9th INFOCOM CYPRUS CONFERENCE
28 & 29 Novenber 2017 – Nicosia, Hilton
«Digital Transformation: The Connected (R)evolution!»
While the 4th Industrial Revolution goes on in developed countries, and everything suggests that eventually we’ll be living in a connected world, with machines, artificial intelligence, new generation networks, interactivity, smart cars to be driven in smart cities, Cyprus should probably be worried, as the island’s digital maturity is relatively low today. The revolution of Digital Transformation is at the gates, and accepting it is imperative, both for businesses, as well as the public sectors of countries that want to ensure their competitive status.
We get the sense that despite the partial progress made by Cyprus in certain areas, integrating Digital Technology in the Cypriot market moves on at a relatively slow rate.
Businesses based on the island, do not yet seem ready to make use of new technologies (cloud, mobile, data analysis) and reap benefits from those, which can drastically increase their performance.
Obviously, people have not realized that quickly adjusting to new technologies, is necessary for Cypriot businesses today, not only to keep developing in order to boost their competitive status, but in some degree, it’s also necessary in order to remain viable.
On the other hand, a considerable increase in connectivity, and further NGA coverage, mostly by private investors, as well as boosting high-speed broadband services and network infrastructures, send an optimistic message about the digital future of Cyprus.
The still very low level of Digital Skills, is still a thorn on the side, that inhibits the island’s further development of digital society and economy, which means it’s imperative to take action in terms of education.
The world is changing. Terms like Smart Cities, Internet of Things, Cloud, Big Data Analytics, VR & AR, A.I. and Machine Learning, as well as the Gigabit Society, will keep integrating “transparently” in our daily lives, through services offered on a professional and a personal level. All of those technologies, as well as their effect on our daily routine, will be the focus of this year’s conference.
1st Session: NGA – New Generation Networks: Need for Speed!
Moving on steadily towards an exclusively cloud-based ecosystem, demand for access and bandwidth, both at home and at the workplace, will increase exponentially.
Adopting Cloud, M2M and IoT solutions, as well as promoting demanding applications, like video streaming, will start surpassing the current capabilities of networks today.
To support this data explosion, providers have no choice but to increase their network dynamics, both in terms of coverage and bandwidth, as access to high-speed networks, both landline and wireless, is a capital issue for this ecosystem’s operation.
Given that Cyprus is one of the few European countries with such a high degree of landline infrastructure coverage, the weight of investments seems to shift to the development of wireless new generation networks, that open up new prospects for the Cypriot market, and contribute to the increase of connectivity, as well as the competitive status of services provided.
Besides, improving access for consumers and businesses to digital products and services, is one of the main pillars of strategy for the Digital Single Market.
2st Session: Digital Transformation Everywhere: Smart Company – Smart City – e- Government
Technology evolves and revolutionizes all sectors and all activities: corporate, home, as well as public services.
Adjustment to the new state of technology is imperative, affecting significantly not only the productivity and competitiveness of businesses, but possibly their own viability, as well.
In what degree have Cypriot businesses adopted Digital Transformation? Is it just about equipment, or culture, as well? What are the immediate and long-term benefits? In which degree is digital illiteracy inhibiting, and how can this be remedied?
The evolution of technology creates a wide spectrum of possibilities, that can contribute to the development of larger digital ecosystems. Through this view, the vision of a wider ecosystem, extending to the city, that functions “smart”, upgrading and improving public and local services, and by extension the lives of citizens, may not be that far.
Several European cities already run pilot programs on many sections, like: lighting, parking, access, security, waste disposal, traffic control, etc.
Is there fertile ground to develop the first smart city on the island, in order for it to be the “pilot” of a wider “Smart City” planning? What are the specs? What are the technical difficulties? What security issues might come up? What’s the situation like today, and what prospects does the future hold?
3st Session: From Customer Service to Customer Intelligence!
Changes brought on by Digital Transformation, signal a passage from Customer Service to Customer Intelligence and turn an ordinary citizen to a Smart Citizen.
In practice, this means that needs and demands are clearly different, and as such, businesses are required to “transform” immediately, in order to meet those particular needs.
In this enterprise, businesses ally with technology and the wide use of Big Data Analysis tools, which tends to radically change the landscape of today’s customer service.
But how is customer behavior shaped around the new ICT ecosystem? Which are the competitive advantages of customer intelligence for companies and telcos, by knowing the customer and “competitive product planning? How much does customer intelligence help to maintain customer loyalty? Which are this era’s tools (Social Media, e-Business, CRM) that can be put to use? Just how digital are Cypriot businesses after all?
4th Session: Leader’s Summit: Investing in Opportunities!
The ICT industry, through constant investments and implementation of significant projects, even in times of crisis, is by default one of the main pillars of Cypriot economy.
The weight of investments by telcos, focuses at this time on increasing broadband connectivity, through implementing new generation networks, which is an important step towards a digital upgrade for Cyprus.
At the same time, manufacturers of ICT equipment are ready to offer solutions combining both innovation and compatibility, as in any case the goal is to upgrade services provided, and have information flow seamlessly and quickly.
However, this framework creates a series of challenges that need to be dealt with, like regulatory decisions that have to be compliant with the guidelines of the Digital Agenda 2020. How are strategies and plans of market players affected? In which way can new challenges be turned around to opportunities? How can digitization of a corporate environment, as well as Digital Transformation, possibly lead to open up new markets and create new employment opportunities? In which degree will investments in digital technology increase GDP and productivity?