Featured Articles

  1. Manufacturers March On As The Unexpected Leaders In IT Modernization 10/11/2021

    Manufacturing is often perceived as conveyor belts gliding down production assembly lines and heavy lifting from workers behind big machinery. However, as the industry undergoes a digital transformation, this view is outdated – and IT plays a pivotal role in the modernization efforts of these operations.

  2. How Can AR And VR Improve Fleet Technician Training? 10/7/2021

    Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are often used for entertainment and marketing purposes, such as to get consumers interested in a new product or brand. However, they also have tremendous potential to improve training for fleet maintenance technicians.

  3. IoT And The Cloud: Q&A With Semtech 10/4/2021

    How is the cloud being used for asset tracking?

  4. Smarter Hiring Strategies For The Next Generation Of Technicians 9/28/2021

    A couple of years ago I was at a Field Service conference, engaged in the round robin style networking chats that we all know so well. Those are generally an opportunity for the companies that sponsor the show to chat with the individuals that attend. You have some nice banter about what the company or individual does, then you go on your way. On this occasion, two conversations stuck in my memory. One because I found it fascinating how their organization was attempting to turn the plant-based beverage market on its head, and the other because they seemed to have solved one of the largest issues that has plagued many asset service management companies – discovering the future of service techs.

  5. Comparison Of IoT Services From AWS, Azure, And GCP 9/16/2021

    The field technologies industry is ripe for cloud adoption leveraging the IoT infrastructure of the major cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. For example, with the transportation and logistics industry, IoT technology and services can be of immense help to effectively manage the fleet from a centralized location.

  6. Digitizing The Customer Experience Between Service Providers And The Customer 9/13/2021

    The quest is ongoing for service providers to find innovative ways to deliver a better service experience to customers. To do so, the customer experience (CX) must be evaluated through the complete service delivery chain — from initial customer contact to remote support, to on-site technician service, and follow-up.

  7. Streamlining Utility Operations With Digital Visual Elements 9/9/2021

    This past year has been full of unexpected interruptions, bringing the importance of technology use in disaster preparedness and response to the forefront in 2021 and beyond. According to Deloitte’s 2021 Power and Utilities Industry Outlook report, 29 percent of power and utility experts think that utilities should primarily focus on digital strategies in 2021. With the world becoming more connected by the minute, it’s important to ensure that field and utility workers are supported with the most effective technology solutions. By investing in mobile solutions equipped with the latest capabilities such as AR and digital twin modeling, workers have real-time access to information they need to effectively complete their job.

  8. The Downside Of Competition Between Network And Security Teams 9/6/2021

    It may seem that corporate network and security teams have worked at cross-purposes for decades now, but despite the never-ending conflicts, solutions abound. Traditionally, network teams are charged with facilitating and expanding a company’s tech reach and abilities, while security teams must ensure that all systems are safeguarded against hacking, theft, and an array of cybercrimes designed to wreak havoc on corporate infrastructure. How can a network team offer availability and creative expansion plans to clients on one hand, while security experts throw cold water on these same plans because of an array of potentially dangerous and expensive risks?

  9. What To Look For In A Mobile Operations & Maintenance Planning And Scheduling Tool 9/3/2021

    Planning maintenance activities and events, scheduling tasks, and assigning personnel with a legacy Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system - or one of the industrial-strength desktop planning and scheduling tools that sit on top of the EAM - is notoriously difficult. 

  10. How COVID-19 Impacted The Field Service Industry, And Where It's Headed 9/2/2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic hit small and midsized businesses (SMBs) particularly hard, and those in the field service industry were no exception. Business operations such as revenue, hiring, and spending were directly impacted and needed to be reimagined at almost every company.