By Ahmed El-Besary – Digitally enabled, connected environments have become commonplace with many customer interactions occurring in the digital realm. Technology continues to drive innovation such as remote asset monitoring, tracking and maintenance.
However, these innovations are not possible without edge functionality and distributed IT environments. And edge and distributed IT cannot function without resilient and reliable energy and connectivity.
To ensure companies make the most of their edge deployment strategies, organisations must treat operations and cloud infrastructure as one unified strategy rather than as separate items. IT innovation and operational efficiency become symbiotic, measured, and managed together.
The goal of a unified strategy and the cornerstone of digitally enabled, connected environments is seamless access to IT services, regardless of whether those services reside at the edge, in the cloud or in a data centre.
However, distributed IT environments are especially vulnerable to disruptions that threaten technology availability. Poor connectivity and maintenance delays are just some of the challenges that face distributed IT environments.
The reality is organisations that wish to complete the mindset shift to unified operations, and IT must monitor every facet of their infrastructure and its impact on operations.
How partner ecosystem can help
There is tremendous opportunity in the channel to assist organisations in establishing and maintaining unified operations.
Not all organisations are equipped to manage every nuance of merging technology and operations, building an ecosystem of partners will be paramount to success. These partners encompass the entire channel, from distributors to integrators and consultants who provide skills and knowledge a company’s workforce may not possess.
By working with experts, companies gain connections to specific services rendered, as well as a wider breadth of knowledge and access to expertise and innovative technologies. Moreover, leveraging partners to fill in knowledge gaps can help stakeholders build internal alignment that drives change.
Technology, partners speed the transformative journey to a digitally enabled future
As digital customer interactions continue to evolve and proliferate, transforming into digitally enabled, connected operations becomes a question of “when” not “if.” This transformation can confer numerous benefits such as:
- Improved efficiencies.
- Reduced risk.
- Enhanced security posture.
- Sustainable operations.
Investments in the right technology and strong partner relationships can ease the burden and accelerate transformation, unlocking new potential and competitive advantages.
Ahmed El-Besary is the vice-president: channel sales and marketing at Anglophone Africa, MEA at Schneider Electric