The world is more complex than ever before. Markets and business operations are more fast-paced and volatile.

Decision-making is under unprecedented time pressure. Competition is fierce and global. The business landscape is ever-changing.

It is estimated that by 2020, there will be 1.75 billion global mobile workers accounting for 42% of the global workforce, 21 billion connected devices in a global Internet of Things (IoT) and 44 zettabytes of data.

Businesses of all sizes are already getting smarter about their assets, people and transactions, fuelled by connected devices, mobility and cloud applications that generate invaluable and always-on data streams.

An industry category known as enterprise asset intelligence (EAI) has emerged from this unique set of business trends and needs.

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EAI refers to a businesses’ ability to obtain real-time visibility into every aspect of operations, empowering them to improve productivity, reduce expenses, empower mobile workforces and increase opportunities for sustainable growth.

Just how is this possible? IoT, cloud computing, connected mobile devices, mobile applications, locationing, wireless local area networks (WLANs) and security technologies are coming together to operate within EAI.

Zebra Technologies engages with this EAI category and produces solutions that automatically “sense” information from enterprise assets, such as packages moving through a supply chain, equipment in a factory, workers in a warehouse, and shoppers in a store.

Operational data from these assets, including status, location, utilisation, or preferences, is then “analysed” to provide actionable insights.

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These insights can then be mobilised to the right person at the right time so they can be “acted” upon to drive better, more timely decisions by users anywhere at any time. This real-time information gives clients more than sight – it gives them insight.

Hardware talking to software talking to the cloud. People, products, data and devices connecting instantaneously.

By providing the ability to track critical assets and convert the physical to digital, EAI gives businesses a technological – and visionary – edge.

This enhances not just business decision-making, but also bolsters the bottom line.

Sourced by Alex Castaneda, vice president and general manager of Latin America sales, Zebra Technologies