How to unleash the superpowers for your connected enterprise

Everybody loves superheroes. After all, superheroes are powerful characters with the ability to control wind or fire, even to save the world.

In the real world, of course, there are no actual caped crusaders or Flash Gordons. But, in the world of technology you can become a superhero. Your superpower? – The truly connected enterprise.

Driven by connectedness

Eventually enterprises, as they become truly connected companies, will allow you to unleash your superpowers by focusing on creating a completely new environment that deploys new methodologies and ways of working.

But what are the elements of this superpower? Well, perhaps not entirely new, but combined they will make you a force to reckon with: speed, scale and mindset.

• Speed – Or rather, time to value. How fast can you create value for your customers so that they appreciate your product? Time to value is the ultimate currency for the truly connected enterprise in a truly connected world. Adopt to new market conditions faster than ever before, increasing your competitiveness. Be fast, be agile – just like Flash Gordon.
• Scale – An essential capability in today’s digital world. On the one hand, scaling down is essential for you to have an entry point with your customer that is cost efficient  (“land and expand”). Then, after “landing,” you need to be able to scale up as the business expands and grows to take advantage of the opportunity without the risk of running into limitations that prevent you from maximizing profit. Shrink and grow – just like Ant-Man.
• People and mindset – Don’t forget to plan the transformational aspect within your company. Thinking about new ways of working, with software in your mind, needs not only new talents but also a different mindset. Build cross-functional teams to create digital services. Be ready to transform – just like Superman.

Superpowers unleashed: Truly connected enterprises build truly connected products

One of the new models really taking off this year is usage-based pricing – pay-as-you-go. It is a hot trend with smart machine makers, as revenue is more consistent – and resilient – than outright equipment sales.

However, adopting this model is extremely challenging and is only possible with a connected product from a truly connected enterprise.

Why? Because building a truly connected product entails bringing together various distinct departments in your enterprise, for example sales, support, customer service management, software engineering, legal and marketing.

Only by having a flow of data from and between these departments can your company benefit from a connected product. Most enterprises are too siloed to achieve this. This is where integration comes in – interconnecting the silos and ensuring the data is flowing between them.

Using smart, connected products, a truly connected enterprise can monitor and charge for usage but can also use analytics to learn from buyers’ behavior, leading to a new standard in customer experience called the super experience.

The X-Force: Superpowers teaming up

You can easily harness the value from your data or products because this ability is embedded into the software. By offering a super-experience, you can win a competitive edge, immediately, without a major battle with other superheroes.

Now do you have to go this journey of becoming a truly connected enterprise alone? No. Select your partners carefully, not only for its technology capabilities but also as an agent that can guide you in this transformation.

After all, we live in a connected world – people, technology, and processes. When you can control all these elements, you can make smarter decisions, faster – and become a superhero to your customers.