Now that we’ve all readjusted to life after the Gartner IT Symposium in Orlando, it’s time for some customary reflection on the many experiences that were offered. Gartner’s theme of uncertainty was warranted, but it’s jagged food for thought—especially inside organizations that are resistant to the levels of holistic change emerging technologies demand.

Gartner’s top trends for 2023 pointed to the notion that uncertainty is an opportunity. Many of the sessions throughout focused on how fragmented approaches are destined to fall short as technology and business continue hurtling toward a convergence point. In her keynote, IBM CIO Kathryn Guarini talked about her company’s digital reinvention—leveraging AI, automation, and emergent technologies to become more agile and secure while pursuing efficiency, quality, and sustainability forward.

We agree with IBM’s integrated, holistic approach and have learned that the best way to combat uncertainty, which often masquerades as complexity, is with flexible tools and an open architecture. Garter’s assessment of this fraught but fruitful moment was compelling. Navigating these choppy waters, businesses must be able to make sophisticated data-driven decisions and utilize the best solutions available in the marketplace. Bringing order to this chaos requires an intelligent communication fabric connecting people, systems, and things within your organization. It doesn’t matter whether you build it yourself or buy one from us. Without it you will be swimming in random acts of automation that fail to capitalize on the promise of AI. 

We’re happy to set up a time to show you what intelligent communication fabric looks like. Even if you don’t choose to use our platform, it’s highly beneficial to see ICF in action.

More Thoughts on Intelligent Communication Fabric

Maybe you’ve heard of mycelium, a fungal web spreading out from underneath mushrooms, connecting to plantlife and creating a resource- and information-sharing network that keeps forests thriving. Intelligent communication fabric is mycelium for enterprise, and our founder Robb Wilson recently shared insights about how it sets the stage for hyperautomation. 

Symposium highlight: Distinguished Gartner Analyst Bern Elliot spotted the mycelium design on our booth and shared stories of foraging for mushrooms in Maine.

There’s Value in Flexibility and Openness

Many fascinating trends and ideas were discussed throughout the Symposium, among them no-code development tools, composable architecture, NLP/NLU technology, graph DB, metaverse, and adaptive AI. As the market accelerates, improved versions of the tools and solutions that promise to leverage these many elements are likely going to arrive at a moment’s notice. Our advice is to develop a strategy around an open platform that gives you the flexibility to use the best available tools in the marketplace and the power to own your development roadmap.

Symposium highlight: We loved hearing Distinguished VP Analyst Frances Karamouzis’ call to meet the moment by picking targeted things that mean the most to your organization and starting there. If your goal is to make conversational AI a force multiplier, you need to start building right away, without fear of failure.

Invisible Machines in the Air

In Age of Invisible Machines, Robb shares learnings and insights wrought over the course of 20 years working with conversational AI. This Wall Street Journal bestselling book is both a practical guide to hyperautomation and a clarion call announcing a new era in our relationship with technology. We’re thrilled that this book has joined a rare and small circle of titles about technology that have gone on to become business bestsellers. Copies of the first edition are in short supply, so get yours now if you didn’t already pick one up at our booth.

Symposium highlight: It was incredible to have the opportunity to share the work with so many attendees and to find out that it was already in the hands of many CIOs and CTOs. Co-author Josh Tyson even got to sign a few copies!

A Continuing Conversation with History

Did you have a chat with one of the luminaries in our Time Machine Company demo? Feel free to check back in with your digital twin any time or share the experience with a friend. We’re always iterating and adding new capabilities, so don’t be a stranger.

Symposium highlight: Our friend Dennis took on some good-natured ribbing at the hands of Jimmy Hoffa’s digital twin.

Key Takeaway

One of the big realizations we walked away with from IT Symposium 2022 is that in business (and in life) where there’s poor communication, uncertainty thrives and opportunity withers. Intelligent communication fabric standardizes and accelerates communication, effectively dissolving uncertainty in its embrace and making opportunities for growth much clearer.