Summary Bullets:

• Domopalooza focused on the key themes of data agility, data literacy, and intelligent action.

• Domo announced multiple new products and features, including native integration with Amazon Redshift, availability of natural language generation, DDX Bricks, and Domo Everywhere.

Domo held its annual Domopalooza customer conference at the end of March, hosting a high energy event that outlined three key themes: data agility, data literacy, and intelligent action. Data agility refers to the need for organizations to respond quickly and easily to shifts in data demand and to make data accessible to all (including employees, partners, and customers). It requires a data architecture that integrates disparate data sets into a unified view, enabling the seamless flow of information. Data literacy is about empowering knowledge workers with analytical confidence, so they feel comfortable making data driven decisions. Intelligent action relates to the need to make data easy to use and engage with (such as via visualizations), so that line of business users can quickly use the insights to guide decisions.

Summary Bullets:

• Corporate initiatives to promote greater environmentally responsible polices have become increasingly important to a broader audience in recent years

• Accenture and Salesforce plan to bring to market services that help enterprises better track and measure progress in implementing sustainability initiatives, including those related to diversity and governance.

Initiatives that promote environmental sustainability have been making headlines. In the fall of 2020, the state of California declared it would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks starting in 2035. At the end of January President Biden announced plans to replace all federal government vehicles with electric vehicles. And two days later, GM made front page news by announcing that it would stop manufacturing gasoline and diesel fueled cars and SUVs by 2035.

While announcements in the automotive space command widespread attention, efforts to promote greater sustainability are quietly being implemented in other industries as well, including the technology sector. Technology services providers have taken a two-pronged approach to promoting improved sustainability. As a first step, they have vowed to reduce their own carbon footprints, with many French IT services firms assuming a leadership role. Atos, a French IT services provider, has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% over the next five years, and to reduce the carbon emissions it influences by 50% over the next ten years. Similarly, France-based Capgemini has committed to being carbon neutral no later than 2025 and to be net zero by 2030. These IT services companies plan to reduce business travel, increase the use of renewal energy, utilize hybrid and electric cars, scrutinize supply chains, and participate in initiatives such as reforestation.

The second, and complementary, part of technology providers’ strategies is to help customers reduce their carbon footprints. For example, Capgemini uses AI and analytics to help companies analyze and optimize energy consumption and implement logistics solutions that reduce fuel consumption. Atos is making significant investments in sustainability and expects that decarbonization activities will generate a 1% revenue increase for the company in the three to four years post COVID-19. In 2020 the company acquired EcoAct, a 160 person strong carbon reduction strategy consulting firm. Atos plans to work with EcoAct to launch a global Decarbonization Excellence Center in H1 2021 and will work with customers on decarbonization assessments and roadmaps for achieving carbon neutrality, and will offer digital solutions that decarbonize business processes. Continue reading “Tech Services Providers Tackle Sustainability” →

Summary Bullets:

• Despite monumental uncertainties for smart cities, a few flickering trends of yet-unknown strength appear.
• AI could gain even wider popularity and become a symbol of post-COVID optimism.

Though the new year dawns with monumental uncertainties for smart cities, a few flickering trends of yet-unknown strength and relevance seem to appear now on the horizon. Continue reading “Nascent Post-COVID Trends for Smart Cities” →