Chris Dexter

This an excellent conversation worth watching. One insight Simon Norton shares that is particularly valuable is how integrating and meshing different types of data together has led to improved collaboration and cross-functional alignment across the organization - new ways of working! This is a huge area of impact, especially in large enterprises, and is a great example of data and technology improving organizational health and efficiency, and spurring innovation. Google Cloud Vodafone #AIdrivenTelecom

8

Did you know BT Group consumes about 1% of the UK’s total energy? That’s a huge footprint for a single company! In our recent podcast episode of Ctrl Alt Lead, Tom Allen chats with Clare Schramm from BT's "internal hyperscaler" - the team driving the company’s cloud services revolution. Clare reveals how BT is reengineering software, hardware, and partnerships to cut energy use. She also discusses integrating sustainability, reshaping vendor relationships, and using observability tools for better efficiency. Don't miss this conversation which is significant to today's business operations. Listen to the full episode here: https://okt.to/oGfrvw #CtrlAltLead #sustainability #innovation

1

What a brilliant way to wrap up the year! If you missed it, you can now watch the full video of the panel discussion where we dive into the perils and possibilities of AI on business, society and beyond. Watch it now in the link below 👇 Thank you to Dell Technologies, Priya Lakhani OBE, Dr Peter Clapham, and Steve Young for making this such a stimulating conversation. Video (51 mins start): https://lnkd.in/djrGwKW4 #business #AI #futureofwork #genAI

7

Are you concerned about the spiralling cost of your VMware estate since the Broadcom acquisition? Have you considered that optimisation and right-sizing may mean that you are over-provisioned currently and you achieve what you need to with less (less licenses means less cost)? You really must take a closer look at IBM's Turbonomic. Turbonomic can right size your environment on the fly, reducing cost but assuring performance. Let IBM Technology Expert Labs show you what's possible - get in touch today ! :). #turbonomic #technologyexpertlabs #IBM https://lnkd.in/e_s2pVrG

12

Fascinating read about how Vodafone are transforming their Contact Centre, with Voice bots deflecting calls and helping handle orders, and AI services being used to support contact centre agents for calls that can’t be deflected. A lot here that is hugely relevant for any Local Authority looking at their front door services #AI #LocalGovernment

15

Today is my first day as CEO, Microsoft UK. I’m really looking forward to meeting as many people as possible across the UK. My focus will be on helping our customers and partners maximise their use of our generative AI tools, thereby driving innovation, boosting productivity, and kickstarting economic growth in the UK. Underpinning all this will be a firm adherence to our responsible AI principles and an almost obsessive attention to detail when it comes to security across all areas of our business. Let’s get going! #MicrosoftUK #Leadership #BusinessPriorities #DigitalTransformation #AI

4,166

210 Comments

The proof is in the pudding: I’m excited to share insights from Owen Powell, ICT director at CNWL, on their successful move to cloud with Rackspace Technology! Owen's advice for NHS trusts considering a move to cloud: assess your systems readiness, ensure the provider meets security needs, and carefully consider financial implications. Moving to cloud allows for a shift from fixing IT issues to focusing on future innovation, creating space for conversations about AI and other tech advancements. In an ideal world, standardization and simplification across all NHS trusts would lead to greater efficiency and cost savings in the long run. Collaboration between CNWL and Rackspace brought valuable learnings on hybrid cloud optimization and the complexity of healthcare systems. Practical tip from Owen: take your finance department out for coffee and involve them in the process to ensure alignment on costing and funding. It's exciting to see more NHS trusts follow CNWL's lead in embracing cloud technology for a brighter future in healthcare IT. #RackspaceTechnology #CloudMigration #DigitalTransformation #HealthcareIT

32

1 Comment

Every day's a school day. I was fortunate to be invited to spend the afternoon at Dell Technologies Forum "AI Edition" last week. Whilst all the speakers and panelists were excellent and covered important and entertaining themes, it was John Roese who really landed the most powerful points for me. After describing how he and his team had tackled AI transformation on a sub set of the hundreds of use cases in Dell's business, he went on the summarise five requisites for a successful AI factory within an enterprise. I only wish I had written them down, assuming I could catch them later in a video if I went hunting for it. Fortunately the tenacious marketing team at Dell landed the video my inbox today, Otter.ai watched it whilst I worked on some personas and hey presto, here's the five. 1. A standardised, rule-based chatbot 2. A coding assistant 3. A content engine 4. An agentic framework(for distributed AI processing) 5. A fine-tuning infrastructure Roese explained that by implementing these five capabilities, organisations can deploy and scale various AI projects more efficiently, rather than building bespoke solutions for each use case. He didn't suggest that it's been easy to implement Dell's AI factory; it did sound possible and pragmatic. Watch the whole thing - or from 14 minutes. https://lnkd.in/e2pGmG48

3

Discover how AudioCodes became a pivotal force in the #Microsoft ecosystem, navigating the shift from OCS and Skype for Business to a dominant position with #Teams. Gidi Adlersberg from AudioCodes shares the company’s journey from media gateways and session border controllers to AI-driven innovations and conversational AI contact centers. Tune in for an in-depth look at AudioCodes' comprehensive portfolio, including direct routing, certified phones, meeting room devices, compliance recording, and contact center solutions, and see how they’re helping enterprises transition to MicrosoftTeams Phone seamlessly. Get ready for a deep dive into the future of #contactcenters with Voca CIC’s groundbreaking advancements. Learn from their deployment successes and how they leverage AudioCodes' engineering prowess and seamless Microsoft Teams integration to excel in the CCaaS market. We'll discuss exciting AI enhancements like agent call summarization and Q&A bots, and explore the untapped potential of empowering informal or citizen agents with essential #contactcenter features. This episode is packed with insights into the evolving landscape of unified communications and the next frontier of #AI-driven contact center solutions. #CX #Telecom #UCaaS #CCaaS #UCexpo #CavellSummitNA #VoIP #Telecoms Lior Aldema shabtai adlersberg

112

1 Comment

Join Willie Stegmann, CIO Corporate IT Services at Vodafone, and Adeel Khan, Head of UK&I Telco Media Entertainment & Gaming at Google Cloud Consulting, as they discuss how Vodafone and Google Cloud are working together to drive innovation. Learn how building a data ocean and leveraging Vertex AI has been critical in Vodafone’s AI journey. Willie highlights the essential skills and cultural adjustments necessary to fully leverage AI. He also outlines Vodafone's strategic focus on three key areas: - Customer Focus: Understanding and responding to customer needs promptly. - Operational Simplification: Reducing complexity both internally and externally. - Strategic Growth: Expanding globally and focusing on both B2B and B2C segments, as well as venturing into new areas.

4

Yall, I’ve been quiet but that’s because I’ve been very busy healing physically. But we are back! And I’m so delighted for this post. Back in 2021, a year into my Cisco tenure, I watched in fascination the Cisco stream from Cisco Live, our major customer facing event. After watching so many amazing presentations and discussions around our business, social justice, our product innovations etc., I thought to myself, one day I want to present at Cisco Live on disability and neuro-divergence and the tie into business strategy. On Apr. 1st, during a rather hectic day where I was in back-to-back meetings, sitting in a hotel room in Nashville, I got a ping from our chief of staff. There was an opportunity to do a breakout session at Cisco Live, and I got to shape what the topic was, but the abstract was due that evening. So, I reached out to Leslie Gordon, the VP of accessibility at Cisco, and we chose a topic and ran with it. And after submitting the abstract we decided that this needed to be a conversation, not just a workshop. Naturally I thought of my amazing manager and facilitator extraodinaire Taryn Petryk, with whom I have the best conversations about disability, ableism, accessibility, dismantling systems, and for whom I’ve had the honor of learning for the last four years. Hence, y’all, for the first time, we will be having a panel on how disability and neuro-divergence powers inclusive design and innovation. It is surreal for me, as a young visibly disabled brown woman to be shaping and participating in this conversation. If you know me, you know that authenticity and integrity are central to my work. I believe that driving change requires growth, and growth requires acknowledging what is broken, and centering community as we work towards greater inclusion. During our panel we will be discussing the importance of always centering community, of designing with and not for disabled and neuro-divergent users, the business imperative of disability, neuro-inclusion and accessibility  and of where we are in our journey at Cisco and where we hope to go. Anddon’t worry, we will also talk a little bit about AI… Because how can we not? So, if you are going to be at cisco live, please do join us! The session is IF-1033, in the inclusive futures track. And reach out if you’d like to connect IRL!  Two more things: 1.     Cisco is growing in this space, and we certainly do not have all the answers. I do think that including a discussion on disability and neuro-divergence during Cisco Live with authentic representation  is an excellent step towards signaling commitment to this work to our disabled and neuro-divergent communities and our partners. 2.     Thanks to my incredible leadership, Gloria Goins, Taryn Petryk for supporting my thought-leadership, but most importantly for championing this work. And special shout out to Brian Tippens for championing visibility of accessibility. am excited for the future! #DisabilityInclusion #A11Y #CiscoLive

59

8 Comments

"Success isn't measured by the absence of problems, but by how well we bounce back." 💡 This insightful thought from Noopur Bakshi, former Senior Director of Product Management at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, really flips the script on how we view customer loyalty. My Key takeaways: • The heart of brand loyalty lies in the customer experience. • Solving problems effectively can leave a stronger impression than not having any issues. • A customer's last interaction can define their overall perception of a brand. Ever become a loyal customer after an impressive service recovery? For me, an efficient online return portal with multiple shipping options and human assistance when needed has really made the difference when orders go wrong. Share your experiences below, or even better, share the best digital solutions you've seen that help solve service issues or mishaps. #Frictionless

10

We're now a few years removed from the pandemic. It changed the way we communicate. Zoom became a necessary collaboration tool to support an at home workforce. 💻 Teams rose up to meet it. Now, Webex is entering the fray. 🌐 IT leaders are now rationalizing those tools against a backdrop of existing telephony 📞 investments, and maybe the relationships that they have with other well respected UCaaS players for a few years now. As we take on this new world of hybrid work, CRO at BCM One Mike Nowak, believes that while necessity may have driven our pandemic collaboration decisions, convenience will drive our long-term strategy. 🤝 Hear the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/dAPhyiJY #teams #hybrid #zoom #webex #bcmone #ucaas #TheBridgePodcast #Bridgepointe #theresabetterway #experiencematters

4

Pleased to be contributing to the latest Harvard Business Review (HBR) article: "On Solid Ground for AI Everywhere". As a long-time HBR reader and member of the HBR Advisory Board, the experience of contributing to this article gave me even more respect for HBR's editorial discipline and rigor. Truly, it was a unique experience of practicing writing, rewriting, and simplifying until it became clear and plain. Integreon #AI #GenAI #LegalTech

66

8 Comments

Service Bridge is an incredibly powerful capability which enables a Telecoms Service Provider to connect their instance to one (or many more) customers instances seamlessly. The net result is that if you create a case, maybe broadband performance issues or ordering a new router or service on your company platform that case is replicated directly into the Service Providers ServiceNow instance instantaneously. What is even more impressive is that ServiceBridge can be used by the Service Provider’s partner companies who maybe need to install the equipment (also instantaneously). Any updates to the task are visible to all three parties ensuring a seamless experience. The really incredible thing is that it takes less than an hour to connect a new company via ServiceBridge compared to a few days using a standard API or a few months creating a bespoke interface. Adding ServiceNow’s GenAI NowAssist for Telecommunications Services Management (TSM) will also drive huge productivity improvements within the Service management organisation. BT claim a 55% productivity improvement. The net result. BT will improve customer experience using service bridge and new enterprise customers can be up and working before the ink is dry on a contract. The customer service organisation will experience a huge productivity uplift reducing opex and improving mean-time-to-resolve (MTTR). Strategically this could be a game changer for BT. They get a double whammy. Improve CX and reduce OPEX. Other B2B service providers will need to emulate this approach if the don’t want be left behind. Interesting. #servicenow #ai #bt  http://spr.ly/60409FXrC

9

2024EP2 - Hybrid World: The Hybrid Workforce and Beyond the 3-Day Weekend In this episode, Kyle Davies, Head of the Office of the CTO at CDW, sits down with Tim Russell, Chief Technologist for Modern Workspace, and Stephen Faulkner, Chief Technologist for Security, to delve into the evolving dynamics of the hybrid workforce. Together, they explore why the widely anticipated 3-day weekend hasn’t materialized and the realities shaping modern work-life balance. From attracting and retaining top talent to ensuring that organizations can secure their most vulnerable assets—their people—this conversation blends cutting-edge insights on modern workplace technology, strategies for bolstering employee engagement, and critical approaches to safeguarding human and digital ecosystems in a hybrid era. Tune in for actionable advice and fresh perspectives on navigating today’s complex workforce landscape, where innovation, culture, and security must converge for organizations to thrive.

10

#GenAI in #Telcos (excerpts from Vodafone CTO article that struck) * Recommendation on partnership among Telcos and hyperscalars for building LLMs * Futile and wasted efforts and money in investing alone in AI Infrastructure due to faster evolution of GPUs * Dismissing the option of using public LLMs due to data privacy issues * amplifying the accuracy and necessity of Human in Loop through guard rails/AI Council to counter the risk of inherent in probabilistic nature of gen AI and LLMs Important positive impact and real value of new internet experience though * AI Agents - Text,Voice,Image and Video * rewiring of internal business processes, enhancing customer services

18

1 Comment

Today marks Earth Day, a special day to remind ourselves of our duty to protect our planet. Here at #TeamPurple, we’re committed to our sustainability strategy and ambition to accelerate the delivery of our #ESG agenda, with the aim of driving lasting impact across our team, customers and communities. In 2023, over 1,000 IFS colleagues globally used their CSR day, volunteering at litter picks, beach clean- ups and nature conservation projects. We’re also proud to share we used 100% renewable electricity across our operations last year, successfully covering all non-renewable electricity volumes via green tariffs or Energy Attributes Certificates (EACs). This represents a significant step towards reducing our Scope 2 emissions in line with our 2030 Science Based Target. Together, we can drive positive change. Read more about our strategy here: https://ifs.link/LPXjHG #EarthDay #Sustainability

10

 Here's your #Lenovo and VMware solution product guide! 👀 Discover why purchasing VMware products from Lenovo is the right choice in this infographic. Not only do you get competitive pricing, but these solutions are certified—and they come with a single point of support. If you'd like to learn more about these cloud-enabled solutions, reach out to Cyber Security Consulting Ops.

1