The Secret to Success on IoT for Business

34 billion

devices will be connected to the internet by 2020, up from 10 billion in just

these connected devices – popularly

known as the internet of things (iot) or ubiquitous computing - represent a

tremendous potential for the enhancement of social and business life, and a brand new frontier for market growth.

<b>why businesses need to think like a consumer to unlock the power of iot</b>

according to an analysis by mckinsey, it

is estimated that the iot will have a total potential economic impact of between $3.9

cars to smart ovens, automatic

home lighting and air-conditioning systems, there are countless new innovations

and buzz about these interconnected gadgets and solutions. some of them have even

become part of consumers’ daily life. however, those are

only a tip of the

iceberg. the most fruitful part of the iot remains

hidden under the water.

countless studies have pointed

out that the top

adopter of iot will be businesses, rather

while companies of all sizes have now started putting iot on their agenda, the major

question remains: how exactly will they implement and utilize this nebulous

network of devices?

<b>place user experience first</b>

whether it’s iot for consumers or

businesses, the adoption rate is as crucial for success as it is user

experience. wearables, one of the most widely adopted consumer iot, categories,

gives a clear insight into the reasons that make people embrace those innovations—they are practical,

easy-to-use and most importantly, help solve a real problem in people’s lives, which is health in

this case. similarly, when iot is deployed in business, it needs to ensure that

the solutions are realistically answering the needs of employees and end-users

throughout the organization.

<b>play with the data</b>

iot can help a business lower costs, increase efficiency and productivity, and even expand into

new markets or new product offerings. but none of this is possible without continuous optimization using real-time information reflecting

actual usage scenarios. data on users’ experience must be collected

and monitored closely to make adjustments. just look at the self-driven cars

running on the road - they are the result of more than two million miles of

tests that are still ongoing today. this type of continual tweaking, learning

and enhancing is key to the effective deployment and growth across the consumer

spectrum. the same applies when iot devices are implemented in business. unlike

historical software and hardware deployments, it isn’t a once in a five year

process. it is a living ecosystem of technology that needs to be continually

fine-tuned and optimized using user data and feedback.

<b>pay attention to security</b>

with all the benefits of

iot comes a healthy dose of risk. as connected devices are increasing rapidly

in both number and geographical footprint, hackers now have even more entry

points for malicious attacks. an at&amp;t survey revealed that just 10% of

companies who are planning to deploy iot are confident with the security of

including one in october 2016 that brought much of the western us internet to

its knees, has demonstrated the inherent fragility of this burgeoning

ecosystem. for businesses, protection across the backend infrastructure and

systems may no longer be adequate. in a future dominated by many multiples of

devices, organizations are going to have to think about security from an

individual upwards if they are to truly secure their business and people.

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-security-privacy-2016-8"></a>