The combination of the physical and digital worlds generates enormous amounts of data in the manufacturing industry. IoT platforms make it possible to analyze data from different sources in real time and trigger the necessary actions in a targeted manner. It is crucial that the data is linked and correlated.

"The partnership enables us to combine GFT's specific consulting know-how with Software AG's IoT platform expertise. Digital platforms will be the most important driver of innovation in almost every industry in the coming years. They are the decisive factor in the development of new products, services and business models. However, many SMEs still have too much respect for the Internet of Things," says Dr. Wolfram Jost, CTO of Software AG. So how do you get started? Ideally, it should be based on tried-and-tested methods and process models for software development - and this is where GFT comes in. Based on these foundations, they work together with the respective company experts to develop both individual IoT applications and holistic end-to-end solutions. "Data, or the information derived from it, has the potential to have a decisive influence on the production and products of tomorrow," explains Marika Lulay, CEO of GFT. Customers can consistently focus on their core competencies, save large investments and at the same time benefit from the wide range of possibilities. "The digital transformation demands a lot from companies that were previously not very IT-driven: above all, new ways of thinking, agile approaches and technological open-mindedness. The first steps in the change process are always the most difficult - but at the end of the day, they are also the most decisive," continues Lulay.

The key to transformation

The cloud-based Cumulocity IoT platform enables various devices or machines to be connected to each other as well as to the internet and managed centrally. Using standard components, such as device management, devices of any type can be registered and managed holistically. The device data can be used for control and monitoring at any time. Furthermore, new, cloud-based IoT services can be developed based on this data. Integration, business process, analysis and machine learning functions are used. The special feature: As soon as the projects become more complex and the requirements increase, the platform grows with them. "Many companies are still in the early stages of IoT implementations. Cumulocity IoT offers the ideal entry into the networked age, as usage can be scaled individually according to the respective pace and ideas," says Dr. Wolfram Jost.

Experienced IT experts are the bottleneck

German SMEs in particular are suffering from a lack of available IT experts. However, these are necessary to successfully set up data analytics or machine learning projects. A platform alone cannot achieve this. "GFT has already achieved very good results with international development centers for many years," says Lulay and adds: "Our consultants are close to the customer and work successfully with the now around 5,000 experts in the nearshore locations in Europe and South America. It definitely doesn't make sense for medium-sized companies to set up and operate complex IT platforms independently - in addition to high investments, excellently trained personnel are the basis."

Great market potential

The global market potential for IT solutions in the area of Industry 4.0 is enormous. Gartner forecasts that global industrial companies will invest around 907 billion US dollars per year in IoT applications by 2020. Market researchers also assume that "first movers" in particular will realize above-average digital sales. According to the forecast by market research company MarketsandMarkets, sales of Industry 4.0 solutions will grow by an average of 15% per year from 2017 to 2022 (from USD 76.64 billion in 2017 to an expected USD 152.31 billion in 2022). The greatest potential for networked production is offered by the core technologies of cloud, artificial intelligence, data analytics and virtual and augmented reality.

Blockchain extension

In the next step, the cooperation between GFT and Software AG will be expanded to include blockchain use cases. Here, GFT will contribute extensive experience from numerous application scenarios - such as Project Jupiter, supply chain management for the pharmaceutical industry or the interoperable EU banking network based on Corda. kp