TRENDING
The industrial and manufacturing industries are also
embracing IoT opportunities. Operational technology is
working together with information technology to drive
more efficient, effective processes, reduce costs and
improve profitability.
Have the edge, be intelligent
Big data is not a new concept but the amount of data
is growing exponentially as a result of the sheer number
of people, places and things that now inhabit the digital
workplace. As a result, it makes sense to move some of
the computing power required to process this serious
amount of data to a network location or Intelligent
Edge. Here, technologies connect and automate
anything from IoT- enabled lighting to heating and
from manufacturing processes to industrial systems.
Applications like our friend Robin, not only require a host
of systems to connect and transmit data from mobile
and IoT devices, they also perform various analytical
processes to create the workplace, operational, brand
and IT experiences I have just described.
What’s more, outside of four workplace walls, countless
opportunities exist to incorporate this data – think
connected cars, smart parking meters and traffic
control where external connectivity solutions, like Long
Term Evolution or low-powered wireless signals, are
incorporated.
Focus on the foundation first
The Intelligent Edge consists of three layers. Layer one
is the foundation. This is the infrastructure containing
familiar technologies (local area network, wireless local
area network, wide area network) and contemporary
innovations like Bluetooth, Low Energy sensors and
converged edge systems.
In layer two, local area platform technologies (mobility
or mobile-first platforms) manage the devices within
your enterprise, while wide area platforms use universal
IoT and focus on connecting the billions of devices
spread across a region.
Finally, a robust partnership ecosystem, necessary
for developing the apps and services that deliver the
experiences enterprises need to make their digital
18
INTELLIGENTCIO
workplaces run, forms layer three. A typical ecosystem
contains next-generation innovators and enterprise
players like Microsoft.
The key to success
It’s time to realise the potential of large-scale IoT. Here
are my five top tips for introducing these connected
devices into your organisation.
Take stock of your environment, it’s impossible to
develop a successful strategy without understanding
where you are today. Profile your endpoints, the
solutions serving them and the underlying infrastructure
and architectures.
Ensure you’re extracting all available data, this requires
modern wired and wireless technologies from the data
centre to the edge, as well as solutions for connecting
any remote users and systems beyond.
Fully safeguard your enterprise, adopt technologies that
protect data in motion and at rest. Include innovative
solutions that use machine learning and artificial
intelligence for detection, as well as for quarantining
and disconnecting devices exhibiting suspicious activity.
Unlock knowledge, deploy solutions that collect
information about your employees, customers and the
world at-large. The technologies help turn behaviors
into insights you can monetise.
Drive profitability, embrace smart innovations
that aggregate and analyse your collected data, in
combination with other third party feeds, to uncover
new ways to get the most from your employees,
customers, processes and supply chain.
Regardless of your industry or enterprise, adopting a
modern Intelligent Edge architecture could be critical
to harnessing the potential of IoT at scale for your
business. IoT will transform business as we know it
today by offering benefits like cost savings, improved
security and better customer experience. ¢
www.intelligentcio.com