Speak Up | CIO Gündemi: Kazım Cesur of HDI Sigorta on AI Readiness and Smarter Technology Investments

Speak Up | CIO Gündemi: Kazım Cesur of HDI Sigorta on AI Readiness and Smarter Technology Investments

As part of the Speak Up | CIO Gündemi interview series, launched through the collaboration between Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri (BBS) and VMware by Broadcom, we welcomed Kazım Cesur, Architecture and Infrastructure Group Manager at HDI Sigorta.

Moderated by Sercan Akdemir, Founder of Speak Up, the conversation explored how organizations are preparing for artificial intelligence, the infrastructure requirements of agentic AI applications, IT complexity management, cyber resilience, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
 

AI Readiness: Needs Analysis and Real Business Value

According to Kazım Cesur, being AI-ready means preparing an organization for the future today. The priority is not simply investing in new technologies, but identifying use cases that can deliver real value through accurate needs analysis.

Cesur emphasized the importance of supporting strategic vision initiatives with technology vendors through close collaboration with business units. He also highlighted the value of collective decision-making in technical planning and investment processes.
 

Agentic AI and Smarter IT Infrastructure Planning

One of the key topics discussed was the impact of agentic AI capabilities on IT infrastructure.

Cesur explained that before making an AI investment, organizations should first identify which business processes will benefit from these capabilities. The expected business value must then be assessed against the investment through a cost-benefit analysis, taking into account requirements such as hardware, hosting, and energy consumption.

He also emphasized that regular capacity planning should include the requirements of planned agentic AI implementations.
 

Cyber Resilience and Business Continuity

Highlighting that cyber resilience is an integral part of business operations in the financial and insurance sectors, Cesur noted that security investments are already considered during evaluation and feasibility assessments.

He also pointed to the growing role of artificial intelligence in addressing emerging threats, supporting security planning, and strengthening organizations' ability to respond to unexpected incidents.

The ultimate objective is not merely to ensure security, but also to provide business units with resilience and the flexibility to cope with unforeseen events.
 

Total Cost of Ownership: Investing Smarter, Not Bigger

Rising hardware costs and the increasing processing demands of AI workloads have made TCO assessments even more important in technology investment decisions.

Cesur stressed that investment decisions should not be based solely on GPU or processing power requirements. Organizations should first define the scope and expected value of the business capabilities they aim to develop, and then determine the required capacity accordingly.

This approach favors needs-based capacity planning and the consolidation and simplification of existing capabilities over large-scale hardware purchases.
 

The Real Measure of Technology Is the Value It Creates

The central message of the interview was that technology investments must align with an organization's actual business needs. From AI readiness and infrastructure planning to cyber resilience and cost optimization, accurate needs analysis and smart investment decisions play a decisive role.

We would like to thank Kazım Cesur, Architecture and Infrastructure Group Manager at HDI Sigorta, for sharing his valuable insights and experience; Sercan Akdemir, Founder of Speak Up, for moderating the conversation; and VMware by Broadcom for supporting this special series.

Watch this episode of Speak Up | CIO Gündemi to explore insights into AI investments, agentic capabilities, and the future of IT infrastructure.

Watch the full interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzxd0n95gm4;