A comparative study of global brands from 2008 to 2018 provides an insight into the innate power of digital technologies. All of them have utilized digital technologies to impact the way we produce, acquire, communicate, and consume. In the 1990s, brands spent $5 million to launch a product that reached only 30 million users. Companies invested on high-end infrastructure and consultants to churn out code, create databases, and drive centers of excellence. R&D was a luxury that could be afforded only by the elite few.
The Digital-First Change
The digital-first economy has upended the entire R&D process. Uber, the largest Mobility Company, does not even own a car, while AirBnB, the hospitality provider, does not own a hotel. Several start-ups are mushrooming in co-working spaces, sharing infrastructure. Today, you can launch a product and reach 1 billion users under $1 million. All you need is an idea.
Entrepreneurs can rely on web services for server infrastructure, machine learning libraries, marketing software and data analytics intelligence to effectively package and pursue innovation with minimal investment and risk.
Digital infrastructure platforms like Amazon Web Services or Google Prediction API started out as cost centers, but are emerging as major revenue centers. Decision makers are now thinking of how to enable risk-free digitization of processes and innovation cycles without investing on expensive infrastructure. The answer is Lab-as-a-Service, the next-generation standardized environment that brings together infrastructure, expertise, and services to tackle disruptions.
The Lab Challenge
The current innovation eco-systems are costly, complex, and chaotic. Most of them are centrally controlled physical structures that can be accessed through tickets. The lack of web or mobile access creates a dichotomy in the digital-first environments. This makes it difficult to scale beyond certain number of users and groups, putting self-imposed limits for testing, development, and process digitization.
Another major challenge is resource hoarding and duplication. Physical resources can be monopolized, which can be extremely prohibitive in effectively scheduling resource uses within select teams of innovators. All applications, networks, test tools, and equipment need to be configured, integrated, and managed, resulting in accrued costs. Reliance on manual processes and infrastructure corpulence makes businesses lose nimbleness to respond to market innovation. Agility can be improved by bringing the core benefits of cloud (multi-tenancy, automation, self-service capabilities, and scalability) to optimize costs and efficiencies.
A US-based networking company had a siloed ecosystem that saw rising ticket volume, SLA defaults, low CSAT scores, and network outages. The solution worked on a predictive support governance model through an AI analytics dashboard. It used machine learning and text mining to create an early warning system to deliver pre-emptive support and immediate resolution. This led to 100% automation of ticket management and 35% increase in resolution time. The transformative solution was incubated in a remote lab-location with intensive collaboration between the client and engagement partners.
Lab-as-a-Service: The ‘X’ Factor
Your business labs can become the center of innovation by integrating workflows with on-demand, multi-device access, automation, and in-built security.
Some of the immediate gains include:
Lab-as-a-service focuses not only on infrastructure; it provides a complete service including expertise and human capital. Teams can work together in remote, multi-tenant lab environments to innovate and test products. This form of service also provides a ready, scalable, resilient, and secure environment to execute your vision.