Enhancing your business potential through data and intelligent technology

Leentje Chavatte

Leentje Chavatte

Microsoft, Data & AI and Digital Transformation

Read Time, 3 min.

“Whether it’s expanding into new markets faster by using AI and video conferencing to translate multiple languages in real time, providing augmented reality shopping experiences to customers, or benefitting from equipment that tells you when it’s about to fail or needs to be replaced, digital transformation is changing our world.” 

Throughout the course of your day, you’ll interact with many AI-powered tools, making use of different sources of data, without even knowing it. Whether it’s a recommended story in your newsfeed, a suggested song, or fraud detection protecting your credit card, AI and data already work hard to make your life better. They’re present in the Microsoft tools you use every day, too; from Cortana helping you to organise your schedule, to QuickStarter and Researcher & Editor, helping you work smarter in PowerPoint and Word.

While many think of data as lifeless ones and zeros, it is in fact all around us, and can be harnessed to deliver spectacular results. Drawing information from sources such as inventories, sales figures, social media, web traffic, machinery and devices, among many others, can help paint a previously inaccessible picture of your business and its processes. You just need the tools that enable you to gather and harness that data. With the right technology, you can spot trends, find new ways to cut costs, better manage stock and your supply chain, and help your employees to make better informed decisions.

From these useful applications, all the way to major initiatives, like the partnership between Microsoft and Adaptive Biotechnologies, using AI to decode the immune system to diagnose and treat disease: the way we harness and manipulate data is changing our world for the better.

But the innovation doesn’t end there. With Microsoft Cognitive Services, all organisations have the opportunity to transform their business with data they already have and the power of AI. Through a collection of powerful Microsoft APIs, you can infuse your apps, websites and bots with intelligent algorithms to see, hear, speak, understand and interpret your user needs through natural methods of communication. With just a few lines of code, you can enhance the productivity of your staff or deliver exciting new experiences for your customers through apps that can learn, adapt and advance over time, across platforms and devices, all with the peace of mind that comes from using platforms and solutions with best-in-class security built in.

“By combining data and AI, the business opportunities are endless, from gaining a competitive edge and achieving faster growth to satisfying customers with experiences personalised to their needs and tastes. It extends from science to business the promises of “The 4th paradigm”, already published in 2009 by Microsoft Research.”  – Bruno Schroder, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Belgium & Luxembourg

Combining the computing power of the cloud with the data you already have and extending its application through AI provides a multitude of opportunities for your business to gain a competitive edge, unlock new levels of efficiency, and surprise and delight customers through more personalised experiences. For example, imagine if a website could handle customer queries automatically, suggest products and recommend shipping options, while seamlessly updating the product inventory and informing back-office staff when new stock was required. Taking it a step further, data collected by AI on the website could even inform retail staff as to a customer’s previous purchases and products of interest, helping them to provide a more holistic experience in-store and online.

Of course, preparing and handling data and developing applications for it through algorithms requires specific skills, and the time to begin developing them is now. Staff must be assured that this new technology and approach is crucial for success and not something to be feared, which is why it’s essential to engage your workforce, hiring and upskilling where necessary, so you are able to quickly embrace a modern approach to your business’s data and see benefit from AI.

With employees inspired, your data secured and managed, and your business prepared for the future, just imagine the possibilities.

Free AI report: Artificial Intelligence in Western Europe - How 277 major European companies benefit from AI

Discover how your Western European peers use AI to digitally transform their organization

Discover more related articles per industry:

Education

  • Girl studying

    Secondary school Kirchdorf: Reimagining hybrid learning with Surface and Teams

    “What we really wanted to achieve was simplicity for both our students and our educators. Through our digitalization efforts, we’ve seen that using technology to complement traditional teaching and learning is an investment for the future, not just for children, but for everyone.” Martin Schnetzer, teacher and IT admin at Mittelschule Kirchdorf, Austria, reflects on […]

  • a group of people sitting at a table using a laptop computer

    4 reasons Citrix and Windows Virtual Desktop are better together for education

    Educational institutions all over the world experience a huge transformation. We are all familiar with the impact of COVID-19 on digitization in education, but there are more challenges. The digitization challenges faced by educational institutions   Because of the measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, like lockdowns and social distancing, the trend of online or blended […]

Finance & Insurance

Government

  • a woman sitting on a sidewalk

    How to digitally transform citizen services

    “Having a website, call centre and information desk isn’t enough. Citizen services need to be streamlined to empower citizens and government employees alike.” The eBook ‘The digital transformation of citizen services’ is honest in its appraisal of the urgent challenge facing governments worldwide, whose citizens expect their digital experiences to match the quality of those […]

  • a display in a building

    How public health and social services can deliver better care with secure digital solutions

    The mission of Public Health and Social Services organisations is to provide the right services to the right citizens at the right time. But how can that be achieved against a backdrop of increasing regulation, growing demand for services and shrinking budgets? That’s the challenge that the IDC white paper ‘Transforming Public Health and Social […]

Healthcare

  • Asian female scientist working in a lab with conical flasks

    Navigating the odyssey of biomedical research

    In the healthcare industry, collaboration among multiple stakeholders is essential in driving biomedical research. Universities, Hospitals, Pharma, and Biotech are part of a complex and connected ecosystem. Healthcare institutions face critical obstacles when it comes to aggregating, harmonizing, and exploiting data for their studies. The lack of seamless knowledge sharing is hindering the progress of […]

  • A woman working in healthcare talking to another woman

    Powering Digital Transformation in Healthcare

    Discover how organizations across Europe are redefining healthcare standards through technology.

Manufacturing

Retail

  • A man standing in front of an industrial food refrigerator

    Bell Food Group: Proving the benefits of digitalization through a Power Platform solution

    “We expected a few drawings or designs to see what the product-tasting app would look like – but instead, they came in with a working model. We were all speechless, and really impressed at how fast Power Platform allows you to build something that works.” Valery Thomas, Head of Business Intelligence, Analytics and Digitalization at […]

  • How to Stay Competitive in Retail and Accelerate Business Growth?

    How to Stay Competitive in Retail and Accelerate Business Growth?

    The rise of ecommerce has been a major factor in the shift towards digital in retail with the high street increasingly becoming a less regular destination for consumers. Customers have come to expect a superior experience across multiple channels (including in-store). Maximizing customer insights requires unifying your data sources across the end-to-end buyer journey to […]

Discover more related articles per dossier:

Customer Stories

Digital Transformation

  • Big data boosts business for beverage company

    Big data boosts business for beverage company

    Contemplate, if you will, the multiple choices available every time you want something to drink. Water? Juice? Soft drink? Do you want a single-serve can or a six-pack? Or maybe you just grab a liter bottle. The fact is, we as consumers expect a lot of options and the global non-alcoholic beverage industry delivers. Arca […]

Security & Privacy

Tips