I'm very excited to be at CANNES LIONS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY this week. It's going to be my first time at this festival and Cisco's first time exhibiting in the innovation summit. It really feels like we are making history.

It all started with Digitization, a big word everybody likes to use these days. Many organizations and enterprises are thinking about or beginning to plan how to digitize their processes, production, and products. When it comes to full blown digitization, Cisco can help companies with their digitization strategies.

In our booth at Cannes Lions, we've created a fun example to show attendees how we can enable and digitize any business. By taking the whole process of wine-making from where it starts in the field, through the production facility and distribution, and all the way to retail, we share our vision through an interactive demo. I'm not saying we are making wine, but we are arguably making wine better and more profitable by digitizing the entire process.

Let's take a look at the three key stages of wine-making: Grower, Producer, and Retailer.

The Grower:By connecting the field with ground humidity sensors and analyzing the data locally and in the cloud, the grower can optimize their cost and produce a better product (grapes) when automating the irrigation system based on changing weather conditions. They can also leverage remote experts. Physical security like video surveillance and access control are key to maintaining a safe environment in the field, while providing a better workforce experience for employees.

The Producer:By tracking and protecting assets, the producer can better handle workloads-everything from processing and storing wine barrels in optimal conditions, to bottling and shipping. This is a great example of how we can help optimize the business by combining technologies such as location-based service, data analytics, and connectivity.

The Retailer:Using Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX), we can really make a difference in upselling and personalizing the shopping experience. It may not be economically possible to staff each store with product experts for each type of wine. However, remote experts can use telepresence technology to bring expertise into the store experience. Additionally, Video Surveillance Management can help secure the wine stock. With the Omni channel experience across mobile, web, and physical locations, we can also help deliver personalized, targeted, and direct marketing opportunities. Web coupons can be used to entice users to purchase, while in-store coupons can be targeted at buyers based on their previous purchasing patterns. All of this helps the retailer expand and upsell purchasing decisions.

Do you have industry examples where technology has changed things for the better? If so, tell us about it in the Comments field below.

And, if you're attending the festival, please drop by the Cisco booth and say hello. Have a glass of Rose with us.

See you there,

Ido