Futurum Tech Webcast

On this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast – Interview Series, host Steven Dickens welcomes Rocket Software's Phil Buckellew, President, Infrastructure Modernization Business Unit, for a conversation on the company's announcement that it plans to acquire OpenText's Application Modernization and Connectivity Business, the strategy behind the move, and the implications for the mainframe modernization landscape.

Their discussion covers:

• The announcement that Rocket Software plans to acquire OpenText's Application Modernization and Connectivity Business, and the strategy behind it

• Why Rocket Software is a good home for the Micro Focus team

• How this may change the company's scale and optionality for clients who want to modernize their mainframe

• How clients should think about this acquisition, the implications for Rocket, and more widely, the mainframe modernization landscape

Learn more about Mainframe Modernization on Rocket Software's website.

In this Futurum Tech Webcast, host Steven Dickens interviews Parv Aggarwal on the Diaspora Bank Project, discussing integrating Ripple's CBDC platform into the project's initiatives. Aggarwal explains how they aim to connect the African diaspora with the continent, particularly through remittances. The project emphasizes the potential of CBDCs to streamline payments and enable investment vehicles for the diaspora, reducing the friction and high fees associated with traditional remittance methods. The discussion also covers how the project leverages the XRP ledger for efficient cross-border payments and financial inclusion, particularly in rural areas.

Their discussion covers:

• How the Diaspora Bank Project aims to redirect remittance fees into investments in Africa.

• How CBDCs provide a seamless payment rail and enable multi-platform functionalities.

• How the project uses the XRP ledger for low-fee cross-border remittances and investments.

• The focus on financial inclusion and economic development through the Diaspora Bank Project.

Learn more about Ripple on the company's website and the Diaspora Bank Project entry on Devpost.

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Steven Dickens welcomes Kennedy Ng'ang'a, founder and CEO of Nairobi-based tech company, Shamba, about leveraging Ripple's CBDC platform for ecological data integration on blockchain. Shamba focuses on providing crucial ecological data, such as vegetation coverage and rainfall, to drive parametric insurance solutions. Shamba's solution utilizes the Ripple CBDC platform to create B2B solutions for institutions like banks and insurance companies, which are traditionally averse to other forms of cryptocurrency. The discussion highlights the use of CBDCs in humanitarian and environmental projects, detailing how the company uses satellite data to inform insurance decisions and trigger smart contract events for direct payments to affected parties.

Their discussion covers:

• How Shamba provides ecological data to the blockchain for parametric insurance.

• Using the Ripple CBDC platform for B2B solutions in insurance and banking.

• How CBDCs are leveraged for Web3 applications in humanitarian and environmental projects.

• How the Shamba Oracle is utilized to trigger payments based on ecological risks.

Learn more about Ripple on the company's website and Shamba's entry on Devpost.

In this Futurum Tech Webcast, Steven Dickens and Orang Dialameh discuss ExtoLabs' role in advancing digital payments and CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) initiatives. Dialameh, CEO and co-founder of ExtoLabs, explains how their technology addresses the friction in digital payments, particularly in emerging markets. The discussion delves into the technicalities of integrating XRP ledger for secure, low-cost transactions and the nuances of maintaining privacy and KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance in digital currencies.

Their discussion covers:

• ExtoLabs' focus on reducing friction in digital payments, highlighting the challenges in both mature and emerging markets.

• The use of Bluetooth technology for offline transactions and the adaptation of the XRP ledger for secure, rapid transactions.

• The importance of privacy in CBDC systems, ensuring anonymity for users while maintaining KYC standards.

• The potential of distributed ledgers in addressing data privacy issues and their application in both CBDC and e-money solutions.

Learn more about Ripple on the company's website and ExtoLabs' entry on Devpost.

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, host Steven Dickens converses with Francesco Piccoli, Senior Director at AnChain.AI, about the company's involvement in Ripple's CBDC Innovate 2023 competition. They discuss AnChain.AI's security and risk management role, offering compliance and anti-money laundering services to various sectors, including crypto companies, financial institutions, and governments. They also dive into how AnChain's AI-driven analytics enhance blockchain data understanding and contribute to AML practices, regulatory efforts, and hacking investigations. The discussion also touches on the challenges of blockchain security and AnChain's efforts to apply traditional cybersecurity best practices to the digital asset space.

Their discussion covers:

• An overview of AnChain.AI, a company that specializes in security and risk management, particularly in compliance and anti-money laundering for digital assets.

• How AnChain.AI uses AI to analyze blockchain data, aiding in risk assessment and understanding smart contracts.

• How AnChain.AI's AI algorithms streamline investigations, quickly tracing digital asset movements in cases of hacks or fraud.

• AnChain.AI's focus on improving cybersecurity in the blockchain industry, applying standards like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to enhance digital asset security.

Learn more about Ripple on the company's website and AnChain's entry on Devpost.

On this episode of Futurum Live! From the Show Floor, The Futurum Group's Steven Dickens is joined by Brendan Grady, GM, Analytics Business Unit at Qlik for a conversation on how Qlik's partnership with AWS provides customers with end-to-end data integration and analytics solutions for AWS and empowers users at any skill level to modernize with AI.

Their discussion covers:

• A look at Qlik's partnership with AWS, and what they're bringing to the table for customers bringing their data and workloads to AWS

• How Qlik is helping customers manage their data and modernize with AI

• What Qlik considers the top five missteps that undermine AI readiness and success

• Key takeaways businesses should be thinking about when implementing AI

You can learn more about Qlik's data integration solutions and analytics platform on the company's website.

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Serrala's Rob Jackson, Principal Solutions Architect, and Jason Boyer, Jason Boyle, Chief Customer Success Officer at Neev, join host Keith Kirkpatrick Research Director, Enterprise Applications at The Futurum Group, to discuss the steps organizations should take to migrate their data to SAP's S/4HANA. The conversation focused specifically on developing a strategy based on whether a greenfield or brownfield migration is being conducted, the use of migration program checklists and data archiving strategies, and discussion on the available tools from Serrala to handle data archiving and migration.

In this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Philipp Robbes, Sales Manager with Centric, joins host Keith Kirkpatrick, Research Director, Enterprise Applications at The Futurum Group, for a conversation about human resources processes, focusing specifically on the changing landscape of the human resources function over time, and the increasing need to fully digitize HR document processes. We also discussed how Centric solutions can be used to augment platforms such as SAP SuccessFactors to deliver a comprehensive digitization solution for all types of critical HR documents.

In this episode of Infrastructure Matters, hosts Krista Macomber, Steven Dickens and Camberely Bates discuss AI systems and data protection market development, announcements, and insights from a number of recent vendor and industry events, including:

• Microsoft's two new custom silicon chips designed for AI and general-purpose workloads, announced at Microsoft Ignite.

• Developments in the AI space, including considerations for workload placement and how AI-backed chatbots can streamline daily tasks for IT Operations.

• Perspective from the SuperComputing '23 show in Denver, CO, including storage vendor portfolio developments for HPC.

• Updates on Veeam's competitive position and strategic development coming out of its Analyst Summit in Seattle, WA.

• A preview of AWS reInforce.

On this episode of the Futurum Live! From the Show Floor, The Futurum Group's Steven Dickens is joined by Neil Fowler, SVP Engineer for the Application Modernization and Connectivity Product Group at OpenText for a conversation on OpenText's partnership with AWS and how OpenText is helping with mainframe modernization.

Their discussion covers:

• An introduction from Neil Fowler as Lead Engineer for the Application Modernization and Connectivity Product Group at OpenText and a background on OpenText

• The role OpenText plays in mainframe modernization

• OpenText's partnership with AWS and their purpose at AWS re:Invent

• Fowler's outlook on these mainframe services platform as they mature

You can learn more about OpenText's Application Modernization, on the OpenText website.