IBM Apendo Collaboration: Marcus Norberg In Conversation With Dinis Guarda At TechXchange Summit EMEA 2024

Marcus Norberg, Sales Manager at Apendo AB, talks about the IBM Apendo collaboration that enables and empowers municipalities and small businesses in Sweden with data, AI, and governance with Dinis Guarda at the IBM TechXchange Summit EMEA 2024. 

Apendo has been working in collaboration with IBM since 2005. It is a key ecosystem partner for Content Service Platform and BPM and is an IBM certified World Wide Support Provider. 

However, it was in 2021, that the company incorporated the watsonx offerings in its solutions to cater to increased demands of local welfare services in Sweden. “We create an ecosystem where you can use all of IBM solutions”, Marcus tells Dinis.

With a particular focus on supporting smaller municipalities facing budget constraints exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Apendo's innovative solutions, developed in collaboration with IBM, have become instrumental in navigating economic challenges while ensuring the delivery of essential services to citizens.

Apendo Digital Assistant: The IBM Apendo approach for municipalities in Sweden

In response to economic challenges and increased demand for local welfare services in smaller Swedish municipalities, IBM Business Partner Apendo AB collaborated with IBM to create the Apendo Digital Assistant (ADA) for Municipalities.

“We took advantage of IBM Watson Assistant technology some 3 years ago, and localized it for Sweden”, Marcus tells Dinis.This virtual assistant employs advanced conversational AI, utilising watsonx.ai and IBM Cloud Park technology. Trained with over 550,000 Swedish words, ADAx provides citizens with intuitive, human-like interactions, automating routine functions and streamlining service delivery.

“What we are doing is to evolve the technology building on watsonx, and trying to get the customers to understand the difference between an ordinary chatbot and a digital worker”, Marcus adds.

The IBM Apendo collaboration ensures that ADAx operates close to human behavior, offering municipalities a reliable, scalable, and state-of-the-art solution. The cooperation not only addresses the immediate challenges posed by economic strains and the COVID-19 pandemic, but also positions ADA as a long-term, enduring tool for municipalities. Through an Embedded Solution Agreement, the partnership introduces a new consumption-based pricing model, enabling mid-sized municipalities to potentially save the equivalent of at least one full-time employee while providing citizens with efficient, 24x7 service.

How Apendo empowers businesses with AI, data, governance using watsonx models

Leveraging IBM’ technology, Apendo enables organisations to harness the power of artificial intelligence to derive valuable insights from their data. The implementation of watsonx models facilitates sophisticated data analysis, allowing businesses to make informed decisions, identify patterns, and streamline operations.

“With our ADA, incorporated with watsonx.ai, we enhance and empower the business processes to orchestrate AI services into their business operations, given the fact that the technology and data of IBM is competitive. Although AI for businesses is going to evolve”, Marcus tells Dinis.

He also adds that Apendo places a strong emphasis on data governance. By incorporating IBM’s AI governance solution watsonx.governance into their solutions, Apendo ensures that businesses have robust frameworks in place for data management, privacy, and compliance. This approach not only enhances the security and integrity of data but also aligns with regulatory standards, fostering trust and confidence in the use of advanced AI technologies.

“Governance gives us the edge from our competitors. We took our LLM model and put watsonx.governance to it, making it more personalized. We showed our customers how to do the metrics, and therefore, making it more transparent and trustworthy”, says Marcus.