Internet of Things (IoT): where digital meets physical
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the connection of devices, vehicles, buildings and other physical objects to internet-connected digital platforms enabling these objects to collect and exchange data with the platform and/or each other.
The first IoT object, a bank cash withdrawal (ATM) machine, was unveiled back in 1969, so IoT isn’t exactly a new thing. As data storage, bandwidth and cloud connectivity became more widely available, the concept boomed. Today, ever more companies recognize that IoT is about more than smart homes and connected appliances. The Internet of Things is what drives smart cities, industry 4.0 and the factories of the future. Overwhelmed by virtually endless opportunities and connections, however, decision-makers are often unable to see the full potential for their businesses.
Grasping the potential of IoT isn’t the hard part, finding a business case for it within your company is
The three key layers of IoT
At its core, the Internet of Things consists of three key layers:
- Sensing
- Every IoT system is based on connected devices that sense, control or monitor certain activities or processes. These could be sensors, LED lights, industrial machines or pretty much anything that can be connected to the internet.
- Every IoT system is based on connected devices that sense, control or monitor certain activities or processes. These could be sensors, LED lights, industrial machines or pretty much anything that can be connected to the internet.
- Communicating
- The generated data is exchanged with other devices, processed locally or sent to centralized servers or cloud-based applications. In this phase, the data can be combined with information from other sources, such as beacons.
- The generated data is exchanged with other devices, processed locally or sent to centralized servers or cloud-based applications. In this phase, the data can be combined with information from other sources, such as beacons.
- Acting
- In what is perhaps the most important layer, the combined data from a multitude of interconnected devices is processed using advanced data analytics, and is in some cases powered by self-learning AI systems. This deep analysis provides useful information to guide further actions. For instance, data generated by a machine-monitoring device can help in determining the optimum maintenance schedule in a smart factory.
Connecting the dots
Amidst all the noise about the Internet of Things, decision-makers are often left wondering how they can leverage the power of increased connectivity. The list of potential benefits is long: operational excellence through process optimization, better decision-making thanks to big data analytics, improved productivity, safety and quality control, and so on.
In order to reap the benefits, businesses will need agile information infrastructures and they will have to tackle some crucial concerns, such as security, integration and data ownership. But apart from that, businesses will also need to experiment and build use cases. After all, IoT is not just a technical challenge, but also a question of business model innovation.
How delaware can help
• Thanks to a thorough understanding of industries and corporate processes, delaware can assist you in defining strategic goals and IoT projects with realistic growth opportunities.
• Innovation is in our DNA, but we do not reinvent the wheel. We build solutions based on existing platforms of our long-standing partners SAP (Leonardo) and Microsoft (Azure) and a broad selection of solid niche partners.
• We provide a broad range of services in the domain of digital transformation, from strategic and technological insights to transformational services. This allows us to inspire you and guide you through complex business transformations that go beyond IoT.
• Once your IoT environment is up and running at full speed, we can take care of every aspect of it, from hosting and operating the platform to monitoring and improving its performance.
