How and When to Incorporate the Internet of Things
Successfully taking advantage of the Internet of Things within your big data approach is easier said than done. You can try to just walk into a meeting and bark about your team’s need to make use of the Internet of Things, but without an understanding of the term, a proper strategy, and tight security when using data in bulk, you’ll likely fail before taking your first step.
But what does any of that mean, really? Like so many buzzwords before it, "the Internet of Things" is often just thrown into different conversations without context or reason. What’s important to note is that it's predicted almost five billion devices will be connected to the Internet by the end of this year, and data is being gathered, stored, and put to new use at a rate never thought possible.
If you’re making a project today that isn’t in some way connected, you’re behind the curve. Even your mailbox can make use of this connected ecosystem. But first, beyond having a solid understanding of the Internet of Things and knowing your company’s resources, it’s critical to understand what your consumer is looking for from a connected device.
Are they looking for simplicity, or something that will add a depth of fresh options to a previously standard product? If you’re developing a sensor to let you know exactly when your mail is here, should it come with its own proprietary remote, or simply tether to a smartphone—because at this point, everyone, their mothers, and their grandmothers never leave home without one?
Determining the best solution for your audience is one thing—implementing the Internet of Things into your platform is a completely different beast. It’s a great deal of work to go from inception to incorporation, and businessmen like OnFarm CEO Lance Donny have learned that sometimes, crafting your own solution isn’t worth the time and effort.
“Building our own back end would have slowed us by about one or two years," he told CIO of his company's web-based farm information application. "We would be significantly behind if we had done that."
Microsoft did the same when it was looking to incorporate the Internet of Things into Windows 8.1. By partnering with Insteon to release an expanded version of its existing app, Microsoft avoided investing years into a new solution and instead brought in an established group to make “home automation even easier for everyone, from the ultra-techie to the average homeowner."
If you have clear goals, an understanding of the consumer, and needs that couldn’t be satisfied by bringing in another company, it’s best to invest in your own Internet of Things solution. Before any work can or should be done, though, it’s critical to know how you’re going to accomplish your goal, when it needs to be implemented, and what benefits it will reap.
