Dynamic innovation requires a dynamic approach | ITWeb
How can you make emerging technology work for your business? To answer this question, global software and services company DVT, a Dynamic Technologies group company, appointed Roberto Ferro as its Innovation Centre Lead.
In his role, Ferro will explore leading and emerging technologies such as Web3, AI and, most recently, the AI breakthroughs with ChatGPT, AR and VR. DVT CMO Karl Fischer says: “Roberto will help DVT find the opportunity in these technologies, show organisations how to get value out of these opportunities and determine how DVT can practically deliver on that.” He hopes the centre will provide value propositions with practical applications, as well as identify future possibilities.
Ferro says: “I believe in responsible innovation, rather than innovation just for the sake of it. It must have a purpose, be fit for use and be beneficial in some way. At the Innovation Centre, we look at ways of fixing a business problem using technology. We ask: ‘Can it be done?’ and ‘Can it be done cost-effectively?’ Currently, we are focusing on the innovation process within DVT as this will benefit the company and, ultimately, our clients.
“We will also be strongly focused on our clients’ needs. Many of them already have innovating capabilities; we offer a space of ideation and consultation for those who don’t. If a client brings us an idea, we incubate it, discuss it and test it to see if it is something worth taking further. We ask how can this idea and the technology be used to help our clients profit and gain a competitive advantage. We follow a lean start-up mindset where we incubate to fail fast but ultimately fail forward. We consider it a way of looking at what technology can do for your business without taking too much of a risk, as we help manage the costs of innovation. Marrying business understanding with tech knowledge and having the creativity to be able to tie those together and be the link between the two is something that DVT can do better than most.
“Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are well established and already quite mature, with many proven ways in which to use them in applications. We look at how we can creatively apply these and emerging technologies to existing business problems.”
A solid understanding of emerging technologies paired with insatiable curiosity, practical ability and an honour’s degree with distinction in Computer Science from the University of the Witwatersrand made Ferro the obvious choice for the position. He says: “I’ve always been interested in how different technologies can be used to find new solutions for contemporary business challenges and that’s going to be the main focus of my new role at DVT.”
Jaco van der Merwe, CEO of DVT, says: “The work we do in our Innovation Centre enables DVT to implement solutions for our clients that maximise value from emerging technologies. Roberto, with his deep knowledge and passion for technology, is a great asset and I know his leadership will be very visible in the solutions we craft for our clients.”
DVT Innovation Centre technologies
The DVT Innovation Centre works with many new and emerging technologies, including but not limited to:
Web3:
Artificial intelligence:
Augmented reality: