At IBM, we are obsessed with the future. IBMers all over the world have dedicated themselves to creating “innovation that matters” in order to change and better the world as we know it. Going at this alone, is mission impossible – but with the help from some of our time’s brightest minds, we stand a chance in shaping a continuously innovative and digitalized future.
Every year, we at IBM pay tribute to those bright minds. Those who truly make a difference in the technical community, become part of our IBM Champions program and are hereby honored for their contribution to modern society.
Evolving with digitalization
We got the opportunity to catch up with two of the Nordic champions, Anders Wasén and Johan Taube, to talk about their inspiring work and their take on what the technological future might hold. It turns out that these two champions have much more in common than just the champion title – both are Swedish, both curious by nature and they also both work at the IT service management company Enfo.
Enfo is focused on the future – thinking beyond tomorrow and creating simpler, smoother and smarter business in the digital dimension. “We are always working with the latest technologies and standards. Combined with our knowledge, we want to work closely with our customers to find the right path forward in the future of digitalization” Johan Taube explains. Anders Wasén adds that “Enfo can really help clients by making sure that the right person has the right information at the right time, in a secure way – help our customers focus on their core business values and the deep knowledge and ensure that they stand out from the rest.”
Future Trends – Business Process Automation, API, Serverless and Blockchain
As IBM is highly focused on the future, we were very interested in hearing what the two champions expect to be the trends of the future. According to Johan Taube there is no doubt about what the future trends will be as he answers: “Definitely digitalization and urbanization. It will change the way we live, like traveling and socializing.” In addition to this premonition, he also states that automation will have a huge impact on the way we work and create a lot of new business opportunities. Cognitive automation and decision support is of further importance as it will give a possibility to transform old systems into new business processes. “APIs for sure and the security aspect of more open data access and how that affects the business. Microservices and “serverless” go hand-in-hand with that and I think that will be growing a lot over the coming few years. Also, I really hope we see more blockchain interaction between companies moving forward” Anders Wasén adds.
Continuous learning
Being IBM Champions both Anders and Johan have a broad body of knowledge about technology, which they are ready to share. Therefore, we asked the two champions about their best advice. Anders’ advice is clear: “Know what to build before you build it! Easy as that…” Johan instead emphasizes another point: “Be curious and try things in small steps. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes, we learn from our mistakes, that’s what innovation is all about”.
Even though Johan and Anders have achieved IBM Champion status and already have a significant knowledge base, they continuously strive to expand their knowledge and expertise in order to be at the very forefront of the most recent trends. While Anders is currently working on incorporating various cloud services into the internal flows of his customers’ most used IBM DataPower Gateways, Johan is instead focusing on continuing to develop his skills within process innovation and change management.
A champion skill
The IBM Champion program recognizes innovative thought leaders within the technical community with all different kinds of champion skills. The two champions we interviewed have also showcased very different capabilities as Johan’s champion skill is associated with applying theoretical knowledge and implementing it on a suite of applicable IBM products. While Anders’ champion skill is instead focused on pioneering development by utilizing IBM DataPower Gateways and IBM API Connect.
By exploiting their unique champion skills, IBM Champions share their knowledge and distinctive expertise, therefore becoming indispensable contributors to the technical community. They are admired IBM business partners and valuable collaborators in bringing innovation to society. However, when asked about their own personal champions, Johan answers, “My wife” and Anders replies: “Well, I have a few but foremost, of course, my twin daughters.”
Generally, IBM Champions possess qualifications that encompasses the abilities to share knowledge and expertise, expand reach across the IBM portfolio and help grow and nurture the technical community. Do you know a Champion? Nominate your peer based on their contributions within the past 12 months here. A panel of IBM employees then reviews each nominee’s contributions and decides whether your champion is an IBM Champion, good luck!
