Author

About Kenneth Ritley

Kenneth Ritley is Professor of Computer Science at the Institute for Data Applications and Security (IDAS) at BFH Technik & Informatik. Born in the USA, Ken Ritley has already had an international career in IT. He had Senior Leadership Roles in several Swiss companies such as Swiss Post Solutions and Sulzer and built up offshore teams in India and nearshore teams in Bulgaria among others.

Entries by Kenneth Ritley

Shadow IT and Accidental Servitization

15. May 2024/in Digital Business & Finance EN, Professional Contribution EN/by Kenneth Ritley

In the labyrinth of modern business shadow IT and accidental servitization lurk like shape-shifting monsters, transforming helpful tools into complex services that can overwhelm unprepared teams. They have tentacles that entangle strategy and operations, they create huge risks and dangers, and they challenge the planned business models. This article will present some strategies to not […]

How BFH promotes digital skills among students

30. April 2024/in Professional Contribution EN, Transdisciplinary EN/by Kenneth Ritley

BFH has been offering the “Digital Skills Coaching” (DSC) initiative for a year now. BFH students act as coaches and pass on their knowledge of digital applications to their fellow students. Thanks to the success of over 200 registrations and six workshops, this programme will be continued for another year. This short article describes what […]

The Data-Centric Enterprise: Where Revolutions Converge

15. August 2023/in Augmented Intelligence EN, Professional Contribution EN/by Kenneth Ritley

Recent months have seen an explosion in articles about the generative-AI revolution and its effect on economy and society. But in fact there are many ongoing revolutions almost as significant albeit not as well known. And as these revolutions converge, their collective effect may be far greater than what AI will achieve alone. We believe […]

How Digital Natives, Millennials and Generation Z are shaping the IT industry – 60 years of digital transformation, part 4

2. March 2022/in Professional Contribution EN, Transdisciplinary EN/by Kenneth Ritley

People are the most important factor in the modern age, write Chuck and Ken. In the 4th and final part of their mini-series, the father-son team of IT experts describe how digital natives, millennials and Generation Z are shaping the IT industry today. They take an entertaining look at their six decades in IT and […]

How Dealers helped the Explosion of Minicomputers – 60 years of digital transformation, part 3

23. February 2022/in Professional Contribution EN, Transdisciplinary EN/by Kenneth Ritley

Thanks to the invention of the first microchips, minicomputers spread to all industries from the 1970s onwards. Chuck and Ken, a father-son team of IT experts, describe the role of the so-called “dealers”, in the 3rd part of their mini-series. Thanks to Chuck’s anecdotes, we understand why the sale of minicomputers was so closely linked […]

About the mainframes of the Iron Age – 60 years of digital transformation, part 2

15. February 2022/in Professional Contribution EN, Transdisciplinary EN/by Kenneth Ritley

Chuck and Ken, a father-son team of computer experts, take an entertaining look back at their own six decades in the IT industry. In the 2nd part of the mini-series, they describe how the volumes of data from punch cards were converted into usable information and what role the first mainframe computers played. Their anecdotes […]