Existing digital technology is transforming adjacent industries and will transform the Maritime sector. Increased data integration, exploitation via applications and use of mobile technology will enable the realisation of benefits, particularly in the management of material state and design change. Improvements to the way we store, share, manage and act upon information will ensure decisions are based upon the best, most accurate and timely information available shared across the Support Enterprise. It will also reduce time taken for maintenance by better understanding the maintenance requirement and avoid unnecessary cost by reducing the need for 2nd, 3rd and 4th line support. All of this should lead to a greatly reduced safety risk and increased platform availability. Furthermore, these improvements will enable the Royal Navy (RN) to further empower its maintainers, improving efficiency, productivity and job satisfaction. These personnel are at the heart of the Support solution and are of vital importance not least because platforms are complex but also because conduct of operational engineering, by RN personnel at reach, in adversity, ensures the Service is always ready to fight and win.   
The RN is embracing Digital Transformation (DX) as the means to deliver maritime support improvement and specifically safety, availability and productivity benefits. Navy Command has developed the Maritime Support Information Exploitation (MarSIX) strategy and model to drive the development of a single configured, assured, inter-related data set that can effectively exploit information across the enterprise and ensure the RN maintainer is firmly positioned at the heart of Support. Vital to the safety argument and meeting availability requirements, the approach is part of a journey towards a future Support Network that recognises the unique maritime operating environment and the close relationship between front line engineering and the enterprise that supports it.