New technological deployments can be incredibly disruptive for businesses. On one hand, investmentsin cloud computing, mobile devices, social systems, big data or other emerging solutions can help companies develop better operations and improve revenue. On the other, they force workers to change how they get the job done and managers need to find the best ways to deal with this business process shift. As a number of new technologies gain a strong role in many corporate settings, business process management software and similar solutions that align technology and operations can ease the transition to new solutions.
Considering emerging technologies
Responding to new technological solutions could be a common problem for businesses this year. A recent SogetiLabs study found that at least a dozen prominent emerging technologies will gain a stronger role in corporate operations in 2013.
The bring-your-own-device movement is at the top of SogetiLabs' list. Sogeti identified the widespread mobile movement as a continuing trend from 2012 that offers organizations a way to connect the workforce more meaningfully and improve productivity. Cloud computing, big data and the internet of things were also ranked among the major technologies set to gain a larger role in businesses during 2013.
Erik van Ommeren, an innovation and technology expert for Sogeti, explained thatadjusting to new technological trends is a major challenge for companies, but also a good way for them to get ahead of thecompetition.
"The best way to get ahead, to digest all things happening and distil them to form a clear course forward is to examine how the technology will be adopted and how the use of technology will then change the behavior of people. All of which is highly unpredictable," said van Ommeren.
Using BPM solutions to keep up with technological change
Keeping up with new technology is difficult from an IT perspective. However, the greatest challenge often stems from trying to get employees to embrace new solutions and adjust their operations based on how those systems help them get the job done. BPM software helps organizations build a process foundation for new IT platforms. This is accomplished through a combination of process automation and integration in the back office that translates to intuitive and accessible end-user applications that act as a central hub for end users. As a result, employees can benefit from streamlined workflows, social functionality, meaningful collaboration and process automation regardless of which device or application architecture they are leveraging.
