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☆ Enterprise Tech Firms Push Further Into Generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Generative AI, the technology underlying the viral ChatGPT chatbot, runs on algorithmic language models trained on vast amounts of online data. “We think 2023 will be the year that generative AI will become prevalent and a key component of modern office work,” he said. On Tuesday, the company launched a $250 million investing fund targeting generative AI startups. Yet despite assurances from the enterprise market’s biggest players, most corporate tech chiefs are taking a wait-and-see approach to ChatGPT-like generative AI technology, analysts said. Steve Santana, chief information officer at educational-testing company ETS, said he is more open to working with large enterprise-technology firms on generative AI capabilities, rather than small niche providers.

☆ Technology Chiefs Seek Help Wrangling Cloud Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Some chief information officers have turned to cloud management tools and established internal teams to oversee their cloud spending. Mr. Nimboorkar said the company has since built a dedicated team to manage its Amazon Web Services spending and invested in a third-party cloud spending management tool. Executives from all three cloud giants have said customers are optimizing or reining in their cloud spending, citing economic factors. Many of the best practices in cloud spending management have been codified by the nonprofit FinOps Foundation, which promotes cloud financial literacy and accountability, she said. That model allows Mr. Kanchi to wholly manage cloud spending, he said, but was only possible after UST figured out how to tag cloud usage by its various business units.

☆ Job cuts, a sole CEO, and AI bets: How Bridgewater is shaking itself up after the Ray Dalio era
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The firm's CEO, Nir Bar Dea, said in a memo that it would lay off employees and restructure. Bar Dea had been a rising star at Bridgewater, which has transitioned leadership in recent years. Former co-CEO Mark Bertolini is also stepping out of the role and returning to Bridgewater's board as an independent director, leaving Bar Dea as sole CEO. "Over time, we expect this platform to produce the next round of growth in the business," Bar Dea wrote. 'Finding a home'As far as high finance executives go, Bar Dea has an unexpected background.

☆ Generative AI Helping Boost Productivity of Some Software Developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The technology, known as generative AI, has been pioneered by OpenAI, the lab behind the ChatGPT writing system and the Dall-E visual illustration generator. Copilot, as well as other tools from Amazon.com Inc., International Business Machines Corp. , and startups like Tabnine Inc. and Magic AI Inc., have quickly found a receptive audience among developers seeking a productivity boost. The AI model behind Copilot is trained on data from GitHub, which houses a popular open-source community where developers contribute and share code. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. And, with a tightening economy in mind, Hyland Software is holding back on spending for any new tools or technologies.

☆ Pressure Mounts on CIOs to Build More AI Apps (and Faster)
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Magesh Sarma, chief information and strategy officer for AmeriSave Mortgage Corp., said his team has been inundated with requests to build AI apps aimed at tackling various cost issues. But the AI team, which consists of 76 employees, has been one of the least affected because of its business value. Ms. Anderson has a system for evaluating the priority level of different possible machine-learning projects that come to her department via a request pipeline, she said. Photo: ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERSOne area she hasn’t been able to fully tackle is machine-learning algorithms to help with customer retention. “With AI, it’s an incremental sort of approach.”Adding to the pressure is the exploding popularity of ChatGPT and other generative AI applications.

☆ Business Technology Chiefs Question ChatGPT’s Readiness for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Angus Loten | Chris Bedi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Yet some business-technology professionals are uneasy about integrating it into the enterprise stack, citing concerns over its use of online data and security risks. But at the moment, ChatGPT “should be used with caution in an enterprise business setting,” she said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. For now, Mr. Schmidt said, generative AI capabilities should be reserved for writing corporate boilerplate—product or service announcements, or other promotional materials. For enterprise information-technology, “ChatGPT use cases might be a smaller universe than people are imagining,” he said.

☆ Security Gets Blended With Corporate Networks in New Cloud Platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

As everything moves to the cloud, a new generation of cybersecurity platforms has emerged, combining corporate networks with security tools such as malware protection into a single system that tech leaders can manage centrally. Older technology can be upgraded to lay the groundwork for implementing a new platform, Mr. Franch said, but it needs to happen without disrupting the existing corporate network. PREVIEWAt Carriage Services, Mr. Franch wants to undertake a network modernization similar to one he oversaw as chief technology officer of commercial real-estate services company Cushman & Wakefield. Modernization tends to reduce complexity and increase visibility of what’s on the network, which can benefit security, according to Mr. Franch. Goya Foods Inc. CIO Suvajit Basu said the Jersey City, N.J.-based company uses cybersecurity services from about seven vendors and a total of about 12 cybersecurity tools, many purchased and implemented over time.

☆ Wall Street's biggest firms are warning their clients not to trust the stock market rally with trouble still on the way for the US economy and corporate earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Stocks have responded positively, with the S&P 500 rising as much as 9.3% since the start of the year. "An improvement in US and global macro data has lifted the S&P 500 by 8% YTD and leads us to lift our 3-month S&P 500 target to 4000 (from 3600). Morgan StanleyMike Wilson, the bank's chief US equity strategist, has been warning of downside in the S&P 500 to fall for weeks now. In other words, this earnings recession is not priced, in our view." Wilson had the most accurate price target for the S&P 500 in 2022 among major Wall Street Strategists.

☆ The largest hedge fund in the world just named a 37-year-old woman as a co-CIO. Meet the top 11 execs leading Bridgewater into its new era.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Alyson Velati | Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Karen Karniol-Tambour will join co-CIOs Greg Jensen and Bob Prince to oversee the hedge fund's investment strategy. Despite a breakout year for many multi-strategy and macro hedge funds, Bridgewater lagged behind its peers. Nir Bar Dea, co-CEOBar Dea. Bridgewater AssociatesAs cochief investment officer, Jensen oversees Bridgewater's investment strategies and research efforts as well as its investment talent. Since joining Bridgewater in 1986, he has been a partner in building the hedge fund's investment process and products.

☆ As Deal Making Picks Up, Tech Chiefs Worry About Software Integration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

That is a potentially costly process that can require overhauling existing enterprise tech stacks, or even hiring high-priced experts to manage new IT tools, analysts said. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How can tech executives smooth the integration of new digital tools when their vendors make acquisitions? Hewlett Packard Enterprise this month said it acquired Pachyderm and would integrate new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. HPE this month said it acquired Pachyderm, a San Francisco-based software startup, and would integrate the new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. “Our existing customer base will want to know they won’t be forced to replace an existing technology they already buy,” Mr. Hotard said.

☆ Tech Chiefs Fear ‘Frankenstein’ Software Integrations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Microsoft Corp. this month said it plans to incorporate AI into all of its enterprise software, while boosting its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the startup behind chatbot ChatGPT. That is a potentially costly process that can require overhauling existing enterprise tech stacks, or even hiring high-priced experts to manage new IT tools, analysts said. Hewlett Packard Enterprise this month said it acquired Pachyderm and would integrate new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. HPE this month said it acquired Pachyderm, a San Francisco-based software startup, and would integrate the new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. “Our existing customer base will want to know they won’t be forced to replace an existing technology they already buy,” Mr. Hotard said.

☆ Cyber Startup Snyk Raises $25 Million From ServiceNow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Cybersecurity company Snyk Ltd. announced on Tuesday a $25 million investment from enterprise software maker ServiceNow Inc. The Boston-based startup also announced an integration with ServiceNow that aims to provide cybersecurity and information-technology executives a view of potential security vulnerabilities originating from open-source code. “Security is a team issue that requires developers, security and IT professionals to work together,” Mr. Bedi said. “Vendors are starting to talk with each other more often and being able to exchange data,” Mr. Horvath said. The eight-year-old startup cut 14% of its workforce last year and now has over 1,000 employees, according to Mr. McKay.

☆ Capital One Job Cuts Signal Trouble for IT Labor Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Technology sector employment overall has remained stable, but job postings for future tech hiring have declined for the second consecutive month, according to IT trade group CompTIA. Companies across industries hired 137,000 tech workers in December, compared with 130,000 the month prior, CompTIA estimates based on an analysis of U.S. Labor Department data. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. News of the job cuts was reported earlier by Bloomberg. Some employers might be shedding the additional technology workers they hired to ramp up remote-work capabilities during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Mark Muro, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution.

☆ Cloudflare Takes Aim at a Top Security Threat: Your Inbox
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Cloud-infrastructure company Cloudflare Inc. announced Wednesday new email security capabilities aimed at helping businesses defend against phishing, malware and other cyberattacks commonly targeting corporate email accounts. It provides web performance, cybersecurity and other services to millions of customers, of which more than 156,000 pay for its services. Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare Photo: Cloudflare Inc.Chief Executive Matthew Prince said the new security functions are also in response to an increase in ransomware and other sophisticated cyberattacks, some of which are perpetrated by relatively unsophisticated hackers. Prince said, referring to the growth of so-called “ransomware-as-a-service,” where ransomware operators provide malware programs to affiliates to launch attacks. Prince said Cloudflare, which was itself a customer of Area 1 before pursuing an acquisition, has more closely integrated its existing cybersecurity services with Area 1’s email security platform.

☆ Salesforce Customers Not Swayed by Slack, Analysts Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Salesforce reported about $402 million in Slack subscription and support revenue in the fiscal third quarter ending Oct. 31. Meanwhile, on Wednesday Salesforce said it would lay off 10% of its workforce as customers take a more cautious approach to spending. “The Slack acquisition by Salesforce has not changed the trajectory of Salesforce up or down,” said Tim Crawford, CIO strategic adviser at Los Angeles-based enterprise IT advisory firm AVOA. “That’s really the struggle for customers, to maintain the pace with a company like Salesforce,” he said. Forrester’s Ms. Herbert said the recent departures of Mr. Taylor and the Slack executives might signal that Salesforce is shifting the focus back to its core products.

☆ CIOs Contend With Pushback on AI Rollouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Overall enterprise adoption of AI has grown threefold since 2019 as algorithms grow in scale and sophistication, according to International Data Corp. That left executives underwhelmed by the results and disillusioned, according to Todd Lohr, KPMG LLP’s U.S. technology consulting leader. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. In 2022, organizations spent on average 4% to 6% more on AI than the previous year, according to IDC. Other emerging technologies are more likely to be cut than AI, given its cost-savings potential, she noted.

☆ ESG will be a heavy focus for tech leaders in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Reducing the carbon footprint of IT operationsThere are a number of drivers moving ESG forward. One area of focus will be the need for reporting on ESG progress, as required by regulations. Nearly half of the respondents said their organization could not accurately report its carbon footprint. Efforts appear to be underway to enhance ESG reporting strategies. By 2024, IDC said, 75% of large enterprises will implement ESG data management and reporting software as a response to emerging legislation and increased stakeholder expectations.

☆ CIO 2023 Priorities: Speed and Agility
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Technology executives in a recent CIO Journal end-of-year survey shared their priorities for 2023. In addition to delivering on a company’s technology goals, business technology executives have been navigating tricky waters over the past year as a result of rising interest rates, a tumultuous geopolitical landscape and stubborn inflation. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. Alessandro Ventura, Unilever North America’s CIO and vice president of analytics and business services. “Nobody has a crystal ball,” Mr. Ventura said.

☆ CIOs Nominate Their Favorite Reads of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Tom Loftus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Chief information officers, ever alert to any development in a field that only hurtles forward, largely reflected that alacrity in their choice of reading during 2022. PREVIEWChris Bedi, chief digital information officer, ServiceNow Inc. Photo: IBM Corp.Ron Guerrier, chief information officer, HP Inc. Photo: Cisco Systems Inc.Fletcher Previn, chief information officer, Cisco Systems Inc. Photo: Home Depot Inc.Fahim Siddiqui, chief information officer, Home Depot Inc.

☆ CIOs in 2023 Want to Know: Who’s Got Talent?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

As the information technology talent gap continues into 2023, chief information officers are augmenting recruiting efforts with new models like upskilling, job sharing and rotations as well as raising salaries and offering perks to retain workers. Some also believe the shifting economy could make it easier to fill vacancies, although the short term talent market remains challenging. “It’s been a source of should we, not deprioritize, but re-sequence the work that we’re doing,” Kroger CIO Yael Cosset said of the talent shortage. Duke Energy is developing certification curricula and joining with software companies on education programs to help internal talent learn new skills, said CIO Bonnie Titone. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS What do you think CIOs can do to find and retain talent in 2023?

☆ Going Into 2023, CIOs Weigh Tech Priorities Against Economic Realities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Bonnie Titone, chief information officer at Duke Energy Corp., a Charlotte, N.C.-based power producer, said CIOs are being told to get by with less, but without decreasing output or positive outcomes. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. One resource to keep top of mind is talent, said Brad Peterson, Nasdaq Inc.’s chief technology and chief information officer, adding that economic slowdowns can provide opportunities to reassess talent development and succession planning. Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly Photo: Eli Lilly & Co. “My perceptions of the economy haven’t changed the way I plan to approach my role,” said Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly & Co.

☆ Corporate Tech Leaders Untangle Their Cybersecurity Roles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Information technology and cybersecurity chiefs grew closer than ever in 2022, a dynamic allowing for more comprehensive threat mitigation, but raising new questions over responsibilities. About 50% of the company’s threat planning simulations, in which IT plays an active role, involve ransomware scenarios, according to Ms. Smart. Ms. Allison is retiring at the end of the year, the company said, and will be succeeded by Gary Harbison. Photo: Adobe Inc.Prasad Ramakrishnan, the CIO and former CISO of software maker Freshworks Inc., said IT and security have shared roles in evaluating the cybersecurity resiliency of corporate software purchases. And in securing a hybrid work environment, his joint cybersecurity and IT roles included adding a new cybersecurity layer on top of cloud-based software on company laptops.

☆ Tech Spending Pressures Fuel Demand for Specialized Industry Clouds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. PREVIEWMost industry clouds began to hit the market early last year, in part sparked by demand for better healthcare data systems during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Though Oracle doesn’t break out revenue from industry cloud sales, its industry cloud offerings are a “multibillion-dollar business,” Mr. Sicilia said. Microsoft last year rolled out industry clouds for retail, financial services, manufacturing, sustainability and nonprofit businesses, according to Kees Hertogh, Microsoft’s general manager for global industry product marketing. A Microsoft-developed industry cloud helped Tarrytown, N.Y.-based MVP Health Care implement a system to streamline its healthcare data, according to CIO Michael Della Villa.

☆ EU opens antitrust probe into Broadcom's $61 billion VMware bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

European antitrust regulators have opened an in-depth investigation into U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware , the European Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. "The Commission is particularly concerned that the transaction would allow Broadcom to restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components which interoperate with VMware's software," the Commission said in a statement. Reuters reported on Dec. 9 that the Commission was set to open a full-scale investigation into the deal, the second biggest globally so far this year. The proposed acquisition underlines Broadcom's ambition to diversify intoenterprise software, but comes as regulators worldwide ramp up scrutiny of deals by Big Tech. Broadcom said earlier this month that it was confident the deal would close and be completed in its fiscal 2023.

☆ EU opens antitrust probe into Broadcom's $61 bln VMware bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - European antitrust regulators have opened an in-depth investigation into U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's (AVGO.O) proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware (VMW.N), the European Commission said on Tuesday. Reuters reported on Dec. 9 that the Commission was set to open a full-scale investigation into the deal, the second biggest globally so far this year. Broadcom on Tuesday reiterated that it continued to expect the transaction would close in its fiscal year 2023, adding it would continuing to work with the European Commission. The proposed acquisition underlines Broadcom's ambition to diversify into enterprise software, but comes as regulators worldwide ramp up scrutiny of deals by Big Tech. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by GV De Clercq and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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