Press Releases

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Sentient Technologies, the world leader in intelligent commerce products, today announced the expansion of its European presence in response to customer growth for Sentient Ascend, the company’s disruptive conversion and revenue optimization solution. To help support this growing global client base, and a growing partner network, Sentient is opening a new European office based in Amsterdam.

Sentient’s intelligent commerce products consist of Sentient Ascend and Sentient Aware. Ascend is the world’s first website and landing page optimization solution based on a form of artificial intelligence (AI) called evolutionary algorithms, achieving gains as much as 45 percent in as little as three weeks. With Ascend, marketers can much more rapidly achieve their growth goals by accelerating and automating new design testing and experimentation.

• Euroflorist, one of the largest distributors of flowers in Europe, with over 19 sites in 11 countries, selling over 2 million bouquets a year, started using Ascend after recognizing the value that AI could bring to its business.  With over 60 percent of its revenue coming from online commerce, every conversion has a direct impact on the company’s bottom line, which is why they turned to Sentient and Sentient agency partner Online Dialogue.

“Only one out of five of our A/B tests are successful and they take many months to reach a modest 4-5 percent lift,” said Guido Jansen, Chief Psychology Officer at Euroflorist. “Using Ascend, we were able to test hundreds of combinations in the same amount of time as one A/B test. This worked even in some smaller markets, where A/B solutions simply don’t work due to the low traffic. In our initial test, we were impressed by the results, seeing up to 17 percent increase in conversions.”

• Clicksco, a multi-million dollar marketing services group specializing in customer acquisition, conversion and content monetization, is using Ascend to radically increase its testing capacity and velocity across the 50 sites it operates for itself and its partners, in some cases seeing up to 18 percent lift. For exploreshops.net, a price comparison site they operate, they used Ascend to improve the efficacy of its advertising banners.

“Every single conversion we get goes to our bottom line, so using a tool that lets us test all our properties in a single place, and test more of our ideas, faster, means our bottom line grows more quickly,” said Jay Bhojani, Chief Revenue Officer at Clicksco. “We have a lot of content to manage and test and needed a tool that would let us try all the ideas we had but with less administration time and far less time waiting for statistical significance. We found that in Ascend.” 

Click here for further case studies and examples of other implementations of Aware and Ascend.

Sentient Ascend has now run thousands of experiments for its European clients, yielding tens of millions of dollars in revenue gains and profitability.

Sentient continues to expand its network of expert agency and consultancy partners that provide strategy and development consulting for Sentient Ascend customers that want to supplement their in-house capabilities. Newly announced partners include Manchester, UK-based PRWD and Berlin and Frankfurt-based We. GmbH.

Sentient’s new office is located just steps away from Amsterdam’s city center and joins Sentient’s San Francisco headquarters and offices in San Jose and Hong Kong as part of the overall Sentient family.

Visiting DMEXCO 2017?

• Request a meeting with Sentient at DMEXCO or hear Sentient’s CEO on the panel: Game-changer AI: The Impact for the Advertising Industry
• Find Sentient at DMEXCO: Booth Hall 9 / E022a 

Press Contact:
Josh Stanbury: press@sentient.ai

About Sentient Technologies:
Sentient Technologies builds disruptive products differentiated by scaled AI. Sentient’s powerful distributed artificial intelligence (AI) platform combines multiple AI disciplines (deep learning, evolutionary AI, neuroevolution) with unmatched scale. Sentient has used its platform to launch Sentient Investment Management and Sentient Aware, an AI-powered personalization and product recommendation engine used by some of the world’s top retailers. Sentient Ascend, its artificial intelligence (AI) powered conversion rate optimization (CRO) solution, automates and accelerates website testing and optimization, allowing its customers to drive revenues and conversion improvements faster than ever before. In addition to its commercial endeavors, Sentient works with leading universities to apply AI to solve challenging problems in healthcare, food production and other areas.

 

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SOURCE Sentient Technologies

New cross-border initiatives to connect Washington state and British Columbia.

SEATTLE, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Leaders from Washington state and British Columbia today announced a suite of new initiatives focused on improving connectivity, strengthening innovation and generating economic opportunity.

Launched in September 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor is built upon a shared spirit of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The Corridor boasts world-renowned research organizations and global corporate leaders in a diverse array of existing and emerging technology disciplines, including aviation and aeronautics; software development; cloud computing; online retailing; big data transmission, storage and analysis; the Internet of things; mobile communications; biotechnology and the life sciences; and global health.

Governments, universities, companies, research institutions and others have joined together to tap the potential of the Cascadia region to create new and exciting economic opportunities while celebrating cultural diversity and inclusion.

By focusing on research, economic development and transportation, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor is enhancing greater connectivity, productivity and innovation for the nearly 12 million people living in British Columbia and Washington State.

Announcements today include these:

• Three internationally recognized polytechnics have joined forces to provide industry aligned, high-skill talent for the Cascadia Corridor’s workforce needs. British Columbia Institute of Technology, Lake Washington Institute of Technology and Oregon Institute of Technology will collaborate to leverage their applied education offerings in high-demand STEM fields, and provide expanded professional practice for students and career opportunities for graduates within the Corridor’s path of influence.
• Expansion of the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) to include the University of British Columbia. GIX is a global partnership between major research universities and innovative corporations to develop leaders in innovation. The University of Washington and Tsinghua University in Beijing are founding partners, with support from Microsoft Corp. GIX is expanding to include the University of British Columbia as an academic network member, building a bridge across the Pacific between the Cascadia Corridor and China, and between the higher-education community and the business community in a manner that benefits students. More academic network partners will be announced shortly.
• Seattle-Vancouver Financial Innovation Network. Set to be launched in Q4 of 2017 with support from Microsoft and Madrona Venture Group, the Seattle-Vancouver Financial Innovation Network (FIN) will bring together leading Cascadia Corridor financial services and technology companies and relevant U.S. and Canadian regulatory authorities to establish an integrated international financial center (IFC). Initial FIN programs will include promotion of coordinated digital economy cross-border investments with an emphasis on fintech, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, intelligent apps and quantum computing. The long-term FIN strategic objective is the creation of an integrated financial services cluster that competes directly with other similar-sized IFCs, such as Boston, Dublin, Shenzhen, Munich and Melbourne.
• Progress on transportation connecting the Cascadia region
• The state of Washington is performing an in-depth feasibility study for a potential high-speed rail line that would connect the Cascadia region. Microsoft is donating $50,000 to supplement the $300,000 in state funding approved for the study.
• In addition, Harbour Air and Kenmore Air are working together on a new seaplane route linking Seattle and Vancouver, with a final announcement expected later this year.
• A new cross-border startup accelerator partnership among British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. The Canadian Consulate General in Seattle, representing the government of Canada, has brought innovation partners in the three regions together to establish the Cascadia Innovation Network (CIN), which initially will include business incubators, accelerators and universities, but may later include venture capital firms and other innovation partners. The CIN focuses on bringing innovative ideas to the public by introducing startups to cross-border funding and support opportunities. A new memorandum of understanding will initially bring together the University of Washington (Co-Motion), Washington State University, Cambia Grove, Oregon Health and Science University, Oregon Translational Research & Development Institute (OTRADI), Portland State University Business Accelerator, Innovation Boulevard (BC Health Tech Accelerator), University of British Columbia (e@entrepreneurship), Accelerate Okanagan, Wavefront, and Foresight.

The two-day conference, hosted by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Microsoft, Washington Roundtable and Business Council of British Columbia, examines shared regional opportunities and challenges, including discussions on venture capital investment, higher education, life sciences, smart cities and augmented reality/virtually reality.

Speakers include Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minster of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson, Hootsuite Chief Executive Officer Ryan Holmes, Microsoft President Brad Smith, BuildDirect President and CEO Jeff Booth, University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, University of British Columbia President Santa Ono, LifeLabs President and CEO Sue Paish, and Harvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe.

Quotes

Governor Jay Inslee: “This special relationship between our two communities is worth celebrating, cultivating and growing. Our rich history together and our confidence in the future will allow us to tackle our biggest challenges head-on, and do it in a way that makes sure everyone throughout this great region has the opportunity to be a part of the progress, and the future we create.”

Premier John Horgan: “By developing the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, we have the opportunity to unlock even more jobs and opportunities, not just in Metro Vancouver but across the province. We’re stronger when we work together. B.C. is looking forward to working with Gov. Jay Inslee and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to develop opportunities across Cascadia.”

Brad Smith, Microsoft President: “Last year we came together as a region to build something that we simply can’t create apart: an innovation corridor to create more opportunity and prosperity on both sides of the border. By linking our two cities together through cross-border collaboration, research, funding and educational opportunities, we will spur new economic activity and opportunity that creates a better future for everyone.”

Maud Daudon, President and CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce: “We are at our best when we work together, and the spirit of collaboration between Washington and British Columbia is alive and well. We look forward to a lively discussion over the next two days about how we can work together to ensure our region can continue to compete on a global scale.”

Greg D’Avignon, President and CEO, Business Council of British Columbia: “The BC and Washington State economies were among the strongest in North America last year, due in large part to the diversity of our talent, technology and natural assets. Our two great countries, working in collaboration through the Cascadia Corridor, can make the Pacific Northwest a globally dominant digital innovation cluster that will benefit the future health and prosperity of our people, environment and economies for decades to come.”

Steve Mullin, President, Washington Roundtable: “Strong collaboration over the last year — among policy, business and community leaders from both sides of the border — has been exciting and catalyzing. I believe the shared commitment to growth and innovation will lead to great opportunities and expanded prosperity for both Washington state and British Columbia.”

Michael Schutzler, CEO, Washington Technology Industry Association: “Cross-border collaboration is exactly what our region needs. Business, academic and government leaders together in one room is a unique collaboration but an integral process to achieve results. We are proud to sponsor this year’s event to bring meaningful change to our city.”

Bill Tam, CEO and President, BC Tech Association: “It has been amazing to see the progress of the Cascadia corridor partnerships over the past year. This region more so than many others demonstrates the collaboration that’s needed to become among the top tech ecosystems in the world.”

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About the Seattle Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of Commerce

The Seattle Metropolitan (Seattle Metro) Chamber of Commerce engages the innovation and entrepreneurship of its 2,200 members to advance economic prosperity, advocate for a vital business environment, and build sustainable and healthy communities in the Seattle region. Founded in 1882 by local business leaders, the Chamber today is an independent organization representing a regional workforce of approximately 700,000 people. For more information, visit www.seattlechamber.com.

About Washington Roundtable

The Washington Roundtable is a nonprofit organization comprised of senior executives of major private sector employers in Washington state. Our members work together to effect positive change on public policy issues that they believe are most important to supporting state economic vitality and fostering opportunity for all Washingtonians. Learn more at waroundtable.com.

About Business Council of British Columbia

Now in its 51st year as the premier business organization in British Columbia, the Business Council of BC is a non-partisan organization made up of 250 leading companies, post-secondary institutions and industry associations from across BC’s diverse economy. The Council produces exceptional public policy research and advocacy in support of creating a competitive economy for the benefit of all British Columbians.

About BC Tech Association

The BC Tech Association is guided by our mission to make BC the best place to grow a tech company. For more than 20 years, BC Tech has been providing opportunities for the tech industry to collaborate, learn and grow together. We are dedicated to connecting companies, developing talent, sharing stories and advocating on behalf of tech companies to keep our industry thriving.

Since our founding in 1993, the tech industry has quintupled to nearly $25 billion in revenue. In that time, we have played a privileged role in supporting the growth of the tech community that now includes over 9,000 companies, employs more than 90,000 people and that has been one of the strongest contributors to BC’s economic growth over the past decade.

About Washington Tech Industry Association

The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is a non-profit trade group. The primary mission of the WTIA is helping Washington residents gain access to high-wage tech-industry jobs. The WTIA acts as an independent, unifying voice to motivate industry, education and government peers to collaborate effectively and also uses group buying power to help tech companies grow profitably. The WTIA group includes the 501c6 WTIA Member Trade Association, the 501c3 WTIA Workforce Institute, and the 501c9 WTIA Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiaries Association. Apprenti is a program operated by the WTIA Workforce Institute.

 

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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Today, TechNexus Venture Collaborative and Brunswick (NYSE: BC) announced that they have formed a joint venture to identify and incubate transformative start-up ventures with strategic marine and fitness applications that will redefine the respective industries.

TechNexus, which finds, funds, and grows technology ventures as a force multiplier for entrepreneurs and enterprises, will work with Brunswick to collaborate with startups that are driving innovation and growth. TechNexus’ technology focus areas include mobile and cloud, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, AR/VR, IoT, and robotics and their application across various industries including transportation, heavy industry, retail, marine and fitness.

TechNexus typically makes seed-stage and Series A investments and enables acceleration through development support and pilot management. The TechNexus-Brunswick joint venture will also provide select startups with direct access to collaborate with Brunswick.

“We realize that technology is changing the way our customers interact with our products and believe that this joint venture will help us continue to offer them industry-leading experiences,” said Brunswick’s Chief Technology Officer David Foulkes. “Marine and fitness are full of innovative opportunities, and we look forward to harnessing that momentum to drive long-term growth.”

“As emerging technology continues to change the way people move – in terms of fitness or on the water – there is vast opportunity for companies like Brunswick to redefine how customers experience the world,” said Terry Howerton, CEO of TechNexus. “Combining agile startup applications with enterprise insight and networks makes the innovation process faster and more effective to execute.”

About TechNexus
Uniquely aligning relationships in the innovation ecosystem, TechNexus finds, funds and grows technology ventures as a force multiplier for entrepreneurs and enterprises. Through accelerating commercial activity for startups and engaging enterprises earlier in the development process, TechNexus catalyzes growth. It has done so for dozens of corporate partners and more than 500 startups. Equal parts entrepreneur, strategist, and investor, TechNexus Venture Collaborative rethinks growth. For more information, visit technexus.com, follow @TechNexus on Twitter or find us on LinkedIn.

About Brunswick
Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporation’s  leading consumer brands include Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood, Garelick and Whale marine parts and accessories; Land ‘N’ Sea, Kellogg Marine, Lankhorst – Taselaar, Payne’s Marine and BLA parts and accessories distributors; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Brunswick Commercial and Government Products, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Lowe, Lund, Meridian, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, Cybex, Indoor Cycling Group  and SCIFIT fitness equipment; and Brunswick billiards tables, accessories and game room furniture. For more information, visit www.brunswick.com.

 

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SOURCE TechNexus Venture Collaborative

RALEIGH, North Carolina, September 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, today announced that it will open its North Carolina Technology and Innovation Hub in Raleigh. This innovation Hub is expected to hire 2,000 American workers by 2021.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130122/589162 )

Towards its plan of hiring 10,000 jobs over 2 years, the company has already hired close to 1,200 American workers.

The new hub, which will open in early 2018, will occupy 60,000 square feet in a new facility in Raleigh and has the capacity to house 500 workers representing another step forward in the company’s previous announcement to hire American workers in the country. The company plans to hire the first 500 workers in Raleigh innovation hub within two years, with the remainder to be hired in the state by 2021.

“Innovation, technology, and education are part of who we are as North Carolinians, and along the course of this project, Infosys leaders have found that to be the case every step of the way. Our top-flight workforce, commitment to education, and exceptional quality of life help businesses of all sizes recruit and retain excellent employees,” said Governor Roy Cooper.

“The North Carolina Technology and Innovation Hub is part of Infosys’ investment in the future of the U.S. tech workforce and will focus on delivering cutting-edge solutions in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data and advanced analytics, cloud and big data,” said Ravi Kumar, President and Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Infosys. “The Hub, located in the innovation incubator of Raleigh, will support the development of co-created solutions for our valued clients in North Carolina and the surrounding region. Attracting and retaining a skilled and motivated workforce is crucial to Infosys, and the new Tech Hub-along with the robust training program we are developing with the North Carolina Community College System and proximity to tier-one research universities-will expand Infosys’ existing North Carolina network to better serve clients in the IT, life sciences, clean technology and advanced manufacturing sectors.”  

“The City of Raleigh welcomes Infosys as a key member of our community, further bolstering Raleigh’s already strong technology economy, which has seen technology jobs grow at a rate more than double the national average over the last five years. The partnership between our city and Infosys will boost innovation and benefit businesses, schools, and workforce development in the area and we are excited to pursue this work together,” said Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane. 

New hires will include recent graduates from the state’s prestigious network of colleges, universities and community colleges, as well as local professionals who will benefit from upskilling through Infosys’ world-class training curriculum. As part of Infosys’ commitment to grow 2,000 jobs in the state of North Carolina, the company is partnering with the North Carolina Community College System to create a customized program designed to train the workforce of the future. 

“Infosys is looking to maximize the benefits of the North Carolina Community College’s Customized Training Program. To that end, Wake Technical Community College is developing a comprehensive upskilling program, in partnership with Infosys, to train the workforce of the future. We plan to include pre-employment training, where candidates experience a short-term realistic job preview, as well as extensive post-employment training that will focus on technical and soft skills. The program will be developed as a joint effort between representatives from Infosys and Wake Tech and will ensure success for the company and the employees,” said Maureen Little, Vice President of Economic Development, North Carolina Community College System.

This commitment to education also extends to the company’s charitable foundation, Infosys Foundation USA. In North Carolina, the Foundation has provided multiple grants for classroom technology and computer science training to teachers and schools. To date, these grants have benefited 4,220 students across 82 schools, involving 92 teachers. This includes grants for professional development for teachers, hands on workshops for students, and new technology and teaching aids for classrooms, with an emphasis placed on serving underrepresented groups such as women, African American, Latino, urban, rural, and autistic groups that will gain greater access to computer science and maker education.

For more information, please visit: http://www.infosys.com/american-innovation/nc

About Infosys 

Infosys is a global leader in technology services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to create and execute strategies for their digital transformation. From engineering to application development, knowledge management and business process management, we help our clients find the right problems to solve, and to solve these effectively. Our team of 198,000+ innovators, across the globe, is differentiated by the imagination, knowledge and experience, across industries and technologies that we bring to every project we undertake.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise thrive in the digital age.

Safe Harbor 

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys

NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today unveiled the industry findings of its Global Trend Study titled, “Getting Smarter by the Sector: How 13 Industries Use Artificial Intelligence.” Focusing on the current and future impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the study polled 835 executives across 13 global industry sectors in four regions of the world, revealing that they all identified artificial intelligence as increasingly important to their strategic competitiveness by 2020.

According to the study, 80% of executives in all 13 industries currently invest in AI and almost 100% plan to invest by 2020. The insurance industry outspent the other twelve verticals surveyed, investing on average $124 million in AI systems, compared to a cross-industry average of $70 million. Consumer packaged goods reported the second most significant spend at $95 million.

Looking ahead to 2020, AI continues to be seen as a long term strategic bet, with ten of the 13 industries planning to increase their investments in AI. The increases are most dramatic among industries with the lowest current investment levels, including the travel, transport and hospitality industry, which plans to increase its spend by 750%, from $4 million in 2015 to $34 million to 2020. This is followed by rises in media, entertainment and information services (292%), industrial manufacturing (74%), healthcare (44%), and banking and finance (29%).

“The second phase of our Global Trend Study highlights that all industries see AI technology as a major game-changer on their business competitiveness by 2020,” said K. Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer of TCS. “It’s striking that the sectors making the boldest current or future AI investments and citing the most significant results seem to group around industries like insurance, travel, hospitality, and telecom, where disruption is having a major impact, and consumer-focused sectors such as the consumer packaged goods industry, where the customer experience can be significantly enhanced by AI innovation.”

AI Investments as a Percentage of Revenue and ROI
The leading investors in AI, determined as a percentage of average company revenue, were the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry (0.66%), followed by utilities (0.53%), insurance (0.52%) and telecommunications (0.39%). Companies reported that their AI initiatives had a strong positive impact on both revenue improvement and cost reduction in the specific business areas where they invested in artificial intelligence. The average revenue increase across all 13 industries was 17%, while the average cost reduction was 12%. Telecom companies generated the most value from AI investments in 2015, in terms of revenue improvement (average 25%) and cost reductions (average 20%).

AI used in the IT function most frequently
The most frequently mentioned business function using AI was perhaps unsurprisingly in IT, with high-tech and utilities companies more frequently using cognitive technology in their IT operations than the 11 other industry sectors. Across all 13 industries studied, only 29% of companies are using AI in sales today. However, more than half the CPG companies (52%) and nearly half the retailers (49%) are using AI tools to improve sales performance.

Potential headwinds to AI adoption
Effectively managing the security risk of AI systems is of paramount importance for the majority of industries, with companies in the automotive, banking and financial services, CPG, technology, industrial manufacturing, and telecoms industries all stating this as the number one success factor to derive real value from AI. Moreover, all industry sectors cited the importance of getting managers and employees to trust the advice provided by AI systems, and getting employees to learn about and adopt the new processes and systems that AI requires.

In almost all sectors, addressing people’s fears about losing their jobs was not ranked as a major barrier. This was underlined in phase one of the Global Trend Study released in March this year, which found companies with the biggest revenue and cost improvements from AI see the need for at least three times as many new jobs in each function by 2020 because of cognitive computing innovations.

About The 2017 Global Trends Study
The seventh annual Global Trends Study from TCS surveyed 835 leading executives from companies in four global regions, with an individual mean annual turnover of $20bn. The four regions surveyed were North America (including Canada), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Denmark and Switzerland), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Australia, and Japan) and Latin America (Brazil and Mexico).  The study was concluded in June 2016. For more information, or to download the study, go to http://sites.tcs.com/artificial-intelligence/

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model™, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India’s largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 385,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of U.S. $17.6 billion for year ended March 31, 2017 and is listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

 

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SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — With technology jargon constantly changing, business professionals around the world are struggling to gain a proper understanding of the technologies they need to embrace, to shape the future of their businesses. This is one of the findings of a study from Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth. The global survey of business decision makers and employees, which set out to understand the key drivers for business growth, has found a worrying lack of understanding around industry terminology.

One-in-five business leaders admitted they had heard of, but were not familiar with, common technology terms such as big data (22%) and cloud software-as-a-service (22%). This is despite the fact that many technologists moved on from talking about these as trends years ago, and are now exploring the strategic use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, and conversational systems. 

Applied AI, advanced machine learning, and intelligent things made the ‘Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017’¹ published by Gartner, yet the Epicor research suggests users are even less comfortable with these terms than cloud and big data.

A prolific amount of jargon in the fast-changing technology world might account for the fact that so many business professionals are unfamiliar with the key innovations affecting their sector, as they happen, despite recognizing the important role technology has to play in business.

Although they find the jargon baffling, business professionals do recognize the importance of technology investments for driving the growth of their businesses. The same research found that 88% of fast-growing businesses consider IT investment to be a high priority, compared to just 41% of businesses experiencing weak growth. In addition, half (47%) agree that IT will help their organizations overcome future challenges in the market, work more efficiently (38%) and plan better (33%).

“It appears that many businesses are convinced of the importance of technology investments—and many are reaping the rewards. Yet some are not fully aware of the latest technologies available to them, and it’s possible that the complex terminology and fast-changing landscape could be factors here,” said Celia Fleischaker, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Epicor Software. “This is concerning because if business leaders cannot tell their AI from their IoT, or see the potential of a smart and connected factory, they may hold back from investing in the latest technologies. Businesses are tired of being baffled by buzzwords and jargon and we believe that it is time vendors and the technology community did more to engage with distributors, manufacturers or retailers in their own language. Talking about the business benefits that new technology can bring will help organizations to make critical decisions for the future.”

John Preiditsch, president at Six S Partners Inc. said, “The customers we work with on a day-to-day basis are more concerned with the business outcomes of the technology we sell, rather than the precise details of the technology itself. Businesses need to justify every investment in new technology, and talking in jargon or technical terms can put decision makers off and make that justification challenging when there is a disparity over language. During my last 30 years in the ERP market — 10 years as an Epicor value-added ERP reseller partner — I’ve found that talking the language of business and about the impact and payback of the investment, rather than the language of AI, IoT or technical terminology, is much more effective when it comes to helping our customers fully embrace and envision the use of the latest technologies.” 

The research, conducted by Morar Consulting on behalf of Epicor, questioned 2,450 business decision makers and employees in businesses in 12 countries across the globe, about their growth performance in the last 12 months. For further information on the research, go to http://ow.ly/aMnq30f52FI.

About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers’ unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution―in the cloud, hosted, or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

¹ Source: Smarter With Gartner, “Gartner’s Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017,” by Kasey Panetta, October 18, 2016

 

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SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

BANGALORE and WARREN, New Jersey, September 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —

Ideation center in Warren, NJ helps U.S. enterprises harness their digital potential

Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company, today announced the grand opening of its first international Digital Pumpkin innovation hub located within its Warren, NJ office. Building on the success of the original Digital Pumpkin at its global headquarters in Bangalore, India, the facility addresses the demand from Mindtree clients in the U.S. for an interactive space where multi-disciplinary teams can ideate, design and craft meaningful digital experiences.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140416/681203 )

Within the 16,000-square-foot Digital Pumpkin, businesses can build a culture of innovation by bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of experts from Mindtree and technology accelerators including partners such as start-ups with solutions that can benefit our clients. These come together to create empathetic user stories, personas and customer journey maps, functional prototypes and pilots for future projects. The space offers a multitude of solutions, accelerators and tools for clients to access and put plans into play, including a Multichannel Site Builder, Consumer Engagement and Loyalty Platform, Next-Generation Unified Interface for Consumer-Centric Organizations and more. Through well-established methodologies, assets and processes, Mindtree experts leverage their technical skills, domain expertise and consulting capabilities to help clients leverage these solutions and turn ideas into lasting business advantage.

“Mindtree’s Digital Pumpkin is our jewel in the crown of helping our clients navigate Digital to produce high-impact business advantage,” said Rostow Ravanan, CEO of Mindtree. “It is the perfect laboratory to help catalyze digital ideas into real-world solutions and to ensure those solutions are infused across the entire organization. The success of our Bangalore-based Digital Pumpkin was overwhelming and led to creating a similar space to better serve our U.S. clients.”

Since the opening of the Bangalore-based Digital Pumpkin in 2013, the innovation hub has been the seedbed behind more than 50 major transformations. The Warren, N.J. location will help Mindtree meet the demands of U.S.-based customers looking to access the expertise and platforms offered at the Digital Pumpkin without having to travel internationally. Among some of the most successful technologies that are part of the Digital Pumpkin portfolio include solutions around Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Solutions, Virtual & Augmented reality, Machine learning, Conversational, Cloud and Big data. Mindtree’s partners will also be involved in finding solutions for our clients where appropriate.

For more information about The Digital Pumpkin and to watch videos showcasing the space, please visit here.

About Mindtree 

Mindtree [NSE: MINDTREE] delivers digital transformation and technology services from ideation to execution, enabling Global 2000 clients to outperform the competition. ‘Born digital,’ Mindtree takes an agile, collaborative approach to creating customized solutions across the digital value chain. At the same time, our deep expertise in infrastructure and applications management helps optimize your IT into a strategic asset. Whether you need to differentiate your company, reinvent business functions or accelerate revenue growth, we can get you there. Visit to http://www.mindtree.com learn more.

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For more information, contact:
India                   
Ankita Dubey                
Mindtree                
+91-789919001                
ankita.dubey@mindtree.com         

United States
Erik Arvidson
Matter Communications
+1-978-518-4542
earvidson@matternow.com

Europe
Imogen Nation                
Hotwire                    
+44-20-7608-4675
imogen.nation@hotwirepr.com

SOURCE Mindtree