7 Important Points In Preparing For The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things sounds more like J.J. Abrams next sci-fi thriller than a
major inflection point in business technology. Which makes the fact that IoT is about to
invade the business landscape on a massive scale somewhat ironicand wholly
appropriate.
Enterprises have been tossed by some momentous technology waves in the last
few years, such as big data, the cloud, mobility, and social networking. Yet the Internet
of Thingsconnected, data-generating devices embedded in everyday objectsis more
than just another wave.
IoT means that all of the physical infrastructure, the whole world around us, is
going to be connected to the internet, says Oracle Vice President of Product
Management Peter Utzschneider, whos been evangelizing IoT for several years. IoT is
like those other profound technology changes weve already experienced, only on
steroidsits that big, he says.
Business executives and technology managers need to comprehend the
implications and open their minds to the possibilities of IoT for their organization,
Utzschneider advises, and prepare accordingly. To that end, he offers seven important
points in considering the Internet of Things.
1. Take the long view.
People need to be prepared that this is a long-term proposition, says
Utzschneider. They have to understand that IoT means fundamental change for
business, he adds.
The Internet of Things is in its early days, and most implementations are still
relatively simplisticbut thats changing fast, as IoT technology, from end-point devices
to data integration and analytics platforms, increase in number and improve in
capability.
At the same time, businesses are beginning to grasp the advantages of IoT both in
terms of improving operational efficiency and extending external business
opportunities, Utzschneider explains.

And while some enterprises might be leery of yet another Big Bang technology
promising to revolutionize business, IoT is just thatand it will take commitment to
make it work.
Theres no quick-and-easy, silver-bullet thing to it, says Utzschneider. It has to
be fundamental and at the core of their business.
2. Its all about the data.
To get the value of IoT, youre going to have to deal with a ton of data,
Utzschneider says.
Most current IT systems work with data thats meaningful or high in value, like
the results of a transaction. IoT flips that equation, generating a very high volume of
relatively low-value data and, most likely, at high velocity.
Little tiny bits of information coming in a constant tsunami that need to be
processed and contextualized on the fly in order to glean value, he says. Its a little like
the hilarious I Love Lucy sketch at the chocolate factory, Utzschneider jokes, where
Lucy fumbles and flubs the candy pieces because she cant keep up with the increasingly
faster production line.
Organizations will achieve the business advantages of IoT only when they can
capture, sort, piece together, and make sense of that data. That means they need to be
able to collect, store, and retrieve data from a variety of devices representing many
different operating systems, protocols, and standards.
They have to be prepared to embrace new technologies that will help them make
sense of, yet again, a whole other set of data thats different than what theyve dealt with
before, says Utzschneider.
3. Push more intelligence to the edge.
The things of IoT represent an ever-growing range of devices: chips, implants,
sensors, transponders, even cameras and motion detectors. One of the developments
driving IoT is the cost/capability equation described in Moores Law, which says that the
processing capabilities of those end point devices will continue to increase while their
cost goes down.

As we move forward, those things are going to get much more intelligent,
Utzschneider asserts. Savvy enterprises will look to exploit that by constantly improving
edge devices, making them smarterwhat Utzschneider refers to as pushing more
intelligence to the edge.
For instance, consider a vehicle that can anticipate road conditions based on a
dynamic stream of weather data and respond appropriately in advance to icy or flooded
surfaces.
I should be able to change the behavior of the device, have it be able do
something differently, based on input that Ive given it, he says.
Another advantage: Devices with more intelligence will help minimize back-andforth with the data center and across the network, mitigating potential performance
bottlenecks.
4. Integrate, dont isolate.
Organizations should avoid unnecessarily isolating IoT data in a silo. Dont be
afraid to bring IoT data directly into your business applications for the benefit of
improving them and removing blind spots from how your business runs, Utzschneider
says.
The data generated by IoT devices can add to the effectiveness of major
enterprise applications like CRM, ERP, and supply chain. For instance, more specific
data about workflow generated by motion detectors could help improve business
process applications and perhaps hone HR policies.
Once integrated into enterprise applications, IoT capabilities can be expanded
easily into other areas. Using IoT, for example, retailers increasingly add value to
shoppers in-store experiences, and improve their stickiness, by enabling locationbased special offers via shoppers mobile devices. This extension of IoT is now moving
into homes as well as into the family car.
5. Start small, think big.
Conventional wisdom says that, with any technology project, start small and
target a foreseeable return on investment. IoT is not an exception to this.

Utzschneider points to a successful pilot project by the city of San Francisco, called
SFpark, that uses data from networked smart parking meters to generate graphical
displays of available parking spaces that are available to consumers via a smartphone
app.
The IoT-driven service also dynamically readjusts prices for parking as demand
increases around popular areas, like AT&T Park before a Giants baseball game.
Consumers who have downloaded the app are alerted to parking options, while the city
raises a revenue stream.
But dont let conventional wisdom interfere with points #1 or #4. The Internet of
Things is, by definition, a very big idea, and organizations should plan on incorporating
it into as many enterprise areas as possible.
6. Embrace the synergies.
Think about IoT as complementary to, rather than superseding, major technology
projects like big data and cloud implementations. In fact, IoT works in conjunction with
those to great effect.
Big data analytics, of course, is a crucial tool for gleaning actionable data from the
IoT tsunami. And IoT implementations will benefit from the flexibility and scalability
provided by cloud services, especially as enterprises start out with several hundred IoT
devices, potentially ramping up to tens of thousands.
IoT is at this nexus of technology advancement, and thats what making this
possible, Utzschneider says.
7. Dont dither.
Dont get caught flat-footed, Utzschneider urges. A lot of companies were late
getting into smartphones or building mobile apps for phones and are still playing catchup.
IoT adoption is growing fast, especially in certain industries. At a recent meeting
of 20 healthcare CXOs, Utzschneider explains, a quarter confirmed that their
organizations were piloting home-healthcare projects that employ IoT technology such
as networked sensors and measuring devices to generate specific data about patients
habits and therefore improve the effectiveness of their care.

Unlike previous efforts at ubiquitous networking, notably RFID, which

Utzschneider refers to as a technology looking for a solution, IoT is proving itself
practical and effective.
The technology is here, Utzschneider says, and technology managers need to
get familiar with it, especially as line-of-business managers already may be building IoT
applications into their business plans.
Theyre going to have to roll up their sleeves and figure out the right path to
adoption for their organizations, he says. And they should be getting started now.

Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/oracle/2015/04/28/7-important-pointsin-preparing-for-the-internet-of-things/#4c659ae7711d