Internet of Things (IoT) Mistakes That Can Harm Your Business
Last month, we discussed the growing trend of Internet of Things (IoT) in the Manufacturing/Industrial space. It’s normal when we first start discussing topics to start with the benefits they can have with your business. But, it is always important to us to help our clients make sure we help identify any mistakes or possible concerns with new technologies that you should look out for. Our goal is to help connect the dots to make sure you have success with the IoT.
First and foremost, do not complete a IoT deployment without an IT expert on the technology guiding your organization through this. When you connect a large amount of devices that are constantly streaming, you can overload your system. Its the same concept as, don’t bite off more than you can chew. The best strategy to implement is to start adopting IoT in small doses. You may choose a pain point your business is suffering with and use it to help solve that. Then, you move on to the next pain point. This way, you are implementing IoT in small steps so you and your IT expert can adjust network settings so that you won’t overload your system and crash. In most cases, our clients do not have the right technology at the inset of deploying this strategy and at times it is hard to predict the necessary changes needed.
Another area that is causing early failure with IoT is not with the deployment, but instead with business processes. As with any new technology or system you implement, changes within your organization need to take place in order for the technology to do its intended job. Using this technology requires big changes in your processes and the model of how you do business. Whether this is with staffing changes, scheduling, dispatching, or any area of your business, each area is worth a conversation on how this technology will change how you are currently doing business. By doing this, you can ensure that you are adjusting your business processes in all areas to prevent causing any disruptions with your work flow and daily operations. The other thing I will caution with business processes is don’t leave them all the same. If you continue to have each area of your business conduct business as usual, you aren’t utilizing the benefits of the system.
Another big area that causes failure is with internal communications. We see this almost every time we do an ERP installation. Anytime you do a new installation in your organization, there will be disruptions. THERE WILL BE DISRUPTIONS. I repeat! Nothing is worse than being an employee of a company and doing your job like normal and boom, your system shuts down or the program you were running now looks different. Regardless of what the change or disruption is, it is always worse when it comes unexpected. Don’t leave your employees in the dark. Having an internal communication plan can help assure deployment and use of this system goes smoother and your employees can anticipate upcoming changes. It is also a good idea to help your employees understand what benefits they can gain, as this understanding can go along way with job satisfaction and willingness to make the change.
As I mentioned earlier, do not complete a IoT deployment without professional help on an IT Consultant. 2W Tech specializes in both Infrastructure and Managed Services projects and can work with your organization on your deployment and answer any questions you may have regarding if this strategy is the best one for your organization.
Read More:
Manufacturing and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
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