Take a Peak

Why do 85% of AI models fail to reach production? This critical question set the stage for the Data + AI World Tour in Munich, where experts dove deep into the barriers holding back AI and showcased tools to overcome them. As Databricks Champions, we represented BitPeak by attending the event and gaining firsthand insights from thought-provoking sessions, interactive workshops, and valuable networking.

Keynote: breaking barriers in AI with Naveen Rao and Felix Mutzl

The keynote session, delivered by Naveen Rao (VP of AI, Databricks) and Felix Mutzl (Data & AI Strategist, Databricks), spotlighted the staggering statistic: 85% of AI models never make it to production. High implementation costs, fragmented security frameworks, and weak data governance were identified as key obstacles.

To tackle these challenges, the speakers introduced Mosaic ML, a groundbreaking solution designed to democratize AI by cutting deployment costs and streamlining processes. Mosaic ML aligns with Databricks’ vision of making AI tools accessible to organizations regardless of size or budget.

The session also stressed the urgency of robust data governance frameworks, which are essential for securing sensitive data and ensuring compliance. By transitioning from isolated, expensive AI initiatives to accessible, scalable tools, Databricks is paving the way for more efficient and secure AI adoption.

AI/BI Genie: smarter, faster analytics

Databricks introduced AI/BI Genie, a conversational analytics tool that revolutionizes traditional dashboard-based insights. By leveraging trusted data sources and continuous feedback, Genie delivers real-time, adaptable answers to business queries. Its self-service nature empowers teams to act faster and make smarter decisions without relying on static reports.

IoT Data: transforming industries with centralized governance

Yevheniy Eydelman from CARIAD SE, a Volkswagen Group company, showcased how vehicle data governance unlocks industry transformation. With over 500 Databricks Workspaces, the Volkswagen Group has dismantled data silos, driven compliance, and accelerated innovation. Centralizing IoT data on Databricks has opened new avenues for business growth and regulatory alignment.

Generative AI fundamentals: your roadmap to success

The session on generative AI provided a hands-on introduction to large language models (LLMs) and their real-world applications. Attendees walked away with actionable strategies to implement LLMs responsibly while navigating the legal and ethical implications of this emerging technology. Those completing the session earned the Generative AI Fundamentals accreditation, equipping them with practical skills to lead generative AI initiatives.

Delta Lake Uniform: simplifying lakehouse architectures

The Delta Lake UniForm session introduced an innovation that unifies table formats across Delta Lake, Iceberg, and Hudi, simplifying data lakehouse management. This development eliminates redundancy, enhances data integration, and adds operational flexibility, empowering organizations to maximize their lakehouse investments.

Networking: connecting for innovation

Beyond the knowledge-packed sessions, the event buzzed with opportunities for networking and collaboration. We engaged with Databricks experts, peers, and clients, exchanging ideas on practical AI implementations and tackling shared challenges. These conversations sparked fresh perspectives on data governance and potential avenues for future projects.

November: a month packed with conferences

November has been a whirlwind month for BitPeak, filled with numerous impactful conferences. From the Data + AI World Tour in Munich to the IIBA Poland Summit and IT@BANK, we’ve been actively engaged in discussions around AI, data governance, and innovation. If you missed any of our events, make sure to catch up on the insights shared, and stay tuned for more updates. 

BitPeak
Value from Data

The IIBA Poland Summit 2024, themed „Fundamentals Rediscovered”, was an unforgettable event that brought together business analysis professionals from around the globe. BitPeak had the honour of participating as a Summit Community Partner, engaging in insightful sessions, hands-on workshops, and making connections with experts in the field. Here’s a glimpse into our experience, with key takeaways and memorable moments.

Inspiring sessions from industry leaders

Adrian Reed’s keynote on the second day of the IIBA Poland Summit 2024 offered powerful strategies for turning stakeholder scepticism into active support. He highlighted the importance of understanding stakeholders’ needs and perspectives, consistently clarifying goals and strategies to reach them and focusing on delivering value.

The future of business analysis with augmented AI

Angela Wick, a seasoned expert with over 25 years in business analysis, delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking talk focusing on what augmented AI business intelligence looks like and how AI can help teams analyze users, processes, and data. The key takeaway is that Business Analysts should evolve continuously, break down barriers and shape tomorrow.

Embracing the nimble concept with Fabricio Laguna

The summit schedule featured many keynote speakers, and without a doubt, Fabricio Laguna, the President of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), attracted the largest audience.

He introduced the concept of Nimble through a spectacular presentation that applied theory to real-life practice use cases. Everyone who attended Fabricio’s session will undoubtedly remember the “Business Analyst Boogie” and hands-on experiment on process optimization

Developing essential communication skills

The speech „[Mis]communication to doom you for failure” by Ewelina Kurasz highlighted the importance of developing soft skills. Ewelina shared effective tips to ensure not only being heard but also being understood.

Communication failures often stem from numerous factors, making it crucial to identify and address small details that can significantly influence a project’s or product’s success.

Additionally, what may seem „obvious” to tech professionals and require no further explanation can be interpreted differently by business stakeholders, emphasizing the need for clear and empathetic communication.

Engaging networking activities

The absolute highlight of the event was the networking. There were many interesting conversations with like-minded professionals, which made the summit experience even more valuable.

As great analysts, the organisers thought ahead about streamlining the networking experience and provided attendees with “Networking Bingo” – a simple, fun way to break the ice and engage in conversations.

Join the BA community in Poland

Overall, the IIBA Poland Summit 2024 demonstrated the strength and growth of the business analysis community in Poland. The event was a powerful reminder of how this field thrives on exchanging ideas, continuous learning, and collaboration.

Attending the summit deepened our knowledge and allowed us to engage with top professionals and thought leaders, making it an invaluable experience for our team.

For those interested in events, don’t miss our DAMA Day Prague 2024 coverage, where we delve into the latest data management and governance trends.

BitPeak
Value from Data

The DAMA Day Prague 2024 attracted over 200 data professionals, creating a vibrant atmosphere organized by DAMA Czech Republic and DAMA International. This opportunity provided an exceptional platform for networking, learning, and sharing experiences. What is more, it featured a variety of cool DAMA swag that added to the overall experience. Let me share my thoughts on its significance for the data community.

The value of Data Governance

There was quite a lot to take away from the speakers’ stories. The conference started with a keynote speech by Peter Aiken, president of DAMA International. He emphasized the importance of measuring and communicating the tangible value that Data Governance and data initiatives bring to organizations.

His presentation included numerous practical case studies and tips on putting a dollar value on data projects. Doing that is still a challenge for many data professionals. Yet it becomes a skill that is more and more important in today’s economy, with companies being very cautious about spending money in general.

Data as the core of business operations

Peter Vannel from Equifax, one of the largest consumer credit agencies in the world, highlighted how data is central to their business operations – in fact, it’s at the core. Peter emphasized the role of data stewards in large-scale projects and described Equifax’s journey of becoming a “steward-centric organization.”

What will for sure stick with me is Peter’s comparison of metadata to… cooking. After all, we can have all the right ingredients in the kitchen, but without the labels indicating what is in each packaging, cooking a good meal will be virtually impossible. Similarly, when trying to produce business insights without collecting and using metadata in the process. I find it a great illustration of the significance of metadata in data management.

The human element in data management

What really resonated with me was the discussion led by Andrew Andrews, VP Marketing DAMA International. It allowed the participants to take a step back and remind ourselves of the importance of the human aspect in data management. It was very inspiring to exchange views and experiences on empathy and ethics in data projects with people coming from various cultural and organizational backgrounds!

Certification opportunities and successes

In addition to the main event, there was a possibility for DAMA members to take any of the DAMA certifications in a “pay-if-you-pass” formula. I highly recommend it. Either you get the certificate or, in the worst-case scenario, you get to know the exam and the type of questions that appear, which will help a lot to prepare for a retake.

Special shoutout to DAMA Poland Chapter celebrating a 100% pass rate among participants (including myself!). That called for celebration, and needless to say, Prague is a beautiful city with an ambiance enhancing less formal meetings after the conference.

Emphasizing the importance of Data Governance

The insights from DAMA Day Prague 2024 highlight the crucial role of Data Governance in driving organizational success. As it  as a strategic asset, I encourage you to explore our materials for more valuable insights and resources on this essential topic.

Check out our article on Data Vault Part 1 – Introduction and case study on LOT’s Data Governance Roadmap to deepen your understanding.

We are excited to announce that BitPeak is now officially certified with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001! These prestigious certifications validate our unwavering commitment to delivering top-notch quality and secure services to our clients.

ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management at its best

The ISO 9001:2015  certification is a testament to our company’s adherence to the highest international standards of quality management. It ensures that every process, from planning to execution, is optimized for efficiency, reliability, and client satisfaction.

ISO 27001:2023 – Information security you can trust

In today’s data-driven world, security is paramount. Our ISO 27001:2023 certification demonstrates our dedication to safeguarding information through robust security measures. This certification verifies that we consistently meet global standards for data protection and information security management.

Why choose BitPeak?

Partnering with us means entrusting your projects to a company committed to:

• Quality in every aspect of project execution.
• Efficiency in delivering results on time and within scope.
• Security through certified information protection protocols.
• Governance ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations.

Working with BitPeak means you’re collaborating with a trusted partner that knows how to drive success for global enterprise data projects.

Contact us today to find out why industry leaders trust BitPeak for their data solutions!

BitPeak
Value from Data

The holiday season begins in just a few days, so at BitPeak, we decided to integrate our employees before we take time off from revolutionizing data structures and debugging.

The flash of axes, shavings flying from shields, delicious food, and fantastic company! This is how we spent our integration at the Jomsburg Viking stronghold. As you can see from the photos, it was a lot of fun.

We also learned a little about the history of the Scandinavian warriors and saw first-hand how they solved their conflicts. About the afterparty itself, the skalds still tell legends to this day!

We want to thank all the participants for the great fun and wonderful atmosphere. We also hope to see you at more equally great BitPeak integrations in the future!

The 11th edition of the Chief Data Officer Forum ended yesterday.

Once again, BitPeak was a substantive partner of the conference, and together with our client, we had a chance to present on stage a topic on Data architecture challenges in global deployments.

Sebastian Kamiński opened a discussion on how the cultural aspect, market characteristics, and process owners – or their absence – can impact the implementation of data management and data governance projects.

At the BitPeak booth, Krzysztof K. Zdeb, Anna Biernacka, Michał Kołodziejski and Magdalena Kowalska talked, listened and discussed about:

• starting work on data strategy
• changing current data strategy and architecture due to growing business needs
• facing challenges related to data processing regulations
• lacking tool support and resources for data management
• new reporting needs or the need to streamline and centralize reporting

CDO Forum gave us great opportunities to talk and exchange experiences with data professionals during roundtable discussions and panels. We also participated in the General Meeting of DAMA Poland Association, a leading not-for-profit organization that aims to advance concepts and practices in information and data management.

If you did not have the opportunity to meet us at the conference, don’t worry! Write to us – let’s talk about data.

BitPeak
Value from Data

Children’s Day at BitPeak – Showcase of creativity!

This Children’s Day, our company decided to host a unique competition for the children of BitHikers. The challenge? Create artwork that showcases how technology can fulfil dreams. We had a lot of faith in the next generation, but the results were still an amazing surprise!

Not only were some pieces of really good quality (especially for contestants’ age brackets), but the sheer creativity in their approaches was astonishing. From simple drawings to acted-out videos to cardboard mockups of future technologies. The decision to choose the best contestants was hard, but we managed. Though there were sweet rewards for everyone involved!

Now we want to say thank you to all the children who participated and shared their visions with us. You’ve inspired us to think beyond the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary potential of technology. Here’s to a future where every dream can come true! We know BitPeak will be a part of it!

Happy Children’s Day!

Below you can see some of the artwork from the contest:

Yesterday, BitPeak once again was part of a discussion about empowering large organizations with data. This time, we focused on Databricks’ DataLakehouse architecture and its benefits! We discussed best practices and our experiences in designing a holistic data architecture that addresses the needs of modern business.

Today, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to our inspiring meeting on empowering data innovation.

Our gathering, which aimed to create a knowledge hub for CTOs, CDOs, directors, and heads of Data Analytics, Data Management, and Data Architecture, was a great success. We achieved this thanks to the active participation and engagement of our guests. We welcomed representatives from banking (Santander Bank Polska, Alior Bank, Citi), aviation (LOT Polish Airlines, SITA), and telecommunications (Polkomtel) industries, among others.

The discussions during and after Beata Boraca, Michał Szklarczyk, and Kiryl Halozhyn’s presentations gave us new insights and perspectives!

Beata and Michał delved into the concept of modern DataLakehouse architecture. It combines the concepts of Data warehouse and Data Lake, which evolved over the years to provide the flexibility and scalability necessary to store, process, and share data in an enterprise-scale organization. Our speakers discussed our good practices and experiences. This allowed us to design holistic data architecture addressing modern business needs. For more insights on Databricks architecture, dive into the recent article by Beata Boraca, Databricks compute: overview and good practices.

Kiryl focused on the Data Intelligence Platform, which helps simplify and accelerate data and AI goals, from ETL to data warehousing to generative AI. The Platform also allows the entire organization to use data and AI.

We were also accompanied by Sebastian Kaminski, Witold Wojtowicz, and Krzysztof K. Zdeb. During the networking session, they introduced our guests to the intricacies of the latest technologies for data into value.

Once again, thank you very much to those who joined us yesterday. Let’s stay in touch if you missed it and want to join us in future discussions on empowering data innovation.

BitPeak
Value from Data

Just like a year ago, we spent the last three days in Wroclaw at the annual SQLDay conference by Data Community Poland. Thoughts to remember from the 2024 edition:

💡 In his superb keynote speech, Chris Webb used explained what Microsoft Fabric is and how its new features relate to well-known software.

💡 During his presentation „Deciphering Data Architectures”, James Serra, discussed what Relational Data Warehouse and Data Lake are. We learned how they are structured, when each of them can be used or should not be used, and what should be considered when choosing the best suited option for your solution – because each architecture has it’s pros and cons. We talked about what a Data Mesh is, including how to decide what criteria it should fulfill, when implementation would be beneficial, and the challenges with developing and maintaining such an architecture.

💡 In Erwin de Kreuk 🚀 session, we discovered the details of OneLake and learned how it can centralize and manage data while leveraging the scalability, security, and advanced capabilities of Microsoft Fabric. The session highlighted why OneLake is a true game changer.

💡 Thanks to Benni De Jagere, we became familiar with the DirectLake concept and learned the essential details for connecting Power BI directly to OneLake. Understanding concepts like framing and warming up data is crucial for working effectively with this new connection.

💡 Adrian Chodkowski in „Microsoft Fabric – hidden germs” presented useful tools and functionalities that can accelerate and enhance work within Microsoft Fabric. We learned how to orchestrate multiple pipelines in notebooks and pass DAG definitions to them. There was a discussion on utilizing Spark Structured Streaming in notebooks. We learned how to create zero-copy clones in the warehouse and enable fast copy functionality in Dataflows Gen2 to enhance data ingestion.

Below you can see that we did a lot of learning, in a fantastic company!

If you did not have the opportunity to meet us at the conference, don’t worry! Write to us – let’s talk about data.

BitPeak
Value from Data

BitHikers take a swing at Squash!

Last week, we had another opportunity to play our monthly Squash Tournament! BitPeakers ditched the reports and dashboards for squash courts.  It turns out that they are good at analyzing data and pretty decent at hitting a small rubber ball in a confined space.

Some BitHikers with more experience in bouncing balls off the walls took the lead on training. Their backhands were quick and fast and kept us running! The matches were exciting. There were many impressive plays, a few accidental wall hits, and a lot of laughter. We even learned something about strategy and agility – valuable squash and data wrangling skills.

Good news for those who missed out: this isn’t a one-off. We’re planning more of these outings. So, brush up on your sports skills (or don’t; it’s more fun that way) and prepare yourself and your shoes for some running!

From March 22 till 27, our Data Science team, Krzysztof K. Zdeb, Ela Kosiorek , Michal Wełna, Konrad Ruciński participated in Applied Machine Learning Days in Lausanne, commonly known as AMLD.

The event, which brought together experts from industry, academia, and the public sector, focused on the practical applications of machine learning and AI. The workshops covered topics such as LLM architecture, application management of responsible intelligence, and experiences with MLOps.

We are proud of our Data Science Team’s commitment to learning and innovation!

BitPeak
Value from Data

Recently the BitHikers enjoyed a carnival party. We danced like it was 1920 in the Big Gatsby style! We managed to have an amazing time which was not difficult due to the great food, fantastic music and splendid decour.

We also enjoyed the BitPeak Award gala, where our CEO Sebastian Kaminski spoke about how BitHikers are awarded with bonuses for their achievements and support of business and branding initiatives.

• 20 BitHikers were awarded for their commitment to excellence and contribution to BitPeak’s success!
• 13 BitHikers moved up in the company, taking the next step in their careers.

The evening left us with many wonderful memories—memories that we want to refresh and share, and the video below will surely help with that!

Executive Summary

At BitPeak, we are happy to see the growing importance and strategic approach to data, analytics & cloud landscape among financial & insurance companies. The 2023 FinTech & InsurTech Digital Congress emerged as an important forum on the future of the industry. It was an opportunity to discuss key trends and their impact on the sector, with an emphasis on technology & AI. Topics ranged from operational challenges in adapting to industry transformations to innovative strategies for navigating the evolving technological landscape, capped by a vision for the future of FinTech & InsurTech. In this article you can read the brief summary of the topics discussed on the summit to keep on the top of rapidly changing landscape of technological solutions and visions in the finance sector. 

Revitalizing FinTech: Shaping the Future

The Congress started with a focus on the future. The introductory speech was held by the Congress’ Board Chairs Marcin Petrykowski and Jan Kastory. They highlighted four key market trends: Constant Evolution vs Revolution, AI’s Role, Financial Markets being challenged, and the Rise of Embedded & Decentralized Finance. Looking forward to 2024, the focus of the sector revolves around “Revive, Grow, and Prepare”, with each company facing a decision where to put the emphasis in its strategy. Next edition of FinTech & InsurTech Digital Congress will be a good opportunity to look back and verify these forecasts. 

In the Trenches: Challenges in Operations Management

Agnieszka Jadczyszyn, the Operations Head at mBank, highlighted the challenges from bank’s operations department perspective. As the financial world changes, she shared insights into adapting and building resilience during times of market transformation. 

Metaverse: A Counter-Trend Perspective

Marek Myszka, Head of Innovation at PKO Bank Polski, focused on leveraging gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite in the Metaverse. Breaking away from conventional trends, he highlighted the potential to capture a younger audience and refreshing brand identity, all while navigating the complexities and opportunities presented by the Metaverse. Marek Myszka and his team seize the opportunity on smaller Metaverse hype to gain expertise and build new use cases following a steady pace – interesting case how a potential risk can be turned into opportunity. 

Navigating the Technological Landscape: Synergy, Innovation, and Practical Challenges

Paulina Skrzypińska, Chief Innovation Officer at BNP Paribas Bank Polska, shared insights into the importance of tech education within teams and harnessing existing resources. Drawing attention to practical challenges in implementing AI use cases and the need for industry-wide synergy, she emphasized how collaborative innovation, rather than isolation and silos, is the key to navigating the evolving technological landscape – with BLIK being a textbook example of how the sector should cooperate to bring innovation. 

Elevating Customer Experience: The Empathetic Post-COVID Imperative

The panel on Customer Experience brought to the forefront the evolving dynamics of customer interactions. From intertwining experiences in various services to the increasing importance of Employee Experience, the session explored the post-COVID imperative of empathy in customer relations. The discussion culminated in the potential industry shift towards a comprehensive 360-degree insurance offering tailored for risk-averse customers. 

Exploring 2030 Data Access Landscape

In the session on the future landscape of financial institutions’ data access in 2030, Dr. Krzysztof Korus highlighted the key legislative changes. The discussion touched upon regulations such as PSD2, FIDAR, Data Act, DGA, and GDPR. Dr. Korus highlighted the differences between Open Banking and Open Finance, emphasizing that while Open Banking operates through free APIs for both reading and writing, Open Finance follows a structured, paid model with read-only access. Notably, the EU regulation requires the creation of a nationwide OpenFinance platform within the next 18 months. The goal is to facilitate secure and standardized data exchange, marking another step in the evolution in financial data accessibility.  

Outro

As we wrap up our coverage of the 2023 FinTech & InsurTech Digital Congress, we’re left with a clearer view of where the financial and insurance sectors are heading. This congress has showcased a range of perspectives, from the use of gaming platforms in banking to the evolving nature of customer service and the implications of upcoming data regulations. These discussions provide a roadmap for navigating the future challenges and opportunities in FinTech and InsurTech. Looking ahead, it’s evident that these industries are on a path of continuous innovation, adapting to meet the demands of a rapidly changing technological landscape. But fortunately for those wanting to be up to date, #BitHikers will provide insights and summaries of the most important trends and events in the data tech industry. 

Recently, BitPeak had another opportunity to connect with latest trends and industry insights during The IIBA Poland Summit 2023! This year’s summit was themed The Future of Business Analysis: Technology, Innovation, and Leadership and brought together a community of professionals from across the country and beyond.

IIBA Poland Summit 2023

The IIBA Poland 2023 Summit gathered approximately 200 people associated with Business Analysis in Poland. The conference provided a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends, insights, and strategies within the field of Business Analysis. One of the main topics of the event was integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the toolkit of business analysts. Speakers shed some light on the associated benefits and challenges. Additionally, a spectrum of solutions employed by business analysts was showcased during the presentations.

AI in Business Analysis

Presented by Susan Moore, the speech titled “Navigating the Intersection of AI and Business Analysis Work” provided a glimpse into the creative potential of AI. Ms. Susan demonstrated how AI could not only generate professional text information, such as case stories and defined business rules for specific scenarios but also poems that mimic the style of famous writer.

The integration of artificial intelligence into the field of Business Analysis has the potential to change processes of information gathering, scenario creation and requirements analysis. It can serve as a powerful tool for speeding up tasks, testing ideas, and revealing the pros and cons of various approaches. However, the promises of AI come with a fair share of responsibilities. The presenters in the AI block emphasized the importance of carefully verifying information obtained from AI systems. They correctly pointed out that AI-generated responses, while generally reliable, can sometimes lead to misinterpretation or misdirection when looking for specific details.

The next significant concern discussed was the challenge of bias. AI’s knowledge is derived from the data it has been trained on, and it tends to use a statistical approach, often leading to the production of stereotypically biased responses. For example when asking for a photo of a typical Business Owner, it is likely that AI systems based on pre-existing biases will then generate images of an older white man. To address this pressing challenge, diverse datasets and vigilant human supervision are necessary, ensuring the ethical use of AI. This highlights the responsibility that accompanies AI adoption, as machines are devoid of emotions or ethical judgment.

Additionally, AI, however advanced, has its boundaries. It cannot digitize every form of human knowledge, especially the intricate aspects of human inspiration and behavior. AI can only mimic people in the range limited by possessed information, for example, creating poems in the style of a writer it knows. In these situations,  experienced business analysts can assist in understanding complex human problems and formulate relevant questions, especially when essential information is not available in well-structured formats. This highlights the irreplaceable role of human cognition in certain domains of business analysis.

Another speaker, Marcin Żmigrodzki, delved into the practical applications of AI within business analysis, focusing on “AI Support for Business Tasks”. He rightfully highlighted that Artificial Intelligence excels in typical and standard systems but faces challenges with unique and customized systems with complex entity relationships and dependencies. AI systems like Chat GPT are adept at providing answers to general questions but might hallucinate when it comes to specific and detailed inquiries.

Artificial Intelligence capabilities  shine in tasks like filtering large datasets for relevant features and quickly summarizing extensive texts in various formats, such as legal documents, images, and unstructured data, providing structured and synthesized information. Nevertheless, AI-generated responses are often based on shallow analysis and may struggle with revising information and comprehending complex schema texts due to their inherent limitations in symbolic thinking.

In conclusion, our exploration of AI’s role in business analysis indicates that we can use its power right now. However, we must be cognizant of its limitations. Nonetheless AI can serve as a valuable source of information, helping us in our tasks, and providing a fresh perspective on the issues we analyze. It can assist in debugging and offer broader insights into the problems we face, making it a powerful ally in our journey to enhance business analysis.

Product Thinking in Business Analysis

During the conference, the presentation by Anna Kochanowska turned out to be particularly intriguing. Her session revolved around the notion that “Product thinking is BA’s superpower”. In her own words, “Product Thinking” is the art of “doing now what the client needs next,” a concept that challenges  our approach to work.

She delved into a topic that is often the bane of innovation – what she termed the “build trap”. This is the tendency of the project team to transform into a feature factory, focusing on delivering what customers explicitly request, all with a sense of routine. Such an approach stifles creativity, limits openness to new ideas and makes it difficult to meet the changing needs of customers.

“Product Thinking”, in contrast, appears to be a visionary solution, referring to the new paradigm of agility. At its core, it places customers at the center of attention. The product becomes a flexible entity, carefully tailored to the individual needs of the customer. The speaker emphasized that “Product Thinking” goes beyond the world of software and technology, recognizing that every client has a distinct perspective and preferences regarding the desired product. Moreover, every component influencing  product consumption and value delivered is carefully considered and integrated. This holistic mindset leads to better user experiences and products that meet a variety of needs of customers.

The essence of “Product Thinking” lies in its commitment to challenge every aspect of the final product, from requests, through ideas to requirements. This requires a continuous  process of exploration and validation, manifested by solution testing and experimentation. “Product Thinking” emphasizes an open-mindedness, recognizing that answers can be obtained from unconventional sources, often from people outside the immediate team or enterprise. This cultivation of open thought processes fosters increased creativity and novelty, resulting in solutions that deliver significant business value.

Anna Kochanowska emphasized that within the realm of “Product Thinking”, the principle is to break free from routine and adopt a daring and experimental mindset. This approach imitates the role of a crazy scientist, who is not afraid to explore uncharted territories and discover unconventional ideas. It is an environment where risk-taking and creative thinking are valued. The presentation highlighted the significance of each team member’s contribution, emphasizing that facilitating collaboration is an important pillar of “Product Thinking”. This holistic and customer-centric approach empowers Business Analysts to proactively meet client needs, sometimes even exceed expectations, and become drivers of positive change within their organizations.

Summary

The IIBA Poland Summit 2023 served as an informative journey into the constantly developing sphere of Business Analysis. For professionals in this field, it offered a valuable repository of insights and discussions that will undoubtedly shape the future of this discipline.

During the conference, participants engaged in substantive dialogues, delving into the subjects that took center stage, including the integration of AI and the role of Product Thinking. These discussions not only contributed to a deeper understanding of these key topics, but also enabled the exchange of views and finding common points among attendees. Outside the lecture hall

However, despite many positives, there was a small flaw in the image of the conference. Namely, parallel sessions and the lack of previously available abstracts of the presentations did not allow me to properly plan my participation in the conference. This limitation impacted the ability to choose the speeches with the highest business value.

As a #BitHiker, combining technological solutions with a business perspective is a fundamental principle of our identity. Using our extensive technical knowledge and expertise, we are well prepared to face the challenges related to the sphere of Business Analysis.

Data Economy Congress as an event is the cross-sector meeting about the current data trends in business started with perfectly prepared trailer showing a kind of male robot which was supposed to embody the Artificial Intelligence. It was only surprising because in my mind AI was always female. Maybe it’s because of the movie „Ex Machine” or the first well-known robot known as „Sophia”. Perfect start of a well-designed conference. Nice structure of speeches and presentations intertwined with debates of branches’ specialists.

The place of AI in the society

The first day of the event focused mostly on AI and its impact on our culture and Polish society. Introducing presentation hold by professor Dragan was tiled in a controversial way: „Will AI eat us” and it was not only a try to explain the way algorithms used by AI work in a quite simple way but also it gave some concerns about human’s skills to understand how the results are finally created. Closing slides gave attendees food for thought as AI can be as helpful as dangerous for humanity and it looks like it doesn’t depend only on us how it’s used anymore. The next point was a debate about cooperation between companies in terms of data exchange so that conclusions for different businesses could be drawn. The slogan cooperate or die sounds reasonable but in fact it’s quite a difficult topic as most of the organizations treat their data as their competitive advantage and sharing even aggregated information cause fear. The second part of the first day did shed the light on practical examples of AI usage in many organizations. While we as consumers have a feeling that the advised product/offer is targeted to us, we still think that this is done by marketing specialists and in fact it’s not. The most expected branch is healthcare which substantially impacts everyone’s lives. Even though it’s understandable that Artificial Intelligence could help us fight against civilizational diseases, Polish society is still afraid of giving consent to the use of personal medical records. However it seems that awareness and acceptance is increasing if a person gets enough explanation. Similarly to the problem with transplantation that we were experiencing. Social campaigns impacted this positively, which could also be the case for AI in medicine?

Legal challenges

The final debate of the day was about the regulatory requirements that need to be introduced because of the European Data Governance Act and AI Act. The challenge that we face is not only connected with keeping the law up-to-date and predicting changes that will be needed while the AI is being developed but it also requires cooperation between regions like the USA or China. In case regulations are not introduced there, the unethical use of the AI and the advantage that could be taken from that could keep the AI development in Europe down and strengthen the sense of unfairness. On the other hand, we can’t stop working on AI development as from the medical point of view – we won’t be able to buy these technologies from others. The data for Europe and other parts of the world differ and this impacts results.

AI in modern business

The second day of a congress didn’t let me down –it’s main concerns were data quality and reporting – topics that don’t sound as „sexy” as AI at first glance but are thoroughly practical for all businesses. The first debate entitled Customer experience personalization made participants discuss the approach to data privacy in customer profiling explaining their high attention to that topic. It appears that data-driven marketing in many branches is happening everyday but it’s technically done differently. Additionally, it was a very interesting organizational point raised, namely: ownership of data models. Although, AI and Data departments are structurally not in business organization units, this is the business that should be the owner of the predictive models.

Discussion of cyber threats

The second block addressed the cyber-threats topic. There was a big discussion about fake news and the way they should be recognized in a real word. On the one hand, we know that the expanding velocity of truth is never as high as the expanding velocity of untruth messages. On the other hand, they should be caught so that we don’t make false decisions based on false premises. In the AI era, we will have more challenges with such challenges as the information, videos and artiles that could be generated by the AI. As such it is probably AI who (if I can treat it somehow human) should help recognizing them.

Platform Engineering, GIGO, data strategy and sustainability

In the next sessions of the Congress, there were the topics around best practices in platform engineering covered. Very important debates about data locations, data quality, data mesh concept and ESG reporting in practice made me think companies’ perception changes. Not only did many of the leaders speak about the hybrid location as a thing of the future but they were also mentioning the pros and cons of company owned Data Centers, Colocations, Private Cloud and Public Cloud. On the other hand, the slogan: „garbage in, garbage out” increased its visibility among not only technical managers but also directors dealing purely with business.

We’re used to topics that should generate some income for companies but it definitely looks like sustainability also has its place. Probably mostly because of the changes in requirements concerning reporting of ESG. The discussion about standards and their common understanding makes me feel that an honest approach to the topic in all of the presented branches is crucial. Otherwise, the concern for sustainable development is artificial as only different categorization could cause variances in reporting and in that way possible commercial advantage. On the other hand, the statement made by one of the participants: „the real sustainability is now a competitive advantage over others” made me understand that for most of the companies, this interest is real and I hope this trend will be kept.

Summary

All in all, the Data Economy Congress in Warsaw was not only inspiring but also a well-prepared event. As BitHikers, we are surely going to attend it and join the discussions held next year, because looking at the technological solutions from business perspective is one of our core values and our technical knowledge and expertise can help in solving real challenges connected to AI, and its place in large scale businesses and society in general.

Recently, BitPeak took part in CDO Forum, an interesting event where #BitHikers were able to share some insights and discuss how to best use advanced Data technologies, how to conduct data transformation and how to properly govern data on enterprise scale! And there were many partners for discussions from companies such as Capegemini, Ab Initio, Snowflake, pwc, Huawei and Core3!

Additionally, there were many interesting presentations on the topics such as „Data Mesh & Data Fabric – Managing Data Governance & Information Quality”, „A Sustainable Transformation from Data Maintenance to Data Governance in Finance” and „From Trusted Enterprise Data to Trusted AI”

We also took part in the meeting of our chapter of (Data Management Association), a leading global not-for-profit organization which aims to advance concepts and practices in information management and data management. We had an opportunity to talk about our experience in the fields of business and data governance, speak with leaders of data advancement and take part in planning the initiatives for the next year.

In summary, the CDO forum, and DAMA meeting were both great opportunities and we cant wait for a repeat experience next year!

BitPeak
Value from Data

Just a few days ago, BitHikers celebrated another great year by taking a trip to picturesque Nasielsk.

We spent time productively—learning about our strengths during the Gallup talent session, reaffirming bonds, and getting to know each other during competitions. There was also quite some time for relaxation and exploration. Additionally, we learned who was the best with the bow and tent building!

Now, more energized and in sync, we are ready for the interesting challenges of the upcoming months. Next year, we will surely repeat the experience. Perhaps that time, you will be there with us!

The summer at BitPeak is over, and so is the grilling season. However, we decided to end it on a high note!

We took advantage of good weather and took some time off from revolutionizing data structures and debugging to enjoy some good food, drinks, and conversations. Per usual, we succeeded!

Recently, BitPeak was invited to Microsoft Inspire, a brilliant event at which BitHikers shared insights and discussed how to best use AI and Microsoft technologies to create Value from Data.

We can’t wait for a repeat experience next year!

BitPeak
Value from Data

We’re excited to share that our HR team is attending Modern HR Conference in Warsaw.

BitHikers are our most valuable asset and the driving force behind our dynamic growth in recent years. This is why we are once again investing in skills that will help strengthen our team and, by extension, the service we provide.

During the conference, our team will have the opportunity to discuss the newest trends and insights on making BitPeak an even better place to work.

During the second day of the MS Tech Summit conference BitHikers and many other data enjoyers interested in Microsoft technology were in Warsaw, discussing, listening and gaining new insights.

If you happened to be there, you had a great opportunity to listen to Adrian Kukiełka and Martyna Czuryło, as they talked about using SparkUI and GangliaIU to perform cost optimization when working with Azure Databricks.

Additionally, Adrian and Beata Boraca talked about the challenges they faced and overcame while combining Synapse Dedicated Poll and PowerBI Embedded as a solution for serving 0.5 PB of data globally.

BitPeak
Value from Data

Recently, BitPeak celebrated its fifth anniversary in our Warsaw office. For us, that meant not only another year full of interesting challenges and amazing successes, but also an opportunity to come together and see new and familiar faces.

And we made the most of it! Taking a moment to remember our humble beginnings, and celebrating all we achieved. We also discussed our present and future projects, sharing knowledge and looking for ways to improve.
Of course, we also had some fun – with an afterparty filled with fantastic people, food, and beverages.

The atmosphere was superb, and afterwards each department had its own integration. (That’s how we know that Data Engineering is the best at Lasertag 😉)

And if you want to see how BitPeak celebrates, see the photos below

In BitPeak we firmly believe in investing in our employees and developing their skills.

To that end a group of our talented BitPeak team members is currently attending the much-anticipated SQL Days! A perfect opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and insights. Our BitHikers connect with fellow data enjoyers, participate in engaging discussions, and attend workshops to hone their skills.

If you were at SQL Days too – let us know! We’d love to hear about your experience and talk about data!

And if you are not, nothing lost, as our BitHikers are happy to share their knowledge with fantastic articles and videos. So stay tuned and visit our blog!

BitPeak
Value from Data

BitPeak is committed to changing the world for the better. Sometimes, it means changing the aircraft industry with a data-driven approach. And sometimes it means lacing your shoes and hitting the pavement during anti-depression, charity run.

This Sunday our fellow BitHikers took another step, or quite a few of them, towards a better word! Dominika, Beata, Kuba and Zuzanna ran to raise awareness and support the Rehabilitation, Education and Care Centre “Helenow” – an organization that helps children with developmental challenges.

In BitPeak, we believe that supporting mental health is crucial for maintaining a positive and productive workplace culture, and we’re thrilled to see our team members taking an active role in making a difference. We could not be more proud, especially since Zuzanna won the first place in 5km category for women. Congratulations!

BitPeak
Value from Data

While outside there is snow and cold wind, in BitPeak there is Christmas cheer! Last Friday, our team celebrated the holiday season in the Warsaw office. There was a lot of fun, good food, and exciting conversations.

Additionally, during the meeting, we were talking about:

• Our goals and expectations for 2022 – Exceded!
• Bonuses for performance, media presence and length of employment – Plentiful!
• The future of BitPeak in 2023 – Bright!

Aside from bonuses, we also thanked BitHikers for their excellent work this year, which included some presents for them and their families.  We had a fantastic time, and we hope next year will be even better, with even more BitHikers.

Happy Holidays!

The Chief Data Officer Forum came to an end yesterday. Behind us are two days full of valuable knowledge and inspiration.

We talked, listened and discussed about the use of data in making accurate business decisions to obtain mesureable benefits. Special mention goes to Adrian Kukielka, who spoke about our experiences in building Data Culture in large organisations, and Tomasz Dratwa, who spoke about creating, maintaining and developing centralised data warehouses.

Additional thanks to the rest of the BitPeak team: Sebastian Kaminski, Krzysztof K. Zdeb, Ilona Florek, Michał Szklarczyk and Marcel Klisz!

If you have not had the opportunity to meet us at the conference, don’t worry! Write to us – let’s talk about data.

BitPeak
Value from Data