Reporting
How much of your data is reported in real time vs. after the fact?
It’s safe to say that almost every industry has been affected by the 24-hour, real-time nature of the Internet. With the upcoming onslaught of data generated from the IoT, the pace of business will increase even more and customers will further demand instant, timely information. Real-time reporting will soon be a must, not a nice-to-have. Departments need to understand what is going on across business operations and customer reactions in real time, not after the fact.
Beyond that, finance departments should train their employees to build effective visual reports, interpret analytics, and write compelling narratives that are easy to understand for the non-finance layperson. The goal of a finance department is not just to keep track of cash flow, but also empower the business to strategically get ahead of the competition.
5 Questions CIOs and CFOs Need to Ask to Prepare for IoT
5 Questions CIOs and CFOs Need to Ask to Prepare for IoT
There is a lot of hype around the Internet of Things (IoT), but make no mistake, the IoT is here to stay and will have a transformative effect on businesses of all kinds. According to a 2015 report from McKinsey, over the next decade the economic impact of the Internet of Things will be as much as $11.1 trillion per year. Ensuring that your IT processes and technologies are prepared for the changes the IoT will bring will be crucial. Investments in infrastructure, security solutions and analytic capabilities are musts for any organization.
Business models are changing too. With the rise of the service economy — a concerted effort by many businesses to focus on developing revenue from their existing customer base (e.g., subscription services, recurring billing, professional services and product/service bundling) — companies are shifting from being product-oriented to service-oriented. Although IoT-inspired business models have not hit the masses, many C-level executives are already evaluating how the IoT may change the way they deliver, measure usage, and ultimately bill for products/services. Sensors and wearables will soon be used to measure how much of a given product or service is used, and businesses will charge accordingly. Recurring revenue is increasingly becoming a key tenet of any business; however, first there needs to be a financial system to support it. When the IoT goes mainstream, will your business be able to perform?
In this slideshow, Kevin Roberts, director of platform technology at FinancialForce, outlines the five questions CFOs and CIOs need to ask themselves to better prepare their infrastructure to support an IoT-centric model.
