By Bernd Gross
A truly connected enterprise is in sight
As businesses work to implement and employ IoT networks, the modern-day enterprise and the data it gathers become increasingly complex. Connected devices are ever-evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated in their functionality and datasets. To take control of this new data, you must first have an IT infrastructure that’s fully connected to the wider enterprise, with the flexibility to scale and adapt to future growth.
Enter the truly connected enterprise. It’s crucial for organizations to connect everything – data, systems, devices, and teams – across the organization to ensure it can keep pace with constant transformation. Because so many systems make up a truly connected enterprise, the process must begin with grasping the current state of data management.
Understanding the realities of data management
A recent trend analysis conducted by Gartner found that data management within companies is centered around improving their data-sharing capabilities. To derive value and insights from datasets, the data must be available to a variety of teams within an organization for analysis. Transparency is key.
Gartner also reported that organizations are fully aware of the need for data-sharing, but many don’t have the knowledge to do so effectively. Especially with growing, complex datasets – it’s more challenging now than ever.
Why’s that? For one, organizations are using more connected devices, including IoT devices, which has flooded them with vast amounts of complex data. A recent study from Amazon Web Services (AWS) found that, by 2025, over 150,000 new IoT devices will connect to the internet every minute. Of course, the data from these sensors is worthless if it can’t be properly understood and applied. Unlocking the enormous potential of sensor data requires the entire enterprise to be fully connected.
Cloud and hybrid solutions make up the backbone of an IT infrastructure that aims to ease the complexities of data management and evolving datasets. They help to establish or speed up connectivity, especially in remote or distributed workplace environments. It is this solid infrastructure, with security and connectivity incorporated, that enables an organization to collect and process data efficiently in IT hybrid environments.
Overcoming the challenges of connectivity
The hybrid world that is a reality for many businesses will only continue to grow. It has revolutionized traditional IT practices, which in turn, has driven the advancement of new systems that are ripe for connectivity. One pertinent example is the remote workplace, where cloud technologies are connecting employees to data wherever they work. In another example, the historically paper-driven manufacturing sector is gaining deeper insights and increasing efficiency by integrating IoT sensors and analytics.
However, one key challenge many organizations face in creating a truly connected enterprise is that they’re still in the process of modernizing their data. Many of the large, on-site data centers that are still common for businesses in banking, financial services and other sectors are just beginning to enter the world of the cloud. That switch involves a time and cost investment that many companies are not prepared to make.
For these organizations, a hybrid-cloud model offers an alternate solution. What if the switch didn’t need to be made completely to the cloud? In many cases, combining on-prem and cloud technologies is a less daunting and more practical use of budget and time.
The modern-day enterprise is complex to say the least – and getting more complex every day. As data evolves and devices become more sophisticated, it’s critical to get ahead of this evolution at the infrastructure-building stage. Because the more connected your infrastructure, the more efficient and resilient your organization will be amid any market shift that comes its way.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bernd Gross is the CTO of Software AG. He has over 25 years of international experience in the IT industry and has held management positions in the UK, Finland and Silicon Valley, among others. He is a leading figure in the areas of digitization and cloud computing and a pioneer of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0.
Bernd Gross co-founded Cumulocity in 2012 as part of a management buyout from Nokia Siemens Networks. Prior to that, he led innovation management and technology rollout projects at Nokia Siemens Networks in Silicon Valley. He holds an MBA from the London Business School in Information and Communication Technology.
