My name is Saar Shwartz, and I am a Motorcycle-holic. There, I said it. Even if you don’t know anything about me, as soon as you walk into our front door, the first thing you see is a full-size motorcycle sitting in our foyer where most homes would have a bench or a decorative cabinet. I have four other motorcycles sitting in my garage, waiting for the next adventure.
There’s not one reason for this relentless obsession as it’s a combination of things starting with the sound of the engine and the unrefined vibrations. Motorcycles connect you to life in ways that are hard to replicate otherwise. The speed, the wind, the smells, and testing your skills and fortune every time you ride.
I have a special love for vintage motorcycles that carried legendary riders as the history of riding unfolded. Vintage bikes tell a story of forgotten times, forgotten heroes, when people relied much more on skills and intuition and much less on technology to get by.
Over the years, however, the motorcycle industry was forced to reinvent itself. Old bikes were uncomfortable, unsafe, and would break down fairly often. New segments of buyers demanded motorcycles that are cheaper to own, and easier to operate.
This resulted in new motorcycle categories and a vast array of new technologies such as electronic fuel injection for reliable and predictable power delivery, cornering ABS and Traction Control to keep me safe, and real-time adjustment of the suspension based on the road conditions, just to name a few. Some brands are combining a vintage look with new tech, the best of both worlds for people like me.
Just as the motorcycle industry is working hard to win more business, companies in every sector are trying to get ahead by reinventing new ways to engage with customers while running the business and supporting daily operations. With disruption from digital unicorns looming, traditional banks, retailers, telcos, insurers, and healthcare providers know that they have to accelerate innovation, but not at the expense of continuing to maintain and enhance existing products and services.
We at BMC see that every day, and while customers talk to us about digital transformation, what they really mean is that they are in a constant cycle of run and reinvent. Our customers can no longer afford long release cycles and years of QA before releasing innovative offerings. Leaders in this new economy don’t sacrifice quality at the expense of speed. They get it right the first time, and they do it faster than anyone else.
What run and reinvent means in practice is that companies have to deploy AI customer-facing technologies and integrate them with their legacy systems, mainframe included. It means that they figured out how to interlace security and governance into their agile development processes. It means that they are making good use of cloud technologies alongside traditional datacenters and third-party sources. And above all, it means that they have taken automation to a whole new level. When we get to a point where everything connects the way it should, it feels and sounds like a well-oiled high-performing engine.
I am very blessed and fortunate that my career and passion follow the same principles. A fine-tuned motorcycle represents endless possibilities to conquer anything in its path, just as a run and reinvent minded company will be able to take on the most monumental market and competitive shifts, survive and thrive.
