Why big data is vital for the communications industry

Applying data to improve business outcomes is a defining business challenge of our time.

Despite the importance of data to business, new research has found that seven out of 10 IT leaders cannot quantify the potential cost savings or new revenue opportunities that making better use of big data will bring. Furthermore, the rapid pace of technological change and the rise of a new generation of hyperconnected millennial workers are contributing to further change while adding stress to the IT systems that IT leaders choose to help their people work safer and smarter.

As an industry we have a major opportunity to grow by demonstrating how a modern, digital radiocommunications system can deliver both critical voice and critical data capabilities to enhance the way businesses and employees perform every day.

In its 2015 Annual Report, ARCIA stated, “It is the radiocommunications industry that is moving into the IT world and leading the way with equipment that is IP connected.”

Many in our industry have noticed a distinct market shift in recent years. IT leaders have always been the key decision-maker when choosing communications solutions. Increasingly, radiocommunications are part of their remit and can be considered as forming part of their ICT communications ecosystem. Radio devices, systems and applications are all essential components of the ICT landscape because they enable increased operational efficiency, greater productivity, enhanced worker safety and improved customer satisfaction.

Motorola Solutions wants to better understand these IT leaders, the challenges they face and how we can serve them better. One challenge they face that we wanted to explore in greater detail is ‘big data’.

New research, new opportunities

In early 2016 Motorola Solutions engaged EY Sweeney to conduct research among 130 senior IT leaders within Australia and New Zealand. The respondents were responsible for IT decision-making and procurement in areas including operations, supply chain, finance, compliance, administration or occupational health and safety. Respondents were drawn from manufacturing, construction, mining, utilities, hospitality, transport and logistics, security, retail or technology.

The research unveils how leading IT buyers are managing the complexity of big data to enable better business performance. What did we discover? The primary finding is that there is no single, dominant challenge that IT leaders face when it comes to managing big data.

In fact, there are many issues that IT buyers face when attempting to filter and adopt large amounts of data. The biggest problems identified by respondents include the poor accuracy in data, restricted access to data, the tedious task of compiling and arranging data and the inability to maintain databases to keep them updated.

The overall consensus from respondents is that the nature of big data is overwhelming. Some IT buyers don’t know where to start when interpreting data. It is clear that storing, managing and understanding data is a major challenge for most businesses, especially in tough economic conditions. The research has also made very clear which factors IT key decision-makers deem most important when assessing business needs.

Firstly, 91% of respondents want to monitor and communicate with employees to keep them safe while 87% need workers to communicate and raise an alarm wherever they are. IT leaders clearly understand that inadequate workplace safety can not only incur human cost, but can also threaten financial stability, customer loyalty and regulatory compliance.

Respondents also want increased efficiency and productivity, with 87% stating they want maximum efficiency for their operations through reduced bottlenecks and 73% wanting to automate repeated processes to simplify manual or complex tasks.

Finally, 93% of respondents said they wanted to share certain information with a defined set of people or team instead of everyone in their business. With significant technology advancements in recent times, business systems are exposed to greater security risks as new and old systems are integrated with different levels of security.

How can radiocommunications help?

IT leaders say they are struggling with immense amounts of data, the costs and difficulties associated with sophisticated business intelligence systems and the level of expertise required to make sense of it all. Can a simpler approach be the answer?

Perhaps it is small, precise, real-time data which could be the real game changer for customers. Simple data — small streams of information — represents a more targeted and outcome-driven approach to realise operational goals.

The traditional two-way radio has evolved beyond just voice communications with devices, applications and network tools that are capable of integrating with wider ICT communications systems.

Businesses can use simple data to know where team members are at all times. Indoor and outdoor GPS tracking, integrated with interactive consoles, allows businesses to keep track of team member locations and have immediate beneficial effects on employee safety. For example, using geofencing, a worker can be notified via their radio if they’ve entered a prohibited zone. And administrators can be notified if a worker has fallen over or if an employee working alone is in trouble. For example, a lone worker application can raise an alarm if the radio user has not responded to a periodic request for interaction with his or her radio device.

Simple data can also be used to automate basic, but time-consuming, tasks that are traditionally completed manually. For example, workers clocking in and out and the monitoring of doors and lights or even keeping tanks full and measuring gauges can all be automated, reducing the need for manual checks. Furthermore, job ticketing applications enable businesses to delegate tasks to workers based on their availability and location, via their two-way radio. They can then accept and mark jobs as complete once finished, with all information fed back to system administrators to ensure efficient management of tasks. Reports from this application can also improve productivity tracking and improve business decisions.

Interoperability solutions, such as Motorola Solutions’ WAVE Work Group Communication application, extend push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities to smartphones so that entire teams can remain connected via instant communications. Interoperability is essential in businesses where managers or administrative staff may not need PTT radios but often need to reach people in the field who do. By equipping all staff with PTT capability, no matter where team members are located, they can each be contacted at the push of a button. This keeps everyone better informed and allows for questions and incidents to be promptly resolved, which in turn enhances the experience for customers.

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Hear about it

At Comms Connect Melbourne 2016, Motorola Solutions Channel Manager Daniel Leppos will present on the topic ‘2017 and beyond: what do customers want from a communications solution?’ Join the presentation on Wednesday, 23 November at 12.15 pm and visit Motorola Solutions at stand 107. You can also download the white paper ‘Big data: Is it smaller than you think?’

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