The Value of the Internet of Things in the Digital Workplace
In recent months, there has been a certain enthusiasm around the rise of the Internet of Things and the impact it will have on the evolution of the digital work environment.
The booming Internet of Things market is driving many transformations in all sectors. Reconciling the Internet of Things, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence thus appears as a strategic choice, a source of new opportunities for companies. If the integration of the Internet of Things is necessary in the digital age, it cannot be adopted without objectives, since this would be counterproductive for organizations.
The number of devices connected to the Internet continues to grow. Thus, according to Gartner, there will be more than 20 billion devices connected to the Internet in the world in 2020, against 6.4 billion currently.
Innovative technologies and solutions for smart homes and buildings have gained momentum in the consumer market. The Industrial Internet of Things is revolutionizing production in factories and is constantly improving in nuclear power plants and oil refineries.
While some companies have not yet begun their digital transformation with the Internet of Things, they have understood the potential of this technology. But what strategies must they put in place to fully benefit from its value?
Expanding the digital work environment
The traditional design of the digital work environment is focused on a human interacting with a device that offers a multitude of services. This device may be a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop.
These devices use native applications or web applications. In this context of digital transformation, paper gives way to entirely digital work environments.
With the proliferation of connected objects and the development of smart homes, the volume of data generated continues to grow. To be able to quickly process and analyze this data, it is necessary to use Artificial Intelligence and Machine-Learning.
Organizations will be able to analyze data in a precise and consistent way, allowing for more relevant decision-making. It will also enable organizations to quickly discover valuable information.
The productivity gap
The adoption of new technologies within an organization is a process of innovation and adaptation that involves many risks and challenges. Whatever the sector, any change management project in the company must face reluctance and obstacles, whether from a human or technological point of view.
The challenge is to use this new technology holistically, across all business processes to deliver tangible productivity gains. To do this, it is important to understand the devices, the data, the analysis, the result and the context in which it can be applied.
In the retail industry, for example, Bluetooth tags can be used to track customers and statistically analyze store hot spots to maximize revenue with optimal product placement.
The real barriers of the Internet of Things
Security is a major problem of the Internet of Things that still needs to be addressed. According to a recent Forrester report, a large-scale security breach is inevitable. In addition, hackers will continue to use connected objects to launch DDoS attacks. With these ever-increasing cyber-attacks, we can expect security to be at the heart of discussions over the next two years.
Cost is usually another barrier to adopting new technologies, such as the Internet of Things. However, this is not really true today, as companies like Microsoft and Amazon already offer affordable Cloud – based services for data analysis. In addition, setting up devices and the infrastructure to manage them is relatively inexpensive.
Before an organization uses the Internet of Things to transform its digital work environment, it must first define the intended use of the technology and its associated goals. If the company does not realize this thinking, it is just like trying to run before learning to walk.
