Global advancements in the technology sector have transformed the third platform revolution from a concept to reality, argues a top research director from IDC.
The platform is comprised of four facets: Cloud, social business, mobility and Big Data. It is expected to create a major shift within the ICT sector, transforming the way in which consumers interact with their environment. This is in line with an IDC report, which explains that third platform technologies will be responsible for 98 per cent of growth in the ICT sector in the Middle East region by 2020.
In his keynote speech at the Meet ICT Conference in Bahrain, Mark Walker, director of insights and vertical industries in the Middle East region, Africa, and Turkey, highlighted the ways in which the third platforms can change our world. A primary example discussed by Walker was what he termed: The Market of One.
By combining powerful social, analytic and communication technologies, companies and governments can tailor their services to the exact needs of the individual in real-time. Consequently, this will impact how companies consider manufacturing processes, supply chains and customer satisfaction
To illustrate his point, Walker examined how third platforms can affect 3D printing in the manufacturing sector. Big Data analytics can be harnessed for designing necessary parts, social networks can be a vehicle for marketing and mobile technology can oversee customer orders. All of these separate processes would be managed using cloud technology.
“From a commercial perspective, there are very few areas that will not be directly impacted,” says Mark Walker. “Technology has become so ingrained in our lives that we have become completely reliant on it. Examples of this can be seen from interacting with friends and colleagues via social media to co-ordinating complex supply chains and executing sophisticated business strategies using cloud-based services and powerful data analytics.
