Enterprises enhanced their investments in telecom and IT infrastructure in a bid to further their digital transformation journey. The adoption of next-generation technologies including the cloud, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data gained traction with organisations increasingly relying on them to drive cost and operational efficiencies. There was also a growing interest in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), robotics, blockchain and 3D printing. However, as enterprises transition to new technologies, security is emerging as a major concern. The IT heads of leading enterprises discuss the key challenges and their technology roadmap for 2018…
What were the key technology trends witnessed in the enterprise space during 2017?
Online travel agents like Yatra have empowered travellers by giving them a wide variety of travel choices with complete transparency in pricing, all at the click of a button. One of the most powerful competitive tools now accessible to companies is business intelligence software powered by big data analytics to help them personalise their offerings as per customer preferences. It also enables companies to map the customer journey and automate processes to reduce manual intervention, thus empowering businesses to streamline operations and maximise efficiency.
What is the level of adoption of new technologies such as cloud, big data analytics and IoT among Indian enterprises?
Technology advances rapidly and needs to be continuously aligned with changing organisational priorities and goals. The adoption of latest technologies like the cloud, IoT and big data analytics requires an experienced manager who can analyse and evaluate the value that each technology has to offer to the business. Using big data analytics has its own set of challenges. While there is abundant data present, there are limited data points that are available in a structured format. Hence, data mining is very important. Unstructured data, when mined properly, can reveal critical insights and help businesses strategise better.
“Data mining is very important. Unstructured data, when mined properly, can reveal critical insights and help businesses strategise better.”
Sharat Dhall
What are the key challenges faced while adopting and managing new technologies?
The technologies powering chatbots are still evolving, which limits their effective deployment in more nuanced use cases. Technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and AI, which power bots, have not advanced to a level to enable real human-like conversation with a user. This means that a bot may get confused and need to transfer the control of the chat to a human agent.
Which technology trends are likely to dominate the enterprise space in 2018?
Big data, cloud technology and personalisation have a profound positive impact on the travel industry as they offer customer insights that were hitherto not available. With this new information, businesses are in a better position to provide customised services, enhance customer satisfaction, increase operational efficiency and, at the same time, help companies gain a competitive advantage.
