How to unlock the Internet of Things’ potential for your business

How to unlock the Internet of Things’ potential for your business

Given that it has been around for a quarter of a century, you might understand the fundamentals of the Internet of Things, but many organisations struggle to access its full potential.

Put simply, earlier Internet of Things or machine learning initiatives were not designed with businesses existing infrastructure in mind.

This meant that many IoT networks failed to take full advantage of pre-existing analytics platforms and enterprise connectivity or established security practices. Of course, this is despite the fact that there are countless different use cases for automated systems and IoT applications within the corporate world.

Whether it is using smart objects and sensor data to reduce energy consumption within your offices or creating smart buildings, using artificial intelligence to provide assistance with your data management, or leveraging data generated by IoT devices to understand more about your consumer, there are a great many benefits offered by smart devices.

Ultimately, to integrate IoT technology into your core business infrastructure and maximise its potential, you need to integrate it with your enterprise systems – especially your analytics platforms. So how can you get the most out of Internet of Things technology for your organisation? This blog will provide applicable advice for integrating it into your business.

Define the reason for having internet-connected devices

When considering IoT device management and leveraging its potential within your organisation, it is crucial to be clear about what you are trying to achieve. After all, while streaming real-time data from infrastructure in the field or IoT systems dotted around your campus or offices is useful, it is essentially wasted device data if you don’t know how to process and analyse data or come to useful conclusions.

You will need to consider exactly what data you really need to achieve your agreed aims, and what it takes to collect data, share it, transfer it, analyse it, and store it – or not. For example, you may need the data to reduce energy consumption within your business, or to implement iot security systems. Whatever the case, make sure you have a full understanding of the type of data that you need to process.

Sidestep silos

The next step in integrating the Internet of Things into your organisation is to find out what dedicated IoT equipment you need to acquire in order to collect data, and how you are going to integrate big data analytics to turn it into useful information.

For instance, specialist providers of IoT platform sensors and other kits may present a compelling case for using their IoT platforms. Still, some will look to direct the device data to their own private clouds or backends, posing a question mark over exactly who owns, controls, and secures the IoT data. That private cloud will likely be matched by a bespoke dashboard, putting a question mark over how much freedom you have to integrate the IoT data with other information sources to maximise its value.

Is your IoT device supplier future-proofed?

You should also consider the long-term future of your IoT system suppliers. Some specialist IoT providers have already fallen by the wayside because of the silicon supply crisis. As a result, you may want to take a hardware-agnostic approach as far as possible – whether by relying on open standards or vendors who commit to developing products that are easy to integrate.

The right partner for your IOT devices

Once you have established your intentions with the Internet of Things and identified the infrastructure you will need to support it, you will need to find the right service partner to work with. This is crucial because working alongside a team of Internet of Things experts will help you define and implement your Internet of Things vision. However, you need to find the right team to work with, as their skills need to align with the goals of your organisation.

For example, an IoT systems specialist might be tied to specific vendors or technologies, and struggle to evolve the holistic view that most organisations need to create real value from their IoT investment. Instead, it could be wise to partner with a broadline enterprise services partner which has key IoT certifications.

This is because they will be able to deliver industry-grade credentials in security, analytics, infrastructure, and all the other jigsaw pieces needed for a complete business IoT solution.

Integrating smart devices into your business processes

The Internet of Things partner that you choose will have a significant impact that will extend to various crucial aspects of your organisation, such as connectivity, security, application development, infrastructure, and, of course, your business teams. To ensure that you begin with modest steps, maintain a larger perspective, and swiftly expand, it’s important to seek an IoT technologies partner who comprehends all these components.

This will guarantee that you possess both the overarching vision and the comprehensive expertise necessary to integrate IoT technologies seamlessly and securely into the core of both your infrastructure and your business.

Partner with Trustmarque for your Internet of Things requirements

Trustmarque has specialist Internet of Things know-how, a full range of enterprise expertise, an agnostic approach to hardware and software, and believes in a think big, start small, scale fast approach. We help you gather momentum for your use case through ready-made services that allow you to move swiftly and capture, understand, and test the validity of your Internet of Things data against a given outcome.

Once you have clarity on how you achieve your business goals, Trustmarque can deliver the Internet of Things services and solutions you need to adopt and nurture IoT technology so you can achieve strategic milestones with your critical infrastructure.