Earlier this year Japanese brand Henn-na Hotel announced it would be opening a two-story, 72-room site staffed by robots. Duties to be undertaken by the androids include manning of the front desk, room cleaning, and porter services.
Every day we’re seeing more examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology creeping into scenarios that bring the workplace closer to Hollywood’s vision of the future as depicted in the Terminator films, A.I. or I, Robot. Each of these movies presents a world in which machines eventually supersede their human designers – becoming self-aware, learning how to survive, and in some cases, destroying the world around them.
Sci-fi meets reality
Hollywood inevitably over-dramatizes its vision of the future. But what we are seeing in Japan poses an interesting question – is this the beginning of a shift from a labor-driven workforce to a digitally-driven model?
The short answer is, yes.
So what does this mean for the network and should enterprises be making immediate steps to ready themselves for this change?
The numbers would suggest that immediate action is needed. Research by global consultancy firm Accenture found 57% of organizations are adopting technologies that help business users complete tasks that previously required IT experts. More than 75% believe that within the next three years, companies will need to focus equally on training their people and their machines.
This kind of training could be anything from using of intelligent software, algorithms, and machine learning.
Businesses are gravitating towards the digital transformation as maturing technology leads to faster ROI and improved efficiency. Gartner predicts that by 2018, the total cost of ownership for business operations will be 30 percent lower than today because of the wider use of smart machines and industrialized services.
The force underpinning this network of connected devices, machines, and robots must be robust and reliable to ensure organizations achieve maximum benefits of their technological investment.
Readying your network for the rise of the machines
If we think of these machines as mere connected devices, we can begin to understand the prerequisites needed to support this transition.
Think back to when non-Ethernet devices began to connect to the network, the advent of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and the prevalence of “Shadow IT” apps – apps built and used inside organizations without explicit organizational approval – on all these mobile devices. Each development marked a fundamental shift in networking.
The rise of the machines is no different.
Japan’s Henn-na Hotel will provide a good example of how robots will begin to enter the workplace and enterprises should take note about how to begin preparing for this sea change. According to ZK Research, when formulating the appropriate strategy to underpin these machines, enterprises need to consider the following:
- Invest in a highly intelligent, distributed architecture with a focus on connecting devices to ensure machines do not go down
- Collect, store, archive and analyze data from connected endpoints to help refine processes and make better strategic decisions to support the enterprise
- Individual devices must be secure, and their applications must be able to communicate with the network so that data is protected
We cannot begin to anticipate the number of devices, machines or, in Henn-na Hotel’s case, robots that will require the connectivity to thrive within organizations. What we do know is that a blended workforce of the future is beginning to take shape. Both humans and machines are driving businesses forward.
Making the necessary changes to your network infrastructure to support this future will be the first step to embracing this digital transformation.