Global digitisation expert Nancy Rademaker will deliver her vision on how technology advancements such as artificial intelligence empower businesses to embrace innovation and stay ahead of the curve during her keynote address at EDGE 2024 The New Frontier.

Held Sunday 28 July to 30 July at the RACV Royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast, the A/NZ-specific conference aims to unpack how technologies such as AI, data and the cyber threat landscape are co-evolving and driving massive opportunities for the A/NZ technology industry ecosystem.

Rademaker will explore the exciting and rapidly evolving field of generative AI, its business impact and becoming part of 'everyday life', morphing the customer experience engine.

"We are transitioning to an AI-immersed society. Privacy and security are huge topics, and the need for regulatory frameworks as well as responsible and explainable AI are on the rise," Rademaker said. "There is no point of return and the coming years will be crucial in making sure AI will not be used for the bad, while keeping the capability of AI to be used for good.

"The future needs a balance between tech and human; this applies to both customer and employee experience."

AI will change job functions, more so than replace them, creating new role opportunities along the way, Rademaker said.

 "Specific tasks will be taken over by AI-driven solutions, which will affect most roles in the workforce; a strong demand for agility in the entire organisation, a big need for continuous learning and development," she said. 

With automation and AI streamlining operations across most industries, MSPs should leverage AI to provide proactive support and predictive maintenance, paving the way for MSPs to position themselves as "forward-thinking, technology-driven partners," Rademaker said. 

"A multi-model approach using various types of database models will be required to handle different kinds of data effectively," she said.

"Next to the general Large Language Models we are seeing now, the future of Gen AI will be about proprietary or foundational models, where companies can use their own Big Data to create models that will enable them to come up with new AI-driven solutions specific to their business.

"While this requires a multi-model approach, but most likely a transition to a multi-cloud environment as well. This transition is where a crucial role will be reserved for MSPs."

Rademaker has more than 20 years of experience in IT, including five years at Microsoft EMEA, and is also the co-founder of two start-ups Drawify and Speakers Club. Her ability to combine her extensive knowledge with her experience in training, education and entrepreneurship amplifies her strength to translate complex concepts into actionable strategies, providing tangible takeaways for the audience.

Partners attending EDGE 2024 will be shown how to pave the way in the technology ecosystem – converting questions into answers, ideas into game-plans and deals to be done. All while focusing on the technologies and business trends that are front of mind for customers looking into spending plans, pain points and outcomes.

Delivered in partnership with Tech Research Asia, Mark Iles' research will focus on the short and medium-term opportunities for the channel, uncovering what makes end-users tick on both sides of the Tasman. This is alongside insights into the purchasing patterns of organisations, key solution and investment areas.

Immediate partner priorities will also be outlined from a business and technology standpoint, documenting commercial best practice, customer acquisition tactics and financial models of success. In addition, findings will be further segmented to provide a New Zealand-specific research breakout housing Kiwi data points and insights.

Unique to the A/NZ technology industry, EDGE Research is designed to offer the clearest indication as to how the ecosystem is aligned with the end-user market.

Registrations are now open for EDGE 2024 and there are still a few Early Bird discounted tickets available. Register here now!

This article originally appeared on ARN.