The Internet of Things or IoT is revolutionizing how we live our lives. Going beyond a device in our pocket or office, the IoT has reached our homes, buildings, processes and more.
The IoT connects a network of two or more devices to talk to us and one another by transferring and monitoring data through the internet to increase productivity, improve automation and other efficiencies, and offer convenience and safety solutions.
Health care, manufacturing, agriculture, retail and energy industries are continuing to embrace IoT solutions to gain a competitive advantage by allowing them to design and implement more robust risk management strategies to grow and develop their businesses.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), investment in IoT technology is expected to surpass the $1 trillion mark in 2022.
With the adoption of IoT happening across more and more industries, governments and in consumers’ daily lives, it can also determine the fate of many businesses that fall short of their original IoT implementation goals. Below are some important items to consider before implementing your IoT plan:
- How will you stay connected at each location? Wired, WiFi, radio or cellular or a combination.
- Do you have a failover option plan? Down time can be very costly.
- What type of devices do you need to connect and stay connected? In-house or third-party approaches as well as budget need to be considered.
- If using cellular as an option, do you understand the various regulations for multiple locations, regions and countries? You’ll need the expertise and capacity to understand roaming rules, data price points and billing formats.
- Do you have the support resources to get problems solved quickly? Working directly with IoT experts can get problems fixed quicker.
- Server or Cloud? Consider the developer capacity and scalability of building an in-house server or using an external Cloud service.
- How can you ensure security? The implications of a security breech can shut down an entire operation.
REACH can serve as your single resource to help evaluate and source options based on size, budget, and goals. Contact Valerie at 715-330-4200 or fill out the form below to learn more about how we can help implement your Internet of Things plan.