By Carolyn Gray Anderson and John Bugajski
Now in its third year, UCLA Anderson’s annual Big Data Conference on November 17, 2017, addressed the theme of innovation — in devices, data storage and analysis, new VR and AR experiences, educational, training and philanthropic applications, and the data-driven business initiatives transforming industries from entertainment to agriculture.
Co-organized by Anderson’s Easton Technology Management Center and the Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports, the conference featured panels and presentations by professionals in a range of sectors representing the expanded tech ecosystem.
Alumnus Bill Duff (’96), CFO of Microsoft’s Windows and devices group, sat down for a candid conversation with Easton faculty director John Blevins (’11). Duff said Microsoft has been aggressively investing in cloud computing for a decade, even on the devices side. Witness Windows 10, which the company offers as a service rather than a product.
Thanks to big data, said Duff, “Your technology strategy is your financial strategy.”
Duff’s purview is global leadership of all Microsoft devices. But he stressed collaboration across functions within an organization to find the relationships between financial data and what’s really happening in the business. “Microsoft is not a siloed environment,” he said. “We have a collective view, we look at non-financial measurements, too. When you think of developing a product, think more than just devices.”
He joined Microsoft as CFO of its phone division, which the company is exiting in favor of allocating resources to cloud computing. But Duff qualified that Microsoft still makes investments in mobile — like adapting its Cortana app for iPhone and Android.
“We make big, bold bets,” Duff said of Microsoft. He is most excited about the mixed reality experiences a product like HoloLens can provide, and explained how amassing and analyzing big data unlocks market opportunities within a gaming and e-sports audience that dwarfs the NBA playoffs fan base. The company also sees great market opportunities for Power BI, a suite of business analytics tools to search, analyze, merge and share data generated within as well as outside an organization.
Duff’s classmate Mike King (’96), VP and general manager of global education industry at IBM, delivered the keynote address and spoke on stage with Mike Montgomery, president and founder of Montgomery Advisory LLC, a boutique investment bank focused on media and technology.
“Technology has surpassed all other forces as the primary concern of today’s CEOs,” said King. “Executives call big data the next natural resource of the 21st century.”
More than 30 years ago, King brought an academic background to his role at IBM as the company was just expanding its education business. As IBM’s Watson — the first branded AI engine — finds its way into classrooms, the financial and health care industries, and cybersecurity, King is most interested in advances in cognitive computing. With rapid commoditization of data and information, King said IBM keeps its API portfolio evolving and enterprise-focused.
He said education needs to be as personalized as health care if learners are to keep pace with industry demands for knowledge and talent, and if students are to “create aspiration,” as he put it. “We have to bring technology in education to scale and still maintain quality,” he said.
The extent and depth of big data expansion is overwhelming to governments and institutions, and companies complain the workforce isn’t adequately prepared. IBM formulated a five-step “roadmap to the future of cognitive education” to steward lifelong learning:
- Create organizational alignment around a long-term vision
- Transform student and educator experiences through personalization
- Develop a data strategy that reflects institutional values
- Foster collaboration that prepares students for tomorrow’s workforce
- Create an agile environment to adapt to changing needs and lower operating costs
The conference also featured a panel on influence and decision making through data and product management. Nick Gold (chief revenue officer and solutions consultant at Chesapeake Systems), Mark Goldin (CTO at Cornerstone OnDemand), Reggie Panaligan (SVP of research and analytics at Paramount Pictures) and Bari Williams (head of business operations, North America, at Stubhub) discussed a wide range of subjects, from using data analytics in hiring practices to understanding how sales work based on different variables within data. Participants emphasized the importance of using data as a tool and the necessity of relying on one’s own creative instincts to merge creativity and data.
Goldin touched on the balance of data and creativity by remarking, “Your clients will not innovate for you; as a product manager you must synthesize and prioritize, because true innovation does not come from clients … some comes from gut and some from data.”
Big data has proven a powerful tool in revolutionizing the way companies connect with consumers, whether through chatbots, gaming, smart homes, personalized medicine or cloud computing. With these innovations a new level of cybersecurity has come to the fore. King expressed concern about privacy of student data in schools, and said education leadership needs to be aware of the exchanges it enters into when students engage in online tools and resources.
The aim of UCLA Anderson’s Big Data Conference is to provide a blend of business cases, best practices and innovations that keeps our students informed of developments in the tech landscape. Duff advised MBAs of any stripe to pick an industry they’re interested in and “just get in the mix.” With cloud computing disrupting every industry and big data representing an incredible growth area, he said, “Make sure you’re in the center of the activity.”
The Easton Center and Center for MEMES at UCLA Anderson are grateful for the sponsorship of Annenberg Tech at the Zottabyte level; Bain & Company at the Exabyte level; Teradata and Cornerstone on Demand at the Terabyte level; and Chesapeake Systems and UCLA Extension at the Megabyte level.
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