News, views and analysis from the A/NZ tech sector
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Hi there,
Physicist Fritjof Capra once said the understanding of life begins with the understanding of patterns. It’s a sentiment that holds true for increasing numbers of companies, searching for insights in their reams of data – but what happens as with Covid when there is no pattern, no precedent and no rule book?
You need to rely on known facts and empirical observations, and then translate those signals into meaning for your business. 'Real Time Intelligence' as Forrester puts it.
Nowhere has this been more true than in travel and hospitality, where fast-growing data intelligence company PredictHQ has been in the thick of it.
Prompted by Forrester's RTI research, we speak with CEO and founder Campbell Brown about how old-school planning models have been blown to pieces as a result of the pandemic.
The challenges are reinforced by another survey finding that finance and accounting teams are, perhaps unsurprisingly, grappling with a slump in confidence in their planning outputs.
As our Jonathan Cotton borrows from Heraclitus 'all is in flux'.
In other news:
- IDC shines light on IT failure rates
- What the Privacy Act review could mean for small business
- Quantum computing to get mainstream push from IBM & Microsoft
- Synthetic voice programming gets an upgrade
Enjoy the read,
Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.com.au
ANALYTICS
Predictive analytics in the age of pandemic
In 2021, one thing is for certain: Certainty is in short supply…
From the ongoing ravages of a global pandemic catastrophe, to unstable elections, to the new reality of social media dominance, all truly is flux, thank you, Heraclitus.
“The pandemic blew more rigid demand forecasting to pieces.”
IT PROJECTIONS
IDC’s glum outlook for A/NZ projects
Failing at hybrid workforce, business automation…
If you have a hybrid workforce or automation project underway, tread carefully: IDC says one-third of these projects will be delayed or fail outright in the coming three years.
"The largest changes are the ones that are more likely to last and deliver the greatest benefits longer term.”
[Read more]
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LEGISLATION
Privacy review underway
What will the changes mean for your business’s data?…
The Federal Government is reviewing the Privacy Act to establish whether it strikes the right balance between commercial interests and consumer protections for the digital age.
“Small businesses are increasingly handling personal information and may now pose a higher privacy risk than previously.”
[Read more]
FINANCIALS
Financial forecasting takes a confidence hit
Excel and Covid combine to undermine trust…
Making plans based on financial forecasts from your company data may be risky business, with a new report highlighting a staggering lack of confidence by businesses in their data.
Only 56 percent of C-suite respondents are still confident in their data.
QUANTUM
Quantum computing: A leap too far for business?
Should we really care about quantum?...
Quantum computing might be the realm of science fiction for most of us, but IBM is boldly proclaiming that it’s aiming for ‘frictionless’ quantum computing by 2025.
“We think that our dream of frictionless quantum computing will become a reality.”
SYNTHETIC VOICE
Digital speech gets neural overhaul
Voiceover actors and radio jocks need not apply…
We’ve seen a proliferation of ‘digital humans’ over the last two years, now here come the – eerily human – ‘synthetic voices for your brand’.
“This new technology allows companies to spend a tenth of the effort traditionally needed to prepare training data.”
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