Category: Tecnologia e Gestão

Tecnologia e Gestão

What is the impact of technology on business management?

Technology is part of our daily lives, both in personal and professional life. We can no longer live without access to the Internet and without a mobile phone, so technology is increasingly playing a prominent role in our routine. In companies this is also true, as in many areas virtually all work revolves around the network. Technology has a significant impact on organizations, enabling them to improve processes and achieve better results. In today’s article, we will see how technology impacts business management!

Cost reduction

More efficient resource management significantly reduces costs. The use of technology is a great ally of good management. For example, software such as Multipeers allows you to follow in real time everything that goes on in the company, giving a global and updated view on each expense and each gain. This way, you can make immediate and conscious decisions that will benefit the business. This continuous monitoring allows us to guide the company’s investments, avoiding unnecessary losses. Also the use of cloud solutions allows to reduce equipment maintenance costs.

Better communication with stakeholders

Technology has a strong impact on the relationship with the various audiences with which the company communicates. Today, in addition to conventional means of communication such as telephone and email, companies can and should communicate with their audiences through social networks and Whatsapp. Using chatbots enables faster response to customers and this is a great competitive advantage in today’s business world as consumers are increasingly demanding to meet their needs.

Greater control over operations and processes

Automating a company’s procurement processes through technology ensures that all actions taken comply with established standards. All actions made related to purchases must be introduced in digital environment so that you can consult your history whenever there is a need to know what happened with a particular purchase. By 2020, RPA is expected to have an increasing presence in companies, allowing them to automate such processes and eliminate red tape and the likelihood of making mistakes.

Optimization of work meetings

Meetings are often longer than what was needed, which wastes a lot of time. Fortunately, there is software that allows you to plan meetings so that they do not last longer than strictly necessary. Similarly, meetings can be held via Skype and other similar programs, which eliminates the need for everyone to be physically present, reducing travel expenses.

Tecnologia e Gestão

AIOPS: memorize the term that will change the way you manage the IT area

We live in an increasingly digital era where business success depends on the technologies used. Performance problems (peaking, cyber attacks, etc.) lead to financial losses and IT operations need to work more efficiently. Digital businesses and technologies are increasing the volume, speed and variety of data. Correlation and manual analysis of data and alerts is increasingly difficult for the IT operations team, with tools in silos spread across mobile devices, the Cloud, and the mainframe. IT operations suffer from excessive noise because there are many events and many processes and it becomes humanly impossible to keep up with everything that goes on. The solution is to achieve a more efficient management with reduced costs and that is why Gartner created the term “AIOPS: Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations”. This new term aims at a change of culture to obtain more agile processes.

But, after all, what is AIOps?

This new form of IT management allows a move away from isolated operations management and provides intelligent insights that promote automation and collaboration to provide continuous improvement. AIOps uses big data, data analysis and machine learning to provide insights and a greater level of automation. Thus IT operations do not depend so much on human interaction to perform the management tasks required by modern infrastructure and software. In this way, human interaction is reduced in routine tasks and human resources are released to other areas of added value. AIOps solutions consume data from various resources and then store and provide access to them, enabling more advanced analysis.

What are the main uses of AIOps?

  • Analysis of the cause of the problems
  • Reduction of algorithms and correlation
  • Preventing problems through smart alerts
  • Intelligent automation
  • Predictive Capacity Identification
  • Agility between teams and datacenter groups

Challenges of AIOPS

This new way of managing information technologies presents numerous challenges. The first of all is resistance to change. There is still some mistrust regarding artificial intelligence and there is a fear that the automation of tasks will put people’s jobs at risk. Another challenge is data disorganization. Most companies do not have the data in an organized way and Artificial Intelligence works entirely based on reading information to perform its function. When it reads wrong information, it creates wrong standards. Lastly, another challenge in this industry is the lack of planning. Some companies implement IA not to be out of the market or because the competitor deployed and had good results. However, each case is a case and if there is no planning on what the company expects of the machine and if there is insufficient and well structured data, the whole investment falls to the ground. It is necessary to do market research and evaluate the pros and cons of technology and its applicability to the business.

 

AIOps adds value to organizations. In the future, it will play a very important role in increasing the efficiency of IT teams and will facilitate the adoption of next-generation complex technologies that traditional solutions are unable to cope with. Digital transformation requires AIOps because with this new concept, IT teams can automatically analyze large volumes of digital data and solve difficult problems faster.

Tecnologia e Gestão

Are companies ready to adopt RPA technology? (part 1)

By Adriano Ribeiro, CEO & partner bwd and Rui Raposo, CCO & partner bwd

RPA is a type of software that mimics the activity of a human being in performing a task within a process and who can perform repetitive tasks more quickly, accurately and relentlessly, freeing humans to perform other tasks that require capabilities such as emotional intelligence, reasoning, and complex interaction with clients or suppliers.

In bwd we usually say that the RPA takes the robot out of the human being.

In a Back-Office process, the “normal” human collaborator has a high number of repetitive, routine tasks that are sad and uninteresting. As a result, this new wave of automation, using RPA, is being driven by the same reasons that first brought robotics and automation to the workplace: freeing human workers of dirty, boring or dangerous tasks; to improve quality, eliminate errors and reduce the variability of results. And, of course, reduce costs.

There is, however, a concern in the minds of people: can there be a connection between the shift from these tasks to robots and the reduction of employment for humans?

The only direct relationship that can be established is the passage to the robots of repetitive tasks that waste the potential of human intervention. With the use of robots, “humans” can be used where human thinking is necessary, with all its aspects, such as creativity.

But after all, what applications has RPA – why is its application growing exponentially?

Organizations are handling ever-increasing workloads. There will be an exponential amount of work that coincides with the exponential increase of data -50 percent more each year. We also have the factor of massive increase in audit regulation and bureaucracy. We need automation to relieve the stress these activities create on organizations.

For example, highly regulated industries, such as insurance and banking, are finding that automation is an inexpensive and quick way to apply superior capability in responding to the compliance problem.

The RPA also allows better service and greater attention to the customer, since it allows more power in the whole process. In an organization where customer inquiries are regular, for example, it can free staff to deal with more complex issues. Its users can create intelligent robots that mimic human actions while driving continuous improvement using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. These intelligent robots interact in harmony with applications, and with any legacy system, portal or database, aggregating data, transforming it into useful information, triggering responses and communicating between organizational systems, Web sites and desktop applications. They are an excellent complement to human work.

So what tasks can the robot do concretely?

Robots can be used in multiple activities. Just as an example, we can list some:

  • Processing of returns in e-commerce, a task that is significantly time-consuming when executed manually;
  • Workflow Management, encompassing both workflow management and other HR processes, such as shift allocation, payment map management and employee license, which can be performed more productively by RPA;
  • Management of customer support, which with RPA runs uninterrupted 24 hours a day including automation of processes such as feedback collection;
  • ERP management, performing integrations of central systems with inventory systems and front-office systems, which ensures efficient management of logistics activities and the value chain, as well as permanent monitoring of the level of stocks;
  • Accounting and financial area, including order and invoice processing, management of accounts payable and accounts receivable, reconciliation of accounts, payment orders, reports, consolidation of account information among numerous other tasks, can be managed by RPA, such as transactions between several departments and divisions that need to be registered and updated and consolidated in the ERP;
  • Marketing and Consumer Behavior Analysis, campaigns can be repeated without manual effort, which enables an adjustment in strategies based on the analysis, while RPA will help to measure the effectiveness of new strategies;
  • Demand and supply planning – a complex task that requires research and data collection, formatting and execution of simulations, finding exceptions, tasks that can be automated and simplified using RPA technology;
  • Logistics and Value Chain Management – automation of e-mails by RPA means the possibility of automatically executing the sending of an email or text when an order is reserved, sent, delayed or delivered, which is also very useful maintaining stock levels and creating notifications when products reach extremely low levels or thresholds. After evaluating previous orders, RPA can help determine optimal order levels to improve procurement, reduce costs, and reduce waste.

Are the tasks not confined to data processing?

Data collection and processing are among the immediate features of RPA, however, intelligent analysis and processing tasks are unlimited.

(to be continued…)

Tecnologia e Gestão

5 Myths about digital transformation you need to eliminate right now

Digital transformation can mean profound changes in an organization. When applied correctly, it can bring huge benefits to the company and result in increased profits and reduced expenses. Digital transformation is a process that must be well analyzed before its implementation, because a wrong decision when applying this concept can seriously damage the company. Digital transformation is surrounded by myths, that is, preconceived ideas that make businessmen look suspiciously and fearfully at this wave of change. In today’s article, we present some of the advantages of digital transformation and 5 myths that you need to eliminate right now!

Main advantages

Increased competitiveness

Digital transformation makes processes more fluid and managing all departments of the company becomes an easier and more intuitive task. The definition, implementation and improvement of business processes for a more practical and facilitative approach is the goal of adopting new technologies in business.

Improved customer satisfaction

Technology enables customers to become closer to brands and establish a stronger loyalty relationship. With the use of social media, nowadays it is possible to make a presence in the daily life of potential clients through sharing and special offers. Companies are also adopting the sending of special offers by SMS and e-mail, which makes the customer feel special.

Opportunity to innovate

When companies implement digital transformation in their business, they are able to include improvements in their processes, thus promoting innovation. They also have greater scope to innovate their products and services because the inclusion of new technologies allows them to include significant improvements in their offer.

Reduction of costs

The main concern of managers is always to find ways to reduce business costs. Digital transformation, particularly in the use of cloud services, enables companies to significantly reduce their operating costs. Using this technology allows you to reduce or even eliminate your local IT infrastructure, reduce the volume of impressions and hold meetings via Skype, eliminating long travel expenses.

Demystifying preconceived ideas…

Myth 1: Digital transformation is a unique function of IT

The modernization of how technology is applied in the enterprise is a responsibility of all sectors and not just the IT sector. This process of transformation must begin at the top of the organization, which defines the strategy to be adopted by top managers. It is necessary that the example comes from the superior management so that later the changes apply in the other areas. All areas are affected by digital transformation, as sales, marketing, production and many other activities are “victims” of the change that this transformation brings. The IT department is important in this process, as it should support all areas.

Myth 2: Digital transformation only applies to large companies

Transforming the business, the processes, the approach and the relationships so that they evolve is already indispensable for the success of the companies. Small businesses are not left out of this new paradigm. Well-implemented digital transformation can help small businesses grow significantly as it improves processes and reduces costs. This cost savings can then be applied to investments that make the company evolve faster.

Myth 3: Digital transformation is the best way for all companies

When a concept is in vogue, one easily falls into the mistake of thinking that since it is fashionable it is suitable for everyone. However, digital transformation is a complex process that goes far beyond simply updating software. This new way of working is not a standard recipe that can be followed by all companies and therefore it is fundamental to evaluate the impacts that this transformation will have for the business, evaluating risks and expenses.

Myth 4: Digital transformation will reduce many jobs

Unfortunately, this is one of the most common myths with regard to technology. There are still many people who think that the evolution of technology will transform the World in a place populated by robots that will perform our functions. Nothing is more wrong than this thought. Although digital transformation uses artificial intelligence, there must be human resources capable of dealing with this intelligence and adapting it to the true reality of the company. Digital transformation aims to reduce monotonous work, fine-tune processes, and improve company results. Human interaction in companies is absolutely imperative, so it is completely unfounded to think that people will be discarded at the end of their implementation.

Myth 5: Digital transformation ends at the moment of its implementation

Implementation is just the beginning of a journey through the digital world. Digital transformation must be seen as a continuous process, since it is necessary to constantly evaluate the reality of the company and the business scenarios that exist at each moment. Only in this way can you find the right tools to improve business processes.

Digital transformation in business is increasingly a necessity and is no longer seen as just a fad. Nowadays, a company that doesn’t exist online is almost as if it did not exist and is easily surpassed by the competition. Digital technologies have redefined the way companies do business, changed how we relate to customers and how we communicate. Forrester research reveals that big business owners expect 47% of total sales to be influenced by digital media by 2020. It’s time to turn your business! Are you prepared for this transformation?

Tecnologia e Gestão

How to create an information security policy for your business

The protection of information of companies is the theme of the moment, due to the arrival of the new general regulation of protection of data. Companies are increasingly digital and without the prevention of data loss, their security is seriously compromised. Corporate security policy is an essential tool to ensure your data remains safe. In today’s article, we leave you important tips for creating an information security policy in your company.

What is a security policy?

The security policy is a document developed by the company that records the principles of security that the company adopts and that must be followed by the employees. The security policy should be applied to all information systems, both desktop and mobile. For policy to be respected, it is essential that top managers participate in the implementation.

How to create a good information security policy?

  • Define employee accountability: establish fines for misuse of company IT resources. There should also be rules on access to websites and recommendations on the use of the provided electronic devices.
  • Training: there should be practical training in the presentation of information security policy. The company must collect individual statements from its employees, committing themselves to comply with the rules contained in the document. This manual should be easily accessible to employees and should be reviewed frequently so that it is kept up-to-date.
  • Name a person in charge: the company must appoint a responsible person to monitor compliance with the information security policy. This employee should be responsible for detecting breaches and violations of the rules.
  • Make the security policy known: the document must be approved by the company’s human resources department. The rules in this document must be in accordance with the labor laws and the internal manual of the employees. After approval by the human resources, top managers should also do their approval.
  • Adopt a disaster recovery plan: disaster recovery plans are essential for planning actions that ensure that a disaster does not interfere with the company’s performance. In addition to this proactive action, disaster recovery plans also have a reactive action, through the action of carrying out emergency actions, previously planned and that guarantee the immediate resolution of problems. Disaster recovery is still defined as the set of procedures to be performed in crisis situations. The ultimate goal is to leapfrog your company data so your information stays safe and sound.

 

“Better safe than sorry” is an absolute truth when it comes to your company’s information security. Get to know IT PEERS security solutions and protect your data!

Tecnologia e Gestão

What changes in companies with artificial intelligence?

We are in a new era: we are currently in the age of artificial intelligence and there is no escape for it. Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel, even assures that all companies will be affected by this new technology. The truth is that given the technological developments we are seeing, if companies don’t adapt to the current situation, they will easily be replaced by their competitors. But after all, what changes in companies with artificial intelligence?

First of all, what is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is the ability that machines have to think like humans. It defines their ability to learn, think and decide autonomously and intelligently. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a recent concept. It first emerged in 1956 by John McCarthy, a university professor who used the term to describe a distant world in which machines would be able to solve all problems that until then were solved exclusively by humans.

What changes in companies?

Better use of data

Artificial intelligence helps to compile data and analyze daily experiences to find patterns and ways of improvement. The artificial intelligence systems of data analysis independently calculate the information in order to generate insights essential for a correct decision making. With experience, machines will be able to learn how to predict behavior of employees and customers.

Chatbots will be the future

Chatbots are the stars of artificial intelligence. They are linked to the company’s database and use common language to talk to customers. They are able to recognize names and phone numbers to predict customer behavior. They are very intelligent systems in that they store the essential information so they can refer customers to the areas they need to consult. Ryanair, for example, already uses this system to talk to customers.

More effective management

Artificial intelligence helps companies to interconnect all their information, which plays a very important role in management decisions. A company that analyzes your information in real time and has all the important business information in one place will be able to make more assertive and successful decisions, which enhances the success of the business. Multipeers is therefore an increasingly necessary tool in today’s businesses.

Elimination of more bureaucratic tasks

Artificial intelligence helps employees stop wasting time on overly bureaucratic and administrative tasks. Through rules, it is possible for robots to perform the function of personal assistants, giving information on day-to-day tasks, meeting schedules, and travel times.

Tecnologia e Gestão

7 tips to reduce IT costs

Information technologies are essential for companies that want to ensure a good operational routine. Companies are increasingly computerized and we live in an increasingly technological environment. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in information technology. However, many managers consider these investments to be very high and this mindset ultimately makes companies obsolete. In today’s article, we present 7 tips to reduce IT costs while maintaining all organizational efficiency!

Delete the software licenses you don’t use

Software licenses are often expensive and companies often pay for software they don’t use. Thus, it is advisable to regularly review all the software licenses the company pays for and analyze their real importance to the business. Not worth paying for software that is never used!

Form the collaborators

Often companies make the mistake of not properly training employees to use a particular software. This will cause people to make mistakes repeatedly and the company incurring superfluous costs. Training the workforce to properly utilize technology tools ensures greater process efficiency, increases productivity, and dramatically reduces IT costs.

Automation is the way

Many tasks in the area of ​​information technologies are quite repetitive. Automating processes is a way to reduce IT costs, as it is not necessary to highlight a collaborator to be exclusively dedicated to monotonous tasks. Automation reduces the time that the tasks take to execute and decreases the probability of human error.

Cloud Storage

The Cloud has come to stay and is very useful for reducing IT costs related to data storage. Transferring the entire IT infrastructure to the cloud is a way to reduce costs and increase the security of company information. In addition, by using this storage method, the manager can access information from anywhere in the world and from any device.

Privilege SaaS

Using software as a service can change your entire IT area. SaaS is a secure, simple and remotely managed solution. Equipment maintenance costs are eliminated because the service provider is responsible for this maintenance. Using the software in this way is one of the trends of the future and is already used by many companies.

Use fewer servers

Many companies use multiple servers, all with low individual performance and high costs. To minimize this problem, it is advisable that these servers be replaced by more powerful ones that concentrate all processes. Often companies use 5 servers and if they used only one they would have lower costs and better results.

Use videoconferencing

This is one of the easiest ways to reduce IT costs. Meetings can be held using videoconferencing technology as this reduces travel, accommodation and food costs. In addition, videoconferencing meetings are usually of shorter duration, which frees employees to perform their responsibilities and, as a result, the company’s productivity increases.

Tecnologia e Gestão

Do you know what Fog Computing is?

Storage methods evolve daily, with the goal of becoming more dynamic and efficient. After Cloud Computing comes the term Fog Computing, a differential factor to apply with the concept of Internet of Things. With this new technology, much has been researched on the methods of correctly performing the process and treatment of all the generated data. Fog Computing plays a very important role in this process and in today’s article we will explain everything about this new method of storage!

What is Fog Computing?

Imagine a smart city where there is a smart traffic camera that detects the pattern of lights from an ambulance and immediately sends that information to the traffic lights so they can be opened so the ambulance can pass. If this information has to be processed and sent to the Cloud and then sent to the semaphore, there is a waste of time that can be crucial. Fog Computing is about saving traffic and sending time to the cloud, making it possible to directly process the equipment, without the need to send information to the Cloud.

Fog Computing works in the same way as Cloud, but is closer to users and equipment, speeding up processes and reducing network traffic, especially in environments that don’t have high bandwidth. Fog Computing mainly facilitates the processing of the Internet data of Things. Fog Computing aims to increase the capacity of the computer and storage in the cloud across the network. Fog Computing is an intermediate layer between Cloud and hardware, which enables more efficient processing, analysis and storage of data.

Fog Computing and Internet of Things

According to the Business Insider, by 2021 almost 6 trillion dollars will be invested in the global marketplace in Internet of Things. This means that if these numbers happen, the current Cloud Computing systems will not be able to handle the full volume of data, and it is necessary to use add-ins. And that’s where Fog Computing comes in. In this new reality, it is necessary to establish processes that precede Cloud Computing, that manage and analyze the environment so that they store what is really necessary and important, so that there are quicker answers to certain questions.

 

Fog Computing offers a combination of increased computing power, increased storage capacity and services on the network and intends to address and resolve any limitations of Cloud Computing. Basically, the great goal of this term that is now emerging is to deal with the data that is created on a daily basis.

Tecnologia e Gestão

Machines vs. Humans: Enemies or Good Allies?

Customer service is increasingly automated. This is due to the increasing demand of consumers, who are looking for faster and more efficient responses. The business world, over the next few years, will have a greater dependence on machines and this causes many people to look at them with mistrust and fear. But are machines and humans, enemies or can they be good allies?

Machines vs. Humans

A study by Gartner concluded that by 2020, 85% of the times that consumers will relate to business will be without any human intervention. However, we should not think that machines will dominate the world and end human interaction. In fact, what this means is that human beings will increasingly have control over technology, using it in a more intelligent way and freeing employees from bureaucratic and repetitive tasks.

What changes in the main sectors

Medicine: In the United States, 98% of prostate surgeries are done with the help of robots. We can say that computers make the work of healthcare professionals more efficient, reducing the duration of surgeries and drastically reducing the risk of error. It is estimated that in 2018 the health technology area will create 35,000 new jobs.

Education: distance learning is already a reality in many countries. Currently, there are robot teachers who are able to teach and correct tests. There are a thousand robots of this type all over the World. Students demand that education be adapted to the reality they know and this reality is technological. Thus, distance learning will increasingly be the preferred way of learning.

Banks: The influence of machines in the banking sector is mainly related to the possibility of each user being able to access their account anywhere in the World. In 2012 there was an 84% fall in job creation in the banking sector in relation to the previous year. Technology has in fact reduced the need for professionals, such as cash operators. On the other hand, increased the need for IT professionals.

Agriculture: this is one of the sectors most affected by the entry of new technologies. In this area, irrigation and harvesting machines greatly increase productivity. The replacement of men by machines in this sector is a reality. However, it is also necessary here to have good IT professionals, which proves that if on the one hand machines replace human labor, on the other they create new needs.

Marketing and sales: Easy access to the Internet and increasing use of social media has changed the way people view consumption. At the sales level, it is becoming easier to consume. People can buy products from around the world from a mobile phone. The user experience has evolved a lot in this sector, because it is now possible for people to “experience” clothing from a distance, to see if they like a piece or not. At the marketing level, automation allows promotional campaigns to be increasingly targeted to the specific needs of each citizen, which greatly improves their experience.

 

Machines and humans don’t have to be enemies. In fact, when technology is well used, who wins is Man. The World has evolved at an amazing rate and citizens need to keep up to date so they don’t risk losing their jobs!

Tecnologia e Gestão

Top 5: Technology Myths You Need to Eliminate Right Now

Over time, many misconceptions are fixed in our thinking. The world of technology is one of the richest in myths. It’s time to eliminate preconceived ideas that are false and that disrupt your relationship with technology! In today’s article, we cover the top 5 technology myths you need to eliminate right now!

“MacBooks are immune to virus attacks”

For a long time, Apple pretended that its computers, unlike the machines of Microsoft, were immune to viruses. However, in 2012, a malware like Trojan affected thousands of Mac computers, throwing away the (very useful) myth of Apple. There are still many people who believe that Mac is completely immune to virus attacks, but that’s a myth!

“Charging the electronic devices many times destroy the battery”

This myth was real until a few years ago. However, modern lithium-ion batteries are smarter, knowing when they are 100 percent charged and no longer charging when they reach the maximum battery. It is advised that charging 20% ​​of computers, tablets and mobile phones is ideal for the longevity of the device.

“You should not invest in management systems in times of crisis”

This is one of the most dangerous myths for business survival. Moments of crisis force companies to have greater control over their finances. As a rule, in these periods there is a decrease in the number of employees, which will cause people to be overloaded and the management systems can be very useful in these phases. The adoption of a management system in times of economic recession is essential to ensure greater control over spending and budgets and allows streamlining processes, increasing the productivity of the company. Investing in a management system can be the first (and the most important) step to get out of a less good situation.

“The more tools you use, the more productive you will be”

Sometimes, less is more and in the case of companies and management tools this applies. Many managers believe that using multiple tools simultaneously will be more productive, but what happens is just the opposite, because the focus is dispersed across multiple programs and data sources. At the data analysis level, it is advisable to use a BAM tool such as Multipeers, because the manager will be able to know what is going on in his organization through a single dashboard that collects information from the various data sources of the company. This way, the manager doesn’t need to consult 3 or 4 programs, which avoids wasting time and increases productivity.

“Just keep the system up to date is enough to be protected”

Unfortunately, protecting your system from computer attacks is not that easy. Updating the system already puts the company at risk, so it is critical not to have the automatic updates. It is essential to analyze all the risks of the update, to see if after being updated the system becomes more vulnerable. While keeping your programs and systems up-to-date is important, but it is not enough to prevent attacks. It is important that you train your employees to behave correctly when it comes to data security, as this is a responsibility of all members of an organization.