there to serve in shape of cost effective APIs and there are platforms available like IBM SPSS with lots of research packaged in already. You will need a robust platform to build the right foundations.

Decision time is now to decide on three key architectures, as transformation will not wait.