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Overheard
The Connectivity Conundrum
For corporate and public sector organizations alike, successful digital transformation depends on connectivity—especially considering the exponential growth in the number of sensors and mobile devices around us. And with connectivity comes a gusher of data, which raises the issue of how to ensure trust with customers and citizens.
Beyond Ubiquitous Mobile
Mobile technology supports connected coffeemakers, blockchain-enabled pharmaceutical supply chains, and machine-learning algorithms in fashion retail stores. These innovations are animating new conversations about the need for ubiquitous connectivity.
Connectivity has to be affordable, globally accessible, and energy efficient for always-on performance.
Rohit Tripathi, General Manager and Head of Products, SAP Digital Interconnect
Omnichannel on the Verge
Brands know a lot about consumer behavior online, but it’s been difficult to collect information about what customers do in brick-and-mortar spaces. Retailers have an opportunity to sync online and offline experiences using the mobile devices everyone carries.
This whole notion of having a single point of view of the consumer is very much driven by the fact that you need to know where they are digitally and physically. We’ve talked about omnichannel for years, but one of the reasons it’s come to fruition is just because everything is so mobile based—and mobile is kind of that unifying device.
Evan Neufeld, Intelligence VP, L2 Inc.
A Matter of Trust
Cities around the world are breaking down data silos in order to streamline service delivery and make it easier for citizens to interact with their local government. In doing so, public agencies may gain access to personal information about constituents that they didn’t have before, complicating the issues of privacy and information access.
Unlike the commercial sector, where if you do not like what I am doing, you can stop engaging with me, you do not have that choice with government. Finding the mix of what we do with information that is appropriate and comfortable for our constituents is tricky. When you think about the broad range of cultures and people that live in this space, there is no one right balance. Everyone has a unique perspective.
Kirk Talbott, Deputy CIO, City of Atlanta
Adapted from “The Internet of Things Can’t Connect the Next Billion Until We Reinvent Mobile,” by Susan Galer; “How to Prepare for the Perfect Omnichannel Customer Experience,” by Derek Klobucher; and “Citizen Engagement—Mobile, Connected, Digital!” with host Bonnie D. Graham. D!