OCTOBER 2019CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19Delivering 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 revolutionized their businesses. It eliminated truck rolls because dealers could access their customer base and control and manage devices remotely. It also gave dealers the ability to push firmware from our cloud, which in the past had required a truck roll. With this technology, we gave dealers the ability to see each outlet on a surge protector, all the ports on a switch, see network upload and download speeds and much more. They could manage each device at a granular level, all without having to roll a truck to the customer's location. The result of all of this is that our dealers transformed from being just an "AV guy" to the connected systems "IT guy"­a true managed services provider. As a CIO, the challenges of delivering this capability were many. We had to learn how to recruit and retain talent that could build embedded software, deliver it in the cloud, and manage a new connected customer base with more than one million cloud-connected devices. Like our customers, we too had to move from being a traditional manufacturer and product servicer to a managed services provider. We began to see patterns based on the data in the connected products ecosystem. We used the data from the cloud-connected products to understand how our customers were leveraging our products and to understand and anticipate problems before our customers even knew they existed. Using this data from the connected devices, we implemented self-healing features to remedy many of the problems that had previously required manual intervention. This is a good example of stumbling upon a value-added capability that we didn't anticipate in the beginning of our endeavor. Without a doubt, it has been fun to be a part of something so game-changing and cool. On the flip side, there are always hurdles to overcome when taking the IoT, cloud, and big data plunge. Here are some of the hurdles we faced in our digital transformation journey:1. Competitive threat ­ Our success brings new competitive challengers. We saw new competitors, both from inside and outside of our industry, enter the market with look-a-like products. We had to stay on our toes to keep ahead of the game. We did that by spending time with customers to ensure we understood their biggest pain points. We used this information proactively to build solutions to address them. So far, we continue to win more times than not. We are also seeing an uptick in sales of our connected products. Dealers do value the simplicity of installation and support. OvrC has been a benefit to our dealers and to our company. 2. Cloud evolution ­ Our product has been out for just over three years now. We leverage open source tools and libraries to manage the platform. This space is changing even faster than I could have ever imagined. It forces us to stay on top of changing trends, which we do by including strategic upgrades to key components of the cloud infrastructure and software. We are purposely including these strategic updates to keep the platform relevant and to stay ahead of the competition. 3. Smooth operations ­ As a managed service provider, one key aspect to our platform is a smoothly running system. Just like with traditional IT systems, our customer-facing services must run flawlessly every day. Servers, databases, and operations are the dial-tone services of this new offering. Our dealers and internal stakeholders count on the platform to run consistently without issues every day. We implemented operating processes and systems to proactively monitor and respond to any events that occur. This has been a key aspect of our success. Platform reliability builds confidence and trust, both with our dealers, and with our internal stakeholders. 4. Talent ­ These days it's hard to find a ten-year IoT developer. The fact is, finding skilled resources are difficult. We decide to host a local IoT MeetUp event at our offices each month. The meeting attracts IoT enthusiasts from around the region and it has enhanced our marketplace reputation as a high-tech company. We are now positioned in these circles as a target employer for aspiring software engineers. Our premise was simple; with our connected products, we wanted to make the lives of our dealers easier
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