Q&A with Bob Savage, Vice President and Managing Director, Ireland, with Dell Technologies
Q1. Can you outline some of the key ways technology is driving progress within business? (5G, cybersecurity, edge etc) And how does Ireland rate in global terms? (Ref: Dell also noted that 63% of companies in Ireland regard their business as data-driven yet only 20% said they prioritise its use).
In the past two years, businesses across Ireland embraced technology at an unprecedented speed. From enabling much of the population to work from home to transforming business models, we now live and work in a data-driven age. Data is now the lifeblood of organisations within both the public and private sectors.
Despite 63% of Irish companies regarding their business as data-driven, only 20% are currently prioritising its use. Our team at Dell Technologies is working with organisations across Ireland to ensure they harness the power of data through the adoption of new technologies.
5G will prove to be game changer for Irish businesses this year. Despite business leaders valuing the benefit it can bring in connecting employees, 5G is more than just enhanced connectivity. It can help us accelerate the creation of digital cities in Ireland and a surge in new smart mobility services from autonomous vehicles to connected scooters.
Ireland has the opportunity to become a world leader in edge computing. With an 800% increase in apps at the Edge by 2024, Irish organisations can access data where it is created — at the Edge — and make more informed business decisions. Irish businesses are eager to embrace new technologies, so they outpace their competitors.
The Dell Technologies Ireland team is well positioned to help businesses realise this goal. Thanks to the work being undertaken at our 5G Edge Labs, led from Cork and Limerick, we are bringing together 5G, Edge Computing and Machine Learning to prototype next generation products and services for the global and Irish markets.
Q2. How important are Cloud and Industry 4.0 technologies in maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness?
Cloud has been one of the key enablers of remote and hybrid work in the past two years and has supported many Irish firms as they embraced e-commerce. This has resulted in the Cloud becoming the operating model for most organisations.
Cloud computing is the engine that will power our data-driven economy in the years to come, helping budding start-ups to rapidly scale up their success and ensuring that Ireland remains at the forefront of innovation powered by technology.
However, given this rapid adoption of cloud technology, many businesses are struggling to deal with the complexity of managing many different cloud providers. That’s why most businesses looking to gain a competitive edge are adopting a multi-cloud approach which looks to bring together the advantages of both the public and private cloud.
The instant processing and analysis afforded by IoT (Internet of Things) and connected devices are two other innovations set to contribute to the competitiveness of businesses in Ireland. This, combined with edge technology, will support the development of connected healthcare and transform manufacturing.
Our team in Dublin, Cork and Limerick have been at the forefront of embracing these technologies. That’s why Dell Technologies recently teamed up with IDA Ireland on two new studies focused on next-generation manufacturing and engineering. The studies are looking at how smart automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) can position Ireland at the forefront of engineering innovation as well as how the Cloud and new predictive technologies can reshape how support services are delivered.
Q3. How is Dell Technologies Ireland remaining at the forefront of technological innovation?
Dell Technologies Ireland is home to over 5,000 digital experts in global and regional functions at our three campuses in Cork, Limerick and Dublin, covering sales, services, centres of excellence solutions development, manufacturing, supply chain operations, engineering, IT and finance.
Our customer solutions centres in Limerick and Cork, in particular, are pushing the boundaries of innovation providing a unique proof of concept resource for world-leading organisations to design, build, test and validate new solutions. Their groundbreaking work has allowed us to support healthcare providers as they enable the better management of chronic illnesses and trial IoT solutions for the digital cities of the future.
By teaming up with IDA Ireland to pilot the use of next-generation technologies, we are further deepening the strategic relevance of our operations in Ireland and delivering innovative products and services for customers across the globe.
Through this partnership, we can help shape the future of smart automation, the internet of things, augmented reality as well as big data and machine learning. Findings from one of the studies will also support the ambition of the Government’s Industry 4.0 Strategy to ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of Industry 4.0 adoption by 2025.
Q4. What does Ireland offer as a location for the global operations of Dell Technologies?
With an extremely educated talent pool comprised of 265,000 students in third-level education, 30% of which are enrolled in STEM courses, Ireland represents a strategic hub in Europe for talent and skills.
Through our successful partnerships with leading universities like MTU, we have been exposed to the incredible native talent that Ireland has to offer, with students and researchers working closely with industry collaborators in the region to develop innovative solutions in sectors including ICT, agritech, maritime, and space.
Our workforce here in Ireland has also demonstrated a unique ability to embrace new technologies and are playing a key role in shaping the future of work. I’m also struck by the lifelong learning culture which is also taking hold in many businesses. That spirit of lifelong learning has been best embodied by our collaboration with Technological University Dublin, and Technology Ireland Software Skillnet, to develop the TRANSFORM programme. This first-of-its-kind course was designed to ensure that Dell Technologies team members are equipped with skills in new-generation technologies.
Q5. How has Dell Technologies helped companies seize digital opportunities? e.g. the free Dell course ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ hosted with the HSE.
The two years has proven to be a turning point for digital transformation in healthcare, with frontline workers embracing technology at unprecedented speed as they bravely treated those impacted by the pandemic and dealt with new and complex challenges.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the HSE to deliver a unique, free digital skills course called ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’. Since starting in September, this six-month diploma is helping to equip clinicians and healthcare professionals with the tools and knowledge to deploy technologies within a healthcare setting which will transform Ireland’s healthcare system into the future.
By equipping more people with digital skills, the healthcare system in Ireland has a unique opportunity to accelerate the deployment of technology to improve patient outcomes, protect patient data and support the vital work of all those providing vital healthcare services.
We have also seen leaders in other sectors of our economy and society harness the opportunities of our data-driven age.
One of Ireland’s top law firms, Ronan Daly Jermyn, has been able to transform its legal services by adopting a hybrid working model running on Dell Technologies infrastructure.
Q6. What are some of the key consumer and industry changes influencing the way global and domestic business is evolving?
With a threefold increase in the number of cyber-attacks in the last 18 to 24 months alone, it’s clear that cyber risk will shape the future of business in Ireland and across the globe.
To mitigate this risk, we will see cybersecurity become an intrinsic part of digital transformation in 2022.
Irish businesses and organisations will need to look at ways in which to protect critical data from cyber-attacks.
Our team at Dell Technologies has been helping to simplify this process with services that enable organisations to move business critical data into an isolated air gap environment and lock it down in less than five steps.
This is what we call a cyber-vault.
By placing greater emphasis on scaling up their cyber recovery capabilities, we can help organisations to strengthen their cyber resilience so they can grow and innovate amidst ever-changing cyber threats.
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