Everyone in business today "feels the need for speed". But probably none more so than application developers, who have found themselves dragged out from behind their cubicle walls and thrust into the spotlight of digital transformation. The most successful developers now work closely with the business side using methodologies like Agile and DevOps, which is also in the name of speed to bring products to light sooner. Yet they must do so with the business goals always in focus. Developers are expected to think about the customer experience, create apps in the cloud, enable them for mobile, AI, IoT, edge -- and now to help secure those apps.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzz phrase -- it's doing real work for real companies. Even in the early stages of implementation, AI is providing enterprise organizations with benefits: Efficiency in operations, cybersecurity protections, digital innovation, and stronger customer relationships. Next up for AI in the enterprise is the ability to scale with more apps serving more departments. However, the race to implement AI and machine learning also raises citizen privacy concerns. There have been revelations about the potential for algorithmic bias reflected in data sources.

When I was digging deeper into robotic process automation to create this curated guide, I realized that I was confused by RPA, artificial intelligence and AI subset machine learning. In many cases the terms are used interchangeably, and that's not correct. The distinction is really about whether they're process driven (RPA) or data driven (AI, ML). I found the simplest explanation on Silvertouch, which states: "RPA is a software robot that performs repetitive tasks while following strict rules. It is like a clerk who is good at clerical jobs. But AI is an umbrella term that involves the simulation of human intelligence and thought process by machines while dealing with plenty of interrelated information."

I've been in the tech industry for a while, so I'm used to buzz words and phrases du jour. The one that has driven me the craziest, though, is "digital transformation" (aka, digitization, digitalization, IT transformation, IT modernization, DX – ugh). I can feel my eyes automatically roll back every time I see a new press release on the topic. Amorphous and annoying as it can be, it's taking hold and everyone's paying attention. The key word there is amorphous. I think it's a simple concept gone wild.

Your IT service management platform and related tools are the workhorses and frameworks of operating any kind of successful IT organization, providing a way to track work, prioritize tasks, and make sure user issues get solved. It may not be the most glamorous technology in your organization's tech stack, but it gets the job done. Yet today even ITSM and related tools and platforms are poised to change in a significant way -- driven by the data revolution. "IT is where digital transformation begins, and we are a powerful strategic partner for CIOs all over the world," said Bill McDermott, in his first earnings call on January 29 as CEO of ServiceNow, which provides ITSM and other tools and frameworks to the IT industry. McDermott joined ServiceNow in October 2019 from SAP where he also served as CEO.

Set the buzz factor aside for a minute, and understand that artificial intelligence is doing real work for real companies. Even in the early stages of implementation, AI is providing enterprise organizations with benefits: Efficiency in operations, cybersecurity protections, innovation, and stronger customer relationships. However, the race to implement AI and machine learning also raises citizen privacy concerns. There have been revelations about the potential for algorithmic bias reflected in data sources. There has been speculation about AI applications going rogue.

I've been in the tech industry for a while, so I'm used to buzz words and phrases du jour. The one that has driven me the craziest, though, is "digital transformation" (aka, digitization, digitalization, IT transformation, IT modernization, DX – ugh). I can feel my eyes automatically roll back every time I see a new press release on the topic. Amorphous and annoying as it can be, it's taking hold and everyone's paying attention. The key word there is amorphous. I think it's a simple concept gone wild.