How to accelerate the deployment of IoT-projects in a corporate environment?
The end of December 2016 can be considered a turning point for the entire Internet of Things (IoT). Although numerous connected devices - diverse smart watches, thermostats, home security systems - have long attracted the attention of fans of new technologies and enthusiasts, the explosive growth in the popularity of Amazon Echo, which we have seen in the past few months, suggests that the Internet of things is becoming a mass phenomenon . But if consumers around the world manage their home, giving simple voice commands to the digital assistant to Alexa, then introducing IoT in a corporate environment implies several different management mechanisms and, in general, is completely different.
Small experiments and pilot projects in the field of IoT are already becoming commonplace, however, in order for the project to be truly worthwhile, it is necessary that it can develop and scale quickly. And although computing and communication technologies have already reached the required level of development, many organizations still need help with the realization of the possibilities that such technologies bring.
The new world of communication technology offers us almost unlimited possibilities, which in itself is a very difficult prospect. Large-scale projects involving the connection of tens of thousands of end points, without a doubt, are a complex task that may require highly specialized solutions for working with IoT devices and sensors. However, this is not always required, and there are a number of industries and sectors where relatively small IoT projects can flourish in the near future - in particular, we are talking about regulatory and preventive maintenance projects , remote monitoring, housing management, agriculture and fleet management projects .
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Supporting network functions in devices used in these areas can lead to a significant increase in productivity. In the case of routine and preventive maintenance and remote monitoring, sensors can be used to assess equipment performance in real time and send notifications and diagnostic information immediately upon detection of a malfunction. This can be a much more operational and less costly way of identifying faults than engaging employees who, at times, do not have sufficient qualifications or skills to identify and resolve problems.
Once the most appropriate directions for short-term IoT projects have been identified, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account — this will speed up the implementation of projects.
First , before embarking on self-development of highly specialized devices, organizations should examine ready-made IoT terminals with already implemented common functions. In some cases, self-development of the device may require months or even years of hard work.
Secondly , organizations should assess their level of readiness to implement IoT and take the necessary steps to increase this level. This means they need to provide a business case for those units that are not yet able to evaluate or get a good idea of the benefits of investing in IoT. In addition, this means the need to assess their own human resources and work within the available resources. For example, if your company does not have enough network technology specialists, then engaging a team to develop a specialized solution can be much more difficult than just choosing a reliable partner who could help cope with the problem. In the case of maintenance projects, it may also be necessary to retrain service engineers, since remote troubleshooting identified by IoT solutions may differ significantly from all previous diagnostic work.
In terms of technology, organizations, among other things, should have an idea of the IoT world as a whole, and, in particular, that network standards in different countries may differ. In addition, they should, at the earliest possible time, reflect on the types of data collected and on the necessary methods for transmitting them - including how often it is necessary to transmit these data, and who exactly will have access to them, as well as the format of this data (whether they will be transmitted in raw form, in the form of text, sound, image or otherwise). Another important factor is where the data will be processed. This may be the IoT device itself, or a cloud platform, or a specialized application for managing IoT devices. Some ready-made IoT terminals include data transformation capabilities, which can significantly simplify the aggregation procedure and further data analysis.
Finally, we must not forget about the security of the data collection infrastructure. In the event of a compromise of the end point, the least that can happen is a false system response and a call to the support service for a fully functioning mechanism, which can lead to additional costs and a decrease in the level of trust both in the specific system and in the whole idea of the Internet of things.
Adding network capabilities to current offline mechanisms is part of modern business — whether it's vending, elevators, or anything else, the benefits of the Internet of Things can be realized throughout the company. And if you take the right steps, you can achieve success much faster than it seems at first glance. Obviously, the entrance threshold is rapidly reduced, and this allows real revolution in such tasks as routine maintenance, as well as significantly improve the efficiency of these processes. But in order to take advantage of these benefits, organizations need to focus on those projects that are implemented in the short term - this will help them better understand all the nuances of the development of IoT initiatives - from creating a prototype to its industrial implementation, as well as ways to speed up this process. And if more organizations can achieve this, then perhaps 2017 will be a turning point when IoT technologies can really become something worthwhile in the corporate environment.
Small experiments and pilot projects in the field of IoT are already becoming commonplace, however, in order for the project to be truly worthwhile, it is necessary that it can develop and scale quickly. And although computing and communication technologies have already reached the required level of development, many organizations still need help with the realization of the possibilities that such technologies bring.
Where to start
The new world of communication technology offers us almost unlimited possibilities, which in itself is a very difficult prospect. Large-scale projects involving the connection of tens of thousands of end points, without a doubt, are a complex task that may require highly specialized solutions for working with IoT devices and sensors. However, this is not always required, and there are a number of industries and sectors where relatively small IoT projects can flourish in the near future - in particular, we are talking about regulatory and preventive maintenance projects , remote monitoring, housing management, agriculture and fleet management projects .
')
Supporting network functions in devices used in these areas can lead to a significant increase in productivity. In the case of routine and preventive maintenance and remote monitoring, sensors can be used to assess equipment performance in real time and send notifications and diagnostic information immediately upon detection of a malfunction. This can be a much more operational and less costly way of identifying faults than engaging employees who, at times, do not have sufficient qualifications or skills to identify and resolve problems.
Best practices to accelerate the implementation of IoT projects
Once the most appropriate directions for short-term IoT projects have been identified, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account — this will speed up the implementation of projects.
First , before embarking on self-development of highly specialized devices, organizations should examine ready-made IoT terminals with already implemented common functions. In some cases, self-development of the device may require months or even years of hard work.
Secondly , organizations should assess their level of readiness to implement IoT and take the necessary steps to increase this level. This means they need to provide a business case for those units that are not yet able to evaluate or get a good idea of the benefits of investing in IoT. In addition, this means the need to assess their own human resources and work within the available resources. For example, if your company does not have enough network technology specialists, then engaging a team to develop a specialized solution can be much more difficult than just choosing a reliable partner who could help cope with the problem. In the case of maintenance projects, it may also be necessary to retrain service engineers, since remote troubleshooting identified by IoT solutions may differ significantly from all previous diagnostic work.
In terms of technology, organizations, among other things, should have an idea of the IoT world as a whole, and, in particular, that network standards in different countries may differ. In addition, they should, at the earliest possible time, reflect on the types of data collected and on the necessary methods for transmitting them - including how often it is necessary to transmit these data, and who exactly will have access to them, as well as the format of this data (whether they will be transmitted in raw form, in the form of text, sound, image or otherwise). Another important factor is where the data will be processed. This may be the IoT device itself, or a cloud platform, or a specialized application for managing IoT devices. Some ready-made IoT terminals include data transformation capabilities, which can significantly simplify the aggregation procedure and further data analysis.
Finally, we must not forget about the security of the data collection infrastructure. In the event of a compromise of the end point, the least that can happen is a false system response and a call to the support service for a fully functioning mechanism, which can lead to additional costs and a decrease in the level of trust both in the specific system and in the whole idea of the Internet of things.
Connected future
Adding network capabilities to current offline mechanisms is part of modern business — whether it's vending, elevators, or anything else, the benefits of the Internet of Things can be realized throughout the company. And if you take the right steps, you can achieve success much faster than it seems at first glance. Obviously, the entrance threshold is rapidly reduced, and this allows real revolution in such tasks as routine maintenance, as well as significantly improve the efficiency of these processes. But in order to take advantage of these benefits, organizations need to focus on those projects that are implemented in the short term - this will help them better understand all the nuances of the development of IoT initiatives - from creating a prototype to its industrial implementation, as well as ways to speed up this process. And if more organizations can achieve this, then perhaps 2017 will be a turning point when IoT technologies can really become something worthwhile in the corporate environment.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/325616/
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