INTERNET OF THINGS 19
INTERNET OF THINGS 19
The IoT is much more than just the endpoints – it ’ s an entire ecosystem whose global complexity can be vast . The most successful operations are those where businesses are able to take a step back and think about the value they want to generate . It could be : facilitating strategic decision-making , automating a process , predicting the future , or improving customer satisfaction , for example .
Put together the A-team To generate new business , thinking out of the box can be extremely helpful . This is why it can be useful for businesses to work with people who can offer a new perspective and onboard them in their innovation process . If the best resources can ’ t be found internally , they might be found among partners or customers . Key roles required for the job include the following :
• A business expert to provide the context and business expectations / ambitions
• A business consultant to assist on the business case and assessment of the global value proposition , and global coordination of the IoT solutions stakeholders
• A data scientist identifies how to make the most of the data , creates the algorithms providing insights , and identifies trends and outputs for the business
• An architect to design the global platform and interface it with the IT
• A developer will integrate the various components ( such as artificial intelligence , machine learning and Blockchain ) and the API to develop the business application
• A security expert will ensure the solution is secured by design
Start small and scale fast Creating business value through experimentation or mockup is one thing ; being able to industrialise and scale up is another . Too many ambitious IoT projects have failed because they started too big , too soon . It takes a long iterative process of trial and error to design the solution that will deliver the most business value . This experimentation phase should never be overlooked .
I ’ ve been consulted for several in-house IoT experimentations , delivering actual business value but which failed to take off due to an inability to scale-up . The amount of data to manage and the performance required for an IoT solution is massive . Therefore , it ’ s important to leverage virtual and cloud technologies to quickly test various options and configurations , as well as to scale up when needed .
Identify the best compromise Choosing the right device , one that provides information securely with the appropriate level of accuracy at the right frequency , limiting power consumption , can be a real challenge . Providing you manage to find the perfect one , it also has to be cost effective because it will have to scale-up .
The selection process of sensors is therefore a critical step that can be facilitated when having the big picture in mind . If the perfect sensor doesn ’ t exist , why not have it specifically designed ? Or maybe there ’ s another way to collect the data . This kind of exercise requires a good understanding of the ecosystem and an ability to connect the dots .
Back the right horse With IoT , some big decisions have to be made . But the complexity currently lies in the lack of obvious standards or availability of end-to-end IoT solutions as a service . For instance , being able to decide between wireless connectivity such as LoRa , SigFox or LTE NB-IoT to send the data from the sensor to the core platform isn ' t that straightforward . They ’ re more or less the same , and any investment on a large number of devices that will last for years make it a strategic decision .
Which of these technologies will become the new standard ? Could any component of my ecosystem become obsolete before my solution even goes live ? These are typical questions you might raise . Selecting the key partners that will support your strategy in the long-term is essential for a profitable and sustainable business model . A partner who is at the crossroads of all the strategic discussions by being involved in standards committees , investing in research and development , as well as rolling out solutions for its own use and for its business customers , could be a safe bet . n ble sy
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