Contributed ArticleREGIONAL TRANSFORMATION OUTLOOK 2019
Regardless of the industry or enterprise, one or the other technology will play a part in transforming business by offering benefits like cost savings, improved security and better customer experience, among others. With the acceleration of digital transformation in the region, more and more devices are getting connected. Although the adoption of IoT will be massive, it is still slow as the devices are not standardised. From autonomous vehicles to drones to sensors in oilfields, healthcare, transport, IoT will have a huge impact on enterprises and consumers.
Enterprises in the region are now using multiple cloud solutions whether on-premises, public cloud, or a hybrid of both. In the coming years, upfront costs will become less important as cloud vendors continue to produce convincing use cases. Corporate cloud literacy is becoming an operational prerequisite as technological progress accelerates in EMEA. With massive volumes of data being generated every second from connected devices, machines and IoT, Big Data is definitely a trend to watch out for. Big Data is the new oil as it has the potential to empower organisations to make better business decisions, in real time.
The use of artificial intelligence technologies is now penetrating many aspects of business. A recent survey by ServiceNow across Europe, Middle East and Africa indicates that customer service is an area that is showing a fast return on investment. Interest in blockchain technologies in the region is growing rapidly. The pace is being set by the government and public sector including education, healthcare, finance, distribution and services. The most popular blockchain use cases in the coming years will be cross-border payment and settlements, asset and goods management and identity management.
Across the private sector, we have seen announcements of recent initiatives by The Atlantis, Jordan Investment Bank, Noon Capital, DIFC, Halal Guide, amongst others. Global blockchain player, ConsenSys recently conducted a blockchain developer training and hackathon camp in Lebanon.
Key takeaways
- A recent survey by ServiceNow indicates that customer service is an area that is showing a fast return on investment.
- The most popular blockchain use cases will be cross-border payment and settlements, asset and goods management, identity management.
