Digital Transformation and Wearables at the Personal Level

I have invited my colleague, Ben Pring, Co-Director of the Center for the Future of Work at Cognizant, to share with us his personal experiences with IoT and wearables.  His articles and insights can often be found at the site www.unvenlydistributed.com and he has a book coming out in a few weeks about how the digital lives of people, “things” and organizations are changing the rules of business.

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If you’re a pretty dedicated fitness type (like me) you’ve probably noticed the steady increase of technology into many different aspects of your chosen fitness regime or sport over the past few years. If you’re a runner you’ve probably run in a race where you use a timing chip attached to your shoe. If you play tennis you know your Graphene-based YouTek Head racquet is a far cry from the wooden Stan Smith Wilson you learnt with. And if you’re simply kicking a ball around in the back yard with your kid you’re probably conscious that the $150 Nike Ordem soccer ball you got him for Christmas is something of an upgrade on the old “placcy Wembley” that you had when you were his age. [This is a reference that only someone who grew up in 1970s north London will get!]

So the notion of technology seeping into our sporting hobbies is no big deal. But what – I would contend – is a big deal is the explosion of technology that the work out world is on the cusp of and what impact this is going to have on Health and Fitness (another 1970’s reference for you digital immigrants out there!) over the next few years. Sport is very much at the heart of the “Cambrian explosion” that The Economist highlighted a few weeks ago.

Let me walk through just a few quick examples of some of the things I’m seeing as I try and keep to my five-days-a-week regimen; and then a few thoughts from the couch as I recover and dream about the one handed backhand down the line winner on Championship point that brings me my first Wimbledon title. [“Unknown 51 Year Old Englishman Wins Wimbledon! Knighted on Center Court by Queen!” – The Daily Telegraph].

Nike Fuel Band – still a good conversation starter at parties (even though it’s been out a couple of years) the Fuel Band does a great job of tracking your movement and output count. And it’s a pretty useful watch when you wake up in the middle of the night. The dashboard on your computer/tablet is the best I’ve seen amongst the wearable monitors (much better than the Fitbit which I’ve also tried but didn’t take to). If you’re in a good work out groove the Fuel Band will probably make you feel pretty smug; if you’re not, it will only confirm what you probably already know – that despite your best intentions, you’re still a lazy bum.

BitGym - a running machine with built in TV screen that contains videos of runs you can do as you move precisely nowhere wherever you are. The other day I was in Orlando, FL and I did a 5 mile run through downtown Auckland NZ. Then a couple of weeks later I was in Auckland and not only did that real run but then ran the next day on a machine through London. Then last week I was in England and did that actual run. Someone needs to invent a word for how weird that is!

Garmin Forerunner 620 – the Usain Bolt of sports watches, this does everything except actually do the running for you. Apparently Garmin are working on that currently.  My only problem with it is that wearing it perhaps gives the impression to other folks that I think I am Usain Bolt. It’s very hard to convey irony through a watch.
Click Image to Enlarge

As the wearable, quantifiable self, Internet of Things wave continues to develop these early stage examples are going to become more common, more varied, and more useful as people see the impact even small data can have on their health and performance. Check out Novak Djokovic’s “Serve to Win” to get inspired by what you can achieve if you start really paying attention to the impact your diet has on your training program. Although also check out “Drop Dead Healthy” by AJ Jacobs if all you want to do is work out your inner cynicism!

The infusion of wearable sensors into clothing – like rugby shirts that monitor heart rates and tackle impacts – is just beginning. Soon your golf shirt will mold the perfect swing, your glasses will live stream your 10k PB, and your socks will tell you the optimum moment to rehydrate.

The digital perimeter advertising at soccer, Hawkeye instant replies in tennis, 10 yard line virtual overlays in football, which we’ve all grown used to, are simply the first waves of a new era of tech in sports which will see more change in how the world plays in the next 10 years than we’ve seen in the last hundred. It literally is going to be a whole new ball game.

One last thought; JetBlue DirecTV must be the apex of human achievement to allow you to follow live English soccer while flying from Boston to San Francisco. When I was my 11 year’s old age there was one live game of soccer on TV a year. Because it was so exciting and rare I sat in front of the TV from the start of the pre-game build up, six hours ahead of kick off, right through until the post-game wrap at 10pm. Nowadays, I can watch The Irons (West Ham United Football Club to you mate) lose – in color, in HD, while I’m sitting over Hastings, Nebraska. If that doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what will …


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Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Mobile Expert Interviews: Feedhenry's CEO Cathal McGloin

I had the privilege of interviewing Feedhenry's CEO, Cathal McGloin on enterprise mobility, mobile strategies, mobility trends and how he is positioning Feedhenry to address them.  I also had the chance to ask him to share advice on what companies should consider when developing their enterprise mobility strategy and roadmap.  Enjoy!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5M96IbOUu8&feature=share&list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw

Learn about mobile strategies in the retail, travel & hospitality industries with @Cognizant & @Moovweb on 2/6, 10am PST http://www.moovweb.com/webinars/cognizantrth/

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Bracing for Change with Enterprise Mobility

I spent last week working with four brilliant technology analysts in Chicago.  It was -40 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill. Who would schedule a meeting in Chicago mid-winter?  Even in the conference room it was cold, and we were all wearing coats and scarves! It made for a great adventure and after a brief 36 hour delay in my flight, I am back in the home office.

What did I learn last week?  For starters, more words to add to my vocabulary.  I learned how to use words like gravitas and nascent.  Two words rarely used in Boise, Idaho.  "That potato farmer has both expertise and gravitas, and he is always looking for nascent varieties of spuds."  Sorry, can't say I have ever heard that said.  I did, however, learn a great deal about how real analysts work and organize their research projects.  They taught me much about where technology is today, and where it is rapidly going over the next two years.

Three of my colleagues at Cognizant have just finished a book that will be in all the bookstores in a few weeks.  I had the chance to read much of it, and it provides brilliant insight into digital transformation across industries and markets and explains how to transform business models and IT infrastructures to be successful.
As a result of everything I learned last week, I am impressed that IT infrastructures must  be rapidly upgraded to support "real-time everything."  Mobile computing, the IoT (internet of things) and the advent of broadband Internet have transformed how we think, work, play, communicate and engage in commerce.  If we are going to host our memory, analytics, turn-by-turn navigation, business processes and business solutions in the cloud and access them through mobile devices, we have major work to do in backend infrastructures.  I believe the companies that will be successful in the next five years are those that can guide their organizations best through this age of digital transformation.

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Using Mobility to Build an Empire

In this short video I explain the 15 ways mobility helped the Roman Empire, and how enterprise mobility can help your business today.  Enjoy!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hxt2yOkAaY&list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw&feature=share


The True Cost of Mobility - Companies are under tremendous pressure to develop and deploy mobile apps for their business systems, yet the traditional approach to mobile app development typically costs $250K+ and takes 6+ months for a single app. Today IT professionals are exploring platforms that radically reduce costs and time-to-market for their mobile initiatives, especially around complex applications such as SAP, Oracle, or custom applications. Download the whitepaper - https://www.capriza.com/resources/whitepapers/?resource=true-cost-of-enterprise-mobility&adgroup=MES

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

14 Ways Strategic Enterprise Mobility Solutions Can Help Build an Empire

Roman Roads
In my recent studies of the ancient Roman Roads, I have found 14 ways the roads helped Rome build an empire.  It is also interesting to recognize these same 14 benefits are also available to businesses that aggressively adopt and embrace strategic enterprise mobility solutions today.  Here they are for your consideration:

Watch the movie here!
  1. Communications, command and control - Messages could be sent and received reliably from great distances in all seasons and weather.  This enabled a central management team to oversee huge geographical areas and large numbers of projects, campaigns, events and people from a distance.
  2. Situational Awareness - Commanders and managers had good visibility to events, activities, projects and campaigns around their entire empire so could effectively plan where resources needed to be sent and how they could best be used.
  3. Faster and better decision making - #1 and #2 (communications, command, control and situational awareness) enabled faster and better decisions to be made and communicated to remote locations.
  4. Efficient management - 180,000 legionnaires effectively controlled the entire Roman Empire.  How is this possible?  They were strategically located and were sent, when needed, quickly to the point of conflict along Roman Roads.  Fast messaging services enabled the commanders and legionnaires to understand the situation and to respond to events quickly. 
  5. Increased productivity - The Roman Empire was developed, expanded, managed and enemies conquered with relatively few resources as a result of the Roman Roads, fast communication and quick responses.  
    Roman Roads
  6. Speed - Roman legionnaires traveled at a standard rate of 20 miles in 5 summer hours with 60 lbs. packs on their back in all weather.  They could do 24 miles in 5 summer hours when pressed for short amounts of time.  This was only possible when using the Roman Roads.  Ultimately there were 29 great military highways and 113 provinces were interconnected by 372 great roads.  The whole road system comprised of more than 400,000 kilometers of roads.
  7. Predictability and standards - Knowing the location of Roman Roads and the speed in which your forces could move enabled more effective planning than was ever possible before.  
  8. Tactics - Given the predictability and standard movement speeds, plus fast communications, Roman commanders could employ tactics and effective planning in ways never before possible.
  9. Force projection - Because of the Roman Roads and all the benefits previously mentioned, the Roman commanders could effectively manage over much greater distances than ever before.  This enabled them to move further, develop a larger empire and to hold it for over 400 years.
  10. Market access - The Roman Roads enabled new markets to be opened and for farmers, craftsmen and merchants to predictably travel and transport products and services to new markets.  New all weather roads and bridges made the ability to conduct business much easier and less risky.
  11. Better logistics and planning - Perishable foods and products could move at predictable speeds in all weather and in all seasons.  Warehouses, markets, taverns and inns were located along the roads at standardized distances which greatly improved travel, safety and transportation.
  12. Optimal intersections - The Romans had maps, measured distances, solid roads, predictable troop movement speeds, supply depots, forts/outposts and knowledge about supplies and locations and events and activities. This enabled commanders and managers to effectively deliver troops, resources and supplies to specific locations at designated times (i.e. point-of-need).
  13. Swarming - 180,000 legionnaires conquered and controlled a population of over 55 million and a territory that covered the known world.  The Roman Roads allowed the legionnaires to quickly swarm to the point of need from various forts and outposts in an organized fashion because of the predictability and speed of travel that the Roman Roads provided.
  14. Culture - The Roman Roads enabled ideas, innovations, religions, scholars, philosophers, musicians and artists to travel to all the corners of the empire.  It enabled the best ideas from across the empire to travel back to Rome for examination and sharing.  This enabled the Roman culture to be fostered and adopted over great distances.
I would invite you to again read each of these 14 points, and then ponder how strategic enterprise mobility solutions implemented across your business could help your company become an empire.

The True Cost of Mobility - Enterprise corporations are under tremendous pressure to develop and deploy mobile apps for their business systems, yet the traditional approach to mobile app development typically costs $250K+ and takes 6+ months for a single app. Today IT professionals are exploring platforms that radically reduce costs and time-to-market for their mobile initiatives, especially around complex applications such as SAP, Oracle, or custom applications.

https://www.capriza.com/resources/whitepapers/?resource=true-cost-of-enterprise-mobility&adgroup=MES

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Enterprise Mobility and the Roman Road - The Movie

There is no chance of winning an Emmy or Oscar here, but I hope you will find this short video I recorded last week comparing today's enterprise mobility benefits, to those of the ancient Roman Roads interesting.  Enjoy!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOUGIdWw0c&list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw&feature=share



The True Cost of Mobility - Companies are under tremendous pressure to develop and deploy mobile apps for their business systems, yet the traditional approach to mobile app development typically costs $250K+ and takes 6+ months for a single app. Today IT professionals are exploring platforms that radically reduce costs and time-to-market for their mobile initiatives, especially around complex applications such as SAP, Oracle, or custom applications. Download the whitepaper - https://www.capriza.com/resources/whitepapers/?resource=true-cost-of-enterprise-mobility&adgroup=MES

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

The Roman Road and Enterprise Mobility

I had the distinct privilege of walking along several different Roman roads this week.  These roads have survived thousands of years worth of history and travel.  They were built using a standard design, engineering and construction methodology that was extraordinarily durable.  The paved roads of ancient Rome represent one of the most significant infrastructure and civil engineering feats in history.  They permitted the Roman Empire to flourish for over 400 years!

The way the Romans used the roads, and the benefits they gained, are very similar to how businesses today can utilize enterprise mobility solutions.  I know this is a stretch, but not a big one.  Let me explain.

The Roman Empire was big and geographically dispersed.  This fact presented challenges for managing, controlling and governing.   The speed in which messages traveled was critical and roads were a key means of transporting them.  Commanders and governors needed to know what was going on hundreds and thousands of miles away.  Distant forts, outposts and cities needed to receive instructions.  This is a similar challenge faced by companies today with a mobile workforce and remote jobsites and plants.

Let’s ponder the benefits of the Roman roads on the Roman economy.  The impact was huge, not unlike what the railways in the 19th century did for the West.  For the first time, products (among them tin, copper and salt) and services could be moved quickly and reliably transported during all seasons and weather conditions.  Today mobile apps and the Internet can help move digital products and services across the globe efficiently, while providing a means of payment, shipment tracking (for physical products) and order visibility.

The Roman roads and bridges enabled merchants to get to places that they had never been before. Places previously just too hard or expensive to get to.  Likewise, mobile apps and the Internet can instantly make products and services available across huge geographic areas that were just too hard to market and sell to before.

Today many companies have remote workers.  This presents a challenge to developing and sustaining the desired company culture.  In the Roman times, the roads they built served to help political and intellectual ideas spread quickly.  Scholars could easily travel, exchange ideas and collaborate.  Mobile apps and collaboration platforms can fill that void today.  By including even the most distant company outposts in discussions and collaboration activities, and involving them in new ideas and concepts, company culture can be developed, enhanced and expanded using mobile apps.

The Roman’s didn't limit the messages sent along their roads to just military messages.  Yes, military messages were important for maintaining control of such a massive territory, but so were letters sent between commanders, the Senate, the Emperor, merchants and cities.  Likewise, businesses will not just develop a single mobile app.  They will find that mobile apps can be used for all kinds of data collection, business intelligence, queries and commerce.

The Romans ultimately had more than 29 great military highways that led away from the capital.   113 provinces were interconnected by 372 great road links.  The whole road system comprised more than 400,000 km of roads, of which over 80,500 km were stone-paved.  This enabled them to flourish as a civilization for over 400 years.  Likewise, I expect businesses to ultimately have every ERP, back-office system and data source of significance connected to mobile apps so they can also flourish.

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Mobile Expert Interview: Mary Brittain-White

I am excited to share this interview with mobility expert Mary Brittain-White, CEO/Founder of Retriever Communications for several reasons:
  1. Mary is a long time veteran of the enterprise mobility market and she brings a unique perspective.
  2. Mary started her mobility career working with Apple's Newton.
  3. Mary is female.  I really want to include more ladies in my mobile expert interviews!  
  4. Mary's company focuses on "industrial mobility" and brings a view of enterprise mobility that is blue collar and evolved from the trenches.
*When I speak on this interview there is an annoying audio echo.  Sorry!  The good news - I don't speak much.  I hope you can overlook my audio challenges and learn from Mary's insights.

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Mobile Expert Interview: Glenn Johnson and Kevin Benedict

I had the privilege recently to connect with mobility expert Glenn Johnson, Senior VP of Magic Software Americas, on a Google+ Hangout OnAir.  Glenn turned the tables on me and he asked the questions in this interview.  Enjoy!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLnEeUZPDd8&list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw&feature=share&index=2



The True Cost of Mobility - Companies are under tremendous pressure to develop and deploy mobile apps for their business systems, yet the traditional approach to mobile app development typically costs $250K+ and takes 6+ months for a single app. Today IT professionals are exploring platforms that radically reduce costs and time-to-market for their mobile initiatives, especially around complex applications such as SAP, Oracle, or custom applications.

Download the whitepaper - https://www.capriza.com/resources/whitepapers/?resource=true-cost-of-enterprise-mobility&adgroup=MES

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation Cognizant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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