- A connected enterprise breaks down all silos and is always in the state of digital transformation, Software AG official says.
- Integration of offline and online worlds enables enterprises to manage the critical interdependencies and interrelationships between people, processes and systems more efficiently.
- To attain the status, board-level visibility is needed and requires C-level leadership and it cannot be at a department level.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) are leading the world in attaining the goal of connected enterprises and the governments have played a key role, said a top official at Software AG.
Speaking to TechChannel News, Rami Kichli, Vice President for Gulf and Levant at Software AG, said the regional governments have the appetite for change and are always ready to embrace the appetite for new risks arising from technology.
A connected enterprise can bring data from everywhere such as machinery, sensors and wearables and from virtual sources such as applications from different silos by engaging the full potential of the connection to the digital twins.
“The concept of a connected enterprise is not something new and has been there for a while but it has got a boost in the last couple of years. Connected enterprises can utilise smart processes that employ data analytics, by facilitating a secure and seamless connection between people, processes and equipment,” Kichli said.
At the same time, he said a fractured enterprise, where there is a disconnection between the human and the technology, is not at that stage and probably has limitations to do that due to lack of connectivity, integration and challenges because of silos that have not been broken yet.
Dubai Paperless Strategy
“A connected enterprise breaks down these silos and is always in the state of digital transformation. Companies can simplify and automate the key steps to becoming a truly connected enterprise,” Kichli said.
The most relevant story of a connected enterprise is Dubai’s Paperless Strategy, he said, which is more than 98 per cent complete today.
Dubai Paperless Strategy was unveiled in 2018 to fully embrace smart technology to build a perfectly integrated paperless government framework by the end of 2021 and eliminate over one billion papers annually used today in Dubai government transactions.
“It [paperless strategy] is a marvel achievement for Dubai government. Paperless is one element and it is not the full story. An organisation that can create a true digital twin, a virtual representation of your physical assets, can gain significant end-to-end visibility and visualisation of their operations.
“The integration of offline and online worlds enables enterprises to more efficiently manage the critical interdependencies and interrelationships between people, processes and systems, and to cope with the complex challenges associated with digital transformation,” Kichli said.
Digital twin framework
Moreover, Kichli said that companies are becoming more connected today but the complexity that comes along with it is a real challenge.
“Digital transformation with integration is the solution that makes an organisation connected, agile and scalable. You can be ready to make better decisions every day, accelerate innovation by breaking down all silos,” he said.
For an enterprise to succeed, he said that they need to increase operational efficiencies by collecting data from everywhere and turning the data into insights and action.
“With digital twin framework, enterprises can gain the transparency required across their operations to make better decisions that will result in improved business outcomes and initiatives,” he said.
To attain the status, he said that board-level visibility is needed and requires C-level leadership and it cannot be at a department level.
“The ability to bring data from everywhere was a big technology challenge due to legacy applications and incompatible systems and as we have gone through technology evolutions, the challenges of integration became much easier through IoT and sensors.
“Organisations do not need to get rid of or change their legacy systems, what they need is to upgrade a little bit by adding a layer of agility on top of the legacy systems to abstract the complexity and create a gateway known as legacy modernisation,” he said.
Adding agility layer
Software AG helps enterprises to create a digital twin and analysing the digital twin and attain the goal of connected enterprises.
“We add the agility layer to abstract the legacy and connect them to the data from anywhere. Many organisations we work within the region have already charted this vision and are somewhere on the path in attaining the vision,” Kichli said.
However, he said that the private sectors in the region are probably a year or two lagging in attaining the notion of connected enterprises.
“The ability to quickly and methodically manipulate real-time data is a key component of what sets a connected enterprise apart from the fractured enterprise,” he said.
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