One doesn't need to be a visionary.

Pascal Huijbers frequently travels by plane. As the CTO of Fujitsu, he oversees large accounts in the EMEIA region. He communicates with major clients and is often invited to various countries to present and share his perspectives on emerging trends. Coming from the client-side — having previously served as the Group CTO at Delta Loyd and having held leadership roles in various major institutions — he is well-versed in understanding client needs.

Huijbers talks about the Smart Machine Age, viewing it as the next step in leveraging machinery. The role of computing power and intelligence, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), will become increasingly significant, ushering us into a new era. This evolution also changes the client, as well as the client-supplier relationship. Companies are becoming more customer-centric and are shaping themselves around the customer journey rather than their products. The execution of this is increasingly becoming "smart" – through robots, intelligent software, and AI.

He's observed the term Business Technology (BT) gain traction over recent years. Traditionally, there's IT technology, often associated with back-office applications. However, customer interactions need to be quicker, more efficient, and accessible through various channels, including mobile. This led to the emergence of BT. More often than not, BT now controls funding rather than IT.

The dynamics have shifted, and Huijbers feels IT has been caught napping. External solutions appear superior: faster, more cost-effective, with better features. The longevity of this trend is uncertain. He observes organizations where CTOs or CDOs control the budget, overshadowing the CIO, who acts more as a caretaker. This unique situation might not last long, as these various roles might merge again. The distinction between IT and BT is likely temporary.

There's tension between the old (IT) and the new (BT) worlds. Historically, there's been an oscillation between IT centralization and decentralization. Cloud computing is essentially a way for businesses to establish something new without needing traditional IT.

Considering this trend, Huijbers anticipates a move back towards centralization in the context of cloud computing. Infrastructure has become commoditized. As a result, more features will be extracted directly from platforms. He envisions the future will be characterized by hybrid IT integrated with an open digital business platform. New functionalities, like AI or chatbots, are assembled like Lego pieces drawn from the system.

Fujitsu is capitalizing on this with its cloud platform, K5. They provide functionalities like AI as APIs within the platform. Additionally, they support as many platforms as possible, including virtual machines and container technology. This extends to features from start-ups too. Start-ups are selected based on their relevance to Fujitsu's clients and are then integrated into the platform.

Fujitsu frequently emphasizes "co-creation." Technology is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, AI comprises modular components. Traditional IT would only use a technology when all the pieces were available. However, start-ups approach this differently, developing "minimal viable products." They combine customer needs with available components to create prototypes, which are then refined based on feedback.

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) differ from enterprises in decision-making. Yet, this era offers exciting opportunities for them too. Components are now accessible in the public cloud. SMBs can experiment with Microsoft's Cognitive Services in Azure or similar services in Amazon Web Services. This makes innovation affordable for SMBs, eliminating the need for massive projects. With the help of partners, success stories are emerging among SMBs.

Huijbers offers one crucial piece of advice to companies, including IT partners: don't underestimate the pace of change. Any sector that can be disrupted likely will be. We are just at the beginning. Drawing from his experiences, such as discussions with NVM about an online housing site before Funda and being part of the Netherlands' first cloud broker, CloudPlaats, he suggests that many tech trends are predictable if one just pays attention. One doesn't need to be a visionary.

This article is translated into english. Read the original article here (dutch) : Dutch IT Leaders - Pascal Huijbers: “Scheiding tussen IT en BT is tijdelijk”

Dutch IT Leaders - Pascal Huijbers: “Scheiding tussen IT en BT is tijdelijk”