As customer zero, Kyndryl began its transformation journey in 2021, when it became an independent company with approximately 90,000 employees in 60 countries. In less than two years, the company transitioned away from more than 1,800 inherited applications spanning over 50 data centres to a few hundred hosted entirely in a cloud infrastructure.
It also consolidated more than 100 financial systems into a single platform, achieving a transformation a company of that size can typically conclude within five to 10 years. As a result, Kyndryl expects to reduce operational expenses by more than $200M and as much as $300M annually through productivity and efficiency.
As technology evolves and complex business problems continue to emerge, IT professionals will face new challenges in the coming year. Some changes will fuel innovation, while others will spur debate around generative AI. And others, such as cyber threats, will force companies to mitigate and meet these risks head-on.
“By leveraging existing and advanced IT infrastructures, companies can significantly reduce their environmental impact while improving efficiency and sustainability,” said Faith Taylor, Vice President and Global Sustainability and ESG Officer at Kyndryl. “
“As the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, we champion the growth of the region’s organisations and business partners, guiding them through every phase of modernisation, transformation, and scalable expansion,” said Andreas Beck, Vice President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa.
Here are some of the most influential trends that will impact IT decision-making in 2024 and beyond.
FinOps Adoption
Enterprises will increasingly adopt FinOps to efficiently manage cloud investments in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, ensuring better cost control and collaboration across financial, technical, and business teams.
Edge Computing and AI
More companies, particularly in manufacturing, will implement AI at the edge to use localised data for more efficient operations, addressing challenges like cost, environmental conditions, security, and labour.
Generative AI’s Impact on Security
The rise of generative AI will bring both challenges and opportunities in cybersecurity, necessitating improved identity and access management, and revaluation of traditional security models, while also automating routine tasks and boosting productivity.
Strong Data Governance
The focus will be on robust data governance programmes, as high-quality AI depends on high-quality data. Enterprises will seek partnerships and modernised data platforms to integrate generative AI across diverse data sources.
Digital Workplace Evolution
There will be a greater emphasis on enhancing employee and customer experiences through digital workplace technologies, linking IT more closely with HR processes and customer-facing operations.
Mainframe Skills Focus
Enterprises will prioritise partnerships for mainframe management, optimisation and modernisation, addressing skill gaps and ensuring integration of new technologies like AI with existing mainframe applications.
