OCTOBER 2018CIOAPPLICATIONSEUROPE.COM8taying relevant is proving difficult for many companies as the digital transformation tsunami hits the shores of most businesses. Balancing between the hype and realities of the cloud, IoT, and big data is confusing for c-suite executives. Companies are facing the emergence of new, non-traditional competitors surfacing from out of nowhere. Examples are numerous and easy to find. Consider payment offerings like Stripe and Square that threaten banks, Uber and Lift are challenging traditional taxi businesses, and Amazon and Alibaba continue to put the squeeze on small businesses everywhere. In the face of these competitive realities, CIOs must continue to lead digital transformation and fight for a legitimate seat at the table. These have been, and still are,the top priorities for IT leaders around the globe. As a CIO, I'm challenged daily to deal with cloud, IoT, and big data all at once. I work for a company that manufactures high-end audio-visual products for the residential and commercial market. Historically, SnapAV earned its market stripes by manufacturing products like speakers, racks and mounts, and structured wiring, and then selling them directly to installers from our digital commerce platform. We deliver industry leading customer service and technical support and are the best in our industry.Our Digital TransformationThen a few years ago, the company added connected products to its line-up. We added the manufacture of routers, switches, access points, amplifiers, and surveillance equipment to our line-up. We don't just make me-too products. We decided to embed our own firmware in each of the products, giving our customers the ability to control and manage these products from a smartphone or tablet. Our industry was and still is going through a digital transformation of its own. More products, both in homes and in small businesses, are connected to the internet. Our premise was simple; with our connected products, we wanted to make the lives of our dealers easier. We knew that simplifying the set-up and management of connected products would prove a critical success factor for them.Looking back to ten years ago, our customers (the home AV installers) were mostly focused on delivering multi-room audio and video to homes. They were truly AV installers. Fast forward to today, our customers have been thrust into the role of "IT guy" for homes and small businesses. More products are now connected to the internet than ever before. Our customers suddenly faced a significant challenge; how to support the new hyper-connected customer? We thought that if we could deliver a streamlined, easy to use solution, our dealers' lives would be easier, thus enabling their success. Delivering Value in the Cloud with IoTTo meet this challenge, we set out to build a cloud-based platform that enabled dealers to configure and manage connected devices all from a smartphone or tablet. The product, called OvrC (pronounced oversee) did just that. The impact was profound. Dealers told us that the platform The Digital Transformation Trifecta: Cloud, IoT, and Big DataJOE TOPINKA, CIO, SNAPAVSIN MYOPINION
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