What We Are Reading
Infinidat Continues Momentum With New Cloud & Cyber-Resiliency Offerings
Infinidat recently unveiled its new InfuzeOS Cloud Edition along with new cyber-detection capabilities with its InfiniSafe Threat Detection. Let's get into each.
Living and working from an all-electric VW ID Buzz
But when Volkswagen announced the production model of the all-electric ID Buzz, which began hitting European roads late last year… well, suddenly, I was very interested. Then a few months ago, I discovered the aftermarket Ququq BusBox-4 camping box.
How Should CEO’s Embrace AI Or Will AI Assume CEO Roles?
This article discusses the emergence of CEO AI robots/cobots as well as the leadership governance role of CEOs in leading AI investments in their organizations. Examples of companies using CEO robots are identified.
Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role
For IT leaders, mergers and acquisitions inevitably lead to complex challenges. IT systems and resources must be rationalized and unified, and differing cultures must often be maneuvered toward alignment to ensure success going forward. But with these high-profile undertakings can also come opportunities for career growth. When Reliance Polyester — a subsidiary of global conglomerate Reliance Industries — completed its acquisition of polyester business Shubhalakshmi Polyesters (SPL) in March 2023, Dr. Amrut Urkude, CIO of SPL, took over as CIO of Reliance Polyester. For now, Dr Urkude has his task cut out for him. He must integrate the IT infrastructures of the two companies by bringing Shubhalakshmi Polyesters’ technology up to speed with that of Reliance Polyester. In a candid conversation with CIO.com, Dr. Urkude talks about his experience of confronting myriad challenges while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how he has dealt with them thus far. SPL has a total polymerisation capacity of 252,000 tonnes per year compared with Reliance Polymers’ capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per annum. As an IT leader, were you awed by this massive change in the size and complexity of business? Dr. Urkude: The move from a promoter-led business to a one of the largest conglomerates in the world is definitely a big change. However, I wasn’t awestruck because of my involvement in the due diligence of the merger and acquisition process from day one. I was regularly interacting not only with the IT leadership but also with the other business teams such as SCM, HR, accounts and finance, strategy, and M&A of the Reliance Group. This familiarized me with Reliance’s style of working, and reporting structure, making it easier for me to adopt their culture and align SPL with the Reliance team in a short time. Dr. Amrut Urkude, CIO of Reliance Polyester iStock How different is the IT infrastructure in the two companies? How are you planning to integrate them? Dr. Urkude: Reliance is far ahead of SPL on the technology front, be it in the areas of networking, backup, security, and automations. It is only in ERP that SPL has an edge. SPL has implemented SAP S4/HANA while Reliance is still using the old version called ECC. The IT in Reliance is not only cutting-edge, but it is also more organized. It is divided into three verticals — business IT, manufacturing IT, and central IT. Within these t
When to Give Employees Access to Data and Analytics
As business leaders look to democratize data and analysis within their organizations ... and for financial institutions that navigate markets and risk, often to capture very small margins at scale. Challenge experts to scout for bias: Advanced analytics ...
AI Can Help You Ask Better Questions — and Solve Bigger Problems
Most companies still view AI rather narrowly, as a tool that alleviates the costs and inefficiencies of repetitive human labor and increasing organizations’ capacity to produce, process, and analyze piles and piles of data.
Blogs
Cloud Backup and Recovery Ready to Respond to COVID-19
Businesses and institutions around the world have been forced to immediately re-examine their information management plans in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, and that includes reassessing their organizational policies…
Importance of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan in the Time of COVID-19 Crisis
The on-going COVID-19 pandemic is racing around the globe, and major cities in the USA are declaring states of emergency to manage the outbreak. Now is the crucial time for…
