Why Adaptation is Crucial?

In the ever-evolving communication landscape, digital transformation emerges as a catalyst for change, revolutionizing the way networks are built, services are delivered, and customer interactions unfold. At its essence, this transformation is all about connectivity and efficiency. Digital technologies optimize communication processes, ensuring reliable connectivity, reducing latency, and enhancing overall network performance. This efficiency not only leads to operational cost savings but positions communication providers as leaders in a fiercely competitive market.

Furthermore, the digital revolution places a premium on customer experience. Advanced analytics and personalized services empower providers embracing digital technologies to understand and cater to individual preferences, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Beyond connectivity and customer experience, digital transformation in the communication sector establishes the foundation for robust cybersecurity. As the reliance on digital communication grows, so does the need for secure networks. Digital tools enable proactive threat monitoring, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of communication channels.

Moreover, digital transformation fosters a culture of innovation in the communication sector. It empowers providers to explore new horizons, from the deployment of cutting-edge technologies like 5G to innovative service offerings and forward-thinking business models, ensuring they stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

In embracing the digital age, communication providers unlock a world of opportunities where connectivity, customer experience, cybersecurity, and innovation converge to drive sustainable success.

MAST Consulting Group’s Approach

At MAST Consulting Group, our approach to digital transformation in the communication sector is centered on customization and results. We conduct a comprehensive assessment to understand your unique challenges and goals, crafting a tailored strategy that aligns with the dynamic needs of the industry. We guide seamless technology integration, leverage data analytics for actionable insights, and ensure effective change management for a successful digital transformation journey.

Conclusion

Digital transformation in the communication sector is not just a trend; it’s a strategic necessity. Adapting to the digital age is not merely about keeping up; it’s about staying competitive, efficient, and innovative. As the communication landscape continues to evolve, organizations that embrace digital transformation, like MAST Consulting Group, are poised to deliver superior connectivity, elevate customer experiences, ensure cybersecurity, and lead the industry into a future of seamless and intelligent communication. The future of communication belongs to those who are willing to adapt and harness the power of digital innovation.

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Why Adaptation is Essential?

In the ever-evolving manufacturing landscape, digital transformation stands as a beacon of change, revolutionizing the way goods are produced and businesses operate. At its core, this transformation is all about efficiency. Digital technologies optimize manufacturing processes with precision, reducing waste and elevating productivity to unprecedented levels. The ripple effect of this enhanced operational efficiency is two-fold: cost savings that contribute to a leaner bottom line and a competitive advantage that positions manufacturers as industry leaders.

Moreover, the digital revolution places a premium on quality assurance. Advanced sensors and data analytics empower real-time quality monitoring, a capability that manufacturers embracing digital technologies can harness to ensure product consistency and minimize defects. This commitment to quality not only bolsters reputation but also enhances customer satisfaction, ultimately driving long-term success.

Beyond efficiency and quality, digital transformation paves the way for greater supply chain resilience. By integrating digital tools, manufacturers gain unparalleled visibility into their supply chains. This newfound adaptability equips them to respond swiftly to market fluctuations and disruptions, thereby safeguarding operations and maintaining business continuity. Furthermore, digital transformation fosters a culture of innovation. It empowers manufacturers to explore new horizons, from inventive product designs to innovative production methods and forward-thinking business models, ensuring they stay ahead in a constantly evolving industry. In embracing the digital age, manufacturers open the door to a world of opportunities, where efficiency, quality, resilience, and innovation converge to drive sustainable success.

MAST Consulting Group’s Approach

At MAST Consulting Group, our approach to manufacturing digital transformation is rooted in customization and results. We begin with a thorough assessment to understand your unique challenges and goals, crafting a tailored strategy. We guide seamless technology integration aligned with your objectives and leverage data analytics for actionable insights, optimizing processes and product quality. Our commitment extends to change management, ensuring effective adaptation to new methods and a successful digital transformation journey.

Conclusion

Digital transformation in the manufacturing sector is not an option; it’s a strategic imperative. Adapting to the digital age isn’t just about keeping pace; it’s about staying competitive, efficient, and innovative. As the manufacturing landscape continues to evolve, organizations that embrace digital transformation, like MAST Consulting Group, are poised to deliver high-quality products, minimize costs, and ensure resilience in a dynamic market. The future of manufacturing belongs to those who are willing to adapt and harness the power of digital innovation.

Original Post – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-digital-horizon-transforming-manufacturing-winds-b5ukc/

Published On – 7 December 2023

The post Navigating the Digital Horizon: Transforming Manufacturing in the Winds of Change appeared first on MAST Consulting Group | Most trusted Cyber Security Partner.

However, has the digital transformation in retail been consistent with this notion? One in four frontline workers does not think so, as per Forbes’ survey⁽²⁾. While digitalization has permeated across the retail value chain, optimizing several functions, its impact on retail employee engagement has been rather limited. With digitalization set to grow, retail brands that intend to drive superior experience will need to adopt technologies aimed at upskilling, enhancing productivity, and increasing the digital dexterity of frontline employees.

Empowering employees through full-stacked platforms

When MAST Consulting recognized the need for greater employee engagement, it approached it from a multi-dimensional viewpoint, exploring how every employee interaction can be optimized. The first priority was to give brands a single-window holistic view of all employee touchpoints, followed by creating connected digital experiences. The objective was to maximize their productivity, optimize their workflows, provide them with valuable insights, and in turn stoke their creativity. All these culminated in the development of our RIAA (Retail Intelligence and Analytics App), which is a full-stacked, app-based platform with many first-to-market value propositions. 

Connected employee engagement

Following the pandemic outbreak, employee experience is being emphasized from all quarters. Leaders are adopting empathy-driven strategies, wherein transparent communication has become key. In-house apps allow employees to stay connected, collaborate, and coordinate tasks efficiently, in real-time. Instant messaging also reduces unnecessary, manual interactions, thus enabling employees to keep their focus on retail’s critical aspects such as customer experience. 

Streamlined operations

Retail is a people business, which comes down to providing the right product to the right person at the right time. This task will require employees to stay organized, triage their tasks, and be prepared to address customer queries with accurate insights. Algorithms in connected platforms will analyze operational data and enable insight-led scheduling and task management, thus streamlining frontline functions. An employee will be alerted of the task that needs to be performed at a particular time, along with all supporting information. App-based platforms also gamify the scheduling function, engaging employees as a result. 

AI and automation

Data-driven insights through AI analytics will enable frontline staff to maximize their productivity and make the right decisions. Store-wide integration of data across touchpoints will alert, in real-time, any operational anomalies, so that rectification can be swift and the retail experience is smooth. For multi-outlet brands, data-driven insights are an opportunity to perform accurate retail audits, by comparing two or more store data. Leaders can also identify functions that can be automated, and further minimize repetitive tasks, enabling frontline employees to dedicate their time and focus to the retail experience. 

A culture of accountability and empowerment

The most enticing value proposition of intelligence and analytics apps is the culture of accountability, transparency, and empowerment they create. This culture is conducive to greater talent attraction and retention, which further add to a brand’s bottom line. In fact, a study⁽³⁾ goes as far as to suggest that companies that engage employees have customer loyalty rates 233% higher than those that don’t. Such numbers cannot be ignored, to say the least. 

And leaders, for their part, can continuously enhance workforce productivity due to the open-API platform’s ability to course-correct and allow seamless integration with future technologies. Even if a worker leaves, the replacing one can easily operate at optimal capacity from the get-go, thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface. It is such possibilities, along with the impact they can have on the retail experience and organizational bottom lines, that make a compelling case for engaging frontline staff through intelligence and analytics apps like RIAA. Click here to learn more.  

1. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/zz-test/assets/pwc-consumer-intelligence-series-customer-experience.pdf
2. https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/retail/2021/10/19/empowering-retails-real-superheroes-frontline-workers/
3. https://www.verint.com/Assets/resources/resource-types/white-papers/aberdeen-employee-engagement-paving-the-way-to-happy-customers.pdf

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IoT enabled networks of sensors, advanced BIM, AI, ML, drones, and AR & VR; are the new tools unlocking value across the construction value chain. A recent study(2) has found that such Proptech innovations could result in global savings of $0.7-1.2 trillion yearly in the early design phase, and $0.3-0.5 trillion in life-cycle operations; over the next ten years. But even these sizable monetary advantages pale, against the positive socio-economic impact of the sector’s enthusiastic adoption of emerging tech.

Opportunities and challenges

One concern about digitalization in construction is that it is inconsistent. While automation is reducing workforce risks and increasing productivity; supply chains and inventory continue to lag even among bigger players, despite the example of progressive companies who are using smart logistics, RFID labelling, and advanced ERP solutions. Addressing this imbalance could have great socio-economic implications – from more affordable housing, to a boost to economic growth and employment. Some of the more important enhancements that digitalization is unlocking in the construction industry include:

•  Digitalization is making next-gen BIM possible: Building Information Modelling (BIM) is allowing stakeholders across the construction value chain to identify weaknesses, as well as opportunities for optimization. A significant enabler of data-driven operations and management, emerging BIM is transforming everything from early design stages, to the post construction building life-cycle.
• Implementing sustainable and cutting edge construction tech: The use of drones, 3D printing, and automation, are unlocking better productivity and time bound construction – in an industry notorious for delays in projects. Some of the most significant advances are being made early in the construction process, with site-mapping, design, and planning being streamlined by emerging technologies. This is not to say that other functions do not have tech-enabled advantages to leverage. 3D printing and pre-fab construction are ushering in an era of carbon-neutral construction – something that seemed virtually impossible, not long ago.
• Improving safety of onsite workers: Construction accidents are much more commonplace than in other industries, and this is true of the MENA region as well. The rise of wearable technologies has the potential to make a huge difference – through advanced alarm systems, communication headsets, proximity sensors, and heart rate monitors. Digitalization is also allowing safety protocols, to be standardized, implemented, and monitored, more effectively.

What MAST brings to construction

Data centers, analytics, and digital platforms are now a critical aspect of the construction sector. MAST Consulting’s Customer Intelligence and Analytics App (CIAA) uses data mining and collation, to unlock actionable insights for all stakeholders. Archiving the huge amount of historical data generated by construction – using license-based or open-protocol, and features like SNAPLOCK or WORM, and data compaction – is enhancing data accessibility, integrity, and security, with both cloud based and on-premises solutions. SD-WAN technology is transforming connectivity, enabling the effective optimization of remote sites from a centralized location. Blockchain-based authentication is set to introduce even greater decentralization, collaboration, and security, in the immediate future.

Empowered by digitalization, the MENA construction industry will have growth rate of 4.1%(4), by 2022. In essence, tech adoption in construction will emerge as one of the central drivers of economic diversification in the region, and redefine socio-economic outcomes, such as quality of life, affordable housing, employment, and investment returns.

Reference

1.Weforum      

2. BCG

3. Global data

About MAST Consulting and MAST Consulting Group

A profitable home-grown UAE start-up, with a global footprint, MAST Consulting is a technology advisory and consulting firm headquartered in the UAE, with unique expertise in driving the end-to-end digital transformation of businesses, across sectors. With over 100 clients in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, and over 80 years of cumulative global experience, MAST Consulting brings best practices from the consulting and the technology world under one umbrella. The company’s client portfolio includes an impressive list of market leaders, namely Panasonic, Hitachi, DIFC, Al Futtaim, Dubai Holding and Danube, among others.

Original Post : Construction will drive Socio-Economic positives through Digitalization (linkedin.com)

Published on November 10, 2021

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Unlike in 2015, cybersecurity is no longer a human-scale problem — because enterprises now have a host of internet-facing applications, devices, assets, etc., which present innumerable ways that they can be breached. This is to say, the risks have outpaced ways in which the infosec teams can secure the enterprise through hands-on involvement. But thanks to technology, a sizable chunk of responsibility can not only be automated, but can also be made foolproof.

Integration for better visualization

As MAST Consulting Group set to formulate its Integrated Managed Security Platform (IMSP), we laid additional emphasis on transparency. This approach stemmed from our belief that a security posture is only as good as the level of visibility into asset inventory and attack surface; we cannot protect what we cannot account for. By factoring in data from all internet-facing components in the attack surface analysis and leveraging cutting-edge analytics, CISOs can gain continuous visibility into security issues. All cyber risks can thus be consolidated into a single reportable model.

Thereafter, the security posture carries scope for seamless integration, with new solutions and upgrades, such as SOAR, SIEM, UEBA, etc. Insight-led decisions can help CISOs predict attacks and detect vectors before they can go beyond the unpatched software vulnerabilities (CVEs). But most importantly, enhanced visualization enables CISOs to effectively analyze the scope for automation and edge towards a zero-assumption operating model.

Automated security posture: The unmaking of human-centric errors

To err is human. But sadly, the vectors can make you pay a hefty price for the slightest laxity. While most vectors target the organization’s loose ends in security posture, some target humans’ innate tendency to commit errors and be inconsistent. This is where automation can add a new dimension to CISOs’ efforts, through error-free asset discovery, 24/7 monitoring and anomaly alerting, and inventory management, among other laborious, repetitive functions that are time-consuming. MAST IMSP uses specialized AI and gamification strategies to automate several critical CISO functions. We enable a broad set of use cases that can automate the security postures in organizations of any size and niche.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, as digitalization increased with remote working, the need to scale automation capabilities in security postures has garnered more consensus. In a comprehensive survey⁽²⁾ of senior IT and IT security professionals, a resounding 55% of respondents cited the lack of automation as the #1 challenge in security operations and management, reflecting their inability to manually analyze and respond to the deluge of information generated by today’s increasingly complex security infrastructures. Disparate toolsets, obsolete technologies, and skill gaps are among the primary hindrances to optimally automated security processes.

MAST IMSP: Seamless integration, optimal automation, quantifiable value

At MAST Consulting Group, we have a risk-scoring approach to conduct an empirical assessment of security threats linked to all internet-facing assets. We leverage tested-and-proven methodologies like NIST, CISS, and Microsoft DREAD, to assess risks and act on them. Such cyber risk quantification and risk-based vulnerability management practices have enabled the creation of MAST IMSP, which has helped clients achieve real-time visibility of their asset inventories and attack surfaces, and mitigate vulnerabilities proactively.

Such resilient security postures not only reduce cyber risks but also increase the uptime of underlying infrastructure. And this can have far-reaching implications for business outcomes. MAST IMSP has had a quantifiable impact on business process optimizations, uptime of mission-critical applications, compliance to social and corporate governance targets, and accomplishment of long-term organizational vision.

That said, one outcome that has particularly encouraged us to continue innovating is the satisfaction of employees operating with foolproof security postures. This outcome is of great consequence considering a majority of CISOs are unhappy, to say the least; according to a survey⁽³⁾, 91% of CISOs suffer from moderate or high stress. In the same survey, more alarming is the finding that the stress has affected the ability of 27.5% of CISOs to do their jobs. There are plenty of studies linking low employee productivity with anything from poor customer experiences, to the pressure of bottom lines.

There are instances wherein cyber-attacks have led to disastrous outcomes, undoing years of industry reputation. This is especially true in light of the increasing shift to customer-centricity. Data privacy and security have been among the most talked-about subjects in recent years, with brand reputation inextricably tied to them. And with digitalization expected to keep the momentum and reinforce the need for better cybersecurity, there has never been a better time to foolproof your security posture.

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31434419
2. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210224005176/en/78-Lack-Confidence-in-Their-Company%E2%80%99s-Cybersecurity-Posture-Prompting-91-to-Increase-2021-Budgets
3. https://media.nominet.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/12130924/Nominet-Cyber_CISO-report_FINAL-130219.pdf

Published on October 31, 2021

The post Foolproof or flawed: Where does your security posture stand? appeared first on MAST Consulting Group | Most trusted Cyber Security Partner.