Big Data & IoT
SAY NO TO SILO
Ricky Cooper of Digital Realty explains why, when it comes
to the Internet of Things, no piece of data should be siloed.
I
nternet of Things (IoT) adoption
among businesses will rise by
almost half (43 per cent) this
year according to the latest
survey by Gartner. The firm
believes there is now near universal
acceptance of the importance of the
IoT in a business environment. Yet,
whilst businesses see the value in
implementing this technology, most
have yet to establish how they will
manage all the data or reap the full
gains available from it.
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To my mind it’s clear that
the value of the IoT is all in the
data generated. But, when you
think about it, the mere act of
aggregating data from the IoT
doesn’t actually provide any real
business benefit. Nothing more than
a collection of ones and zeros, data
by itself can do nothing more than
sit in electronic isolation.
This situation only changes once
that data is put to work. The question
businesses need to consider when
adopting the IoT is: how will they
transform data from individual pieces
to business value to demonstrate
return on investment (ROI)?
Concisely, when data from
the IoT can be immediately and
efficiently accessed by software
applications, it becomes a powerful
resource. Combine it with data
from other sources, however,
and this power can be increased
exponentially. That string of ones
and zeros can now help businesses
innovate and grow.
From analytics used to improve
decision making to customer
personalisation to improve
retention, the impact of data
based capabilities on businesses
is profound when data comes
together. The bottom line? No
piece of data should be siloed.
The new age
of data centres
The process of transforming data
generated by the IoT from bits
into business value happens in a
range of ways. From a hardware
perspective, ultra connected and
agile ‘digital’ data centres are the
underlying foundation that supports
this innovation. The new age of
data centres provide secure storage
and allow data to be immediately
accessed across an organisation as
and when it’s required.
From a software perspective,
the transformation occurs through
the use of database optimisation
and analytical tools. The data
aggregated from the IoT can seem
overwhelming. But correlations and
patterns can be found within data
that drive business activity and
improve decision making.
As our ability to put data
to work becomes ever more
sophisticated, the potential for
positive business impact is vast,
across every industry.
Interestingly, the Gartner
research revealed a marked shift in
focus toward customer facing goals.
The focus on improving customer
experience from the IoT nearly
doubled from 18 to 34 per cent
for 2016. If the IoT is set to be a