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Data is critical to decision-making in modern business, but it remains one of the most difficult resources to harness. Some 97% of organizations report that data-related challenges are limiting the information available to businesses, according to a new BizOps survey on the state of digital business.
Intimidating though it may seem, the adoption of some practices can help companies make data-driven decisions that support business outcomes, according to Kieran Taylor (pictured, left), chief marketing officer and head of marketing at Broadcom Inc.
“I think you get out of this data landfill conundrum by first understanding what questions to ask,” he said. “It’s not algorithms; it’s not analytics; it’s not math that is going to solve this problem. It is really, really understanding your customer’s issues and what questions to ask of the data.”
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The world is eager to put the trials of 2020 behind it. But the challenges COVID-19 brought to the business world are not going away anytime soon.
Sixty percent of enterprise leaders believe 2021 will be as tough for businesses as the previous year, according to a new BizOps industry research survey on the state of digital business. Remote work, global uncertainty and the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic were cited as top concerns. But possibly the most revealing statistic shows the disconnect between strategic goals and technological investment in businesses undergoing digital transformation.
While 95% of survey respondents agreed that successful digital transformation is about business outcomes rather than technological adoption, 62% stated that their company has adopted technology “for technology’s sake” rather than to meet business objectives.
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As the COVID vaccine roll-out propels the world back into high gear, companies that survived the pandemic are getting ready for another test: Generating profit in a digital environment.
Many businesses aren’t ready. Transformation has thrown internal organization into chaos as companies realize that adopting new technology is the smallest part of the change. Digital operations have their foundation in data. And while collecting data is relatively simple, reorganizing the value chain around it is not.
Companies need both intelligent technology and a united front to face the data onslaught and then convert it into business value. DevOps and agile methodologies have been heralded as the missing link to unite information technology and operations in digital harmony. But these approaches miss a crucial component: business outcomes. Filling this gap is the BizOps approach.
In graduate school, Gebru used Google image data to infer political positions from populations based on simple items for example, the breakdown of types of vehicles people owned. After completing her PhD at the Stanford AI Lab, Gebru worked at Microsoft in its Fairness, Accountability, Transparency and Ethics in AI (FATE) lab and later at Google, where she researched items such as bias in facial-recognition software.
Most recently, Gebru left Google; she claims she was fired for a critical email. Google counters that she made demands to stay employed that it chose not to meet. Because all this happened in December 2020, her Twitter feed is currently consumed by it.
When you hear about the Town Hall South Speaker Series, you probably think of the renowned writers, actors, politicians, journalists, scientists and more who speak at Upper St. Clair High School five times a year and engage our community in dialogue on key issues of our day.
But an equally important part of the Town Hall South mission is to provide outreach to the community through philanthropic gifts to a wide range of local organizations.
Since Town Hall South was organized as an outreach of Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1969, the series has donated nearly $650,000 to local organizations, with grants primarily focusing on children in need, Pittsburghâs homeless population, and women fleeing from violence and seeking to rebuild their lives.