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nabling better-informed decisions by
augmenting human intelligence with
powerful computing and precise data
analysis and then automating the tasks that
follow, AI and automation – like an AA battery
– have the power to energise business and
help them drive towards success. Their rapid
emergence has been driven by three factors.
The cloud has made huge amounts of
computing and processing power available,
on demand. The data deluge – where 90%
of the world’s data has been created in just
the last two years – has brought the critical
mass needed to power the smart algorithms
that drive these new capabilities. New AI
tools that can easily be integrated into a
business as an engine for innovation are
helping organisations more easily adopt
them and gain benefit.
With so many potential applications for AI,
where should companies start, especially
given Forrester’s caution that in 2018, 75%
of AI projects will underwhelm because they
fail to model operational considerations?
Here are five key areas for consideration:
1. Driving value from data: We live in
a world where data is big and insight
needs to be in real-time. As data sets
become larger, new, automated, AI-
enabled tools will speed up the ability
to find the needle in the haystack
and then ensure appropriate action
is taken. These tools will also have an
incredibly powerful role to play in how
data is managed. Taking on the tasks
of running, patching and optimising
databases and data warehouses, these
new offerings will deliver unprecedented
availability, performance and security, at
a significantly lower cost by eliminating
the cost of human error stemming from
manual processes.
2. Rebalancing the cyber warfare:
Another area where humans can’t keep
up is around the rapidly expanding
challenges inherent to enterprise
cybersecurity. There are too many
devices, too many applications, too
many users, too many infringements
and too many megabytes of log files
for humans to make sense of it all and
then react in a timescale that would
make a difference, in today’s world,
that potentially could be milliseconds.
Businesses will need to rely on AI and
www.intelligentcio.com
Niral Patel, Managing Director Oracle
South Africa
automation to automate the detection,
prevention and response to security
breaches, performance anomalies and
vulnerabilities. Only by using machines to
fight machines will companies be able to
reprioritise and rethink about how they
defend their information.
3. The search for operational excellence:
Businesses are under increasing pressure
to reduce time-to-market for new
applications and services. At the same
time, they are overwhelmed by the
distributed nature and volume of their
operational systems, finding their siloed
form hindering their ability to make
good decisions, troubleshoot issues and
drive cross business collaboration. Cloud,
while simplifying things in certain areas
has added an extra dimension, making
it increasingly difficult for IT teams to
optimise enterprise systems and prevent
catastrophic failures. AI can automate
the many various monitoring and control
requirements needed to keep enterprise
systems running at their best, helping
identify anomalies that human teams
would have missed, enabling new levels
of optimisation.
4. Boosting business performance:
Embedded AI capabilities within core
business applications such as enterprise
resource planning (ERP), human
capital management (HCM), supply
chain management (HCM), sales and
marketing are helping make the decision-
making process simpler and more
efficient for business professionals across
the organisation. In finance, this has the
potential to improve activities like supplier
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