The world is changing and Japan is no exception. The Internet of Things (IoT) – the interconnectedness of our professional and personal technology – is creating IT change at an unprecedented scale. This IT-centric world has the potential to significantly contribute to the work we accomplish and make the future a better place for everyone.
In fact, IT megatrends like cloud computing are creating opportunities throughout Japanese industry, especially in light of the country’s commitment to the advancement of core technology and a deep-seated culture of hospitality.
Many people do not realize that Japanese businesses are involved in the full spectrum of technology system creation. For example, Apple and Boeing adopt Japanese technologies in many parts of these products.
At the same time, there is an intensive focus on the quality of hospitality services throughout the country. This is such a priority culturally-speaking that it was a key aspect of the bid to secure Tokyo as the host for the 2020 Olympic Games.
There is a huge opportunity for the Japanese market to innovate and improve on the existing quality of services and systems by driving adoption of the new IT megatrends.
I have been in the IT industry for over 30 years and I really feel that this is the most exciting time in my career so far. I have opportunities to meet with customers and EMC business partners on a regular basis. They see the need to redefine their business processes and use this disruptive technology to become even more customer-oriented.
For example, Yamaha Motor has been working with us to develop a cloud strategy for their IT infrastructure. IT systems must be rolled out globally. The motorcycle market is mainly in emerging countries and in such cases, the local infrastructure requires more support. By embracing EMC cloud technology, Yamaha’s IT department effectively transformed itself into a provider of IT services, now empowered to accelerate responsiveness and improve the internal service level to the end user.
Ultimately, many aspects of implementing innovation based on the megatrends are still being defined. Advances by any IT company, wherever it is based in the world, improve the opportunities for everyone. Personally, I believe Japan will be a key part of the equation.
