Netflix wasn't always in a great position -- and digital transformation helped it survive (before it was even called digital transformation). First, it disrupted Blockbuster with DVD renting, and then with a streaming service. Today, it contends with Disney and Amazon.

Urban governments were, and still are, starved for data to help them grapple with the pandemic at street level. Yet some of the thinking about smart-city infrastructure — the detectors and collectors and sensors and so on — were wrongheaded from the start.

I have a suggestion. For the moment, forget about AI bias. In fact, forget about AI. Ask yourself, how do you provide value for your customers? As you learn, you think about more meaningful questions for your business. This will help you to understand which data you need to capture to achieve the outcome you want.

I’m not a marketer -- but I appreciate the value of multiple perspectives. As a marketing expert colleague of mine likes to say, “nothing within the organization exists in a vacuum. You cannot say the company should be marketing-driven, or technology-driven, or product-driven.” It all needs to work together.

"A genius is somebody who can recognize patterns and has endless curiosity."

Globally-recognized keynote speaker, educator, author and business consultant Mark Schaefer, joins Vaclav Vincalek to talk about what sets a company apart in their marketing strategy, and the industry patterns that exist and guide success.

Mark has worked in global sales, PR, and marketing positions for more than 30 years and provides consulting services as Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions.

Mark's blog {grow} is hailed as one of the top marketing blogs in the world.

Enter the world of graph databases. This is where you can connect data from various sources and discover the hidden connections. Start solving problems faster.

This episode, we talked with Barry Briggs, a proven technical leader, author and serial CTO with experience in cloud, virtual reality, IoT, and high-scale computing.

Prolific writer, co-author of popular (over 300,000 copies downloaded as of April 2018) "Enterprise Cloud Strategy," from Microsoft Press, and most recently, "Designed to Disrupt," guiding companies through digital transformation, also from Microsoft Press. Respected in the industry as someone who can both provide vision and drive to technical implementation; known for hiring and mentoring great, accomplishment-oriented teams that scale.

Companies which are planning their strategy for years down the road are always looking for an edge to help them to outperform their competition. Big data, AI, Machine Learning are becoming mainstream (if only as buzzwords) and are often perceived as the must-have technology for any company.

David Brin is a scientist, futurist and best-selling author. His novels include Earth, Existence, The Postman, and Kiln People, as well as Hugo Award winners Startide Rising and The Uplift War. The Transparent Society won a Freedom of Speech Award from the American Library Association.

A lot of companies are hurting right now. But what threatens your business model is not a lack of digital strategy -- it is a lack of being ready for change. That would have been true before the pandemic and remains true today.