Modern CTO Why Agility is Your Greatest Business Survival Skill with Robert Parsons, VP of Hardware Portfolio at TOSHIBA
Sep 22, 2025
Robert Parsons, VP of Hardware Portfolio at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, leads the charge in transforming retail technology. He discusses the significance of agility as a survival skill in the rapidly changing retail landscape. Parsons highlights how modular systems are revolutionizing checkout experiences and the importance of data-driven decision-making for tech leaders. He also delves into the intersection of software and hardware, emphasizing the role of AI in enhancing customer experience while maintaining innovation safeguards.
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Agility Is Crucial For Long-Lived Hardware
- Infrastructure investments lock retailers into long lifecycles that must adapt to changing workloads.
- Robert Parsons argues agility in hardware design lets retailers flex over 10+ year lifespans.
Amazon Go Style Checkout Works But Scaling Is Hard
- Robert Parsons references Amazon Go and Hudson News experiments as examples of frictionless checkout working in high-traffic venues.
- He notes scale is the main challenge but the experience pulls customers away from e-commerce.
Build Modular, Upgradable Systems
- Design modular systems so you can add or upgrade peripherals without replacing entire units.
- Robert Parsons recommends redeploying compute and payment modules to extend ROI and avoid premature disposal.