For businesses looking to establish a single system from which to drive everything, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has long been the answer. As a natural evolution of business resource management processes, ERP systems became the bible of electronic records, incorporating data and resources in such a way that businesses could track, manage and plan their next moves reliably and repeatedly at enterprise-scale.

At the core of Enterprise Resource Planning sits a desire to better automate operations to increase efficiency. For some, ERPs represent a well-oiled machine — collating a record of all business processes and data sources to ensure operational decisions are executed in the best possible way.

As we move into an era that presents us with more data than ever before, ERP systems need a long overdue update to help businesses take the best actions. What’s important to remember is these vast quantities of data also come with a variety of contexts — you rarely have exactly the same information about your customers in Japan as you do in Mexico — and businesses increasingly need to account for a disorderly, unpredictable world. This is where decision intelligence comes in — technology which could, and should, replace traditional ERPs as the central cog of the enterprise tech stack.

>See also: 6 key advantages of ERP and CRM software integration

Evolving decision-making landscapes

For the most part, analytics and reporting based on ERP work on the assumption that businesses know, roughly, what the data from the ERP means and how it can be used. Since its inception in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, the ERP mindset has steadily marched across the operation, gradually standardising processes and unifying transaction capture for the processes they serve.

But this presents the problem. A new challenge now presents itself in the form of large and unruly data, driven by the exponential growth of data generation and availability. Available data has increased at a monumental pace, with over 50 times more data produced now than in 2010. We’ve now entered an era where ERPs are needing to play catch up.

One issue driven by this mass of new data is that it is disconnected and disparate. Existing ERP systems typically interpret and use data they create themselves, leading to a siloed departmental view instead of a holistic view that enables analysis across an organisation. Likewise, with the vast quantities of data on offer, it’s difficult for businesses to know which data to focus on. We know data-driven decision making is wrong, simply because all this extra data should have led to vastly improved organisational performance. Are companies 50 times more productive than 2010? Clearly not. Instead, we need to focus on the decision first, and therefore work out which data will be most useful.

Business processes once largely managed through ERPs are no longer as efficient or optimised as they were. With vast quantities of data now available, and taking into account the increasingly turbulent landscape businesses now operate in, change is needed. ERPs cannot offer the increased levels of decision making capacity, and greater understanding from data is required to make better decisions.

Decision intelligence

Decision intelligence uses AI to bring together various decision making techniques — alongside the modern data stack — to model, execute and fine-tune business decisions. Dubbed an intelligence layer, it does not seek to replace conventional ERP systems, but instead complement them, sitting alongside existing internal infrastructure. In short, decision intelligence tools add a new layer of meaning, helping business leaders draw in different contexts, operational landscapes and business-specific insights to make better decisions.

Despite decision intelligence complementing ERP systems, it is also an accompaniment to human decision making. Focusing on answering what is happening, why, and what could be done about it, decision intelligence makes predictions by encouraging business leaders to move beyond data towards a deeper, contextual understanding. It helps humans to access better insights and make more accurate, optimised decisions by observing, understanding, deciding and acting on data.

This is in contrast to traditional ERPs, which tend to operate by only ‘what they’ve got’, leaving the human to try and make sense of it using their best judgement (and more often than not, many, many dashboards). But with the complexity and scale brought on by masses of ‘new’ data, spotting patterns and looking ahead are nigh on impossible within the ERP paradigm. Decision intelligence, on the other hand, adds a new level of meaning to data, unlocking insights unavailable via ERPs or human comprehension alone.

Converging ERP and DI

As global challenges arise and business conditions become increasingly unpredictable, traditional ERP systems cannot address each challenge — or interpret every disparate data source — to make positive decisions at speed, and with precision. As a result, organisations need a new approach to their decision making, adopting processes that go beyond the qualities of the traditional ERP and augment them with decision intelligence.

Tom Oliver is product manager at AI company Faculty.

Related:

How decision intelligence is helping organisations drive value from collected data — Exploring how organisations can unlock the potential of collected data with the aid of decision intelligence capabilities.

Key questions to ask when choosing a SaaS provider — Addressing the key considerations that organisations need to make when it comes to choosing a SaaS provider.

The post Why decision intelligence will replace traditional ERP appeared first on Information Age.

With e-signatures being increasingly used in the business world, we explore the key differences and requirements

The modern business world is a long way down the digitisation road, so it’s no surprise that more and more people are signing documents electronically from the comfort of their own homes. E-signatures are now part and parcel of the new normal and have now almost entirely replaced wet ink signatures for sales contracts, vendor/supplier agreements, HR paperwork and more.

E-signatures are legally binding and have precedence in court, so you can rest assured that they are just as valid as traditional signatures. Plus, the ability to sign documents from anywhere in the world provides much more efficiency and convenience.

Organisations can use e-signatures to significantly streamline administrative processes, save time and reduce paper waste. But not all e-signatures are the same. The EU eIDAS regulation – applicable across Europe and the UK defines three types of e-signatures: simple, advanced, and qualified. Each has different characteristics that affect their legality and enforceability. Here’s a closer look at the differences.

1. Simple electronic signatures

Simple electronic signatures, as defined by the EU, cover almost any form of electronic message associated with an individual. This includes email signatures, e-cards, and even free e-signature tools that you might use in your personal life.

There is no universal answer to whether simple e-signatures are legally admissible. It depends on the jurisdiction and how the signature was added. However, it is unlikely that anyone will take you to court to prove that your e-signature or greeting in a birthday card belongs to you. In the UK, there have been two contrasting rulings on the legal status of e-signatures. In 2006, a court ruled that automatically generated email signatures were not legally binding as they didn’t provide sufficient evidence of the signatory’s intent. However, in 2014 another court ruled that a regulated agreement under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 could be signed electronically using a simple e-signature, setting a liberal precedent around e-signature legality.

2. Advanced electronic signatures (AES)

Advanced electronic signatures offer a number of advantages over simple e-signatures. They can be used to identify signatories and track any changes made to signed documents. AESs also rely on public key infrastructure (PKI) which gives them added security and legal authority compared to simple electronic signatures.

AES’ meet certain requirements laid out in EU law and are generally considered to be admissible as evidence in legal proceedings. This all makes them ideal for business applications that naturally come with a higher level of risk or contracts such as rental agreements, copyright contracts, and personal insurance.

3. Qualified electronic signatures (QES)

The final e-signature pillar, a QES is considered to have more probative value than an AES, which means that courts will give more weight as evidence. The first key difference is that they offer a higher level of security than AES. This is because qualified signatures are created using a qualified signature creation device (QSCD), which stores the signing key. Examples of physical QSCDs include smart cards, SIM cards or USB tokens.

It’s also possible for signatories to create a QES without having a physical device in their hands. In this instance, signatories remotely access a signing key, which is stored in a trusted service provider’s data centre. This is often the preferred choice for organisations since it streamlines device management.

A QES must also be based on a ‘qualified certificate for electronic signatures’, which is another key difference between an AES and a QES. Only ‘Qualified trust service providers’ (QTSPs) listed on the European Union’s trusted provider database can issue this certificate. To become a QTSP, organisations must successfully complete a series of evaluations and audits that ensure compliance with eIDAS regulations.

Don’t forget about timestamping

Many organisations use timestamping – which establishes the sequence of events by linking documents to exact times and data – to enhance their e-signature processes and support legal cases.

Organisations that choose to use timestamping in conjunction with e-signatures can create a more robust and legally binding process. According to eIDAS regulation, qualified timestamps must meet certain requirements in order to be enforceable. They must be unmodifiable, based on coordinated universal time, and provided by a QTSP. Qualified timestamps are valid for up to 30 years, whereas electronic and digital timestamps do not have the same legal validity.

Choosing the right e-signature solution

The EU’s eIDAS regulation requires businesses to use electronic signatures that are secure and provide a high level of legal protection. However, it can be difficult to understand all the different types of e-signatures and the one which is the best fit for your business.

That’s why it’s important to take the time to review your e-signature processes, understand your specific business requirements, and make sure you implement a solution that provides sufficient legal protection.

If you want to take your business to the next level with Actalis’ e-signature tools, please visit: https://www.actalis.com/electronic-and-digital-signatures?utm_medium=content&utm_source=information-age&utm_campaign=actalis_en_content_solutions_rlyl&utm_content=&utm_term=

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Electronic signatures: please sign on the digital line — Exploring the advantages that electronic signatures can bring to businesses.

How to inspire and empower your remote or hybrid workforce — Four experts explain how organisations can inspire and empower your remote or hybrid workforce.

The post <strong>Understanding e-signatures: the key differences and requirements</strong> appeared first on Information Age.

Here’s how businesses can best go about marketing their new or existing mobile app, to help expand their services

The app industry has been growing in competition over the years, with millions of business applications present on marketplaces such as the App Store and Google Play Store. This has seen an evolution of technologies underpinning such apps, such as cloud, blockchain and immersive reality, in the space in recent times.

But where to start; what challenges need to be considered and overcome; and how can organisations use their marketing strategy to get ahead of the competition? In this article, we explore how to market your mobile app.

Challenges to overcome

“Marketing an app is a challenging task, and small business owners need to carefully consider their approach in order to avoid wasting money on ineffective strategies,” said Beatriz Repiso, owner and CEO of Otternative Marketing.

Below are the biggest challenges for app developers to watch out for:

Budgeting

The first port of call for any business when it comes to marketing is the budget at your disposal. This can also prove the first hurdle to leap over when marketing an app, with resources often being limited and needing to balanced with other operations, such as employee management and production.

Trend analysis

Keeping up with trends in a quickly evolving industry, staying in tune with customer needs and monetising accordingly can also be easier said than done, but is paramount for marketing success. Marketing staff must always look to optimise their strategies in line with such change. In the monetisation planning stage, whether for free or paid apps, companies should examine their options — whether they be in-app purchases, subscriptions, or advertising — and determine which ones are the most appropriate for their market.

Data management 

Additionally, app developers often run into concerns around data privacy, with apps in the space on the whole becoming larger, utilising user data at an exponential rate. According to research conducted by marketing tech company Bango, many developers claim it has “never been more difficult” to acquire new paying users for their apps, due to public pressure over data privacy along with the sunset of IDFA and cookies.

“[The finding] is a big problem for the digital economy. We’ve been calling it ‘the App-ocalypse’,” said Bango co-founder and CMO, Anil Malhotra.

“For businesses relying on revenue from mobile apps, user acquisition is the name of the game, as it’s an economy that relies entirely on downloads and active users. So anything that impedes the sales funnel seriously disrupts the bottom line.”

This area of operations calls for an equally strong focus on compliance and protection over assets, to respond to an evolving regulatory landscape.

>See also: A guide to IT governance, risk and compliance

The steps to take

Once your organisation has agreed on the budget for marketing your mobile app, it’s then time to establish an actionable marketing plan with specific; measurable; achievable; relevant; and time-bound (SMART) objectives throughout.

Repiso explained: “These should align with the overall goals of the business. Examples can include increasing app downloads, improving user engagement, or generating revenue.”

Planning promotional content

From the start, companies need to plan the types of content to create and share for promotion of the app, including blogs, videos, and social media posts. Deep market research is needed to gauge how the competition is marketing their games, allowing you to find ways to differentiate. You should also consider the media and platforms that your target audience is most likely to use, and adapt the approach accordingly.

User acquisition

No successful app marketing strategy is complete without user acquisition — the aforementioned “name of the game” cited by Malhotra. Reaching new users within your target demographics can be achieved through:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO): As businesses across all sectors have increased their online presence over the past few years, SEO has ascended up the marketing agenda as a vital tool to help stand out from the crowd. Using competitive and relevant keywords, and utilising link building can help with this area.
• Paid advertising: Enlisting the services of social media platforms and websites to display banner ads among other assets proves a common and effective way to get your name out to a wider audience.
• Social media influencers: Also a viable method is user acquisition through the presence of influencers on sites such as Instagram and YouTube. Often a go-to in the latter stages before going to market, companies can partner with content creators to promote the app through their channels. For example, promo codes are often used as a vehicle for discounts.

Analysis of performance

Once word starts getting out, marketing staff should consistently gauge the amount of views that each method of advertising is achieving. This can be done through social media marketing tools such as Buffer and Hootsuite, as well as analytical tools like Google Analytics.

According to Repiso, app developers should also “engage with users and gather feedback; understand what users like and dislike about the app, and make improvements as needed.”

By no means does marketing of apps end with the release — marketers should always be adjusting their strategies where necessary, in line with the evolution of industry trends and user behaviours.

Disrupting the competitive gaming space

Breaking through the noise can be a fearful prospect with much uncertainty. But by following these steps and overcoming common challenges on your marketing journey, you can successfully market your mobile app to a new or established audience and stay responsive to demand.

Related:

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The post How to market your mobile app appeared first on Information Age.

SuiteWorld 2022 kicks off in Las Vegas with Oracle NetSuite announcing a series of new solutions to help SMEs

LAS VEGAS: A solution that can increase the accuracy and speed of processing and making payments plus a workforce management solution that can streamline shift scheduling and wage calculations were among the announcements made at the opening keynote by NetSuite founder Evan Goldberg.

What is SuiteWorld 2022?

SuiteWorld 2022 is the annual conference hosted by cloud-based software company Oracle NetSuite in Las Vegas. It is the largest gathering of NetSuite partners, customers and developers.

This year’s event included keynotes, speakers and roundtable discussions. The key themes raised at the opening keynote were business growth, hiring and empowering employees and optimising cash and profits.

What were the announcements?

NetSuite introduced five new solutions as well as various new capabilities to existing solutions. These address the accounts payable (AP) process, the efficiency of warehouse operations and staff management.

NetSuite AP Automation

NetSuite’s AP offering helps customers improve efficiency by making it easier and faster to process and make payments from within NetSuite. 

The new system embeds banking services provided by HSBC into a cloud enterprise resource planning system.

NetSuite CPQ

This comes under the “acquiring and growing” theme. A solution that helps customers enable sales teams to quickly configure, price, and quote (CPQ) complex products with complete accuracy directly in NetSuite.

NetSuite Ship Central

A solution that helps customers streamline warehouse operations and eliminate manual processes by equipping warehouse workers with packing and shipping capabilities on an app.

NetSuite SuitePeople Workforce Management

Automation was a recurring theme in the opening keynote and this new solution, NetSuite say, helps businesses balance labour costs and profitability. It automates routine tasks like shift scheduling, time tracking, and wage calculation. It can also provide recommendations on optimising staff scheduling.

NetSuite Analytics Warehouse

The last big announcement was NetSuite’s Analytics Warehouse solution. This enables customers to simplify data management, improve insight time, and provide access to more pre-built third-party data integrations and industry-specific content.

Businesses can automate tasks, improve inventory management and streamline workflows.

“Businesses can look to the certainty of data to find new paths to profitability and growth,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and EVP, Oracle NetSuite. “To help our customers do this, we continue to extend the capabilities of NetSuite. The latest updates span everything from financial management to HR to sales processes. They’re designed to help our customers run their business in a better way and support their growth journeys.”

Related:

What is an ERP system and how does it work? – An ERP system bundles everything you need to run a company, including CRM, inventory and marketing, into one package – and they are becoming cheaper. But what is the best ERP system for your business?

Enterprises to spend average of $31.4m on tech in next three years – A WalkMe study has found that enterprises are planning to invest an average of $31.36m in increasing tech uptake over the next three years

Top tips for implementing an enterprise work management solution – James Murray, vice president and EMEA managing director at Workfront, explores how to implement an enterprise work management solution

The post SuiteWorld 2022: NetSuite announces five new solutions appeared first on Information Age.

Jakub Lewandowski, global data governance officer at Commvault, addresses the key questions that organisations should bear in mind when it comes to choosing a SaaS provider

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) models are rapidly becoming the solution of choice for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to take advantage of subscription-based options that make it easy to implement new capabilities as business needs change. Enabling businesses to simply pay for what they need and use, the SaaS ecosystem makes it possible for SMEs to leverage cloud-based services and enterprise-grade software, and compete on a par with much larger companies.

It’s this affordability and flexibility that is driving SMEs to consider moving data and applications from their on-site infrastructure to centrally located services on a cloud-based network — so much so that worldwide spending on SaaS services is predicted to hit $176.6bn in 2022.

With more SMEs investing in more SaaS solutions, getting to grips with licensing terms and pricing metrics is just one of the challenges decision-makers face when looking to select a SaaS vendor. Entrusting data and applications from their own environment to an outside entity will also raise a host of concerns around important business-critical issues such as data governance, security, and compliance.

To determine if a vendor is going to be the right fit for their business, decision-makers should ideally work through a comprehensive evaluation checklist that is focused on appraising five key areas.

1. Does the SaaS solution meet all identified – and future – business needs?

Ideally, a provider should have mechanisms in place to evaluate the business’s needs and use cases for the current data environment, so that their solution can be tailored to these requirements and easily adapted as business needs evolve.

Asking questions around how the SaaS solution will be scaled to support growing volumes of processed data will deliver valuable insights on potential future usage costs, or pricing tiers that may kick-in as a result. All of this will help deliver a more accurate value analysis of the solution for the organisation over the long term. While the initial focus may well be around initiating support systems for end-users such as Microsoft 365 or CRM systems, decision-makers should also think outside the box and evaluate what other options are on offer.

In addition to data backup and security systems for local and cloud environments, advanced tool systems that can process data and offer AI-based data analysis will help ensure the solution is future-proofed to support evolving business needs. Having the ability to build a service catalogue, and understand the vendor’s future roadmap for services, will help determine if the right synergies exist for an lasting and enduring value-add partnership.

2. What are the contract terms?

Undertaking a detailed review of the service contract prior to signing will help eliminate any possibility of encountering unexpected or additional costs down the line. This evaluation should also feature an examination of all contract termination conditions to avoid any potential vendor lock-in risk.

As part of this process, decision-makers will need to clarify when and how their business can terminate, check the fine print on how ‘service credits’ will be applied as compensation when SLAs are missed, and agree on who monitors SLA delivery performance and how reporting is undertaken.

3. What must be considered from a legal standpoint?

Prior to signing a contract, it’s important to verify if the proposed solution complies with any specific industry, regulatory, or legal requirements. This will be especially key for organisations operating in the banking, finance, insurance, and telecoms sectors. All SMEs are advised to check that a solution adheres to all national cyber security standards or guidelines that apply today, or are on the horizon.

When it comes to signing the contract, many providers will employ a clickwrap or click-through process that approves a specific version of the contract document and acceptance of all contractual terms with a mouse click. However, some organisations may well require a more traditional contract signing process and a provider should be able to accommodate requests to sign contracts via an electronic signature or on paper.

4. Who owns the data?

Senior decision-makers should double-check contract terms to ensure their organisation maintains ownership of its data throughout the contract. In particular, senior teams will need to be fully conversant with any data processing descriptions so that they can be fully confident about who and how personal data is processed.

When it comes to who has legal responsibility for data entrusted to the provider, it is essential to define specifically who bears responsibility and who will be held accountable. This is vital as SaaS services often run on infrastructure and platforms provided by other entities and so the contract may mention third-party contracts. In these ‘shared responsibility’ scenarios, clarifying who is responsible for what and having a graphical representation of all shared responsibilities will be helpful.

5. Is the solution compliant?

The ideal SaaS solution will deliver support for critical compliance objectives such as GDPR and UK-GDPR. For example, ideally a backup solution should prevent end-users from moving data outside of the cloud and enable the granular management of data retention periods. It’s also advisable to check whether a separate contract will be required to cover the processing of personal data.

Assessing where data is stored and establishing if a potential supplier meets all regulatory standards required by the organisation – for example, SOC2 compliance, or HIPPA as well as GDPR – is vital before committing to using a service.

Navigating and optimising SaaS usage

As digital transformation drives more SMEs to invest in SaaS services, key stakeholders will need to become adept at evaluating the suitability of SaaS vendors to ensure that their digitalisation journey is cost-effective, safe and generates anticipated outcomes.

Undertaking a detailed assessment of a provider’s credentials and clearly defining data ownership; success metrics; and legal and compliance implications will help ensure that any risks associated with the introduction of an external SaaS provider are minimised. This will also help towards choosing the right SaaS solution to fully address business needs, today and into the future.

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Putting the trust back in software testing in 2022 — Christian Brink Frederiksen, co-founder and CEO of Leapwork, discusses how trust can be placed back into software testing.

The post Key questions to ask when choosing a SaaS provider appeared first on Information Age.

Software corporation OpenText has agreed to acquire Micro Focus for around $6bn, in the aim of bolstering its digital transformation services

The acquisition announced today was made through OpenText UK Holding Limited (Bidco), and is set to make OpenText one of the world’s largest software and cloud providers.

With this deal, Canadian company OpenText — which also owns cloud backup provider Carbonite, and cyber security company Webroot among other subsidiaries — expands its information management market opportunity to $170bn.

UK-based Micro Focus, which saw its shares double in the wake of the agreement, provides application delivery and modernisation, IT transformation and cyber resilience for a global customer base that includes members of the Fortune Global 500.

The company will be able to leverage the OpenText Business System to create stronger operations and cash flows, while its customers will gain access to the OpenText Private and Public Clouds.

According to OpenText, the branding and cultural values held by Micro Focus strongly align with its day-to-day operations.

“We are pleased to announce our firm intention to acquire Micro Focus, and I look forward to welcoming Micro Focus customers, partners and employees to OpenText,” said Mark J. Barrenechea, CEO and CTO of OpenText.

“Upon completion of the acquisition, OpenText will be one of the world’s largest software and cloud businesses with a tremendous marquee customer base, global scale and comprehensive go-to-market.

“Customers of OpenText and Micro Focus will benefit from a partner that can even more effectively help them accelerate their digital transformation efforts by unlocking the full value of their information assets and core systems.

“OpenText does not contemplate raising any equity to fund the acquisition. We are committed to providing investors with enhanced visibility into our high-value business areas, delivering a net leverage ratio of below 3x over eight quarters and continuing our dividend program, and we expect to have Micro Focus on our operating model within six quarters of closing the transaction.”

Contributing to UK tech

International investments such as today’s acquisition have played a key role in maintaining innovation in the UK.

According to Tech Nation CEO Gerard Grech, OpenText purchasing Micro Focus will end up forming “part of a larger journey whereby UK tech becomes a growing, circular innovator and job creator”, looking beyond the national sector’s recently met $1bn value benchmark.

He commented: “I predict that the ripple effect will be more capital invested in the next generation of UK-based tech startups and scale-ups by new exited angel investors. This shows what a global powerhouse UK tech has become in a short period of time. This is why it’s important we continue to nurture a strong community and pipeline of companies to list on the London Stock Exchange where possible.

“73 per cent of investment into UK tech comes from overseas. With Sterling 10 per cent+ cheaper against the US dollar than 18 months ago, UK companies represent a particularly attractive proposition for international investors right now, especially after the public market tech sell-off.

“As the leading European tech country and world-leader in Fintech and cyber, the UK continues to be a magnet for investors and a natural destination and home for US investors.”

Related:

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Six steps to overcoming the digital adoption challenge — Hartmut Hahn, CEO of Userlane, identifies six steps that organisations can take towards overcoming the challenge of digital adoption.

The post OpenText to acquire Micro Focus in $6bn deal appeared first on Information Age.

Thanks to the internet revolution, the software industry has been one of the fastest-growing and highest-performing sectors over the last two decades. Innovation continues to push technology forward, creating new opportunities for startups to enter the market and break new ground.

Software companies would previously develop products designed to run on desktop computers. That changed with the shift to cloud computing, where companies rely on hosting providers to manage their infrastructure and data centre needs.

One major decision that enterprises face is whether to invest in open source technologies, or go through a commercial route instead. In this article, we’ll highlight some of the key benefits of open source software and look at how they can support company growth.

1. Minimised costs

Of course, money is a huge driver when companies are making product decisions. Executives want to see a clear return on investment from their technology budget. Open source software offers an easy win in this category, as downloads are available for free through community websites and other portals.

But before building your entire infrastructure around the open source model, make sure to research all applicable licensing agreements. In some cases, open source tools and codebases are free to use for personal or trial purposes but require payment for use in a commercial business setting.

Companies are rarely choosing to build new software solutions from scratch. That’s because the number of working hours will greatly outweigh the cost of procuring an open source product on a low-cost basis.

2. Large (friendly) support community

The strength of open source technology is the fact that these products are developed with an iterative approach by a large group of experts. Open source communities are made up of diverse sets of people from across the world. This kind of diversity is beneficial because ideas and issues get vetted in multiple ways.

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From an enterprise perspective, open source software is a safe investment because you know there is a dedicated community with product experience. Many developers aren’t working for money, and are easy to approach and ask for help. You can raise questions or concerns directly with developers, or opt to obtain a paid support plan through the community for highly technical inquiries.

3. Flexibility and scalability

One of the big advantages of cloud computing is that you only pay for the infrastructure resources you actually use. So instead of having to obtain a rack of servers and maintain them on a permanent basis, you simply rent computing power from a hosting company. Best of all, your cloud contract is variable, meaning it can adjust automatically month-to-month based on your needs and growth.

Open source software functions on a very similar model. Tools are designed to work for organisations of all sizes and be able to adapt to sudden spikes or changes. In order to maintain a consistent level of performance, you will need to have a strong analytics platform to understand your traffic trends and requirements.

Of course, since open source products are designed for a large audience, sometimes they won’t be able to perfectly fit a company’s needs. Fortunately, the open source approach encourages customisation and integration, meaning your own internally teams can start with an open source baseline and tweak it. Improvements can also be fed back into the open source development cycle.

Through application program interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs), developers can take open source standards and build their own tools on top of the platform. For example, you could add software-based integrations to security systems like the one offered by Kodi and Plex. Just keep in mind that whenever you are integrating with a vendor’s product, use a firewall or virtual private network (VPN) client built specifically for the OSS software to adequately secure your communications.

4. Easier hiring

Gone are the days when computer programming was a niche hobby specific to the West Coast of the United States. Now, coding has become a regular part of many school curriculums, and a very popular focus in higher education. As a result, you have a huge influx of new people in the workforce with modern skill sets. With almost every industry relying on software in one form of another, it means these programmers have a very wide job market open to them.

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A low-code solution can hone an enterprise organisation’s application development process to build business apps faster, more efficiently, and with an eye on your company’s bottom line

Attracting talent can be a big challenge for newer or smaller software companies. If you have tied yourself to proprietary software built internally, hiring becomes even more of a burden. Young software engineers don’t want to spend their time learning antiquated systems. But if you have shown a track record of adopting open source products and standards, then it will make your company a more intriguing place to work.

5. Stronger security

Sometimes people in upper-level management are sceptical of open source software development. They think that because the codebases are made available to the general public, it must mean that the products themselves are poorly protected. The opposite is the case, with open source software often being better-secured than commercial counterparts.

Why is this true? It’s because of the rigorous review and testing process that open source teams go through before releasing new code. Additionally, the open source community has a large number of what are known as ‘white hat‘ hackers. These are individuals who are very familiar with cyber criminal tactics, but are devoted to using those skills for good, not evil. They aim to find bugs and vulnerabilities and report them to developers before any hackers can exploit them in the real world.

Go forth, and go open source

Looking ahead to the future, corporate investment in open source software is only expected to grow. Enterprises will continue to move away from the idea that all software needs to be highly customised, and will instead look for robust solutions that offer them more flexibility at lower costs.

Time is a very precious commodity, especially for startups trying to break into competitive markets. Leveraging the power of open source technology will provide the building blocks that can feed into new products and services. This allows for faster innovation and higher growth, all while removing barriers to entry.

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Low-code technology: an emerging term that needs more definition

Low-code development is the new quick win for an overworked IT department

A software market prediction: it’s all about open source

The post Advantages of open source software compared to paid equivalents appeared first on Information Age.

Software delivery company CloudBees has appointed former Cisco and SAP executive Anuj Kapur as its new president and CEO

Bringing extensive enterprise tech experience in corporate strategy, product management, go-to-market strategy and alliances to CloudBees, Kapur will focus on accelerating product innovation, strengthening go-to-market processes, and furthering geographic expansion and scale.

Kapur previously served as president, corporate development and strategy at SAP, overseeing growth strategy and execution across the product and customer lifecycle.

Prior to this, he held various executive positions at Cisco — most previously chief strategy officer — leading product and go-to-market strategy, as well as startup investments and partnerships with AWS, Google and Apple.

Additionally, the tech leader currently serves as an advisor to the CEOs of several technology startups in the US and Israel, including Armorblox, Lightlytics and Prosimo.

“Enterprises know that the software they build and deliver will make or break their future,” said new Cloudbees president and CEO, Kapur.

“They also know that speed is table stakes and that quality, security, and compliance are the next frontier in creating exceptional customer experiences. CloudBees is at the centre of enabling some of the world’s largest and most influential brands to make software their most significant differentiator.

“The opportunity to join CloudBees to shape this next chapter of growth for our customers and employees is an absolute honour.”

CloudBees co-founder Sacha Labourey, who was serving as interim CEO, will remain as chief strategy officer and member of the board.

Since being established in 2010, CloudBees has raised $246m in venture capital, including $150m in a Series F funding round announced in December 2021.

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How intelligent software delivery can accelerate digital experience success — Greg Adams, regional vice-president UK&I at Dynatrace, discusses how intelligent software delivery can accelerate digital experience success.

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With an abundance of consumer data generated daily, business owners are witnessing a more complex business environment than ever post-pandemic.

If customer information is not handled properly, it will become the biggest pain point for efficiency with forecasting, decision making and ultimately — the sales and purchase processes. Satisfied customers are the most valuable asset to any business, but how can you successfully deal with these challenges whilst building profitable customer relationships?

To combat these issues, businesses typically purchase enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software separately. CRM deals with front-end information, such as recording customer interactions, sales tracking, pipeline management, prospecting, and creating/evaluating marketing campaigns. These software markets are continuing to surge — the ERP and CRM spaces are projected to generate revenue of $123.4bn and $170bn by 2030, respectively.

This helps businesses understand prospects and clients, manage relationships and sales pipeline, and up sell and cross-sell products. On the other hand, ERP software handles critical backend processes; including purchase history, billing and shipping details, accounting information, financial data, and supply chain management details.

>See also: The beginning of AI in the enterprise

Although having separate systems might appear more manageable, integrating them into one software will certainly streamline business processes and boost productivity.

Statistics indicate ERP systems can increase order-to-shipment times by as much as 23 per cent whilst providing an inventory accuracy average of 97 per cent, and considering satisfied customers are the most valuable asset to any business, imagine the benefits of a unified system. With this in mind, here are key advantages of ERP and CRM integration.

First, why is ERP/CRM integration so crucial?

Typically, businesses purchase and deploy ERP and CRM systems separately. However, if your ERP and CRM systems have their own databases, you will consistently have to worry about keeping them synchronised.

Whether it’s a CRM user from customer service or an ERP user from billing who updates a customer’s account, any changes implemented in one system will have to be transferred to the other.

Considering this is a manual process, having to wait for a database to update before you can, for example, process bills, replenish inventory levels and arrange product returns for customers, will result in slower operations and an increased risk of database errors.

>See also: Software verification: the first step towards safe and resilient systems

Applying an integrated CRM functionality to your ERP solution will ensure both systems share one database; meaning updates in either system are visible instantaneously.

Customers can be billed faster and any product returns can be automated between systems; providing your business with clearer visibility into all stages of your business’ sales process.

A 360 degree view of your customers

Exactly how well does your business know its customers? One of the biggest advantages of ERP and CRM integration is that it provides a complete view of your customers. From sales and support to finance and accounting; these systems provide complete visibility on your customer’s buying habits, order history and general needs.

Not only does this provide you with a better insight into your customer base, but it can also help you build lasting relationships and determine where there is potential for future growth. Consistent data gives you better analytics and reporting, so you can track changes in your customers preferences, profitability, and loyalty.

>See also: Next stop, software: how technology is revolutionising train design

Increased mobility

When your sales team are in the middle of a crucial touchpoint throughout a customer’s journey, having on-the-go access to all customer inventory and orders alongside product and pricing information will assist in closing deals more efficiently — they must have up-to-date data during the interaction, not afterwards.

ERP systems such as Pegasus software enable a sales team to view a customer’s credit limit, current balance, a list of outstanding invoices and previous orders placed; meaning they will have the full history of the customer’s purchasing patterns.

With affective integration, employees from various departments will also find it easier to collaborate, for streamlined information keeps everyone in your business on the same page.

Managers can keep a track of all the critical business operations in real time, which will aid them to make more informed business decisions.

Faster access to crucial information

Without a fully integrated system, employees run the risk of becoming less efficient, meaning your customers will pay the price.

>See also: Low-code technology: an emerging term that needs more definition

For example, when a customer contacts you requesting an order status update, your customer service representative should not have to trawl through different systems to access that information or inquire with other employees, for this could result in a negative customer experience, and therefore a loss in business.

A fully integrated CRM and ERP solution will provide employees with access to important information in real-time. With the push of a button, they can retrieve information on inventory levels, shipments, customer financials, order history, returns, payments, pricing and more.

Eliminate tedious data entry and duplication

Although both ERP and CRM systems hold account and contact information, it is done for different purposes — CRM is focused on support/sales and prospects; whereas ERP is focused on inventory, warehouse, shipping and billing address, etc.

The ERP and CRM integration removes the tedious necessity of duplicating data entry by providing identical rules for each system. For instance, any alterations made in the ERP database will reflect in the CRM system and vice-versa. The same principle also applies for the addition or removal of custom fields, new entries or changes in the database.

Improved order, inventory and quote management

Once a CRM proposal has generated into an order in the ERP software, having to switch systems and re-enter the data multiple times is neither time-sensitive nor practical.

With ERP and CRM integration, businesses can turn proposal generation (created in the CRM) into actual orders (executed and tracked at the ERP level) using one system; reducing time consumption for data management and increasing company efficiency. In addition, a sales team would have enhanced visibility regarding order status updates for customers and easy access to make necessary changes if needed.

>See also: What digital trends will be seen this year?

Also, while quoting for a prospect/customer in CRM, a sales representative can quote the most accurate pricing by using the integrated ERP solution to retrieve the updated pricing information. Any promotional or discount pricing will be available in the CRM as well.

Reduced IT and training overheads

Statistics indicate that businesses spend a yearly average of $1,071 on training per employee and 64 hours a year training employees — that’s a substantial amount of expenditure and lost time.

With a single, unified platform for both ERP and CRM, there is no need of maintaining two separate systems resulting in reduced IT costs. Likewise, if the integration is carried out efficiently, the amount of support and training goes down, for training sessions would only be required for the combined system instead of the individual systems.

Staff might be sceptical to embrace more than one piece of software, especially if it requires extensive training. Learning to use both ERP and CRM at the same time can be a challenge, resulting in poor adoption rates post-implementation.

The combination of these two programs makes it easier for employees to gather and analyse data — they can familiarise themselves with a singular piece of software and spend time learning all of its features.

Sourced by Martin Craze, founder and CEO of Applied Business Computers

Looking for a new CRM? Here are three top CRMs to choose from

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Why integration must be the foundation for digital change — Mat Rule, CEO and founder of Toca, discusses the need for proper integration of tech when it comes to digital transformation initiatives.

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The new customer relationship management (CRM) platform from work operating system monday.com offers customisable no-code capabilities for sales teams

Built to unify all customer processes under one platform, the now available monday sales CRM is the first of five new solutions built by monday.com to support company teams working in areas such as sales; marketing; software development; and project management.

Developed on monday.com’s flexible low-code/no-code framework, the system is set to help business leaders and sales teams manage their entire sales cycle and customer data from one centralised place — including compatibility with third-party apps and services.

To aid unlocking of data silos, the platform can be integrated with the likes of Hubspot, Mailchimp, Salesforce and Slack.

The rising trend of such integrations helps to create unified solutions that can be aligned with financial, account management, legal, and customer service capabilities for easier collaboration.

Key features of monday sales CRM include:

• Automations — Administrative tasks can be automated to accelerate time to deal completion.
• Customisation — No code and third-party integrations make the system fully customisable to suit the way the team operates.
• Email sync and tracking — Users’ Gmail or Outlook accounts can be synced to the system to send and receive emails, or automatically log sent emails within monday.com, as well as notifications being sent when a lead opens or replies to emails.
• Post sales management — Post-sale activities can be managed in one place, allowing for easier client onboarding, and project management.
• Team goals — Quota attainment can be managed over time, with goals being assignable and viewable for specific members or the entire team.

“As organisations’ digitisation continues to evolve rapidly, the need for a unified cross-department customer view becomes more pressing,” said Ron Kimhi, monday sales CRM product lead at monday.com.

“We’re building a CRM that is fast, flexible and breaks down departmental silos to connect teams across entire organisations, which increases efficiency and results.

“Our new approach to CRM is unified, but also very easy to use, ensuring a seamless journey from prospect to customer and beyond, optimising daily teamwork, team satisfaction, and success.”

monday sales CRM is now available here.

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Unlocking the potential of AI to increase customer retention — Zac Sprackett, chief product officer at SugarCRM, discusses how unlocking the potential of AI could hold the key to increasing customer retention.

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UK HR SaaS provider Ciphr has hired former Wejo and HP Enterprise Services executive David Burns as its new CTO

As the company’s first ever CTO, Burns will oversee Ciphr’s product development and management, leading all technical activities, including development, internal IT, deployment, technical support, and implementation.

Bringing over 30 years’ experience across the wider tech sector, Burns joins from connected vehicle data startup Wejo, where he served as chief technology officer.

Prior to this, he held CTO positions at Key Travel; Yell, CGI (Logica); and HP Enterprise Services.

Burns is the third senior appointment for Ciphr in 2022, following a strong year of growth for the business.

“I’m delighted to join Ciphr as its first ever chief technology officer and work with such a talented team,” said Burns.

“The business has added a lot of functionality to its HCM platform over the past few years, including payroll, talent, and learning, to ensure it can deliver on the increasingly complex requirements of today’s HR and people teams. I’m looking forward to leading Ciphr’s technology strategy to develop and enhance user experience and help our customers get the most from their Ciphr products.”

Chris Berry, founder and CEO of Ciphr, commented: “We are delighted to welcome David to Ciphr and the group’s executive team. He’s an internationally experienced CTO with a career across a range of different service sectors and business models, including listed company and private-equity scenarios, and brings with him a wealth of invaluable skills and experience.

“He’s ideally suited for this newly created role and will be instrumental in ensuring that Ciphr continues to offer an industry-leading user experience across our products as we grow the business.”

About Ciphr

A specialist provider of cloud-based HR, payroll, recruitment and learning software, the Ciphr group offers three people management solutions — Ciphr, Digits LMS and Payroll Business Solutions — globally across the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Backed by ECI Partners, the organisation looks to help HR teams to streamline processes across the entire employee lifecycle, allowing for more time to be spent working strategically — an especially vital endeavour given a common shift to hybrid and remote working since the pandemic.

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Technology leaders who work for a public company without an Internet of Things (IoT) software development today can wave goodbye to their share price on its way down.

IoT is no longer a nascent dream; having grown 22.4 per cent to $157.9bn in 2021, the market is projected to reach $4,421bn in revenue by 2030. What’s more, the amount of IoT devices present globally is predicted to almost triple from 9.7 billion in 2020 to over 29 billion in 2030.

Global brands, such as Intel, have previously made significant changes to their business to focus on IoT, and as more devices “connect” the lines of autonomous provisioning, management and monitoring will continue to blur.

Putting the hype aside, one of the most important conversations to emerge lately relates to the tactical elements of IoT. What do organisations need to address in development to make this a successful technological shift?

Without precise execution, IoT could turn into a nightmare. Devices are getting smarter, talking to each other and cutting out the unreliable human elements, which result in higher quality and greater productivity.

>See also: 4 unexpected implications arising from the Internet of Things – Gartner

Embracing and successfully managing all of the technological complexity that comes with IoT are the most important steps toward its success.

However, IoT products and services will only be as good as the software behind them. This isn’t creating a new set of problems – software is already pervasive. Instead, the growing ubiquity of IoT just magnifies the potential impact of problematic software, and this is where the trouble begins.

Obstacles in IoT development

Firstly, a large amount of IoT activity stems from industries such as manufacturing, government (smart cities) and consumer products, with some companies in these sectors suffering from a lack of proficiency in putting together such a dynamic software capability. This is coupled with the problem that engineers, especially with knowledge in connected device development, are in high demand.

The other issue is that once IoT competence is established, organisations have to figure out how to manage the software. This results in a trifecta of problems. Even traditional embedded software developers haven’t caught up with all the practices needed to develop Internet-connected applications. How will the rest of the current software industry manage?

Second, embedded software components have to interact safely with other Internet-facing components. Although an application can operate on secure subnets, access will be restricted to users of the same subnet.

That may work for some business models, but it is not a viable solution for anyone who wants to access the global internet.

As a result, developers have to understand how these connected components will interact in order to ensure security, reliability and efficiency. This is a common problem in IT, but more recent in device software development.

Third, IoT exposes developers to problems and capabilities that are, for the most part, already well known in traditional computing but the way to counter them in a connected world is still relatively uncharted territory. For example, enterprise and web developers are very familiar with the need for robust security against local and remote attacks.

The notion of input validation as a first line of defence is well accepted in connected systems today. However, IoT development expands the scope of those concerns. Embedded, device, and mobile developers need to start considering security challenges such as input validation during development.

What about security and product quality?

One of the greatest concerns in IoT is security, and how software engineers address it will play a deeper role. As devices interact with each other, businesses need to be able to securely handle the data deluge.

There have already been many data breaches where smart devices have been the target, notably Osram, which was found to have vulnerabilities in its IoT lightbulbs, potentially gifting an attacker access to a user’s network and the devices connected to it.

Security needs to be tackled at the start of the design phase, making requirement tradeoffs as needed, rather than adding as a mere ‘bolt on’. This is highly correlated to software robustness. It may take a little bit more time to design and build robust software upfront, but secure software is more reliable and easier to maintain in the long run.

A study by CAST suggests that one-third of security problems are also robustness problems, a finding that is borne out in our field experience with customers.

Despite software developers’ best intentions, management is always looking for shortcuts.

In the IoT ecosystem, first to market is a huge competitive driver, so this could mean that security, quality and dependability are sacrificed for speed to release. Poorly written software continues to be one of the greatest safety issues today.

To meet demands, avoid pitfalls and achieve success in the growing IoT marketplace, organisations need to adopt four important practices for IoT software development.

1. Review

Proper code review and repetitive testing need to be a priority. Manufacturers must communicate this message to software engineering teams and call for stricter software quality measures.

The high complexity of IoT applications leaves software susceptible to security lapses and software quality failure. One bad transaction between an application, a sensor, and a hardware device can cause complete system failure. Organisations just can’t afford that.

2. Assessment

Continuous deployment in the connected world is business as usual. Updates occur non-stop and are often pushed multiple times a day.

The quality assurance burden on the software that interacts with IoT devices is greater than ever. If the software isn’t continuously monitored and the code evaluated, failure is almost guaranteed.

3. Responsibility

Management must take responsibility for quality assurance. Any manufacturer that doesn’t have a set of analytics to track its software risk – be it reliability, security or performance – is negligent in its responsibility to customers and other stakeholders.

Management needs to lead by example and communicate the direct link between software quality and security. It’s in their best interest, too, since security vulnerabilities caused by poor coding or system architectural decisions can be some of the most expensive to correct.

4. Advocacy

In addition to measurement and analytics, a cultural shift to include education needs to occur. Developers and management collectively need to spread the word in the community about standards.

In 2015, the Object Management Group (OMG) approved a set of global standards proposed by the Consortium for IT Software Quality (CISQ) to help companies quantify and meet specific goals for software quality. Significant strides have been made since then in creating initiatives for manufacturers and IT departments to consistently measure the quality of their software.

>See also: 4 modern challenges for the Internet of Things

Sexy consumer applications (predictive coffee makers, self-driving cars etc.) and cyber attacks (such as DDoS assaults launching from refrigerators) have dominated the IoT headlines, but the deeper business value is starting to emerge.

A McKinsey report points out mature IoT systems will take the guesswork out of product development by gathering data about how products, including capital goods, actually function – and how they are used – rather than relying on customer focus groups.

That is certainly a game changer requiring development teams to reduce risks in the software they engineer now. Understanding the importance of a secure architecture foundation and insisting that developers comply with industry standards will be the first line of defence.

Sourced from Vincent Delaroche, CEO and founder, CAST

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What the PSTN switch off means for IoT — Hao Shi, solutions consultant at Arkessa, part of Wireless Logic Group, discusses what the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch off means for IoT.

How the third generation of low-code can plug the IT delivery gap — Martin Thunman, co-founder and CEO of Crosser, explains the capability of the third generation of low-code to plug the ever present IT delivery gap.

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Banking research from NTT DATA has revealed that the majority (61 per cent) of banks are opting to build their own technology stack rather than buying existing solutions

With corporate demands across the financial services sector continuing to grow and evolve, banks are having to continuously innovate to keep up with customer expectations.

To respond, most institutions are choosing to take matters into their own hands, utilising in-house tech talent.

While the majority of banks are electing to build their own solutions to meet client demands, only 22 per cent are building their solutions from scratch, and 78 per cent are building upon their current cash forecasting solution.

Out of the participating banks electing to invest in tech solutions, 54 per cent are planning to work with fintech or a third-party provider, whilst 46 per cent are integrating an off-the-shelf solution.

The ‘build versus buy‘ debate is proving heated for banking institutions globally; in Europe, the preferred option is to build in-house solutions for advanced cash forecasting — matching global trends — while over a third are looking to fintech providers to support their technology offerings.

Conversely, in LATAM, there is more willingness to trust external providers, with almost half (48 per cent) of banks preferring to buy in a cash forecasting solution.

“There’s a tech stack demand that’s building for banks, and change is being demanded by their clients. The conundrum is whether banks build their own tech, or buy it in,” said Miguel Mas Palacios, director of global corporate banking at NTT DATA.

“We’re seeing the speed of corporate banking is accelerating, and the pace of technology change is increasing too. Banks are investing in new technologies such as AI and automation, all driven by customer demand.”

NTT DATA’s Global Research into Corporate Banking’s Future 2022 collated data from 900 senior decision-makers working in corporate banking, across 12 countries.

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The post Majority of banking institutions building their own technology stack appeared first on Information Age.

Dima Lazerka, co-founder of VictoriaMetrics, discusses how the open source model community can be safeguarded amidst increasing big tech involvement

Free and open source software (FOSS) is an integral part of most of the tech we now use on a daily basis. Originally, it was developed by volunteer developers, however in the last few years there’s been an uptake in the active role of big corporations in the open source model. Deals for Red Hat, Github and Microsoft are the most well-known, but big tech providers across the globe are either incorporating open source into their stacks, or releasing internal technology to the public, such as Spotify open-sourcing Backstage.

However, as big tech becomes increasingly involved in open source, developers have voiced concern about its engagement as it could jeopardise the original ethos and values of the community. While debate is likely to rage on about whether big tech’s involvement is a help or hindrance, open source projects need to be able to maintain freedom of choice.

Fears around big tech involvement

Big tech has engaged with the open source model mainly by either assigning employees to contribute to existing open source projects, or open-sourcing their own code both to allow the community to utilise it and to help maintain it. Organisations are making open source part of their business model and therefore, have started acquiring an array of open source companies.

Research of 5,800 individuals surveyed by cloud provider DigitalOcean found Google, IBM (including Red Hat) and Microsoft were at the top of a list of 11 companies in terms of open source community citizenship. However, 60 per cent of the surveyed individuals stated they worry about the corporations’ intentions when acquiring or engaging with open source, and 56 per cent mentioned restrictive licences’ role in creating an unfair competitive advantage.

The fact that open source has been made more “corporate” has caused an array of concerns. For starters, acquisitions of open source could potentially result in a crowding out of volunteer developers, jeopardising the future of the open source community. While this isn’t inherently a bad thing as long as big tech’s involvement strengthens the community, open source developers should be able to successfully build their projects without intervention if they so choose.

Open source was founded on a sense of community and collaboration. If developers become disillusioned with these principles, it could have a knock on effect for the rest of the community. Therefore, we must carefully evaluate how to go about building the future of open source communities.

Safeguarding open source through licensing and innovation

Two of the main techniques to safeguard open source and its community are through smart licensing tactics and constant innovation. The first technique is to simply switch the project licence from an open source licence to a more restrictive licence. There are two specific licences that can be used to protect against clouds and corporations: AGPL-3 and SSPL — specifically developed by the likes of MongoDB, Elastic and Grafana to protect themselves from AWS.

For instance, while many projects shifted away from GPL-style licences towards more permissive forms of licensing, under GPL, contributors are required to make their code available to the open source community; the so-called “copyleft”. This traditional licensing style helps to create a more open, transparent ecosystem.

Another way in which open source can safeguard its future is through smart innovations. Constantly innovating in order to satisfy users should be the way forward for the evolution of open source projects and solutions. This would enable companies to maintain their competitive edge and keep up with technological trends. The beauty of open source is that it is made up of a large ecosystem of innovators in itself, and rather than competing for knowledge, resources are shared for others to benefit from and keep innovating. This has to remain integral to FOSS as it has been the key driver of innovation and growth for FOSS organisations since the beginning.

Ultimately, big tech involvement is not necessarily harmful to the FOSS community, it could actually help it reach its full potential if precautions are taken and the freedom of open source developers is safeguarded and prioritised.

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WIT Q&A: digital transformation and open source — Leslie Hawthorn, vertical community strategy manager at Red Hat, and Cali Dolfi, data scientist at Red Hat, spoke to Information Age about digital transformation trends in open source, and promoting workplace DEI.

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