What It Means to Be an Intelligent Enterprise in 2019

Today, more than ever, transportation & logistics (T&L) and manufacturing companies are leveraging mobility, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to transform their business and better serve their customers in the on-demand economy. Based on Zebra Technologies’ second annual Intelligent Enterprise Index, 82 percent of surveyed companies across both industries are sharing information from their IoT solutions with employees more than once a day. This is up from 70 percent in 2017. And approximately two-thirds of these share it in real- or near-real time to help prevent and address disruptions or mishaps. Leading companies are making the transition to Industry 4.0 – collecting and analyzing data during every step of their processes – to maximize their efficiency. Ultimately, this has resulted in the adoption of more “intelligent” business practices.

However, it is no easy feat to quantify how intelligent an enterprise is or how much the T&L and manufacturing space is changing to adopt IoT solutions. How “intelligent” an enterprise is cannot simply be determined by which technology solutions a company utilizes. It also depends on how they analyze and use the data they collect, their plans for change management and solution adoption, IoT security and infrastructure, and more. Each of these activities help enterprises empower their employees to excel at their jobs and provide an exceptional customer experience.

For the past two years, Zebra has tracked the progress of intelligent enterprises through our Intelligent Enterprise Index, an end-user survey designed to understand where companies are on the path to becoming a truly intelligent enterprise. This global survey reveals that more companies than ever are adopting IoT solutions to make smarter business decisions. The number of companies meeting the criteria that define today’s intelligent enterprise has doubled to 10 percent this year, highlighting new momentum around IoT deployments. The criteria include business engagement and the use of technology solution partners among others.

The survey also shows there is now less resistance to the adoption of IoT solutions as they become more prevalent. This year’s report shows 50 percent of companies are not expecting or experiencing resistance to IoT adoption moving forward. In last year’s survey, only a quarter of survey respondents reported a lack of resistance. In addition, 84 percent of companies anticipate it will take two years or less to complete implementation of their IoT solutions, showing a positive trend toward quicker execution compared to the prior year (79 percent).

As new technologies continue to digitally transform the front lines of business, it’s critical for manufacturers and T&L firms to adopt IoT solutions. Companies across the globe are demonstrating a greater reliance on a solution ecosystem with many relying on a strategic partner or vendor to manage their IoT solutions. Our survey findings reveal that more than half of companies have established an IoT vision and are executing on their IoT plans. With the right vision, technology and partner, the results of our survey indicate becoming a truly intelligent enterprise is more attainable than ever.