Enterprise Apps Unpacked

Until recently, industrial AI has mostly been focused on predictive tools and analytics that run on workstations and mobile devices. Now agentic AI is shifting the focus to execution by giving industrial robots more autonomy and making some decisions without human intervention. Yet people could be more essential than ever in making this new age of industrial AI a reality in asset-intensive industries like oil & gas, mining and manufacturing. Frontline workers -- machine operators, maintenance technicians, safety inspectors and warehouse workers -- can respond faster and more effectively to equipment failures thanks to AI-assisted workflows integrated with back-office ERP systems. These connected workers also play a critical role in gathering the data and providing the business context and guardrails that AI requires. In this episode, we explore how industrial AI technology helps coordinate the activities of frontline workers and why humans and AI agents working closely together to convert insights into action is a powerful combination for industrial automation. Featuring: Sundeep Ravande, CEO and Co-Founder, Innovapptive In today's episode, we'll also cover: How the Innovapptive platform works. The biggest industrial AI challenges. The role of multi-agent orchestration. How industrial AI could evolve in the next five to 10 years. References: The AI factory model: What CIOs need to know AI use cases in manufacturing Innovapptive's guide to the connected worker Innovapptive case studies To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.

The affordable connected sensors made possible by the internet of things seem tailor-made for supply chain management. IoT sensors are ideal for collecting and transmitting the data that companies need for numerous supply chain processes, from traceability and procurement to inventory optimization and logistics. But has IoT lived up to its initial growth spurt and hype of a decade ago? Recent indications are that it is beginning to show clear value and positive ROI at companies that have implemented IoT in their supply chains. In this episode, we examine trends in IoT in general and in supply chains, the challenges of deploying IoT, and why widely available AI is boosting IoT's practicality as a business tool. Featuring: Subodha Kumar, Distinguished Chair and Professor of Statistics, Operations, Data Science and Information Systems, Temple University In today's episode, we'll also cover: Which IoT use cases provide the quickest wins. Where IoT fits into the broader ecosystem of supply chain software. The future potential of AI-enabled IoT in supply chains. References: Walmart deploys sensors to boost inventory tracking, AI efforts Guide to supply chain management Journal article co-written by Kumar on IoT in intralogistics To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.

There's little doubt that AI is starting to eliminate jobs. Recent headlines confirm it. The trend presents a special risk to the manufacturing sector just as baby boomers retire in droves and more companies seek to build up their workforces and reverse the decades-long preference for cheap overseas labor. But there are positive aspects to AI's impact on manufacturing jobs. Many workers are learning to use it to do their jobs more effectively and prepare themselves for an AI-centric future. Companies are training AI to do work that might not get done at all amid the labor shortages. In this episode, we explore how using AI to capture and encode the skills of factory workers who are leaving the workforce could keep manufacturers in business, counteract the baby boomer brain drain and make industrial jobs more attractive to young workers. Featuring: Alex Sandoval, CEO and Co-founder, Allie Systems In today's episode, we'll also cover: How Allie's AI, analytics and data platform helps manufacturers monitor and optimize production processes. Why the software's AI copilot can also serve as a knowledge-transfer and training tool. Where AI fits in companies' existing learning management and training systems. References: How manufacturers are reskilling factory workers for AI adoption 5 challenges of using AI in manufacturing An overview of Allie's manufacturing software To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

The internet transformed corporate learning from a paper-based, in-person process to one that is largely delivered in digital form, on demand from nearly any device or location. More recently, generative AI has provided learning and development (L&D) teams with a tireless assistant that can crank out educational content in minutes. Now AI-powered search is sparking another transformation as employees increasingly use it to find quick answers while they work, learning gradually in ways that suit their personal styles. In this episode, we examine the evidence for the trend, what L&D professionals should do differently, and how the search technology could affect legacy software, especially learning management systems. Featuring: Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company In today's episode, we'll also cover: How AI-powered search changes the way learning content is designed and delivered. Whether using AI search for training could alleviate worker's fears of being replaced by AI. What Bersin has learned about the emerging search trend from his company's Galileo AI assistant for HR professionals. What new developments in AI-assisted search from vendors like Google and Anthropic mean for the corporate learning trend. References: Workplace learning: A complete guide for businesses What is GenAI? Generative AI explained Galileo Learn, Bersin's AI-driven HR training tool To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Procurement has become a strategic priority with significant impact on the bottom line. It's a data-intensive process that requires communicating with large numbers of suppliers, products and services – the kind of complex, transaction-heavy workflow that is uniquely suited to being automated with generative and agentic AI. In this episode, we examine how AI can make procurement more effective and efficient, where it fits in the procurement technology landscape and how it assists – but doesn't replace – humans in the loop. Featuring: Keith McFarlane, CTO, Globality In today's episode, we'll also cover: How the Globality cloud platform works. The capabilities of Glo, the platform's AI agent. Where the biggest cost savings are. The importance of getting procurement workers to trust AI. References: McFarlane explains why agentic AI may herald a golden age for procurement 10 real-world agentic AI examples and use cases Globality CEO on agentic AI and the future of procurement What is GenAI? Generative AI explained To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Digital twins – virtual representations of real-world things – are a hot topic, and they're becoming more capable with the addition of AI and geospatial awareness. In this episode, we explain how AI-enhanced spatial digital twins work, how they're being used today, what it takes to deploy them, and their potential uses. Featuring: Eric Liu, founder and CEO of TwinMatrix Technologies In today’s episode, we'll also cover: How spatial twins differ from other digital twins Challenges to broader deployment How low-code/no-code tools could "democratize" spatial twin development References: What is a digital twin? Advantages and disadvantages of digital twin technology How digital twins can help support sustainability Debunking the myth: Digital twins are more than just 3D models To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

SAP has faced numerous challenges in recent years, but three big ones stand out: moving its on-premises products to the cloud; convincing customers to adopt its current ERP platform, S/4HANA Cloud; and meeting the unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence by developing practical AI applications. SAP touted significant progress on all three fronts at its annual Sapphire conference, which was held on consecutive weeks this month, first in Orlando and then in Madrid. It repositioned S/4HANA Cloud ERP as a mix-and-match, AI-infused "business suite" – a throwback to the brand name of its previous ERP flagship. It augmented its primary data platform, Business Data Cloud, with prebuilt, composable applications that combine data products with AI and simulation features. And it embedded the Joule AI co-pilot in more business processes across the application suite, making it more autonomous and omnipresent as a user-friendly interface to ERP. The result, SAP claimed, is an integrated "flywheel" of AI, data and apps that feed off each other to accelerate digital transformation. While reaction was generally positive, it was leavened with the wait-and-see attitude that is typical after the ambitious promises and glitzy presentations of a software conference. SAP still has integration and data management work to do if the components of the business suite – especially cloud platforms like Ariba and Concur that it acquired – are to work seamlessly together. In the podcast, three Informa TechTarget editors offer their analysis of Sapphire developments and observations from the Orlando and Madrid events: Jim O’Donnell, news director at SearchSAP; Brian McKenna, enterprise applications editor at London-based ComputerWeekly; and industry editor David Essex. Other topics discussed include: how far SAP has progressed in its AI, cloud and S/4HANA migration efforts interviews with SAP executives and partners at the conference why integration with SAP’s digital adoption platform, WalkMe, could make Joule more autonomous and personalized Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK