Category

Internet of Things (IoT)

Dollar Sign (Andy Warhol, 1982)

Automakers are Wrong: Your Car Is NOT Your Wallet

By Automotive, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), Telematics One Comment

A  Forbes article titled Your Car Is Your Wallet: Connected Cars And The Future Of Fintech describes a not-so-distant future in which you zip through toll booths, refuel—or recharge, as the case may be—your car, pick up an order at your favorite drive-through restaurant, or park your car, all without having to rummage through your wallet for cash or a credit card.

These and copious other conveniences offered by connected cars are quickly becoming a reality. Automakers incorporate a growing number of payment applications directly in the car’s infotainment system, offering simplicity, convenience, and added safety of mobile payments directly from the vehicle.

Automakers and fintech pundits alike use the phrase “your car is your wallet” to describe this idea. It is intriguing and convincing, for sure. But it’s also out of alignment with consumer habits and expectations. Read More

Campbell's Soup I Full Suite (Andy Warhol, 1968)

SAP Hybris: IoT and Machine Learning in The Retail Supply Chain

By Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT) One Comment

The World is Drowning in Data

The business world is drowning in data. And much of this data is generated, consumed, and managed by SAP enterprise software systems.

At the recent SAP Hybris Global Summit in Barcelona, SAP described how 76% of enterprise data worldwide flows through data pipes and databases managed by SAP enterprise software systems. According to SAP, its top 10 customers drive more revenue from these data systems than IBM and Oracle Demantra software combined

One of the clichés often heard in big data analytics conferences is “data is the new fuel of the enterprise” (although I don’t think I heard it said in Barcelona). But how, exactly, can organizations handle the torrent of data from the vast array of new and traditional sources remains a challenge. How to convert voluminous structured and unstructured data into business fuel that drives high-fidelity decisions and better business outcomes is quite murky and elusive.

SAP Hybris believes it has the answer. Read More

Clairvoyance (Rene? Magritte, 1936)

Digital Transformation and The Internet of Things

By Internet of Things (IoT), IT Strategy One Comment

The Industrial Internet of Things seems to be in full swing, as the digital transformation of business operations and customers engagement models promises to bring about radical business improvements, new customers and additional revenue streams.

And technology innovations continue to keep the conversation alive, as hardware miniaturization, reduced power consumption, falling hardware prices, and ubiquitous wireless connectivity proliferate and power practically all new products.

The confluence of new technologies and innovative business models fuels the growth of the Industrial Internet of Things. There are plenty of compelling arguments—both business-oriented and technology-induced—that the Industrial Internet of Things will, indeed, lead to a radical transformation in practically every business sector.

Read More

Connected Assets Accelerate the Journey to Lean Manufacturing

By Internet of Things (IoT), Manufacturing No Comments

The Seduction of Data

Industry 4.0 promises to bring our factories to the 21st century. Thanks to the pervasive digitalization of manufacturing assets, we can now collect and track detailed manufacturing operations data. Lots of it, in real time, all the time. We can analyze it, trend it, and share it across the extended enterprise, again, in real time if we wish to.

But does having more data promise better decisions? Not necessarily. Read More

The Fortune Teller (Georges de La Tour c. 1630)

Seven Industrial IoT Predictions for 2017 and Beyond

By Internet of Things (IoT), IT Strategy 3 Comments

Rapid Growth in Times of Uncertainty

The industrial Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling and accelerating the convergence of three key technology and business model shifts that are fueling the digital transformation of every industrial enterprise:

  • Connectivity. The number of connected devices and mobile devices is growing at an increasingly faster pace, emanating massive amounts of real-time information that enables deep insight about themselves and the environment around them.
  • Cloud Computing. After years of hesitation, cloud technology is finally becoming a mainstream business platform and a growth engine. New information systems and business operation constructs can be deployed and scale quickly and cost effectively, as connected assets and mobile devices deliver decision-making power to all ranks in the organization.
  • New Business Models. Cloud-connected assets and customers, coupled with real-time information and decision-making capabilities form the foundation for new ways to engage the business and its customers. Businesses can deploy innovative customer-centric outcome-based engagement models and respond to changing market conditions with greater agility and flexibility.

Industry is making strides in developing Internet of Things technologies and articulating the potential business value of industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 solutions. The upcoming years of the IoT evolution will be characterized by rapid technology acceleration, as the vision of an always-connected world, in which everything and everybody is connected, is becoming an everyday reality.

And company leadership is under pressure to seize the opportunity. Eager technology vendors, enthusiastic investors and analysts, and deluge of breathless headlines, all entice corporate management to jump on the IoT bandwagon before it’s too late.

However, as technology forecaster Paul Saffo aptly observed, one should not mistake a clear view for a short distance. Read More