Bayer

​In an interview with Jose Sifontes, Digital Channel Access Manager, Bayer, he elucidates on the challenges, trends and the future of the IT industry and also discusses the recent project he worked on.

What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the IT Industry lately?

I believe that the impact on the IT industry has been going on for many years. In fact, mobile phones have been the proof of that, and people are always thinking about what is to come. The IT industry has not only been the one that has advanced the most in recent years, but also the one that has modified, restructured, and invaded the daily activities of the human being and it can even be said that today almost no one can live or exist if they do not use the technology.

We are living a new age of the technology, although we have been hearing about artificial intelligence for some time, right now we are at the highest peak of the application of this technology in various aspects of life. Ladies and gentlemen, artificial intelligence is the world's new oil. The use of artificial intelligence is generating divided opinions around the world, and this is because many are not prepared to adapt to this new world, a world that moves with great dynamism.

As always happens with the new and innovative, AI has quickly become the topic of daily conversation and even the replication of tools based on this technology advances very quickly, so much so that sometimes we get congested with information and don't know what to do. With what at a technological level we have at our fingertips. AI is fed by everything that had been built traditionally for many years, it is a very powerful and effective tool if used properly, without falling into vices or obsessions.

What keeps you up at night when it comes to some of the major predicaments in the IT Industry?

Generally, on a daily basis, I think about the evolution of cybersecurity and data protection. I consider it a very delicate issue that often goes unnoticed, sometimes due to ignorance and other times due to lack of attention. The increasing cyber threats pose a challenge that the IT industry must confront, but the existence and development of new threatening techniques by cybercriminals should be a cause for concern

 The use of artificial intelligence is generating divided opinions around the world, and this is because many are not prepared to adapt to this new world, a world that moves with great dynamism 

On the other hand, the constant evolution of the IT industry creates skill gaps, and this is something that worries me. It is difficult to keep professionals in the field updated and prepared with experience or training in the latest emerging technologies. There is high demand for professionals in the field, but a limited supply, which creates dynamism and competition to attract available talent and even modify internal policies within companies to retain professionals.

Another equally important topic that makes me reflect is the so-called "Digital Transformation," a phrase that has become a source of concern, hasty decision-making, lack of focus, operational challenges, accelerated mindset changes, and adaptation to new ways of working or doing things. Companies are desperately seeking this transformation; however, it is important that before moving forward, we can diagnose, analyze, and think about how to inspire all individuals within the organization to become agents of change, to become allies. This helps us eliminate existing barriers, resistance to change, and the anxiety of generating quick results. In fact, in my current role, I constantly think and seek the best way to inspire others to find innovative solutions as a team by identifying our weaknesses.

Can you tell us about the latest project that you have been working on and what are some of the technological and process elements that you leveraged to make the project successful?

During the past year, I have been working on various technological or process improvement projects. One of them involved implementing a logistics platform for drivers, which allowed managing the entire delivery experience from a mobile phone. While developing this project, the most challenging part was achieving a mindset shift in the people who would be using the tool on their phones while making deliveries and convincing them that it adds value to their daily work. These drivers start their deliveries very early and want to finish quickly and return home.

The app was also designed to connect the experience of the company's customers who place orders with the driver who carries out the delivery, in order to have a closed-end, integrated process between the two sides of the business and to enhance the importance of each role in the entire value chain. Furthermore, the implementation of this digital solution eliminates the need for paper, contributing to sustainability in the delivery processes.

Over the months, the tool has become a scalable, autonomous, and agile solution that facilitates end-to-end management of the company's logistics process. It also allows tracking key performance indicators that are crucial for the business, enabling not only decision-making but also timely identification of new needs or situations during the delivery process that previously took weeks to address.

The most important thing is to inspire others during these changes. As business owners, project managers, or leaders, we need to consider how to convey the message that digital transformation is simply about leveraging technological tools to streamline, optimize, or facilitate our processes, rather than automating processes to detach from people.

What are some of the technological trends which excite you for the future of the IT Industry?

I consider that data analytics and artificial intelligence are two of the most interesting trends in the IT world, in fact I believe that these tools will mark a before and after in the future. The world is increasingly making use of data to find out what happens in business, in our countries, in the economy and in life, I think we had never thought of this.

Although we do not see it as important, data science is building a new way of making decisions, it is setting a guide in our lives and it is becoming part of it, if not, let's reflect a little: if we plan a trip, for example, what do we take? consider? our previous experiences, costs, places where we go, lodging, etc. and what is the first thing we look for? the scores of the places, opinions of others and evaluations, this is a simple example, while before we only trusted the recommendation of friends, today we trust the data that others provide.

In addition, AI is taking center stage day by day, and this is caused by the dynamism that is occurring throughout the world, it is a tool that is here to stay. So, it is possible that tomorrow the fusion between data science and AI will be the most powerful tool we will have, but it is important that we know and understand how to use them properly.