Europe: Future of Operations

Asset intensive industries are looking at becoming more resilient and market driven. As IT and operations technology (OT) converge, companies will focus on using digital capabilities to build a resilient organization through instrumentation, infrastructure, integration, and insight. IT/OT convergence is pivotal for companies to be able to anticipate the expectations and demand of final customers.

This IDC intelligent service is addressing this need for change looking at the role of integrated IT and OT as an enabler of the transformation. This service has a special focus on addressing the opportunities for asset intensive industries, such as manufacturing, power & utilities, oil & gas, life science and healthcare.

The service will provide actionable market insights for European organizations that will enable the creation or the reassessment of operational strategies. It analyzes the end-user approach to the deployment of the integration of IT/OT in their organizations, especially focusing on processes, organization setup, technology setup and cyber security. The service will also analyze the implications for technology suppliers to help devise go-to-market and road map strategies, expand their expertise to OT buyers and support IT buyers in their journey. The service also provides up-to-date technology trends and insights relevant in the journey to the future of operations.


Markets and Subjects Analyzed

  • How asset intensive organizations are evolving towards the future of operations
  • How to define and deploy IT/OT integrations strategies
  • Role of data and analytics in operations
  • The role of AI and ML in operations management
  • Digital twin to improve the operations’ efficiency and safety
  • Sustainable operations — incl. environmental impact on operations

Core Research

  • IDC Framework for European Future of Operations
  • The converged organization
  • Industrial IoT case studies
  • IT/OT convergence in Europe: results from IDC Survey
  • Practices to deploy IT/OT integration in asset intensive industries
  • A 360° view of Sustainability
  • Industrial Edge Computing and use case studies

In addition to the insight provided in this service, IDC may conduct research on specific topics or emerging market segments via research offerings that require additional IDC funding and client investment.


Key Questions Answered

  1. How the Future of Operations impacts asset-intensive businesses
  2. How can an integrated IT/OT security approach improve the overall security posture?
  3. How to drive better collaboration between IT and OT teams
  4. How to build resiliency with digital capabilities
  5. How to pivot to a market-driven mindset and use market signals to make operational decisions
  6. What are technology vendors offering, ranging from industrial automation to IT players?

Related Links


Meet the Experts
Jan Burian

Head of IDC Manufacturing Insights EMEA