Digitize or Die
With 15+ years of
computer networking industry experience, Nicolas Windpassinger is the Global
Vice President of Schneider Electric’s EcoXpert™ Partner Program, whose mission
is to connect the technologies and expertise of the world’s leading technology
providers, pioneer the future of intelligent buildings and the Internet of
Things, and deliver smarter, integrated and more efficient services and
solutions to customers. The Channel Company, has recognized Nicolas as one of
100 People You Don’t Know But Should in the IT channel for 2017. For More Information
Visit: http://nicolaswindpassinger.com/about-the-author.
For more info, please see:
Question
1: What really inspired you to write your book, to
force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book? Initially,
I did not set out to write a book. I had merely wanted to find a book on the
Internet of Things, but instead discovered it did not exist. I did find a
lot of commercial and marketing books but very often with a lack of strategic
guidance, or anecdotal reference to what companies are facing. None of the
technology books and blogs expanded on the IoT, beyond the pure technology
element, in a way that would help companies understand how to transform,
leverage themselves and supersede their competition. I have witnessed so much
confusion and trepidation around the IoT with more questions than answers. I
also wanted to help others understand what is coming up and the important
changes that will occur in the coming decades.
Question
2: What is it about and whom do you believe is your
targeted reader? I took me a while
to define the audience for whom I wanted to write the book for. Speaking with
manufacturers, partners, technology providers and so forth made me understand
that there was a real education, knowledge, need at the CEOs, CDOs and
employees of companies that have built a performing analog business and that
are asking questions about what the IoT holds in store, good or bad, for their
business. The book is intended to be used by senior leaders in manufacturing
companies, resellers, software vendors and associated channels, in
particular—CDOs, CTOs, and CIO/CDIOs, who are at the forefront of leading the
digital transformation of the company.
Question
3: What do you hope will be the everlasting
thoughts for readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long
after putting it down? Clarifying
what the book is NOT is as important as defining what it is and what
should remain with the readers after putting it down. I soon realized that:
·
I did not want the book to be a
repository of all existing IoT norms, standards, technologies and applications
(often called “Smart Something”).
·
I did not want the book to be a
technical volume as there are plenty of white papers, case studies, and books
available that go over this technology in detail. Instead, this book defines
some terms and processes without going into detail; just enough technology will
be described to ensure understanding.
·
I did not want the book to be a
discussion about which technologies are likely to win or loss. Predictions
about which companies will likely make it versus those that may fail are beyond
the scope of this manuscript
.
Energy,
Smart Industry, etc.) as the industry has already moved beyond this concept and
does not respond to the challenges which companies need to face in taking
advantage of digital technology. Instead, I wanted to give the necessary
knowledge to understand what is happening and, more importantly, what options
the readers and their business should leverage this major milestone in digital
transformation.
Inside
these pages, the readers will learn:
·
What the IoT means to all businesses
·
Why the IoT and the digital revolution
is a threat to your business model and survival
·
What you need to understand to better
grasp the problem
·
The four steps your company needs to
follow to transform its operations to survive
Question
4: What advice or words of wisdom do you have for
fellow writers? I would
tell them that the path is more important than the result. Writing a book is
like a marathon, it’s easier to stop than to continue; the finish line is just
a start to something else. Never give up. It’s true that the day you have, for
the first time, your book in your hands is like discovering a new child: you’ve
been dreaming about, you’ve been preparing for it; but when it’s there, in your
hands, is a strange feeling. It’s true it’s as much pain as it is pleasure to
write a book, but sharing and giving back to the community gives sense to each
word, sentence and page I wrote.
If this books changes just one life, then it is worth the pain,
effort and passion it took me to put it into your hands. You think you know a
subject up until you write a book about it. Sharing what you and your
interviews have in their brain is an incredible experience and journey. It’s as
much an education journey for the readers as it is for the writer. For that
reason, you should also try….
Question
5: What trends in the book world do you see and
where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Internet of Things, Blockchain,
Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence will change the world. The
consequences will be massive unemployment, peak of electricity demand and drop
in prices of goods and services. People need to prepare themselves. Two years
ago, I took the decision to write; I wanted to give back so much but did
not know how to do it… So I said to myself: just do it, let’s start and do baby
steps. I wanted to explain the new rules of the game and give simple and
pragmatic steps to not only survive but succeed with digital transformation, to
provide the readers with the essential knowledge to understand these new rules.
I wanted to guide the readers and help them understand what the IoT may hold
for them, as well as define a digitization strategy so they can put together an
action plan to adapt and succeed. I wanted to give them the knowledge to
understand what lies behind the fancy acronyms and digital mirage and give a
simple, step by step method to assess where their current portfolio is today
but more importantly what needs to be done to digitize it.
Question
6: What great challenges did you have in writing
your book? The pain of choosing a title; that
has been a great challenge for me. Choosing the title of this book is always
one of the most important and challenging tasks—as it was most certainly for
me. My dilemma was: How to impart the urgency and the significance of this
technological era, so critical, demanding, and fast-moving? Digitize or Die: It
may sound overly dramatic or cliché, however it is simply the reality. If you
don’t know the rules of the game, if you don’t spend time learning them, how
can you expect to win? With my background as a telecom engineer, major account
sales, branch manager, channel manager, global channel program manager, and
even a start-up venture, I’ve lived through many of these transformations.
Indeed, one of the reasons I’ve written this book is to share with others what
I have learned along with my insights about what might be important coming,
just around the corner. I have seen analog companies disappear, others merely
survive, and some hurdle forward of their competition in markets such as the
analog telephony to IP switch between 2000 and 2010, the video switch from
analog to IP, and the current digitization of homes and energy/power networks.
I saw companies that were analog leaders de-rank from leader to follower, with
all the associated social implications such as employee turnover, massive
layoffs, share price falling, and so on. Having been ‘up close and personally
digital’ in a big way, enabled me to discern what causes companies to either
disappear, or, ideally, to flourish and even leap frog ahead of their
competitors. Finding an audience: seems simple… it’s not…
Question
7: If people can only buy one book this month, why
should it be yours? Internet
of Things, Blockchain, Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence will
change the world. If the readers want to understand how they can leverage those
trends to digitize their business: Digitize or Die is the book they need.
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