Beyond disruption to digital cohesion

Fear of the unknown is all that stands in the way of a new era of ‘digital cohesion’ made possible by smart technology.

Typically synonymous with chaos and interference, ‘disruption’ often seems like an insurmountable and intimidating prospect for risk-averse businesses. In Australia and New Zealand in particular, only 19% of firms believe they are adequately prepared to tackle disruptive change, yet many are already doing so unknowingly.

Right now, applications and devices are universally connecting and automatically adapting to the needs and behaviours of users. We’ve moved beyond the fear and trepidation of digital disruption to an era whereby automation of the mundane, anticipation of needs and the enablement of better-informed decision-making is made possible by smart technology and devices. The technologies required to unlock an era beyond disruption already exist, and today’s business environment is now one of cohesion instead of disruption.

Juniper Networks recently released the findings of its extensive global research into business and consumer attitudes towards the readiness for an era of ‘digital cohesion’. What it found was A/NZ businesses are particularly concerned with cost and security when it comes to adopting and accepting smart devices and technology into their workplaces. Additionally, while those businesses acknowledge the potential benefits of digital cohesion, they still have a limited understanding of the more practical or tangible benefits that could be delivered via smart devices. In particular, opportunities in new models for working with staff, customers and partners remain largely untapped.

So what does this mean for businesses? They have new and increasing expectations as they move towards a more connected future, one that will require changes to technology design and the fast and secure transmission of large amounts of information both to, and within, the cloud. This will put tremendous pressure on networking technologies, forcing businesses to rethink their approach towards automation, security, interoperability and performance.

The cohesive enterprise

According to our research, more than 90% of A/NZ businesses have witnessed an increase in connected personal, corporate and infrastructure devices in the last three years. However, upon closer examination, there remains untapped potential in a number of key business functions.

While 86% of A/NZ businesses have already incorporated smart technology in their IT infrastructure, they have barely scratched the surface in other areas. In fact, only 29% of A/NZ businesses use smart devices in their finance and operations department, and just 31% do so in sales and marketing.

The good news is that businesses are aware of the possibilities and look forward to the impact they’ll make to time-saving, productivity and customer experience. Simply put, services in the era of digital cohesion will represent a shift from user-initiated, point-in-time legacy service approaches to new ones that are predictive, autonomous and adaptive. This means that there will be a steep change in the way we interact with technology.

The path to cohesion

With 87% of A/NZ businesses reporting that a surge in connected devices has already significantly affected network traffic, it will come as no surprise to learn that the future holds significant opportunities and challenges for business as digital cohesion continues to take hold.

While businesses already acknowledge, and are preparing for, the era of digital cohesion, they remain concerned about security, increased technology costs and job security, all of which are a barrier to adoption in the market.

In order to overcome these immediate barriers, including the new and increasing expectations of service providers, we’ll need to see the industry respond to these concerns, particularly by building trust and instilling confidence in the full potential of digital cohesion.

Ultimately, we are only limited by the capability and agility of the networks that underpin our communication. The next logical step is for these networks to become autonomous or self-driving, a reality that will be driven by the evolution in smart devices and technology.

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