Operational intelligence software developer Splunk is expanding the machine-learning capabilities of its products, debuting new releases of its flagship Splunk Enterprise platform and several applications that leverage machine data for business intelligence, security and other tasks. "Machine data is absolutely key to digital transformation," said President and CEO Doug Merritt in a keynote speech Tuesday that kicked off the .conf2016 "Machine learning enables organizations to get deeper insights from their machine data and ultimately increases the opportunity our customers can gain from digital transformation." He went on to say that the "machine data fabric" is the most effective way for businesses to "collect, store, analyze, interpret and share" data throughout an enterprise. Splunk's software is used to collect and analyze operational data, including machine data generated by IT systems and networks, security systems and Internet of Things devices, to generate actionable insights.