The Internet of Things (IoT) And Bottlenecks Within Organizations

Is 2015 a year of digital transformation (DT)? More often than not, we hear people saying the whole digital experience is changing. Users’ behaviors and customers’ expectations are changing too. Is there any ounce of truth, or just a hype? Yes, there is absolute truth what they say. 

We are seeing how usage of social media is grown and so is our behavior to share every minute update. In reality, social media has jump-started the sharing and collaborative economy. E-social bonding and tons of data being updated on the cloud every second are occupying a larger space than ever before.  We too see this trend going upward if we trust analytics, don’t we? So, the answer is- Yes. 2015 is a year of digital transformation, which I believe, is expected to bring a radical change in IT, people, and process (IPP).

By and large, all bricks and mortar, especially health care regardless of their shapes and sizes, are forced to ponder over this virtual transition they are seeing in a hyper connected digital world. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) for setting this momentum, we are seeing a firm commitment among different companies and VCs for seamless integration of multiple devices across homes, retail stores, automobiles, healthcare, and physical machinery. 

Source: cbinsights

IoT and digital transformation have brought in ample business opportunities. Unfortunately, organizations across the globe are constantly failing to capitalize this due to various bottlenecks. 

Highlighted below are a few gridlocks that demand immediate attention to cut across for building a scalable business model.    

 DT’s Key Components:  If an organization wants to accommodate a new landscape of digital ecosystem, it has to embrace -Agility, adaptability and alignment (AAA) - the key components of the transformation. However, encouraging a well-established practice and legacy workflow of organizations to adapt to these changes the way they work is a challenge.  Attitude, culture, business silos and standard operating procedures all get in the way.  Things are even more taxing when mid-level management play their safest game to stay secured and bully their subordinates who question their process and skillsets. I know, trying to be a catalyst in such an organization is a hard nut to crack. Dare being a vocal, the middle management do pull things in their favor with no such information being passed to the higher hierarchy. This is what I call a dirty “Vicious Circle” to flush out a talent. 

Image Source: miebach

Notwithstanding a good vision of top management, an organization fails to get into the much needed “transition phase”. Its therefore important to break the “vicious circle”, which is possible  only when a fair transparency policy is pursued with some good governance.     

Google Mobile Search – A Flop! Google has many flops and failures. Their 'Mobile Search' appears to be yet another one in doldrums, possibly on the verge of collapse. Most users even on androids hate using search on their handsets due to poor experience they end up with.   

At time when the search giant  is struggling hard to capitalize the growing mobile audience, Vurb, a mobile search engine, has got off to a flying start. In a very short time, Vurb has been able to garner positive word of mouth, giving a tough fight to the monopolistic search engine. That being said, it would be interesting to see if Vurb braves to challenge Google or just a delusional.  

Image Source: smallbiztrends

Given this virtual reality, sooner or later the biggest challenge for a business is not only to create an out of box app, but also an innovative marketing strategy to put forth.    

Is UX the Holy Grail? Notwithstanding a flawless digital product, lack of its findability across multiple devices fails to create initial momentum. This results in “a lower reach” that does not go beyond a segment, basically does not touch a long tail. In a highly crowded digital economy, even a great UX does not proffer much help especially in creating positive vibes. 

Image Source: usabilitygeek

Gone is the era of R. W. Emerson - “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door”. His wisdom is no longer applicable to the kind of digital era we are living in. Unfortunately, an organization's false belief of creating a great product has ugly truth hidden behind HTML. A technically flawed product if wrapped under a “cosmetic makeover” pleases human, not bots. Further lack of ability to go beyond analytics basics is another challenge an organization is burdened with.   

Apps Optimization – A Big Marketing Opportunity! Another key trend that we are seeing is a growing “search for apps” on multiple devices. Apps optimization is something that demands our attention then never before. I stumble upon various resources flooded on Internet with lots of valuable tips and tricks on apps/apps store optimization, but practically I see a different scenario. An organization cares more for a desktop compatible product with no or less attention being given to test apps compatibility. Sad, this is a missed business opportunity.

Image Source: pureoxygenlabs

A Disconnect Team in a Hyper-Connectivity World: It’s no wonder I find a disconnect among workforce. Looks a bit strange, but it’s a reality. On one hand, a big chunk of users are connected through multiple devices across the globe, but on the other hand, a team within an organization remains disconnected until the last minute of a delivery of a project. This is a serious alignment issue.    

Lack of seamless integration among sales, marketing, analytics, development teams, project managers, account managers, and senior management pose a challenge for the digital transformation in an organization. Apparently, they work together for a client outside their offices, but they are not in realty within their own premises. One of the important reasons for this disconnect among team is the lack of technical and marketing knowledge of a digital product!       

Closing Thoughts: As IoT evolves, it continues to bring in lot of change in IT and digital ecosystem. In such a scenario, an organization must look into a few areas such as - “Legacy Infrastructure and Workforce Connectivity”, “IT, Marketing, Sales & Analytics" skills, and “Functional & Administrative' knowledge” to set the 'matrix' right for a sustainable business model. In short, they must update their periodic table of the elements to keep a pace with the changes being imposed.