Tag: BusinessInnovation

The returns from digital transformation will remain elusive until business leaders confront an uncomfortable truth: the problem is not the Artificial Intelligence (AI), but everything underneath it. Consider this scenario. You lead a large retail business. Six months ago, you approved a significant generative AI investment to personalise customer promotions. The business case was compelling, the pilot results were strong and the board supported the move.

In the pursuit of digital transformation, businesses often spotlight their cutting-edge applications, multicloud strategies or latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. Yet, behind each of these advancements lies a powerful, unseen engine: the enterprise storage platform. It has quietly evolved from a simple data repository into a dynamic force for innovation.

There's a peculiar kind of blindness that sets in when a constraint disappears. You keep solving for it anyway. You build institutions around it, develop disciplines to manage it, hire people whose entire expertise is navigating it. The constraint becomes invisible and not because it's gone, but because it's been so thoroughly baked into how you operate that questioning it feels like questioning gravity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how businesses operate, make decisions, and engage with consumers. From predictive analytics to automated customer support, AI is now embedded in daily operations. AI also supports intelligent process automation. As a result, the rise of AI in business continues to reshape industries. However, one critical factor is often overlooked. Businesses frequently ignore the people behind the technology.

In the pursuit of digital transformation, South African businesses often highlight their cutting-edge applications, multi-cloud strategies, or latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. Yet behind each of these advancements lies a powerful, unseen engine. The enterprise storage platform has quietly evolved from a simple data repository into a dynamic force for innovation.

Read our exclusive cover story titled The innovation factory – built for famine, not a feast? by Lauren Drake, Co-founder & Director, FiftyKnots, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.

Organisations often rush into Artificial Intelligence (AI) without a clear strategy or the right internal capability. As a result, they risk overpromising, underdelivering, and damaging their credibility in the market. These risks undermine long-term AI success and weaken stakeholder confidence.

The near future holds the potential for a transformative scenario where a procurement AI platform negotiates directly with another company's AI platform. AI interaction could lead to seamless supply agreements with no delays, coffee breaks or human intervention.

Read our exclusive cover story titled AI-to-AI engagement - humans optional! by Steven Ambrose, CEO, DR Insight, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.