Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 72 | Page 37

FEATURE : OUTLOOK 2023 services such as Microsoft 365 is not only the modern organisation ’ s work surface , but also its risk surface . It has created an attractive target for malicious actors to attack with ransomware , malware and other cyberthreats ,” he said .
Evren Aker , Director of Partnerships , Genesys , META and France , said gone are the days when a one-size-fits-all customer experience could help a company prevail in the market . Aker said according to customers , a company is only as good as its service . “ Succeeding in this competitive era necessitates the use of a secure , flexible , and real-time platform capable of orchestrating individual components across client journeys . AI will improve the orchestration of client journeys , resulting in a cultural shift toward empathy ,” he said .
Maher Jadallah , Senior Director , Middle East and North Africa , Tenable , said the sad truth is that threat actors are far more virulent than ever . “ In the last two years we ’ ve seen wave after wave of ransomware attacks forcing organisations to make the unenviable choice between meeting the attackers ’ extortion demands or seeing their sensitive data made public or even wiped .
“ We ’ ve seen a resurgence of DDoS attacks and phishing campaigns also targeting organisations in 2022 . In some instances , threat actors are unleashing a combination of all three leaving security teams fighting to fend off multiple attacks ,” Jadallah said .
Kevin Thompson , Senior Cloud Operations Manager , Sage HR & Payroll , said going forward , not only will companies want to purchase environmentally friendly IT products and services , but they will also invest in software tools that help them measure and optimise their carbon emissions . “ The other sought-after technologies in 2023 will be the metaverse and the Internet of things .
It ’ s early days for the metaverse and Web3 , but some companies will keep kicking the tyres with proofs of concept in augmented / virtual reality and Blockchain ,” he noted .
At VMware , Lee Syse , Cloud Technology Lead , Sub- Saharan Africa , said AI and Machine Learning are something that ’ s been adopted quite aggressively across verticals , but it ’ s been more focused on the automation of mundane tasks . Syse says what lies ahead is the focus will shift to being more creative with AI rather than just using it for automation . “ So , when we look at things like AI , Machine Learning , Big Data , and analytics , these are three technologies that benefit from working together and have become part of our everyday lives .
When we look at the banking industry , there are technologies like robotic automation , robotic processing automation , automated call centres , and automated self-service that will continue to be improved on to fit into the constant innovation and digital transformation around us , shifting customer behaviour and needs . AI and machine learning will also play a role in how businesses enter and adapt to a multi-cloud environment ,” Syse said . p

CIOS MUST IDENTIFY

THE TYPE OF FINANCIAL IMPACT THAT THE CEO AND CFO WANT AND PRIORITISE

DIGITAL INITIATIVES THAT SUPPORT IT .

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