Richard Humphreys |
The Summer 2017 issue of The Record is out now and available to download free of charge in digital format. Visit the magazine page to read the magazine online, or to download a copy to your device.
The focus of this issue’s cover story is a topic that is front of mind for enterprises across the planet: how to achieve effective collaboration. The Microsoft Office 365 collaboration suite now has over 100 million monthly commercial active users and growing. We discover what makes it so popular, and why businesses from Facebook to AXA are using Microsoft tools to better connect their workforce.
Meanwhile, in our communications and media section, find out how imperative digital transformation is to the survival of broadcasting companies. And in the public sector section we discover how, through the Microsoft CityNext smart cities initiative, new opportunities are being provided for cities who, through technological innovation underpinned by digital solutions, can drive meaningful societal change.
The financial services section also makes an interesting read. According to a recent PwC report, artificial intelligence (AI) will play a substantial role in the reshaping of client engagement in financial services over the next decade. Smart businesses will develop new forms of virtual engagement capable of integrating themselves into customers’ lives. They will stick because they will be personal: informed by intelligence gathered from data about consumer behaviours, choices and volunteered preferences. This is something we explore further in the section, where we discover how AI is already proving transformative across both retail banking and insurance.
In our manufacturing section we investigate how those companies that are increasing customer satisfaction and product quality through better analytics are truly reaping the rewards. And in the retail section we take a look at the new technologies are helping to reshape the industry. Real-time pricing visibility solutions are enabling retail organisations to manage promotions and maximise sales opportunities across all channels. And cloud-based inventory optimisation solutions are empowering retailers with the product and customer insights they need to make every inch of their shelf space count.
Plus, there’s the usual mix of news, case studies, interviews and executive insight from across the Microsoft partner network.
We hope you enjoy this issue.