IOT benefits businesses looking to optimise processes, save costs, automate actions and contribute to a more eco-friendly future. The process starts with collecting and orchestrating data, especially if they are looking to harness AI’s endless potential.
However, IOT is not a silver bullet, and before embarking on potentially costly projects, you need to ensure that they are built on a solid foundation.
This is according to Theo Barnard, head of product at IOTDC, who says mistakes and misconceptions can result in IOT projects failing to deliver on expectations.
Getting fundamentals right
“Make no mistake – IOT is great. However, many IOT challenges arise before the deployment even begins,” he explains. “While IOT offers incredible potential, it’s important to ensure that the core business processes are effective. Adding innovative technology to a process that isn’t working well won’t deliver the desired improvements. Often, we see organisations eager to adopt IOT without addressing the foundation, which can lead to unnecessary complexity. Sometimes, it’s a fundamental issue that the customer needs to address, and other times, the fix can be as simple as digitising a process and off you go.”
For instance, he points to a manufacturer looking to use IOT to track valuable raw materials. If their production process doesn’t accurately account for material usage, adding IOT tracking won’t fully address the issue.
“Refining the processes first can make the solution more precise. When we engage with clients, we encourage them to solve their most significant challenges first, then build on that foundation with a trusted partner’s scalable, innovative IOT solutions.
Don’t rush
According to Barnard, many IOT projects face the same problem: the “rush to implementation, which I admit is often the case”. Once a budget is acquired for a project, many enterprises, as in this case, go gung-ho on implementing it. There has to be, in some cases, a sense of reality around deploying an IOT solution on a particular timeline. That’s something which you cannot rush.
The solution is simple; know the end goal and work backwards to plan and create a solution that delivers the desired outcome. There is no need to hasten the process as it will guarantee success in the long run.”
Bridge silos
In many planned IOT projects, the organisation operates in silos, Barnard says. “You may find operations wants do something, then after much planning, IT objects and says they can do it internally. A business decision needs to come from the top, and operations and IT need to work together on the project.”
Find the right partner
Barnard notes that IOT implementations involve much more than hardware, connectivity, integration and choosing the correct platform. The quickest and safest route to successful IOT deployment is finding a reputable partner.
“Once an organisation knows what value they want from an IOT toolkit or solution, they can engage with reputable partners to help them execute that vision.
The IOT partner should know what device best suits a particular use case, assuming they have experience solving device and data orchestration issues and understand the unique value a specific global vendor brings.
On devices, you need a local partner who acts as a custodian for the product in cases of support, stock holding, installation challenges and warranties. For example, we’ve seen large projects partially deployed on devices that don’t comply with regulatory standards, placing the customer at significant financial risk.
The right partner will own the project with the customer, ensuring devices are correctly installed, connected and integrated and that the data from the devices delivers business value. Before leaping into complex AI integration, you need accurate data and advanced data management, so the right partner can help you ensure you have correctly architected and implemented IOT to slot into AI processes,” he says.
