Kyndryl and Microsoft are working together to help customers take advantage of key IT trends

Business leaders in Latin America are digitally transforming their organizations at an accelerated pace, driven by the need to adapt to the changing market conditions and customer expectations.

According to a report by IDC, spending on IT services and infrastructure in the region is expected to grow by 11% in 2024, reaching $81.2 billion. Cloud, data, artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI and cybersecurity are among the key technologies that can enable businesses to innovate and differentiate themselves in the competitive landscape.

However, implementing these technologies requires a deep understanding of the business context, the necessary technical capabilities, and the best practices to ensure scalability and performance.

To help customers in Latin America seize the AI opportunity in their businesses, Kyndryl and Microsoft are expanding their Center of Excellence capabilities in the region. Launched in February 2023, the Center combines Kyndryl's expertise, comprehensive services and understanding of mission-critical IT systems with the Microsoft Cloud to offer data, AI, generative AI and cybersecurity solutions.

Here, Priscyla Laham, Vice President Americas, Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft, and Carla Carvalho, Alliance Leader for Microsoft at Kyndryl Latin America, discuss the challenges and opportunities for customers in the region.

Spending on IT services and infrastructure in Latin America is projected to increase by 11% in 2024, reaching $81.2 billion. | Source: IDC FutureScape | Latin America IT Industry Predictions 2024
By 2027, the top 5,000 companies in Latin America will allocate over 25% of their IT spending to AI initiatives. | Source: IDC FutureScape | Latin America IT Industry Predictions 2024
What are some of the challenges that companies are facing?

Carvalho: One of the challenges faced by customers who want to adopt cloud and AI technologies is dealing with data. Since AI is only as strong as the data it’s fed, enterprises are realizing the need to establish strong data governance programs so they can prepare to use AI to deliver business value. This requires us to scale up our capabilities to meet the needs of each customer. Another challenge is the complexity of IT environments, which often involve legacy systems, hybrid architectures and multiple vendors. This requires us to apply our expertise to ensure the compatibility and interoperability of the solutions that we deliver. Companies also struggle to address tech skills gaps and this challenge can set them back in their digital transformation journey. 

How has the Center of Excellence been successful?

Carvalho: We have several best practices across different industries and countries. In Peru, we collaborated with Microsoft to tailor a chatbot solution for financial services and manufacturing customers. By leveraging GenAI, the chatbot can enhance natural language processing and create personalized responses to optimize customer engagement. 

In Chile, we ran workshops with customers in mining and natural resources to explore the opportunities of generative AI implementation. In Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, we have held Security Lab events to co-create innovative cybersecurity and resilience solutions with customers. In Argentina, many use cases for generative AI and Copilot have been developed for customers in different industries. In all these cases, we applied a co-creation methodology that involved participation from customers throughout the process.