Ai changing the way we work

What is your current role and day to day responsibilities?

My name is Darren Clark, and I am Head of Customer Success, OpenSky Data Systems, which effectively means that I have oversight of Key Account Management for our business. My role is to work with our key customers to really understand their organisational needs, and to ensure that they are fully aware of the opportunities presented by technology to build their organisation’s capabilities and resilience.

For me, customer success is not about the technology itself, but more about what it can do for people and organisations, so we are focussing on the organisational context that the technology will be used in. That means thinking about who will be using our solutions, what for and what outcomes would they consider successful. Our goal is to successfully deploy automation and digitisation into organisations to make them more effective and efficient at delivering for their own customers.

What is your professional background?

I worked in the Financial Services sector for over 20 years before moving to the IT sector. I worked with a number of Insurers and held management roles within both the private and public sector, in both Ireland and the UK. I worked on a number of high-profile transformation projects involving the digitising of business processes in what was a very traditional and very manual oriented financial advisory sector.

In 2014 I took on a role in a business that was essentially both a technology business and a player in Financial Services. I worked on many projects with businesses around Europe using technology to enhance businesses capabilities and services. In 2019 I joined OpenSky as Head of Customer Success.

What are some of the biggest challenges in the current IT landscape?

1 Remote working has gone mainstream, most of us have experienced this in the last two years. and this has big implications for how organisations manage their estate. These implications include Solution Accessibility for workers, Cloud Strategy and of course Cyber Security.

2 Cybersecurity is currently a huge and growing challenge, and cybercrime is a constantly evolving threat in our everyday lives. The use of AI by hackers means that a reactive response or static traditional defence mechanism are no longer sufficient. Because attackers are using AI technology, the threat is dynamic and evolving, so security defences need to match that level of dynamism. IT professionals and estate owners need to get ahead and stay ahead of the cyber criminals.

3 Skills and talent crunch there are shortages of key skills in many sectors in Ireland and the IT sector is not the least of these. As digitisation of everyday life becomes pervasive, organisations both public and private, are facing a huge challenge in meeting the demand for skilled resources. These skills are not just technical but also in key areas such as Change Management and Customer Experience.

4 Moving forward with Cloud Strategy while managing transformation from legacy enterprise architecture can be a challenge, particularly balancing growth with the modernising and managing technology debt. Investment is needed to bring the past, the present and the future together in a coherent Technology Roadmap, an investment all organisations need to make if they are to remain effective.

5. Optimising Data Digitisation and Transformation has created a vast amount of data which is a rich source of information for organisations to both optimise their operations, improve the experience of their customers, and make strategic decisions for their future. However, leveraging the power of that data is a challenge for many organisations. Even though the tools to achieve this are available in the market most organisations are not yet harnessing the full power behind the data that is available to them.

What are your thoughts on why some digital transformation projects are less successful than others?

Many transformation projects are deemed to have failed principally because they have not had the visible impact expected on the organisation’s performance, customers, or staff. This is typically because not enough attention was given to the two critical elements – Firstly, joined the lack of professional and joined up Change management, and secondly failure to define success in terms of benefits and outcomes. Digital transformation is as much about organisations processes and people as it is about technology. Change Management plans need to factor in these critical elements to deliver success. Secondly, project sponsors and change managers need clarity on what success looks like at an early stage in the project, but equally this should have a horizon that is well beyond the conclusion of the project. If you don’t know what success looks like, then how are you going to be sure it is achieved. Sufficient thought needs to be given to what benefits will the organisation and its customer gain from the transformation, and how those benefits can be evidenced and measured.

What are your thoughts on how sustainability can be addressed from an IT perspective?

1.Manage your technology platform roadmap proactively – this means that your planning horizon should extend way beyond the end of your initial project. Joined up thinking is required, taking a holistic view of the organisations data and technology needs not just as they are today, but as they are likely to evolve in the future.

2.Use Low code solutions that can grow with your business - bespoke highly customised solutions and platforms will require the embedding and maintaining of platform specific knowledge in your organisation or solution provider. This can be difficult to sustain in the medium to longer term and can create problems of legacy and technology debt. As well as faster delivery and lower initial costs, low code also means better scalability, agility and maintainability.

3.Sustainability by design, technology is evolving at pace, so all technology projects need to be thought about with an eye on the medium as well as immediate term. Select platforms and solutions that can demonstrate an ability to evolve, expand and integrate with your wider technical ecosystem both now and in the future. Crucially look for platforms that can demonstrate a track record of doing so.

What big tech trends do you believe are changing the world?

1 Digitisation of day-to-day activity means that consumer and citizen expectations and behaviour have evolved accordingly

All of us are experiencing this strong trend in our everyday lives. We are living through a 3rd Industrial revolution characterised by the proliferation of Digital technologies, most visibly Smart Phones, Smart Devices, eCommerce and the growth of AI. This represents a paradigm shift for economies. Organisations simply must evolve not just to thrive but even to survive change in this new world.

2.The growth of AI in daily life

Ai is changing the way we work, shop, and entertain ourselves. The role of data and data analytics combined with new powerful AI tools will create new markets, new ways of interacting with customers, and new customer experiences that is re-shaping how we do business and our expectations as both consumers and citizens.

3.Smarter devices /IOT

Digital technologies are starting to appear in areas not previously considered as in the path of the digital revolution. Examples include Home Heating Systems, watches and other wearable technology, and cars.

4.Blockchain

As digitisation expands across industries and all our lives, data integrity and the ability to transact securely in a virtual world will become increasingly important. Blockchain technology is likely to be a key technology to enable businesses and people to do business with one another digitally, through for example the use of Smart Contracts.

Darren Clark is speaking at the CIO & IT Leaders Summit on June 28th in Croke Park. Visit www.ciosummit.ie for full details and booking.