By Aisha Saati, Integrated Strategy
AT&T Business
Virtualization is all about shifting to software to control the transport layer à la software and centralizing the controls while dividing the data plane. And of course, there are the benefits: reduced total cost of ownership, increased network agility, and innovation via competition with an expanded vendor ecosystem due to the newfound hardware independence that drives on APIs.
SDN and virtualization enable network agility and help your customer’s bottom line
Virtualization is huge way for customers to save money. Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NVF) reduce the total cost of ownership with CapEx and OpEx savings. A good virtualization option should give businesses flexibility which allows their networks to scale alongside business needs—and reduced latency that can make daily operation more efficient.
In a nutshell, SDN makes network capabilities bring elasticity through centralized software control, putting more money back in your customer’s wallet.
IoT creates revenue opportunities and operational efficiencies
Now, let’s shift to the topic of trust and business. Visibility is a clear enabler of trust. IoT solutions should enable visibility and provide you with actionable insights into the supply chain. These solutions also help customers better monitor, manage, and control their assets to provide automated, real-time inventory and movement visibility. In the case of storage tanks, for example, customers can deliver more gallons per stop and reduce the total number of deliveries by up to 30%.
If your customer’s business involves assets, trailers, containers, or any type of monitoring, IoT can help. If they are unsure, consider deploying a small proof-of-concept project so they can see the potential for growth. This conversation can help to elevate your reputation and relationship—we see customers that have IoT services also tend to have higher Net Promoter Scores.
IoT projects are not commodity-based; they’re focused on efficiency. For example, if your customer is in agriculture, they should know that IoT solutions could reduce water usage by 60%. And that’s just one aspect of a single industry. A recent article by Daniel Newman from Forbes discusses how IoT impacts the supply chain in every industry, and how it can lead to new revenue opportunities and increased operational efficiencies.
One of the reasons companies choose to explore SDN or IoT projects is that data is the new currency. Any data generated by their business is an untapped opportunity to use analytics for better decisions. Increasing analytics capabilities helps businesses transform their industrial IoT data to allow for valuable insights into customer segments and inform behavior trends, retail experiences, marketing initiatives, advertising strategies, store operations, and product placement. With these insights, businesses can make better-informed decisions about their operations and better tailor their advertising.
Aisha Saati, Integrated Strategy, at AT&T Business, has over 10 years’ experience in user experience, design and technology. She has the unique ability to holistically assess a situation to align, influence, execute and course correct as well as crafting clear product visions consistent with a company’s short and long term strategic goals and/or business objectives.
