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A New Perspective on Enterprise Mobility and 2014 Requirements, Part 1

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Many of us have spent years (some of us decades) working on enterprise mobility designs, development and implementations.  These projects, for the most part, started as tactical implementations for specific LOBs (lines of business).  They involved usually one app, connected to a specific back end system and database.  Over the years these projects evolved to include multiple data sources and business processes.  Today, CIOs and IT departments are being tasked with mobilizing the entire enterprise IT environment.  This task, I propose, requires a new way of looking at enterprise mobility. Earlier this month (December 2013) I spoke on a panel with Forrester Research's John McCarthy in London.  We were discussing the current and future state of enterprise mobility.  McCarthy stated that 2014 would be the year of "complex mobility" and would cause "Y2K-like" events in many enterprises.  He added that ERP like investments may be required in many enterprises in orde

Operational Tempo, Faster than Real-Time, Enterprise Mobility and the Next Y2K Event

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I often discuss the concept of operational tempo  in my digital transformation and mobile strategies sessions.  I define operational tempo as the speed or pace of operations.  The advent of broadband Internet, mobile devices and mobile applications have dramatically changed our expectations for the operational tempo of businesses.  None of us are willing to wait 8 minutes for a response on a product availability query from our smartphone.  None of us want our turn-by-turn navigation app on our iPhones to update only once every three minutes.  We seek real-time operational tempos, or perhaps even faster than real-time. How can a mobile application be even faster than real-time?  It can know what you need before you even ask!  Mobile apps that are context aware can predict what you will need without you even asking for it. Let's imagine a service technician driving to his/her next job site.  The apps (and connected back-office systems) review traffic flows, guides the service tech

Digital Transformation, 3D Laser Scanning of Assets, Mobile Devices and Field Services

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It this short video I share more on the merging of the physical world with the digital and how that is impacting industries, markets and businesses in many different areas.  Learn about 3D Laser Scanning to create digital representations of physical objects to improve field services and asset management.  Enjoy! Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFKfsE28Lms&feature=share&list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************* Kevin Benedict Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with

Digital Transformation, Mobile Technologies and Customer Engagement Models - Transilio

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Imagine this scenario if you would - you pick-up a prescription at the pharmacy.  At the POS (point-of-sale) the pharmacist asks permission to send informational video clips related to the medicine you are taking and the health issue you have.  These are sent to your mobile device, tablet and/or laptop.  You agree.  At 6 PM you receive a text or email with a link to a short video that opens with a greeting from your local pharmacist and then continues educating you about the medicine and the correct way to take it.  The following day, at 6 PM, you receive another education video from your local pharmacist with information about exercise and other dietary advice related to your medicine and illness.  This continues for 5 days on a schedule. This same technology platform can be used to send short form video clips of information, on a schedule, related to any complex product or issue - think human resources, financial services, technology, equipment, etc.  This technology platform repre

Merging the Physical with the Digital for Optimized Productivity

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I write and speak a great deal about digital transformation , however I don't think I have yet clearly defined it and its relevance to businesses.  Let me step back and start by saying my working definition of digital transformation is the application of digital technologies in a manner that enables new types of innovation, businesses models, behaviors, products and services.  Often digital transformations disrupt the status quo, traditional business paradigms and accepted best practices as a result of the merging of the physical world with the digital.  The process of merging, changes many things and we will consider a few of them here. Figure 1 In a study conducted in October 2013 by Cognizant, 247 executives were surveyed and shared that 73% of core business processes will need to be modernized to meet cost, agility and new market pressures over the next 24 to 36 months.  I believe these "new market" pressures are a direct result of digital transformations happe

Thinking about Enterprise Mobility, Digital Transformation and Doctrine

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Last week I was in Europe speaking and teaching enterprise mobility and digital transformation strategies.  I worked with several large multinational companies where I heard the same questions asked, "How do we convince our executives that we must change, and invest in change?  How do we establish a culture of innovation, capable of winning in a world of digital transformation?"  The change they were referring to had to do with the convergence of the physical world with the digital and its impact on markets.  These changes are introducing new ways of selling, marketing, manufacturing and moving products in a digital world that is rapidly being transformed as a result of innovations in social, mobile, analytics and cloud technologies.  We are seeing entire industries and marketplaces turned upside down as a result of these innovations.  How can companies deal with all these changes at the pace required to remain competitive? I have been pondering those questions since.  How

Mobile Commerce News Weekly - Week of December 8, 2013

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The Mobile Commerce News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile commerce and marketing, mobile payments, mobile money, e-wallets, mobile banking, mobile ads and mobile security that I run across each week.  I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information. Also read Enterprise Mobility Asia News Weekly Also read Field Mobility News Weekly Also read Mobile Cyber Security News Weekly Also read Mobile Health News Weekly Also read Mobility News Weekly Looking for an enterprise mobility solution?  Read the Mobile Solution Directory Here ! Digital security firm Oberthur Technologies has partnered with mobile services specialists mBank in a project aimed at bringing together the m:Wallet solution from OT’s MoreMagic subsidiary and mBank’s experience in branchless banking, to provide mobile branchless banking including merchant payment, money transfer, loans, credit and insurance.   Read Original

Mobile is Causing a Y2K Event in the Enterprise - Forrester Research

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I had the privilege last week to present alongside Forrester Research's enterprise mobility expert John McCarthy in London.  I was able to write a full page of notes from his presentation that I share here with you. The Age of Cheap and Cheerful Mobile is Over!  It's now going to be complex and innovative which equals expensive. "Enterprise Mobility will be as transformative as the introduction of ERPs,” ~ John McCarthy.  Seems CIOs will use enterprise mobility as a driver for change to transform old systems that cannot support the real-time and speed requirements of a mobile era. Smart products (i.e. Internet of Things/M2M) are much cheaper today because of the evolution of mobile platforms and security. Mobile apps guide people in their physical world.  Merging physical context with virtual intelligence to take the next most likely action (context aware). IT Systems will become much more proactive, because they will be context aware and know your patterns and hab

Reducing Conjecture with Enterprise Mobility and M2M

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Mission critical enterprise mobility is all about removing blind spots from people and processes. ~Kevin Benedict The competitive battlefield of 2014 will increasingly involve data.  It will be about collecting, transmitting, analyzing and reporting its meaning faster and more efficiently than competitors.  If you can digitally represent locations, events, activities, resources, job skills, assets, schedules, materials, job statuses, etc., in remote and mobile locations accurately, then you have the ability to introduce incredibly powerful algorithms and AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities that will greatly enhance your ability to optimize processes automatically within your software systems.  WOW!  That was a mouth full!  If you have hundreds of locations, projects and job sites and thousands of assets and remote workers, your future viability as a business is likely to depend on your ability to rapidly and efficiently introduce AI into this environment. Let me introduce a

The Master Plan for Enterprise Mobility and the Role of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence

Enterprise mobility and digital transformations are ultimately about enabling AI (artificial intelligence) and human collaboration to provide better and faster data driven decision making. ~ Kevin Benedict If you agree with the statement above (it's not mandatory), then what does it take to actually deliver on it?  I believe this is where digital transformation and artificial intelligence comes into play.  First, let's discuss digital transformation.  Wikipedia's (one of my most favorite sites) definition is, "Digital transformation refers to the changes associated with the application of digital technology (i.e. going paperless) in all aspects of human society." Geography and locations can be digitized through digital maps, satellite images, overlays, GPS tracking and on-the-ground sensors (with embedded wireless chips)  that report on all kinds of measurements and activities to a central server.  The status of machines can even be monitored through wireless

The Mobile Strategy and Management Challenge

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Believe it or not, a fair number of people like my workshops on mobile strategy.  The problem though is a fair number don't.  Why?  Sometimes developers come into my sessions, stay for 15 minutes and then leave.  They were expecting to learn how to develop mobile apps, or how to secure and integrate them with back-office systems.  They had no interest in learning about enterprise wide mobile strategies. Enterprise wide mobile strategies are increasingly a business and IT leadership issue.  They involve brand, product and service strategies.  They involve plant operations, logistics and transportation.  They involve asset management, field operations and sales.  Enterprise wide mobile strategies touch every corner of the business.  Enterprise mobility is no longer an IT issue, or just a technical discussion.  Enterprise mobility is a C level discussion today.  Because of this mobile solution vendors must change their marketing strategies to address the needs of both business and I

Kevin Benedict Speaking with Forrester Research in London on December 6th

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Greetings All, I am speaking along with Forrester Research's John McCarthy on mobile led transformation in London on Friday, December 6th from 4 PM-7 PM.  If you are interested in attending the details follow: ************************************************************* Kevin Benedict , Head Analyst for Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Where the Physical Meets the Digital - GIS and Enterprise Mobility

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One of the mega-trends I write often about is the merging of the physical with the digital and the resulting impact on businesses.  A key element of this trend is the association of geospatial or location data with events, tasks, projects, processes, assets and resources.  I asked my civil engineering friend and hero of all ducks, J.D. Axford, to teach us a bit about graphical information systems (GIS).  Here it is for your reading pleasure. Three broad categories of information are combined in GIS.  As a point of reference, let's consider how a utility company would use these three: Landbase information typically comes from outside sources and depicts the natural (earth) and built (man-made) environment in which the utility operates – roads, rivers, and so on.  Grid information, defining the physical system (power lines, transformers, substations, power generation sites) the utility owns and operates, this information comes from their engineering, surveying, and maintenance

Enterprise Mobility is a Component of Digital Transformation

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Companies don't want enterprise mobility.  They want increased sales, lower expenses, better products, improved customer service and more profits.  They want to be survivors during this period of massive digital transformations.  What do I mean by digital transformation?  I mean the fact that entire industries are being changed before our eyes because the physical world is merging with the digital.  I mean big data analytics, mobile applications and broadband connectivity to the internet through mobile devices that introduce completely new business models, processes, products and markets.   In order to be a survivor in this competitive climate, companies must have a clear understanding and vision of what digital transformation is, and how it is impacting their industry, market, products and company. I met with a large national paper manufacturer today.  They have yet to start any mobile application projects internally.  I wonder if they have ever read about the impact of digital

The Race for Sensors to Supply Big Data and Enterprise Mobility

Today's competitive marketplace requires companies to collect more data, analyze more data and utilize more data to improve customer interactions and engagements.  Mobile devices are exceptionally designed to assist in this effort.  Apple's iPhone comes with an inventory of sensors: Touch Voice GPS Proximity Ambient Light Accelerometer Magnetometer Gyroscopic I listened to an IT expert in the CIA give a presentation on how they could use the sensors on a typical smartphones to uniquely identify the walking style and pace of individuals.  For example, the intelligence agency may suspect a person carrying a phone is a bad guy.  They can remotely switch on the smartphone's sensors and record the walking style and pace of the person carrying the phone and match it with their database records.  SCARY ISN'T IT!? Those are just a few of the sensors available that integrate the physical world with the digital.  Read this article I wrote to learn more about the i

Strategic Enough to Matter, Code Halos and Mobile Apps

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Gartner IT Budget Forecast If a massive herd of elephants were charging at you from 20 meters away, would taking a small step forwards or backwards improve your safety? NO!  In many situations it seems that is how companies are approaching mobile strategies.  They are staring massive marketplace transformation in the face, but responding by just starting a few mobile app POCs (proof of concepts). In James McQuivey's book titled, Digital Disruption:Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation , he states that competition in business is rapidly moving to a focus on knowledge of and engagement with customers .  Companies are developing an understanding of " code halos " (their customers' digital footprint or history of activities on the web, at a location and in various database systems) and they must now use this data to better engage with customers through their customers' " engagement format of choice " which is increasingly on a mobile device. Finding

Enterprise Mobility and the Gift of Time

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McCall, Idaho - Winter Wonderland I was standing next to a grizzled old man (definition: anyone older than me that can grow a beard), at the coffee shop today.  He said he had been standing in lines all day.  I said, "Makes you appreciate smartphones, doesn't it?"  He agreed and added they save me so much time! That comment is a perfect example of "blogger's inspiration!"  I said, "What do you mean by - "It saves you so much time?"  He said his work is closely tied to the weather.  He runs snow removal services in beautiful McCall, Idaho.  As a result, he must carefully monitor the weather including wind direction, precipitation forecasts and the beginnings and endings of storms.  He can now do all of this precisely from his smartphone.  He said he is absolutely more productive. He went on to say, "I want to start working at the tail-end of a storm to maximize my productivity and customer services."  If he starts work too ear

Mobile Expert Video Interviews: Regev Yativ

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I had the privilege of interviewing Regev Yativ, the CEO/President in the Americas of Magic Software this week.  Magic Software is over 30 years old, which gives them a unique and interesting perspective on enterprise mobility and what makes a good solution and mobile strategy.  Enjoy! Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uAWK2RlZPQ&feature=share ************************************************************* Kevin Benedict , Head Analyst for Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) Cognizant View Linkedin Profile Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Satellites, GPS Tracking, Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Technologies

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My good friend J.D. Axford, a civil engineer and hero of all ducks for his wetlands work, sent me a very interesting (if you are into GPS tracking, GIS, mobile technology, artificial intelligence, accelerometers, etc.) article he wrote on how the physical is meeting the digital in the world of construction and engineering today.  I am including it here for your pleasure and education. Compaction, in heavy construction, is the application of energy to soil, crushed rock, or asphalt to increase density by driving out air, which enables the finished, compacted material to support buildings, roadways, and other structures. Compaction is specified as a percentage of the maximum dry density determined in the lab. During construction, compaction is most often measured using a nuclear densitometer. Other reliable methods include the use of sand cone (ASTM D-1556) and rubber balloon (ASTM D-2167) methodologies; less formal tests used in the field include soil probes (a pointed steel rod p

Using Artificial Intelligence in Health Services Requires Real-Time Enterprise Mobility

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I am intrigued by the increasing use of artificial intelligence in areas like field services management and home healthcare services.  I read a use case  ( http://www.clicksoftware.com/Collateral/Documents/English-US/KinCare-Case-Study.pdf ) this morning about KinCare and ClickSoftware in Australia.  KinCare provides all kinds of home and healthcare services across a wide geography in Australia.  They are one of the largest providers of in-home care and assistance in Australia and they get paid by providing documented services compliant with government regulations.  There are designated fees for each service and there are little to no margins for errors. It is very easy to screw up and to lose a lot of money in this kind of operation. Let me provide an example of KinCare's services: Nursing care Personal care Domestic assistance Social support Respite care Transportation Case management Some of their clients need all of these services.  These services are often provid