The growth of data generated by devices, sensors and equipment is driving the most significant changes in information technology (IT), affecting all industries, says IT equipment and software company Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) Europe, Middle East and Africa chief technology officer Bob Plumbridge.

Business’ dependence on IT systems means these changes will affect most, if not all, industries. Currently, the manufacturing and financial services industries demonstrate the effects of using large and varied volumes of data, called big data, to change and support processes.

“The most significant changes have occurred because of the analytics applied to the data, which enable marketing agility and customer engagement for financial services, while manufacturing is seeing increased efficiencies, control and visibility of its processes, as well as more customisation, owing to robotic and automated systems.”

He points to Hitachi’s 27-year rail contract with the UK government to renew and operate rail lines in the country as an example of changes to known industries. However, compared with conventional railroad projects, government will not buy the trains and will pay based on the punctuality and reliability of the trains.

Sensors on the train, including condition-monitoring systems, signalling systems along the lines and external information, such as weather information, will provide a plethora of data and metrics to analyse and inform operations.

Condition-monitoring systems monitor components on the train, such as vibration monitoring sensors that can detect wheel failure. These systems are used to predict failures and, thus, allow for preventative maintenance. The signalling and positioning systems will provide direct information to stations, so that accurate estimations of train movements are communicated.

“Hitachi’s rail division is known for its bullet trains in Japan. We have moved our rail division to the UK and built two new factories to provide equipment to achieve the high quality of service demanded. The level of service demanded requires IT systems relying on large volumes of data and analytics, hence, HDS’s role in the project.”