The buzz: “We’re on the path to treating cities like living entities with biosignatures waiting to be decoded and leveraged” (Hatem Zeine www.forbes.com). Faced with major weather events, aging infrastructure and more demanding consumer expectations, the utility industry is in the midst of unprecedented change. Digitalization, intelligent technologies and data are helping utilities and cities operate more efficiently, engage better with customers and become resourceful stewards of the world’s electricity, gas and water. The experts speak. Jay Millar, Itron: “Prediction is hard, especially when it is about the future” (Karl K. Steincke). David Harkness, Xcel Energy: “To be the man, you gotta beat the man” (Rick Flair). Michael O’Donnell, SAP: ‘It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles ... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” (Theodore Roosevelt). Join us for Digitalization: Powering Utilities and Smart Cities.

The buzz: “92% of B2B buyers say that they prefer to buy online, while Gartner analysts estimate that by 2019, 41% of all revenue across all industries will come from digital channels.” (multichannelmerchant.com) It was inevitable. B2B customers expect a consumer-grade shopping experience. They’re 60% through the buying process before talking to a vendor and demanding convenience, pricing transparency, try-before-you-buy, personalized service, easy purchasing and help with complex purchases. How to deliver? Digital marketplaces. The experts speak. Tim Yates, DataXstream: “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors....” (G. Washington). Diane Fanelli, SAP: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent…It is the one that is the most adaptable to change” (L.C. Megginson). Steve Kohn, SAP: “It always seems impossible until it is done” (N. Mandela). Join us for The Amazon Effect: Digital Marketplaces for B2B Customers.

The buzz: “Disruptors don’t set out to beat you at your own game—they change the rules” (Kai Riemer). Companies are choosing to disrupt the status quo with intelligent technologies in order to create the flexibility, agility, and scalability for the next generation of their business. What do you call disruption with this kind of purpose? Transformation. Trends are emerging as companies establish strategies for modernizing in the cloud to get ready to integrate Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet of Things. The experts speak. Michael Harding, Virtustream: “Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right” (Jerry Garcia). Sebastiaan Foppema, smartShift Technologies: “Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday” (Steve Jobs). Uddhav Gupta, SAP: “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on” (Eugene Raudsepp). Join us for Disrupting with Purpose Through Intelligent Technologies.

The buzz: “In coming years, the most intelligent organizations will need to blend technology-enabled insights with a sophisticated understanding of human judgment, reasoning, and choice” (sloanreview.mit.edu/article/building-a-more-intelligent-enterprise). Reality check: Digital disruption and the push for innovation are already impacting every industry, every company, every line of business. Are you ready to make the digitalization leap to become a strong intelligent enterprise? The experts speak. Tim Yates, DataXstream: “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience George Washington). Craig Stasila, SAP: “Perfect always takes so long Because It don’t exist” (Jeff Rosenstock). Join us for Jumping to Intelligent Technologies: How High is the Hurdle?

The buzz: “When digital transformation is done right, it’s like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but when done wrong, all you have is a really fast caterpillar” (George Westerman). Businesses are facing challenges managing disruption due to leaps in technology. Despite attempts at innovation to achieve digital transformation, many continue to react to changes instead of leading change in their industries. Can Intelligent Technologies help strategic decision makers build the digital backbone for your intelligent enterprise and seize the upside of risk? The experts speak. Ben Zimmerman, EY: “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination” (Jimmy Dean). Michael Ruiz, EY: “The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you” (Neil deGrasse Tyson). Justin Somaini, SAP: “The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last” (Oscar Wilde). Join us for Intelligent Technologies: Turning Digital Uncertainty Into Competitive Advantage.

The buzz: “Vertical AI uses AI to disrupt specific industries…data labor intensive where humans still participate in a significant part of data workflows.” (Yuval Ariav). The hype about intelligent technologies like AI has business leaders experiencing fear, wonder and hope about how it could revamp the enterprise. But on their ‘AI Nirvana’ transformation journey, they discover one-size-fits-all AI doesn't exist. Now the market is seeing a new software category: vertical-industry-specific AI-driven solutions. Will Vertical AI change the landscape of enterprise software? The experts speak. Dr. Mohamed Aly, Seeloz: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” (Napoleon Hill). Al Carmona, Mars & Co.: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi). Geoffrey Glaser, SAP: “We tend to treat eating and diets as one size fits all. But the human body is very personalized” (Denise Morrison). Join us for Vertical AI: The Path to Enterprise Transformation.

The buzz: “Tax technology is emerging as one of the most important enablers of effective tax department design and delivery” (kpmg.com). With the U.S. Supreme Court’s South Dakota v Wayfair ruling on June 21, 2018, states can require remote sellers to collect sales and use tax on out-of-state transactions if they reach certain economic nexus thresholds. The ruling’s ripple effects place new demands on how businesses manage, calculate and report tax. Can technology help your business ease the burden to collect, remit, and report on tax liabilities, become compliant, and reduce potential liability risks? The experts speak. Michael Bernard, Vertex: “I'm not trying to cause a big sensation I'm just talkin' 'bout my generation” (The Who). Les Jackson, Deloitte: “You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club” (Bull Durham). Knut Barthel, SAP: “My hovercraft is full of eels” (Monty Python). Join us for New Tax Burdens: Can Technology Rescue Your Business?