Guest Speaker:
Transcripts
Welcome to another exciting episode of Tech lyceum. This is coming to you from the B mark series the topic that we are tackling. Today is driving technology innovations with the metaverse open AI and cloud for high tech enterprises. Joining me on this episode are two wonderful ladies got Kathryn Brandt, who is the director, business relations, high tech and media and Neha Aggarwal, AVP and head vertical strategy manufacturing. Now just a little bit about them before we begin, Kathryn Brandt is the Sales Director, leading business relations for key strategic accounts in high tech and media at Birlasoft. Previously she has held CIO and leadership roles in sales and marketing across various high tech enterprises. We also have Neha Otherworld, who is the AVP and heads our strategy group for the manufacturing vertical at Birlasoft. She has extensive experience in holding diverse leadership positions throughout her career, and has led multiple roles in various global organizations, including managing P&L, Business Consulting, defining the positioning strategy and solutions across industries. We have a power packed episode. Welcome, ladies. It's lovely to have you.
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Speaker – Neha - 01:28
Thank you so much Neerja for having us today.
Thank you so much Neerja for having us today.
Speaker – Kathryn -01:31
We're happy to be here. Absolutely.
We're happy to be here. Absolutely.
Speaker – Neerja - 01:32
Now, Neha, if I may start with you. With the global high tech industry being valued in trillion dollars.
Q: How do you see the current trends and technological advancements reshaping the high tech industry?
Now, Neha, if I may start with you. With the global high tech industry being valued in trillion dollars.
Q: How do you see the current trends and technological advancements reshaping the high tech industry?
Speaker – Neha - 01:46
Wow, very interesting question right in the beginning Neerja and so much to talk about, but I'll try to keep it succinct. Well, you know, there's a substantial growth spurt that happened in high tech with the chips and science act that was announced by the Biden administration, early in 2022. When many companies actually increase their investments in the semiconductor manufacturing, I mean, to the order of almost 50 billion US dollars, right. So we saw the likes of micron, Qualcomm increasing investments in areas like the metaverse, sustainability mobility. And today, these form the sort of the crux of where the advancements are, you know, happening in the high tech area, right? It's pretty much like a spectrum. On one side, we have the usual, increasing the speed of innovation and chip design, making the chip smaller and smaller, to creating a faster time to market and also leveraging AI ml across the entire value chain, whether it is manufacturing high tech, the entire value chain. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have this biggest concept in today's day and age that everybody's talking about in high tech, which is the metaverse now what is better was we all ask, it's the it's really the future of all our online transactions on the web, right? It's that 3d world, which is going to be powered by virtual reality. And it's going to change the way in which we interact with the Internet. It's really the Internet of Tomorrow. Right? And of course, it's going to not only affect the high tech industry, high tech industry, in fact is going to be an enabler, but it's going to have a bearing on all the other industries out there, where users services and products they can interact with each other in a totally immersive way. So, the possibilities are really endless and there is a big role for the hardware as well as software companies to you know, play there and make it a reality. And there are many trends which are powering this Metaverse right. So, a there is this whole shift from customer experience to a whole new level of customer intimacy right powered by generative AI powered by AR VR and all of this creating competitive edge for companies. The second one in my view is the whole gamut of AI ml you know and its huge potential to sort of you know transform every step of the value chain right whether it is R&D, you know, chip design, whether it is supplier aggregation, demand forecasting and so on and so forth. In all of this multi cloud becomes very important because there are various parties coming together. So interoperability across various organizations, systems etc. still maintaining a centralized control is very important. And last but not the least, to be able to do all of this in a sustainable green tech way you know, so, so those according to me are some of the you know, broad trends which are today powering our you know, high tech manufacturers both in the hardware and software space Neerja.
Wow, very interesting question right in the beginning Neerja and so much to talk about, but I'll try to keep it succinct. Well, you know, there's a substantial growth spurt that happened in high tech with the chips and science act that was announced by the Biden administration, early in 2022. When many companies actually increase their investments in the semiconductor manufacturing, I mean, to the order of almost 50 billion US dollars, right. So we saw the likes of micron, Qualcomm increasing investments in areas like the metaverse, sustainability mobility. And today, these form the sort of the crux of where the advancements are, you know, happening in the high tech area, right? It's pretty much like a spectrum. On one side, we have the usual, increasing the speed of innovation and chip design, making the chip smaller and smaller, to creating a faster time to market and also leveraging AI ml across the entire value chain, whether it is manufacturing high tech, the entire value chain. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have this biggest concept in today's day and age that everybody's talking about in high tech, which is the metaverse now what is better was we all ask, it's the it's really the future of all our online transactions on the web, right? It's that 3d world, which is going to be powered by virtual reality. And it's going to change the way in which we interact with the Internet. It's really the Internet of Tomorrow. Right? And of course, it's going to not only affect the high tech industry, high tech industry, in fact is going to be an enabler, but it's going to have a bearing on all the other industries out there, where users services and products they can interact with each other in a totally immersive way. So, the possibilities are really endless and there is a big role for the hardware as well as software companies to you know, play there and make it a reality. And there are many trends which are powering this Metaverse right. So, a there is this whole shift from customer experience to a whole new level of customer intimacy right powered by generative AI powered by AR VR and all of this creating competitive edge for companies. The second one in my view is the whole gamut of AI ml you know and its huge potential to sort of you know transform every step of the value chain right whether it is R&D, you know, chip design, whether it is supplier aggregation, demand forecasting and so on and so forth. In all of this multi cloud becomes very important because there are various parties coming together. So interoperability across various organizations, systems etc. still maintaining a centralized control is very important. And last but not the least, to be able to do all of this in a sustainable green tech way you know, so, so those according to me are some of the you know, broad trends which are today powering our you know, high tech manufacturers both in the hardware and software space Neerja.
Speaker – Neerja - 04:46
While the Internet of Tomorrow, as you mentioned, sounds like an exciting space to be in. Thank you for sharing such a thorough understanding Neha. Kathryn coming to you with this whole high tech value chain being extremely complex accent integrated based on your customer interactions and expertise.
Q: What are the top three challenges of high tech enterprises? And how can technology help mitigate these challenges?
While the Internet of Tomorrow, as you mentioned, sounds like an exciting space to be in. Thank you for sharing such a thorough understanding Neha. Kathryn coming to you with this whole high tech value chain being extremely complex accent integrated based on your customer interactions and expertise.
Q: What are the top three challenges of high tech enterprises? And how can technology help mitigate these challenges?
Speaker – Kathryn - 05:12
The first challenge is really lack of visibility into the supply chain and reacting to it. First off, is being able to really see around the corner when it comes to the supply chain. And in the past, it was just having predictable manufacturing. But now there are so many challenges, whether it be external suppliers, channel partners, labor shortages, geopolitical issues, that we really have to leverage new technology. And today, we see immersive digital twins being a key component in completing that centralized visibility of the extended supply chain. The second item is really the rising costs of R&D, and capital expenditures for production equipment, manufacturing costs with shrinking ship size, are really impacting the costs and the need to maintain those high production yields. And to that end, the technology that's really helping there are the end to end connected operations that connect the raw materials, the machines and the software, through sensors and IoT devices. And in order to do that, they're using AI and ML for intelligent production scheduling, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization, then the third item is the need to really build and train the right talent. So you have to have it a talent design model in order to address both the talent shortages and the need for specialized skills. Now, the technology that's being leveraged, there are these AI powered automation at scale. And that's enabling the workers to really focus on the high value activities, for instance, freeing up human capital in order to focus on higher value work through process efficiency, continuous improvement and centralized data and analytics capabilities. And then, secondly, just the rescaling and upskilling of the workforce on digital technologies using air and VR based training, and then intelligent video and analytics. And now they're even using wearables smart helmets for worker safety, etc. So right now, Birlasoft has really been helping customers to use digital twins out on the shop floor. And we've been doing implementations where AI is really being used to improve throughput productivity, and prevent safety issues out on the shop floor using spatial feeds, wearables, and IoT devices as well.
The first challenge is really lack of visibility into the supply chain and reacting to it. First off, is being able to really see around the corner when it comes to the supply chain. And in the past, it was just having predictable manufacturing. But now there are so many challenges, whether it be external suppliers, channel partners, labor shortages, geopolitical issues, that we really have to leverage new technology. And today, we see immersive digital twins being a key component in completing that centralized visibility of the extended supply chain. The second item is really the rising costs of R&D, and capital expenditures for production equipment, manufacturing costs with shrinking ship size, are really impacting the costs and the need to maintain those high production yields. And to that end, the technology that's really helping there are the end to end connected operations that connect the raw materials, the machines and the software, through sensors and IoT devices. And in order to do that, they're using AI and ML for intelligent production scheduling, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization, then the third item is the need to really build and train the right talent. So you have to have it a talent design model in order to address both the talent shortages and the need for specialized skills. Now, the technology that's being leveraged, there are these AI powered automation at scale. And that's enabling the workers to really focus on the high value activities, for instance, freeing up human capital in order to focus on higher value work through process efficiency, continuous improvement and centralized data and analytics capabilities. And then, secondly, just the rescaling and upskilling of the workforce on digital technologies using air and VR based training, and then intelligent video and analytics. And now they're even using wearables smart helmets for worker safety, etc. So right now, Birlasoft has really been helping customers to use digital twins out on the shop floor. And we've been doing implementations where AI is really being used to improve throughput productivity, and prevent safety issues out on the shop floor using spatial feeds, wearables, and IoT devices as well.
Speaker – Neerja - 08:11
Um, Neha,that brings me to this question. Recently, we've seen leading high tech players using mergers and acquisitions as a growth strategy, right?
Q: How important is it for SI’s to broaden their offerings to meet the evolving needs of high tech enterprises?
Um, Neha,that brings me to this question. Recently, we've seen leading high tech players using mergers and acquisitions as a growth strategy, right?
Q: How important is it for SI’s to broaden their offerings to meet the evolving needs of high tech enterprises?
Speaker – Neha - 08:28
Of course, the anyone who's been following the semiconductor industry closely knows that there's a high volume of mergers and acquisitions that have happened, you know, we can take examples of analog devices, the maximum integration, the AMD Xilinx deal, the Intel Mobileye, there's so many out there right. Now, these transactions really, you know, represent an amazing growth opportunity. But they also come with a lot of challenges, right? And challenges means ground for SI is to play, right. So when we embark on the journey, with such transformations or transformations where we have to support mergers and acquisitions, it does not really remain a technology challenge for us, right, it ends up becoming a business challenge. And it's also a huge opportunity for you know, in simple parlance, just housecleaning, right? So what applications do we have that don't serve us anymore? What are the integration opportunities? Where do we see consolidation opportunities, right? So this is a very good chunk of work for SI’s like us and especially at Birlasoft we have very mature tools and in fact, a dedicated practice to help customers transfer was this journey with tools like third eye, true CX and so on and so forth. Right. Also, our partnership with the integration platform leaders like mule soft and the likes of Microsoft, etc, has been helping the we've been working together with semiconductor leaders to help them overcome challenges. And of course, powered by our Bmark offerings in the manufacturing space. And this has meant for us in many occasions, redesigning everything right from the ERP core to at times also building the more experience led collaborative platforms for suppliers and dealers giving them full visibility of stock positions etc. And with our offerings, we actually believe and I think every SI has to be able to speak the customer's language focusing on the business problem then followed by the technology problem. Now, the high tech industry also mind you has a bearing as a huge bearing in fact on the automotive industry, right. So as more and more electric vehicles are coming to the market manufacturers have to not only balance the experience transformation, but also the Transportation Innovation, right. So from a software perspective, AI ML NLP, you know, these other technologies or mobility are the technologies that are holding the future transformations in this space apart from of course, the enablers which are 5g, Blockchain, etc. So all in all, you know, opportunities are plenty for us to grab and play for a size etc. And I think the game is just about, you know, going beyond the client's brief, pushing that extra inch and having that first mover advantage. Honestly, with so much technology noise today, our customers can at times get perplexed, on which way to go. So with the right domain knowledge and the consultative approach, we can help them separate the wheat from the chaff and focused on the real technology that works for them. Right. And for every customer. The technology that works for them is going to be different, right? So I would say very exciting space to be in, you know, consultative approach, variety of technology powering the metaverse. Never a dull day is what I can say.
Of course, the anyone who's been following the semiconductor industry closely knows that there's a high volume of mergers and acquisitions that have happened, you know, we can take examples of analog devices, the maximum integration, the AMD Xilinx deal, the Intel Mobileye, there's so many out there right. Now, these transactions really, you know, represent an amazing growth opportunity. But they also come with a lot of challenges, right? And challenges means ground for SI is to play, right. So when we embark on the journey, with such transformations or transformations where we have to support mergers and acquisitions, it does not really remain a technology challenge for us, right, it ends up becoming a business challenge. And it's also a huge opportunity for you know, in simple parlance, just housecleaning, right? So what applications do we have that don't serve us anymore? What are the integration opportunities? Where do we see consolidation opportunities, right? So this is a very good chunk of work for SI’s like us and especially at Birlasoft we have very mature tools and in fact, a dedicated practice to help customers transfer was this journey with tools like third eye, true CX and so on and so forth. Right. Also, our partnership with the integration platform leaders like mule soft and the likes of Microsoft, etc, has been helping the we've been working together with semiconductor leaders to help them overcome challenges. And of course, powered by our Bmark offerings in the manufacturing space. And this has meant for us in many occasions, redesigning everything right from the ERP core to at times also building the more experience led collaborative platforms for suppliers and dealers giving them full visibility of stock positions etc. And with our offerings, we actually believe and I think every SI has to be able to speak the customer's language focusing on the business problem then followed by the technology problem. Now, the high tech industry also mind you has a bearing as a huge bearing in fact on the automotive industry, right. So as more and more electric vehicles are coming to the market manufacturers have to not only balance the experience transformation, but also the Transportation Innovation, right. So from a software perspective, AI ML NLP, you know, these other technologies or mobility are the technologies that are holding the future transformations in this space apart from of course, the enablers which are 5g, Blockchain, etc. So all in all, you know, opportunities are plenty for us to grab and play for a size etc. And I think the game is just about, you know, going beyond the client's brief, pushing that extra inch and having that first mover advantage. Honestly, with so much technology noise today, our customers can at times get perplexed, on which way to go. So with the right domain knowledge and the consultative approach, we can help them separate the wheat from the chaff and focused on the real technology that works for them. Right. And for every customer. The technology that works for them is going to be different, right? So I would say very exciting space to be in, you know, consultative approach, variety of technology powering the metaverse. Never a dull day is what I can say.
Speaker – Neerja - 11:50
You have plenty of choices, but also plenty of homework to be done.Thank you for sharing that Neha. Kathryn, one final question coming to you
Q: In the digital AI and analytics era, how important do you think it is for high tech enterprises to modernize their core and invest in the next gen ERP transformation?
You have plenty of choices, but also plenty of homework to be done.Thank you for sharing that Neha. Kathryn, one final question coming to you
Q: In the digital AI and analytics era, how important do you think it is for high tech enterprises to modernize their core and invest in the next gen ERP transformation?
Speaker – Kathryn - 12:10
Well, it's very important to modernize the core, because without modernizing the core, they can't build upon that. And so by laying the foundation of the core, that enables them to have that transaction system to pull out of that, and build upon it. So by having the transaction system, they can have really a bold approach on their data strategy. And by using AI and M ml solutions, they can then build a customer care solution. On top of that we had a recent implementation, where it was a combination of ERP and CX on a global basis rollout. And we worked jointly with the customers and customer to really understand those business requirements. And that had a big impact then on their customer satisfaction, and made it a true customer success. The third thing that I think is really important is the cybersecurity threats that we're seeing. And the fact that once they focus on the core, they're able to then by modernizing that, really leverage cloud computing, virtualization and scalability. And that enables our robust security there, we had a recent fortune 50 Bay Area customer where we leveraged AI NML, to bring enterprise testing and security to an entirely new level. And just by establishing the center of excellence from a testing perspective, it really brought a robust security and customer service level to that client. So those are some of the key areas that that addressing the core, ERP, and then leveraging AI NML. In that data strategy, it really has brought some success to the marketplace in a new way.
Well, it's very important to modernize the core, because without modernizing the core, they can't build upon that. And so by laying the foundation of the core, that enables them to have that transaction system to pull out of that, and build upon it. So by having the transaction system, they can have really a bold approach on their data strategy. And by using AI and M ml solutions, they can then build a customer care solution. On top of that we had a recent implementation, where it was a combination of ERP and CX on a global basis rollout. And we worked jointly with the customers and customer to really understand those business requirements. And that had a big impact then on their customer satisfaction, and made it a true customer success. The third thing that I think is really important is the cybersecurity threats that we're seeing. And the fact that once they focus on the core, they're able to then by modernizing that, really leverage cloud computing, virtualization and scalability. And that enables our robust security there, we had a recent fortune 50 Bay Area customer where we leveraged AI NML, to bring enterprise testing and security to an entirely new level. And just by establishing the center of excellence from a testing perspective, it really brought a robust security and customer service level to that client. So those are some of the key areas that that addressing the core, ERP, and then leveraging AI NML. In that data strategy, it really has brought some success to the marketplace in a new way.
Speaker – Neerja - 14:18
All right, Kathryn, thank you for sharing your perspective with us. And on that note, Kathryn, if I may ask you to also wrap up this episode with a few words for our listeners, what's, you know, a way for you to conclude this topic that we've been talking about?
All right, Kathryn, thank you for sharing your perspective with us. And on that note, Kathryn, if I may ask you to also wrap up this episode with a few words for our listeners, what's, you know, a way for you to conclude this topic that we've been talking about?
Speaker – Kathryn - 14:33
I really believe it comes back to the idea of establishing the ability to predict where the ball will be in the future and as you as you look at where we are today in the marketplace, and think about the exciting technologies that we have at our disposal today. When you combine the core ERP and the add on top of that AI ML and, and the opportunities of the metaverse that it brings, it really allows you to see around the corner if you will to bring satisfactions to the customer on a new sustainable basis that we've not had in the past.
I really believe it comes back to the idea of establishing the ability to predict where the ball will be in the future and as you as you look at where we are today in the marketplace, and think about the exciting technologies that we have at our disposal today. When you combine the core ERP and the add on top of that AI ML and, and the opportunities of the metaverse that it brings, it really allows you to see around the corner if you will to bring satisfactions to the customer on a new sustainable basis that we've not had in the past.
Speaker – Neerja - 15:20
Kathyrn, Neha, thank you so much for opening our minds up a bit more to the technology of tomorrow. It's great to know that powerhouses such as yourselves are leading the charge today.
Kathyrn, Neha, thank you so much for opening our minds up a bit more to the technology of tomorrow. It's great to know that powerhouses such as yourselves are leading the charge today.
Speaker – Kathyrn – 15:33
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much.
Speaker – Neha – 15:34
Thank you for having us.
Thank you for having us.
This is tech Lyceum podcast from Birlasoft.
Speaker – Neerja – 15:44
Well, that brings us to the end of another insightful episode of Tech Lyceum all about driving technology innovations with the metaverse open AI and cloud for high tech enterprises. I hope you enjoyed this episode. We'll be back with more. Until then it's me your host Neerja signing off. Bye bye.
Well, that brings us to the end of another insightful episode of Tech Lyceum all about driving technology innovations with the metaverse open AI and cloud for high tech enterprises. I hope you enjoyed this episode. We'll be back with more. Until then it's me your host Neerja signing off. Bye bye.
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