If remote IT is here to stay, how can CIOs make it work?

Many CIOs are asking: is remote IT here to stay, or will the majority of IT staff eventually return to the office? At least in the short term, the more relevant questions might be, how productive can we expect remote IT to be, how can CIOs ensure their productivity, and what metrics should IT consider to gauge their effectiveness?

In this article, we’ll take a look at these questions and a few others, with the goal of helping CIOs plan for what will be extended and expanded...

8 October 2020 | CIO

How an AI platform is matching employees and opportunities

Instead of relying on data-driven signals of past accomplishments, Eightfold.ai is using AI to discover the innate capabilities of people and matching them to new opportunities in their own companies. The company's innovative approach of combining their own AI and virtual hackathons to create and launch new additions to their Project Marketplace rapidly is a model enterprises need to consider emulating.

Eightfold.ai was founded with the mission that there is...

5 October 2020 | Applications

MSPs: Your billing system should not be sitting at their own desk

Despite the economic setbacks shaped by the pandemic, demand for cloud communications services continues to grow. The remote “work-life” arrangement and increased displacement of face-to-face meetings by video conferences has managed service provider (MSP) leaders clamoring to take advantage.

On the downside, this heightened activity has exposed the flaws or outright failures of the billing processes for many MSPs. In fact, “processes” may be too technical a term for how...

29 September 2020 | Cloud

Why digital transformation always needs to start with customers first

Customers’ expectations, preferences, changing patterns in how and why they purchase need to be the core of any digital transformation effort.

63% of organisations say delivering an excellent customer experience as measured by customer satisfaction scores defines success as a digital-first business, according to a recent IDG study. 67% of CEOs say acting with agility is “the new currency of business; if we’re too slow, we will be bankrupt,” according to...

15 September 2020 | Applications

Improving customer success in the IT sector: The power of partnerships

In all areas of business, customers are expecting more. The typical vendor-client relationship is a thing of the past, becoming a partner to your customers is the new norm. However, this is not an overnight process, rather one that takes time, effort, and cultivating.

Of course, growth is important, and organisations always want to acquire new customers. Yet, in order to grow, existing customers must be retained, remain loyal, and continue to be happy with the service they...

11 September 2020 | Case Studies

Five key ways machine learning can thwart phishing attacks

Global mobile phishing attempts surged by 37% amid shift to work-from-home for the thousands of businesses needing to adhere to shelter-in-place directives. According to Verizon, over 90% of breaches start with a phishing attack and with more than 60% of emails being read on mobile, mobile phishing is one of the fastest-growing threat categories in 2020. 60% of IT leaders believe that phishing is the most significant mobile security threat faced by their organization, according to...

23 August 2020 | Authentication

Embracing an agile culture for business growth: A guide to best practice – and what to avoid

Professional services company Accenture found itself in a crisis. The company’s growth stunted. When leadership investigated the reasons why, they came to realise that their promotions and rewards system benefited those employees who were more focused on self-promotion, compared with those whose focus was helping the organisation succeed.

So, company leaders decided to embrace change and use a different, more collaborative, performance conversation rather than continuing with...

21 August 2020 | Development

Why aligning training and skills development is necessary for the EU future jobs outlook

The European Union (EU) was enjoying its highest labour participation rate since 2000 when COVID-19 hit. The economic impact has yet to be fully calculated but will surely be felt for years to come. The pandemic has also highlighted a critical and growing shortage of workers, and the region faces particular challenges with respect to digital transformation as well. To combat the workforce issues in the EU, training and skills development will be essential.

Understanding the current...

19 August 2020 | Development

How to achieve business success in the midst of rapid workplace changes

Most large enterprises rely on a globally connected ecosystem of workforce, workplace, technology and other key resources for their business operations. Not surprisingly, they have very robust business continuity plans (BCP) in place to protect their human capital, technology and other critical resources. Their plans address many scenarios – from geopolitical to cybersecurity, connectivity, climate or natural calamity related issues. That’s not to mention issues with business partners,...

10 August 2020 | Applications

What are the main challenges chief procurement officers face today?

As we move towards a new world of business, post the pandemic, without a doubt COVID-19 has severely disrupted supply chains on a global scale. Procurement leaders are having to maintain business operations, fulfill urgent demands, and mitigate supplier challenges against a backdrop of significant disruption to their teams and their partner ecosystem.  Moving forward resilience will be the watchword and as CPOs start to think about the short and medium-term needs of the...

29 July 2020 | Applications