Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Business Innovations of the Future

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Business Innovations of the Future As a futurist, I often get asked to predict the business trends that organizations can afford to ignore, because, while they generate a lot of buzz, they are also likely to fizzle out. On the other hand, we must also pay attention tobusiness innovationsthat are gathering such rapid strength that adoption is now essential. Lets look at a few. Blockchain Ablockchainis a data structure that builds a digital ledger of transactions and shares it among a distributed network of computers. Using cryptography, each participant interacts with the ledger in a secure way without the need for a central authority. Bitcoin was the first app built using the platform in 2008, with a premise of sending digital payments between any two parties without the help of a financial institution. Bitcoin has now been joined by hundreds of other cryptocurrencies, and the model has moved out of financial services: organizations, employees, and customers are using it for all types of transactions. Deep Learning Deep learning (programming machines to mimic the actions of the human brain), is driving a whole new set ofbusiness innovations. Its the process of training computers to recognize patterns in data and then classify and categorize them as a human brain could. Together with complex algorithms, deep learning is already helping machines to participate in defining project scope, analyzing risks, developing budgets and allocating resources. Its catching on because it has massive implications. For the rest, have a look at the American Express Business site.