Latest News

AI, Data Driven Computing Essential to Health IT Infrastructure

VMworld 2017 discussed how organizations need to look to their data and the future of AI to evolve their health IT infrastructure.

AI and data-based computing VMware 2017

Source: Xtelligent Media

By Elizabeth O'Dowd

- VMworld 2017 brought together technology vendors and users to announce the latest tools and to share innovations meant to strengthen health IT infrastructure.

Through the three day event, several themes remained consistent as tech leaders explained why new innovations were necessary to the progress of all major industries and how the future of business depends on new technological innovations.

Many attendees and speakers touched on how to evolve IT infrastructure with artificial intelligence (AI) and they discussed the importance of data-based computing.

“We are in one of the most exciting times in human development with the explosion of intelligent devices,” Dell Founder and CEO Michael Dell said in the day two keynote address.

Innovative technology’s potential over the next several years was touched upon throughout VMworld 2017 and emphasis was placed on how to achieve better and more effective IT infrastructure. Vendor collaborations showed how companies are sharing their technology with each other to develop the solutions and tools their customers need.

“The digital transformation is game on,” said Dell. “When you overlay the enormous amount of data being created on top of that which is doubling faster and faster, and on top of that there is this interesting layer of computer science. We have this tremendous ago of human and machines working together toward a tremendous set of possibilities for the future and we’re just at the beginning.”

Dell added that data fuels tech innovation and provides the need for progress in AI, natural language processing, and machine learning. These technologies will help organizations automate certain IT infrastructure tasks and serve as the foundation for even further innovation.

“The data is critical,” Dell continued. “You could have the best algorithms in the world but without the data to feed it, the AI is no good. We think a lot about that and we’re seeing use cases really take off. The digital transformation is much broader than IT.”

Healthcare organizations need to determine how their business will evolve and work in their IT infrastructure to support AI.

“If you’re not thinking about how to use all this data in the moment to make your service and product better, you’re doing it wrong,” Dell stated.

The core of AI has been maturing for 30 years, according to VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger.

“What’s changed it massive compute and massive data,” said Gelsinger. “The core of AI was not capable of being unleashed before compute and data reached the scale that they are now. Everyone in the tech industry needs to be integrating machine learning and AI into their products. Their products need to get better, more predictive, and more insightful as a result of machine learning and AI.”

“The vendor’s job is how do we take this platform we’re building and enable people to build new applications and services on top of it including machine learning, AI, and big data applications as well,” he continued. “This is where tech is breaking out of the nest and reaching into areas that were never possible before. We’re able to put intelligence further and further into everyday human life.”

Nebraska Medicine Vice President of IT Brian Lancaster told HITInfrastructure.com at VMworld 2017 that the advancements in infrastructure technology require healthcare organizations to look at their vendors as strategy partners rather than just vendors.

The technological innovations becoming available will determine how organizations build their infrastructure based on what the technology can provide that the company is not currently experiencing.

VMware CTO Ray O’Farrell called on open communication and acceptance of new ideas as critical parts of making sure the developing technology is meeting its full potential.

Listening to IT infrastructure customers drives innovation and inspires vendors to collaborate, offering interoperability among products. It will also give organizations a clear window into the future of innovation and development.