Data Center

Data Advantage: How to Innovate and Create New Value

Which innovations must business leaders focus on to gain a competitive edge in the year ahead?
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Last month, Dell Technologies and AMD hosted the virtual event Data Advantage: How to innovate and create new value, in which top executives and technology experts shared best practices for turning data into a competitive edge for businesses.

As one of those panel speakers, I was pleased to discuss the key innovations businesses should consider to create new value. Joining the discussion was Bernard Marr, international best-selling business author, futurist, keynote speaker and strategic advisor to companies and governments. He gave his view on six key technologies to watch in 2021. Let’s look at what he said:

  1. Big Data and the IoT

“Big Data, especially from the Internet of Things (IoT), is being generated in huge volumes from our smart devices, smart products and connected machines. Having access to this data and being able to use it will be key.”

  1. Cloud storage and edge computing

“The second trend is having cloud and edge computing in place. We are seeing the emergence of the as-a-service economy – I can simply go to a company for services so I can store and process all of this data [in real time].”

  1. Smart robots

“We are now seeing more intelligent robots in the manufacturing process and across the supply chain with self-driving cars, trucks, ships and drones. White-collar robots that use Robotic Process Automation – especially the latest versions that apply machine learning – will also be very important in really monitoring what people are doing and helping them to perform some of those tasks.”

  1. AI and ML for data insights

“The fourth and most important technology trend is artificial intelligence and machine learning – the most powerful technology humans have ever had access to. This again enables us to automate more of our business processes, but also to automate some of the insights we’re generating from our data. Instead of having a pull factor where people have to find the data, analyse it themselves, identify patterns and make better decisions, in the future we’ll have more of a push factor – intelligent algorithms actually monitoring your data and saying ‘ok, it looks like this customer segment is less loyal than others, you might want to have a look at this.’”

  1. Resilient next-gen connectivity

“The fifth trend is having more resilient networks – especially when we look at the rollout of 5G. This will be a massive enabler that gives us all of the connectivity we need in mobile devices, anywhere, so we don’t have to worry about having a Wi-Fi connection for fast internet speeds. I’m talking to companies like Nokia about the sixth generation of mobile networks already, so this this is extremely important.”

  1. Extended reality

“This is closely linked to the connectivity trend… using augmented and virtual reality to provide more immersive experiences. With 5G and mobile headsets, you can take customers anywhere – they will be able to sit on a bus somewhere and have amazing VR and AR experiences.”

For more insights from the many other leaders who attended the event Data Advantage: How to innovate and create new value, such as author and management consultant Geoffrey Moore, Mark Kramer from our customer EDAG, as well as Matt Baker and myself from Dell Technologies, please access the session on-demand.

About the Author: Jaynene Hapanowicz

Jaynene Hapanowicz is CTO and Senior Vice President of Technology Transformation and Services Development for Dell Digital, the global IT organization that supports Dell Technologies. In her role, she leads Dell Digital’s transformation, cultivating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, as well as advancing organization-wide adoption of DevOps and creating an industry-leading developer and data science experience. She’s also responsible for the Services application development organization that builds the solutions which enable Dell to effectively serve its customers. Jaynene’s organization employs a product-centric model where Dell Digital team members partner directly with the business using a simplified and streamlined approach to develop, test and deliver new products and capabilities. The result – processes and technologies that enable IT to drive incremental value for the business and improve the customer experience. Previously, Jaynene led Dell’s infrastructure and platform engineering, IT Operations as well as Network and Call Center Technology Services. She has spearheaded numerous strategic initiatives including the deployments of private and hybrid Cloud Services, the Dell/EMC Integration and numerous technology conversions such as Software Defined Network and CI/CD Pipeline Services. Jaynene also directed the transformation of Dell’s global call center services — automating the processes of 30,000 agents leveraging technology to drive a positive customer experience. A collaborative leader, Jaynene is known for strengthening interlocks across teams and developing agile frameworks that efficiently and rapidly deliver business value. Before joining Dell in 2013, Jaynene served as the Vice President of Global Network and Call Center Technology Services at Wyndham Worldwide/Cendant Corporation. She began her career at MCI Corporation after obtaining an MBA from State University of New York at Buffalo and a BA from Canisius College. Jaynene and her husband live in Austin, Texas. She likes to spend her free time with her dogs, cat and her two daughters.