Platinum Insights

Last week while traveling, I was assaulted by the worst case of allergies (yes, for melodramatic effect)! With hopes of alleviating some of the sinus pressure, after checking into my hotel I headed down to the Men’s area and encountered the attendant – we’ll call him Ralph, who got me squared away. In a span of two minutes, he provided me with everything I needed and proceeded to give me a quick tour. When he was done, I had to ask him, “Did anyone call you to share that I was coming down here?” He replied, “No Sir, and even though we close at 6:00pm don’t worry about rushing—I’ll hang around a little longer if you need the time.” I assured him that I wouldn’t ruin his weekend and would be done before then. There were a few things that stood out to me about Ralph. He was incredibly helpful, and nice. He knew his craft and it was obvious that he had been doing it for a long time. What was more obvious was that Ralph was joyful about what he was doing and how well he was doing it. Before I left the next day, I found Ralph to tell him how much I appreciated his attentiveness and professionalism, and how he unknowingly helped me get on a path to feeling better. When I asked him where the energy and passion come from and how he keeps it up, he simply shared “Look, I have jeans that are older than you and learned a long time ago that I really get joy out of helping others along their journey. I pay attention to how people enter the area and quickly figure out what things they need to make their experience better. It makes me happy to serve—and I’ve got the perfect job for that.” Wow. I thanked him again and went on my way, but not without thinking about how tough it can be to keep that passion going so long while maintaining a high-quality work ethic. This notion is supported by my wholly unqualified research reflective of when I catch up with colleagues and ask the simple question of how things are going. Responses range from, “I’m grinding” to “There’s so much going on, but I’m fighting through it”, and somberly “I’m so tired and am having a hard time keeping up.” ------------ I’ll get wonky on you in a second—but I’ll submit that what Ralph did was he Found His Flow. He focused on his well-being, happiness, and positivity so he can flourish and live a satisfying life. We often get caught up in the journey without understanding the personal cost or impact is to our well-being until we are too deep in the mix (technical term). We often neglect asking the conscious questions until we are too far down the path. Turns out there is pioneering science on this, led by the late Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist who famously said, “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” Read about him here and here . Csikszentmihalyi, deemed the Father of Flow devoted his life to finding an answer to a simple question: What constitutes a happy life? As leaders, we often carry a heavier burden to deliver results more than most. The pressures are real, and the work can be difficult. Ralph's example serves as our reminder to seek a core purpose in our endeavors so we can approach each day with enthusiasm, purpose, and JOY! Finding your Flow is about creating optimal experiences for you to perform your best, especially on the days consumed with navigating complexities of our professional journeys. Try it—you’ll be happier. Your family, Ralph, and your cardiologist will all thank you.

402,960... What would you do if you were given over 400K of something you couldn't buy even if you wanted to? What kind of steward would you be with that gift? Would you save it, use it or give it away? Would you be able to recognize the opportunity before it’s too late? Last week I celebrated my 46th birthday with a small group of close friends and family. It was a meaningful evening, that after winding down and having a few moments of reflection, left me pensive about how I spent those 402,960 hours of my life leading up to my day. More importantly I got to thinking that if I'm lucky enough, what am I going to do with the next 400,000 hours? Entering the chat is The Pursuit of Next... The Pursuit of Next is as much about intention as it is intensity. Passion and focus towards your goals matter, but those concepts are unmatched when compared to making deliberate decisions and consistently sticking to a rhythm of execution. In life, my missed opportunities, and consequently lessons learned, have been mostly due to making uneven commitments and finding a way to redefine what was ‘good’ or ‘complete’. We can simply translate this as “it got hard, and I gave up.” This missive isn’t meant to be one about living with regret (I don’t, and neither should you), but it is a reminder of our power to be change agents. The busyness of life has a way of engulfing us to where we get caught up in the moment rather than embracing opportunities to create moments. Time is the unrecoverable equalizing asset for which we all get the same amount – 24 daily hours – and we get to choose how we spend it. So what’s the plan, Jermon? It starts with (re)defining your core purpose and what you value. Be ready to articulate what truly matters to you and those you want to impact. Dream Big but close the deal. Building the bridge from idea to reality is a substantial exercise that requires thoughtfulness, respect and execution. Embrace Imperfection. The assignment is to live on purpose, not to live perfectly. Know the difference and embrace the former. Create Room by prioritizing your energy and creating boundaries so you can be present and mindful for the decisions you need to make. Take Action . I’ll use a Teddy Roosevelt quote here: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. ” Let’s remember that The Pursuit of Next is never about reaching a final destination, but rather the journey itself and the purposeful actions we take. Your next 400,000 hours are not just a measure of time, but a canvas of possibility. Fill that canvas with bold strokes of intentionality , with colors of passion and perseverance. How will you use those hours? Counting the passing days or making the days count? The Pursuit of Next is calling.

Last week my wife had to travel… which (shout out to the spouses and significant others) meant that Dad and Son had to fend for ourselves. After making a reasonable attempt at constructing a mustard turkey sandwich with no cheese for lunch and fussing with a semi-nutritious breakfast, my son and I ended up on a topic with him questioning why it was so wrong with being average? Being the dad I am—I was somewhat offended at his choice of words and tried to explain to him why settling was a bad idea and that he’s ‘better than average’. Later that afternoon on the way to pick him up from school, I realized the error in my approach and that the focus should have probably been 1. Average isn’t necessarily bad and 2. I should have probed a little bit more on what he thought Average meant to him. 3. As a parent, then assess whether he thought Average = Mediocre; and then respond with feedback. I went too far, too fast. The truth is Average is a purely situational term which is driven by context and generally reflective of a comparison of people, objects, or circumstances. Those who have spent any appreciable time with me know that I have a mild obsession with building and supporting the next generation of leaders. I encourage others to dedicate a portion of their time to reflect on how to continuously improve and do better for others, and then take what they learn and implement the lessons from that knowledge. The question we are usually trying to answer, is “What can we do to operate at a higher level?” Translated for my 10-year-old son… How do we build up our Average? I emphasize ‘build’ here for a few reasons and offer a simple approach that you can apply. It starts with taking every opportunity to spend time with people who either solve hard problems on a daily basis, are building things of great significance, or those who have the heavy responsibility for making consequential decisions as a regular part of their day. Most of us only have that charge in special circumstances – stress, panic, or related abnormal situation that requires intense focus. In each case, we hope that we have made the best decision with the information we have. However, regularly interacting with those who have great responsibility teaches us how to make higher quality decisions, faster. We become better advisers, teachers, and importantly – put ourselves in a better position to help others. Connecting with those that professionally live in areas outside of our spheres of comfort and ‘do hard often’ unlocks another gear for us. I would argue that these experiences provide you with a better chance (on average, of course 😊) of manifesting the art of the possible when we expose ourselves to different people and cultures. Leaders seek these opportunities – we don’t sit by the phone and wait for it to ring… we pick up the receiver (or scroll our contacts list these days) to make the call. This month we celebrated, among many things, the contributions our nation’s Presidents, the richness of Black History and the accomplishments of engineers and technologists. Going into March we are privileged to pay homage to the vital roles of women in American history. Great leaders also embrace that diversity is a fact, and being inclusive is a game-changing behavior. * Honoring those legacies, learning from our past, and spending time with those that have been influenced by their teachings are part of the 1% improvements that can make us better every day. Simple math: (1.00)^365 = 1; (1.01)^365 = 37. Lean in and be a multiplier. So how did the conversation end with my son? Over a milkshake (mom still wasn’t home), of course. We struck a deal—I agreed that average doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but he promised me that he will try to get just a little bit better every day. *I tried, but couldn’t find who first quoted a version of this statement

Have you ever met a Problem Finder? You know – the Picasso with a knack for always finding problems and elegantly describing them as exquisite works of art. Like a canvas, they frame the issue with the best hardwoods and protect the textures of the “unsolvables” with museum-grade glass so they can place their masterpiece on display for us to admire, opine and critique – just like the Guernica . My silliness aside, most of us have encountered or promoted some version of these behaviors – but how do we overcome them? Welcome to ProblemFinders Anonymous (silliness, not yet done). As leaders we are expected to be positive agents of change, inspiration, and influence. Said differently, good leaders create organizational movement towards their goals and objectives, and the great ones deliver on those objectives most of the time. We recognize that 1. This is rarely a solo endeavor and 2. Multiplying your effectiveness is a key determinant to creating sustained results. Aside from the usual entry criteria (personal mastery, intellectual curiosity, consistent execution, etc.), you must lead with Hard Won Optimism . It is a term I use often, and one which I credit my old boss – Paul Dabbar , the former Undersecretary of Science at the Department of Energy – for sharing with me. While the most recent ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Winter’ of the late 1990’s began to thaw shortly after the turn of the century, under Mr. Dabbar’s leadership, the Department achieved Bicameral and Bipartisan support for year-over-year increased investment in AI and Quantum technologies prior to the behemoth of commercial investments in the 2020’s. In real terms, from FY2017 – FY2020 the Office of Science’s budget increased nearly 30%. With that consequential funding, our National Labs have led the investigation in basic and applied research to power industrial innovations that have contributed to our nation’s leadership in the development of frontier technologies. These kinds of results just don’t happen in a vacuum. It takes willpower, effort, and support from others to enable a leader’s success. Importantly, it starts with your responsible decision to commit to a cause and create sustained advocacy for the results. From these examples I submit to you that for leaders, Hard Won Optimism is a critical element in breaking the Status Quo and converting your ‘Finders’ into ‘Solvers’. Your successful execution of this principle begins with passionately leading from the front and continuously reinforcing the agreed-upon objectives in terms that everyone understands. Building upon that momentum, create the environment that forces individuals to focus 20% of the discussion on the problem and the other 80% on alternatives that get the team to ‘yes’. Recognizing that to achieve hard objectives can come at a cost, leaders own the responsibility for evaluating at what point the costs outweigh the goals of the objective(s) and should adjust accordingly. Drive these behaviors all the way down to the lowest level. Reinforce. Repeat.  This is an important part of building your organizational culture. Encountering challenges will create a necessary anxiety derived from our Autonomic Nervous System, which at their best, bring caution… at their worst, bring paralysis or fear. Even though as leaders we think differently, doing “Nothing’ or saying ‘No’ in these situations is the natural response. So, as you evolve the expectations of your team, remember “Hard Won” does not equal “Hopeless” – but it does remind us of the Energy (pun intended, and silliness now done) it takes to unlock a new level of thoughtfulness and empower the next generation of Problem Solvers.

A few weekends ago, Nick Dunlap stunned the golf world by becoming the 1st amateur to win a professional tournament since Phil Mickelson accomplished that feat in 1991. At age 20, he is also the youngest amateur to win on the PGA tour since 1910. The evening before his victory, Nick fielded questions from an on-air reporter on how he felt, what a victory would mean, etc. In his response he used a term, "Pressure is a Privilege..." and went on to give a thoughtful response. The quote stuck with me, so I looked it up and found that "Pressure is a privilege. It only comes to those who earn it." is credited to former world #1 tennis player, Billie Jean King (BJK). Even though I find merit in this statement, it is a fascinating assertion that is worthy of debate for another time. The word 'privilege' is not commonly used in the English language (only 30 occurrences per million words) but is one that most of us can readily define, and remarkably -- has many divergent meanings depending on its context. For today, I'll stick with BJK's definition with a slight twist... recognizing the Privilege of Permission. Most of my career, I have been on the delivery side of technology to the Federal Government. Over that time, I have observed that regardless of whether the client is commercial or in the Public sector, we operate in a permission-based environment where your individual or team’s performance determines whether you are given permission to increase the scope and value of your services offered. Conversely, I believe the opposite is true, your scope will be consequently reduced—sometimes to zero if you don’t perform. As leaders, I would submit that this idea is magnified as we have a 360-degree stakeholder community that often has conflicting priorities. We can be lured into solving the problem that lies in front of us for expediency, inadvertently creating a cycle of compliance vs. executing with an operational rigor that sets the conditions for disciplined execution over a period of time. With little room to scale, your permission to do more has little chance of happening. Since you’re fighting for compliance – any misstep is magnified because now you aren’t doing the bare minimum… and it just goes downhill from there. Paraphrasing from Jim Collins, we have to make a conscious choice to be Great and reinforce a mindset for resilience with a willingness to reassess our strategies and try something different. So what does that conscious choice look like? The magic formula lies within a recent drink that I concocted. The ingredients are: Equal parts of ‘the passion of Steve Jobs’ and the ‘curiosity of Thomas Edison’ A double shot of ‘Peter Drucker’s view on aligning actions with objectives’ Topped of with the ‘empathy of Satya Nadella to drive innovation’ Kidding aside, my message this week begins with the end in mind, which is creating environments where your stakeholders are comfortable making a bet on you (or your organization) and ultimately giving you permission to take the right risks that will make their lives better. Before you seek that permission, ask yourself – would I trust ‘me’ to make that choice and why should they? If you are fortunate for that decision-maker to say yes – accept and be grateful for the privilege , then execute with deliberation, passion, and speed. Scaling these behaviors across an organization is one of the greatest challenges we have and requires aspiration and action. This doesn’t happen overnight, but if you institutionalize the necessary behaviors across your customer value stream – your ideas, translated to actions, will have far more meaningful impact. Challenge Accepted. Thanks Nick and BJK.

In my last note, I mentioned how Platinum is building the Next Generation Leadership Factory. What does that really mean? For some (including me), the idea of what makes a leader is a vacillating concept that is hard to define until you actually see its implementation in action accompanied with a corresponding result. That ‘aha’ moment sets the baseline, and as we observe more behaviors (how people treat others, what’s their style for processing information, etc.) and demonstrated outcomes, the concept gets refined, and the process repeats enough until one day your brain tells you ‘OK, I got it’… and then you know. My personal views on this topic were shaped during the early part of my career at Lockheed Martin . In 2006, the company introduced Full Spectrum Leadership (FSL) as the way forward that would reshape the culture of the organization. Based on five Imperatives, FSL was incorporated into just about everything that required a corporate decision including: hiring processes, annual performance reviews, talent management and leader selection. At Platinum, our enlightened view borrows from these and other principles to seek out the multipliers who are going to make people better and move the business forward. We don’t own the talent, however—we just aim to be responsible stewards for the season(s) they are in our care. Our goal is to create the behaviors necessary to entrust individuals with responsibility to make reasoned decisions, quickly and with impact. For us it starts with Talent Acquisition. Our team spends approximately 10% of their time identifying potential candidates for which we have no job requisition. My leadership team will then meet with those individuals to learn more about their technical background and to see if they are cultural fit. Our strike rate is about 1 in 5 (it used to be 1 in 10, so we’re improving). We maintain the relationships so that we can move quickly on opportunities where there is a match. For those who join us, our core focus is to build an individual’s technical capacity through classroom/online training and to introduce complex situations early and often. Within the first month, we establish their authorities and hold sessions to discuss the impact of their business decisions. It’s a safe space—one in which they can learn and grow. Outcomes we’ve observed are that people assimilate more easily to making consequential decisions since we’ve prepared them to do so. We focus on making new mistakes and learning from the old ones, while developing a cadence of discussion focused on growth and opportunity, not just status. Some of my industry colleagues give me flak about the deliberation and investment required for us to just have a chance at success – “ Sounds good in theory Jermon, but our clients need people now and your approach isn’t cheap. How can you afford to operate in that model? ” My response is, “How can you afford not to?” Among many benefits, the more obvious ones are: Deeper Talent Ecosystem – Rather than recruit, we can align talent to opportunities Increased Retention – We’re 2x better than industry average Purpose-driven Employment – Our employees find meaning in the work they perform Satisfied Clients – Our mission partners can trust Platinum to consistently deliver to their high expectations That brings me to the OG, James Crandall , Platinum’s Employee #1. James joined us as a part-time Web developer right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I promised him the world – investment in his future, meaningful opportunities to grow and the chance to focus his energies on the technology weapons of choice. Not sure how much he believed me, but he took the job anyway, and I was excited to have my first employee. James exhibited all the qualities we look for in a #TeamPlatinum member, with contributions that far exceeded my expectations. Fast forward 3+ years, and James, now a Senior Solutions Architect, has been responsible for building our low-code practice and has led major software development projects for our clients. More importantly, he’s now a husband and father to two beautiful girls. At Platinum, James has been a shining light for what we hope to accomplish – create dot-connecting multipliers that are inspired to act, help each other, and deliver results. In the next week, James will start a new role (ironically with LinkedIn ) and guess what… I couldn’t be happier for and prouder of him. He is going to impress his leadership and do exceedingly well for the organization. It is a bittersweet moment for me personally, but he will take the #PlatinumValues with him to his next gig and be a strong representation for what others can achieve. As I noted earlier, we're stewards for a season. I would love to be able to keep everyone that we hire, but obviously that will never be the case. This fact doesn’t lessen the responsibility we have as leaders to provide the best opportunity for our teammates to thrive as employees and citizens. It’s the risk I’m willing to take to create a better community of leaders. Build the Factory. See you in a couple weeks. .::jb

The explosive popularity of ChatGPT and similar Conversational AI services has piqued interest in generative AI and, in particular, large language models (LLMs). Generative AI broadly refers to any AI system that generates content as a primary function and LLMs are a form of generative AI that uses machine learning to train on text and natural language data to generate high-quality novel content. LLMs work in a number of ways including converting text (aka tokens) into numerical embeddings, deciphering contextual relationships between tokens using multiple layers of neural networks, and generating text based on learned patterns. In today's data-driven world improving access to information insights in a secure, efficient way is a common goal. Until recently, using a chat-like interface relied on rule-based systems, keyword matching, and custom dialogue trees to understand and interpret user inquiries. Advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and advanced machine learning (ML) improved services but technical expertise, model development, training resources, and access to large data sources tempered progress. Advancements in computational power as well as improvements to dialogue management and access to platforms like Azure Open AI Service and Microsoft Copilot have significantly impacted the time and effort needed to implement an intelligent, conversational AI interface. Recent accelerators of AI/ML adoption Natural Language Processing : Deep Learning architecture development like transformers (the T in GPT) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) advanced NLP tasks like machine translation, text summarization, sentiment analysis and ChatGPT-like question answering. The results are significant increases in the quality and fluency of those services and the ability for LLMs to capture complex sentence structures, contextual understanding, and other nuances. Computational Advances : Cloud Service Providers have invested heavily in high-performance computing including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and AI accelerators like Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). Availability to scalable, high-powered compute resources has made training large models more accessible. This advancement has been so critical to model development, it explains why such a large part of Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in Open AI is provided in Azure computational resources. Barriers to Entry : Instead of building complex AI models from scratch, pre-trained models reduce the technical expertise and resources needed to implement AI/ML solutions, including LLMs. In an accredited cloud platform, development time, risks, and resources needed to quickly develop and maintain AI/ML capabilities are all reduced. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) streamline AI-powered development and track and measure performance metrics. An agile, iterative proof of concept hosted in a scalable cloud infrastructure gives enterprises an ability to benchmark cost/value and develop operational plans. Platinum Technologies (PT78) AI-Powered Data Intelligence Capability The PT78 Data Intelligence Service ( DISe ) showcases our integration of multiple AI/ML features in our cloud environment, Microsoft Azure for Government. Retrieving information using natural language queries and prompts simplifies access to data, reduces the resources needed to build and maintain Business Intelligence functionality, and provides a platform to continue AI/ML adoption in a controlled, phased manner. Our experience improving User/Customer Experience (UX/CX) combined with PT78 Human Centered Design (HCD) principles comprise our Human-AI Centered Design practice. We used that framework to conduct Persona Development Workshops and develop User Stories that framed DISe. Using Azure’s Open AI Service, a dedicated Azure (separate from Open AI) cloud hosted and managed LLM (GPT), we integrate with Azure Platform services to deliver a comprehensive data intelligence service. Azure Open AI Service combines artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning to understand, generate, and interact with human-like text. Using the GPT architecture, models are pre-trained on large and diverse data sources and can be fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains, like understanding industry-specific language or extracting text from images and documents. DISe utilizes Azure AI Search for data retrieval and simplifies data ingestion, transformation, indexing, and multilingual translation. We use a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) design pattern using Azure Open AI GPT models and a natural language interface that is customizable (chat agents, web browsers) that we currently have embedded in an internal PT78 Microsoft Teams channel. DISe is trained against private data sources in Azure Blob storage or in SharePoint folders. Users can customize persona settings for personalized interactions and DISe provides an explainable thought process as well as links and previews to referenceable citations. Combined with modern data transformation and orchestration pipelines supporting structured and unstructured content, input encoding, complex attention mechanisms, tokenization and contextual language pre-processing, users can type their query in natural language and get back accurate, contextual answers. Additional DISe Features Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG): Dynamically select GPT Models (3.5 or 4) to use Vector Hybrid Search that retrieves documents that are contextually relevant for precise answers. Vector Search: Discovering semantically similar content beyond keywords. Keyword Search: Finds documents containing specific keywords. Using RAG, DISe can give new information in a simple prompt, and the model uses this to make better decisions or provide answers. RAG eliminates the complex and expensive process of fine-tuning the model each time new data is added. Prompt Engineering: The prompt structure is designed to be compatible with current and future GPT models and uses a combination of Built-in Chain of Thought (COT) and Few-Shot Prompting. COT prompts the LLM to follow a set of instructions, explain its reasoning, and enhances the reliability of responses. Few-Shot Prompting provides a set of training examples as part of the prompt to give additional context to the model. Document Pre-Processing: Token limitations will impact large documents, PDFs and other complex file types so are pre-processed using Document Analysis Models available in Azure. A transformation pipeline then converts unstructured data into JSON format ready for embedding. This custom document chunking, and metadata generation is exposed to the RAG pattern which makes the Conversational AI more accurate and efficient. Text-Based Image Retrieval: RAG pattern searches can also find images through a similar process. When an image is uploaded, data processing pipelines extract captions and metadata of images and store them in the search index. Natural language queries initiate the retrieval pipeline using the Azure Computer Vision API and extracts image captions leading you to the image through a citation link. Conclusion Customer Interactions, Proposal Content, Industry Events and News Headlines almost always have some mention of AI/ML. Our team of experienced professionals focus on implementing value-driven, controlled use cases that enable AI/ML adoption through iterative improvements and learning. We look forward to demonstrating our DISe capability, answering questions, or presenting Market Research based on our Lessons Learned implementing different AI services. Steven Oh Director | Innovation & Technology Platinum Technologies

Understanding how to use and leverage big data has become a critical success factor for most enterprises. Data has seen exponential growth recently with industry analysts estimating global data volumes will reach approximately 180 zettabytes (1 zettabyte = 1 billion terabytes) by 2025 with nearly 80-90% of that being unstructured data (more on that below). This article will explore the distinction between structured and unstructured data and highlight how PT78 uses tools like Power BI and Microsoft Purview to help mine valuable insights for our customers in a secure, efficient way. So, what is the difference between Structured and Unstructured Data and why should that matter to you? Let’s start with identifying characteristics of each and understanding why such a large percentage of information is unstructured. Structured Data Structured data refers to any data that can be easily organized, stored, and retrieved in a fixed format. It is typically managed in databases or spreadsheets, where the data is tabulated or arranged in a way that is easy to understand and manipulate. Examples are a customer relationship management (CRM) system, spreadsheets, accounting/invoicing system, human resource information systems (HRIS), and can help in search engine optimization (SEO), data interoperability using common data schemas. Unstructured Data Unstructured data is data that doesn’t have a predefined format or organization, making it harder to collect, process, and analyze. This includes documents, emails, text, images, videos, social media posts, etc. Some seemingly structured content like surveys, healthcare data, and content in collaboration software would fall in this category with increasing complexity and lack of organization. It’s not a huge surprise that today’s distributed, remote workforce using mobile enabled devices are generating more and more unstructured content. The trick lies in integrating these disparately formatted data sources with existing enterprise information to form a single, comprehensive source of truth. Robotic process automation (RPA) or optical character recognition (OCR) improved access but cloud-based AI/ML services that provide sophisticated analysis capabilities using advanced technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and pre-built machine learning algorithms truly deliver business intelligence securely and affordably. Harnessing Big Data with Tools and Strategies Data Visualization, Sharing and Governance PT78 implemented a data governance and information transparency capability for our data-centric customer by researching and implementing the latest tools, processes and strategies while establishing a feedback loop with their end-users. Our team then deployed a multi-step governance process that included performance management/tuning, taxonomy development, external data interface development and project management. This also included establishing and hosting a collaborative working group to assist the successful transformation of our customers processes and culture. We implemented Power BI, a tool for aggregating, analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data. The interface allows users to create reports and dashboards without deep technical skills. Power BI's strength lies in its ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, including both structured and unstructured data, enabling users to derive insights from diverse datasets. To maintain data oversight and allow Power BI to access the relevant data, PT78 implemented Microsoft Purview, a unified data governance service that helps organizations manage and govern their data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. It provides a comprehensive set of capabilities to discover, classify, protect, and govern sensitive data across an enterprise's landscape. Additionally, to maximize our application modernization work delivered using Power Platform, a low-code application development platform, PT78 migrated legacy data to Dataverse, a secure, data-as a-service connector-based service in Azure that provides tables, columns, rows, and pre-defined relationships. This combination of data aggregation and governance provided: Simplified data analysis and interpretation. Shared insights across the organization through easy-to-understand dashboards and reports. Provided informed decisions based on real-time data analytics. Took advantage of Microsoft platform adjacency to use Data and Cloud Services, AI/ML, and security capabilities to quickly deliver targeted business intelligence. Additional visibility into the customers data estate. Provide DLP and oversight over AI Applications. Automated data governance and compliance processes. Protected sensitive information from unauthorized access and leaks. Provided records management, retention, and validation. What’s Coming Next In addition to the significant changes to data types and volume, advancements in AI/ML and large language models (LLMs) can be leveraged to simplify user interactions. Using natural language interfaces to power Conversational AI queries takes advantage of the enterprise search capabilities and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms allows any end user to search using regular conversational language. Using this approach, we developed the PT78 Data Intelligence Service (DISe) that showcases the integration of multiple AI/ML features in our Cloud environment, Microsoft Azure Gov. This includes a separately hosted LLM foundational model called the Azure Open AI Service and leverages Azure AI Search for data retrieval. DISe uses a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) design pattern with Azure GPT models that provides a natural language interface that we have embedded in an internal PT78 Microsoft Teams channel. Optional interfaces include Virtual Agents, web browsers, or developing a custom Conversational AI using the Microsoft Bot Framework. Azure AI Search simplifies data ingestion, transformation, indexing, and multilingual translation. Chat interface users can customize settings like temperature and persona for personalized interactions and features like explainable thought processes, referenceable citations, and direct content for verification are available. Azure OpenAI combines artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning to comprehend, generate, and interact with human-like text. Using the GPT architecture, models are pre-trained on large and diverse data sources and then fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains, like understanding industry-specific language or extracting text from images/documents. We combine a data transformation and integration layer that automates the data orchestration pipeline for structured and unstructured data, speeding up access to data insights by leveraging pre-built machine learning models that deliver advanced capabilities that previously required specialized software, hardware, and data science subject matter experts. DISe provides: · Lexical analysis using the Standard Lucerne Analyzer · Data chunking and Vectorization · Hybrid (Vector and Keyword) and Embedded Vector Search · Fuzzy search · Secure Azure Open AI GPT language model integrations · Enables the use of GPT without training or fine-tuning the foundational model(s) · Tailoring the content of the Conversational AI by combining pre-trained knowledge with your data source Conclusion The explosion of data in recent years has underscored the importance of effective data management and analysis. Understanding the difference between structured and unstructured data and leveraging powerful analytical tools like Power BI and Microsoft Purview can accelerate access to critical insights and help demystifying big data. These tools not only help in managing and governing massive amounts of data but also play a pivotal role in extracting actionable insights that can drive mission goals and innovation. Integrating a conversational AI capability improves access to data, reduces the resources needed to provide information to the end-user, and provides an intelligent interface that supports a conversation-like insight experience. Dennis Taylor Sr. Business Analyst/Alliances Platinum Technologies

Introduction Platinum Technologies’ customer the International Trade Administration (ITA) is successfully transforming and modernizing its online presence to better serve and digitally engage with the U.S business community while advancing its mission to promote United States exports around the world. As one of the agencies within the United States Department of Commerce, ITA supports commercial diplomacy through its efforts to “strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promote trade and investment, and ensure fair trade through trade laws and agreements.” ITA’s portal, www.trade.gov , serves as the official online gateway for the agency to deliver information and services to its customers. The site augments, supports and complements the work of its 2,200 employees in the United States and across the world by providing assistance, guidance, and tools to aid U.S. businesses exporting their products and services. The agency is committed to delivering world-class customer-focused digital experiences through www.trade.gov , social media channels and email communications. ITA has welcomed the opportunity to improve the digital customer journey and update its online presence to align with directives detailed in the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act” (21st Century IDEA). Meaningful Digital Modernization and Transformation Guided by the 21st Century IDEA and “M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience” policy framework developed by the Office of Management and Budget, Platinum Technologies has partnered with ITA to accelerate the transformation of www.trade.gov into a platform that is customer-focused, user-friendly, trustworthy, informative, engaging, and useful. Our team is developing digital strategies and guidance for development operations, customer and user experience, digital outreach and marketing, web and data analytics, data governance, content development frameworks and standards, Content Management System (CMS) operations & maintenance, and project management. The meaningful digital transformation underway at ITA for www.trade.gov is attributable to several factors including: Implementing Agile Product Development and Delivery Leveraging Cloud-based Managed Solutions Designing and Developing Human-Centered Design Experiences Deriving Actionable Insights from Data and Analytics Maintaining and Supporting CMS Operations Implementing Agile Product Development and Delivery Employing agile project management, our cross-functional digital services team supports ITA’s user-centered design initiatives focused on delivering improved digital customer experiences. Platinum Technologies’ technical contributors skilled in DevOps, Content Management Systems, User Interface/User Design, Human-Centered Design (HCD), Digital Experience, Data and Analytics, User Testing, Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Digital Strategy collaborate closely with ITA stakeholders to iteratively develop and continuously deliver integrated digital products and services to modernize the www.trade.gov platform. Leveraging Cloud-based Managed Solutions Our solutions architects and DevOps team advised and supported the migration of ITA’s Drupal CMS platform to Acquia, a digital experience cloud-based management solution. Acquia offers a robust set of management tools for data and content, quality assurance testing, automated testing, and legacy code updates. The move significantly improved the delivery of consistent, reliable, and stable sessions across www.trade.gov. Fusion Approach to Human-Centered Website Experiences The Human-centered Design (HCD) team approached the portal project with a key focus on delivering a user-friendly, intuitive, and productive journey for site visitors that aligns with ITA’s strategic Customer Experience objectives and the OMB’s framework guidance for the 21st Century IDEA. Our experts engaged in user research, problem framing, persona development, information architecting, UX/UI wireframing, and collaborated on design and usability testing with the analytics team and the ITA stakeholders. The final outputs are implemented by the DevOps team for development, testing and deployment into a production environment. The developers work closely with the Change Management team to ensure ITA stakeholders are trained to embrace the updates. Using this Fusion Team approach, adoption rate for implementation and enhancements remains high. The team incorporates user feedback to iterate and continuously improve on the employee and customer experience for the stakeholders who directly engage with content production for www.trade.gov. Deriving Actionable Insights from Data and Analytics Platinum Technologies’ data and analytics team offers analysis and reporting to stakeholders to help them make informed decisions that support ITA’s mission and agency priority goals and that are in alignment with the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.” The team uses a range of analytics processes and tools to deliver useful and actionable reports that inform strategic and tactical guidance in support of ITA’s objective to deliver an exceptional digital-first customer experience. These processes include: Digital audits and assessments Performance analysis Content marketing and Search Engine Optimization analysis Customer Experience journey and behavior flow analysis and, User testing Maintaining and Supporting CMS Operations Delivering customer support to ITA’s content producers – who’ve written, edited, and published the content for the nearly 12,000 pages residing on www.trade.gov – is an ongoing effort balancing the needs of rolling out new designs while maintaining components of the older design. The CMS Change Management team offers monthly training workshops for ITA stakeholders to communicate website updates, share digital experience expertise to improve content development and Conclusion The International Trade Administration is well-positioned to meet its goals to deliver an exceptional digital-first experience for their flagship website www.trade.gov that puts the customer at the center of each digital journey and meets the requirements mandated in the “21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.” Platinum Technologies is proud to lend our expertise to support their Digital Transformation priorities. Carmen Natschke Digital Strategist – Data & Analytics

Understanding Information Architecture In the digital landscape we navigate daily, an often-underestimated hero silently shapes our online interactions - Information Architecture (IA). Understanding what information architecture is lays the groundwork for intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly digital products. In this article, we will explore what Information Architecture is and how it benefits product owners, user experience teams, and development teams. What is Information Architecture? Information Architecture, often called IA for short, is the process and output of organizing and structuring information within a digital interface. It serves as a blueprint for content, features, and functionality, ensuring that users can effortlessly find what they're looking for. When it comes to digital products, IA is akin to the blueprint for a building – it provides a foundation upon which the entire structure is built. Information Architecture aims to answer the following questions: Where is the information located? How is it organized and categorized? What labels or names are used to describe it? How do users navigate from one piece of information to another? In product design, IA is the navigational compass that ensures users don't feel lost in a labyrinth of data and features, fostering a seamless and satisfying user experience. In product development, IA is the map with which your development team navigates as they build the stories and epics that make up your digital product. The Role of IA in Crafting A Great User Experience Now that we have given an overview of Information Architecture, let's delve into why it's so important as an early-stage step in product development, especially how it pertains to the user experience (UX). 1. Enhancing Findability and Usability In the digital realm, time is of the essence – seconds and even half-seconds’ matter. Users crave instant gratification, and if they can't quickly find what they're looking for, they will move on. Effective IA structures content in a logical and user-friendly manner, making it easy for users to locate information and complete tasks. This, in turn, reduces frustration and fosters a positive user experience. 2. Simplifying Complex Systems In today's information-rich digital environments, products often contain a complex web of interconnected features and content. IA simplifies this complexity by breaking it down into digestible components. Users don't need to understand the entire system; they only need to understand how to navigate through it, and this is achieved through effective IA. Start building better user experiences today by mastering the art of Information Architecture with Platinum Technolgies! Explore the tools and techniques to empower your digital designs with a solid foundation that ensures users can effortlessly navigate and engage with your products.