South African enterprises in the financial, healthcare and retail sectors are now prioritising data and AI projects to help them become more competitive and compliant.

This is according to Digicloud partner Synthesis, a software development specialist that helps local enterprises achieve more value from digital projects.

Archana Arakkal, practice lead: intelligent data engineering at Synthesis, says although data analytics and AI are top priorities for local enterprises, the use cases for these technologies vary by sector.

“In retail, targeted and personalised marketing is very important, particularly as the local retail industry faces growing competition from international retailers,” she says.

“For them, leveraging local data and actioning it is a basic necessity. They need to be able to deliver personalisation and advanced analytics in real time – for example, creating a personalised journey while a customer is shopping online. This supports the instant gratification trend and makes sure the customer gets what they need.”

The financial sector also focuses on advanced analytics to support customer experience, but is also looking to predictive analytics to mitigate the growing fraud challenge. “Banks want to proactively manage this risk, and it comes down to their ability to analyse data from multiple sources,” Arakkal says.

In the healthcare sector, a key focus is integrating patient and treatment data from multiple sources to enable better healthcare and predictive insights on lifestyle and risk.

In all sectors, time is of the essence when it comes to developing solutions that offer actionable insights and real business value.

Google Cloud Platform delivers on data, AI projects

Arakkal says Synthesis, using Google Cloud Platform tools, helps fast-track processes. “At Synthesis, we research the different avenues in which we can tackle use cases, and test all the platforms and services so that when we are put in front of the customer we can give them a realistic view of practical approaches they can take to achieve their goals. We also build out accelerator packages to ensure that when we are put into a professional services environment, we can provide consulting and practical build with the experience to help customers avoid mistakes.”

Louis-Philip Shahim, Google Cloud Practice Lead at Synthesis, says Synthesis and its customers look to Google for data management and AI projects. “This is where Google shines,” he says.

Arakkal adds: “From a market perspective, Google has the brand value and all the necessary capabilities in the AI and data space. They are still ahead of the curve in data and AI, and this is what grabs customers. People want to leverage the latest and greatest. One important area where Google stands out is its ability to support the consolidation of a lot of data, and convert it into something useful.”

Shahim says: “Enterprises look to Google for innovation, especially in data and AI. For example, in the healthcare sector, Google’s new MedLM generative AI models are set to support medical practitioners, medical research and development, and healthcare administration. In financial services, where compliance is crucial, Google offers solutions specifically for banking, capital markets, insurance and payments.”

Google Anti-Money Laundering AI helps organisations detect suspicious, potential money laundering activity faster and more precisely. Google’s Contact Centre AI offers expert assistance and helps ensure agent engagements are compliant. Google’s Customer Data Platform drives personalised omnichannel experiences, Datashare enables the exchange and monetisation of market datasets securely and at scale, and Embedded Finance API allows organisations to deliver relevant and contextualised financial services within any customer service offering.

Google Cloud also offers innovative solutions for retail – including Customer Data Platform, demand forecasting and AI to enhance customer experiences and support staff in-store.

Shahim says: “We are looking at marketing analytics solutions within Google. Where we see a lot of value is in helping retail customers use analytics and Google Ads, bringing all the available data into Google’s BigQuery AI-ready data analytics platform and tailoring their marketing campaigns.”

Arakkal says: “Google Cloud Platform accelerates the journey. The way the data suite is positioned, developers love the experience. They can focus on innovation and delivering value without having to worry about infrastructure, servers, scaling and security.”

Building on the sophisticated Google Cloud Platform solutions, the Synthesis team adds value with its extensive skills, research and domain expertise to help customers achieve their data and AI goals.

“With Google Cloud Platform innovation and capabilities, we are making it easier for South African enterprises to become data-driven organisations,” Arakkal says.

About Digicloud Africa
Digicloud Africa is Google’s chosen enablement partner in Africa. Through Digicloud, Google is creating an ecosystem of Google Cloud partners across the continent. Digicloud supports its partner network by providing the necessary training, tools and resources needed to implement cloud solutions and support to their customers successfully. As customer demands for technology intensify, Digicloud is increasing its investment in supporting its partners to achieve sustainable growth. Digicloud’s partner enablement helps organisations build skills around open, advanced technologies to go to market with outcome-based solutions. Find Digicloud Africa on LinkedIn.