Today, it’s no secret that we live in a “plugged-in” culture. On any given day, more than 1.3 billion of us are interacting on social networks. More than 9 billion sensors are tracking what is created, sold, and delivered. Everything we touch, say, and do generates an influx of data volume everywhere.
We’ve entered an era of the digital enterprise, transforming business processes, decisions and outcomes with continuous digital connections between customers, workers, suppliers and devices. As businesses continue to contribute to the deepening ocean of data, the internet of things (IoT) is taking a more central role in the evolution of society and commerce. The use of sensors is expected to grow 700,000% by 2030, in order to help solve nearly every human want and need from smart cars to cancer-killing chips. As a result, everything – businesses, processes, data, and things – will become part of a connected network.
The growth of IoT, when combined with the right embedded intelligence, will revolutionize the way we work, live and play; and will transform how businesses run and compete in today’s landscape. For example, as cities become more closely linked, we see a huge opportunity to simplify all types of processes- from infrastructure management, to transportation, to government elections.
Let’s take a closer look at transportation- with the rise of urbanization, rapid traffic growth and resulting jams are becoming an increasing challenge across the globe. IoT can produce tremendous amounts of data regarding traffic patterns. This real-time data combined with distribution analytics can help predict future transportation patterns, in both normal times as well as in emergencies to improve navigation for first responders. Programs like SAP’s Urban Matters initiative are already helping urban businesses, governments, and citizens leverage IoT and analytics to lay the foundation for long-term, successful urbanization.
Our connected future won’t just impact citizens’ lives. Businesses can unleash unprecedented insight and innovation. Decision makers will be able to access and analyze information they need faster than ever before to drive desired business outcomes- including reducing operational risk, achieving nimble supply chains and delivering unsurpassed customer experience.
Achieving digital transformation in our increasingly connected world doesn’t come without its challenges. This era of unprecedented hyper-connectivity demands a real-time enterprise, meaning companies need to store and process larger volumes of data than ever before, while still having access to immediate, actionable insights. In addition, complex networks of distributed data from a widening array of sources (such as sensors, social networks and systems of record) can make this an even more daunting task for businesses as their data volumes increase.
SAP is helping businesses overcome these hurdles and achieve end-to-end digital transformation with solutions like SAP HANA Vora, which can turn large volumes of distributed data into business context with speed and agility.
In order to stay ahead of our increasingly connected world, businesses must have processes and platforms in place that enable real-time enterprise while delivering business agility and context. Are you prepared to capitalize on our connected future?
Contributed by: David Parker, Global Vice President – Internet of Things, SAP
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