Andrew Welch presented a keynote and facilitated a CIO roundtable at the invite-only AI Applied event, hosted by HSO International (a Cloud Lighthouse partner)… Last year was a stand-out year for AI developments. According to Gartner, generative AI technologies reached the peak of the hype cycle. It's now time to step away from the hype and move towards making practical plans to leverage the power of AI in your organization.

It is as yet unknown if artificial intelligence is more akin to a “great invention” of the 19th and 20th centuries, or if it will ultimately represent another more incremental evolution of existing capabilities. The former—as seems more likely given the immense investments being made today—will present significant challenges to nearly every organization that, having become accustomed to incremental change, is suddenly faced with a “great inventions” caliber paradigm shift that AI seems to portend. Or, as I continue to remind the CIOs with whom I work closely, the grace period for organizations to get their act together and position themselves for the next wave is growing much shorter, the margin for error much more narrow. In this session we will explore AI strategies that are flexible, able to absorb tomorrow what we don’t fully grasp today, strategies that offer value to the organization beyond specific AI-driven workloads because the nature and value of these workloads will remain unclear for some time. We will understand core concepts behind AI acting on enterprise data, present a framework of five pillars upon which future-ready AI strategies are built, and discuss concepts and approaches to mitigate risk in your organization’s AI strategy.

It is as yet unknown if artificial intelligence is more akin to a “great invention” of the 19th and 20th centuries, or if it will ultimately represent another more incremental evolution of existing capabilities. The former—as seems more likely given the immense investments being made today—will present significant challenges to nearly every organization that, having become accustomed to incremental change, is suddenly faced with a “great inventions” caliber paradigm shift that AI seems to portend. Or, as I continue to remind the CIOs with whom I work closely, the grace period for organizations to get their act together and position themselves for the next wave is growing much shorter, the margin for error much more narrow. In this session we will explore AI strategies that are flexible, able to absorb tomorrow what we don’t fully grasp today, strategies that offer value to the organization beyond specific AI-driven workloads because the nature and value of these workloads will remain unclear for some time. We will understand core concepts behind AI acting on enterprise data, present a framework of five pillars upon which future-ready AI strategies are built, and discuss concepts and approaches to mitigate risk in your organization’s AI strategy.

Non-profits and NGOs the world over are struggling with the shift in cloud technology from activity-based to system-based value. This means that value is shifting from the use of siloed “point solutions” in the direction of architecting strategic foundations and building platform ecosystems—the fabric into which applications, infrastructure, integrations, and the modern data platform is woven. This strategic approach to cloud technology is critical for organizations wishing to become “future-ready”, harness the power of AI, drive down costs, increase operational efficiency, and better serve employees, volunteers, partners, and constituents. In the Microsoft Cloud, workloads are increasingly being built to (a) integrate with one another, (b) integrate with the broader cloud estate, and (c) make use of common building blocks such as core platform services, Azure application and integration services, the “Fabric” modern data platform, and Power Platform. In other words, solutions are being tied together rather than architected in isolation, and this is generating vast datasets built as "single sources of truth". This session will get you thinking like the world's boldest solution and enterprise architects as we explore real-world examples of how organizations are stitching their workloads together into an ecosystem, best practices for doing so, and lessons learned along the way.

Join Microsoft cloud expert Andrew Welch on a journey to discover the digital building blocks for creating a platform-first law enforcement approach. One that enables UK Police forces to benefit from advances in technology, but that enables rapid and cost-effective deployment of connected applications. Hear also how the MET Police resolves Grey IT challenges using this innovative approach.

It is as yet unknown if artificial intelligence is more akin to a “great invention” of the 19th and 20th centuries, or if it will ultimately represent another more incremental evolution of existing capabilities. The former—as seems more likely given the immense investments being made today—will present significant challenges to nearly every organization that, having become accustomed to incremental change, is suddenly faced with a “great inventions” caliber paradigm shift that AI seems to portend. Or, as I continue to remind the CIOs with whom I work closely, the grace period for organizations to get their act together and position themselves for the next wave is growing much shorter, the margin for error much more narrow.