While point solutions are a natural first step for companies to dabble in a new technology, making the transition from older systems to new technologies can strain IT infrastructures without overarching capabilities to tie distinct parts of business together. At Anheuser-Busch InBev, despite large troves of data that could serve as fodder for AI applications, too much time was going toward ingesting data and making it ready for use, Tassilo Festetics, VP of global solutions, told the surveyors. The company had to think of how they would structure data processes and platforms if they were starting from the ground up again, which allowed them to make data more available for AI applications. To help distinct parts of business operate smoothly together, a common data platform and management system can help minimize data from going underused or ignored. And whoever puts the right data to work the fastest will more than likely emerge as the winner with the right combination of AI, data and the cloud to drive innovation.