CCC Talks

Gen Z will be a quarter of the workforce in about 6 years. This generation is coming with demands and requests that the current labor community needs to apprehend in an open-minded way. The technological advancements contributed to a blast of speed in communication over the world which enabled this generation to speak up on their needs and dreams. That also covers the work environment.

And that is what our guest Raven Solomon is here in this episode to talk about. She walks us through the differences and similarities of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers and how to make sure to communicate and collaborate in respect, honesty, and transparency for a successful future of work.

We are in an industrial revolution that’s going very fast for organizations and for the generations going through it. IT professionals and digital leaders have to make hard decisions and choices on a daily basis.
Tina Clements, Corporate Facilitator, amongst many other things, explains how digital transformation has to happen and is happening fast because of the technology advancements but how at the same time, digital leaders need to take the time to understand the needs of their people.

In this episode, Tina Frey Clements walks us through the challenges organizations face being multi-layered, differs from the leader's generation to the newer ones, and how listening and opening the conversation will lead to a successful transformation.

Living between disruptions and abnormal is something we are starting to get used to. The pandemic has pushed us to new ways of living but we’re only speaking for ourselves, our generation. Thousands of years ago, disruptions happened, hundreds of years ago, they happened as well. For humankind, disruption is not new but the rise of technology has now a central place.

In this episode, Ade McCormack shows us how to stay grounded and explains that digital is at the core of our lives and we, as a society, need to make a change in the way we behave in order to strive in this digital chaos.

Over the past years, many industries have taken a strong interest in IoT with the implementation of 5G, connected hardware, and all. But what are the foundations of building an IoT solution? Nobody ever asks for an IoT solution right away.

In this episode, Gayatri Sirure walks us through the building blocks of IoT with her experience in exposing the problem before the solution, with her view on what are the first pillars to have before enabling IoT in an organization.

Digital Transformation is the term of the decade. Anyone can find a tremendous amount of articles, news, and other forms of content on the topic, and eventually, get lost in this overwhelming subject. But what is it really about? Can we really pinpoint the definition of Digital Transformation?

We decided to open the discussion and ask David Jones, who is a very experienced marketer who specialized in IT Vendors and digital organizations.  He tells us more than the cryptic steps and processes of digital transformation.

In this episode, David Jones explores the inner workings of IT organizations, he takes us through what it means to go through organizational change and phases of adaptation with new technology advancements. More than that, he brings us back to reality with tangible examples and anecdotes.

As technology advances, we are losing sight of who it should be benefiting from. Indeed, we humans have started to fall behind in caring for one another. In many ways, the pandemic has had a great impact on our society, one of the few which is positive is people coming together even remotely to care for one another. In organizations, this phenomenon is unknown but starting to make a hit as the old ways are not accepted anymore.

Elaine Montilla, our guest, says no to the old ways. In this episode, she tells us about her journey as a woman from a minority, as a respected professional, as a leader, and above all as a human. Explaining that inclusivity and diversity are how to make individuals and therefore teams and organizations on the way to a successful future. She is with us, now more than ever, spreading the word on self-acceptance, positivity, and equity for better leadership.

In a world where data is king, the digitalization of our society makes us surrounded and even overwhelmed by it. However, data sets are a language made for computers to communicate with other computers, and being able to understand how it works is not enough. It is, now more than ever, necessary to comprehend and decipher data in a way the human brain can process it.

In this episode, Caroline Goulard walks us through the journey of Data Visualization and how human-data interactions can be improved with the right processes and the right mindset.

The pandemic of COVID19 has forced many organizations to fasten their digital transformation efforts. In the sector of higher education, the stakes are high. The efforts are multiple dimensions, considering the staff, the professors who, more than teaching, also need to be at the forefront of research and being able to prepare the future workforce filling their classrooms. 

From virtual campuses to maintaining a competitive advantage facing the easiness of finding information online, opportunities and challenges are facing higher education. Alain Goudey, Chief Digital Officer at Neoma Business School will describe in detail the initiatives that were taken and the various aspects that are inherent to the momentum of disruption we are currently living.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way companies develop products. The demand has changed, the lifecycle of products needs to be longer, it needs to be able to be updated,  mobile, and more than anything, it needs to be connected. The internet and the rise of connected products are not only changing the consumption behavior of society but companies need to adapt to this change by thinking differently about how their product will behave and with the help of IoT, companies can now understand how their products are used by retrieving the data of their sold devices instantly. Robert Heerekpp is an Internet of Things consultant who has bathed in the world of IoT since the beginning and made it his mission to help organizations with their IoT challenges. In this new episode of CCC Talks, he helped us understand the impact on business, but also on society as it moves forward in the digital era.

Digital transformation is about how companies can adopt technology to become faster, more efficient, and more innovative. An organization that is going through this type of change needs a clear perspective and a lot of guidance.

In our CCC Talks episode of today, we talk with Arnaud van Rietschoten, Head of Information Technology Operations at SEBA Bank AG, about the importance of digital transformation, DevOps, and organizational efficiency. We touch upon subjects such as the culture of changing, ShuHaRi way of working, IT knowledge and much more.

Cloud enables organizations to operate more efficiently and contributes to a better execution of the corporate strategy. Over the years, we have started to more thoroughly understand how Cloud works and how we can use its unique value proposition for the benefit of the firm.

In this episode of CCC Talks, we discuss with Laudon Williams, a Podcast Host, Digital Transformation Expert and Author and Evangelist at AWS about the ways Cloud fosters value creation within an organization. We talk about constraints that were overcome due to Cloud, knowledge-gap about the Cloud within a company, and how technology can increase sales and make the cost of failure significantly cheaper.

AI is quite the trend since the past few years but companies have come to realize that it is not only about “doing AI”. It is an investment without certainty of return. There is more to AI than automation and its implementation is a road with bumps if not managed in a way that involves trust, change management, communication and talent management. Massimo Belloni, Data Scientist and Machine Learning Engineer takes us on a journey of the fresh days of AI and ML at HousingAnywhere, a scale-up in need of a fraud detection system that would help keep their marketplace safe and sound. Don’t miss out on this eye-opening episode.

IoT is slowly and steadily changing the way we live our lives. The applications of the Consumer Internet of Things can range from very simple fitness devices to complex home automation applications. IoT offers a ton of opportunities and has various advantages, such as increased customer satisfaction and maximizing profit performance.

In this CCC Talks Episode, we are discussing the adoption of IoT practices within Appliance and Consumer Electronics with Arpit Chhabra, the CEO & Co-Founder of IOTfy Solutions. We argue on how IoT can help solving real-world problems, how important is “the alignment” within a company for preventing failure, and we are examining some success stories of increasing revenue through IoT. Moreover, our guest shares with us the main challenges he encountered in the IoT Appliances and Consumer Electronics field and how you can tackle the pitfalls with more thorough preparation.

The advancement of technology triggered companies to embrace digitalization. IoT has a substantial technical, social, and economic significance and companies are rushing to make use of it. IoT reduces operational costs, improves productivity, enhances efficiency, and automates a multitude of tasks.

Our guest, Adela Mehic-Dzanic, a female tech leader, is sharing her experience as a Managing Director at Tele2, and much more. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of digitalization, as well as the biggest challenges that companies might find themselves in. Our guest has shared important key lessons for companies that want to implement IoT and don’t want to lose tons of money. Also, we tackled subjects such as what it means to be the only woman at the table, data security and privacy concerns, as well as advice for a smooth digital transformation.

Technology advancements and the necessity to improve performance have pushed an increasing number of organisations to adopt the Cloud. Up until five years, companies were reluctant towards the change, primarily because there was a lack of trust for such a new thing. Some might wonder if Cloud is a threat to IT job positions, or whether it will yield positive results in the long run. However, Cloud is a wonderful solution for the storage and access of data and programs over the internet rather than through a computer’s hard drive.

In this episode of CCC Talks, we meet with Barry Luijbregts, the owner & Microsoft Azure Architect at Waarde door IT, a Pluralsight Author and a podcaster at the “Developer Weekly” podcast. Barry puts light on what exactly Could is, what are the challenges and biggest advantages of companies transitioning to it. We also reflect on the Cloud’s impact on jobs, the importance of Degrees for IT people, and key-wisdom about digital transformation.

Last decade, we have witnessed enormous progress towards workplace equality. Despite that, women still remain underrepresented in the technology workplace. This gender imbalance represents a missed opportunity for women and society, but as well for businesses. A growing number of studies find support for the idea that a diverse workplace, including an equitable gender balance, improves business performance. The problem is that few environments foster inclusivity and diversity in the tech industry. A little girl might be interested in coding and technology, but if she won’t have the support from the community around, the chances that she will lose interest along the way is very high.

Our guest, Tarah Beyers, Lead Product Owner at Target, has emphasized the importance of fostering inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. We have discussed the societal impediments that deter girls from having a career in technology, the importance of mentorship and coaching programs, and how to get rid of imposter syndrome. Most importantly, this episode is very motivational, abundant in positive predictions about the changes that GenZ is going to make and tricks on how women (and not only) should continue with their passion in tech and positive predictions about the changes that GenZ is going to make.

The disruptive potential of Blockchain is, as of 2020, already very well established. In order for Blockchain to reach maturity and be successful, however, there are still some major obstacles to be surpassed. The matter of 'trust' is one of such concerns yet to be appropriately addressed. Ironically, there is a widespread unawareness that Blockchain is built on providing trust and transparency. This arises, in part, due to a lack of understanding of Blockchain. Most organizations are still far from knowing what it is, what it does and how it can benefit them. 

John deVadoss, President and Head of Development of Neo Blockchain, Partner at Outliers Fund and Board Member for InterWork Alliance, helps us gain some clarity on this topic. What can organizations do to gain competitive advantage from Blockchain? What success cases of Blockchain use are there? These are only some of the questions John tackles in this captivating episode of CCC Talks. Don't miss it.

IoT may reveal to be more important than the Internet itself. Its market is expected to reach USD 1,102.6 billion (yes, billion!) by 2026 and an increasing number of professionals are upskilling themselves in this field. Yet, there’s room for organizations to be more daring. Even some major players are somewhat reticent toward leading serious IoT initiatives. This arises from an inadequate understanding of how IoT can easily solve issues that would take a much longer time to be addressed using traditional methods.

In this episode of CCC Talks, the coordinator of the biggest EU co-funded project on IoT, Alessandro Bassi, discusses some of the main pain points associated with IoT implementation and its potential to drastically affect the lives of millions.

More often than not, discussions surrounding Artificial Intelligence are abstract and more focused on hypothetical scenarios and intention than on actual real-life experiences. No one questions the merit of continuing these conversations. It's becoming increasingly important, however, to keep an eye on how it is already being implemented. What is the correct approach to successfully put AI in place and what steps need to be taken into account? While there is no one way to answer this question, there are nuances that only experienced professionals who have undergone multiple projects from start to finish are capable of identifying.

In this episode of CCC Talks, Muriel Schepper, Founder of Applied AI, Co-founder of AI-training.nl, Project Manager at Media Perspectives and Program Manager at Gemeente Hengelo, discusses some of the subtleties that often go overlooked in an introduction to the charming complexities of AI implementation.

The more we find ourselves dwelling on the benefits of digitalization, the more a thorough understanding of its challenges is due. How can we possibly simultaneously manage legacy and new IT? What do we need to consider besides architecture, resiliency, scalability, agility, and security? Some organizations need to ask themselves these questions. Others, however, should be asking entirely different ones. It is crucial, then, to know what needs to be considered. Only then can solution strategies be explored to fully leverage the great enabling potential of technologies such as Cloud computing.

In this episode of CCC Talks, Ken Wilson, Head of Operations, Property Management Systems (PMS) at Amadeus, helps us do exactly that. By bringing to the table various valuable insights from his experience in the travel industry, Ken leaves us with an understanding of why it is important to stop and reflect on the processes associated with digital transformations.

The so-called retail apocalypse has been in everyone's lips since the start of the 2010s. We haven't witnessed, however, physical stores being entirely replaced by e-Commerce. In fact, even Amazon is opening stores. Sure, the days of just putting products on the shelves are over and stores are increasingly incorporating digital elements so to create memorable experiences for their customers. Change is to be expected. But exactly how is technology helping innovators reimagine retail? 

In this episode of CCC Talks, Trevor Sumner, CEO at Perch, explores the topic of the digitalization of the brick and mortar experience in a lively conversation on the disrupting, yet, enabling nature of technology in the retail industry.

Organizations have grabbed on to technologies and ran with it based on their particular culture, structure as well as the skillset and capabilities of their people. The further they go, the more conscious they seem to become of the importance of the human side of the business. How are they responding to this and why is this paramount for businesses' growth? 

In this episode of CCC Talks, Simone Jo Moore explains how businesses should embrace emotional intelligence without fearing the triumph of the heart over the head. 

When humans are faced with a traumatic experience, our brains kick in with survival mechanisms. These mechanisms are the familiar fight or flight response, but can also include the freeze response - which occurs when we are terrified or feel that there is no chance of escape.

The communication, coordination, and decision-making skills needed to battle this are amongst the most sought-after skills. In our latest episode of CCC Talks, Matt Stratton explains how and why you should seek to remedy trauma.

There is a new industrial revolution happening. Some refer to it as Industry 4.0. Others refer to it as the ‘The Digital Age’. Whatever it is called, there is a new revolution happening, driven by an amazing evolution in technology which supports a world now underpinned by software.

What can be said with confidence is that adopting technology alone will not lead to a direct change in attitudes, behaviors, and culture on its own. So, are organizations focused too much on technology change? Worse still, is the focus on technology change for the sake of technology change?