Tag: jonas jacobi

If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance a lot less. A famous quote from the former CEO of Ford Alan Mulally that is more than relevant for today’s age of incredible transformation, both for companies and for individuals. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expanding at full speed more and more established enterprises are struggling to transform their existing activities into a more digital businesses. During Webit.Festival Europe our guest had the chance to have these processes explained by the Vice President for Cloud and Mobile Technology at IBM Jonas Jacobi. His lecture walked us through the latest trends in Cloud Computing, Internet of Everything and Artificial Intelligence that are going to transform the life as we know it today. According to him, we as users tend to hold on things, whether physical or not, for way too long. And what that does to us and our corporations and companies is that we are holding back the opportunity to realize the future.

“It is important to realize this. If you look at where you are and where you want to be make sure to let go of the past to move on to the future”, the expert said.

He reminded that Cloud Computing is actually not a new thing, but we can all give credit to Amazon for making this the number one priority for many companies today. What is important to understand about Cloud Computing is that it is now a must have thing. The Cloud Computing era brought forward a process, called Digital Transformation. A lot of established companies now go through the rapid attempt to digitalize themselves and there is a real race to transform. The other thing that Cloud Computing brought is the lower bar for entry in the space of technology. If we go back 10 or 15 years ago, it required a much bigger minimal investment to try to launch a service. In the ever evolving markets there is a price war and ultimate race to the bottom. As soon as a company comes with a low price, everyone try to chase after. The markets are growing faster than we can actually imagine thanks to trends, such as IoE and AI.

“What that means for all the cloud vendors is that they have to focus on what makes them different. That is the key thing to succeed. It can not all go down to zero in terms of revenue from our services so we have to differentiate”, said Jacobi.

The important thing when we look at the things popping out on the market is that they go through some form of evaluation of the market. In the case of connected devices this process is called IoT Chasm and it follows several steps. A new trend comes out and everybody is super excited. We start with the honeymoon period which is like coming to a new place and saying that you are going to stay there forever. Then you start noticing some functions that doesn’t suit you well. But after a while you realize that you are committed to the technology. When a user is already committed, he starts looking not only for convenience, but for things like security of the product. Many IoE companies think of the security as of something that is going to come later. But we are on a stage of development in which someone can hack a car and steer it off the road Once the commitment is a fact, we get into those deeper issues, and as soon as we go through them we get into the major adoption curve of a new technology. [caption id="attachment_5060" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The VP for Cloud and Mobile Technology Strategy at IBM Jonas Jacobi.[/caption] Connected cars present a giant market opportunity. But now there are even 3D printed self-driving minivans that are with built in AI. We can talk to the bus and communicate with it. We can even ask for a good restaurant and it will take us there. Now technology is not disrupting just one business, but several at the same time. If you can 3D print a car then you disrupt manufacturing, traffic planning, optimizing traffic fall and making it greener. This is where we are heading. Soon we will just be able to download a blueprint and go print our own personalized car in the shop. The other giant trend in technology is the rise of Artificial Intelligence. And while many people perceive the adoption of such technology as a start of the battle between the man and machine, the reality is that AI will augment humanity and human intelligence, not replace us.

“At IBM we are working a lot with AI on healthcare. AI can help doctors reach a decision faster, get access to more information faster and anything else in the market. In this case it is an opportunity to improve and safe life of many”, Jacobi said.

He thinks that cognitive systems do not think for us, but help us do research and make better decisions. The IBM expert said that no matter how hard we resist and try to push back change, it will inevitably come to us, so we should instead endorse it and bring it in. Because the sooner we adopt new technology, ideas and business models, the faster we can evolve as companies and individuals. You may watch Jonas Jacobi’s full lecture here: If you want to keep up with the latest trend in the world of digital economy and technology, then Webit.Festival is the right place for you. Visit our website and book 2 of our Super Earlybird tickets for Webit.Festival Europe 2018 for just €100. Feel the Webit vibe with some of the best photos from this year’s event! [easingslider id="4954"]

One of the main pillars of Webit.Festival, the Tech Summit and its Digital Transformation track, are once again bringing together the top CIOs, CTOs and other executives from the enterprise along with the hottest founders of startups, innovators and government key figures.  During the 25th and the 26th of April, Webit.Festival 2017 is the place to be in Europe if you want to hear about the latest innovations in the world, the many ways you can digitally transform your business to remain competitive or just to learn more from the leading execs of Fortune Top 500 companies.

We have 3 new top-flight speakers in our lineup for the Tech Summit! They include a real flying man and innovator, the founder of an unicorn company, who recently sold his business for over 1 billion dollars and serial investor with huge experience, so read our guide to taking part or find out more about our latest speaker additions below.

• Jonas Jacobi, Vice President, Cloud and Mobile Technology Strategy IBM.

Mr. Jacobi is responsible for IBM’s enduring strategy according to everyday tech innovations, startups and enterprise policies. Prior to working at IBM, he has been part of Oracle’s and Brane Corporation’s teams; he still advises IoT Expo International Conference Series; has founded and co-founded several tech companies as well as his own consulting company. With his co-founded company Kaazing Corporation he has participated in rewriting the way Web and and Mobile applications are being designed. He is also the author of the book “Pro JSF and Ajax : Building Rich Internet Components” and writes articles for top rank tech magazines such as Wired, Bob’s Guide, JavaPro, Java Developer's Journal, AjaxWorld, and Oracle Magazine on a regular basis. Speeches at international tech events or TV interviews are also an essential part of his professional life. Mr. Jacobi has been awarded with “Business Excellence Award - Commitment to Innovation” in 2013. Outside of the IBM office,  his  deep interest in IoT, tech, Web and Mobile visualizes in advising entrepreneurs and startups.

• David Mayman, CEO, JetPack Aviation.

Mr. Mayman is a professional pilot and creator of “The World’s First True Jetpack”.He is one of those people who inspire not only with their professional path, but also with their not-afraid-to-live-elsewhere braveness too. During his years of professional development he had combined commerce, aviation, mineral exploration, digital media and technologies and have lived in 5 of all the 7 continents on Earth: Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Australia. But his true passion has always been aviation. Mr. Mayman is a passionate pilot since his teenage years. He earned Australian private aeroplane pilots licence, commercial licence valid in America and private European licence for both helicopters and aeroplanes. Now, after 25 years dedication in total, he has discovered the ultimate freedom feeling by flying only armed with jetpack on back. “No wings, minimal airframe and very compact” by his own words, so far flights have been executed in Monaco, New York  and London. Mr. Mayman is currently interested in disruptive technology companies, startups, early stage investments, and, of course, future development of JetPack so that it becomes affordable to everyone some future day.  

• Gareth Williams, CEO and Co-Founder, Skyscanner.

Mr. Williams’ business aim of “Making travel search as easy as possible” appears to be one of the turnkeys in today’s flight booking world. He co-founded the widely known website Skyscanner 15 years ago and helps thus 50 million users on average to find the best travelling deals. Former software trainer and developer, his Curriculum Vitae includes work at Pygmalion, Nations Bank, Marks & Spencer. In December 2014, he won the Travolution Achievement Award, which is awarded by a small jury, according to the professional’s achievements and impact on the travel landscape. Apart from travelling and coding, Mr. Williams is a passionate ski and chess player, as well as a keen fan of sculpting and drawing. Going back to travelling, Mr. Williams prefers to land on different places each time.     The main topics of the summit are the digital transformation of all industries, the emerging Internet of things, which includes connected cars, smart homes, wearables and many more, cyber security and privacy, fintech, money and payments. Previous speakers at the Tech Summit and the Digital Transformation track are top level executives and innovators like Jessica Federer, Chief Digital Officer of Bayer, John Dillon, VP Marketing of Akamai Technologies, Dr Torsten Wingerten, Head of Digital Innovations, Lufthansa, Damien Blackden, WW Chief Strategy Officer, Maxus, Rohit Tripathi, GM and Head of Products, SAP Mobile Services, Andrew NG, Chief Scientist of Baidu. The Tech Summit is also great for networking – the next business opportunity could be waiting for you right there. Listening to the great presentators, you can also learn a lot about the way you’re a running your business how you can digitally transform it. So, don’t waste your time, these are all the important links you need: To buy your tickets for Webit.Festival Europe 2017 (EarlyBird expires soon), click here. To apply for speaking, click here. To apply for partnership, click here. To apply for exhibiting, click here. StartUP? Apply for the Founders Games Challenge by Webit.Foundation and get an opportunity for free festival tickets (500), free exhibition table (100) and opportunity to win 200 000 EUR (only 1), click here. To see the video gallery from Webit.Festival 2016, click here. To learn more about the events that are part of the festival, click here. To see pictures from our previous events, click here. For more information on the Global Webit Series and our events in Dubai, Singapore, New Delhi and Istanbul: www.Webit.Org.