AI: A Key Differentiator for Mexican Businesses

Q: How is Inetum positioned in the Mexican market compared to other consulting and digital service players?
A: Inetum has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from infrastructure to advanced platforms, with over 1,600 employees in Mexico and 400 in the United States. Although we have undergone recent mergers and acquisitions, our technological capacity and quality of service are on par with the leaders in the sector. We work with the main players in each industry in the country and focus on expanding our presence in the market.

Q: What is the biggest differentiator that the company brings to the market?
A: We stand apart thanks to three fundamental pillars: intellectual property, technological optimization, and deep industry knowledge. We develop solutions internally, such as digital identity platforms, biometrics tools, and advanced document management solutions. We are committed to automation through robotic process automation (RPA) and AI instead of relying on traditional business process outsourcing (BPO). Our solutions are integrated into the operational core of key sectors, from telecommunications to financial services, ensuring a real impact on our clients' efficiency and competitiveness.

Q: Within your portfolio, which of your solutions would best represent the company's current focus?
A: We are focusing on digital identity and biometrics, Generative AI, and transactional systems automation. These areas have been driven by growing demand in sectors such as financial services, retail, telecommunications, and energy, where we work with major market players to deliver scalable and secure solutions.

Q: How does Inetum adapt to meet the specific needs of its clients?
A: Our experience operating mission-critical systems in diverse industries gives us a deep understanding of our customers' businesses. We combine this experience with a focus on continuous innovation, integrating emerging technologies such as Generative AI into specific business processes. We develop our own tools and adapt them to maximize their impact on the digital transformation of each sector, ensuring that technology not only optimizes processes, but also generates tangible strategic value.

Q: With 21 service centers globally, how does Inetum leverage its near-shore and off-shore capabilities to offer flexibility and scalability to its customers in the region?
A: Our global network of service centers allows us to offer flexible and scalable solutions in the Americas and the European Union. We have specialized SAP centers in Brazil and Colombia, a testing center in Peru, and a new nearshore hub in Mexico that focuses on operations with the United States. Labor cost dynamics are evolving and could reshape Mexico's competitiveness in the provision of offshore services. We anticipate these changes through agile operating models and globally distributed capabilities.

Q: How does Inetum ensure the security of its infrastructure and application management services?
A: Cybersecurity is integrated into all our solutions, from platform development to infrastructure and application implementation. We do not conceive of a service without a protection component, and our clients do not see it as an additional cost, but as a strategic necessity. We follow the highest standards and certifications, ensuring that each solution not only meets technical requirements, but also provides a secure and reliable environment.

Q: Automation and AI are redefining IT outsourcing and consulting. How is Inetum evolving its business model to stay ahead in this changing environment?
A: AI has been key to our strategy, and we apply it in multiple areas from software development to test automation and code analysis. We have proprietary Generative AI tools that optimize systems, identify errors, and document processes efficiently. We offer these solutions in both cloud and on-premise environments, ensuring that our customers maintain control over their data without compromising security or performance.

Q: What are the most significant trends defining Mexico's technology sector?
A: Key trends include the rise of virtual agents on platforms such as Salesforce and SAP, the growth of digital identity and biometrics in key sectors such as payments and border control, and the evolution of data management as a strategic asset. The ability to capture, process, and analyze data in real time with AI has become a key differentiator for businesses, driving digitization and operational efficiency across multiple industries.

Q: What challenges are hindering the development of a quantum computing environment in Mexico?
A: For Mexico to play a relevant role in quantum computing, it needs strong private investment or an industrial policy that promotes its development. The country lacks the infrastructure necessary to develop quantum computing. Academic infrastructure is not enough without a real link to industry. Mexico has high-level research centers, but they are not significantly transforming productive sectors. 

The country also requires a strategic plan to develop technological capabilities. Currently there are measures that impact the industry, such as tax adjustment for technology companies in Mexico City. While intended to generate revenue, these changes may influence investment dynamics in emerging sectors like quantum computing, where incentives could be a more efficient strategy to boost the industry growth.

Q: How will Inetum grow and expand in the region in the coming years?
A: Our goal is to double the size of the company in two years, and we are already halfway there thanks to a solid growth in profitability, clients, and strategic projects during 2023 and 2024. Our strategy is based on three pillars: improving operational execution to guarantee quality and trust in each project; strengthening the solutions area with technologies such as software development, cybersecurity, transactional platforms, and automation; and expanding in the United States, by taking advantage of the demand for advanced technological services generated by nearshoring. 

By delivering quality services and solving complex technology problems, we have become a trusted partner, which has generated new opportunities through word of mouth, especially in connected communities like Monterrey. This reputation has allowed us to expand throughout Mexico and consolidate our operations in the United States. 

Q: What areas should Mexican companies prioritize when looking to accelerate their digital transformation?
A: The priority is to define the problem to solve. There are hundreds of trends, but not all of them can be used by every company. First, companies must decide whether to focus on improving customer relations or optimizing internal operations. Then, companies should evaluate costs, as transforming the core of the business requires large investments with long-term returns. Companies should not try to adopt everything; they should prioritize, measure costs, and focus on what will really advance the business. 

Lastly, companies should pay attention to the internal reactions to new digital transformation strategies, just like when people get vaccinated the body reacts with antibodies, a disruptive strategy with real impact in the business operation should generate reluctance to its implementation, corporate antibodies so to speak.