A century ago, the big breakthrough in telephones was the ability to dial your party’s number directly. Dialing became necessary when enough people had telephones to require a shift from people-assisted to fully automated connections. But direct dialing was only a local option – you still needed an operator to make long-distance calls. In the 1920s, commenting on their forecast for the expected growth of long-distance calling, the analysts at Bell Laboratories concluded that by midcentury, the...
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Topics:
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Business Planning,
AI and Machine Learning
It is a mark of the rapid, current pace of development in artificial intelligence (AI) that machine learning (ML) models, until recently considered state of the art, are now routinely being referred to by developers and vendors as “traditional.” Generative AI, and large language models (LLMs) in particular, have taken the AI world by storm in the past year, automating and accelerating the development of content, including text, digital images, audio and video, as well as computer programs and...
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Topics:
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Cloud Computing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Digital Technology,
natural language processing,
Analytics & Data,
Analytic Data Platforms,
AI and Machine Learning
As I have previously explained, we expect an increased demand for intelligent operational applications infused with the results of analytic processes, such as personalization and artificial intelligence-driven recommendations. These systems rely on the analysis of data in the operational data platform to accelerate worker decision-making or improve customer experience.
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Topics:
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Streaming Analytics,
Analytics & Data,
Streaming Data & Events,
operational data platforms,
AI and Machine Learning
The six costliest words in managing a finance department are, “we’ve always done it this way.” Closing the books is the process of finalizing and summarizing the financial activities of a business for a specific accounting period (typically a month, quarter, or fiscal year). It involves completing various tasks to ensure that all revenue, expense, and other financial transactions are properly recorded, accounts are balanced, and financial statements are prepared. Accounting processes are...
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Topics:
Office of Finance,
ERP and Continuous Accounting,
digital finance,
Revenue, Lease and Tax Accounting,
Consolidate/Close/Report,
AI and Machine Learning
Intelligent automation is a powerful tool that can help the CIO and IT leaders optimize business processes and outcomes while reducing costs, risks and errors. Automation takes many forms, each with its own applications, benefits and limitations. In a previous perspective, I shared how technology helps organizations automate processes and enhance workflow efficiency. This perspective explains the various types of automation enabled by artificial intelligence technologies and their applications...
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Topics:
Digital Technology,
robotic automation,
AI and Machine Learning
As we celebrate the first half of what seems to be the year of generative artificial intelligence, with an apparently unlimited discussion of use cases and bogeymen, my attention is turning to the very mundane question of costs. Specifically, how costs incurred – through investment and operation – will be distributed along the value chain and how this will affect the demand for AI ‒ by whom and for what purpose. It’s a question that needs asking even though, at this stage in the market’s...
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Topics:
Office of Finance,
Continuous Planning,
Business Planning,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
natural language processing,
digital finance,
Consolidate/Close/Report,
Continuous Supply Chain & ERP,
AI and Machine Learning
Automation uses technology to perform tasks or functions that would otherwise require human intervention or effort. Automation has existed for decades, and it takes many forms. It handles routine tasks, freeing time for knowledge workers to perform other activities that require creativity, subjectivity or empathy. Automation can also improve the quality, efficiency and consistency of business processes as well as enhance customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
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Topics:
Digital Technology,
robotic automation,
AI and Machine Learning
The publication of Ventana Research’s 2023 Operational Data Platforms Value Index earlier this year highlighted the importance of incorporating analytic processing into operational applications to deliver personalization and recommendations for workers, partners and customers. This importance is being accelerated by interest in generative AI, especially large language models. The emergence of intelligent applications has impacted the requirements for operational data platforms with the need to...
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Topics:
Analytics,
Cloud Computing,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Analytics & Data,
operational data platforms,
Analytic Data Platforms,
AI and Machine Learning
I recently attended Sage Software’s Partner Summit. Implementation partners account for most of the sales and implementation of finance and accounting applications designed for small and midsize businesses, so they are important to the success of the software vendor. These events are designed to inform partners of product enhancements and the product and technology roadmap as well as provide a perspective on market conditions and trends.
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Topics:
Office of Finance,
Business Planning,
ERP and Continuous Accounting,
digital finance,
Purchasing/Sourcing/Payments,
Consolidate/Close/Report,
AI and Machine Learning
A lot has been written about the definition of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), though less has been written about the business considerations for an organization to evaluate adopting and implementing these technologies. And more importantly, does the technology align with the Office of the CIO objectives and the goals of the business? The value of generative AI software must be put into terms that all stakeholders can relate to. And organizations cannot...
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Topics:
Digital Technology,
natural language processing,
Collaborative & Conversational Computing,
AI and Machine Learning