On the 5th of May 2023, the WHO announced that COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a global emergency. According to the release from United Nations, WHO has acknowledged that the COVID-19 is ‘here to stay’. They also acknowledged that the virus is still evolving and killing. Still, the world understands the virus plenty more now and the death toll has dwindled down to a handful these days.
Sure, you still hear cases of infection, but it was not like the beginning of 2020, where the pandemic took the world over and killed plenty. In the past 12 months as well, WHO has observed a downward trend the pandemic and infection rate thanks to the development of the vaccines, their improvements, and the rate at which they are being distributed. The immense pressure put on the medical industry and healthcare workers has now declined nearly to normal levels before the pandemic and so has life outside the hospital. That is why WHO has declared the global emergency that we know as the COVID-19 pandemic has now officially ended.
Considering COVID-19, the entire internet is swarmed with information for COVID-19. The overwhelming flood of information on COVID-19 was a mixed bag too, you get plenty of speculations from ‘experts’, and actual reports from various accredited sources on the virus spread, behaviour, and even development. Public panic is a real threat and issue in times like these and platforms like Meta and even Google had to step in to curb the threat. To do that, they had to establish a misinformation policy that pertains specifically to COVID-19. For Meta especially, they had to block information that does not come from verified accredited sources to ensure that the public information you receive regarding COVID-19 are correct.
Since the global emergency has been retracted, Meta is now considering rolling back and scale down the restrictions regarding information pertaining to COVID-19. As a matter of fact, they technically have rolled back their policy on COVID-19 information. They have convened with the Oversight Board and updated their policy in accordance to the guidelines that has been set by the board.
In light of WHO’s announcement to end the global state of emergency for COVID-19, Meta will be taking a more lenient approach to misinformation against COVID-19. That does not mean that they are completely removing the policy though. There will still be guidelines in place to protect the public from physical harm and risks, which also means that if Meta’s algorithm thinks that your Facebook posting will potentially cause panic, physical, or mental harm, it will still be taken down and blocked. They also say that they are only scaling down on their policy in regions that followed WHO’s guidelines in ending the state of emergency. There are still regions that are still in a state of emergency and Meta will still apply their misinformation policy for users in those regions. For updates on Meta’s latest efforts on their COVID-19 misinformation policies, you can head out to their blog.
Mobile World Congress 2021 (MWC 2021) is upon us. The conference is set to happen in Barcelona next month and it is where some of the world’s electronics giants meet to introduce new products or new concepts for 2021. It is a place where we might get to see new smartphones being launched as well.
Last year’s MWC was cancelled for obvious reasons. While MWC has kicked-off as a physical event for 2021, a lot of people still think it is a bad idea to attend the conference in-person. One of those people who recently decided that it was not a good idea is Samsung. Lenovo joined that boat soon after.
Samsung cited health and safety reasons for not attending MWC 2021 in-person. This does not mean that they are not participating in the conference though. Samsung will still be present at MWC remotely. In other words, MWC 2021 will still happen for Samsung, but taken completely online.
Samsung and Lenovo join several high-profiled giants in their physical absence in Barcelona for MWC 2021. Among the big names that announced their physical absence at Barcelona includes Sony, Nokia, Ericsson, Oracle, and even Google. All of them cited health and safety concerns for their staffs for not attending MWC 2021.
All of this is not particularly unexpected though. The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 is still a major global concern with new strains discovered every other month or so. The current infection numbers are not particularly encouraging as well, leading governments to close their borders and restrict movements and employing tighter regulations to curb the pandemic. The decision to bring events online is also inline of Apple, Google, and E3’s decision to bring their conferences and events completely online and completely free to attend for people around the world.
While the numbers are dwindling, there are still some key attendees yet to announce their physical absence for MWC 2021 though. Among some of those names are LG and Xiaomi. LG though has announced that they are pulling out from the smartphone business recently.
GSMA claims that they have anticipated the move from manufacturers to back out of being physically present in MWC 2021. In light of the pandemic and their cancellation in 2020, GSMA has also developed their own virtual platform to ensure that participating brands can still have their MWC presence. The online platform also ensures that attendees still get to experience MWC 2021, albeit in a more personal and private manner.
In this episode of the Tech & Tonic Podcast, our editors, Darwin and Jeevan get a little personal as they speak on their current realities with working from home thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past weeks, Malaysia has returned to a state of Movement Control under the new MCO. The pandemic has forced them to look into alternative ways to get work done and, most of all, it has made all their work online.
Listen in as they share their experiences in week’s Tech & Tonic Podcast.
Follow us on our Spotify channel too for the latest Tech & Tonic Podcast weekly!
Fitbit is bringing a limited version of their Health Metrics dashboard to more users free. The feature was initially made available for Versa 3 and Sense users with the purchase of the new smartwatch last year. Now, it’s being offered to users of the Versa 2, Inspire 2 and Charge 4.
The Fitbit Health Metrics dashboard is a feature in the Fitbit companion app which allows users to get valuable insights from some of the metrics collected. Data like skin temperature, blood oxygenation, heart rate variability and a few more are analyzed and plotted to give deeper insights into health. Medical professionals are able to use these insights to create plans for action to help improve the users overall health.
With the change, users of the Versa 2, Versa 3, Sense, Charge 4 and Inspire 2 are able to access the Health Metrics dashboard. However, the version that they have access to limits their trends and data to only 1 week. The data available in the dashboard will vary based on the features of the fitness tracker used. That said, the 1 week of data could be more than enough for some.
While it seems like a no-brainer for Fitbit to include this feature in their app, the Health Metrics dashboard has been placed behind the Fitbit Premium paywall. The new update brings a crucial function of fitness trackers to the forefront. This comes in light of research that the company has recently published study which found that critical trend data such as this can help diagnose COVID-19. In addition, Fitbit has begun rolling out the ECG feature in the Sense in more countries.
The Malaysian state of Selangor has been busy enhancing their contact tracing application – SELangkah. The new optimisations and features gear the app to address some of the growing concerns emerging amongst Malaysians in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. With its new features, the app is now gearing up for the vaccine rollout and for a “new normal” post-COVID-19.
SELangkah is getting improvements to its core, contact tracing function. The app now allows users to access information such as Crowd Trends which allows users gauge their visits based on the customer visits to a given premises. The app provides users with a map of the locations recently afflicted with COVID-19 cases. Using this information, SELangkah is assessing the exposure risk to the virus. On the back end, the SELangkah app now provides a dashboard for law enforcement to clamp down on premises flouting the Operating Procedures announced through a Visitor Log.
The app is also adopting a GPS based check-in system which allows users to check in to the premises via their phone’s GPS instead of scanning the QR Code. The SELangkah app will also work with QR Codes issued by the Federal Government’s MySejahtera application. It also gives access to the features of the app within SELangkah. Users will now be able to access their location history as well with the new scan history. In addition, the app will be communicating regular updates from the Selangor State Government via its new bulletin board feature.
The Selangor Government is also encouraging screening through the SELangkah application. Users will be able to register for upcoming events and check their COVID-19 screening results via the application. In addition, the state government is looking to use the app to track vaccination rollout. Users are able to register for vaccination via the Register and Sign up for your Vaccine Pack (RSVP) feature that is coming to the application soon. The RSVP feature will be integrated into vendors’ stock keeping systems for better rollout.
What started off as a contact tracing app is quickly becoming the Selangor Government’s go-to application for many of its welfare efforts. The application is expanding to include commercial features which will allow those such as hawkers who have had to deal with the brunt of the pandemic to quickly adopt and adapt to changing times. Their SELangkah Biz feature is a cashless solution which looks to enable cashless payments among micro, small and medium enterprise merchants. The feature will allow these vendors to receive e-wallet payments even without a bank account.
The SELangkah app is also upping security by adopting a more secure approach they are calling SELangkah ID. The single-sign-on system is integrated across the app and allows users to use digital and biometric authentication to access the app’s growing list of features. It will also offer access to government-related services as Selangor shifts toward a more digital future.
It goes without saying that technology is seeping into every aspect of our lives. This was a theme that Philips found to be true even when it comes to the medical field. In fact, technology is becoming so ubiquitous that the Future Health Index (FHI) has indicated that in a broad sense, the field of medicine simply isn’t ready. Their yearly survey of younger medical professionals had very interesting findings this round given that it was commissioned in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Younger Doctors Want Technology – It is the Key to value-based healthcare
In its fifth year, the Future Health Index found, among other things, that younger doctors are open to adopting technologies to assist in the mundane, repetitive tasks of medicine. In fact, nearly one in three doctors saw benefits in adopting technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation and telehealth in the day to day functions of medicine. 76% of doctors also cited that the adoption of technologies was able to help with decreasing the stresses of medical practice – one of the main worries with frontliners in the current pandemic.
However, the findings of Philip’s FHI show that key competencies which are key to a digital healthcare system are lacking in basic medical training – of interest is the lack of data competencies among younger medical professionals. In the FHI, about 47% of respondents found that they were left in the lurches when it came to key data competencies. Skillsets such as data analysis and interpretation were among the skills that were cited. Another notable competency when it came to data, was the management of data privacy, one of the current growing concerns of society.
These particular findings highlight a robust issue that should be tackled in academia as well as with continuing medical education. Only 54% of doctors in Asia Pacific reported receiving training to address the legislative issues pertaining to data privacy while only 51% were receiving training in handling data.
These competencies are key in the current shift towards value-based healthcare. A healthcare model that measures patient outcomes as a key factor in determining the value of healthcare. While there is a good awareness of the term in the Asia Pacific region (82%), drilling further found that an alarming 4% knew what it was entirely. The majority of doctors surveyed only knew it by name.
While that may be a concern, the integration of technology into everyday healthcare and patient care is key in a value-based system. Only when doctors can access, interpret and analyse the data coming from adopted technologies, can they truly access the quality of healthcare. Key appreciations of technology in reducing their mundane workloads need to be more pervasive.
Technology in Improving Healthcare
Technology plays a vital role in creating a more efficient and effective standard of health. In their FHI, Philips found that a majority of younger doctors are advocates of adopting newer technologies. They see value in adopting the right technologies in creating a better standard of care.
However, in countries like Malaysia, these doctors are facing issues even with the simplest issue of automation of administrative tasks. That said, medical practice is being revolutionised by technologies that were once farfetched are becoming a reality. As the issue of personalised healthcare comes to the forefront, we have an increasing amount of doctors across the Asia Pacific region who see the benefits of having Artificial intelligence applied in the field. 74% surveyed opportunities to offer more personalised care while 79% believed that AI would help with more accurate diagnoses.
That said, for AI to be effective, data needs to be made readily available. Nevertheless, the medical industry faces a data conundrum – should more effective and personalized healthcare come at the expense of data privacy? That said, the conundrum is addressed by anonymizing patient data to allow ready access. However, with the multiple data silos created by multiple software platforms, doctors are strained to have any actionable insights.
Interoperability is becoming a hurdle as hospitals and even clinics begin adopting new technologies that are not speaking to each other. This lack of interoperability creates data silos which doctors have to manually import and analyse. With a more cohesive digital architecture, doctors will be able to access a more holistic view of patient data and outcomes; and with the state of AI and machine learning now, they will be able to get even more insights to tough cases.
Technology isn’t just for the betterment of patient care, the FHI has also found that younger doctors report being less stressed at work when technologies are adopted effectively. The psychological benefits of reduced stress on the doctors will undoubtedly benefit patient care in the long run.
Looking to the Future & What the Medical Field can Learn from the Digitisation of Other Industries
Younger doctors are the key to the field of medicine progressing into the future. When it comes to their willingness to learn, it comes as no surprise that these doctors are spearheading the charge to adopt and learn new skills to remedy the skills gap that is emerging. However, it now falls to academia to address the needs in the nascent class of doctors emerging from their institutions into a field of medical practice that is both familiar and different.
What remains is for the medical industry to look to others who have a head start in dealing with the issues they are facing now. New technologies being adopted such as Kubernetes and the cloud could see the medical industry getting a quantum leap when it comes to patient care and medical breakthroughs.
There is no better proof of the benefits of adopting the right technology than the state of vaccines for COVID-19. In a matter of months, multiple vaccine candidates have been developed. Some candidates such as the mRNA vaccine are revolutionary approaches which were made possible with the augmentation of human ingenuity with the insights derived from machine learning and AI.
In addition to technologies, their adoption needs a fundamental change in attitudes and values in the industry as well. Younger Doctors are already aware of these attitudes with an increasing number looking to autonomy in their practices. They also look to workspaces which are collaborative and have access to the latest medical equipment. However, more importantly, they look to a culture that supports work-life balance.
As with any industry, a majority of the attitudes will need a top-down approach; spearheaded by veteran doctors and administrators in hospitals and practices. It goes without saying that the agility needed to adapt and adopt new technologies and approaches must be spearheaded by leadership. They will also need to look into empowering younger doctors to be bold in their approaches and use of new technologies.
As we begin the new year and look back on 2020, it is undeniable that technology has played a crucial role in helping everyone, young or old, to stay connected with our loved ones as we experienced variations of lockdowns in the past year. However, are you aware that there are stark differences in people’s usage behaviours on social platforms, even between those who were born just a few years apart, such as millennials (currently aged 25 to 40 years old) and Gen Z (currently aged 24 or younger)?
Most millenials are digital immigrants, meaning we remember a time before mass technological adoption. This is different from Gen Zs, who are the first generation to be considered true digital natives. They were born into a world of vast technological advances, with the internet as an integral part of their day to day. They don’t know a world without smartphones and broadband internet. Hence, how they think, communicate, use and don’t use the internet is different from the generations before them.
Additionally, as people observe stay at home orders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they are increasingly turning to indoor activities enabled by the internet; communication, commerce, entertainment, fitness, and learning now take place virtually. This will undoubtedly accelerate digital transformation across many businesses, which will in turn sustain the digital economy.
Gen Z is uniquely well-positioned to continue driving this transformation as they are digital natives familiar and comfortable with new technologies quickly. Digital technology has shaped them, and we should take a page out of the Gen Z book when it comes to some habits and practices.
Value the importance of authenticity
According to Snap Inc. and JWT Intelligence’s “Into Z Future” study, when asked to develop a slogan for their own generation, Gen Z respondents overwhelmingly suggest some variation of “be yourself” – such as “just be you”, “just be yourself”, and “do what makes you happy.” This is a positive mentality to have.
It is important that we value authenticity over ‘perfection,’ which takes courage and confidence. We should not fear judgement or being perceived negatively for being who we are, especially when we are among friends. Honesty is a value that the majority of Malaysians, regardless of their age group, want between themselves and their best friend. The 2019 Friendship Report found that Malaysians want their best friends to be more honest and open about their feelings.
Before we can demand honesty from our friends, we need to first be our true, honest, and authentic self! After all, friendship is a two-way street – Gen Zs seem to have figured that part out.
Not everything is meant to be shared
According to Snap Inc.’s 2019 Friendship Report, millennials come out on top as the most “share happy” of the generations. Millennials are the least likely to say “I wouldn’t share that” across most categories surveyed including their love life, mental health issues, and money concerns. However, oversharing can have negative consequences, such as safety issues, loss of jobs, or risking personal reputation.
As digital natives, Gen Zs are likely to be more private, having learned from the mistakes made by the older generations. Gen Zs’ familiarity with these platforms means that they carefully choose how and where they share. They prefer ephemeral content that disappears, on social messaging platforms such as Snapchat. For example, they prefer to share details about their love life with their best friends over private messages as compared to millennials who would share about it on social media.
Gen Zs understand implicitly that just because we can share something with the world, it doesn’t mean that we should. This is a mindset that we should all adopt.
Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to friendship circle
Gen Zs are adjusting their approach to friendship, which differs from millennials’ desire for a wide network. The former is looking for more closeness and intimacy with a smaller social circle, where they can be their unfiltered, authentic selves. In contrast, millennials are the most likely of any generation to want “as many friends as possible.”
This is the same in Malaysia, where older generations gravitate towards forming friendships with as many people as possible, while Gen Zs (37%) are selective over the people they let into their close circle of friends.
While we all know the positive benefits of having close friends in our lives, a larger pool is not always better. According to friendship experts, a larger group of friends can take a toll on a person because there is greater pressure to open up to many different people and invest in those relationships. It seems that this is a life lesson that Gen Zs have already learned. Based on the above, we can see that there are a lot to be learned from different mindsets, and generation gaps do not just have to be a woeful reminder of “the good old days.” Look at things in a new light and shed your preconceived notions
The COVID-19 Pandemic doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The virus continues to spread drastically and have a devastating effect in areas where outbreaks have occurred. However, since the early days of the pandemic, there have been reports of asymptomatic carriers; these carriers are able to spread the virus without showing any outwardly recognisable signs of infection. This also makes them one of the largest unsolved problems of the current COVID-19 pandemic. This group of individuals are less likely to seek testing and, in turn, be diagnosed and treated.
However, that’s about to change. A group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an AI model that has been able to accurately identify asymptomatic carriers based on the way they cough. The AI model has been able to accurately discern and identify 98.5% of coughs from confirmed COVID-19 patients and 100% of asymptomatic carriers.
Using A.I. to Identify Unique Markers in Coughs
The team at MIT, consisting of Jodi Laguarta, Ferran Hueto, and Brian Subirana, developed the mode on a neural network called ResNet50. ResNet50 is a type of neural network that is able to discern and identify differences and similarities in data. Until now, ResNet50 was used primarily in visual discernment. However, the team at MIT has applied it in identifying markers when people cough.
Their model was initially developed to help detect early signs of Alzheimer’s which can present in the way people cough. This include the person’s emotional state, changes in lung and respiratory performance and vocal chord strength. These are known markers for someone who could be experiencing early onset Alzheimer’s.
Using the three criteria, three independent machine learning algorithms were train and then layered on each other. The team also included an algorithm for muscular degeneration on top of the model. In tandem, these machine learning layers made it possible for the team to detect and identify samples from Alzheimer’s patients.
Detecting the Indiscernible
In April, the team looked into applying the AI model to help identify COVID-19 patients. To do this, they established a website where people could record a series of coughs with their mobile phone or any other web enabled device. In addition to their submissions, participants had to fill up a survey of their symptoms, COVID-19 status, and if their method of diagnosis. Other factors such as their native language, geographical location and gender were also collected. They have, to date, collected over 70,000 recordings which amounts to about 200,000 forced cough samples. This is the largest known cough dataset that has been collected so far according to Brian Subirana.
The model proves a long known fact that COVID-19 does in fact affect respiratory function. However, it also draws similarities between the presentation of temporary respiratory degeneration to the neurodegeneration present in Alzheimer’s patients. That said, it also shows that there are sub-clinical presentations of the disease in asymptomatic individuals. The AI algorithm is able to detect and identify individuals with these presentations, providing a much needed boost to potential diagnoses of these individuals.
More significantly, the team has developed a method in which pre-screening can be done to help curb the spread of COVID-19. What’s more, their research could be the foundation of future diagnosis when it comes to sub-clinical presentations of diseases. That said, Brian Subirana highlights that the strengths of the tool lies in its ability to differentiate coughs from asymptomatic carriers from healthy individuals. He also stresses that it is not meant to be used as a definitive test for COVID-19.
Online learning has become the modus operandi for a majority of learning institutions amidst the current pandemic. However, the method of learning isn’t new. Companies such as Coursera have been pushing the boundaries of online learning as early as 2012. The company has established partnerships with leading universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. and even the National University of Singapore (NUS) closer to home. They even work with companies such as Google to develop up-to-date, industry relevant courses.
To help deal with the current educational climate, Coursera has been working closely with education institutions including Malaysian ones such as BAC Education Group who owns BAC College and IACT College. One of the many efforts that they have been undertaking is their ‘Coursera for Campus’ program which allows access to students from partner institutions. In light of the pandemic and the unfamiliar education circumstances, the company is introducing free access to students from partner institutions. The announcement comes as an extension of their global Campus Response Initiative announced in March.
The new Coursera for Campus will be offered in three Plans: Student, Basic and Institution. The first is catered to students offering unlimited access to guided projects for hands-on learning and one course on a yearly basis. The basic plan provides institutions with 20,000 free student licenses (student plan) while the Institution plan provides unlimited access to both guided projects and course enrollments. It also provides universities the capability to manage for-credit online learning programs.
Source: Coursera / Guided Projects
In addition to access to over 4,200 ready-made online courses, Coursera is also enabling faculties to build custom courses and assessments using its platform. The platform utilizes things like bite-sized videos, in-browser assignments and guided projects. It is also able to support online learning experiences when it comes to high stakes exams with online proctoring and also assignments with plagiarism prevention measures. It’s also optimised for low data consumption and offline learning.
In this COVID-19 global pandemic era, there is not a single CFO out there who isn’t scrutinizing their company’s spend. It has been very challenging for Malaysian businesses as well – with a weakening economy, supply chain disruptions, knock-on effects from troubled sectors and loss of jobs.
Fortunately, data’s role has exploded in the business world and is favourably impacting the situation. To properly assess a company’s financial position, a CFO needs to be able to effectively access data. The key is to take a large amount of information and narrow it down to action items. Effectively harnessing important data can be an issue.
IT has evolved from being a background cost centre generating reports used to close the books, to a place where data is housed, manipulated and made available, which is key to running a successful business. IT is no longer in the background, carrying out mundane operations; it is capturing vital data and is now a strategic voice in running a business. When a CFO can effectively capture and analyse data, he or she can improve specific strategic areas. As a result, there is an increasing collaboration between CFOs and CIOs as IT formats data and provides insight into what might be most helpful to Finance.
The COVID-19 Challenges
While financial scrutiny is applicable to all areas, IT is different because most CFOs do not know all the specific technological nuances for his or her company. As the pandemic forces businesses to deal with unprecedented financial challenges and pressures, the CIO needs to help provide perspective to the CFO for necessary actions and what items might be able to be temporarily suspended without harming the business.
Buying IT equipment requires cash, and all companies are looking at actions to maximize cash flow and minimize expenses as COVID-19 impacts the global economy. Some expenditures are going to have to be delayed as cash is prioritized away from capital expenses. Most CFOs will not know what IT department costs to reduce without a collaborative conversation with the CIO.
One strategy I consistently employ with our CIO, which has been extremely helpful during this crisis, is a regularly scheduled, detailed review of all ad-hoc expenses across the company, looking for technology items that should be aggregated or are not compliant with standards. This is an area that requires CIO input and experience.
Relying on Each Other
It is very difficult for CFOs to keep up with IT. It evolves so rapidly and requires specialty knowledge; generalists are left in the dust when it comes to technological progress. A CFO can measure costs but determining capabilities and staying ahead of what is on the horizon requires a specialist, a CIO. At the same time, technology often offers glitzy, fancy new toys, and it is imperative that IT professionals stay focused on what type of capital is available, what they want to spend it on, and how their values are aligned with the business.
Communication and collaboration with our CIO to work on business cases for development projects helps validate the financials of the project. A working knowledge of the ever-changing standards in technology protects financial projections and budgets.
CFOs are focused on maintaining normal business activity without increasing expenses. Industry analyst Gartner has reported for many years that third party maintenance is less expensive than what OEMs offer. And the service is just as good if not better. If anybody came to you and demonstrated, “You’re paying $100,000 for this service; I can do it for $50,000-$60,000 and I’m going to do it better,” there’s not a CFO who wouldn’t take that deal, but it would require CIO scrutiny and knowledge.
I.T.’s Unique Contributions
In my collaborations with I.T. leaders, I have learned that I.T. is uniquely positioned to scan the entire company for technology-enabled improvements: revenue opportunities, productivity increases and cost savings. When the CIO and the CFO collaborate to find and implement these improvements, the company becomes more effective than if a siloed approach is taken on a per-department basis.
While COVID-19 is a challenge, it also presents an opportunity to identify improvements. As people are suddenly forced into working in a different model, the traditional ways of doing business can be challenged more quickly. A collaboration between the CIO and the CFO in looking at the results of the workforce being sent home may present opportunities in office utilization, software purchases, hardware deployment and other areas.
While hardware and software expenses are relatively easy to monitor and measure against the company’s metrics, the implementation of IT projects is a key collaboration area for CFOs and CIOs. Every project brought forward to IT can have cost structures that include outside purchases as well as internal labour. Projects need to bring value to the company; and the calculation of that value, perhaps in the form of ROI, requires CIO and CFO collaboration to accurately calculate the value and measure the results after the project is in place.
With our CIO, I consult with an ongoing process analysis team that looks for cost reduction opportunities that won’t impact customer satisfaction. This input is key to make sure a potential financial decision that may benefit the company does not negatively impact customer service.
The Park Place Difference
CFOs will not know that value without CIOs sharing the information. For example, CFOs and CIOs together can protect their business revenues and their business-critical IT by “sweating” their IT assets longer through value-added life-cycle support services. Maximizing payback and ROI on hardware infrastructure can yield financial benefits for the longer term.
There is a new category to look out for: Discover, Monitor, Support and Optimize (DMSO), that Park Place Technologies is uniquely positioned to deliver for its customers. It is a fully integrated approach to managing critical infrastructure that can help businesses manage data centre remotely, optimise network performance with analytics, and simplify the management of complex hybrid environments while realising cost-saving.
As businesses continue their digital transformations, they depend on data that resides on-premises, in public and private clouds, devices at the edge and networks, and operation centers that span the globe. Managing these complex environments is increasingly becoming more difficult. Exponential increases in time, labor and cost, as well as the complexity of navigating a maze of service providers to establish clear accountability and support, requires a more intelligent and flexible approach as DMSO. We are all hoping the COVID-19 era passes quickly. But the long-term necessity and benefits of CFOs and CIOs collaborating will continue well beyond the current crisis and will remain an ongoing part of any business’s evolution, strategy and long-term health
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