Commentary: IT ideas to eye in 2015

American Shipper provides a few technology concepts to consider as we transition to a new year.    I’m not big on predictions, but here are a few technology-related concepts to keep in front of your mind as we transition to 2015:
   Internet of things: If you’re not familiar with this term, it would behoove you to do so. Building a network means not just connecting systems (a very abstract idea) but also physical infrastructure, like vehicles and devices. It’s more important than ever for transportation and logistics managers to understand how these networks impact their processes both positively and negatively. See this great piece from Logistics Viewpoints’ Steve Banker for more on the topic and its relevance to supply chain. 
   Stochastic modeling: We explored this in a recent article, “Accounting for variability,” but basically this means modeling a network to better account for inherent variability. Most modeling and optimization systems are great at doing something according to a static set of variables. Stochastic modeling attempts to replicate how the human mind thinks, moving from one scenario to another based on the dynamic factors that the real world presents, not the perfect world created in most planning scenarios.
   Connectivity as a systems choice decider: I wrote about this earlier in 2014 in “From stickiness to gravity.” Companies looking to purchase or upgrade a system to better their transportation or compliance processes need to increasingly look at the way that system connects them to their crucial data partners. It matters less whether the system is cloud-based or on-premise that whether that system delivers the crucial connectivity to those partners straight away, with minimal fuss, and with a high degree of accuracy. Cloud is a delivery model, not a state of being. Focus on connectivity. If cloud gets you there, fine, but just because the tool you like is delivered via the cloud doesn’t guarantee those crucial connections.
   So there you go, and I didn’t mention omni-channel even once. Happy New Year everyone.