Social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) technologies, individually, have been driving innovation and changing how we communicate. Social provides a platform for interaction and generates data based upon those interactions. Mobile brings brands and customers together and creates opportunities for more meaningful engagement. Analytics make it possible to convert data into insights and make better decisions. The cloud provides flexible IT infrastructure and services that can be scaled up or down on demand.
Transformation via the "SMAC Stack"
When these technologies converge, they represent the next wave of IT that is capable of turning traditional business models and processes upside down. The integration of social, mobile analytics and cloud (referred to as the SMAC stack), makes it possible to dissolve geographic boundaries, build closer relationships with customers, learn more about their behaviors and preferences, and adjust business operations accordingly — all as cost-efficiently as possible.
SMAC has also been referred to as the Third Platform, a term coined by IDC in 2007.
IDC predicted that SMAC would transform business models compared to earlier eras of technology, prioritizing customer needs first and organizational needs second. That prediction proved to be spot on. According to IDC's FutureScape: Worldwide IT Industry 2016 Predictions — Leading Digital Transformation to Scale, two-thirds of Global 2000 CEOs will have digital transformation at the “center of their corporate strategies” by the end of 2017.
SMAC brings together relationship-building and marketing platforms, multiple communication channels, structured and unstructured data, and virtually unlimited computing capacity into a single ecosystem. This enables organizations to better understand customers, quickly adapt to changing market conditions, and find data-driven, innovative solutions to business problems. The disruptive potential of SMAC speaks to the importance of the DevOps model and the need to promote collaboration and alignment between developers and operations.
Taking Advantage of the SMAC Stack
How do you best take advantage of the SMAC stack?
The first step is to instill an open, collaborative culture in which knowledge and data are shared transparently and business objectives are aligned. The cloud should be embraced as a computing platform that offers economies of scale and delivers optimal flexibility and cost-efficiency. Access to mobile applications for both employees and customers must be prioritized as apps are now a primary engagement channel.
The business value of social interaction is dependent on mobile and the cloud — and vice versa — so social tools and strategies must be integrated with business processes. Advanced analytics solutions that integrate and create value from social, mobile and cloud data should be evaluated, and DevOps capabilities must be created to speed innovation. Finally, change is happening quickly, but it will take time to extend and connect existing IT tools and services. This requires a flexible, secure integration model, which is why many organizations are choosing a hybrid cloud approach to deployment.
A cell phone by itself is a communications tool. But when you add applications and Internet connectivity, its capabilities and business value grow exponentially. That’s the difference between a cell phone and a smartphone.
The same principle applies to SMAC.
SMAC provides organizations with more flexibility, agility, reach and insight than they have ever had.
The ability of an organization to fully leverage SMAC and adjust to today’s technological and business realities could very well determine whether that organization succeeds or fails.
Want to discuss your own digital transformation via SMAC Stack?
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