Conversations with Dez

I caught up with Sarita Rao, President of Integrated & Partner Solutions at AT&T Business, to talk about her new role, and the always-changing, ever-evolving technology ecosystem. Last time I spoke with Sarita back in April 2019 at the RSA security conference in San Francisco, she was in a very different role, so we kicked off with Sarita giving us a brief outline of her current role, one she’s held for over a year now as President, Integrated & Partner Solutions for AT&T Business, and some of the key focus areas the role entails. We then discuss 5G and the amazing applications it has and will bring us, and in particular how 5G is just part of the bigger picture. Sarita shares her thoughts around why business leaders need to be looking at the whole ecosystem of Devices, IoT sensors, cloud-based solutions, all the way through to edge computing, and how all of these components are part of the “tech ecosystem” puzzle. We delve into what the phrase “tech ecosystem” means in Saritas’ world, and what the essential components of that ecosystem actually are. Sarita also shares where she see parts of this particular ecosystem being overlooked, and what are business leaders missing in her view. I also ask Sarita how can business leaders should go about getting into the mindset of thinking about this ecosystem, rather than individual technologies, and how do the can get out of what in effect is often akin to having tunnel vision. We then look at how business leaders can ensure all the moving parts in their ecosystem will work together. We also talk about some of the business applications that this “tech ecosystem” Sarita speaks of now makes possible, such as Virtual Reality aka VR, and Augmented Reality aka AR, which are often see as being “just a few years away” it seems like, and yet we’re already seeing more uptake now than ever, so I ask Sarita “is this the year this tech finally comes of age?”. Sarita goes on to share some examples of applications for VR and AR she and her team are seeing currently, such as enhancing customer experience aka CX, through to on-the-job training and many exciting innovations in between. Further to that, Sarita delves into what technologies do businesses need to take advantage of VR and AR. And finally, we wrap up with what Sarita sharing her views on what she and her team are seeing in the tech ecosystem, and what trends businesses should be focused on for a more successful 2022. Tune in now for all of these amazing topics and more. This podcast was made in partnership with AT&T Business. For more information visit: AT&T Business website: bit.ly/attbusiness​