Discover the 8 Key Steps for Successful AI Initiatives

Promote the use of a new checklist and advanced PowerEdge server technology to help customers explore the potential of AI for their organizations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being embraced and adopted by organizations of all sizes across the world. According to a global survey of data and analytics technology decision makers, 51% of firms have already implemented or are expanding their implementation of AI – and an additional 20% plan to implement AI in the next 12 months1.

Are your customers looking at the opportunities offered by AI implementations too?

Industry analyst Forrester Consulting suggests that, to ensure success and mitigate the risks, it’s up to CIOs to take the lead on AI projects.

From a hardware standpoint, Dell EMC PowerEdge should be the leading AI technology solution being considered by CIOs.

CIOs are optimally positioned to build overall AI capabilities

The data, applications, server, accelerator, fabric and storage infrastructures that CIOs manage are critical for driving business value with AI. So it’s natural to identify them as the best placed individuals to engage their organization’s lines of business around their AI initiatives, to modernize the IT infrastructure and ultimately to drive the AI agenda.

While CIOs should be your primary targets for discussions around progressing IT Transformation in their businesses, it’s important to also understand that their IT teams will also need to transform.

To plan and manage successful AI implementations, CIOs will need to invest in new software applications, infrastructure and the platforms necessary to run AI – and also modernize existing systems to better support the increasing number of AI initiatives. Simultaneously, they must also take responsibility for tracking the business outcomes that AI is driving, to sustain and further grow their investments in the technology.

As a Dell EMC partner, you’re ideally placed to offer trusted technical advice and assistance they’re likely to need in this brave new world.

Promote PowerEdge R940xa servers: Extreme acceleration for business

There are plenty of business opportunities to explore with your customers and prospects around the adoption and implementation of AI. Foremost among those is the promotion of advanced PowerEdge servers as the ideal solution for providing a solid foundation for future success.

In particular, your conversations should focus on Dell EMC’s PowerEdge R940xa.

Built from the ground up to deliver extreme acceleration for businesses and featuring next-generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, the PowerEdge R940xa server is a very impressive 4U 4S solution that’s specifically designed to deliver dynamic scalability, which is ideal for machine learning and artificial intelligence applications.

8 key actions for implementing successful AI initiatives

Hot on the heels of introducing your customers to the transformational capabilities of the new PowerEdge R940xa server, you could also share the 8 essential steps that CIOs must take to implement successful AI initiatives.

Dell EMC recently commissioned Forrester Consulting to examine the impact of AI on IT teams, technologies and processes when it comes to an organization’s ongoing IT Transformation efforts.

The result of a subsequent global online survey is a checklist that’s designed to help CIOs lead the AI strategy to drive business outcomes and reduce risk across the enterprise.

The checklist groups the 8 overall steps within 3 main areas of activity:

  1. Become the nexus for AI initiatives across the enterprise

> Engage lines of business on their AI needs

> Start measuring the impact of AI and track its progress

The first steps fall under the category of taking stock of ongoing AI initiatives, learning from them and shaping them into a cohesive and transparent AI program.

  1. Modernize and automate your infrastructure

> Modernize the IT infrastructure for existing workloads

> Deploy platforms for building AI solutions

> Invest in infrastructure for AI at scale

The next area of activity involves focusing on improving operational efficiency and investing in the new infrastructure and technologies needed for AI.

  1. Lead the charge on driving business outcomes with AI

> Take charge of the organization’s AI strategy

> Build the IT department’s (and the organization’s) AI capabilities simultaneously

> Continuously build the business case for further AI investments

The final steps concern championing ongoing AI initiatives, supporting them internally and initiating new projects for driving value with AI.

For any organization looking to follow these 8 steps to transforming with AI, Forrester suggests that CIOs start with projects that have mature use cases and a proven ROI.

Start talking to your customers today about where and how they could use optimized PowerEdge server technology to drive AI initiatives within their business.

> See how the 8 steps could help your customers and explore the key statistics:

View Forrester checklist: 8 Steps CIOs Must Take to Transform With Artificial Intelligence

1 Forrester Data Global Technographics Data & Analytics Survey of 2,106 data and analytics technology decision makers at global organizations, 2017.

2 Forrester Consulting Thought Leadership Checklist, commissioned by Dell EMC, ‘8 Steps CIOs Must Take To Transform With Artificial Intelligence, May 2018.

About the Author: Anna Belau

Anna is responsible for Global Channel Marketing server and networking campaigns, launches, lead generation and enablement programs. Anna has been with Dell for close to 4 years, leading programs supporting volume licensing enterprise software business and managing Intel relationship and partner funding for client business. Anna brings over 10 successful years working with channel community, driving integrated marketing campaigns and events. In her spare time Anna enjoys being active, loves spending free time with family and friends, and her secret hobby is knitting.