MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Managing in the Location-Tracking Era

Real-time locating systems allow precise tracking of every asset. But to make the most of these technologies, slow-moving processes must be adjusted.

Shifting business operations to the cloud makes workplaces, assets, and people more connected than ever. That brings a host of changes, one of which will deliver a profound shift in how organizations operate: real-time locating systems (RTLS). Managers will be in a position to pinpoint the precise whereabouts of just about all their assets, down to the centimeter.

This is likely to happen quickly due to a technological chain reaction already underway, in which workers and machines are being outfitted with technologies that send information to the cloud continuously. To take advantage of cloud computing opportunities, businesses are investing in uplink data connectivity, particularly in the form of private LTE networks and 5G wireless, which provide faster-than-ever transfers of unprecedented amounts of data to the cloud.