business
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TALKING
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The Internet of Things can
transform business
Mark Walker, Associate Vice President of Sub-Saharan Africa at
International Data Corporation (IDC), says the Internet of Things
(IoT) can transform business and process if done with intent.
Mark Walker, Associate Vice President
of Sub-Saharan Africa at International
Data Corporation
S
outh Africa is already past the
IoT hype cycle and well into the
mainstream. Projects and pilots are
already becoming a commercial reality,
tying neatly into the 2017 IDC prediction
that 2018 would be the year when the local
market took IoT mainstream.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, it is
anticipated that IoT implementations
will continue to rise in both scope and
popularity. Already 23% are in full
deployment with 39% in the pilot phase.
The value of IoT has been systematically
proven and yet its reputation remains
tenuous – more than 5% of companies
are reluctant to put their money where the
trend is – thanks to the shifting sands of
IoT perception and success rate.
There are several reasons behind why IoT
implementations are failing. The biggest
is that organisations don’t know where
to start. They know that IoT is something
they can harness and that it can be used to
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INTELLIGENTCIO
shift outdated modalities and operations.
They are aware of the benefits and the case
studies. What they don’t know is how to
apply this knowledge to their own journey
so their IoT story isn’t one of overbearing
complexity and rising costs.
Another stumbling block is perception.
Organisations are overlooking the challenges
that can be solved by realistic IoT, the banal
and the boring solutions that leverage
systems to deliver on business priorities.
Because IoT is an emerging technology,
there remains a limited awareness of the
true extent of its value proposition and yet
66% of organisations are confident that this
value exists.
This percentage poses both a problem and
opportunity. On one hand, it showcases
the local shift in thinking towards IoT as
a technology worth investing into. On the
other hand, many companies are seeing the
competition invest and leaping blindly in the
wrong direction.
It is essential that every company makes
its own case for IoT based on its needs and
outcomes. Organisations that want their
IoT investment to succeed must reject the
idea that they can pick up where another
has left off. IoT must be relevant to the
business outcome that it needs to achieve.
While some use cases may apply to most
industries based on specific circumstances,
there are different realities and priorities
that will demand a different approach and
starting point.
What differentiates the IoT successes
is how a company leverages data
to deliver meaningful value-added
predictions and actions for personalised
efficiencies, convenience and improved
industry processes. To move forward, the
organisation needs to focus on the business
outcomes and not just the technology. They
need to localise and adapt by applying
context to the problem that’s being
solved and explore innovation through
partnerships and experimentation. n
www.intelligentcio.com