The exponential growth in data has proven to be a gamechanger in marketing, especially with the introduction of cognitive computing and AI. IBM Watson is breaking new ground in this area and speaking more on this is Marta McMichael, global director of performance marketing at IBM Watson IoT. With an extensive background in the high-tech industry, Marta has worked in varied roles, including working as a programmer, a consultant and managing large account sales at IBM. It is here at IBM that she discovered her passion for marketing and transitioned into it. In the interview, Marta shares her big career epiphany that helped her refocus on creating value for her clients.

The benefits of a well-designed and well-managed digital workplace should be obvious, but it's not enough to simply invest in the latest, greatest technology. The cultural shift required for embedding new ways of working demands a clear business change strategy, and most importantly, a deep understanding of employees' needs. A decent digital workplace enables real-time communication and synchronous, or asynchronous, collaboration that cuts down admin and improves productivity. Social communication tech enables the previously unheard majority to be directly involved with business and so improves agility. And emerging technologies, such as flow technology, pragmatic analytics, AI and chatbots, can analyse masses of data, free people from repetitive tasks, and offer a different interface to systems.