As more and more industries are experiencing digital disruption, using information technology to enable a competitive advantage becomes a critical success factor for all enterprises. This book covers the authors' insights on how AI technologies can fundamentally reshape the IT services delivery lifecycle to deliver better business outcomes through a data-driven and knowledge-based approach. Three main challenges and the technologies to address them are discussed in detail: * Gaining actionable insight from operational data for service management automation and improved human decision making * Capturing and enhancing expert knowledge throughout the lifecycle from solution design to ongoing service improvement * Enabling self-service for service requests and problem resolution, through intuitive natural language interfaces The authors are top researchers and practitioners with deep experience in the fields of artificial intelligence and IT service management and are discussing both practical advice for IT teams and advanced research results. The topics appeal to CIOs and CTOs as well as researchers who want to understand the state of the art of applying artificial intelligence to a very complex problem space. Although the book is concise, it comprehensively discuss topics like gaining insight from operational data for automatic problem diagnosis and resolution as well as continuous service optimization, AI for solution design and conversational self-service systems.

The ancient historians considered the Assyrian empire the crucial starting point of a new political system which was adopted by later empires. In modern historical research, this problem still needs to be investigated in a global perspective that studies the development of the imperial model through ages. Abundant epigraphical and archaeological sources can be used in investigating the expansionistic tacticts, the control structures, and the administrative procedures implemented by the Assyrians through a continuous effort of adaptation to evolving situations and changing needs. The book provides an updated outline of the history of the Assyrian empire and its neighbours, a detailed analysis of the technical and ideological aspects of the construction of the Assyrian empire, and of its long-lasting legacy in the Near East and in the West. For its broad theoretical framework, which includes the reference to studies of ancient and modern empires and imperialism, the book is intended not only for the specialists of Ancient Near Eastern history, but also for a wider public of Classical and Medieval historians and of historians interested in world and global history.