By the year 2020, there will be some 50 billion connected devices. From shopping at a retailer and getting recommendations on accessories for an outfit when you cross into the dressing room to smart buildings that sense movement for adjusting the lighting and air controls to shop floors where machines are connected to sensors taking countless measures to predict the next maintenance check.
There are as many definitions for Internet of Things (IoT) as there are locations to find the definitions. One thing is for sure: Internet of Things is universal but not a one size fits all. Understanding industry processes and requirements is crucial to enabling IoT adoption and at SAP we speak the language of the industries. For several decades we have dutifully served 25 key industries. For example, in healthcare we realize the need to understand health services and have developed software that relays information via sensors to monitor and improve services and quality of life. If you’re receiving parcels through a large service provider, chances are that the tracking system is run through SAP Connected Logistics.
Internet of Things is about digitizing the world by connecting innovative IT technology to products, services, equipment and devices; converging operational technology with IT, if you will. It’s about making sure that equipment is properly maintained and serviced before the need arises to avoid an unnecessary breakdown in the value chain. It’s about harnessing innovation in a way that is transparent, yet, thorough. It’s about making lives run simpler, faster and safer with predictive data analyses. It’s about taking business to the next level.
This connectivity will impact our personal lives and all industries dramatically. Besides the necessary devices or equipment, software is the essential component to making hyper-connected things smarter. Being smarter, however, doesn’t mean connecting for the sake of connecting, it means recognizing true business value along the path. Smarter means a re-evaluation of the way business is done and combining these new thought processes with top-notch innovations, to address the business paradigm of tomorrow. It is being called a revolution, but at the end of the day, Internet of Things is actually an inevitable evolution. It is the creation of new business services and offerings attractive to businesses and private users. It’s the way we live.
SAP is in the thick of this evolutionary change. The SAP HANA Cloud Platform (HCP) is a connectivity and composition platform that has strong storage capabilities and special IoT services for processing and streaming events. It is the foundation for the IoT platform. By combining this with the business data in our systems, we have the unique potential to create true end-to-end and insight-to-action driven business processes for businesses.
SAP already offers a number of ways for you to start your journey into exploring and adopting IoT. For one, SAP has a high number of industry specific scenarios available. Our SAP predictive Maintenance and Services scenario and same named solution help extend asset-intensive processes already supported by SAP Business Suite like enterprise asset management and customer service management. Another example is SAP Connected Manufacturing, a true Industry 4.0 solution at the heart of connecting logistics solutions to the shop floor to better anticipate and avoid unscheduled breakdowns. There is also SAP Connected Logistics which connects logistics hubs allowing for more efficient communications. This super-charged supply chain can then, for example, enable better logistic orchestration and optimization of existing physical infrastructures. And if you are having problems identifying and understanding key business challenges, you can participate in Design Thinking workshops and find paths to solutions. SAP partners and SAP also offer tailored custom-made solutions to match your specific needs.
As you can see, there are many ways to get started today so what are you waiting for? I challenge you to think big and let SAP help you solve your industry challenges. If you can imagine a scenario, SAP can help you build it.
Internet of Things is a journey and SAP is proud to be helping to make the transformation to the digital world.
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