Digital Transformation Through Cellular for Connected Enterprises

This article was produced in collaboration with Ericsson, an IoT For All Partner.

Digital Transformation is becoming a part of all successful connected enterprises, and many are finding success by connecting their products using cellular technology.

In the recently released Ericsson Connected Enterprises report, IoT experts and leaders in the industry offer insights and advice on leveraging cellular technology in your business. Ericsson also outlines its six rules for successful connectivity strategy, which include knowing your customer, capturing data, leveraging key partners, and smarter scaling of proofs-of-concept to full solutions, among many others.

Digital transformation is becoming the driving force for innovation across almost every industry and developing market, and IoT is one of the strongest tools driving that transformation. 

The report draws from interviews Ericsson did with IoT thought leaders applying digital transformation strategy in their operations right now. The lessons that are included show how to put these insights into practice in your own business. It focuses in particular on how cellular technology, 5G, dedicated networks, and other connectivity options help define the strategic path of a company. 

“The applications of IoT are endless and hold incredible potential,” said Warren Chaisatien, Senior Director of Global IoT Marketing, Ericsson. “We can make safer work environments, create new customer experiences, and reduce environmental impact, all while developing profitable new revenue streams. We can do good, and do what’s good for business, now and well into the future.”

The report is also full of case studies drawn to illustrate the fundamentals of IoT strategy and execution. Ericsson pulls insights from partners like AT&T, Audi, and many others. 

“Being able to show up and say that something is not working is just as good of an answer,” said Mo Katibeh, EVP, Chief Product, and Platform Officer, AT&T Business, in the report, “because it means you can fail fast and you can take that time, that money, that resource, and shift it to the next initiative to drive outcomes.”

In a case study with Audi, outlined in the report, Ericsson describes a collaboration with the auto company to connect one of its German factories with 5G technology, creating robot collaborations, increasing efficiency, and enhancing productivity and safety. 5G reportedly brought flexibility improvements and an all-new look at what it can look like to implement human-robot collaboration in modern IoT-enabled smart manufacturing.

“Working alongside SICK and Audi, we can address complex Applications that could never be solved before, making human-robot collaboration possible,” said Andreas Thuelig, 5G for Europe Program Manager, at Ericsson.

The future of IoT is to be found in Digital Transformation initiatives and through the strategic thinking of innovative leaders like the ones interviewed for the Ericsson Connected Enterprises report.  

As the report shows, IoT-enabled products and profitable, innovative business models are no longer out of reach or yet to come. These tools and tactics are available to companies right now, and this report can show how they can be reached. Companies that take these lessons, case studies, and opportunities into their operations could gain a huge strategic advantage. They’ll be able to leverage the vast ecosystem of partners to help overcome challenges like scalability and security. 

Companies that learn these lessons right now are the kind of enterprises that will end up shaping the future, according to Ericsson. Digital Transformation through IoT is a strong differentiator that will be driving economies and social change for decades, in all likelihood.

One of the conclusions the report reaches is that people must always be kept at front-of-mind in any digital transformation strategy. As the report says, “No matter what technology is capable of, there’s one thing it always must do: make people want to use it. That’s why innovators must-see digital transformation as human-centric.”

To continue to bring IoT technology closer to the people who will use it and implement it, Ericsson believes, the work has to be about letting humans live better lives instead of creating technology for its own sake. The potential for enterprises that is inherent in IoT and 5G technologies seems to be limitless. Still, it’s most important to remember that those possibilities hang on the ability and desire people have to change the world for the better.

There’s a quiet revolution happening in IoT right now, bringing tools to the market that are designed to enable greater interconnected networks of devices, more rich data, and deeper, more actionable intelligence and analytics. And in order to do any of this, the industry is going to rely on next generation connectivity like what is coming from cellular providers. The Digital Transformation Revolution is going to flourish in connectivity, and the connectivity needs to keep up. 

This article was produced in collaboration with Ericsson, an IoT For All Partner.