On Oct.26th, InnoKOL had a fascinating conversation with Mr. Antonio Grasso , the Founder and CEO of Digital Business Innovation Srl ,talking about his unique work experience and profound insights on digital transformation.
Jokia: How would you describe yourself in three words? What’s your motto?
Antonio : Big things start small.
In my experience, we can create big things, but we must focus on the path instead of only the arrival.
Jokia: Can you please share more about your educational and professional background? And we’d love to hear what brought you to digital transformation.
Antonio : After my studies in 1983 as a computer scientist, I immediately started programming management software for businesses. I continued for over 25 years and then moved to the next level regarding software architectures. Today we call it digital transformation, but in the beginning, we just called it information technology. It all started with the software.
Jokia: How do you think technologies are moving the world forward, and who should be the biggest actor on the market nowadays in order to push technology to the mass adoption?
Antonio : We are about to approach the post-digital era, the one where we will no longer notice the presence of digital technologies but only their absence - as happens today for electricity, telephone, or tap water. The commitment must not only be of the big players, but we must also do our part to favor its massive adoption. People will increasingly take center stage.
Jokia: From your experience and perspective, why cool technologies sometimes flop?
Antonio : Sometimes some technologies are born not to fill a requirement or a demand but only to satisfy a business plan that does not have extensive market research at its base. Other times it happens that the industrialization time of new technology is too long, and the market goes further.
Jokia: How IoT can help build more sustainable futures？
Antonio : The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm is broad and embraces many application scenarios. Today we can define connected devices as serving our unlimited will. For sustainability, we have to want to use them. Monitoring, observation, data collection, and automation are just some of the functions IoT devices perform. We need our commitment to a sustainable future.
Jokia: How blockchain and AI integration is changing the business nowadays?
Antonio : More than integration, I would speak of the confluence of two technologies to create a more excellent value. In the case of blockchain and artificial intelligence, I see the convergence in managing off-chain activities related to on-chain-handled transactions. While blockchain ensures transparency and immutability, AI can guarantee intelligent automation that knows how to activate the proper business functions related to the transaction. This is just an example.
Jokia: Why do you think cybersecurity strategy is so important?
Antonio : Operational cyber security applied to organizations is a set of defense strategies against cyber-attacks. Like any strategy, it needs good planning, both Proactive - I foresee an attack and prepare myself regardless of it - and Reactive - what I will do when the attack happens. Starting from a good documentary system, it will then be possible to proceed with the acquisition of tools, education, and methods to ensure sufficient coverage.
Jokia: How the metaverse will change business management from your point of view?
Antonio : The changes induced by the metaverse could be epochal for both citizens and businesses. Virtual reality is the front door, our user interface to access the digital universe. We then need to manage digital identities and secure transactions that can only be guaranteed with distributed ledgers such as blockchains. Given the supranational characteristics of the metaverse, however, there is a significant obstacle: the national government authorities. Will they grant part of their central power to citizens to foster the dissemination of this decentralized universe?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Founder and CEO of Italian startup Digital Business Innovation Srl, Antonio is regarded as one of the top digital transformation influencers and researchers on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and sustainability.
He is an enterprise and public sector consultant. He collaborates with large multinationals and public institutions as an advisor, b2b influencer, author, and software innovator.
Currently, he is involved in two projects by the European Commission: the Next Generation Internet and the AI4EU - Artificial Intelligence for Europe as an external expert and ambassador.
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ms. Jokia Yin is the Founder of Innoverview and InnoKOL, the Vice Chairman of HK International Blockchain Finance Association as well as the Head of Media at United States of America-China Chamber of Commerce. Jokia has over 10 years of marketing and management experience, much of which has been in the Asia Pacific Region within events and PR industry. She has held key leadership roles executing market research and entry, developing sales channels and revenue generation, building marketing, finance and Operations related infrastructure for a more than 20 events related to retail, tourism, energy storage, blockchain, cosmetics domains.
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