We are delighted to be involved with AI Con this year again. This year, Courtney Lewis, Presales Engineer, and Daniel Browne, Machine Learning Engineer will be discussing Machine Learning Augmentation.

The north’s premier conference on artificial intelligence, AI Con returns to face-to-face business this year with a hybrid event on Friday 3 December.

As the adoption of AI expands into all areas of our lives, and the business and societal opportunities and challenges become ever more apparent, this ground-breaking conference addresses core issues of the technology for a range of audiences: general, business and specialist.

The event, which is now in its third year, brings together world-leading technology professionals and business leaders to examine how AI is changing our world and the opportunities and challenges that presents.

In-person attendance will take place at Titanic Belfast and will feature some of the top figures in the field, with other leading professionals streaming in from across the globe.

The themes from this year’s event, which hosted 450 attendees in its first year and 800 at the virtual event last year, include:

– Applied AI: Targeted primarily at a general audience, Applied AI looks at existing, mature technology that can be deployed today and examines case studies on where these are adding value and inspiration for people and their organisations to start their own AI investigations.

Chaired by Kathryn Harkin of Allstate NI, Rachael Bland of Kainos, and Sam Beni of Tech Nation

– Business of AI: Designed for a business audience, Business of AI looks at how AI can challenge existing business models, create entirely new ones and debates what “AI Startups” need to know in this burgeoning space.

Chaired by Alexandra Mousavizadeh of Tortoise Media and Tom Gray of Kainos.

Attendees are asked to note that strict Covid precautions will be in operation at the in-person event which will be limited to 200 people. Attendees must be double vaccinated and proof of vaccination will be required for entry.

The full programme is available online here.

The post AI Con | 3 December 2021 appeared first on Datactics.

Belfast, London, New York, Tokyo, 30^th March 2021

Datactics is delighted to announce that it has secured a further accolade for the quality of its technology, this time from Bloor Research.

Datactics Self-Service Data Quality (SSDQ) has been awarded the Platinum Mutable Award in the 2021 Report. The award recognises software vendors that enable their clients to deal with data management processes in an intelligent and business-focused way.

Daniel Howard, Senior Analyst (Information Management and DevOps) with Bloor Research said:

“Datactics is a self-service data quality platform that puts significant stock in, and devotes substantial functionality to, the idea of explainable AI and machine learning. As fervent proponents of explainability in AI, we certainly approve.” 

Explaining the typical client use case for its technology and services Datactics CEO (Stuart Harvey) said:

SSDQ allows client subject matter experts to measure, identify and fix data for themselves rather than being reliant on already over-stretched IT teams. As a data quality engine, Datactics co-exists with data governance tools relating to lineage and meta-data. We support our clients in automating data improvement processes that de-duplicate information and leverage the benefits of human-in-the-loop AI to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy

Download your copy of the InBrief article from Bloor Research to find out more. 

For other news about the growth of Datactics please visit this page. Alternatively, you can contact us by clicking here.

The post Datactics lands Prestigious Platinum Award from Bloor Research for Self-Service Data Quality Technology and Explainable AI appeared first on Datactics.

Following hot on the heels of Michael Lynch and Brendan McCarthy, our latest new recruit is Roisin Floyd, joining the marketing team as our brand new graduate research associate and writer. We thought we would sit down and find out a bit more about who she is, how she has come to Datactics, her goals and ambitions. Read on to get to know her better…

Hi Roisin! It’s great to have you on board. What can you tell me about this role you have taken up with Datactics? 

The role is Graduate Research Associate and Writer, a role that is brand new to the company and one which I am delighted to be taking. This role will combine my skills with PR, writing and researching to provide technical and non-technical pieces that will support the company’s ambitious plans to expand. The most exciting thing about the role is that prior to me starting the position, this was a role that didn’t exist. I feel this will give me a great opportunity to put my stamp on the team and create great written content whilst working with the rest of the dynamic marketing team. 

“This is the role I have been looking for. It perfectly marries together my interest in research and writing. I can’t wait to get started and fully immerse myself!”

What brought you to work for a company like Datactics?

I studied at Newcastle University for my undergraduate in Media, Communications and Culture, which exposed me to advertising, journalism and PR. Upon graduation in 2017, I then returned to study my master’s in Cross Cultural Communication and Media which was more language based, which allowed me to do a thesis on Music and Politics in Northern Ireland. Overall, my background has been heavily in research and communications. Since completing my master’s, I have worked in several different jobs including working in a PR company, working for a charity, and I have just finished working in NHS recruitment. Data and technology are brand new territories for me! I am extremely interested in this sector, which was something I heavily conveyed in my interview as one of the main reasons I was keen to secure this role. 

“Data and technology are brand new territories for me! I am extremely interested in this sector, which was something I heavily conveyed in my interview as one of the main reasons I was keen to secure this role”.

How did you find your groove with PR, writing and researching? 

In a previous role, I realised that my strengths were in researching and writing. In my past role I would’ve been briefed with the task of researching all the information behind a campaign, a comprehensive approach which involved competitor analysis, gathering excerpts and focusing on ensuring the campaign was well thought out. I then helped with executing the campaign. For me, I realised this was a skill of mine and I am looking forward to using this skill in this brand-new industry. 

Coming into the role, do you have any fears? 

I think it might revolve around the fact this is brand new industry for me and I am wanting to make sure that I do the best job I can! I think it’ll be a huge learning curve for me, and I am excited to begin writing and becoming more knowledgeable on the topic areas. So long as I can involve myself in projects from the early days, I am hopeful I will quickly come to terms with terminologies and technologies. 

What were your first impressions of the company? 

The team has been great, I have really enjoyed meeting all the people in the company so far. There has been a great amount of support. The company has been growing really fast from the outside looking in which to me is extremely exciting, as this will bring more opportunity! It’s a great feeling to join a company that is performing so well, with such great direction. On top of direction, the company has some great values: ambition, passion and integrity, all of three of these values have been prevalent to me from my first interview to starting the role.

“I have been incredibly encouraged too by the clear diversity and inclusion within the company”.

Brilliant! What about goals for the role as you are starting out? 

I am really looking forward to getting pieces published, on top of that I would love to make an impact for the company. I am keen to explore studying some sort of course to complement my new role, one which will allow to broaden my horizons and further educate myself. I am embracing the new challenge with optimism and am looking forward to collaborating with the rest of the team. I have gotten the impression already that learning is key to a successful career at Datactics, with many other team members studying alongside their roles. This to me suggests that the company is keen to support their employees on their own personal pursuit to progress on their professional development journey. On a side note, I am really looking forward to getting involved with social activities within the company, there seems to be a great culture here – so I am looking forward to participating in the next event! I’ve heard some fun things about Virtual Escape rooms! 

“I have gotten the impression already that learning is key to a successful career at Datactics, with many other team members studying alongside their roles”.

Thanks, Roisin, for taking the time to chat with us. It was great to be able to hear about your passions and your career journey to date.  We look forward to hearing more from you soon! 

Roisin will soon be curating and writing forward-thinking technical pieces. Keep an eye out on our data blog for her (soon to be) booming author bio, which will provide you with data-centric pieces that will blow your mind and affirm the importance of ensuring data quality of course…

Click here for more by the author, or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news. 

The post Meet Roisin Floyd: our new graduate research associate and writer appeared first on Datactics.

Brendan McCarthy is one of our brand new Business Development Executives, joining the team as part of Invest NI’s Graduate to Export programme. As a recent Business graduate, he is keen to get stuck into a career in the technology space and we are delighted that he has joined our growing team. We thought we would sit down and find out who he is, how he has come to Datactics, his goals and ambitions! We hope you enjoy getting to know him…

Hi Brendan! It’s great to have you on board. What can you tell me about this brand-new role you have taken up with Datactics?

Hi, I am really excited to get started. I applied for the role at the start of January upon completing a Data Analysis course with South Eastern Regional College (SERC). Previous to that I undertook an undergraduate degree in Business Management at Queens University Belfast. I saw the role on LinkedIn and thought it looked great, I was interviewed a few times and then I landed in the role. I am very much looking forward to working with international clients mostly, trying to develop the North America Market. Graduate to Export is a brilliant programme and one I am proud to be a part of.

You have 6 months with us in Belfast and then you will hopefully get to spend 12 months in New York. For your first 6 months, what are your main goals?

The main priority is to gain as great a grasp as possible on the industry because although my background is in Business Management, the data management industry is brand new to me! I want to learn as much as possible on the solutions and the market sector at large. Over the next 6 months I will engage in training, as well as studying for a post graduate diploma in global marketing with the Graduate to Export programme. I am hoping the knowledge I gained in my SERC course in Data Analysis comes in handy – I was able to also gain introductory qualifications in leadership & management, Python and SQL! I would highly recommend doing the course, it was online and the support offered was second to none.

Tell me more about the post graduate qualification you are completing alongside working, what will that entail?

It’s with Ulster University and the Institute of Export and International Trade, all online with a much larger time scale to complete. There is the flexibility to complete it all whenever suits you best. Once we are out in market the time scale is even broader, with 3 months to do each module. I hope it will provide me with invaluable insight into the marketing globally, which I can use in practice over the course of the 18 months and beyond. The course will definitely keep me on my toes!

With your background being Business Management, do you prefer Marketing or Sales?

In my experience so far, it has been more marketing, but with the roles I had within the hospitality sector, sales comes quite naturally.  Combining Business and Technology quite quickly became a priority of mine after completing my undergraduate in Business Management at QUB. I feel equiped to be able to combine my learnings and my passion for data in a way that will seek to build relationships and help scale Datactics further.

So, with the move to New York, it will be a big change of culture no doubt, how do you feel about the impending move?

I lived in New York last year, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I didn’t manage to get started back then but seeing this opportunity excited me! I have some experience working there and a few contacts already. I have always had a passion for travel and international markets, I enjoy the challenge of something new, that can push me out of my comfort zone. Having lived in New York already, I feel confident about moving there and I am intrigued to see how it will all unfold in due course.

Do you have any fears coming into the role?

I think there is always fears coming into a brand-new industry, particularly one which is more technical. I am keen to ensure that I have strong awareness of the business problem at hand, with a grasp of the capabilities of the solution but a focus on how we can solve data quality problems on an international scale. Datactics stood out to me amongst the other companies taking part in the Graduate to Export programme – I knew I really wanted to get involved with technology and I thought Datactics was the perfect way to do it! I am confident that I will be able to learn a lot from the highly skilled professionals around me. Having previously completed a placement as a Data Analyst, I am keen to use that knowledge within my efforts in Datactics!

On a side note, my first impressions of Datactics has been great! Throughout the interview process I instantly felt at ease. The company also seems to do a lot of social activity, which is something that highly appeals to me because I really enjoy getting to know others and it’s great to know there is a social committee that facilitates it all. It has been apparent to me quite quickly that Datactics is a ‘people first’ company, that embraces talent and encourages initiative at all levels from graduate to senior team.

Thanks, Brendan, for taking the time to chat with us. It was great to be able to hear about your passions and your career journey to date.  We look forward to hearing more from you soon!

Click here for more by the author, or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news.

The post Meet Brendan: our new Graduate to Export Business Development Executive appeared first on Datactics.

Belfast, London, New York, Tokyo, 10^th March 2021

Datactics is delighted to welcome its two latest recruits, appointed as part of the Graduate to Export programme.

Run by Invest NI, the #GradToExport programme allows graduates to apply for an 18-month programme, part funded by Invest NI, to gain international export experience.

The programme sees graduates start working locally in Northern Ireland for 6 months, getting to know the business and gaining invaluable knowledge into the strategic direction of the business.

The final 12 months of the programme will be spent on placement in the company’s export market, identifying a specific market research project that is aligned to the company’s strategic marketing plan. 

Alongside gaining international experience and introducing a local product to a new market, both of the new appointees will be completing a part-time, fully-funded postgraduate diploma in International Marketing, accredited by Ulster University and the Institute of Export. 

Following an extensive recruitment process with very high-calibre interviewees, Datactics appointed Brendan McCarthy and Michael Lynch to the two roles earlier this month. Their work will focus on banking, insurance and wealth management, with Michael due to spend his time in market exploring opportunities in Japan and Brendan heading Stateside to help support our clients and grow the business in New York. It is hoped that market restrictions will ease so that the graduates will get to spend as much time in the market as possible.

This exciting programme affords rapid-growth companies like Datactics further support in international markets and explore opportunities such as in-market data management partnerships.

Stuart Harvey, CEO at Datactics stated:

We are pleased to work with the Graduate to Export programme. Datactics has shown strong international growth in the last three years and we hope that having Brendan and Michael in-market will accelerate that during 2022.

Steve Harper, Invest NI’s Executive Director of International Trade said:

We are pleased to be able to support the growth of local talent through the second year of our Graduate to Export Programme. Northern Ireland businesses will have the opportunity to utilise the expertise of a local graduate to do extensive research in advance of targeting new markets, with the ultimate aim of increasing their exports. 

Graduates will bring a fresh perspective and be able to maximise the skills they have gained in the course of their degree. They will also benefit from the international business experience and academic mentoring from Ulster University and the Institute of Export and International Trade. It really is a win-win for both.

All at Datactics would like to wish the very best of luck to both Brendan and Michael, with this new, exciting adventure!   

For other news about the growth of Datactics please visit this page. Alternatively, you can contact us by clicking here.

Or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook.

The post New York and Tokyo Await For Two New Datactics Grads appeared first on Datactics.

Gaye Lightbody – Senior Developer 

Gaye decided to chat to us a bit about the transition she experienced between working within education and moving into the technology industry. 

How have you found the transition between working within education and industry?

As the country was going into its first lock-down in March 2020 I was stepping out of an academic job and moving into Datactics as a senior software developer. The excitement of making this switch was only slightly overshadowed by the growing pandemic. Despite the challenges of working from home as a new-start, I was moved by the collegiate ethos within the company and the sense of belonging it instilled in me. Deepening my technical skills during this time has given me great job satisfaction and has galvanised my existing knowledge base. With still a lot to learn about the technologies and products, I am kept pleasantly challenged and fulfilled. Although circumstances have not been easy at times due to the pandemic, it has been a rewarding experience, and I am delighted that I stepped out of my comfort zone last year and embraced this new opportunity. I look forward to a time, hopefully in the not so distant future, when I will be able to sit with my team in a bustling meeting room, drinking coffee while sharing ideas and biscuits!

Daire McCotter – Client Services Support Consultant  

Daire decided to chat to us about her degree background, why she decided to join Datactics and what she most enjoyed about her placement within the company. 

What did you study? 

I studied a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology including Professional Experience. I chose this course as I have always been interested in IT and enjoyed studying it in school and therefore wanted to further develop my IT Skills. I also understood the growing reliance businesses had on technology and therefore this course helped greaten my understanding on the application of IT in businesses. Additionally, I enjoyed the balance between the IT and Business modules as it entailed both practical work and therotical studying. 

Why did you join Datactics? 

In my second-year studies I really enjoyed a module called Data and Statistics which involved analysing data and presenting it in certain formats. The role at Datactics that I applied for as a Data Engineer was very appealing to me as it involved this degree of analytics and interpretation. Additionally, when I joined in 2018, Datactics was half the size it is now, and it had a great sense of community with everyone being so welcoming and friendly. To this day, Datactics still holds this great culture which is such a lovely aspect at work. 

What did you enjoy the most about placement? 

An element of my placement that I enjoyed was taking on my own Internal Project. This project was designed to create a solution that would automatically create documentation for my colleague’s work. Also, I loved working with other members in the different teams whether it was for internal projects, support etc. Lastly, applying my own experience and knowledge from using our software tools enabled me to answer our Client support issues and help them resolve any difficulties they were facing. 

Daiva Vencevičiūtė – Data Engineer

Daiva decided to chat to us about how she came across the company, how she joined the company and why she joined! 

How did you come across Datactics?  

It’s a very interesting story! I have an awesome professor (who always has suggestions for students) that told me about a role in the UK. After reading a job description, I thought, why not get in touch? I then proceeded to apply and then an interview was scheduled with Elspeth, Stuart, Ruta, and Josh. I was very nervous, and I was not speaking in my native language! The interview was sometime in October (in Vilnius!) and by the beginning of February, I was in Belfast.   

What did you study?   

I studied a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. My educational background wasn’t related to Data directly and I have found in my role as a Data Engineer that I have had to learn from the beginning. Having the background knowledge of economics does help but you can learn on the job. I felt incredibly lucky to secure a placement in Belfast.   

Why did you join Datactics?  What attracted you to the role? 

I was keen to travel, and I thought why not go for different opportunities (I knew that one Lithuanian girl was working in Datactics which made me feel more at home.). Stephen and I joined on the same day, so we embarked on learning the capabilities of Flow Designer and DQM together. I remember one of the projects I worked on involved helping Mattias who was working on a LEI based project, and he needed help with manual review. Settling in took a while, but I loved the patience that was ingrained within the team. I was able to learn at my own pace, and I was supported in doing so.   

Helen Long – Finance Manager 

Helen decided to chat to us about what she has most enjoyed about her career at Datactics so far and what her advice would be for those starting out in their career. 

Helen, you’ve been at Datactics for 12 years, what do you enjoy most about it?  

The continually evolving nature of the role is great but also increasingly challenging. The ‘small company’ feel has also been maintained despite substantial growth over the past number of years since I joined. One of the best points of working for a Fintech such as Datactics is that your efforts are noticed, whereas in a larger firm you can often feel like a small cog in a big wheel. It’s been great to watch people join and gradually become managers over time.  

I also enjoy the flexibility the company gives particularly with work/life/family balance. I have a young son, as well as a slightly older daughter so for me having that flexibility at times is necessary to allow me to meet the needs of my children as well as my job.  

What would your biggest advice be for someone who is starting out in their career?  

I would say the most important thing is to feel valued within the company you work in. That has been my experience at Datactics.  Whether you want to move your career along at a fast speed or you want to stay at the level you are at, I think feeling valued in the work you are doing makes the world of difference. 

Thanks so much to Gaye, Daire, Daiva and Helen for sharing with us today. We are proud to have such talented women within our organisation and today we thought we would pull together a piece to celebrate them! Happy International Women’s Day!

Read more ‘Meet our team’ pieces on our DataBlog here.  We also have spoken at length with Helen and Daiva, allowing us to unpack even more.

Tomorrow, Dr Fiona Browne, Head of AI will be contributing to a fantastic panel discussing AI and Ethics, which will be moderated by Ramesh Dontha, Data Transformers. You can register for free here.

Click here for more by Datactics, or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news. 

The post International Women’s Day at Datactics! Meet our great team! appeared first on Datactics.

It’s Friday…this week was a phenomenally busy one! 

We attended the Global InsurTech Summit 2021, which took place this week from Tuesday to Thursday.

Throughout the 3-day summit, we got to engage with many keynotes, talks and presentations delivered and hosted by experts within the InsurTech industry. It was interesting to unpack what the pain points are within the industry and how processes are changing. 

The virtual summit began with an outlook for insurance technology, followed by presentations on top technologies disrupting the insurance industry, innovations in insurance, and then an exploration into customer expectations. 

On that point, anyone wanting to learn about Datactics’ capabilities within the insurance market feel free to get in touch with Kieran Buchanan.

He will be more than happy to explore how we can be of assistance with our award-winning technology especially in the areas of Data Quality and Matching. One key takeaway of the summit was that “Data quality is imperative within the insurance world, with an increase in fraud across the industry, a shift towards prioritising the end customers’ needs and carriers being forced to reimagine business processes.” We at Datactics provide the technology and the know-how to help bring full confidence to your data quality. Datactics won the Data Quality Analysis Tool award from A-Team Group for the second year running in 2020, adding three major Tier 1 financial clients in New York, Amsterdam and London last year. 

3 ideas to get your people excited about your data! 

This week we also have released a new blog post entitled ‘3 ideas to get your people excited about your data’. We found a great stat that 59 zetabytes of data has been captured, created, copied and consumed worldwide since 2010 (according to Statista) and as result it’s easy to see the problems that arise when even a fraction of that data is incorrect. We curated a blog post designed to help energise, excite and encourage your data people in not one, not two but three ways that are highly easy-to-implement and are guaranteed to help deliver your next data management programme (and truly change your data culture). The tips we established are: 

1. You don’t need to rip and replace your expensive data stack 
2. Boil a kettle, not an ocean 
3. Unleash the power of a fully self-service system 

Do you want to read more and find out exactly what we mean? Read our full blog post here. 

If you would like to continue on the thought thread of rethinking your data quality and make a huge difference to your organisation, you can reach out to the author of this blog post, Matt Flenley on LinkedIn. He would be delighted to continue this conversation. 

To learn more about how how Self-Service Data Quality is the best approach to developing a next-gen data management strategy, check out our webinar from 2020 with key input from CTO, Alex Brown (or read a blog post version here). 

A Trip down memory lane: Video Game Edition 

We thought we would wrap up this blog post with a bit of nostalgia. We recently asked our entire team to name a video game that reminded them of their youth! We received a plethora of responses… with some solid favourites. We would love to get your involved in our DatacticsChat, tell us, what was your favourite video game when you were younger? Will you admit to playing it, or can you even remember it?! 

For more on The Global InsurTech Summit, Data Quality or just a trip down memory lane, find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news. 

The post Weekly round-up: from Global InsurTech Summit to getting your people excited about data! appeared first on Datactics.

The Future of InsurTech will feature leaders and companies from the world of technology, Fintech and insurance on how the InsurTech industry is evolving and innovating to adapt to the changing world around us, including the impact of driverless cars and more connected devices will have on our lives. 

Advancements in technology and computing power have transformed many traditional industries. Like banking and financial services, the insurance industry is being disrupted by traditional companies and startups alike. Billions of investment dollars are now flowing into the sector and consumers are now able to access new and more efficient products.

Registration and agenda are available here

Click here for more by Datactics, or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news. 

The post The Future of InsurTech – Digital DNA | 28/04 appeared first on Datactics.

The Department for International Trade is giving organisations based in the Asia Pacific region the opportunity to book one-to-one meetings with UK Technology companies who have innovative solutions for many of the problems associated with modern urban areas.

You can now book meetings with Datactics and the other 28 of the UK’s leading smart cities technology companies, uniquely chosen by the Department for International Trade as part of the Tech Export Academy to Asia Pacific. 

Click here for more by Datactics, or find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news. 

The post DIT Export Academy Tech Festival | 08/03 – 12/03 appeared first on Datactics.

We are delighted that our very own Fiona Browne has helped to co-curate AI CON 2020. 

The second annual AI CON is taking place virtually on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th December and will be hosted by Kainos and Aisling Events as per last year. This year’s event will be recorded live from the AI CON studio in Belfast over two days.  The event will bring together world-leading technology professionals and business leaders to discuss and examine how AI is continuing to change our world. This year’s gathering will discuss: 

• AI ML in Fintech 

• AI in the Public Sector 

• Impact of AI on Society, Arts, and Culture 

• Applied AI/Supporting AI Startups 

• AI Research and Innovation 

• AI in the Screen Industries 

AI CON will once again be a brilliant opportunity to listen and engage with professionals that range from developers to business leaders, who have led on adopting AI as a tool to build better services, products, or business operations.  

The conference is free to attend but delegates must register ahead of time. 

Find us on Linkedin, Twitter, or Facebook for the latest news or click here to contact us. 

The post AI Con 2020 | 3rd – 4th December appeared first on Datactics.

Hear from over 60 of the worlds top tech leaders on the main stage and find out what the future of the tech industry faces. You can also attend interactive workshops and panel discussions in the side sessions area to learn what the future of tech looks like and the skills needed for the future.

Digital DNA 2020 is an opportunity for everyone working in or interested in the tech sector to enjoy our unique online experience and to find out how technology is impacting our lives.

You can register for Digital DNA from free here and check the website for more information.

Find us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for the latest news or click here to contact us.

The post Digital DNA 2020 | 10/11/20 – 11/11/20 appeared first on Datactics.

Hi Alex, maybe you can start us off by telling us how you got involved in Technology in the first place?

I’ve always been curious about how things work. After school, I began by studying a BSc Hons in Physics at Queens University Belfast before heading on to an M. Phil in Astrophysics. But astrophysics is not all looking through telescopes! It is mostly crunching and analysing huge amounts of data. It was this that sparked my interest in IT, and the reason why I wanted to pursue a career in Software Development. I did realise that as I progressed, I naturally fell into a technical business rolem where I could translate the business problems into technical solutions, and technical challenges into business and operational impacts.

I felt like I enjoyed the communication element of software development rather than being a software developer myself. Although I am by no means an extrovert, I was keen to become the communicator between the software development team and the key decision-makers. The role has become increasingly important. (although I do occasionally like to get my hands dirty with code!).

Tell us Alex, what do you enjoy most about working within technology?

It has to be the ability that technology has to make a difference to society. That is one of the reasons I was attracted to Datactics in the first place.  The areas I am particularly interested in are data quality and its impact on business and society; responsible use of AI; and making sense of the myriad of rapidly evolving data technologies that we’re bombarded with today.

What would you say is your biggest achievement?

Personally, my biggest achievement is transitioning from a scientific background to entering the dynamic world of software development and commercial technology.  Although it was a childhood dream to be a scientist, I had to concede that I was not cut out for academia and my strengths were more aligned with business.  As someone who wants to make a difference, I particularly enjoyed working on our RegMetrics, AML and LEI matching products, each of which contributes to a safer banking system in its own way.

What is the topic you’re most passionate about, Alex?

I’ve recently become very interested in the application of AI. Both in terms of the enhanced functionality for Datactics products, and in the wider ethical challenges that AI presents when implemented in policing, government and financial services.

I really enjoy writing blog pieces and contributing to webinars. But I always relish the opportunity to write something that demystifies technology hype or has a concrete pragmatic angle!

As many data professionals will know, many AI projects fail to make the crucial transition from experiment to production, for a wide range of reasons. On that point, I have recently compiled a piece that addresses the 3 pillars of production AI.

In this piece, I unpacked many cases, These include the triple investment of money, training and the time being deemed too big of a risk to take. Specifically, some core features such as explainability (XAI) that I believe will be essential to ensure production AI solutions adhere to best practices and potentially, to comply with future regulations.

If you want to read more from Alex feel free to check out his most recent article here. You can also follow Alex on LinkedIn.

Alex Brown is the Chief Technology Officer at Datactics. Prior to this role, he was the former Head of Dart Development at Vela (previously known as SR Labs). Additionally, he was a Market Data Technical Consultant at NYSE Euronext. On top of this, Alex has a combined total of 15 years’ experience within the software development and technical innovation sectors.

The post “But astrophysics is not all looking through telescopes!” – meet Alex, part of the “Our team” series appeared first on Datactics.

Missed it? Watch the recording below made available by FSClub:

During the FSClub webinar, the panellists discussed some data blunders that they have encountered in the banking world and how, by using technology, they have helped those organisations overcome these blunders.

For as long as banks have been operating, they have been accumulating data and looking for ways to manage it, understand it and use it to enhance their business. With continuous data growth and tough regulations to meet, the road isn’t easy and simply having a Chief Data Officer in place doesn’t mean that all that data insight is suddenly available and easy to access. – FSClub

Datactics and Automated Intelligence are two Belfast-based RegTech firms arming CDOs and senior managers with access, insights and rapid solutions to manage, report and fix data to regulatory standards.

About FSClub:

An Events Programme

• A Forum where the leading industry thinkers provide an up to date assessment of key events and developments likely to affect the future of the Financial Services Industry, over drinks and refreshments in a “Club” atmosphere.
• An Opportunity to discuss key topics and gain greater understanding of current and emerging areas of Political, Economy, Society and Technology change which may directly influence the future of your firm.

A Networking Opportunity

• A Peer Group to promote and exchange of views.
• A Discussion with key futurists and innovators to broaden your range of contacts.

Information Services

A General Information Service which provides a Daily News, access to the Club’s blog written by Chris Skinner the Financial Services Club Chairman and featuring Key Opinion and Comment.

A Private Information Service available only to Club Members which includes an extended and customisable news service, access to all previous event presentations and one click registration for all club events. It is planned that this service will also provide an expanding and extensive searchable library of relevant Information as well as the facility to allow members to publish their own relevant material. Members will also be able to advertise details of the services they can provide or skills and services they wish to procure.

The Internet Service www.shapingtomorrow.com that assists in predicting critical changes for any business that wants to prepare for and shape the future will also be available to members.

The post FSClub: Banks, Blunders and Lessons Learned | 22/05/20 appeared first on Datactics.

The grant will develop new products and incorporate new technologies into existing products.

The project seeks to provide a substantial upgrade to the existing product range by taking advantage of several new technologies such as Exploit the Cloud, Exploit Artificial Intelligence (Al) Technology and Exploit High-Performance Computing, with additional information below.

Artificial Intelligence

Our Artificial Intelligence team bring their expertise in machine learning and data analytics to build innovative and transparent solutions improving processes and experiences for our clients. Working closely with the presales, data engineering and software development teams they deliver intelligent user interfaces using cutting-edge technologies. They ensure rigour, quality, integrity and transparency are in-built to all the processes within the artificial intelligence pipeline.

High-Performance Computing

The product set is designed to handle both structured and unstructured data in multiple languages. Datactics is recognised for its quality and performance at large scales, making use of smart algorithms to perform what the company refers to as “fuzzy matching”. What’s more, users are able to make the application run sophisticated operations without the need for any programming knowledge.

The application provides three key functions that can be performed on both structured and unstructured datasets. It profiles the data to evaluate quality. It reengineers datasets to become more usable. And it performs advanced matching and de-duplication processes to clean-up duplicate datasets.

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