a man and a woman sitting at a table using a laptop computer

Are you ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Lieke Meeuwissen

Lieke Meeuwissen

Partner Channel Marketing Manager

Read Time, 2 min.

Of all the burning issues discussed in boardrooms and think tanks, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4) takes top billing. The pace of disruptive technological advances is dizzying. From the Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled process automation, to 3D printing and connected wearable devices, there is a storm of disruption sweeping through many business sectors.

Governments are looking for business partners to solve big problems, such as climate change, sustainable food production and clean energy. New challengers are taking on established market leaders everywhere, from the high street to banking and healthcare. As a business leader, you’re already embroiled in an increasingly disjointed and complex environment.

IR4 is changing the rules

Markets and media are more fragmented. New products and services emerge more quickly, with entire start-ups created in weekend hackathons. Meanwhile, established companies are re-structuring their budgets and teams to be more nimble.

Technology – as in the previous industrial revolutions – is once again changing the face of business. But, keeping up with the pace of innovation and digital transformation is a huge challenge. You have a vast amount of data and business intelligence at your disposal but, like most executives, you’re overloaded with such information.
With less time for critical thinking, it’s difficult to focus in this new, complex landscape. That can be dangerous. Even if your business is successful now, unless you can step back and see the big picture you could find yourself struggling to keep up with market challengers.

For many, the IR4 disruption is happening now and it’s happening fast. Already, the world’s largest taxi firm, Uber, owns no cars. And the world’s largest accommodation provider, Airbnb, owns no property. Your customers are increasingly demanding, and you need to provide greater agility in your business model.

But where do you start? Our research has identified five business growth accelerators:

  • Marketing power: knowing when and how to connect with the right customers
  • Business Intelligence: leveraging data for insight and competitive advantage
  • Future readiness: embracing modern workplace trends
  • Agility: developing the ability to change and move fast
  • Collaboration: employees spend 80% of their time on collaborative projects but need support to do this efficiently.

Revolutions are, by definition, dynamic and disruptive. This Fourth Industrial Revolution offers boundless opportunities for organizations that can innovate and embrace change. However, to do that, they need to adopt continuous learning.

Register for a cloud event in your country

Find the best events and workshops either hosted by Microsoft or by one of our most valued and knowledgeable partners

Discover more related articles per industry:

Education

  • Girl studying

    Secondary school Kirchdorf: Reimagining hybrid learning with Surface and Teams

    “What we really wanted to achieve was simplicity for both our students and our educators. Through our digitalization efforts, we’ve seen that using technology to complement traditional teaching and learning is an investment for the future, not just for children, but for everyone.” Martin Schnetzer, teacher and IT admin at Mittelschule Kirchdorf, Austria, reflects on […]

  • a group of people sitting at a table using a laptop computer

    4 reasons Citrix and Windows Virtual Desktop are better together for education

    Educational institutions all over the world experience a huge transformation. We are all familiar with the impact of COVID-19 on digitization in education, but there are more challenges. The digitization challenges faced by educational institutions   Because of the measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, like lockdowns and social distancing, the trend of online or blended […]

Finance & Insurance

  • External shot of Fire Group offices building

    The Fire Group: how data-driven processes are reshaping sustainable credit management

    “We want to change the way credit management is perceived, because we play an important social role in this sector. Data and technology allow us to show the critical role that we play in a more direct way.” Sonia Di Nuzzo, Corporate Communication Leader at Fire is outlining the ambitious goal the company is setting for the industry it operates in with data. As Italy’s largest independent credit management solutions provider, Fire plays a pivotal role […]

  • a large building

    Luxembourg Stock Exchange: building a transparent, agile and innovative cloud infrastructure

    “We are proud to be the first financial institution in Luxembourg to migrate its entire financial core system to the cloud.” Laurent Pulinckx, CIO at Luxembourg Stock Exchange and his team have helped their company reach a significant milestone this year. By becoming the first financial institution in Luxembourg to be approved by the regulator […]

Government

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Retail

  • Male store associate helping female customer in tech shop

    Creating great experiences for employees and the customers they serve

    Retail is experiencing ongoing labor shortages in the aftermath of the pandemic. Many people have retired early, found new jobs, or have simply decided to leave the labor market. As competition for skilled and experienced staff has become fiercer, attracting talent and retaining staff is crucial for survival and success.  While increasing wages and benefits […]

  • Woman shopping in store

    Inside Store Lens’ mission to combine online shopping and physical retail  

    With e-commerce gaining traction and COVID-19 forcing a change in traditional shopping trends, high-street retailers have a great opportunity to reinvent themselves and modernize their in-store experience. This is the concept behind Store Lens, a Swedish startup that aims to bring the best of online shopping to the physical retail space – helping in-store shopping […]

Discover more related articles per dossier:

Customer Stories

Digital Transformation

Security & Privacy

Tips

  • female shopkeeper looking at her work tablet

    Create flexible retail supply chains that are built to last

    In a powerful storm, a tree that does not bend is likely to break. In 2020, the pandemic put storm-like forces on global supply chains – and many of them simply broke. There were shortages of many household items and commercial supplies, with many retailers forced to ration sales of some products.  This showed how […]