Microsoft's latest update to Dynamics CRM applies IoT (Internet of Things) principles to the software through a new feature called Connected Field Service. It's one of the latest instances of IoT finding synergies with existing enterprise applications, in this case for preventative maintenance. Here are the key details as reported by CIO:
Available as a preview in June, Connected Field Service continuously monitors IoT-enabled devices for anomalies, generating alerts that trigger automated actions or service tickets and workflow according to service level agreements. Service technicians with the right skills and tools are then matched against the service requirement based on availability and proximity and routed to customer locations for preventive action.
"For many service-oriented businesses, this represents a truly revolutionary shift from more of a reactive break-fix posture to a model that is built on predictive service," explained Param Kahlon, general manager of program management for Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft had previously announced preventative maintenance as an Azure service, but now joins Salesforce, SAP and others in the market with not just sensor connectivity, but with near real-time optimization of how engineer service responses are controlled and managed, notes Constellation Research VP and principal analyst Andy Mulholland.
"The term ‘read and react’ is far from new, but with IoT sensors delivering real-time event reads and new forms of complex event processing capable of almost instantaneous interpretation to provide optimised ‘reacts,' the game has changed," Mulholland says. "The challenge is now to figure out where near real-time optimised responses make for substantial business value."
"On one side of the market that has led to smart homes, Uber and various other consumer smart services, and as the risk for consumers is low, takeup has been rapid," he adds. "In the commercial market buyers look for stability and extensions to their current investments as much as the large tech vendors look to build on their installed customer base. Preventative maintenance seems to be the sweet spot of convergence as it can be applied to the widest number of companies with little to no sector dependancies."
However, Microsoft and other software vendors must compete with well-established manaufacturers such as GE and Bosch, "who are also offering increasingly sophisticated IoT based operational management and preventative maintenance capabilities, in many cases the same installed customer base," Mulholland adds.
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