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We don’t usually talk about the tools and technologies we use to help our clients improve and grow their businesses, but a recent announcement by IBM about a new services platform that utilizes artificial intelligence deserves a quick peek behind the curtain. This specific platform is designed for the IT industry, but AI is probably coming to your industry, too, if it isn’t already there.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
In a nutshell, artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a machine to learn and respond on its own. Within AI, different branches revolve around what the machine will do and whether it is intended to emulate human reasoning, strictly get a job done or both.
How is AI used today?
AI has entered our lives without us even realizing it. Do you use any of these examples of AI at work right now?
- Google Maps – suggests the fastest route
- Mobile check deposits – converts handwriting into text
- Social networking sites – tags, recognizes and personalizes your news feed
- Smart shopping lists – learns about your habits as you use it
- Personal assistants – helps you with tasks (Siri, Amazon Alexa, Cortana)
- Online shopping – makes suggestions based on your behavior
- Music and movie subscription services – makes suggestions based on your behavior
AI and IT Services
The announcement of the new IBM AI platform is especially exciting for our industry because of its goal to minimize IT disruptions. With this technology, potential problems cannot only be discovered and resolved faster, but they can actually be predicted and dodged before they even happen. Because technology can only be fully leveraged upon a reliable IT framework, important business implications exist for this evolution of IT tools.
The Costs of IT Disruptions
As we have discovery meetings with executives each week, we hear about their frustrations with how IT surprises disrupt their businesses and the lack of positive results they get from their IT investments. They tell us about recurrent downtime that slows employees and annoys customers and security breaches that cost them time, money and trust, as well as technology costs that go up and down depending upon the latest IT fire they have to put out.
The Path to IT Predictability
You don’t need to know about AI or technology tools to find the path to IT predictability, but you do need to know how to guide the conversation that you’ll have with potential IT providers. That conversation should revolve around the IT experience and results that you can expect from the relationship, not the tools and services they will use.
Once you get rid of the daily worry and frustrations that are being caused by the way you’re doing IT, you’ll be able to leverage technology as a key part of your business strategy and meet your goals for growth, increased profit, and innovation that pushes you ahead of your competition.