An abundance of mobile devices, sensors and IoT has enabled bosses to transform their companies and their customer’s experiences on the cloud. Companies, organisations and communities can now collaborate, innovate and develop new relationships that deal with challenges and develop new business and social models. Understanding hyperconnectivity is the first precept to taking the right actions to capitalise on the business benefits that it offers – and having a speedy broadband connection helps.
Moving to cloud
Hyperconnectivity offers companies a competitive advantage by linking all parts of the value chain. The result is a world in which physical assets have become unnecessary for some of the most successful hyperconnected businesses. For example, Uber owns no cars but is the world’s largest ride-for-hire company while Airbnb has become the world’s largest accommodation provider – without owning any rooms.
Companies today are faced with the challenge of a complex and ultracompetitive global market. Strong competition from emerging economies coupled with increasing costs of innovation make product and brand differentiation a challenge. For these companies to thrive globally bosses need to speed up internal decision-making throughout their value chains because it allows them to better respond to market demands with more innovative products.
One of the compelling benefits of the cloud is that it serves as an integration backbone for enterprise collaboration, allowing data to be exchanged at any time and from anywhere using any smart device. This enables more confident decision-making based on accurate and current data which in turn efficiently drives innovation within a networked and connected enterprise.
To accelerate the move to sustainable innovation and more efficient business practices companies need to think strategically, not project by project. This is because everybody within and beyond the enterprise needs to be included through data access rather than creating islands and silos of data that are not or cannot be universally shared.
Markets disruptors
Further business value can be derived from cloud-based connectivity because it facilitates information availability on any device. This means it can be easily shared among team members, partners, suppliers and customers. Organisations can become more agile because new team members have instant access to the platform with no requirement for IT skills.
Many of the companies that Dassault Systèmes works with capitalise on digital data to become market disruptors. This is achieved by rethinking the business model around data rather than current procedures. By developing a portfolio of options that look long term at the commercial landscape, companies can build networks of partners and customers that interact to create mutual value. This involves aligning the value chain towards common goals so that new opportunities to address and enhance market demands and experiences can develop.
But successful hyperconnectivity depends on technology, people, process and companies that promote speed, risk-taking and experimentation based on all the company’s knowledge, and that of its ecosystem, rather than a subset that does not reveal the complete picture. And of course, we won’t be able to capitalise on these benefits without a sturdy Internet connection – by definition the cloud needs the Internet to work.
Stephen Chadwick is managing director EuroNorth at Dassault Systèmes. Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 210,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.
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