Datacom has received the Innovation of the Year Award from the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) for its AI-powered Business Analysis Accelerator application.
The Business Analysis Accelerator (BAA), developed by Datacom's in-house digital engineering team, is designed to automate key business analysis processes, aiming to improve precision and streamline workflows across activities ranging from customer workshops to developer backlogs.
According to Datacom, the BAA platform enables business analysts to develop specialised artificial intelligence agents that collaborate with large language models such as Copilot, ChatGPT and Genesis, with the intent of enhancing analysis outcomes. The system incorporates enterprise-grade security via single sign-on (SSO) and project-based access controls, supporting secure deployment within large organisations. It also provides custom AI agents for major business analysis tasks, such as producing functional specifications and transforming legacy documentation into user stories.
Connectivity features include integration with platforms such as Azure DevOps and Jira, which allows for the transfer of data without manual processes while retaining traceability and key acceptance criteria. The system supports collaboration between multiple AI agents, enabling more complex outputs based on a range of large language models.
Initial trial use of BAA by selected customers reportedly led to a reduction of 50-60% in the time required for documentation and backlog creation. Customers involved in the trial have also cited improvements in the quality of outputs, data security and the retention of human contextual understanding as significant benefits. Broader adoption of the BAA platform is currently in progress among three major customers in both the private and public sectors across Australia and New Zealand.
Sunny Katira, Managing Director of Professional Services at Datacom, said the award reflects the company's approach to customer needs and the practical application of artificial intelligence in business.
"BAA is yet another example of what can be achieved through smart use of AI and this award recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to designing solutions that answer the problems our customers are trying to solve. Our customers are looking for ways to drive efficiency, and do more with less, and AI paired with skilled digital engineers is a powerful combination."
Katira explained that Datacom has used the combination of AI and digital engineering to address issues many organisations face with modernising applications and updating legacy technologies.
"Legacy systems and applications are the Achilles heel of many organisations in Australia and New Zealand - they're expensive to maintain, they make it difficult for organisations to compete in an increasingly competitive global market and are holding back innovation. We believe AI is the catalyst that changes that equation. With our AI-led approach to application modernisation, we're already transforming legacy software into agile, secure, and future-ready platforms at a pace and scale that was impossible before."
