10 Questions Answered on the Value of a Full-service Connected Device Platform (CDP)

We all know that we live in what will be an always on and all ways connected world.  We long ago passed the days when there were more people connected to devices.  Now, thanks to the criticality in our personal and professional live of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its closely related machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, the information they generated and the useful services they enable, we are looking at billions of network connected devices in the very near future. 

In fact, Nokia (News - Alert) in its strategic white paper, A buyer’s and influencer’s guide to connected device management, summed thing up well:

 “Using our most conservative modeling, we anticipate that by 2020 there will be 30–35 billion mobile, home and IoT-connected devices on networks worldwide—at least 20 billion of those being M2M alone (Bell Labs (News - Alert) Consulting 2016). This will create operational, financial, marketing and security complexity. Properly managing all those devices is threatening to overwhelm the ability of service providers to ensure the superiority of the customer experience.”

First, yes, it will create complexity. Second, the need to properly manage all of those devices regardless of where they are and what they do is has never been more important.  The reasons are their management touches every organization in a business from C-levels on down, from frontline capabilities to back office systems and processes and from product houses to IT (obviously), HR, Sales, Marketing, Support, etc.  Ultimately, those devices and the information they generate and transmit are “mission critical”.  Indeed, using that data in real-time, and analyzing it for accommodating change in a rapidly transforming world is at the heart of creating next generation value, customer loyalty and profitable competitive success. 

At the risk of spoiling the reason to download and read in its entirety the Nokia white paper, as an inducement, below are 10 questions (from the perspectives of key C-level business leaders) that are posed and answered.

1. COO: The extreme complexity of managing all the devices and connected things on our network threatens to balloon operational costs. How do I keep them under control?
2. CTO: How do I ensure that an increasing range of devices and, especially, SIM-less devices, are interoperable with my network and each other?
3. CMO: With such device complexity, how do I roll out new services and features quickly and ensure that customers adopt them?
4. CSO: How do I keep ahead of the hackers? What if they compromise an M2M network that is associated with critical infrastructure, such as power, transportation or health?
5. CTO: Why not keep it simple and manage IoT devices with point solutions for each device?
6. CMO: How do I keep abreast of what people are doing on the network with their devices and apps?
7. CTO: So much is changing, and so rapidly, how can I ensure that today’s technology choices will prove right for managing connected devices in the future?
8. CSO: How do I turn my network from a security liability into a security asset?
9. CMO: How do I leverage device experience to keep my brand relevant to end users?
10. CEO: Can I ensure a consistent world-class brand experience with device management?

Making devices management simple and useful to brand stewardship as well

As Nokia points out:  “The key to manage the complexity and keep operational costs under control is consolidating as many operational tasks or point solutions onto a single connected device platform (CDP).”  They believe an experienced CDP solution provider should provide for:

• Device interoperability testing
• Simplified device on-boarding
• Security updates and firmware patching
• Life-cycle management
• Improved device issue resolution (proactive and first-call response)
• Policy- and campaign-based automations.

They add that the solution needs to be linked with customer care and analytics to ensure the consistency of the brand experience. 

Nokia has such a solution, the Motive CDP. It provides a common, converged cloud platform solution to securely manage mobile, home and IoT devices through the entire device life cycle from automatic device detection and configuration, to features and services updates. Plus, it is future ready for however many devices and device types emerge that get connected to the network. 

From the all important brand management/customer experience perspective, the Motive CDP is integrated in the Motive® Customer eXperience Solutions (CXS). This enables consumer mobile and home device management solutions.  And, a core piece of the Nokia device management solutions portfolio is the Nokia Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things (IMPACT) is the secure application-independent IoT platform for service providers, enterprises and governments to quickly bring IoT services to market.

The integration of the device management capabilities with the customer experience data really is the key here.  Think of it as visibility squared.  A simplified view and ability to manage anything and everything connected to the network, and a view of what the customers are using and insights into their behaviors to drive everything from customer care, to product design, packaging, pricing and business model options. 

This is why that list of questions is so important.  Not only are the questions good ones, but don’t underestimate the fact that it reflects the realities that there are multiple internal stakeholders for who device management capabilities are critical.  In fact, if recent surveys are to be believed, IoT/M2M solutions already are significant parts of delivering operational excellence and compelling user 


Edited by Maurice Nagle