Latest news with #TheFuturumGroup
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
AI Innovation: 4 Steps For Enterprises To Gain Competitive Advantage
One way to become an AI front-runner is to tackle fragmented tools and solutions by putting in place an open, interoperable ecosystem. AI is everywhere, but it can be difficult for enterprises to cut through the hype to understand how to leverage the latest innovations to gain a real, measurable competitive advantage. I addressed this challenge in a conversation with Dan Newman at The Six Five Summit: AI Unleashed 2025, hosted by The Futurum Group and Moor Insights and Strategy. We spoke about the blockers that leaders face when determining where to apply generative AI to move their businesses forward and what SAP Business AI is uniquely bringing to market to help. Flowing from that conversation, here are four steps you can take, among others we touched on, that will help you become an AI front-runner. 1. Prioritize use cases with the most promise First, focus on areas of your business in which you can use AI to deliver fast, measurable value. Finance, HR, supply chain, and customer experience are among those AI front-runners often start with. As you assess your options, set aside the idea of a 'proof of concept.' Instead, develop 'proofs of value' by using your and your team's expertise, data, and imaginations to find areas where more value can be unlocked using automation or AI agents. By the way, the term 'proof of value' was first coined by AI front-runner Philippe Lalumiere, vice president of IT at Cirque du Soleil, in reference to an AI agent for accounts payable that his team designed in partnership with SAP. The key is to pinpoint what outcomes matter most to your business and choose use cases that quickly prove the value. 2. Deploy intelligent agents to simplify complex tasks Another practice of AI front-runners is the use of AI agents that span departments and systems to solve end-to-end problems. Their autonomous abilities to handle whole processes is one of the differences between an AI skill and an AI agent. A skill is a single ability, such as the ability to write a message or analyze a spreadsheet and trigger actions from that analysis. An agent independently handles complex, multi-step processes to produce a measurable outcome. We recently announced an expanded network of Joule Agents to help foster autonomous collaboration across systems and lines of business. This includes out-of-the-box agents for HR, finance, supply chain, and other functions that companies can deploy quickly to help automate critical workflows. AI front-runners, such as Ericsson, Team Liquid, and Cirque du Soleil, also create customized agents that can tackle specific opportunities for process improvement. Now you can build them with Joule Studio, which provides a low-code workspace to help design, orchestrate, and manage custom agents using pre-defined skills, models, and data connections. This can give you the power to extend and tailor your agent network to your exact needs and business context. 3. Embed AI into daily workflows To truly become an AI front-runner, you need AI woven seamlessly into how your teams work every day. You also need to ensure it works across your broader technology ecosystem. Because of these critical business needs, we created Joule to be your natural language AI interface, built right into your SAP systems. And we're adding a new Joule action bar to make it even more context-aware and better integrated with third-party tools like ServiceNow and Microsoft Copilot. It doesn't wait for you to tell it what you need. Instead, it can proactively follow your behavior and suggest helpful next actions in context across multiple SAP and non-SAP applications. This helps remove friction, so your team members don't have to toggle between tools or relearn interfaces. 4. Foster an ecosystem of interoperable, leading AI tools Another way to become an AI front-runner is to tackle fragmented tools and solutions by putting in place an open, interoperable ecosystem. After all, what good is an innovative AI tool if it runs into blockers when it encounters your other first- and third-party solutions? This is why we recently announced a tighter integration with Microsoft Copilot for productivity and partnerships with Mistral AI and Perplexity for flexible access to leading AI models. These, and many other partnerships, help teams combine multiple AI capabilities, share trusted data across systems, and drive business outcomes faster, without the headache of manual connections. Ready to lead? Here's how to get started I want to encourage you to lead, not follow, in the AI era. If you're ready to do that, there are a few ways to get started. First, go deeper on these subjects in the full Six Five Summit conversation. Then see how other companies are innovating with AI and learn what's possible through SAP Business AI. This story also appears on
West Australian
15-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang brushes off US fears that China's military will use his firm's chips
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has downplayed US fears that his firm's chips will aid the Chinese military, days ahead of another trip to the country as he attempts to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing. In an interview with CNN aired Sunday, Mr Huang said 'we don't have to worry about' China's military using U.S.-made technology because 'they simply can't rely on it.' 'It could be limited at any time; not to mention, there's plenty of computing capacity in China already,' Huang said. 'They don't need Nvidia's chips, certainly, or American tech stacks in order to build their military,' he said. The comments were made in reference to years of bipartisan U.S. policy that placed restrictions on semiconductor companies, prohibiting them from selling their most advanced artificial intelligence chips to clients in China. Huang also repeated past criticisms of the policies, arguing that the tactic of export controls has been counterproductive to the ultimate goal of US tech leadership. 'We want the American tech stack to be the global standard ... in order for us to do that, we have to be in search of all the AI developers in the world,' Huang said, adding that half of the world's AI developers are in China. That means for America to be an AI leader, U.S. technology has to be available to all markets, including China, he added. Washington's latest restrictions on Nvidia's sales to China were implemented in April and are expected to result in billions in losses for the company. In May, Huang said chip restrictions had already cut Nvidia's China market share nearly in half. Huang's CNN interview came just days before he travels to China for his second trip to the country this year, and as Nvidia is reportedly working on another chip that is compliant with the latest export controls. Last week, the Nvidia CEO met with U.S. President Donald Trump, and was warned by U.S. lawmakers not to meet with companies connected to China's military or intelligence bodies, or entities named on America's restricted export list. According to Daniel Newman, CEO of tech advisory firm The Futurum Group, Huang's CNN interview exemplifies how Huang has been threading a needle between Washington and Beijing as it tries to maintain maximum market access. 'He needs to walk a proverbial tightrope to make sure that he doesn't rattle the Trump administration,' Newman said, adding that he also wants to be in a position for China to invest in Nvidia technology if and when the policy provides a better climate to do so. CNBC
CNBC
14-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Nvidia CEO downplays U.S. fears that China's military will use his firm's chips
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has downplayed U.S. fears that his firm's chips will aid the Chinese military, days ahead of another trip to the country as he attempts to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing. In an interview with CNN aired Sunday, Huang said "we don't have to worry about" China's military using U.S.-made technology because "they simply can't rely on it." "It could be limited at any time; not to mention, there's plenty of computing capacity in China already," Huang said. "They don't need Nvidia's chips, certainly, or American tech stacks in order to build their military," he added. The comments were made in reference to years of bipartisan U.S. policy that placed restrictions on semiconductor companies, prohibiting them from selling their most advanced artificial intelligence chips to clients in China. Huang also repeated past criticisms of the policies, arguing that the tactic of export controls has been counterproductive to the ultimate goal of U.S. tech leadership. "We want the American tech stack to be the global standard ... in order for us to do that, we have to be in search of all the AI developers in the world," Huang said, adding that half of the world's AI developers are in China. That means for America to be an AI leader, U.S. technology has to be available to all markets, including China, he added. Washington's latest restrictions on Nvidia's sales to China were implemented in April and are expected to result in billions in losses for the company. In May, Huang said chip restrictions had already cut Nvidia's China market share nearly in half. Huang's CNN interview came just days before he travels to China for his second trip to the country this year, and as Nvidia is reportedly working on another chip that is compliant with the latest export controls. Last week, the Nvidia CEO met with U.S. President Donald Trump, and was warned by U.S. lawmakers not to meet with companies connected to China's military or intelligence bodies, or entities named on America's restricted export list. According to Daniel Newman, CEO of tech advisory firm The Futurum Group, Huang's CNN interview exemplifies how Huang has been threading a needle between Washington and Beijing as it tries to maintain maximum market access. "He needs to walk a proverbial tightrope to make sure that he doesn't rattle the Trump administration," Newman said, adding that he also wants to be in a position for China to invest in Nvidia technology if and when the policy provides a better climate to do so. But that's not to say that his downplaying of Washington's concerns is valid, according to Newman. "I think it's hard to completely accept the idea that China couldn't use Nvidia's most advanced technologies for military use." He added that he would expect Nvidia's technology to be at the core of any country's AI training, including for use in the development of advanced weaponry. A U.S. official told Reuters last month that China's large language model startup DeepSeek — which says it used Nvidia chips to train its models — was supporting China's military and intelligence operations. On Sunday, Huang acknowledged there were concerns about DeepSeek's open-source R1 reasoning model being trained in China but said that there was no evidence that it presents dangers for that reason alone. Huang complimented the R1 reasoning model, calling it "revolutionary," and said its open-source nature has empowered startup companies, new industries, and countries to be able to engage in AI. "The fact of the matter is, [China and the U.S.] are competitors, but we are highly interdependent, and to the extent that we can compete and both aspire to win, it is fine to respect our competitors," he concluded.
CNBC
23-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Sold out of our entire Apple position as tariffs are no-win scenario, says Clockwise's James Cakmak
Daniel Newman, The Futurum Group CEO, and James Cakmak, Clockwise Capital CIO, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss Trump's tariff threats on Apple, if the market reaction is overdone and much more.
TECHx
14-05-2025
- Business
- TECHx
NetApp Enhances Data Security with New Features
Home » Emerging technologies » Cyber Security » NetApp Enhances Data Security with New Features NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, has announced new data security capabilities designed to help organizations improve their cyber resiliency. The company stated that these updates allow security teams to take a proactive approach to data protection at the storage layer. According to NetApp, the latest security enhancements make its storage platform one of the most secure options available today. The announcement comes at a time when businesses are facing advanced cyber threats driven by the rapid growth of AI and the approaching era of quantum computing. The company emphasized that malicious actors are now using AI to automate cyberattacks. In response, enterprises must adopt machine learning and other intelligent solutions for automated threat detection. NetApp warned that with quantum computing becoming more viable, businesses must prepare for future risks by securing data that could be exposed to quantum-powered decryption. NetApp has long been recognized for its secure-by-design infrastructure. It claims to offer 99.9999% availability, giving customers uninterrupted access to their data. Building on this reputation, the company introduced several new capabilities to reinforce cyber resilience: Post-Quantum Cryptography : Now integrated into NetApp's storage portfolio, offering quantum-safe protection for file and block workloads using NIST-standard encryption algorithms. : Now integrated into NetApp's storage portfolio, offering quantum-safe protection for file and block workloads using NIST-standard encryption algorithms. BlueXP Ransomware Protection Update : Includes role-based access controls specific to ransomware defense and expanded support for cloud workloads. : Includes role-based access controls specific to ransomware defense and expanded support for cloud workloads. Backup and Recovery Enhancements: A redesigned interface enables easier adoption of 3-2-1 data protection strategies for workloads including Microsoft SQL Server, VMware, and Kubernetes. NetApp also announced expanded professional services to support security assessments and system hardening. These services aim to help customers fully utilize the built-in security features of their NetApp solutions. Suhail Hasanain, Regional Senior Director for Middle East and Africa at NetApp, said that in today's evolving threat environment, data security is a business priority. He noted that NetApp's architecture includes ransomware defense, intelligent threat detection, and encryption ready for the quantum age. Krista Case, Research Director at The Futurum Group, reported that around 80% of cybersecurity decision-makers had experienced a major security incident in the past year. She said that NetApp's new cyber resiliency tools address such challenges by offering advanced features like granular access controls and quantum-safe encryption. These updates are part of the company's BlueXP platform, which includes data classification, backup, ransomware protection, disaster recovery, and integration with SIEM tools. The Autonomous Ransomware Protection (ARP/AI) feature, which uses AI to detect ransomware at the storage layer, will be expanded later this year to include block workloads. NetApp will showcase these capabilities at RSA Conference 2025 from April 28 to May 1 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, at booth #259. The company noted that all forward-looking statements are subject to change. It also added that no ransomware defense is entirely foolproof, but NetApp technologies provide an important additional layer of protection.
