Keeping up with technology fast changes

The fact that we are into the second month of a new year shows that time moves fast. We can say the same about technology advances moving at a rapid pace. It is important to keep track of these trends because they will eventually impact the way companies do business and proceed on their digital transformation journey. Ultimately, our commitment in Latin America is to understand our customers’ needs and business goals to leverage these IT trends, allowing them to achieve sustained growth. Here are some trends we believe will make a big difference in the coming year:

Cloud Growth: As the world gets increasingly digital, the amount of data will continue to grow exponentially. Additionally, we are becoming more connected through even more devices. Combining the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge will blur the barriers between the physical and digital worlds, which will ultimately innovate and disrupt entire sectors. Healthcare, for instance, shows how industries are benefiting from this shift. For example, by combining Novartis’ life sciences expertise with the power of Microsoft’s Azure and AI, the companies created the Novartis AI Innovation Lab. This strategic research and development partnership will allow Novartis to unlock new insights from rich and diverse data and develop transformative treatments for patients around the world. Similarly, Indira is an initiative in Colombia, that through the intelligent use of precise data, speeds up diagnosis, and provide timely treatment of 42 cancer mutations, ultimately saving countless lives.

Improved capabilities to ease AI adoption: As business partners in the digital transformation process, we have learned from our customers' challenges and successes to create new solutions that facilitate the adoption of AI and generate results. For example, Azure Synapse Analytics was developed to simplify data analytics processes, thus ensuring higher data quality and reliability. Automated machine learning also simplifies AI adoption by empowering professional and nonprofessional data scientists to easily build models for better metrics, forecasts, and outcomes. Nubimetrics in Argentina uses Microsoft technologies to process vast volumes of data. The new processing capacity, together with Azure Machine Learning technologies, allows the company to provide information, insights, and statistics to one of its clients, MercadoLibre, almost in real-time.

Raise of responsible AI: From better medical diagnostics and more sustainable agricultural processes to navigational security improvements and cities that are more accessible to those with disabilities, AI can positively impact every aspect of society. At Microsoft, we continue introducing programs under our initiative AI for Good to promote responsible AI. In fact, we recently announced AI for Health which will combine our expertise with nonprofits, academia, and researchers to address complicated health challenges. To ensure that this technology serves humanity without being misused, Microsoft created AI principles to promote ethical practices. We have also partnered with other IT companies to launch the Deepfake Detection Challenge, to encourage the development of new ways to detect and prevent manipulated media.

Effectively addressing cybersecurity: We know that with any new technology, people and business worried about possible cybersecurity threats, but this shouldn't be the barrier for digital transformation. At Microsoft, we are committed to keeping our customers’ and partners’ data safe and believe that prevention is the key to being safe. For example, in the case of quantum computing, which can solve complex problems that are beyond the capabilities of classical computing, we are working new cryptosystems that are resistant to attacks. The same can be said about 5G and its enormous potential to increase the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), promote an environment of interconnectivity and sustain economic growth. Microsoft is here to support its partners and customers, offering them solutions such as Azure Sphere, which delivers holistic security design, ongoing threat mitigation, and continual update deployment.

Remote work will continue to increase: In recent years more companies across Latin America have adopted telecommuting practices. Forecasts indicate that in a few decades, most employees will work from home, and offices will be entirely decentralized. Tools like Microsoft Teams are available to help more companies in this region reap the benefits of telecommuting by transforming the way people interact with each other, bringing them together to foster a culture of engagement and inclusion.

We are living in amazing times with incredible advancements in every possible field, nonetheless, with such developments come more significant challenges in the adoption of new trends, particularly in our region. Companies must embrace AI, as all data aggregation, analytics, and decision-support tools must accept AI to be effective, or they will be left behind. To leverage AI, we need skilled data scientists to help bridge the gap for companies, so they can accelerate AI adoption and develop business advantages. At Microsoft, we believe it is vital to offer skilling tools like Data Fundamental Courses to provide support for such a growing need.

It is vital for companies having the right team to evolve in “tech intensity” and not only adopting new technologies but also developing new technology solutions successfully. We help organizations and individuals take full advantage of the benefits generated by emerging technologies. This year my wish for Latin America is to witness an increase in the adoption of IT solutions helping companies build a strong foundation to make their digital transformation a reality by embracing “tech intensity.”

Let’s continue learning and evolving with these trends as we enter this new year! In 2020, by combining a skilled team and the right technologies for your business, the sky is the limit!