Market Challenges And Opportunities
However, the high initial investment and maintenance costs that are associated with operation command centers continue to restrain broader adoption, especially among cash-strapped small enterprises. Data privacy and regulatory compliance issues also introduce challenges. Nevertheless, the market witnesses’ noteworthy opportunities from the rising trend of cloud-based and software-defined command center due to their flexibility, scalability, and lower upfront costs.
- Convergence of OT/ IT systems in command centers: The convergence of traditionally separate operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems in a unified command and control platform opens new opportunities. Collecting data from both engineering systems like Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) as well as enterprise IT systems in a single visualized interface with appropriate context enables new use cases. Insights from analyzing OT/IT convergence can drive process enhancements. Unified monitoring also improves cybersecurity. Command centers will evolve to leverage OT/IT convergence across industries.
- Increasing adoption in new industrial applications: While industries like oil & gas, utilities and defense have traditionally leveraged command centers, new applications across sectors like transportation, manufacturing, mining, and construction represent a significant opportunity. These asset-heavy industries are prime candidates for driving productivity through centralized monitoring and control. Vendors are likely to expand offerings that are tailored to the evolving needs of industrial operators in these sectors, thereby expanding the addressable market.
- Use in smart buildings and cities: The development of smart sustainable cities will rely on centralized intelligent hubs for managing disparate city infrastructure and utilities effectively. Buildings are also becoming smarter with integrated IoT systems and automation. Command centers can enable city administrators and building operators to gain insights and control over assets like transportation networks, energy grids, water systems and building equipment. This improves safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
- Integration with new data sources and applications: Command centers are likely to incorporate more diverse data sources like crowd sourced citizen reporting and satellite imagery. Application of computer vision to new video sources like drone footage also opens possibilities. Control of autonomous robots/vehicles for security, logistics and inspections from centers can also be explored. IoT, 5G, edge computing will enable integration with new applications to expand capabilities.