| | March 20168CIOReviewBPM:The Essential Link between IoT and CRM in the Digital AgeAnyone who has seen the introduction of new technologies and practices across industry in the past will tell you that, as soon as night follows day, one of the first questions asked is whether or not all of these new innovations have made existing systems obsolete and irrelevant. Clearly, the dawn of the digital age in which we all operate, has resulted in fundamental changes for the modern enterprise, the way they operate and the ways in which they interact with their customers. As a result, it can be tempting to look at technology like Business Process Management (BPM) and view it as an old, dusty antiquity; a cumbersome dinosaur in the shiny, new, digitally-empowered age. The truth, however, is that modern organizations must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water when investing in making themselves digitally-enabled. Indeed, it may surprise you to learn that, instead of fading quietly into the background, BPM is now an integral part of much of the digital transformation that is taking place today.Let's be clear: BPM is not the only area that has transformed from a caterpillar into a butterfly as a result of technological change. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is another example of an enterprise software category that has faced challenges. The modern digital consumer relies more on peer review `likes' vs. traditional marketing channels, and demand `snap' responses--on time, on target, and customized to their needs which are constantly changing. It's not overstating things to say that all of these considerations fundamentally change the way in which CRM business software is designed, implemented and used. This is particularly true when you also consider the potential impact of what is largely considered to be the most important digitization trend today. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a phenomenon that is expected to far exceed the disruptions from Social, Mobile, Analytics, and the Cloud combined--and one that provides a significant challenge to existing software providers. Luckily, for vendors of CRM and other software categories that have been similarly affected, help is at hand. BPM, you see, has been evolving. It has become `intelligent' and `dynamic' and goes far beyond the 2-dimensional swim lanes of the years past. Today, BPM is an agile tool that can support digital transformation platforms as well as digital technologies and which can, most importantly, allow the digitization of processes involving humans, `Things' (including robots) as well as enterprise systems. The implications of connected devices--or `Things'--are profound and transformative, and it's important to recog-nize that BPM will provide the strongest essential link between the customer and IoT. Why? Siloed con-nected devices by themselves will deliver little or limited business val-ue. The substantive busi-ness return and business ben-efits of IoT will come from services that connect the cus-tomer to the rest of the extended digital en-terprise. These services will invariably involve co-By Dr.Setrag Khoshafian, Chief Evangelist & VP of BPM Technology, PegasystemsIn MyOpinionDr.Setrag Khoshafian
< Page 7 | Page 9 >