Connections Redefining the Enterprise Network

Cloud Migration Part 2: Classify your data

By G C Network | August 30, 2018

In my first post of this series, “Cloud migration part one: An overview,” I provided a high-level summary of how enterprises should migrate applications to the cloud. In this installment,…

Could Budget Sweeps Fix Your Cybersecurity Problem?

By G C Network | July 19, 2018

A recent roundtable discussion in Washington, DC with Federal IT and Cyber leaders focused on the business drivers, challenges and evolving strategies around cybersecurity in government.  After an opening presentation…

Cloud Migration Part 1: An Overview

By G C Network | July 17, 2018

Cloud Migration Part One: An Overview   Business is all about efficiency and effectiveness.  In today’s world, however, those twin goals almost always lead to cloud migration.  This anecdotal observation…

A Personal Technology for Good Redux: Call for Code

By G C Network | July 12, 2018

In 2013 I had the opportunity to manage a $2M demonstration of how cloud computing could be used to support natural disasters. In that NCOIC Geospatial Community Cloud (GCC) demonstration,…

A Path to Hybrid Cloud

By G C Network | May 31, 2018

Cloud computing is now an operational reality across every industry.  Organizations that fail to leverage this economic, operational and technology consumption model are merely consigning themselves to irrelevance.  The rapid…

Human-Led Collaboration with Machines

By G C Network | May 29, 2018

When charged with managing large and complex efforts, an overarching project management task is risk assessment. It involves documenting the current situation, comparing it to the past, and understanding the…

Sensomorphic

By G C Network | May 28, 2018

240 million results are returned in 1.06 seconds (as of May 28, 2018) when you search for cloud computing in a Google search. With that much information available, and that many…

Artificial Intelligence and the Project Manager

By G C Network | May 25, 2018

Organizations use teams to create wealth, market share, customer service, competitive advantage, and organizational success. Effective teams accomplish their assigned end goals by engaging in collaboration as a joint learning…

Building A Collaborative Team

By G C Network | May 18, 2018

Recently, Harvard Business Review cited some insightful research into team behavior at 15 multinational companies. It found that although these teams tended to be large, virtual, diverse, and composed of…

Welcome the New Project Manager!

By G C Network | May 18, 2018

According to CIO.com, the six traits of highly effective project managers are: Be a strategic business partner who can offer higher-level strategic leadership skills, not just technical management skills, provide…

Photo credit: Shutterstock

The computer and the network that connects them are both inextricably linked to the success of any business.  This truth is at the heart of our contemporary connection economy.
“The computer patiently measures and reports. [T]he network creates value in connection. The connection economy values the bridges between the nodes as much as the nodes themselves.” – Seth Godin
This train of thought explains why Uber is worth more than the independent cars it connects.  It also describes the imperative for enterprises to redefine their network in order to operate in the modern data economy.  The instantiation of today’s data economy lies in the digital supply chain that links customer demand and organizational products.  This reality surfaces the need for organizations to transform their supply chains into demand and product networks. This strategic vector increasingly includes the Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and their joint ability to support new and varied digital products.

Networks and networked devices are just as vital to a business as they are, in many cases, integral to the digital product itself.  Many modern business models boil down to having the ability to connect information seekers to service providers that serve as information sources. Uber, AirBNB, and Travelocity are all examples of this sort of business transformation that can be created through the real-time management of information accessible via network connected devices. This same business model could be just as effective in any company if it was able to focus on delivering customer centric services in a rapid, network enhanced manner.  Linking chain-of-delivery communications, for example, could optimize just about any business model that could benefit from gaining scheduling efficiencies.
Another impressive reality lies in how IoT is becoming the glue of the extended network supply chain. Through the use of machine-to-machine communications, physical product sensor data can now provide new and different insights into supply chain efficiency and customer service levels.  These innovations are even providing direct linkage between maintenance contracts and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
With extended digital supply chains supported by business driven IoT technologies operating over a software defined networked environment, the digital economy is directly connected to the larger enterprise.  With this capability, companies can effectively respond to real-time information, capture opportunities and flexibly solve their customer’s problems. This concept transforms supply chain silos into product and demand networks. It facilitates real-time information exchange and drives the required focus on customer centricity and speed.  This approach also leads to a successful accomplishment of seven key tasks that enables your business model to thrive in today’s connection economy:
  • Deliver sustainable product innovation that wins market share and meets regulatory and quality requirements
  • Execute demand-driven business processes that effectively address strategic, financial, sales, and operational goals
  • Sense customer demand, orchestrate your production supply chain and respond with appropriate services in real-time with profit
  • Maximize automation and enable full visibility and transparency of your internal and external operations
  • Integrate your digital supply chain, physical logistics and order fulfillment processes in a way that delivers wildly satisfied customers
  • Operate and manage all assets at lower risk, improved security, higher safety, better quality and with improve return on assets
  • Monitor and measure everything using real-time network management tools that sense, analyze, and predict events and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Accomplishing all of these tasks requires a competent and experienced enterprise network management team that can ensure efficient connections and improved network agility.  These two attributes are essential to attaining the twin organizational goals of reduced cost and reduced complexity.  At a minimum, your team must be adept at network management automation, software defined networking and cloud networking operations.  Needed capabilities could also include:

Your return on these network investments will be realized through less network downtime, improved staff efficiencies and enhanced industry competitiveness.

This post was brought to you by IBM Global Technology Services. For more content like this, visit ITBizAdvisor.com

Cloud Musings

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