ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘technology-2’ CATEGORY

In a development that strengthens its leading position as a provider of  secure mobile enterprise solutions,  BlackBerry has announced that it is buying mobile device management vendor Good Technology for $425 million in cash.

BlackBerry might have a dwindling share of the mobile handset market, losing its once dominant position to Apple and Android-powered smartphones, but it still has a strong presence in government and in enterprises where security of devices and data is an overriding priority. Good Technology is a leading player in the mobile device management sector, with expertise in multi-OS management. By acquiring the company, BlackBerry will expand its ability to offer a unified, secure mobility platform with applications for any mobile device on any operating system.

Good Technology serves more than 6,200 organizations, including commercial banks, aerospace and defence firms, and leaders across healthcare, manufacturing and retail. BlackBerry is the mobility partner of all G7 governments, global banks and law firms, and is strong in managed healthcare, investment services, and oil and gas sectors.

The company will bring complementary capabilities and technologies to BlackBerry, including secure applications and containerisation that protects end user privacy. With 64 percent of activations coming from Apple iOS devices, Good complements BlackBerry’s own OS. The proven Good Dynamics platform provides app-level encryption, advanced data loss prevention and secure communication between applications. The platform has more than 2,000 independent software vendor and custom applications.

“By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security,” said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO. “Like BlackBerry, Good has a very strong presence in enterprises and governments around the world and, with this transaction, BlackBerry will enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.”

“Joining forces enables customers and partners to benefit from the combined decades of secure mobility expertise and deliver the most comprehensive portfolio at global scale. The Good Dynamics platform and broad application suite remains at the heart of the joint solution, and combined with BlackBerry’s enterprise portfolio and trusted global network, will enable us together to deliver a unified secure mobility platform spanning the widest array of endpoints – from smartphones, tablets, PCs, wearables through IoT – to power business productivity any time, anywhere," said  Christy Wyatt, Chairman and CEO, Good Technology.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

In the latest version of its Glass wearable technology, Google is aiming squarely at the enterprise market, say reports from the US.

Reports in the US Wall Street Journal that Google has developed a new version of its Google Glass wearable technology has got the newswires humming, not least because it is said to be firmly targeted at the enterprise sector not the consumer market as was the case with the now discontinued first version.

Google is reported to be distributing Glass 2 to software partners to enable them to develop programs that will use Glass 2 for enterprise tasks in sectors that include manufacturing, health and energy,

The Glass 2 design is said to include a longer, thinner cubeless prism to improve the display and a different frame that opens up the possibility of the technology being used with regular spectacles. The WSJ says the latest version has  a faster Intel processor and boasts improved battery life and better wireless internet connectivity.

By focusing on enterprise private workplaces rather than consumers, Google seems to be attempting to allay fears, widely aired in the US,  over privacy,  stemming from the fact that the public would not know whether they were being filmed. Other concerns include the potential cyber threat to enterprise.

FSN view

[quote float="left"]Whether Google Glass 2 does become a valuable enterprise tool  might depend on finding the right context.

 

 

Whether Google Glass 2 does become a valuable enterprise tool remains to be seen. Reaction to the Google Glass technology has been mixed and might depend on finding the right context. Airline Virgin Atlantic, for example, has trialled it for Upper Class passengers and has reported positive response from both passengers and staff. We discussed the benefits smart glasses might have in the field service sector in Part 2 of our recent series The 2020 Field Engineers Toolkit. 

What is true, however, is that technology that was once way out there in the realms of science fiction is now becoming a reality.  It's easy to forget that smartphones and tablets began as consumer devices but were  quickly harnessed for enterprise, or that security concerns over earlier versions of Google's Android OS meant it was once deemed "unfit-for-enterprise".

Google and its developers have worked to address those fears, so there's no reason to doubt they will do the same for solutions that use Glass 2 for data capture.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

The UK Government has launched a £20 million competitive fund for collaborative research and development into driverless vehicles, along with a code of practice for testing the technologies. 

The Government says the measures will put the UK at the forefront of the intelligent mobility market, expected to be worth £900 billion by 2025.  It aims to make the UK the best place for testing driverless technology and is inviting bidders to put forward proposals in areas such as safety, reliability, how vehicles can communicate with each other and the environment around them and how driverless vehicles can help give an ageing population greater independence.

The fund is part of the £100 million funding for research into intelligent mobility announced by the Government earlier this year.  Successful bidders will match fund money with their own.

 

A new joint policy unit, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C-CAV) has been established to co-ordinate work by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and formulate future government policy on driverless cars and connected technology.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "To boost productivity Britain will need to capitalise on new technologies like driverless vehicles, securing high skilled jobs for those who want to work hard and get on, and contributing to a more prosperous future for the whole of the country. Our world beating automotive industry, strengths in innovation and light touch regulatory approach to testing driverless technology combine to make the UK market competitive and an attractive destination for investors."

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: Driverless cars will bring great benefits to our society and economy and I want the UK to lead the way in developing this exciting technology. Our code of practice clearly shows that the UK is in the best position when it comes to testing driverless cars and embracing the motoring of the future. We now look forward to working with industry to make this a reality." A decade ago Britain’s car industry was in decline, but it is now the most productive amongst the major European producers," commented Jones. "New technology can help it improve its productivity and competitiveness in the future."

A code of practice was published to accompany the announcement to provide the industry with the framework they need to safely trial cars in real-life scenarios, and to create more sophisticated versions of the models that already exist. C-CAV is currently working on a range of new technological developments, including plans to test new roadside communication technology to improve traffic flow and safety through ‘connected corridors’. This would pilot technology that will provide drivers with useful journey and safety information.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

Driverless cars have been on the horizon for a number of years now, however it seems the shift from exciting prototype to functional reality is coming ever closer and at ever-greater speed. Kris Oldland reviews developments in  a two-part feature.

With the UK government sanctioning trials on public roads this year in Bristol, Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Coventry, that functional reality is now becoming highly tangible here in the UK , especially as UK ministers have now ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines.

Indeed driverless vehicle production is seen by the British government as a major area that can help continue to drive the UK economy away from the austerity path undertaken in the last five years. Former Business Secretary Vince Cable revealed the details of the new plan at a research facility belonging to MIRA, the automotive engineering research organisation based at Nuneaton. He commented that the manufacture of driverless vehicles is “putting the UK at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society".

However, whilst Britain may feel it is in pole position to take advantage of this technology the truth is that the UK is behind not only other countries in terms of development but also behind their own schedule as well. The Department for Transport had originally pledged to let self-driving cars be trialled on public roads by the end of 2013 but concerns about legal and insurance issues restricted driverless cars to private roads until the recently announced trials.[quote float="left"]Manufacture of driverless vehicles is putting the UK at the forefront of this transformational technology.

 

California, Nevada and Florida in the USA, plus Japan and Sweden are all undertaking tests and there is a veritable who’s who of the automotive industry joining the race to develop driverless cars alongside the much hyped Google Car.

Most experts predict that we will see driverless cars potentially in the five to ten years.

Mark Fields, CEO of Ford, has estimated that fully autonomous cars will be available by 2020. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO also agrees with this, stating: “Five or six years from now we will be able to achieve true autonomous driving where you could literally get in the car, go to sleep and wake up at your destination.”

However, Musk also added that there would likely be a further 2 to 3 years for regulatory approval.

Meanwhile luxury brand Jaguar has admitted that autonomous driving for them will be a reality by 2024 with similar claims from Audi, Daimler, Nissan and many others also in the offing.

Of course the label "driverless vehicle" sounds like an incredible leap forward but technologies such as cruise control, autonomous tic braking, anti-lane drift and self-parking functions are already built into many vehicles offering a certain degree of autonomy.

That said there are still a number of additional technologies that are key to driverless vehicles being successful.

One such innovation is Lidar (light detection and ranging), a system that measures how lasers bounce off reflective surfaces to capture information about millions of points surrounding the vehicle each and every second. This type of technology is already used to create online maps used by the likes of Google and Nokia.

Yet another complimentary technique is "computer vision" - the use of software to make sense of 360-degree images captured by cameras attached to the vehicle. This can help warn of hazards like pedestrians, cyclists, roadworks and other objects that might be in the vehicle's path.

Then there is global-positioning system (GPS) location data from satellites; radar; ultrasonic sensors to detect objects close to the car; and further sensors to accurately pinpoint a vehicle's orientation and the rotation of its wheels, to help it understand its exact location.[quote float="right"]A number of additional technologies are key to driverless vehicles being successful.

 

And it’s not just automotive companies getting involved in the development process.

Leading Swiss telecom provider Swisscom has reported on the first test-drives of an autonomous car equipped with sensors, computers and special software. The car is being trialed around the streets of Zurich with two human passengers on board.

However, Swisscom claim they are not trying to gain a share in the auto-making market but instead want to understand how to apply the innovations of digital communications network in this sector.

“Swisscom is not turning into a car manufacturer. But future innovations in the automotive industry will centre on networking with the environment. For this reason, the driverless car is a prime example of digitisation and therefore of great interest to us,” said company official Christian Petit in a statement.

The software developed by Swisscom is used to give driving instructions and analyze data. The board computer powers, steers and brakes the car. Radars, video cameras and laser scanners are used to detect nearby vehicles and pedestrians. Germany's AutoNomos Labs, which has run similar tests in Berlin, has also participated in the project.

Look out for the second part of this feature where we reveal Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales’ suggestion on how driverless cars could revolutionise the pizza delivery industry (and probably field service too!)

 

---

 

Be social and share this feature

Good-bye products, hello services? The IoT and connected products means companies will  need to monetise IoTs, says consultant Nick Frank.

‘Assets will no longer be bought, but provided as a service!,’ brainstormed a senior UK manufacturing executive at a recent workshop on UK manufacturing facilitated by Cranfield University. If true, the whole nature of manufacturing, engineering and service will change forever.
We already see that the data generated by digitalisation is beginning to blur the distinction between products and services, two mega-trends are driving us further in this direction:

1. IoT and connected products are becoming part of our everyday thinking: As the Internet and smartphones have become integrated into our lives, so the idea of connected products has become the norm. Significant investments from industry heavyweights such GE, Siemens, PTC & Microsoft have created a hype that this is an opportunity not to be overlooked.
2. Governments will legislate for the Circular Economy: Who is not aware of the environmental challenges that we face on our planet today. No longer can we dig up resources, turn them into products and then throw them away. Now we have to recycle our assets and ensure they stay at the highest value. Governments are starting to legislate for what is called this Circular Economy in the way they manage large infrastructure investments such as rail infrastructure and defence.

A key challenge for companies is how to react to these big ideas in a way which is relevant to today’s business and society. The current approach appears to be a fixation on technology: ‘Think what the IoT could do for you by monitoring your fridge or health through your Apple Watch’.[quote float="left"]A key challenge for companies is how to react to these big ideas in a way which is relevant to today’s business and society.

This is great for stimulating our imagination, but does not help monetise the technology. The key is to mix this imagination, with a deep understanding of the customers’ business model and processes. Then figure out how to apply your technical or business knowledge to improve whatever it is your customer is trying to achieve.

Often this is called Service Thinking, yet most engineering and manufacturing companies actually struggle with it. Yes, these companies look at the customer needs, but they fail to deeply understand how their customers make money and the available profit pools in their industry’s supply chain.

However, increasingly we can see successful examples of how companies are using Service Thinking to expand their horizons.

I recently met with Gerard Shaw who is MD of a small Northern Irish company, LISTO, who style themselves as ‘Cloud Data Innovators’ . His goal is to find people with big imagination and insight, and help them develop solutions. He told me of a 3rd party service company who provided maintenance for air-conditioning systems covering multiple brands. In a very competitive market, their key customers were telling them not to just meet the agreed SLA’s, but to actively optimise their energy and maintenance costs. By monitoring two standard outputs found on all brands – first whether a unit is running and secondly pressure across the filter - they could understand the performance of that unit.

Through connecting units using standard telecoms technology to a web portal, they can now see failures and react before their customers report it. They can see poor performance and plan in visits, so reducing their own operational costs. When performance of a unit is poor, they can put together a business case for their customers on why they should purchase a new unit. A very simple solution, based on knowing what was important to the customer, and the critical data that could make a difference.

 

At the other extreme is MAN Truck UK who used Service Thinking to grow their business from £50M to £550M over a period of 20 years. Faced with the challenge of a declining market, the management team worked with their key customers to understand that the truck is only 10% of the annual running cost. Their customers wanted them to tackle the real issue that made a difference to their profitability. This was fuel, which accounts for 45% of their costs and the driver another 29%. MAN knew a 10% saving in fuel consumption, could double the annual profit per truck for the haulier.

Initially they developed a full maintenance contract to optimise performance, a key element of which was the telematics data systems that were just starting to be designed into the truck’s controls. They then had the insight to invest in the telematics infrastructure, allowing them such a high level of control that they could offer the truck as a leasing service. Plus the data they created on how the driver was performing enabled them to further reduce fuel consumption and decrease insurance premiums.

In both examples technology was not the route to the solution. The answers lay in a deep understanding of the customers’ business model and figuring out how to make a real difference to their profitability. Sounds simple, but not always so easy. As more companies master Service Thinking, then maybe we are getting closer to the day when most assets are delivered as a service.

 

---

 

Be social and share this feature

In this new four-part series Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland takes a look at five key tools forecast to become part of the field service engineer’s toolkit in the not so distant future.

 
As a child of the eighties with a penchant for a bit of science fiction to me the year 2015 sounds very much like the distant future we might have heard about when watching Tomorrow’s World back when we were kids. And whilst not all things that we thought would appear in the future have arrived -  for example,  we are not all walking around in  shiny silver outfits and the hover car has yet to be invented  - there is so much technology that is commonplace today which is truly remarkable and has that futuristic feel.
 
Devices like satnavs, tablets and smartphones could all have come straight from the set of Star Trek and just a decade ago it would have seemed incomprehensible that devices like these would be regular items in both our working and our personal lives. These devices are now not only widely in use, they are hitting mass saturation.
 
And it’s little wonder really when we think how big the impact first smartphones, then tablets and other forms of mobile computing have had on the way we work , how we communicate, the way we interact with each other, and how we manage tasks - all empowered by the mobile Internet. And in no other industry has the impact of improved mobile computing been felt more than in field service.[quote float="left"]In no other industry has the impact of improved mobile computing been felt more than in field service.

>However, I truly believe that the leaps forward we have made in terms of technology this decade are just the tip of the iceberg and in the next few years we will see further technologies that are now starting to emerge become as commonplace as the smartphone, satnav and tablet, and that they will have an even greater impact.  Phrases like the fourth paradigm, industry 2.0 and the new industrial revolution which were once being whispered in corners are now being used by very senior and respectable people with more and more frequency and more and more confidence.
 
Just consider this a moment – we are talking about a leap forward in technology that is comparable with the shift in society created by the industrial revolution.We are talking about massive changes in the way we work, a wholesale sea change bigger than anything we have experienced in living memory - all empowered by technologies that whilst they may seem futuristic are already out there and being used in industry today.
 
So lets take a look at some of these technologies and how they can be put to work as part of the field service engineer's tool kit.
 

 

Wearables: smart watches

 
Having spoken about smartphones in the introduction perhaps the most obvious place to start is with wearable technology such as smart watches. Last year was widely touted as the year of the wearables yet it didn’t really live up to the hyperbole.
 
In fact it was quite the opposite... research from digital research firm L2 confirmed what a lot of people in the industry would already have guessed:  that whilst 75% of consumers are aware of wearable technology, just 9% actually had any desire to purchase and a tiny 2% confirmed they actually owned a wearable device.
 
So not quite the mega-impact that many industry experts had been predicted.
 
However, whilst the consumer world might not be ready for such devices there is a definite home for them in the world of industry and particularly in field service.Lets take the smart watch to begin with. As part of the recent release of IFS Applications 9,  smart watch integration is embedded. Other companies like ClickSoftware have also built smart watch apps into their field service solutions.
 
The ability to communicate hands free, whether it be receiving messages or making a call, has obvious benefits for the field engineer whether it is when they are driving between jobs or working on site on a repair. This is the first key benefit of a smart watch. And whilst much of this functionality is available either through bluetooth headsets or through the smart-phone itself being put on speaker for example,[quote float="right"]A smart watch brings together and streamlines functionality in a much more convenient manner.

The impact that smartphones have had on field service is widely recognised - smart watches simply take the power of the mobile phone and deliver it in a more convenient device that enables the engineers to work with both hands at all times
 
And for me introducing additional convenience and improving the overall efficiency of the tasks we are trying to undertake, is a large factor in whether an emerging technology will take root and I do believe that smart watches certainly tick many of these boxes and have the potential to do so and should absolutely be considered when selecting the right hard ware for our field engineers.
 
Look out for the next feature within this feature where we look at how smart glasses and unmanned drones could also become regular tools used by our 2020 field engineers.
 

---

 

Be social and share this article

If the Internet of Things (IoT) lives up to its billing it has the potential to change the way the field service industry operates entirely. In this exclusive articele for Field Service News, Philipp Emmenegger, CEO of coresystems AG looks at what companies can do today to prep for the Internet of Things to come...

When it comes to “hot” buzzwords in tech, the “Internet of Things,” (and its acronym – IoT) may just be the hottest. A steady stream of headlines tout the latest in “smart” gadgets, internet-connected devices that keep us informed on the devices’ workings, our interaction with them, or our behaviour as we use them. We now have smart fire alarms, smart thermostats, smart fitness monitors and even smart bicycle locks. Appliance companies have been especially interested in the possibilities of Internet of Things, and for years now, we’ve been tantalised with the idea that our refrigerators will one day not only know when we are running low of groceries, but know which ones, and even place an order for more. When search giant Google bought smart home devices company Nest in January this year, it only cemented the notion that IoT is the future.

IoT: An Evolution, not A Revolution

But as fun as it is to imagine what might happen when IoT is in full force, it’s becoming abundantly clear that many challenges must be surmounted to get to this point. Tech research and consulting firm Gartner has identified no less than seven potential challenges that the big data generated from IoT devices and systems.

Security and consumer privacy are the two that tend to dominate headlines. As Gartner so rightly points out in their recent report on IoT, the challenge of security is in sheer “multitudes” of devices expected to eventually run in an automated fashion across a vast number of IT systems. Moreover, the amount of data that IoT systems will collect on consumers – and more importantly, on consumer behaviour – is another major area of concern. While the sort of information that IoT devices and gadgets will generate is key to helping companies develop better services, one security slip-up can be very damaging to market confidence.

IoT security issues will have a knock-on effect throughout a company’s IT systems. As the number of Internet-connected devices rises, and security complexity increases, availability requirements will also be impacted, putting real-time processes at risk. How do companies store the vast amounts of consumer data and enterprise data that IoT is expected to generate? How will it impact storage infrastructure and what will inevitably be an increased demand for more storage capacity? How will this impact server technologies and how will this effect data centre networks?

With these complex challenges ahead, it’s no wonder coresystems board member Elgar Fleisch, well-known IoT expert and Zurich ETH tech professor, says, “IoT is an evolution, not a revolution.”

The Pre-Cursor of the Internet of Things to Come

But what Fleisch also likes to say is, “It’s only a revolution when you miss it.”

So how can companies prepare for IoT before it’s truly operable? Smart devices are the precursor to completely automated gadgets. These still require human intervention to set them in motion and often to maintain them, but they are the first steps toward IoT.

We know, for instance, that IoT has the ability to transform customer service and field service. Imagine the day when IoT is fully operational. Your washing machine breaks down, or a sensor detects that a part is close to its breaking point, or isn’t functioning. Your washing machine sends the information to the manufacturer, who then sends an alert to the consumer and on the consumer’s approval immediately dispatches an engineer to fix the problem. What’s currently missing is the automated ability for machines to talk to customer service systems without any intervention on the owner’s part.

What can be done today? Using the humble QR code affixed to the product – for example, on your washing machine – a customer can request service and manage the repair process. At coresystems, our product coresuite companion lets consumers scan a product’s QR code, which then opens up (or downloads if this is the first attempt) the company’s branded mobile app to request service.

Of course, it means the consumer must manually scan the code and tap in their request. It does, however, give them a level of control and transparency that improves their customer service experience. For companies, it’s not only a way to let customers start self-managing the service process, buts it’s also a good warm up for how they will manage these requests within their IT systems. After all if they can’t manage them when consumers are manually requesting service, how will they manage the much faster process of multiple machines sending automated requests?

m-way, the Swiss e-mobility specialists, best known for their electric bicycles, have been trialling coresuite companion for its bicycles. As m-way marketing head Mario Klaus tells us, the combination of QR code and branded app will help them improve long-term customer retention and is a way they can start to examine a more automated process of service.

We believe that IoT will one day be a reality, but we recognize the complex challenges that lie ahead. Smart devices or smart connections to products can help companies prepare for the inevitable revolution.

 

 

The Internet of Things has certainly gained momentum recently but what does it mean to the Field Service Industry? Kris Oldland, Editor of Field Service News looks at how it could impact the industry and at a first generation of IoT field service software from Core Systems

Internet of things 101

According to the Gartner Hype Cycle for 2013, the Internet of Things was sat just below Big Data, nearing the peak of inflated expectations that emerging technologies inevitably go through. Indeed just as Big Data seemed to be the key item on the agenda in corporate offices around the world this time last year, so the Internet of Things is doing the rounds currently. So what exactly is it and what exactly does it mean to the Field Service industry at large.

Well the term Internet of Things (IoT) was first coined some 15 years ago having been proposed by British technology pioneer Kevin Ashton and largely does what it says on the tin. In a famous article for RFID Journal Ashcroft outlined the concept explaining:

“If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things—using data they gathered without any help from us—we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost.”

The idea itself is fairly simple. If we give the ordinary items that surround us the ability to essentially communicate with the world without the need for human input, the world would run just that much smoother.

With RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) essentially the ability has existed for a while for such data transfer although other tracking technologies such as NFC (near field communications) digital watermarking, low powered Bluetooth, QR codes and their humbler, older cousin the barcode can also provide the same solution.

In reality there have been two key developments that have propelled the IoT into existence.

Firstly with the latest Internet protocol IPv6 there is now room for the Internet of Things to exist. Whilst it sounds crazy, the previous protocol IPv4 just isn’t big enough and we are running out of Internet. Given that an estimated 26 to 30 Billion devise will be connecting wirelessly to the IoT within the next six years, we need somewhere these devices can call their digital home, the newer larger protocol of Ipv6 is just that and has evolved a  somewhat symbiotic relationship with the IoT.

Secondly there is the rise in smart devices such as mobile phones. These can take the role of translator between ‘dumb’ devices and the internet. Whilst the hyperbole surrounding the IoT may seem futuristic, with domestic appliances being given intelligent capabilities, the reality is that the days of ‘smart fridges’ that keep in touch with your supermarket of choice to make sure you never run out of milk being in every home are still a little way off.

However, a simple QR code placed on the front of your current ‘dumb’ fridge could give it a digital life of it’s own via your smart phone. Access to user manuals, serial numbers, replacement parts and communicating with local service engineers are suddenly possible and an early stage in the IoT amongst the general populous is very quickly becoming reality.

Internet of Things and Field Service

It is along just these lines that Swiss company Core Systems have evolved their product to date.

Whilst offering many of the features you would expect from most modern Field Service software solutions, including some neat dashboards, plenty of employee data, inventory management etc, they have also included IoT functionality.

By including a QR code or other tagging device on their products, ‘Core Systems ‘ clients are able to to offer their customers a first generation IoT interface via the cloud based CoreSuite, CoreSystems’ field service platform. End users are thus able to use their smart phone as a bridge between the ‘dumb device’ and the service company.

This allows customers of the service company to use their phone to schedule a service visit, providing an additional channel of communication alongside more similar methods such as phone, email and webchat. Also the same interface provides the opportunity for increased customer maintenance by putting machine specific information in the hands of the customer, resulting in fewer service calls for basic issue resolution.

Similarly it is not just the customer who benefits from this bank of machine specific knowledge. Should an engineer be required to attend a site, he to is able to gain access to information relating to the faulty machine including its maintenance history, in a quick, efficient and simple manner.

In the not so distant future…

Admittedly beyond the IoT element CoreSuite doesn’t break the mould of many of the other cloud based field service management software systems that are available, this first iteration of IoT based field service management system undeniably offers companies the ability to add the wow factor to their approach to service.

However, it is perhaps the next few generations of this technology that will be truly intriguing to the field service industry. As manufacturers turn to developing smart devices from jumbo jet engines through to white goods, machine to machine diagnosis and preventative maintenance will become the accepted norm and so IoT based field service management systems will in turn become more in demand.

If this proves to be the case then Core Systems are well positioned to become a major player in the field service software industry and have made an early start down an exciting and promising path.

Want to know more? Visit this years Service Management Expo where Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland will be interviewing Core Systems CEO Phillip Emmenegger on the rise of IoT and its applications in Field Service, as part of the programme for the Field Service Solutions Theatre, hosted by Field Service News.