August 2024 Tech Upload
| The NEW Digital Alliance would like to thank J. J. Keller & Associates and KI for their support as an Executive Level investor! |  |
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NEW Digital News
Fall 2024 Save-the-Dates: Upcoming slate of Alliance events for this fall
As we approach August and end of summer nears, we look forward to our upcoming slate of Alliance events for this fall. We are in the midst of planning for two great events as you can see below. Links to calendar invites are included for Save-the-Dates. We will reach out with sponsorship and involvement opportunities as we continue our planning process.
We hope to see you this fall!
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WI Tech Month is a month-long celebration of the tech industry in Wisconsin that has taken place since 2021. WI Tech Month provides a platform for companies, organizations, and individuals to showcase their innovations, expertise, and accomplishments. Join us in Appleton to kick-off the month and learn about Tech Month Opportunities in northeast Wisconsin. |
A lot has happened in the past year since generative AI burst onto the scene. Join us at our 2024 Tech Summit as we revisit this technology and dive into the advancements and current state of AI one year later. Interact with industry leaders from Gartner, Microsoft, and Google. You’ll explore how organizations have positioned themselves in the past year, discuss the ongoing impact of AI on your business, and understand successful strategies for piloting and implementing AI technologies. |
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Date: Tuesday, September 24 |
Date: Tuesday, October 15 |
The Competitive Edge of Enterprise Edge
By Brett Lindsey
ark data centers
Brett Lindsey, CEO of ark data centers explains why edge data centers will become increasingly vital, making them the cornerstone of digital transformation strategies for enterprises looking for not only a competitive advantage but ultimate control over their digital future.
Enterprises across all industries are feeling pressure. Amid the AI surge, organizations looking to gain a marketplace advantage are being forced to adapt and adjust quickly to a changing but uncertain landscape that simultaneously presents tremendous opportunities and challenges. With the ability to process data at lightning-quick speed, the demand for edge proximity across nearly every vertical is flooding, making the edge data center of the future a rapid reality.
Propelling a profound shift in the digital landscape, the edge computing market is poised to surge from $60 billion in 2024 to a staggering $111 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 13%. This exponential growth is not just a result of technological advancements but a testament to how a more distributed model is revolutionizing the way we enterprises and hyperscalers operate. Edge data centers will no longer be 2MW or less. Mega-edge data centers are on the rise, and the next generation of scalable edge infrastructure is being realized. These next-gen edge data centers are not only strategically located but leverage mixed-use components that are adaptable and reshaping the digital landscape to better serve evolving enterprise and hyperscale needs.
From Legacy to Leading Edge: Modernizing Applications for Tomorrow
From Rusty Relics to Digital Dynasties
In today’s dynamic business landscape, where innovation is the currency of success, organizations have a pivotal decision: Embrace application modernization or risk falling behind in the relentless race for market dominance. Legacy applications are pervasive in today’s IT environments, posing challenges in terms of agility, security and efficiency. It’s crucial to adapt and optimize legacy programs and applications to meet the evolving needs of businesses and users. This is where application modernization comes in.
What is application modernization? Also known as legacy modernization, application modernization involves updating and enhancing existing software to leverage new technologies, improve performance and address current business requirements. Outdated technology stacks, limited scalability and maintenance challenges characterize legacy programs and applications. Embracing application modernization isn’t merely a matter of staying afloat—it’s essential to accelerate and strategically navigate the relentless tides of innovation to remain competitive.
Companies that have undertaken comprehensive legacy application modernization efforts have reported a significant uptick in agility and scalability, enabling them to swiftly respond to changing market dynamics and customer demands. According to recent surveys, organizations that modernize their applications experience a 30% increase in agility, allowing them to pivot strategies and adapt to emerging trends with unprecedented speed.
Bridging Business and Technology with IT Business Partners
As a company grows, its technology needs typically grow as well. Technology is often a critical component to performing business in today’s world. Whether we are talking about a particular line of business or a shared service such as engineering, finance, procurement, marketing or facilities, they all have technology needs. How can all these areas be served across the organization? At FTI, this is where the role of an IT Business Partner comes in. Other names exist for this role, but let’s talk more about the value it can bring.
- A Seat at the Table
- Business Goals and Outcomes
- Strategic Planning and Road Mapping
- Execution and Delivery
CrowdStrike Aftermath: Preparing for the Next Major IT Outage
Heartland Business Systems (HBS)
Many of us remember the Y2K scare—the fear that computers worldwide would shut down on 1/1/00, reversing society to the mid-20th century.
Thankfully, that catastrophe never happened. However, on Friday, July 19, 2024, we experienced something eerily reminiscent of those concerns: the most significant IT outage in history.
The CrowdStrike outage/incident/disaster—whatever you want to call it—wasn’t a cyberattack or a Microsoft failure, but a logic error in an update from CrowdStrike that caused 8.5 million Windows devices to crash and experience the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
This incident underscores a crucial point: while you can’t foresee every possible business disruption, you can—and must—prepare for them.
Your focus should always be on resiliency. Maintaining business continuity amid disruptions and recovering as quickly as possible after an incident is the difference between keeping your business doors open and shutting them forever.
Regional News
Tech professionals are shunning roles because of these red flags during the recruitment process — here’s what you can do to secure the top tech talent for your organization
By
New research from Hays uncovers the red flags in job ads and interviews that could mean you’re missing out on the top talent
With the tech industry suffering from long-running skills shortages, employers are locked in a tight battle to attract the best talent – but many are falling short, new research shows.
A survey of 11,900 employers and employees by recruitment firm Hays found that nine-in-ten tech professionals believe interviews are the most effective way of being assessed for a role – but that nearly two-thirds have had a bad interview experience.
More than half, the study found, said this has put them off accepting a role at an organization.
“Ultimately, interviews are not only a chance for employers to assess the appeal of a professional but also a prime opportunity for tech talent to weigh up the suitability of a prospective role and organization as a whole,” said Amanda Whicher, technology director for UK and Ireland at Hays.
“Employers ought to tap into this by reflecting on the impact of their interview experience and adjusting their application process where necessary to attract and impress the top tech talent.”
So what should employers do?
McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024
Which technology trends matter most for companies in 2024? New analysis by the McKinsey Technology Council highlights the adoption, development, and industry effects of advanced technologies.
Despite challenging overall market conditions in 2023, continuing investments in frontier technologies promise substantial future growth in enterprise adoption. Generative AI (gen AI) has been a standout trend since 2022, with the extraordinary uptick in interest and investment in this technology unlocking innovative possibilities across interconnected trends such as robotics and immersive reality. While the macroeconomic environment with elevated interest rates has affected equity capital investment and hiring, underlying indicators—including optimism, innovation, and longer-term talent needs—reflect a positive long-term trajectory in the 15 technology trends we analyzed.
These are among the findings in the latest McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook, in which the McKinsey Technology Council identified the most significant technology trends unfolding today. This research is intended to help executives plan ahead by developing an understanding of potential use cases, sources of value, adoption drivers, and the critical skills needed to bring these opportunities to fruition.
D-Wave launches new quantum roadmap geared to AI/ML
By Paul Barker
Computer World
Analyst reaction to the move is positive, but it’s too early to assess the impact of quantum computing for real world AI use cases, says one.
Analyst reaction to D-Wave Quantum’s announcement today of an extended product development roadmap aimed at helping organizations address a variety of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) workloads was decidedly positive, however, one common sentiment was that much needs to happen for quantum computing to experience widespread adoption.
The Palo-Alto, California-based company said it is “strengthening the connection between quantum optimization, AI, and machine learning” with enhancements to its Leap quantum cloud service, a move, it said, “comes at a time when the broader AI industry is confronting a computing crunch.”
The cost of the amount of compute, and the associated energy, needed to satisfy a growing set of use cases, it said, is rapidly escalating. Its new offering, D-Wave added in a release, is designed to leverage annealing quantum computing’s “unique capability in solving optimization problems to help customers discover better, faster, and more energy efficient AI and ML workloads.”
Embedded Analytics Made Easy: Go From Concept to Launch in 10 Days
By Sigma Computing
TechNewsWorld
Sigma Computing is excited to announce the release of its on-demand webinar, “Embedded Analytics Made Easy: Go From Concept to Launch in 10 Days,” a comprehensive guide to revolutionizing your data strategy and delivering actionable insights with unprecedented speed.
This webinar promises to equip organizations with the practical knowledge and strategies to harness the modern data stack, integrate advanced data security, and create highly interactive user experiences.
- Transforming Data Strategy With Embedded Analytics
- Ensuring Advanced Data Security
- Creating Interactive and User-Friendly Experiences
- Leveraging the Modern Data Stack
- Real-World Examples and Best Practices
Who Should Watch
This webinar is ideal for data professionals, business analysts, IT managers, and anyone looking to implement analytics solutions within their organization. Whether enhancing current analytics capabilities or starting on the embedded analytics journey, this session provides the knowledge and tools needed for success.
Participants will gain insights to lead their teams more effectively, improve their data strategy, and deliver better insights to their users.