The Internet of Things (IoT) is creating revolution across the world. Market research firm Forrester says that there are so many things to infrastructure and operations (I&O) executives keep in mind while selecting IoT software platforms.
It says identifying and collecting IoT use cases suitable for your firm is the primary step to take. These use cases can focus on specific vertical industries, consumer markets, connected products, or commercial opportunities
Firms such as Bosch SI, General Electric (GE) Digital, and Schneider Electric focus on deploying IoT-enabled industrial use cases.
If you are developing connected products, you can look for IoT platform specialists, including Arrayent, Exosite, LogMeIn’s Xively, and PTC’s ThingWorx, which provide a range of functions to help product manufacturers connect, manage, and secure IoT-enabled connected products.
Enterprise software vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Microsoft, and SAP are extending their IoT platforms to address specific vertical markets, commercial opportunities, or use cases.
Another important thing is to look beyond connectivity when identifying IoT software platform requirements.
The market research firm says that many stakeholders initially focus on using IoT software platforms to connect the fragmented array of IoT-enabled sensors and devices to wireline; wireless (e.g., 3G and 4G); satellite; and industry-specific (e.g., CanBus and Mbus) networks.
However, IoT platforms often include a broad array of features such as data ingestion, app development, user interface design, data management, app integration, security, and analytics functions.
As the number of connected devices expands and the volume of data captured from these connected devices increases, you’ll need simplified but powerful tools to derive insights from the data and build new applications that integrate with business systems.
Building management and security considerations into your IoT platform requirements is another aspect to note.
The fragmented array of devices, networks, and apps required to deploy IoT solutions makes it difficult to identify the source of a problem in a broader service. IoT software platform monitoring consoles help I&O execs activate, monitor, provision, and track connected devices.
I&O execs must also collaborate with security colleagues to ensure that connected devices, apps, and data align with industry and geographic regulatory requirements. The recent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Dyn left the world unable to connect to popular websites that included Reddit, Spotify, and Twitter.
Facilitate coordination between IT and operations to identify platform requirements . As newer IoT solutions that run on and connect with broader business technology platforms replace legacy siloed technology, line-of-business executives representing many different roles (e.g., plant operations, manufacturing, supply chain, facilities management, or product development) must increasingly work with I&O teams to implement newer solutions.
It may also be necessary to re-evaluate requirements for new skill sets in data analytics, product engineering, development and operations (DevOps), support, and service delivery.
Source: Forrester
