In late 2015, IoT (Internet of Things) was quite the buzz in the technology world. But did it really take off like the Industry thought they would? Anytime a new technology trend hits the market, you have early adopters. Early adopters who love to blaze the trail, who love to be the first to try something, who love to figure things out on their own and brag to their friends and co-workers. Not unlike other new trends, the early adopters are usually low in numbers. So what is slowing everyone else down?
It was not like many organizations tried IoT and decided it wasn’t for them. In a recent survey, less than 50% of end users have heard the term IoT and only half of those people were sure what the term meant. IoT is not a simple component you can add, or one business process you can implement. It has to run throughout an enterprise and its supply chain to be fully implemented. So this means you need to be committed to it as an organization in order to properly use it and benefit from it. In order to get upper management to fully embrace moving to IoT, you have to show how re-engineering their facility and paying for new technology can show them an ROI at the end of the day. The lack of understanding and the open questions surrounding IoT technology and the value it brings are the main reasons it has experienced slower adoption.
Another concern with IoT is the security and standards around it. Security becomes a concern for people anytime the Internet or Cloud technologies are mentioned. The more mature technologies get, the more secure they become. Security is no longer an issue with Cloud technologies and if anything, they become lower risk to an organization than someone who uses on-premise backups. As far as standards go, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next few months will bring this topic to the forefront.
Knowledge is still a barrier around the IoT. Organizations, as well as VARs and IT Providers, are still building out the expertise required to implement the new technologies for IoT adoption. Organizations may choose to create project teams to explore the IoT and understand how it will affect their current business operations. Some organizations will want to rely on outside help in order to decide if IoT is the best thing for them. Whichever route you choose to go, make sure you don’t take the knowledge part of this for granted. Educate yourselves not only on these points that may cause you hesitation, but also on the many many benefits IoT technologies can bring your organization. If you are interested in learning more about IoT and if it is the right move for your organization, contact 2W Tech today and let us help guide you.
Here are a few other blog posts that can help educate you on IoT:
IoTs Potential to Boost Manufacturing
IoT Mistakes That Can Harm Your Business
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