The next five years will mark a dramatic enterprise shift toward the
edge of networks, where emerging technologies can be harnessed to
radically improve user experiences, transform business models, and
generate vast revenue opportunities. That’s according to a new book
launched today by Aruba,
a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.
Opportunity at the Edge: Change, Challenge, and Transformation on the
Path to 2025, developed by Fast
Future in collaboration with Aruba, reports that edge technologies –
those which process and analyze user data where people connect to a
network – will revolutionize customer and employee experiences, create
more dynamic, responsive, and personalized business models, and even
catalyze the growth of entirely new industries. The book also argues
that enterprises must embrace fundamental change to realize these
opportunities, engaging in widespread strategic, structural, and
leadership transformation.
Morten Illum, VP EMEA at Aruba, comments: “The findings in this book
highlight the vast commercial potential for enterprises utilizing edge
technologies, if companies are willing and able to enact the
considerable organizational changes needed. The edge represents a
dramatic overhaul in how companies understand, service, and meet the
needs of their customers and employees. It will be a world defined by
dynamic, immediate, and personalized services.”
Key themes and findings
Commissioned to explore the scale of possibilities presented by edge
technologies in the next 3-5 years, the book features insights from 19
leading global CIOs, technology leaders, and industry experts and a
perspectives survey of 200 future thinkers from across the globe. It
explores the edge technologies that are driving change, the use cases
and businesses opportunities these are creating, and the ways in which
organizations can adapt to take advantage. Key trends that emerged
include:
-
The edge of the network holds the key to industry transformation:
The edge is designed to enable and capitalize on modern digital
experiences at the convergence of people, apps, and things – allowing
customer and ecosystem partners to take these actionable insights to
then create “experiences” for employees and customers. This is making
it possible for businesses and organizations in various industries to
leverage data and insights to deliver new and immersive experiences to
consumers and end customers. It is driving sectors from education and
retail to healthcare and hospitality to rethink how they act today.
New types of experiences such as location-aware mobile engagement,
digitally assisted patient care, and user-aware meeting rooms can give
organizations a competitive advantage. -
One-third of businesses will create edge-enabled mainstream
personalization by 2025: The study shows that a clear majority
(67%) of respondents believe at least 30% of businesses will be using
the edge to create “mainstream personalization” in the next five
years. From the classroom to the office, retail stores, and major
event venues, edge technologies will enable personalized service
delivery that meets growing user expectations of an immediate,
customized experience. -
New benefits from the edge will be realized: Other benefits
arising include localized products, services, and pricing (52% of
respondents), enhanced real-time market insight (50%), improved
customer and user satisfaction (48%), and faster product and service
innovation (47%).
Opportunities on the Edge
The edge will create transformative business opportunities for
industries in all facets of the economy, using data to understand
customers and tailor services to their needs, such as:
-
A retailer that can provide custom-made clothing, fitted to your 3D
hologram, as the industry evolves to provide an anywhere and
everywhere experience; -
A classroom environment that automatically adapts to each student’s
comprehension and comfort level, as schools and colleges harness edge
technologies to enhance student performance, confidence, and mental
wellbeing; -
A hospital that uses IoT monitoring sensors to provide continuous
patient reporting at the point of care and real-time diagnosis,
enhancing the ability of healthcare professionals to deliver efficient
and effective care; -
A workplace with always-on tools, enabling collaboration from any
device around the world, as offices evolve to facilitate the same
level of access and functionality for employees anywhere in the world.
These shifts will be underpinned by emerging business and revenue
models, such as payment by facial recognition or biometrics (highlighted
by 70% of survey respondents), commercial application of customer data
accumulated via the IoT (67%), hyper-personalized instant offers (63%),
demand-driven and location-specific pricing (55%), and subscription
models for everyday purchases such as food and clothing (52%).
How enterprises must adapt to take advantage
While the opportunities of the edge are considerable, relatively few
companies have moved quickly to embrace them. Simply implementing the
technologies will not be enough; companies must rethink their entire
business strategy to take advantage of edge opportunities. The book
outlines several key changes for enterprises to consider, including:
-
Embrace a more progressive, experimental approach: A majority
of survey respondents said that a change in business mindset was
needed to embrace the concept of edge strategies (64%). This could
include accepting autonomous decision-making by edge devices (60%),
greater top-level support and leadership for the pursuit of driving
smarter experiences (53%), and a willingness to experiment with
solution design and business models for edge applications (53%). -
Focus on investment, training, and customer need: There were
also calls to more clearly define the customer benefits of edge
applications (50%), allocate appropriate investment funds (42%), and
provide training in how to spot and specify potential edge
applications (45%). -
Address emerging security concerns: Enterprises must address
the security challenges of a network hosting many more connected
devices. These include the creation of potentially thousands of points
of risk exposure across the network (82%), uncertainty over whether a
device has been compromised (67%), hacking of voice or biometric
security (62%), and concerns that IoT devices and sensors are not
being built with security in mind (62%).
Rohit Talwar, CEO at Fast Future, comments: “To access the opportunities
of the edge, companies need a mindset shift to drive both structural and
strategic change. Leaders must take responsibility for navigating the
journey to the edge, working hand in hand with IT to pursue open
technology options, and maintaining a consistent dialogue with
employees, customers, and other key stakeholders. Focused experiments,
with clearly defined goals, proactive project owners, and dedicated
resources, are likely to be the best way forward.”
Morten Illum, VP EMEA at Aruba, concludes: “Enterprises should be
excited about the edge opportunity, but they should not underestimate
the degree of change needed to unlock it – including the implementation
of a network infrastructure that is strong and flexible enough to
withstand the greater demands edge technologies impose, and the security
threats they create. Given the pace and uncertainty of the change ahead,
it is also essential to base any edge strategy on an open technology
ecosystem that leaves flexibility to adapt and evolve over time.”
To read the full book, visit www.arubanetworks.com/
Research methodology
The research was commissioned by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise
company, and conducted in 2019 by Fast Future. The study used a blended
approach drawing on Fast Future’s foresight expertise, targeted
secondary research, and in-depth qualitative interviews with 19 global
CIOs, technology leaders, industry experts, and futurist thought
leaders. The project also undertook a broad survey to test emerging
ideas and incorporate additional perspectives from 200 business and
technology future thinkers across Fast Future’s global networks.
About Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is a leading provider of
secure, intelligent networks that enable customers to thrive and deliver
amazing digital experiences in the mobile, IoT, and cloud era. We are
changing the rules of networking to make it simple for IT and
organizations to bridge the physical and digital worlds at the edge.
To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com.
For real-time news updates, follow Aruba on Twitter
and Facebook,
and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products,
visit the Airheads Community at http://community.arubanetworks.com.
About Fast Future
Fast Future is a professional foresight and publishing firm,
specializing in delivering research, keynote speeches, executive
education, and consulting on the emerging future and the impacts of
technology-driven change for global clients. Fast Future publishes books
from leading future thinkers around the world, exploring how
developments such as the Internet of Things, edge technologies, AI,
robotics, and other exponential technologies and disruptive thinking
could impact individuals, societies, businesses, and governments and
create the trillion-dollar sectors of the future. Fast Future has a
particular focus on ensuring these advances are harnessed to unleash
individual potential and enable a very human future.
To learn more, visit Fast Future at www.fastfuture.com,
or follow on Twitter,
Facebook
and LinkedIn.
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