IoT implementation can fulfill great promise and, if not done well, can bring great pain. Whether looking at remote monitoring or tasks like location and telemetry tracking, the ongoing networking of devices; vehicles, buildings – basically all of the things – is happening quickly. IoT projects of every description are only set to rise on the corporate to-do list. A measured and proactive plan of action will serve you well. These five things, if done right, will set you up for success with all of your IoT implementation endeavors.
Players
IoT starts with you (and your organization). It takes a village to get IoT done right. It starts at the top and trickles down throughout the organization. Leaders need to get on board and work together to create a fully cross-functional team with members from all core functions of your enterprise.
Including employees from every core function will also increase the likelihood of full-scale adoption across the organization. You’re giving your employees the opportunity to share their voice on a project that will impact the enterprise as a whole. You’re giving them a reason to care and it will definitely pay off.
Partnerships
Along the path to implementation, you’ll need a few new friends. IoT projects rely upon expertise in many disciplines, often augmented by partners outside the organization. We all know that good partnerships can be the difference between great experiences and huge headaches.
Your cross-functional team should take time to create a list of what you’d like to see in a partner. Each list for each organization will be different as the needs for each IoT implementation are different. Whether looking at hardware, platforms, or channels, the right partnerships can propel your IoT implementation and ultimately lead to success.
Security
It’s the most common concern for all involved with IoT adoption and implementation—or at least should be. After the DDoS attack in 2016 it’s clear that IoT devices if not protected properly can leave companies vulnerable. IoT implementations might also mean that your security team will need an upgrade too.
To ensure your company, data, customers, and customer data are safe, security teams will need to invest in threat intelligence, risk management, endpoint security solutions, and maybe even 24 hour security monitoring. It might be wise for some companies—depending on the scale of your IoT implementation—to outsource security.
Visibility
The IoT is giving better insights into organizations, processes, and operations. With successful implementations you will be able to see real-time information on assets, people, and transactions and turn that information into actionable intelligence that can inform decisions. This visibility if you’re ready for it can give you a huge competitive advantage.
Analytics
Along with visibility you get analytics. Visibility gives you the data needed to run analytics. Without analytics, and possibly a data scientist, your company wouldn’t be able to make clear decisions when it comes to your IoT implementations.
So, if you are in the IoT thick of it, it’s time to get some further answers, reassurances, or course-correction. And if IoT implementation is in your near future, you have a tremendous opportunity to get beyond the hype and hit the ground running.
Learn and Join
On September 27, 2018 at 9 am PST/12 pm EST please join Christian Renaud from 451 Research and Fred McClimans from Futurum Research as they discuss the top success factors for IoT projects in the first of three webinars brought to you by HPE and Intel.
Beyond the Hype: 5 Things to Ensure IoT Success is a webinar based on lessons learned from roundtable discussions with 30 CxOs and supported by research findings. What are the best strategies for building a team, finding good partners, prioritizing security, and leveraging the promise and power of IoT implementation?
The original version of this article was first published on Broadsuite Media Group.
Daniel Newman is the Principal Analyst of Futurum Research and the CEO of Broadsuite Media Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise. From Big Data to IoT to Cloud Computing, Newman makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology projects, which leads to his ideas regularly being cited in CIO.Com, CIO Review and hundreds of other sites across the world. A 5x Best Selling Author including his most recent “Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy,” Daniel is also a Forbes, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post Contributor. MBA and Graduate Adjunct Professor, Daniel Newman is a Chicago Native and his speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.