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Showing posts with the label mobility analyst

Digital Transformation and the First Law of Thermodynamics

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The First Law of Thermodynamics states, "energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.”  In a business context that can be interpreted to mean if energy is being used to resist change, then it is not available for making change.  Change is difficult.  The default mode for most organizations and people is to resist change. Blockbusters’ own board resisted digital and business model transformation out of concern for short-term profits, which doomed it.  Businesses that can direct energy to fast and positive transformation can exploit many more opportunities than enterprises mired in resistance. Digital transformation and business agility are increasingly important in order to succeed, and both of these consume energy in the form of resources, available funds, credit, skills, change resistance, leadership, mental and emotional energy, time, etc. Enterprises need a method by which they can measure and monitor the amount of energy they have

It's Time for Technology to Disappear

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In 2015, technology reached the tipping point for me, it moved from the efficient column, to the inefficient column, from a pro to a con, from a help to a hindrance. You can hear it in every complaint about how email messages are overwhelming our day, interfering with priorities, impacting our schedules, hurting our productivity and forcing more of us to take our work home at night and over the weekend. In 2016, technology needs to disappear into the background, while productivity and purpose should be the siren's call. We have approximately 700,000 hours between our birth and our death. About 350,000 of those hours are spent in our careers. How many of those hours do we want to waste on poor technology experiences? I propose the following technologies must disappear, and by disappear I mean fade into the background: We shouldn’t have to read through hundreds of useless email messages to find the three necessary to complete our job. Communications need to change an

Mobile Apps - Personalizing While Respecting Personal Privacy

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All the data I have been reading this week suggest mobile users want and value a personalized experience on their mobile apps or mobile website, but on the other hand they don't like giving up their personal data.  That means it is imperative to find the right balance so a mutually satisfying relationship can be fostered.  As we all know, the more data you have on an individual, the easier it is to configure a personalized experience. In a fresh Cognizant survey this week involving 5,000 participants, 68% reported they are willing to provide information on their gender, 55% their age, and 65% their brand and product preferences, but the majority are not in favor of volunteering much else.  That is an interesting answer since 80% of the same survey participants belong to one or more loyalty and rewards programs, and the biggest reasons according to 74% are the points or rewards for each dollar spent .  The second biggest motivation was automatic discounts for loyalty program me

Mobile Apps, Blind Spots, Tomatoes and IoT Sensors

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Master Tomato Gardener A lot is written on mobile technologies, the Internet of Things, social media and analytics, but little is written on how all these might work together in a retail environment.  I think best by writing, so let's think this through together. Blind spots are defined as, “Areas where a person's view is obstructed.” Many business decisions today are still made based on conjecture (unsubstantiated assumptions), because the data needed to make a data-driven decision lies in an operational “blind spot.” Smart companies when designing mobile applications consider how they can personalize the user experience.  They ask themselves how they can utilize all the accumulated data they have collected on their customers or prospects, plus third-party data sources, to make the experience as beautiful and pleasurable as possible.  To start, they can often access the following kinds of data from their own and/or purchased databases to personalize the experience: N

Mobile Apps, Analytics, Code Halos and Mass Personalization

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Kevin Benedict, moderates this panel of digital experience and mobility experts including Benjamin Pring, Ted Shelton and Jack C. Crawford as they review and discuss the findings of Ben Pring's recent study  Putting the Experience in Digital Customer Experience . Video Link: https://youtu.be/xsPDWReccF4?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital t

Enterprise Mobility - Adventures and Lessons from the Mobile World Congress with Jon Reed

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Diginomica's Jon Reed interviews Cognizant's Senior Analyst for Digital Transformation and Mobility, Kevin Benedict on what he learned this year at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.  This year 93,000 people came together to learn and review the newest mobile, wireless and connected smart technologies at this event.  Much has changed in the past 12 months and this interview covers many of these trends. Video Link: https://youtu.be/8jwkhZgck1U ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise St

Networked Field Services and Real-Time Decision Making

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Investment in space travel has provided many direct and indirect benefits to society.  For example, weather forecasting technology, solar energy, scratch resistant lenses, water purification systems, enriched baby food and air quality monitoring have all made advancements because of investments in space travel research.  Likewise, the military has made huge investments related to the implementation of Network-Centric Warfare technologies and mobile data collection strategies that are now providing benefit and revolutionizing the way commercial field services organizations operate. One of the most important capabilities that mobile solutions offer organizations today is the ability to provide better visibility, in near real time, into the activities and events taking place in the field – let’s call it situational awareness.  Historically, it has been difficult to ensure that quality and service standards and processes are followed on remote jobsites and in mobile environments.  The

Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Discussion with Expert Ved Sen

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In this Google+ Hangout OnAir, I have the privilege of discussing the findings of my recent report, Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure,  with UK based mobile and digital transformation expert Ved Sen. We discuss the challenges identified and possible solutions.  Enjoy! Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Introduction Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 1 Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 2 Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 3 Video Link: https://youtu.be/IMYHORGxMYY?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise

Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 3

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In this new report titled Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure, I ask 80 IT and business professionals involved in enterprise and consumer mobility to answer a series of questions.  The results will be shared here in the following article series.  This is Part 3 in the series. Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, An Introduction Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 1 Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 2 Question: Do you (or your clients’) have IT systems that are too slow or incapable of supporting real-time mobile application requirements? Click to Enlarge Eighty-four percent report IT systems in their inventory that are completely incapable of supporting real-time mobility.   It is important for enterprises to take inventory of their IT systems and to thoroughly understand which systems can support real-time mobility, and which cannot, and then analyze the cost of non-support.  This inventory must be reviewed alongside forecasted technology and market tre

Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 2

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In my new report titled Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure, I ask 80 IT and business professionals involved in enterprise and consumer mobility to answer a series of questions.  The results will be shared here in the following article series.  This is Part 2 in the series. Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, An Introduction Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 1 Question: Are your (or your clients’) mobile strategies and plans inhibited or limited because of the current IT environment, infrastructure and/or design? Click to Enlarge Current IT environments, legacy systems and IT architectures are inhibiting mobile strategies and plans according to 78% of survey participants.  This represents a major competitive obstacle as data points to increasing use of mobile devices and applications.  Both the business and the IT organizations must quickly reach a consensus on how to invest and upgrade mobile infrastructures and supporting IT environments in order to remain comp

Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report, Part 1

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In my new report titled Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure,  I ask 80 IT and business professionals involved in enterprise mobility to answer a series of questions.  The results will be shared here in the following article series.  You can read the introduction to this report here . Question #1: How important will having optimized mobile applications and user experiences be to the future success of your business? Click to Enlarge Thirty-percent answered that optimized mobile applications and user experiences are “Critical” to the future success of their business, while seventy-percent of survey participants answered “Important” to “Very Important.”  These definitive responses suggest that businesses understand the key role mobile applications play today and will play in the future. What is left to be determined, however, is whether businesses fully understand how much effort and investment optimizing mobile applications and user experiences will require.  The quality of the use

Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Report - Introduction

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Real-Time Mobile Infrastructure Fortune 500 firms recognize the ubiquitous use of mobile devices, integrated sensors and broadband access to the Internet are profoundly impacting user expectations and the demand for real-time wireless information exchanges.  This can be witnessed in the fast changing expectations and shopping behaviors of mobile device empowered consumers all around us today. Demands for real-time wireless information exchanges, business analytics, media and transactional data are challenging traditional IT infrastructures, business processes and business strategies that were never designed to support a mobile and real-time world.  It is our belief that these demands and the challenges with supporting them will change the competitive landscape in most industries. Data has a shelf life.  It has a greater economic and competitive value the quicker it can be consumed and utilized. If mobile shoppers can open a mobile app and instantly be presented with a hyper-per

Starbuck's Code Halos and Mobile App Strategies

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Starbuck's Starbuck's is expanding the roll-out of their mobile ordering, loyalty and payment app.   This is one of the most interesting mobile apps from a major retailer that I have seen.  Before I summarize the key features and benefits, let me share the purpose of Starbuck's latest roll-out according to The Seattle Times' Angel Gonzauez,"...to draw more customers into a digital ecosystem that is closely entwined with its rewards program, whose users tend to buy more, and more often."  This is part of their plan to double revenue to $30 billion by 2019. Key points: Users of the app will be able to order and pay remotely - without being in the store.  No lines to stand in. The mobile app user can see, in real-time, how busy each store is (based on real-time POS data and mobile order volumes), and an estimate as to how long each store would take to deliver the order, and how long it would take you to walk or drive there.  The user can then select a

The Library of Kevin Benedict's MWC15 and Chennai Videos

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Kevin Benedict & Mani Bahl Chennai, India If you missed, ignored or somehow avoided watching the video series I filmed circumnavigating the globe these past two weeks talking about mobile technologies and digital transformation, then you have one more chance for redemption.  Here is the complete library for your enjoyment.  This series is also very good for healing insomniacs, and for ending a bad date.  Enjoy them or not! Digital Transformation, Future Job Opportunities and Chennai India Merchants of Ideas and Innovations Managing and Cultivating Mobile and Digital Transformation The State of Digital Transformation and Mobility in Asia - An Interview with Manish Bahl Barcelona the Smart City What's New in Mobility in 2015 - Reporting from MWC 2015 Mobile Expert Interviews: Microsoft's Rob Tiffany at MWC15 Mobile Expert Interviews: Xamarin's Steve Hall Kevin Benedict Interviews Micron's Mike Bokan at Mobile World Congress 2015 IoT and Sensors from AM

Mobile Expert Interviews: Xamarin's Steve Hall

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This week I am reporting and working at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Between meetings, I hunt down mobile experts to interview and share with you here.  Today, we are privileged to have Xamarin's Steve Hall as our victim/guest.  In this interview we review Xamarin's latest press releases, partnerships and software development strategies.  Enjoy! Video Link: http://youtu.be/Ob01Io7IOLY ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies ***Full Disclosure: These are my person

The Following Two Videos on Mobile Technologies are too Controversial to Show Here

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Sometimes I record video commentaries about the mobile industry that are just too controversial to publish.  They may identify trends, or identify select technologies and perhaps even vendors that you should avoid or embrace, while at other times the information is just too scary.  These two short videos, filmed in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress, are examples of videos I cannot publish. Video Link: http://youtu.be/BdI5TV3bTw0 Video Link: http://youtu.be/i5fwH2lUn-k?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the G

The State of Digital Transformation and Mobility in Asia - An Interview with Manish Bahl

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I had the privilege last week, while working in India, to interview Cognizant's Head of the Center for the Future of Work in Asia, Manish Bahl.  In this interview we discuss the current state of mobility and digital transformation across Asia.  Enjoy! Video Link: http://youtu.be/MtiFgm4P3eM?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformati

Managing and Cultivating Mobile and Digital Transformation

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I have been attending and learning at Cognizant 's "Go Digital" Innovation Days in Chennai, India this week.   I have seen some very interesting technologies, learned from experienced strategists and interviewed a number of very talented technologist this week.  In this short video I summarize some of my learnings for those not able to attend.  Enjoy! Video Link:   http://youtu.be/vsHJbABbuJY?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Writer, Speaker, Senior Analyst Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant View my profile on LinkedIn Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Browse the Mobile Solution Directory Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies ***Full Disclosure: The

Merchants of Ideas and Innovation

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Chennai, India I work in the Center for the Future of Work at Cognizant.  We conduct original research, analyze the results and share it with the world.  We also study trends from all sources and ponder their implications across many industries.  My focus is most often on mobile computing technologies and systems, and IoT (Internet of Things).  When we meet with large multinational companies, the most valuable thing they seek from us are ideas.  Although we fancy ourselves to be analyst, writers and lecturers, we are in fact - merchants of ideas. I have been pondering this notion all week.  Yesterday, while working with our IoT (Internet of Things) lab, I asked the question, "Are companies bringing their ideas to us for implementation, or are they coming to us for ideas.  The majority of companies today are coming to us for the ideas on how to take advantage of IoT in their industry. That doesn't mean they don't have ideas, it means they want more ideas and to valid