Industrial DataOps (data operations) can be a crucial component in transforming industrial businesses by optimizing data processes, delivering data quality and facilitating efficient decision-making. But how do you determine the right solution and solution provider to realize the value you’re hoping to achieve?
There are many factors to consider when defining the capabilities your Industrial DataOps solution must have. And, critically, there are also many factors to consider when identifying a solution provider -- before committing to the next step in your digital transformation journey. It may seem obvious but to achieve operational excellence you must first align your organizational goals with your solution provider’s capabilities. The probability of delivering on your expected ROI is much greater if your solution provider has core competency within your domain.
So how do you evaluate a potential solution implementer to achieve that success? Here are 10 key questions you should ask when partnering with a system integrator (SI).
- What industrial business areas, main products, services and relevant expertise do you provide other companies? Be sure to ask for specific examples. Anyone can claim these requirements but can they back them up?
- Are your products or services general or specific to my industry? Can you describe your domain expertise? Once again, contracting a provider who has actual experience delivering solutions within your industry can be the difference between a longer or shorter implementation and getting it right the first time.
- Does the SI understand your challenges, processes and business goals? Look for a direct dialogue from your provider. Often, the questions they ask you are just as important in determining whether they understand your business.
- How many existing customers does the SI have? The best way to avoid inexperience is to know that this is not their first time implementing this solution. Experience is gained over time and projects.
- Are there past successes the SI can share related to your industry? Related to the above, knowing your industry may not always be the same as having successful projects in your industry.
- Ask the SI to tell you a little about the team you will be working with. Finding an expert is more than just hiring the smartest person; experience is critical so that common pitfalls and challenges have already been identified and can often be avoided.
- Can the SI provide a demo? This sounds like a given. But if a provider cannot show you a demo, you may be in danger of investing in a pilot project that will fail. Trust in those who can show you the solution you are expecting before you move forward.
- Ask the SI to cite the most common use cases they have delivered. The details of actual use cases will help you understand the potential impact on your goals.
- Ask the SI to describe the key product differentiator. The marketplace can get confusing when every solution provider says the same thing. Vet out those key points that make this platform the right one for you.
- Does this product only work with the solutions the SI provides or will it enable all your other systems as well? Many homegrown projects do not work well with other solutions. This can be a project killer if you eventually find out it does not work with the systems you have.
Rockwell Automation now offers an industrial DataOps solution, FactoryTalk® DataMosaix™. It’s cloud-based and connects OT, IT and ET data sources with standard and flexible data connectors to enable multi-site, enterprise-wide, data intensive solutions for controlled access to relevant and contextualized data. It provides flexible and scalable tools to accelerate data usability for people and applications.
Now available in both SaaS and private cloud/on-premise editions, FactoryTalk DataMosaix provides flexible options that fit your business needs. The SaaS edition is rapidly deployable and provides a fully managed option that frees your staff from having to manage the technology and updates, while the private cloud/on-premise edition enables you to manage the application and your data, if required, on cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, AWS and GCP, or in an on-premise datacenter.
“FactoryTalk DataMosaix's global accessibility is a game-changer. With its capability to cater to the unique needs of every persona or role, it achieves an enhanced user experience,” said Vinayak Kelkar, Director of Digital Solutions for ITHENA, a Rockwell Automation trusted partner. “We can effortlessly extract data from diverse sources, providing a scalable approach for our customers to gain visibility and thoroughly analyze performance.”
Want to learn more about determining the right solution and solution provider to realize the value you want to achieve with an Industrial DataOps solution? Contact us and let’s discuss your project. We will partner with you and provide greater insight on your digital transformation journey.
In our next blog in the series on Industrial DataOps, we will break down in greater detail the foundational questions you should ask when considering a platform.
To learn more about the Rockwell Automation industrial DataOps solution, visit FactoryTalk DataMosaix.
