Digital Platforms

DIGITAL PLATFORMS DEFINITION AND CATEGORIES

Digital Platforms can be defined as a collection of application designed to hold and facilitate cross-use and access to other applications included on the platform. A Digital Platform usually include applications for data-ingestion, transactional engine to perform tasks or rules-based activities based on AI Machine Learning and analytical engines. Digital Platforms also include Application Programming Interfaces (API) that allows different internal and external applications to talk to each other, and regulatory and compliance monitoring tools. All that is offered as an integrated, specialized, turn-of-the key service via Cloud Computing and seamless communication to enterprises and also to final consumers.

System Platforms and IT Platforms

These terms were used before the full effects of the Digital Revolution took place, as Platforms were then either 3^rd party developed and installed on each enterprise’s site or proprietary.

Open Digital Platforms

Open Digital Platforms means that the original developer has not become the gatekeeper and the system is open to further independent development for improvements and new purposes other than as it was intended. Open Digital Platforms can additionally be Open Source.

Open Source Platform

Can be defined as an Open Platform in which the original developer and vendor allows for certain components of its software to be edited, modified, and adapted to different functionalities. This allows for innovative use of software applications.  Open Standards is the final level of user autonomy and creativity as programming elements are publicly available and non-proprietary components can be added by multiple agents to the original Open Digital Platform.

PLATFORMS FUNCTIONS

Ongoing Enterprise Integration and Management Needs

Since the beginning of the already finished Digital Revolution, enterprises have been struggling to simplify, unify, integrate data and applications within an enterprise, that explains the Enterprise Resource Planning (E.R.P.) boom when SAP, Oracle and Microsoft required multi-year, multimillion investments for customized on-site, closed, enterprise-wide platforms. This need has now further increased with the adoption of massive-data creation technologies like the KETTLs here explained, and the need to integrate, analyze and bring that data to use plus have access to cutting-edge applications to manage them.

Enterprise Digitalization Generated Business Capabilities

Digital platforms handle end-to-end increasingly complex business process and functions. In this present time where through Digitalization economic activity has switched from process-driven to data-driven Digital Platforms have already become the most cost efficient, necessary and fast-innovation-sharing technology to deliver competitive services.

As already discussed the ongoing 4^th Industrial Revolution and the KETTLs that form part bring a sleuth of opportunities that require improved and often new Business Capabilities for enterprises and administrations to remain competitive. Digital Platforms offered by remote providers in the Cloud, bring cutting-edge new capabilities without own development time nor fixed costs.  As such there is a multitude of specialized platforms jockeying for dominance in a given industry or function like those specialized in facilitating advanced marketing campaigns in banking or those managing IoTs enabled machines in warehousing.

Supply-Demand Adjustment Needs

Digital Platforms also allow for supply and demand optimization within B2B and in particular Logistics through the creation of virtual market-makers to disintermediate and to lower costs. This was explored as soon as internet arrived in particular in the late 90s, but limitations on past existing technologies, and the lack of real time, reliable data plus the resilience of 3^rd Party Logistics and other intermediaries added to overall lack of trust among agents, botched most of the previous attempts.

Sector and Supply-Chain Level Needs

Past production advances like just-in-time manufacturing, plus emergence of e-commerce, cost cutting needs and full globalization has been pushing Logistics and Transport enterprises to seek innovations to better coordinate suppliers, partners, intermediaries, other transport mode operators and B2B customers throughout the whole value chain, with spectacular results so far. Now Cloud Computing  with the added benefits of BlockChain technology covered in the next section offers an important opportunity to further share information, reliable, unbiased and in real time thus generating and enhanced collaboration and transaction optimization.

Ecosystem Level Needs

Until recently Digital Platforms that were oriented towards final customer use, limited themselves to connect buyers and sellers for simple transactions. Digital Platforms are now multisided multi-sided value exchange driven that bring together consumers, service and stakeholders. This opens the door to new customer services, facilitates customer information and loyalty plus innovation and further development of new business capabilities. Combined with BlockChain technology that brings transparency to transaction highly facilitates new business models based on Collaborative Economy. These new platform businesses are rapidly multiplying including travel, parking, clothes and residential and vehicle sharing. This use of Digital Platforms is very promising and deserves attention for their broader use in transport and logistics and also overall public administration.