Enterprises have been deeply engaged in digital transformation for most of the last decade. The coming together of connectivity everywhere, hyperscale cloud infrastructure services and new technologies in data science and artificial intelligence have radically changed the technology landscape, enabling enterprises with new tools and capabilities. In addition, the enforced dispersal of workers during the pandemic has resulted in radical acceleration in adoption of new technologies and working practices. This has left enterprises of all sizes with a significant transformation banquet to digest as they look to optimise their cloud centric environments and ensure cloud resources are being maximised.
With economic concerns now becoming a greater priority as inflation rises and some markets enter recession, enterprises want to make sure their investments result in high usage rates and money spent on cloud infrastructure in particular involves minimised waste. The move from the capex of traditional IT to the opex of cloud aids flexibility and scalability but enterprises want to ensure they retain freedom of choice and the ability to alter their consumption as their needs dictate. Strong demand to maximise the value of existing infrastructure continues and the ability to add cloud-based solutions to existing on-premise systems is helping to preserve investment and extend functionality with use cases such as videoconferencing, chat, file sharing and backup and smart workspace management deriving new value from older infrastructure investments.
Optimise cloud infrastructure
Even though long-term demand for digitalisation remains strong the current landscape has introduced a note of caution in cloud adoption as firms need to ensure they are getting maximum value for money. Research firm Canalys1 has reported the worldwide annual growth rate for cloud infrastructure services expenditure fell below 30% for the first time in Q3 of 2022. The firm cited the strong US dollar and the negative impact of inflation and rising energy prices as drivers behind the lower-than-expected growth but it still reported a 28% year-on-year increase in expenditure, indicating continued strong appetite for cloud. Put simply, enterprises are still investing in cloud infrastructure provided they can see they will make good use of the capacity they buy.
Put simply, enterprises are still investing in cloud infrastructure provided they can see they will make good use of the capacity they buy.
The cloud adoption curve is aided by ubiquitous connections which now empower mobile, home and remote workers across the globe. Where previously businesses would have to make technology bets on a single mobile and fixed network technology, choice has now diversified with different options available. Connectivity now encompasses wireless connectivity across LTE and 5G cellular networks and Wi-Fi6, which provides increased bandwidth to users on campuses and other work sites. The ease of accessing lower latency connectivity opens up further use of video and opportunities for complex applications that rely on real-time access to big data to power new applications and use cases. This means companies can provide their workers what they need today but also future-proof their infrastructure for future applications.
Multiple technologies come together
The need to power a wider range of applications and securely connect workers from a variety of locations places greater emphasis on connectivity. Research firm IDC has predicted that by 2026, 40% of enterprises will double investments in hyperconnected digital spaces to increase productivity, improve collaboration and enhance energy efficiency. The firm also predicts that by 2025, 50% of digital organisations will augment their cloud-first strategies with a mobile-first, multi-access network fabric using different technologies for mission-critical and business continuity use cases. However, the firm warns that by 2026, 40% of companies will lag in executing a resilient connectivity strategy due to budget constraints2.
Cloud infrastructure and connectivity are the essential enablers of the smart collaborative workspace that brings together mobile-first, cloud centric and open and agile ways of working, such as Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C). Collaboration tools, such as NEC’s UNIVERGE BLUE MEET, enable productive interaction with connected workspaces that allow disparate teams to work together in real-time while allowing individuals to have equality in their interactions with colleagues and customers. For enterprises, the benefits continue to stack up with reduced traditional office space costs and increased employee retention being among the benefits of enabling the collaborative, productive environments that workers respond well to.
Deliver richer experiences – for customers and workers
The smart enterprise isn’t only about keeping employees happy, it’s also about serving customers in ways that they expect to be served, and introducing them to richer, more tailored and personalised experiences. The concept of CX across media, channels, processes and departments to create the total user experience is gaining traction and traditional engagement models are being reinvented. Tools such as NEC’s contact centre solution UNIVERGE BLUE ENGAGE have been designed to enable smart personalisation by collecting and logging customer data across all sources in order to provide a complete history during a customer interaction.
Tools such as NEC’s contact centre solution UNIVERGE BLUE ENGAGE have been designed to enable smart personalisation by collecting and logging customer data across all sources in order to provide a complete history during a customer interaction.
Contextual information can be accessed and customer intent can be identified during a call and, as greater functionality arrives with AI and other tools, the opportunity to build rich, in-depth profiles of large customer sets enables complex behavioural clues to addressed. McKinsey has reported that these rich experiences are now a customer expectation. The consultancy says 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions and when this doesn’t happen 76% become frustrated. This has a direct impact on business performance, the firm says, citing that companies that grow faster drive 40% more of their revenue from personalisation than their slower-growing counterparts.
To learn more about the trends driving the smart enterprise in 2023, click here.
