Oracle founder Larry Ellison told a comical yet predictive tale at Oracle OpenWorld that sums up our overall musings about the show and the future we face. As per company policy, Larry gathered up his receipts from a recent business trip, and using optical character recognition, digitally submitted them to the accounting department. Almost immediately, the system rejected the submission, reporting back that $450 for a business lunch was too high. There you have it, Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work! A bit of a human touch was still needed, to understand that details of the lunch (at a restaurant Larry Ellison happens to own), and of course to realize that this expense report was from (uh hum) Larry Ellison! Suffice it to say that, yes, the IT world is changing, but never fear, even with the cloud and AI, human beings are still a valuable part of the equation.
This was Apolis’s (formerly RJT) fifth year at Oracle OpenWorld (some of our executives have been attending for 20 years now), and the takeaways were aplenty.
Takeaway #1 – How fast can we migrate to the cloud?
Whereas in previous years the conversation was “should we be migrating to the cloud?”, it’s quickly morphed into “how quickly can we migrate to the cloud?” There is no longer any doubt. The cloud computing model is here, and the industry is embracing it, asking companies like ours, “how fast can we do this?” According to Oracle CEO Mark Herd, there’s evidence that 15 percent of all US corporate-owned data centers were closed down in 2017, and the number is growing.
Takeaway #2 – Hybrid Cloud Model
During this transition to the cloud, the most realistic prediction is that many companies will have some type of Hybrid Cloud Model. Part of their solution will live in the cloud, and part will remain in the data center. We live in both worlds, and can manage both for companies going through this transition, as well as determine which cloud model is best for your enterprise.
Takeaway #3 – AI, AI, AI
Artificial Intelligence is hot, hot, hot. It’s predicted that by 2025, 100 percent of applications will come with AI already embedded. At this year’s OpenWorld, Oracle announced a new AI update to its ERP Cloud and EPM Cloud, the latest machine learning-based innovations that deliver rapid, data-driven insights, which empower the office of the CFO to embrace new business models, capitalize on new market opportunities, and increase profitability. All good news to Apolis’s clients, as we’ve already invested in AI through our Intelligent ERP (iEPR) solution.
Takeaways #4 – Don’t Worry About The Future IT Job Market
Right about now, IT folks are wondering what will become of them as AI encroaches. But Oracle says 60 percent of IT jobs haven’t even been invented yet….haven’t even been imagined. Our advice? Focus not on what your technology career is today, but what it should look like in the years to come. Stay current and invest in yourself for the future. Apolis will lead the transformation into the new cloud model through professional IT staffing and Managed Services offering the best and most current talent available.
