Retrofitting the Enterprise
Tom M. Strickland
IT Futurist, SpatialAge Solutions
Byers Engineering Company
368 Mount Zion Road
Madison, AL 35757
Telephone: 256.430.1718
Email: Tomstrickland@Byers.com
Abstract
Designing the Enterprise is not an option within operating telephone and utility companies with existing
large non-spatial, mission critical applications. Automating information flows to add spatial content
provides hidden information. Focus is historical AM/FM/GIS engineering flows to telephone assignment;
with data merges for planning insights, Accounting, and Customer Service use of geospatial. Examination
of alarm monitoring, sales, marketing, and provisioning show how future business cycle integration will
support better service at reduced costs.
Introduction
If you could design the enterprise, you would provide information flow such that the appropriate levels of
detail were immediately available to anyone who needed it. Information would be collected and input once
at the source of its creation; in most cases via electronic scanners and measurement devices. This
information would flow and be validated by intelligent feedback of the automated networks and by users of
the data. Triggers would be established to focus attention on exceptions and problems. Rather than
constantly addressing “held orders”, Engineering would build to long term plans that dealt with realistic
demand projections. Capital budgets would be adequate to perform the needed network modifications and
customers would experience uninterrupted quality service at steadily improving value levels.
Location would be recognized as a primary key to management and control, as shown below:
Of course, this vision requires more than just a perfect information flow within the company. This also
requires advanced information on road moves and paving, new construction, zoning changes, technological
advances, and competition. Information flow from and to the company from other agencies, companies,
and the public would be similarly perfect. Even weather would behave and not cause network damages.
