10 key Microsoft Ignite takeaways for CIOs

Microsoft kicked off its 2021 Ignite customer conference on March 2 with some stunning demonstrations of Mesh, a mixed-reality working environment like Second Life on steroids, accessible to anyone with a $3,500 Hololens 2 headset and high-speed internet. Out of the spotlight, though, there were other innovations — in Microsoft Azure, Teams, and Power Platform…

Mitigating the hidden risks of digital transformation

Companies are looking to grab any technology-driven advantage they can as they adapt to new ways of working, managing employees, and serving customers. They are making bigger moves toward the cloud, e-commerce, digital supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), data analytics, and other areas that can deliver efficiency and innovation. At the…

Money for nothing: Making sense of data collaborations in healthcare

Several leading health systems got together recently to announce the formation of Truveta, an independent company that will pool patient medical records from the participating health systems and analyze them for insights to drive healthcare outcomes. The announcement highlighted the benefits of sharing de-identified data for driving research, new therapies, and improved health outcomes. In…

Decision intelligence: The new BI

Business intelligence (BI) platforms are evolving. By adding artificial intelligence and machine learning, companies are transforming data dashboards and business analytics into more comprehensive decision support platforms. This movement toward “decision intelligence” sees its sophisticated mix of tools increasingly embedded into enterprise workflows, when and where decision-makers need them most. “Decision intelligence is the ability…

How Skyworks embraced self-service IT

The traditional role of IT is to develop and deliver solutions. “Execution” is at the top of the CIO required skills list.  But with the advent of cloud services and more sophisticated analytics tools—and the increasing demand on IT for new capabilities—many CIOs are asking their business users to take over some delivery responsibilities. Satya…

New IBM sales strategy catches CIOs’ attention

Technology titans must continue to evolve, or risk being relegated to the scrap heap of history. IBM doesn’t plan on joining the tech mastodons anytime soon. The company, whose knack for surviving tech disruptions makes it  hard to root against, has simplified its go-to-market strategy to make it easier for customers and partners, winnowing its…

What is a solutions architect? A vital role for IT-business alignment

Solutions architect definition A solutions architect is responsible for evaluating an organization’s business needs and determining how IT can support those needs leveraging software, hardware, or infrastructure. Aligning IT strategy with business goals has become paramount, and a solutions architect can help determine, develop, and improve technical solutions in support of business goals. A solutions…