Six digital trends to watch for in 2021 - timeseries.com
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Six digital trends to watch for in 2021. timeseries.com read more
Digital 1 Enterprise-wide
transformation has Workflow Automation
become a critical Our customers are moving away from data silos and
single ERP systems as one-stop-shop solutions for
necessity. everything. There is a place for ERP, but right now firms
are thinking more in terms of automating individual
processes with dedicated applications. They are zooming
In the last decade, digital transformation has certainly into key processes and examining the fine detail for
been on firms’ agendas. Not so much an urgent item, but inefficiencies that can easily be solved via digital means.
a desirable one, the aim was usually quality, productivity This might mean automating manual effort or replacing
and improvements to the bottom line. In the last 12 existing but cumbersome digital elements with new
months, it’s taken a big shift upwards. flexible apps to improve workflows and deliver quick
wins.
With the world upended by Covid, digital transformation has
become a critical necessity; the very survival of many
The pursuit of enterprise-wide workflow automation
organizations is at stake. With the C-suite motivated and
requires app development tools which facilitate
aligned to overcome the many challenges presented by
lockdowns and the virus, the recent acceleration of digital integration with many different protocols and
initiatives has been miraculous. According to a study by technologies.
McKinsey & Company, during 2020 firms accelerated the
digitization of key operations by three to four years1 .
Businesses have had to identify high-impact actions they can
implement swiftly. In manufacturing, most procurement and 2 Enterprise-wide
supply-chain professionals say the main focus will be on the
resilience of their supply chain2. More broadly, driving out
process inefficiencies to save costs are a key focus.
Workflow Automation
Today’s decision makers and automated systems need
In 2021, agile organizations are more likely to survive ‘in the
access to detailed and ever changing information on
now’ and also to come out ahead when life returns to near-
normal. Longer term too, businesses that have invested in everything from sales, to stock and materials, production
agility (perhaps stimulated by Covid), will be in the best capacity, supply chain data and workforce availability.
position to deal with future external shocks like further Access to quality data on every aspect of the enterprise
lockdowns, geopolitical or economic instability or the sudden ecosystem at speed has become essential. This data
arrival of powerful competitors (‘Ubers’) that disrupt their must be in a standard form so that it can easily be
market. integrated, analyzed, contextualized, combined with
external data sources and acted upon.
Building ‘The Discoverable Enterprise’ requires tools
Six Key Digital Trends which facilitate cross-system data sharing making it
available without friction for use in decision making
processes, cross-system digital workflows and accessible
As we progress into 2021, most firms have accommodated
on demand to users and developers across the
remote and safe working. Here are the biggest digital trends
organization. Enterprise grade security and governance
we are observing now among our European and US client-
base. They all tie back to coping with change and to delivering are essential elements here.
high-impact benefits very quickly.
timeseries.com read more3 Easily Adaptable 5 Pursuit of
Processes Distributed
When data is readily available, organizations can start to
build business processes using reusable building blocks Computing
and software applications using agile principles. This
allows organizations to quickly adapt business processes In the last few years, businesses have moved towards
for greater efficiency or when the environment changes “anytime, anyplace, anywhere” computing. Given Covid,
and enables organizations to become disrupters distributed computing has progressed much faster than
themselves, grabbing new opportunities and realizing many organizations were planning for. Scenarios like
them quickly. combining Cloud with on-premise deployments to create
flexible and resilient application landscapes have become
Using application templates and technical accelerators key and will continue apace through 2021. This can
as well as reusable application components in guarantee business continuity and adherence to local
combination with intelligent automation tools can speed rules and regulations while at the same time offer
up the process of creating bespoke applications. These scalability when there is increased demand.
can be specifically tailored to today’s needs yet easily re-
molded to accommodate change. Governance and high quality Cloud deployment tools are
essential to effectively managing these complex
infrastructures.
4 De-centralization
– the Democratization 6 Increasing use of
of Digital IoT
With IoT hardware prices falling dramatically along with
Transformation the onset of 5G networks, business cases for merging
physical and digital worlds are becoming increasingly
Enabling different parts of an organization to digitize at viable. For example the tracking and monitoring via IoT
their own pace should be a cornerstone of the of individual transport consignments, of key stock items
digitization strategy and will increase the speed of and equipment is becoming commonplace. Digital
transformation and innovation of an organization as a sensors attached to many thousands of individual
whole. This and the drive for agility imply getting rid of mechanical components in manufacturing facilities and
monolithic, inflexible legacy systems in favor of smaller, logistics operations to track performance and predict
fit for purpose applications. The new application servicing needs or urgent attention to avoid breakdowns
landscape will consist of a mixture of off the shelf and is replacing standard maintenance schedules.
bespoke applications which are ever changing, based on
both internal and external challenges and opportunities. Success here is about more than the hardware. IoT apps
need to combine sensor data with predictive analytics
Localized digital transformation initiatives are well and machine learning to deliver useful outcomes. These
supported by low-code development platforms. Smart Apps can be sophisticated and challenging to
According to Forrester3, ‘during the pandemic, many design and build, but are available from third parties, and
organizations embraced low-code platforms to build and are built readily adaptable to different requirements.
deploy new apps fast. These experiences will drive most There’s also the huge data processing and analytics
development shops to adopt low-code tools and more.’ requirement to consider where 3rd parties (including
TimeSeries) offer IoT data platform as-a-service options
able to process millions of data inputs every minute.
timeseries.com read moreAs we enter 2021, business agility, continuity and driving
out costs will be paramount. Leaders will want to invest
in quick and positive short term hits first, while also
looking for longer-term agility and continuity assurance.
More information
Whether you’re determined to create a more agile
enterprise in 2021 or are simply looking to get more
digital, TimeSeries is here to help you. Watch this
webinar to learn more about digitizing your
(manufacturing) processes.
Page sources
1 - How Covid-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping
point and transformed business forever
2 - Industry 4.0 reimagining manufacturing operations after Covid-19
3 - Predictions 2021: Software developers face mounting pressure
Article by
Jethro Borsje
Chief Technology Officer
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