Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
The last five years has seen a surge in large companies collaborating with startups to improve success rates. It was once thought that startups and corporations speak different languages, run at different speeds, and serve different purposes in our economy. Gone is the thinking that the large tech company and the start-up are complete opposites; […]
Breaking Down This Year’s Black Friday
The clock is ticking. It’s the countdown to Black Friday, an American tradition that kicks off the holiday shopping season. While the promotions begin earlier each year, Black Friday still remains the day to cash in on the biggest deals. For example, last year more than 101 million people ventured to stores on Black Friday, […]
Creating An In-Store Retail Revival
Though several major retailers, from Toys “R” Us to Aeropostale, have filed for bankruptcy protection this year and others have closed thousands of stores, all seemingly at the hands of online commerce, reports of the death of retail are greatly exaggerated. In fact, research shows that the industry is booming and that stores still matter. […]
The Chip Innovation of ’97 that Spurred Even Greater Scale & Speed
Twenty years ago, after riding high on a microprocessor architecture that launched and sustained the PC revolution, the industry faced considerable new hurdles – specifically with the microchip’s speed and scale. Any company that manufactured a device with a chip inside of it needed something new to help them keep up with the incredible demand for […]
The Future is Quantum
Some of the most important technical advances of the 20th century were enabled by decades of fundamental scientific exploration, whose initial purpose was simply to extend human understanding. When Einstein discovered relativity, he had no idea that one day it would be an important part of modern navigation systems. Such is the story of quantum […]
The Business of Belonging
Belonging has always been an essential ingredient in the business of brand building. This fundamental human need has been increasingly on our minds as evidence of the fragile state of belonging in the world mounts. A decline in trust in institutions, economic divides, political partisanship and increased levels of isolation of loneliness due in part, […]
How IBM and Salesforce Are Challenging Traditional Business Models
Since unveiling our partnership with Salesforce in March, we’ve worked together to champion the impact of AI across all facets of business, helping companies across all industries make smarter decisions, faster than ever before. Today, at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference, IBM’s Chairman, President and CEO Ginni Rometty will join Salesforce Chairman and CEO, Marc Benioff, […]
The Holiday is Looking Green…Are Retailers Ready?
It’s that time of year again. The 2017 holiday season is looming large and speculation is in full swing as to how the next eight weeks will play out for retailers and consumers alike. There’s good news to report. Based on my annual Holiday Forecast, we predict the 2017 season will grow nearly three percent […]
Unifying Data Governance for the Future
Mastering fast-growing data volumes across the enterprise is one of the first and most critical steps in establishing a cognitive business. To do it requires adopting advanced analytics that enable an organization to better understand and control its data, but also to gain insights that set the stage for driving new business models. But for […]
5 Tips for Transforming IT Amid Rising Cyber Threats
As we close out National Cyber Security Awareness Month, it is important to underscore the role of strong leadership – from C-suite executives to IT professionals in the field – in the face of cyber security threats. In order to effectively mitigate or prevent cyberattacks, leaders have to approach the procurement and management of IT […]
University of Oklahoma Taps AI to Strengthen Student Retention Rates
Graduating from a four-year college in four years should be an achievable goal, but only just over 40 percent of students are able to reach this milestone. A critical driver for achieving on-time graduation is first-year retention. But for public institutions, like the University of Oklahoma (OU), the national average of full-time, first-time students who started […]
How Blockchain Can Provide Instant Redemption this Holiday Season
It’s now time for pumpkin spice everything, but before we know it November, December, and the holidays will be here. During the upcoming busy shopping season, marketers looking to retain the more valuable returning customers realize loyalty programs are a no brainer. And while these programs have grown rapidly across financial services, travel, retail and […]