Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 37 | Page 67

/////////////////////////////////////////////////// t cht lk THE TECH TRENDS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2020 It is expected that 2020 will see a myriad of innovative technologies starting to enter the mainstream. And while many of them have been around for a while, Ian Jansen van Rensburg, Lead Technologist for Sub-Saharan Africa at VMware, says that South African companies will only now start realising the potential benefits they can unlock. O Operations and development Any business, irrespective of size and industry sector, focuses on two things – selling more and reducing costs. Critical to both is an operational strategy reflective of the digital environment and application development that can adapt systems to become more agile in meeting changing customer expectations. Operationally, it comes down to employing the right people and putting them in positions where they can deliver the most business value. These employees are willing to continuously learn and www.intelligentcio.com embrace new technologies to do their work more efficiently. However, in so far as these digital workers are essential for a rapidly evolving environment, so too must management be willing to embrace this shift. Simply maintaining the status quo will no longer be good enough. To be competitive, a business must take a digital- first approach throughout operations. Part of this entails collaborating between departments as the means to gain a more unified view of the data at their disposal. Having better insights across all divisions will help optimise cost efficiencies. Using mobile devices to access back-end data will “ OPERATIONALLY, IT COMES DOWN TO EMPLOYING THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND PUTTING THEM IN POSITIONS WHERE THEY CAN DELIVER THE MOST BUSINESS VALUE. INTELLIGENTCIO 67