Having begun in the spring in Finland and moving throughout Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as the USA, in the months that followed, the Fujitsu World Tour landed in Dublin in the middle of July. Business-driven themes like reshaping IT, innovation in healthcare technologies and mobilising the enterprise were among the topics covered, and Fujitsu’s latest enterprise innovations were showcased.
One of the stand-out conversations throughout the event at the city’s Convention Centre was technology as an enabler — allowing systems as well as people to communicate in a better way. The IT industry has moved to a point where we are wondering how we can genuinely capitalise on that trend. How can we help our customers generate commercial and social value from the ability to connect information?
At present, that is a very participative process — you share information on Twitter or LinkedIn, you search out for useful data yourself. However, we foresee the situation moving rapidly to a point where it’s a much more passive process in which information is shared more openly and willingly.
In that type of environment, more valuable data can be leveraged to generate revenue.
Now in many respects, when it comes to utilising data for new purposes, questions surrounding security act as the handbrake on any genuine momentum. Yes, there are examples almost every day to back up why people and organisations are wary about a more open flow of data, but that is the challenge for businesses, government and society. To create value from that data, show the worth in having it available and get people involved.
Another recurring theme of note during the World Tour event in Dublin was discussions around large businesses needing to become more agile. It is a challenge where many can take inspiration from small start-ups, especially in IT infrastructure terms, such as how they use the possibilities of the cloud.
At the time of the World Tour event we released data from a Fujitsu survey showing that nearly two thirds (63%) of leading Irish financial services CIOs and IT decision makers expect their budgets will increase within three years.
Throughout the breakout sessions, talks and general conversations during the event, it was very clear that, as was indicated in the survey, this increase in funds is due in no small part to factors such as improved market conditions and an appetite for replacement of existing infrastructure.
“When it comes to utilising data for new purposes, questions surrounding security act as the handbrake on any genuine momentum”
One of the other dominant features of the Dublin event — and something which was repeated throughout the other Fujitsu World Tour dates — was the attitudes towards mobility, and how organisations can best marry it with business models.
The survey of CIOs and senior IT staff indicated, somewhat surprisingly that mobile solutions are not a priority for those surveyed here, and security was again highlighted as an issue as 37% of participants believed it was a barrier to deploying a successful mobile offering. Though 60% of respondents believed that being involved in mobile offerings provides a better competitive position.
The research, which included areas of financial services such as retail banking, investment banking and insurance also listed security as the overriding concern of CIOs and IT decision makers with 67% of those asked identifying it as the reason why cloud computing is not an enabler for change in their organisation. It is a valid and very common concern, but at the same time it is a challenge for the IT industry to allay those fears through greater levels of innovation.
David Delaney is innovation director for Fujitsu Ireland.
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