Google has now provided some new insights into how they’re working with others to help businesses be “smarter” using Google Cloud Management in combination with Chrome and Android. Running a business is no small ordeal under the best of circumstances. The logistical problems of advertising, providing real-time usable information to employees out in the field, and keeping production connected to the back office can lead to some very complex solutions that may not always work the way they are intended to. Those are the issues Google has taken into its sights and some solutions are already being demoed at Next 2017.
The first problem Google wants to address is how to get advertising to customers in a cost-effective and time-saving way, without compromising the quality of that advertising. Across the digital landscape, the company has advertising prowess down to an art form, so it makes sense that that is exactly the approach being put forward. Using a partnership with Coca-Cola as an example of the work being done, Google says their solution involves digital displays, combined with Android Beam technology and contextual awareness. The signs are built around “inexpensive” technology that is already readily available and feature Chromebit devices connected to Google’s cloud management system. By connecting to the cloud, the signs’ displayed information can not only be changed as needed without rolling out entirely new hardware. Information can also be collected by the signs in real time to assist a given company with in-depth analysis about the number of display views and how effective the displays are in helping to move product. Another benefit, Google claims, is that beaming technology can be incorporated to provide more personalized, contextually relevant advertisements to nearby network-connected displays, such as Android smartphones.
Solving efficiency and contextual problems surrounding advertising is already a pretty big step, but Google hasn’t stopped there in looking for ways to flex its cloud-based muscle to make businesses better. The company also wants to improve the ways different entities within a business connect – whether those entities are employees in the field, a warehouse, factory floor, or office. Interconnectivity between separate parts to a business is not a new concept. Most businesses have systems management in place to handle the connections between each separate part. However, Google is confident the solutions it offers would be better, especially when connected with G Suite. In one example, the company outlines how its services help bring transparency to manufacturing in real-time thanks to innovations from 42Q – a product division of manufacturing services provider Sanmina. 42Q’s solution allows “deskless” back-office management of production in real time, with connections to factory floor workers, and head offices all taking place over the GSuites platform.
The platform can easily be extended to include in-the-field workers too, as Google explains – highlighting a partnership with the UK-based pest control firm Rentokil Initial. Because the software solutions are readily incorporated into Android, Chrome, or other specialized hardware, Rentokil is able to provide its workers with real-time image analysis to better identify pests. Their solution also incorporates Google’s machine learning through the Vision API, making it easier to ensure that pests are correctly and efficiently eradicated using the appropriate methods. It’s fairly obvious that Google has put a lot of effort into creating the connected and connectable services, platforms, and technologies required to bring forward innovative solutions like the ones they’ve provided examples of. The company has also been taking several other steps recently to provide support to businesses using its platforms, as the technology industry continues its massive expansion. These kinds of support generally end up being beneficial for everybody involved, including consumers, so there’s a lot to look forward to from Google’s widespread efforts.
