ANACAM MAGAZINE - n.4 ottobre | dicembre 2020

powerful smartphones and tablets. Soon component manufacturers will be able to provide support service in this fashion. In the meantime, Anacam has made a significant contribution by creating video tutorials, which will be made available to members, providing valuable information on various components, creating a constantly evolving reference library. This is a particularly favourable moment to address these issues, both in light of a greater sensitivity generated by the pandemic, and by virtue of the funding for SMEs to encourage the digital transformation envisioned by the Ministry for Economic Development call (applications submission starting on 15 December 2020) which will add to the subsidies by different regions at the local level. Anacam ha dato un significativo contributo realizzando dei video tutorial che forniscono preziose informazioni su diversi componenti, creando una libreria di riferimento in continua evoluzione Anacam has made a significant contribution by making video tutorials which provide valuable information on different components, creating a constantly evolving reference library 12 FOCUS D I A l e s s a n d r o C at t e l a n support or remote training. This massive set of tools risks creating a barrier in competitive terms against the less resourceful, for dimensional, economic or, more simply, cultural reasons. It is one of the nuances of the so-called “Digital divide”, the digital divide in access to technologies that inevitably relegates the less organized individuals to a marginal, maybe even unproductive, role in the market. Unfortunately, Italian micro-enterprises and SMEs in the lift sector are experiencing a significant delay in the digital transformation process compared to similar companies in other European countries. But is adapting really so complex and expensive? Actually, technology is increasingly widespread and pervasive, and has also evolved in terms of accessibility. In the past having professional software packages used to require, which could not be spread over time, with a rather limited number of plausible alternatives. Greater competition has led, as always happens, to the development of innovative solutions benefitting offer range and convenience. In particular, the growth of SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions which require a user’s fee but not the purchase of the package or of physical servers for installation, being available in the cloud. Among the non-negligible advantages of this formula are the endless software updates and the option of switching, with less hesitation but not painlessly, to different platforms that are more performing or better suit your needs. Microsoft, one of the pioneers, focused on converting the Office package into Office 365 with a fee-based formula, and today also offers ERP, CRM and BI solutions with the same philosophy. Sales Force, the world leader in CRM has always offered a cloud-based solution. Many Italian software houses offer similar services, outlining a trend that will soon see the complete replacement of “on premise” management systems with “cloud” ones. Speaking of predictive maintenance, the problem is more cultural than technological: almost all the most important manufacturers of control panels offer connected solutions that allow remote control and diagnostics with extremely advanced data analysis functions. Predictivemaintenancemeans improving the level of customer service, scanning for false positives, planning interventions with the appropriate preparation and times, detecting defective components, better managing the human resources employed in the field. Alas, most lift operators do not correctly evaluate these benefits and consequently are unprepared to face higher costs, which in my opinion is a misjudgement. Augmented reality (AR) is also destined to become more accessible, both in terms of software costs and the availability of devices such as smart glasses or the spread of sufficiently