01732 759725 14 BULLETIN STX Next partners with appliedAI STX Next, a global leader in IT consulting, has partnered with Europe’s largest initiative for applied artificial intelligence to deliver the appliedAI Management Suite, a management product that increases AI value creation and facilitates EU AI Act compliance. The solution makes risk assessment and AI portfolio optimisation easier and will drive progress for the next generation of AI initiatives. The crucial role of AI Appetite for the potential of AI projects is at an all-time high, according to research conducted by the Cloud Industry Forum, which revealed that 42% of businesses now consider it to be their most important IT project, ranking ahead of other considerations such as security, IT sustainability (both 40%) and controlling costs (38%). David Terrar, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum, said: “As with any new technology, AI was met with some scepticism during its rise to prominence. The data from this year’s report indicates that much of the remaining scepticism has entirely been quashed. Businesses are now further informed and fully on board with AI’s ability to reduce costs, save time and enhance their offerings.” AI’s prominence in modern business is also supported by the finding that 96% of organisations believe AI will be at least somewhat important to their organisation in the next five years. This figure is a significant increase from 2023, when 86% of organisations reported the same. Though AI projects are not limited to generative AI, it remains a popular form of adoption. 94% of organisations report that they are either planning to or are already using generative AI. Specifically, 62% of businesses report that it is already in use across at least some parts of their organisation. For many businesses, the motivations for adoption are clear. 96% of respondents in this year’s report said that generative AI will or has already benefited their organisation, including improving data analytics (46%), customer service (45%) and/or products and services (43%). Terrar continued: “Generative AI has perhaps become the most well-known use case for AI, largely spurred by the ways that large language models have powered the AI assistants and chatbots that are becoming ever more commonplace in our lives. For businesses, generative AI has much more potential in its ability to power intelligent analytics and supplement the role of humans in the workplace. “For cloud service providers in particular, generative AI can and will be an important tool for improving their offerings in several ways. Not only will it assist in personalising offerings for users, but it will also help potential customers to better understand what cloud can do for them. For vendors, generative AI will be vital in offering innovative solutions to challenges that have historically been complex, which will help optimise workloads and unlock new opportunities for growth.” https://cloudindustryforum.org Sage expands AI-driven AP automation Sage has announced new enhancements and updates for Sage Intacct customers globally, to streamline financial operations and enhance security worldwide. As part of this major expansion, Sage Intacct is rolling out AP Automation globally. AP Automation streamlines financial workflows by automatically creating draft bills from uploaded documents, promptly identifying issues such as duplicates, and significantly reducing data entry efforts and costs. www.sage.com Konica Minolta announced as best large supplier Konica Minolta has been announced as the Best Large Supplier at the CPC Supplier Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate the outstanding performance, innovation and collaboration of the Crescent Purchasing Consortium’s (CPC) framework of more than 1,000 suppliers to the UK public sector. As a CPC framework partner of more than 15 years, Konica Minolta provides an extensive range of technology-driven solutions to education establishments, emergency services, the NHS, local and central government. These include managed print and print security, managed IT, a cloud-based SMS platform and intelligent video solutions. The company is a member of the CPC’s Multifunctional and Digital Transformation framework, which is recommended by the Department for Education (DfE). To win the Best Large Supplier category the company was required to demonstrate 'excellence in delivering quality products or services, meeting, or exceeding expectations, and adding value to the business and its stakeholders'. Konica Minolta was cited by the judges for its customer endorsements, ESG credentials and innovation. Amanda Walsh, Head of Customer Success at Konica Minolta said: “We are proud to be the inaugural recipient of this award. Being recognised by CPC for the work we do to support public sector clients overcome and meet challenges is a great testament to both organisations, and we are looking forward to continuing to develop our partnership in the years to come.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk Don’t forget to vote. www.printitawards.co.uk/vote 2024 Richard Halstead, Jason Connolly & David Copping of Konica Minolta recieving CPC Award
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