Denizens of my Blog, Greetings!
As 2023 winds down, I'm reflecting on how fast things changed yet nothing is really new. AI is everywhere now, but it's nothing new. There was an AI stock market boom in the early 1980's that is mostly forgotten (source, Computer Chronicles, You Tube). Today, it's not the AI that's new, it's the computing power and the constant connectivity that are making the technology seem so novel and exciting. And it is, but like any new tech, there are going to be wonderful uses to benefit society and nefarious uses to hurt society. Take it as it is. The reality is, many tasks are simplified and outsourced with a mere prompt.
I recently needed a list of Terms and Conditions for visitors to a secure factory. Within a minute, I prompted AI to create the list. I made a few changes and the work was done and I was on to the next task. Like all tools, AI is going to be amazing when used well. The fear of AI is no different than any fear of technology. You might question if this blog is written by AI. That's how it'll be. (I assure you, it's written from me, a human. But aren't we all just living in a simulation... uh... let's get back to tech.)
 |
| Created with AI in like 18 seconds. |
Enough about AI. It's here, it's useful and it creates creepy pictures when used lazily.
My new obsession this year is with the Microsoft Power Platform. MS is hard to love. This product makes me feel like it's 1999 again (Pre Windows Millennium, of course). They are doing stuff that is exciting and fun. The Power Platform is going to change the game for small businesses (and larger ones, but small business has not had access to tools like this for this low cost in history)
2024 will be the year of connected data. Over the last 40 years, we went from unconnected systems holding data locally, to networked systems holding data centrally. Then the internet connected those networks virtually and the data migrated to computers in the sky (remember, the cloud is just someone else's computer).
I have many clients who hate the cloud version of software they used to use locally. Quickbooks for example. The data went from our server to theirs and we pay them to access it. SaaS has many pros but the cons are quite evident. Like AI, we have to embrace the reality that SaaS is here to stay. So let's benefit from it.
Since so much of our data is connected, why not put it all together? Data Lakes will be the big sell for my company in 2024. It's a no brainer. You have files on random folders on different PCs. Or up in a few cloud accounts. You get reports from your accounting software, but it's not connected to your ERP or MRP software, your CRM is on it's own too. You have shared documents that are passed around instead of actively updated. I've seen it all. Put your thumb drive down, it's time to go swimming in the Data Lake!
With centralized Data, your business can now build out apps and websites to connect with that data.
Here's an example - Employee Onboarding. New employee, there's applications, new accounts to create, forms to fill out, handbooks and rules, and so on.
Instead of collecting this info in different places, we'll build an app for onboarding. The new employee can go to a website (a tablet can be used with an app as well, or off a QR code).
They fill out forms. Those forms are instantly saved into our Data Lake. They review handbook and fill out questionnaire, results go in the lake. They put in their name and personal info for their profile, all gets saved to tables in the lake.
Now that app can be crossed with other apps. Say you need to know who is trained to work on specific equipment. An app with a table of equipment can be created and crossed with the table of workers schedules to see who is available for what machines. Boom, you now have custom software and your employees and customers will be impressed.
My last prediction of 2024 is that Web3 is actually just Web1.0 again. If you're relying on Big Tech to manage your data and content, you're giving a lot up in return. It's one thing to pay for products like Microsoft's Power Platform and 365. It's another thing to completely leave all your data in the hands of these monoliths without backing up your data and keeping it in YOUR own hands.
If your data isn't on a physical drive that you have physical access to, than your data can be used against you, it can be taken or lost and there isn't much you can do about it. If you are hosting your app or website on a big cloud webserver and aren't prepared to use an alternative if the tyrants of tech decide your content isn't appropriate, it's on you. Diversify your data sources. Physically back up your data. Keep backups offsite. Between Ransomware and the Big Tech Companies, if you value what you create, save it locally.
Many of our clients have Linux based servers we use to host their services on a protected and locally managed machine. The Cloud is Amazing, but remember, you can be your own cloud. It's just a computer on the internet.
So to wrap up. 2024 will be the year AI becomes ubiquitous and unimpressive. When used by a pro, it's no different than a paint brush, a cloning tool, a lasso tool, copy and paste, etc. It's a combination of many tools we became used to that not long ago didn't exist.
2024 will be the year where small guys get to do big things with their data though data lakes, BI and integrated apps. Whether through Google, MS, or others. These tools will be impossible to live without just like the PC and Internet.
Lastly, 2024 will be the return to Web 1.0. We were decentralized. Web3 isn't moving forward, it's returning to our roots. Host a website on your home PC, Build a linux server from an old PC.
Thanks for reading all this.
If you are interested in our services, check out our site www.zebarigroup.com (hosted on github pages for free!)
Thanks!!
More info at Zebari Group IT Services
Comments
Post a Comment