INTERNET OF THINGS
The Internet of Things (IoT)—along with related edge solutions—is now everywhere. IoT and edge “have already unlocked massive efficiencies in everything from warehouse inventory management to order fulfillment to more efficient route mapping,” said Colton Agar, head of SEO and organic marketing lead at Red Stag Fulfillment. “It allows physical, often-mobile devices to connect with enterprise software and streamlined data directly, meaning everyone has access to necessary data, no matter their place in the supply chain.”
Ultimately, AI will be powering IoT tools, he continued. “Imagine what IoT devices could do when supported with next-gen AI. This kind of integration would allow IoT-enabled devices to provide real-time, accurate, precise information based on custom prompts. Since these devices are mobile, they would be deployed across work environments.”
Potential issues: Moving data functions to the edge requires technical upgrades. “You’re likely looking at improvements to network security and enterprise data privacy, as that’s the bedrock of IoT tech to begin with,” said Agar. “Then you’re going to need the infrastructure and equipment itself, combined with training on how different teams and specialties will best utilize it for their work. Then you’ve got ongoing support, management, and future system improvements, each of which are investments of their own.”
Business benefits: “AI-integrated IoT scratches a lot of itches, but the main one is its improvements to operational efficiency,” said Agar. “That’s a measurable and incredibly persuasive argument when considering ROI here, because this kind of technology truly influences just about every operation in the warehousing industry. Inventory management, fleet management, maintenance, scheduling, order fulfillment, logistics, audits—all of these stand to become more efficient and informed if you have this kind of technology in the hands of your team.”
INTELLIGENT UX
User experience (UX) is often an overlooked part of the application chain that can no longer be ignored in the digital era.
“Historically, we’ve lacked unified experience layers for users of differing skill sets and segregated users by the data products’ skill type they want to produce,” said Conor Jensen, field chief data officer for Dataiku. “By moving toward integrated user interfaces regardless of user skill level, we’re able to access all appropriate data across user organizations and use a variety of analytics to solve business problems. That process is accelerating organizations’ data maturity beyond anything we’ve previously seen.”
Potential issues: Organizational culture may inhibit efforts to provide for a superior UX. “Moving toward these unified platforms requires a change in how most users work, regardless of pre-existing skill levels,” said Jensen. “Organizations must be willing to implement these platforms at scale, set the guardrails, and accept the trade-offs.” In addition, user training needs to accompany UX upgrades. “We should trust users to understand the data better, but we must also train them to,” he added.
Business benefits: “With more effective UIs, we see companies scaling analytics and AI at a rapid rate, which has more people contributing to data development and use,” said Jensen. “Fewer places to track data usage, reduced cost from optimized processes, and increased revenue both reduce risk and allow users to be more effective in their roles.”