Machine2Enterprise

A Definition

As the scope of Machine2Machine (M2M) has evolved, other terms like Machine to Human (M2H) and Machine to Enterprise (M2E) are starting to emerge to segment the pervasive nature of the M2M term. The M2M device, software, network, and service market is expected to grow rapidly world wide between now and 2010. Some estimates suggest the 2010 world market may exceed $300B in annual revenue. Where as there are some 500M computers in the world and 1.5 B cell phones & PDAs, it is estimated there are more than 38B other electronic devices that have information perhaps relevant to improving an enterprises operation. The M2M market strives to connect these devices to corporations, governments and institutions.

What is a facility manager to do?

How is the world of facilities changing?  What role does a facility manager play in total operations?  What do you do when the CEO starts calling you to his office and starts to talk about IT, the CIO, cost, compliance, etc?  You know what is wrong in operations but there never seems to be the right amount of money.  Why all this attention now?

The role of the facility is changing, whether you are at a university, a large enterprise, or a government facility.  Energy is becoming a pressing cost that is out of control.  Buildings are aging faster than they should.  Activists are talking about green and sustainability.

In the 90's a major transformation occurred in information technology.  The Gartner Group started to educate the market to think about IT in the context of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).  TCO changed the nature of IT from being a cost center to being a strategic weapon in a competitive world.  Energy, maintenance, supply chain management, compliance, and homeland security introduce a new market pressure on facilities that requires the facility manager to start thinking about their role as 1) a cost center or 2) a strategic weapon on reducing operation costs and improving operational quality.

It is now time for the concept of TCO to be applied to the facility.

Machine2Enteprise

The modern enterprise is becoming more and more complex to manage.  As corporations adapt their enterprise systems to respond in real time, managers need to adapt to help their enterprise deliver higher quality services at a lower cost.

This Blog, Machine2Enterprise, is about fully integrating todays enterrpise so that it uses less energy, is easier to maintain, is compliant with regulatory agencies, is secure from threats of all types and permits a totally integrated supply chain.