Traditional enterprise software systems rely on manual collection of data. Since manual data collection is, in many cases, error-prone – such as mistyped product codes – data in software systems often does not correctly reflect the situation.

The Internet of Things has often been referred to as a powerful instrument used to monitor exactly what is going on in the real world. The combination of identification, sensor, and location technologies used directly at the point of process execution can help companies gain deeper insights into how their internal processes run. Optimized shelf replenishments using, for example, RFID tags on products and shelves with built-in readers, serve as a well-known example of real-world awareness. The continuous and automated collection of information about relevant environmental conditions is also the foundation of real-time event-driven enterprise management and decision-making processes.

Key questions raised by this topic include:

• What could a strategy that helps companies reduce their risks related to the adoption of real-world awareness solutions look like?
• How can the above-mentioned concept of real-world awareness be applied in cross-company business scenarios aiming for end-to-end process visibility? What are the key benefits for companies to develop and run such collaborative scenarios?