Q&A with Latane Conant, CMO at 6sense

Q&A with Latane Conant
Latane Conant, CMO at 6sense has always been keenly focused on leveraging data to ensure marketing programs result in deals, not just leads.

At 6sense, Latane helps sales and marketing leaders increase revenue by tapping into the power of predictive intelligence to uncover buyers who are ready to buy.

MEDIA 7: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
LATANE CONANT:
The first thing I ever wanted to be was a lifeguard and swim coach. When I was 5 years old, I joined the swim team as one of the youngest swimmers. At 13, I was too young to be a lifeguard so I begged them to create a “JR lifeguard” position. This was essentially deck swabbing and towel service but I didn’t care. So they hired me and called me “young jedi”. The head lifeguard loved to play jokes on me. One time he gave me a ruler and said every deck chair needed to be 10 ¾ inches apart. There were 50+ deck chairs, but I went out and started measuring. Finally, after a few chairs, they called me over the loudspeaker to come back to the office and we all had a big laugh. Another time they took me down to the filter room, which was underground and pretty spooky.

BUT as a young jedi, I had to learn how the system worked. We descended under the deck and I climbed a rickety old ladder to look down into the pump. Another lifeguard in scuba gear was waiting underwater and jumped out of the filter tank and scared the bejesus out of me! Once I calmed down I thought it was pretty hysterical! My role could have been seen as pretty mundane - bathroom cleaning and towel folding - BUT I loved the people I worked with so much. I worshipped the lifeguards and swim coaches!

They kept me on my toes and in stitches all summer, so it’s still one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I finally graduated to teaching swim lessons, with a focus on kids who did not swim at all and were afraid to go in the pool. Nothing was more rewarding than seeing someone do something they thought they could not, or actually loving something that used to scare them - like put their head underwater, dive off the blocks, or swim the butterfly stroke for a lap.

M7: Latane, you have always thrived on working with wicked smart people. How do you get the best out of them when there is a common notion that it’s difficult to make smart people work together?
LC: 
Talented people want to be able to do great work. Not the average, crank some blogs out or run an event, but truly cool and differentiated things. My job is to be a force field and ensure the team has the opportunity to try different things and do their best work. This means providing focus. A powerful focus tool we use is the V2MOM. V2MOM stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Metrics. Vision is what you want to achieve. Ideally your vision makes everyone uncomfortably excited. Values are why it matters, what you believe, guiding principles for decision making. Methods are where the rubber meets the road and are the top things you will do to achieve the vision.

Under each method, it's key to detail out obstacles (so you can plan around them) and metrics so you know if the method is on track. What’s nice about the system is that it provides built-in planning and is time bound. So every quarter I get my team together and we revise our V2MOM. This builds consensus around the vision and how we are going to get there. Every method gets assigned an owner, which drives accountability. And we publically track the metrics weekly so everyone knows our progress. The interesting thing about the V2MOM is not what's on the V2mom but what is NOT on the V2MOM. Because the process requires hyper prioritization of what you are going to do in a given time period, it forces focus.

I’m pretty obsessed and love the V2MOM. I am happy to share more on how teams can adopt, implement, and use it.  In fact, maybe in my next life, I will be a V2mom consultant!


"Marketing is harder and harder these days because buyers want to remain anonymous."

M7: How does leveraging smart technologies like AI help marketers have an edge over others and achieve on-time targets?
LC:
We need every advantage we can get in order to be successful and AI provides that advantage. Marketing is harder and harder these days because buyers want to remain anonymous. In fact, 90 percent of B2B buying behavior is digital and anonymous. Buyers also buy in teams, so the buying journey and process is very fragmented across many people. According to Gartner, it’s typical for a buying team to have more than 10 people involved. Adding to that, buyers are resistant. Every member of the B2B buying team requires highly personalized multi-touch and multi-channel engagement to take a meeting.
But our current systems are built for known static data, which only 12% of marketers have confidence in.
Revenue-generating teams should look for platforms that allow them to uncover buyer behavior, particularly the anonymous behavior, so they can stop spending money, time, and energy on the accounts that aren’t even in-market. Instead, through AI and big data, that money, time and energy can be used to uncover their “dark funnel,” or the rich information that is being done on your company and/or solution in the dark. Next, they must prioritize. Look across behavior to determine and group buying teams. Look for changes in behavior over time to fully grasp which accounts are in-market, ready for an upsell, or have potential to churn. AI can deliver these insights with a high degree of accuracy so you can know when accounts are getting ready to open opportunities. Enabling you to focus your time, salespeople and BDRs on the BEST accounts. Once you have uncovered anonymous behavior and prioritized timing, it’s time to engage. Engaging is about orchestrating multi-touch, multi-channel, highly personalized messages at scale. This is where AI really shines. It tells us the best time to use display ads vs. email vs a direct mailer and even triggers actions across channels. It also ensures we are personalizing appropriately so if someone has consumed the demo it offers them another piece of content so they aren’t served the demo AGAIN.  Based on their behavior, buying stage, persona, and company we can dynamically deliver the best experience. Teams that use this approach see unbelievable results and are beating out their competition with 40 percent more opportunities, 5x larger deals, and 1.5x faster cycle times.


"Engaging is about orchestrating multi-touch, multi-channel, highly personalized messages at scale. This is where AI really shines."

M7: How does 6sense’s Account Based Orchestration Platform help revenue teams to compete and win in the age of account-based buying?
LC:
I had my team do some research on the typical results b2b sales and marketing teams see from their efforts. The picture is not pretty. In fact EVERY minute:
- DOZENS of interested buyers will visit your website but only ONE will identify themselves.
- Your most important prospect will receive 2 NEW EMAILS. They will likely delete them both without opening.
- Your sales reps will spend ONE-QUARTER of their time on leads who have no intention to buy.
- Your BDR team will make just over 6 calls. They will book ZERO meetings.

No wonder marketing and sales teams get misaligned. This is not competing or winning.

Account Based Marketing is all the rage - It requires selecting the best accounts to go after, detailed insights into accounts and personas, highly personalized multi-channel engagement, alignment with sales, and the ability to track “real stuff” like increased engagement, pipeline, and revenue. ABM makes a lot of sense vs. traditional tactics that result in millions of unopened emails that get sent each year, thousands of dollars spent on swag at events that don’t lead to an opportunity, etc. However, the dirty little secret is that it’s impossible to scale without GREAT customer insights and orchestration capabilities. This is why you hear a lot about ABM pilots and not about ABM at scale.
6sense brings sales, business development, customer success, and marketing together on one platform that provides an unprecedented level of insights and the ability to take action. 

6sense delivers ABM at scale by providing (at a click in an easy to use UI):
- an understanding of best accounts to go after based on your business objective, technographic, firmographic, and real-time behavioral information.
- insights into the key personas to engage, the topics they care about, and where they are in their buying stage.
- orchestrated engagement across tactics from email, to display ads, to direct mail.
- alerts for sales with relevant details like when to call, what to say, what accounts are doing anonymously/in the “dark funnel”, and what marketing activities are working.
- tracking and metrics around how campaigns perform, if new personas engage, if you influenced opportunities, and if you gained net new opportunities.

This means sales and marketing can get BACK to sales and marketing, aligning on a business objective, messaging, and the experience you want to deliver for prospects - one you can actually be proud of. One without useless forms, spam, and cold calls. And because our platform provides transparency, reduced mundane work, and competitive advantage, prospecting actually becomes fun!

M7: What is the “dark funnel” and how can marketers embrace that?
LC:
So, the dark funnel is all of the data, information, people, and research that is happening right now for our product or solution that we have no insights into. You have to zoom out and think about the complexity of this cycle and how it’s changed. First of all, B2B buyers want to remain anonymous for as long as possible and our trick to making them not anonymous was to have some sort of gated content or to maybe try to run them down at a trade show or scan them but that doesn’t work anymore. All of our systems are set up for contact or a lead which is one person. What we find now is buyers buying in these teams, so you have to be able to understand how one person on the team is interacting with another person, how to put them together and how their collective research and desires come together. And again, all of that’s happening anonymously. So, the dark funnel research just went from one person to ten peoples’ research.

The other challenge is, in order to engage with buyers because they get so much noise and are so inundated, in fact in B2B we send about 300 billion emails a year, there’s only 7.7 billion people in the world and that’s not even B2C, so that doesn’t mean they’re on pottery barn’s list. So, our email motion in being able to break out of the noise is incredibly difficult. Hence, we have to have more touches and more capabilities and all of those emails and things that we’re sending are all in this dark funnel, we don’t truly understand how they’re getting consumed. So what ends up happening is we as marketers have to do a lot of guessing in how we design our programs and how we engage with customers and when you can start to really shine a light on the dark funnel and understand that rich research and the buying team and most importantly understand where they are in their journey, understand the timing. Rather than spamming you can start to really personalize in engagement and experience based on what they care about, who they are and most importantly, where they are in the buying journey.


"6sense brings sales, business development, customer success, and marketing together on one platform that provides an unprecedented level of insights and the ability to take action."

M7: To what extent does having a deep insight into a prospect’s buying journey help marketers in sales conversion and closing deals?
LC: 
Marketing is hard, selling is harder, and being a business development rep is the HARDEST. Business Development Reps and AE’s are expected to make hundreds of calls and send tons of email a week, but how do they know the contacts they are calling on aren’t random? Are they even in-market? How do they know when the best time to call is or what to even discuss without knowing the contacts needs? With outbound efforts, BDR’s and AE’s want opportunities, not just activity, but they don’t have a good way to make the right connections with the right content in order to be successful.

To reduce turnover and give outbound sales teams the best chance of success, we have to give them insights, with a robust group of digital signals to show if an account is actually in-market to buy or beginning the early stages of research. And with potential buyers leaving a digital footprint in the form of intent signals across the internet, both known and anonymous interactions with your website, as well as thousands of other 3rd party sites, we can take the guesswork out of identifying which accounts to target and what topics or competitors those accounts are searching.

Deep insights from 6sense help marketing, sales, and BDRs understand where each account is in their buyer journey and focus efforts on those who are actively in-market or in the early stages of research for our product or service. This lets the sales team know the ideal time to engage and what the account is interested in, taking the conversation from a cold call to a productive, meaningful one, driving higher conversions, win rates, and average deal size.

M7: 6sense recently launched Account-Based External Media Campaigns Analytics. How is it enabling media campaign effectiveness?
LC: 
The days of a four martini lunch and a deal are long gone since buyers don't want to talk to sales until they are 70% through the journey. Because of this shift, B2B digital ad spend is projected to hit $6.08 billion this year. It is an effective way to reach buyers in target accounts if done strategically with insights and proper measurement.

This feature focuses on digital agencies and the brands they work with. They use 6sense and all the rich insights on behavior and keywords in their campaign planning. It enables them to micro-segment and take an audience first approach vs designing a campaign and then finding an audience, flipping the campaign planning process on its head. 6sense also allows agencies to compare campaigns across different channels - tracking reach, engagement, and influence of these campaigns on accounts they are targeting for their customers.
Innovative agencies are partnering with us to deliver for their customers and they are seeing high returns on their investment.

M7: What is your favorite quote?
LC: 
“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” - Mick Jagger

ABOUT 6SENSE

6sense’s Account Based Orchestration Platform helps revenue teams compete and win in the age of Account Based Buying by putting the power of AI, big data and machine learning behind every member of the B2B revenue team, empowering them to uncover anonymous buying behavior, prioritize fragmented data to focus on accounts in market, and engage resistant buying teams with personalized, omni-channel, multi-touch campaigns. 6sense helps revenue teams know everything they need to know about their buyers so they can easily do anything they need to do to generate more opportunities, increase deal size, get into opportunities sooner, compete and win more often.

More C-Suite on deck

Internet Connectivity Without Complexity: Greg Davis shares Bigleaf's journey

Media 7 | July 19, 2023

Greg Davis is a senior executive with a 25-year track record of scaling businesses and creating enterprise value through strategic revitalization, increased profitability, decreased working capital needs, and revenue growth. Read more to know about his thoughts on importance of content syndication practices in IT industry.

Read More

‘Intelligent Automation has the potential to save over 10 million lives each year,’ says Aera Technology’s Pascal Bornet

Media 7 | April 5, 2022

Pascal Bornet, Chief Data Officer at Aera Technology sheds light on his first guide book ‘Intelligent Automation’ and Industry 4.0 revolution. Read on to know more about his thoughts on improving customer experience, the impact of automation on knowledge workers and IA transformations in his latest interview with Media 7.

Read More

'Over the next five years, the role of analytics and big data will become increasingly critical for businesses, says Dan Fiehn, COO at Incited.

Media 7 | March 28, 2022

Dan Fiehn, Chief Operating Officer at Incited, elaborates on how Incited is accelerating insurers' digital journeys with their platform IMMERSA365. Read on to know more about his thoughts on the impact of Big Data and navigating complex ESG agenda.

Read More

Internet Connectivity Without Complexity: Greg Davis shares Bigleaf's journey

Media 7 | July 19, 2023

Greg Davis is a senior executive with a 25-year track record of scaling businesses and creating enterprise value through strategic revitalization, increased profitability, decreased working capital needs, and revenue growth. Read more to know about his thoughts on importance of content syndication practices in IT industry.

Read More

‘Intelligent Automation has the potential to save over 10 million lives each year,’ says Aera Technology’s Pascal Bornet

Media 7 | April 5, 2022

Pascal Bornet, Chief Data Officer at Aera Technology sheds light on his first guide book ‘Intelligent Automation’ and Industry 4.0 revolution. Read on to know more about his thoughts on improving customer experience, the impact of automation on knowledge workers and IA transformations in his latest interview with Media 7.

Read More

'Over the next five years, the role of analytics and big data will become increasingly critical for businesses, says Dan Fiehn, COO at Incited.

Media 7 | March 28, 2022

Dan Fiehn, Chief Operating Officer at Incited, elaborates on how Incited is accelerating insurers' digital journeys with their platform IMMERSA365. Read on to know more about his thoughts on the impact of Big Data and navigating complex ESG agenda.

Read More

Related News

General AI

New SysAid Copilot counters ineffective chatbot deployments with next-gen, generative AI-powered IT Service Management

SysAid | January 12, 2024

SysAid, a leading provider of IT and Enterprise Service Management solutions, proudly announces the commencement of an exciting new chapter with the commercial release of SysAid Copilot, designed to liberate organizations by putting AI to work, for them and their people. At the core of SysAid Copilot is the AI Chatbot for End Users delivering always-on, 24/7 service. This conversational self-service experience uses generative AI to help employees work through issues by delivering answers, utilizing the organization's data, from knowledge base articles through ticket resolution history – as well as verified external data sources, links, and documents. Combating ineffective virtual agent deployment According to Gartner, "Staffing an IT service desk is difficult and a considerable expense. Long phone queues and abandoned calls are not uncommon. Yet, many I&O leaders have experienced issues with the implementation and adoption of virtual support agents, which are aimed at alleviating some of these challenges." One of the main factors attributed to these issues is that initial deployments of chatbots were ineffective[1]. With no code zero setup required, SysAid Copilot comes with a feature set designed to counter the potential pitfalls arising from sub-optimal deployment of traditional virtual support agents. The AI Usage Dashboard clearly reflects the value provided to both admins and end users through usage of SysAid Copilot features. For example, adoption of the AI Chatbot for End Users and Assistive AI features for admins. It also offers insights into AI-contained issues, indicating the rate at which problems were automatically resolved by SysAid Copilot using the organization's data and averting the need for ticket creation. In parallel, admins maintain ultimate control over the quality of responses with the ability to monitor, edit, and fine-tune answers provided by the AI Chatbot enabled by a Monitor and Fine-Tune feature. AI Author enables the provision of consistently professional service by rephrasing replies, elaborating on answers, and breaking down information into simple steps with responses that are comprehensible and accessible for employees. This also exempts admins from the need to grapple with wording and grammar. Embedded into the channels that employees already use, SysAid Copilot facilitates quick adoption within the organization. For example, employees get service in a single click from the AI Chatbot (one-click ticket creation) or automatically via the AI Emailbot, delivering an immediate response even before an admin sees the ticket. Increasing productivity SysAid Copilot leverages cutting-edge generative AI technology, elevating admins to play a strategic role in the organization and improving IT productivity by over 20%. "The release of SysAid Copilot is a momentous milestone in our quest to lead organizations on a transformative journey toward AI-driven organizational processes and excellence," said Avi Kedmi, SysAid CEO. "Tapping into specialized data accumulated from thousands of customers and millions of users, SysAid Copilot enables employees to enjoy a fully conversational experience, freeing up admins to focus on more strategic work and become the catalyst for organizational productivity. SysAid Copilot orchestrates service management across the organization, embodying our commitment to infusing intelligence and ease into the workday, reshaping the landscape of service management. And this is only the beginning, as our dynamic roadmap promises a steady stream of groundbreaking features and capabilities ahead, ensuring the success of our customers." The General Availability of SysAid Copilot follows a 5-month design partner and beta program in which a diverse and engaged group of active customers played a pivotal role in refining and enhancing the product. The dedication and enthusiasm of the beta partners have been instrumental in shaping the product and ensuring that it is finely tuned to address the unique needs of SysAid's customer community, not only meeting but exceeding their expectations. Enhancing CSAT scores and slashing MTTR SysAid Copilot includes AI Intelligent Categorization automatically categorizing tickets submitted via the AI Chatbot for End Users and routes to the right people while making suggestions for more appropriate categories for tickets that come in through other channels, reducing human error in ticket categorizations by ~40%. In parallel, AI Case Summarization provides admins with a real-time summarization of the ticket content and employee sentiment (AI Emotion) so admins can understand the context, history, and end-user sentiment at a glance. "SysAid Copilot has helped our organization a great deal in providing support quicker. Since our department is oftentimes understaffed, wait times are higher than normal, and with SysAid Copilot we've witnessed those wait times plummeting," said Nathan Gleed, IT at the City of St George. "One of the most amazing aspects of this new technology is its continual learning, consistently improving performance and generating more accurate and sophisticated output." About SysAid SysAid is on a mission to liberate organizations by putting AI to work for them and their people. We orchestrate service management across organizations with generative AI that taps into specialized data accumulated from thousands of customers and millions of users. With zero setup requirements, our conversational AI manages employees' requests, assists with queries, and accelerates the resolution of issues. With intelligence and ease infused into the workday, productivity thrives so that employees can focus on what they're meant to do, and organizations are free to fulfill their purpose. With over 5,000 customers, SysAid partners with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises across 140 countries. For more information, please visit www.sysaid.com

Read More

AI Tech

Qlik Launches AI Council to Responsibly Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of AI

Qlik | January 25, 2024

<p> Qlik, a global leader in data analytics and integration, today announces the establishment of its inaugural AI Council &ndash; an initiative that further embeds leading edge, ethical AI development at the heart of the company&rsquo;s mission and industry proposition. By convening a distinguished set of advisors, Qlik will accelerate the responsible development of its AI-driven product portfolio, benefitting from the expertise of some of the world&rsquo;s most prominent AI experts, to help customers use their data to achieve more significant business outcomes.</p> <p> Qlik&rsquo;s Generative AI Benchmark Report found that 31% of senior executives plan to spend over $10 million on generative AI initiatives in the coming year and 79% have already invested in generative AI tools or projects. Despite this enthusiasm, it also found that they understand the need to surround them with the right data strategies to realize their potential. If the data building blocks of AI are not governed properly as it is democratized across the entire workforce, it could present a serious threat to the efficiency and integrity of business operations. The AI Council has been established to help Qlik&rsquo;s customers navigate these challenges and advise on best practices.</p> <p> Members of the Council will work within Qlik to guide the company&rsquo;s R&amp;D direction, inform its product roadmap and ensure its customers&rsquo; use of Qlik&rsquo;s AI is built with responsibility and ethics front of mind. The Council will also educate Qlik leaders and employees on how to harness the full potential of AI, while providing insights into the priorities of business leaders tasked with demonstrating value from AI investment.</p> <p> The AI Council features some of the most renowned subject matter experts from around the world. More information on these members can be found on our Qlik Staige website:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Nina Schick &ndash; Author, Advisor and Founder of an advisory firm focused on GenAI</strong><br /> A world-leading authority on generative AI, Nina has long been analyzing emerging technology trends for society. With over two decades of geopolitical experience, she has advised global leaders, including Joe Biden, President of the United States, and was articulating her vision of the &lsquo;AI inflexion point&rsquo; years before ChatGPT made AI a global phenomenon.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Dr. Rumman Chowdhury &ndash; Responsible AI leader, engineer, auditor and investor</strong><br /> Rumman is a pioneer in the field of applied algorithmic ethics, creating cutting-edge socio-technical solutions for ethical, explainable and transparent AI. She is currently the CEO and founder of Humane Intelligence, a tech nonprofit that builds a community of practice around algorithmic evaluations. She has also served on multiple boards, including the UK Center for Data Ethics and Innovation, and on UN&rsquo;s Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, Oxford University&rsquo;s Commission on AI and Governance, and Patterns data science journal. Previously, Rumman was the Director of META (ML Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability) team at Twitter, leading a team of applied researchers and engineers to identify and mitigate algorithmic harms on the platform.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Kelly Forbes &ndash; Co-Founder and Executive Director, AI Asia Pacific Institute</strong><br /> Kelly sits at the intersection of policy, research and industry, working with leading organizations and governments to address the risks associated with AI through international cooperation. With extensive experience in the Asia-Pacific region, Kelly has conducted research on AI governance, public-private dialogue and government policy issues.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Dr. Michael Bronstein &ndash; DeepMind Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Oxford</strong><br /> An award-winning academic, Michael was previously Head of Graph Learning Research at Twitter, a professor at Imperial College London and has held visiting appointments at Stanford, MIT, and Harvard. Michael is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded startups such as Novafora, Invision (acquired by Intel in 2012), Videocites and Fabula AI (acquired by Twitter in 2019).</li> </ul> <p> &quot;The formation of Qlik&#39;s AI Council is a strategic leap, reflecting our deep-seated commitment to not just advancing AI, but doing so with ethical integrity and practical applicability,&quot; said Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik. &quot;Our goal is crystal clear: to enable our customers to harness AI in a way that&#39;s not only transformative, but also responsible. By uniting a cadre of AI luminaries, we are sharpening our focus on delivering AI solutions that are not just cutting-edge, but also seamlessly integrated and governed. This initiative is a pivotal chapter in our journey, marking a bold move towards democratizing AI in a manner that is both accessible and aligned with our core mission of driving substantial, data-driven business outcomes.&quot;</p> <p> Data and analytics leaders from around the world can hear from the AI Council at Qlik Connect, which takes place on June 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. At the pre-eminent event for data analytics, integration, and AI, Council members will share their take on the opportunities and challenges for businesses exploring the value of automation in their data strategy. Additional details and event registration is at www.qlikconnect.com</p> <p> &ldquo;I am excited to join Qlik&rsquo;s AI Council and work with some of the greatest minds in AI to optimize how businesses around the world use data,&rdquo; said Rumman Chowdhury, member of Qlik&rsquo;s AI Council. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve reached an inflection point where innovations like generative AI are impacting the world as the internet did. This is not the time for complacency. &lsquo;Adopting AI&rsquo; is not as simple as some suggest, but getting left behind is a risky game. By taking responsible steps, organizations can enter an era of unprecedented innovation &ndash; I look forward to being able to contribute to this evolution.&rdquo;</p> <p> &ldquo;In working at JBS USA, I recognize the significance of Qlik&#39;s advancements in AI, embodying a responsible and pragmatic approach to enterprise AI development,&rdquo; said Stephanie Robinson, IT Business Intelligence Manager at JBS. &ldquo;Qlik&#39;s dedication to enhancing AI applications aligns with our focus on employing technology to drive substantial business outcomes. We value Qlik&#39;s commitment to ethical AI practices and are optimistic about the beneficial impact this will have on the industry.&rdquo;</p> <p> <strong>About Qlik</strong><br /> Qlik converts complex data landscapes into actionable insights, driving strategic business outcomes. Serving over 40,000 global customers, our portfolio leverages advanced, enterprise-grade AI/ML and pervasive data quality. We excel in data integration and governance, offering comprehensive solutions that work with diverse data sources. Intuitive analytics from Qlik uncover hidden patterns, empowering teams to address complex challenges and seize new opportunities. Our AI/ML tools, both practical and scalable, lead to better decisions, faster. As strategic partners, our platform-agnostic technology and expertise make our customers more competitive.</p> <p> 2024 QlikTech International AB. All rights reserved. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.</p> <p> The development, release and timing of any product or functionality described herein remain at the sole discretion of Qlik and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision.</p>

Read More

Software

Lynx Software Technologies Announces Acquisition of Thompson Software Solutions

Lynx Software Technologies | January 10, 2024

Lynx Software Technologies (Lynx), a leader in the development of foundational, open architecture software solutions for the Mission Critical Edge, today announced the acquisition of Thompson Software Solutions, LLC. (TSS), a provider of software development, engineering, and integration solutions to mission-critical aerospace and defense (A&D) platforms, spanning military and commercial fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, commercial space flight, hypersonic platforms, and command-and-control systems. Its customers include the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), prime integrators, A&D original equipment manufacturers, and commercial space companies. Since its founding in 2004, TSS has delivered technical capabilities and strategic insights to enable innovative software products requiring the highest reliability, security, and performance standards. With expertise spanning high-integrity software architecture and development, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, airworthiness certifications, open systems architecture, simulation and training, and AI and machine learning, customers across the A&D end-markets rely upon TSS to provide strategic guidance, differentiated technical capabilities, and a deep understanding of mission requirements. TSS’s Chief Executive Officer, Les Thompson, and Chief Strategy Officer, Patrick McClellen, have taken on senior roles within Lynx following the close of the transaction. The combination of Lynx and TSS creates a scaled provider of mission-critical software solutions for customers with complex interoperability, safety, and security challenges. Lynx’s foundational software products, open-source expertise, productivity- and security-enhancing development tools, highly technical software engineering services, delivered via both professional and managed services business models, and its highly skilled and security-cleared employee base combine to create a platform company uniquely positioned to support the full software development lifecycle for clients in aerospace, defense, and other heavily regulated end-markets. “The TSS team has built the company on a solid foundation of trusted customer relationships, innovative and cutting-edge technical capabilities, and flawless execution. With TSS’s high-value and differentiated software development and integration capabilities, we will be better equipped to enable aerospace and defense OEMs and prime integrators to accelerate the design, development, and deployment of their products and platforms,” commented Tim Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Lynx. “As we end 2023, Lynx’s portfolio of solutions spans from the operating system to the application layer, certifiable real-time, to general purpose and open-source, and from commercial-off-the-shelf (“COTS”) to government-off-the-shelf (“GOTS”) software products. I’m thrilled to work with Les and the TSS team as we continue delivering comprehensive and unique software-enabled solutions to customers whose needs extend from the development pipeline to the Mission Critical Edge.” “Throughout my twenty years leading TSS, we’ve been consistently committed to delivering robust software solutions that meet the stringent requirements of our customers while ensuring they can stay on schedule and budget,” commented Les Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of TSS. “From our first discussions with Tim and the Lynx team, it became clear that Lynx is not just a vendor looking to push products but a committed, mission-oriented partner with the same objectives we have here at TSS, which includes continuing to deliver on our shared goal of providing resilient, secure, and performant software solutions targeted at the most demanding mission-critical environments.” “The combination of Lynx and TSS creates a software solutions platform placed at the center of priority aerospace and defense investment areas, notably open standards, modularity, and security. Like TSS, Lynx has an established track record of exceeding customer expectations with its innovation, performance, and value proposition. As a combined company, Lynx and TSS are well-positioned to grow as our clients continue to execute on the software modernization, integration, and development priorities,” commented Patrick McClellen, Chief Strategy Officer of TSS. About Lynx Software Technologies Lynx Software Technologies is on a mission to improve the economics of developing, deploying, and maintaining high-assurance Mission Critical Edge platforms with modular software solutions based on open standards. Our proven technology leadership, extensive system certification expertise, and commitment to open standards have consistently saved our customers millions of dollars in development costs while delivering desired system performance, security, and reliability on schedule. Lynx is committed to enabling customers to build and manage orchestrated, cloud-connected platforms that harness a broad array of modern technologies and unique design methodologies to enable accurate, deterministic decisions at the Mission Critical Edge without compromising safety or cybersecurity requirements. For more information, visit www.lynx.com. About Thompson Software Solutions Founded in 2004 with locations in Atlanta, GA and Fort Worth, TX, the Thompson Software Solutions team understands what is required to develop, integrate, test, and deploy software with a safety-critical pedigree while meeting the challenges of modernization and digital transformation. Our team of proven and dedicated employees takes pride in our ability to react quickly and produce quality solutions to difficult technical challenges. We work with partners to find the right path to meet operational needs while future-proofing systems with portability and sustainment considerations to ensure next-generation success. For more information, visit https://www.thompsonsoftwaresolutions.com. About OceanSound Partners OceanSound Partners is a New York-based private equity firm that pursues control investments in technology and technology-enabled services companies serving government and enterprise end markets. OceanSound employs a partnership approach, working closely with founders, entrepreneurs, and executives of middle market businesses to drive transformational growth. For more information, visit www.oceansoundpartners.com.

Read More

General AI

New SysAid Copilot counters ineffective chatbot deployments with next-gen, generative AI-powered IT Service Management

SysAid | January 12, 2024

SysAid, a leading provider of IT and Enterprise Service Management solutions, proudly announces the commencement of an exciting new chapter with the commercial release of SysAid Copilot, designed to liberate organizations by putting AI to work, for them and their people. At the core of SysAid Copilot is the AI Chatbot for End Users delivering always-on, 24/7 service. This conversational self-service experience uses generative AI to help employees work through issues by delivering answers, utilizing the organization's data, from knowledge base articles through ticket resolution history – as well as verified external data sources, links, and documents. Combating ineffective virtual agent deployment According to Gartner, "Staffing an IT service desk is difficult and a considerable expense. Long phone queues and abandoned calls are not uncommon. Yet, many I&O leaders have experienced issues with the implementation and adoption of virtual support agents, which are aimed at alleviating some of these challenges." One of the main factors attributed to these issues is that initial deployments of chatbots were ineffective[1]. With no code zero setup required, SysAid Copilot comes with a feature set designed to counter the potential pitfalls arising from sub-optimal deployment of traditional virtual support agents. The AI Usage Dashboard clearly reflects the value provided to both admins and end users through usage of SysAid Copilot features. For example, adoption of the AI Chatbot for End Users and Assistive AI features for admins. It also offers insights into AI-contained issues, indicating the rate at which problems were automatically resolved by SysAid Copilot using the organization's data and averting the need for ticket creation. In parallel, admins maintain ultimate control over the quality of responses with the ability to monitor, edit, and fine-tune answers provided by the AI Chatbot enabled by a Monitor and Fine-Tune feature. AI Author enables the provision of consistently professional service by rephrasing replies, elaborating on answers, and breaking down information into simple steps with responses that are comprehensible and accessible for employees. This also exempts admins from the need to grapple with wording and grammar. Embedded into the channels that employees already use, SysAid Copilot facilitates quick adoption within the organization. For example, employees get service in a single click from the AI Chatbot (one-click ticket creation) or automatically via the AI Emailbot, delivering an immediate response even before an admin sees the ticket. Increasing productivity SysAid Copilot leverages cutting-edge generative AI technology, elevating admins to play a strategic role in the organization and improving IT productivity by over 20%. "The release of SysAid Copilot is a momentous milestone in our quest to lead organizations on a transformative journey toward AI-driven organizational processes and excellence," said Avi Kedmi, SysAid CEO. "Tapping into specialized data accumulated from thousands of customers and millions of users, SysAid Copilot enables employees to enjoy a fully conversational experience, freeing up admins to focus on more strategic work and become the catalyst for organizational productivity. SysAid Copilot orchestrates service management across the organization, embodying our commitment to infusing intelligence and ease into the workday, reshaping the landscape of service management. And this is only the beginning, as our dynamic roadmap promises a steady stream of groundbreaking features and capabilities ahead, ensuring the success of our customers." The General Availability of SysAid Copilot follows a 5-month design partner and beta program in which a diverse and engaged group of active customers played a pivotal role in refining and enhancing the product. The dedication and enthusiasm of the beta partners have been instrumental in shaping the product and ensuring that it is finely tuned to address the unique needs of SysAid's customer community, not only meeting but exceeding their expectations. Enhancing CSAT scores and slashing MTTR SysAid Copilot includes AI Intelligent Categorization automatically categorizing tickets submitted via the AI Chatbot for End Users and routes to the right people while making suggestions for more appropriate categories for tickets that come in through other channels, reducing human error in ticket categorizations by ~40%. In parallel, AI Case Summarization provides admins with a real-time summarization of the ticket content and employee sentiment (AI Emotion) so admins can understand the context, history, and end-user sentiment at a glance. "SysAid Copilot has helped our organization a great deal in providing support quicker. Since our department is oftentimes understaffed, wait times are higher than normal, and with SysAid Copilot we've witnessed those wait times plummeting," said Nathan Gleed, IT at the City of St George. "One of the most amazing aspects of this new technology is its continual learning, consistently improving performance and generating more accurate and sophisticated output." About SysAid SysAid is on a mission to liberate organizations by putting AI to work for them and their people. We orchestrate service management across organizations with generative AI that taps into specialized data accumulated from thousands of customers and millions of users. With zero setup requirements, our conversational AI manages employees' requests, assists with queries, and accelerates the resolution of issues. With intelligence and ease infused into the workday, productivity thrives so that employees can focus on what they're meant to do, and organizations are free to fulfill their purpose. With over 5,000 customers, SysAid partners with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises across 140 countries. For more information, please visit www.sysaid.com

Read More

AI Tech

Qlik Launches AI Council to Responsibly Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of AI

Qlik | January 25, 2024

<p> Qlik, a global leader in data analytics and integration, today announces the establishment of its inaugural AI Council &ndash; an initiative that further embeds leading edge, ethical AI development at the heart of the company&rsquo;s mission and industry proposition. By convening a distinguished set of advisors, Qlik will accelerate the responsible development of its AI-driven product portfolio, benefitting from the expertise of some of the world&rsquo;s most prominent AI experts, to help customers use their data to achieve more significant business outcomes.</p> <p> Qlik&rsquo;s Generative AI Benchmark Report found that 31% of senior executives plan to spend over $10 million on generative AI initiatives in the coming year and 79% have already invested in generative AI tools or projects. Despite this enthusiasm, it also found that they understand the need to surround them with the right data strategies to realize their potential. If the data building blocks of AI are not governed properly as it is democratized across the entire workforce, it could present a serious threat to the efficiency and integrity of business operations. The AI Council has been established to help Qlik&rsquo;s customers navigate these challenges and advise on best practices.</p> <p> Members of the Council will work within Qlik to guide the company&rsquo;s R&amp;D direction, inform its product roadmap and ensure its customers&rsquo; use of Qlik&rsquo;s AI is built with responsibility and ethics front of mind. The Council will also educate Qlik leaders and employees on how to harness the full potential of AI, while providing insights into the priorities of business leaders tasked with demonstrating value from AI investment.</p> <p> The AI Council features some of the most renowned subject matter experts from around the world. More information on these members can be found on our Qlik Staige website:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Nina Schick &ndash; Author, Advisor and Founder of an advisory firm focused on GenAI</strong><br /> A world-leading authority on generative AI, Nina has long been analyzing emerging technology trends for society. With over two decades of geopolitical experience, she has advised global leaders, including Joe Biden, President of the United States, and was articulating her vision of the &lsquo;AI inflexion point&rsquo; years before ChatGPT made AI a global phenomenon.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Dr. Rumman Chowdhury &ndash; Responsible AI leader, engineer, auditor and investor</strong><br /> Rumman is a pioneer in the field of applied algorithmic ethics, creating cutting-edge socio-technical solutions for ethical, explainable and transparent AI. She is currently the CEO and founder of Humane Intelligence, a tech nonprofit that builds a community of practice around algorithmic evaluations. She has also served on multiple boards, including the UK Center for Data Ethics and Innovation, and on UN&rsquo;s Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, Oxford University&rsquo;s Commission on AI and Governance, and Patterns data science journal. Previously, Rumman was the Director of META (ML Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability) team at Twitter, leading a team of applied researchers and engineers to identify and mitigate algorithmic harms on the platform.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Kelly Forbes &ndash; Co-Founder and Executive Director, AI Asia Pacific Institute</strong><br /> Kelly sits at the intersection of policy, research and industry, working with leading organizations and governments to address the risks associated with AI through international cooperation. With extensive experience in the Asia-Pacific region, Kelly has conducted research on AI governance, public-private dialogue and government policy issues.</li> </ul> <ul> <li> <strong>Dr. Michael Bronstein &ndash; DeepMind Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Oxford</strong><br /> An award-winning academic, Michael was previously Head of Graph Learning Research at Twitter, a professor at Imperial College London and has held visiting appointments at Stanford, MIT, and Harvard. Michael is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded startups such as Novafora, Invision (acquired by Intel in 2012), Videocites and Fabula AI (acquired by Twitter in 2019).</li> </ul> <p> &quot;The formation of Qlik&#39;s AI Council is a strategic leap, reflecting our deep-seated commitment to not just advancing AI, but doing so with ethical integrity and practical applicability,&quot; said Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik. &quot;Our goal is crystal clear: to enable our customers to harness AI in a way that&#39;s not only transformative, but also responsible. By uniting a cadre of AI luminaries, we are sharpening our focus on delivering AI solutions that are not just cutting-edge, but also seamlessly integrated and governed. This initiative is a pivotal chapter in our journey, marking a bold move towards democratizing AI in a manner that is both accessible and aligned with our core mission of driving substantial, data-driven business outcomes.&quot;</p> <p> Data and analytics leaders from around the world can hear from the AI Council at Qlik Connect, which takes place on June 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. At the pre-eminent event for data analytics, integration, and AI, Council members will share their take on the opportunities and challenges for businesses exploring the value of automation in their data strategy. Additional details and event registration is at www.qlikconnect.com</p> <p> &ldquo;I am excited to join Qlik&rsquo;s AI Council and work with some of the greatest minds in AI to optimize how businesses around the world use data,&rdquo; said Rumman Chowdhury, member of Qlik&rsquo;s AI Council. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve reached an inflection point where innovations like generative AI are impacting the world as the internet did. This is not the time for complacency. &lsquo;Adopting AI&rsquo; is not as simple as some suggest, but getting left behind is a risky game. By taking responsible steps, organizations can enter an era of unprecedented innovation &ndash; I look forward to being able to contribute to this evolution.&rdquo;</p> <p> &ldquo;In working at JBS USA, I recognize the significance of Qlik&#39;s advancements in AI, embodying a responsible and pragmatic approach to enterprise AI development,&rdquo; said Stephanie Robinson, IT Business Intelligence Manager at JBS. &ldquo;Qlik&#39;s dedication to enhancing AI applications aligns with our focus on employing technology to drive substantial business outcomes. We value Qlik&#39;s commitment to ethical AI practices and are optimistic about the beneficial impact this will have on the industry.&rdquo;</p> <p> <strong>About Qlik</strong><br /> Qlik converts complex data landscapes into actionable insights, driving strategic business outcomes. Serving over 40,000 global customers, our portfolio leverages advanced, enterprise-grade AI/ML and pervasive data quality. We excel in data integration and governance, offering comprehensive solutions that work with diverse data sources. Intuitive analytics from Qlik uncover hidden patterns, empowering teams to address complex challenges and seize new opportunities. Our AI/ML tools, both practical and scalable, lead to better decisions, faster. As strategic partners, our platform-agnostic technology and expertise make our customers more competitive.</p> <p> 2024 QlikTech International AB. All rights reserved. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.</p> <p> The development, release and timing of any product or functionality described herein remain at the sole discretion of Qlik and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision.</p>

Read More

Software

Lynx Software Technologies Announces Acquisition of Thompson Software Solutions

Lynx Software Technologies | January 10, 2024

Lynx Software Technologies (Lynx), a leader in the development of foundational, open architecture software solutions for the Mission Critical Edge, today announced the acquisition of Thompson Software Solutions, LLC. (TSS), a provider of software development, engineering, and integration solutions to mission-critical aerospace and defense (A&D) platforms, spanning military and commercial fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, commercial space flight, hypersonic platforms, and command-and-control systems. Its customers include the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), prime integrators, A&D original equipment manufacturers, and commercial space companies. Since its founding in 2004, TSS has delivered technical capabilities and strategic insights to enable innovative software products requiring the highest reliability, security, and performance standards. With expertise spanning high-integrity software architecture and development, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, airworthiness certifications, open systems architecture, simulation and training, and AI and machine learning, customers across the A&D end-markets rely upon TSS to provide strategic guidance, differentiated technical capabilities, and a deep understanding of mission requirements. TSS’s Chief Executive Officer, Les Thompson, and Chief Strategy Officer, Patrick McClellen, have taken on senior roles within Lynx following the close of the transaction. The combination of Lynx and TSS creates a scaled provider of mission-critical software solutions for customers with complex interoperability, safety, and security challenges. Lynx’s foundational software products, open-source expertise, productivity- and security-enhancing development tools, highly technical software engineering services, delivered via both professional and managed services business models, and its highly skilled and security-cleared employee base combine to create a platform company uniquely positioned to support the full software development lifecycle for clients in aerospace, defense, and other heavily regulated end-markets. “The TSS team has built the company on a solid foundation of trusted customer relationships, innovative and cutting-edge technical capabilities, and flawless execution. With TSS’s high-value and differentiated software development and integration capabilities, we will be better equipped to enable aerospace and defense OEMs and prime integrators to accelerate the design, development, and deployment of their products and platforms,” commented Tim Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Lynx. “As we end 2023, Lynx’s portfolio of solutions spans from the operating system to the application layer, certifiable real-time, to general purpose and open-source, and from commercial-off-the-shelf (“COTS”) to government-off-the-shelf (“GOTS”) software products. I’m thrilled to work with Les and the TSS team as we continue delivering comprehensive and unique software-enabled solutions to customers whose needs extend from the development pipeline to the Mission Critical Edge.” “Throughout my twenty years leading TSS, we’ve been consistently committed to delivering robust software solutions that meet the stringent requirements of our customers while ensuring they can stay on schedule and budget,” commented Les Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of TSS. “From our first discussions with Tim and the Lynx team, it became clear that Lynx is not just a vendor looking to push products but a committed, mission-oriented partner with the same objectives we have here at TSS, which includes continuing to deliver on our shared goal of providing resilient, secure, and performant software solutions targeted at the most demanding mission-critical environments.” “The combination of Lynx and TSS creates a software solutions platform placed at the center of priority aerospace and defense investment areas, notably open standards, modularity, and security. Like TSS, Lynx has an established track record of exceeding customer expectations with its innovation, performance, and value proposition. As a combined company, Lynx and TSS are well-positioned to grow as our clients continue to execute on the software modernization, integration, and development priorities,” commented Patrick McClellen, Chief Strategy Officer of TSS. About Lynx Software Technologies Lynx Software Technologies is on a mission to improve the economics of developing, deploying, and maintaining high-assurance Mission Critical Edge platforms with modular software solutions based on open standards. Our proven technology leadership, extensive system certification expertise, and commitment to open standards have consistently saved our customers millions of dollars in development costs while delivering desired system performance, security, and reliability on schedule. Lynx is committed to enabling customers to build and manage orchestrated, cloud-connected platforms that harness a broad array of modern technologies and unique design methodologies to enable accurate, deterministic decisions at the Mission Critical Edge without compromising safety or cybersecurity requirements. For more information, visit www.lynx.com. About Thompson Software Solutions Founded in 2004 with locations in Atlanta, GA and Fort Worth, TX, the Thompson Software Solutions team understands what is required to develop, integrate, test, and deploy software with a safety-critical pedigree while meeting the challenges of modernization and digital transformation. Our team of proven and dedicated employees takes pride in our ability to react quickly and produce quality solutions to difficult technical challenges. We work with partners to find the right path to meet operational needs while future-proofing systems with portability and sustainment considerations to ensure next-generation success. For more information, visit https://www.thompsonsoftwaresolutions.com. About OceanSound Partners OceanSound Partners is a New York-based private equity firm that pursues control investments in technology and technology-enabled services companies serving government and enterprise end markets. OceanSound employs a partnership approach, working closely with founders, entrepreneurs, and executives of middle market businesses to drive transformational growth. For more information, visit www.oceansoundpartners.com.

Read More

Spotlight

6sense

6sense

6sense’s Account Based Orchestration Platform helps revenue teams compete and win in the age of Account Based Buying by putting the power of AI, big data and machine learning behind every member of the B2B revenue team, empowering them to uncover anonymous buying behavior, prioritize fragmented data...

Events

Resources