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FEATURE: IOT
Internet of Things (IoT)
continues to make
inroads into South African
industries, ensuring that
businesses will always
know where everything is
and able to keep track of
even more data. Kabelo
Ngwane, Customer
Success Manager at CRS
Technologies, tells us more.
C
hallenges associated with IoT, like
security, connectivity and a sound
business plan, are largely being
addressed. Therefore, we have created a
commercial environment where key sectors
such as wearables, motoring, manufacturing,
supply chain, agriculture and healthcare
stand to score from the adoption of IoT.
How exactly? On one level, the days of
having to rely on barcode tracking systems
for inventory management are well and truly
gone. With IoT, we have in-depth metrics
about customers and behaviour with the
potential to exploit this information using
data analysts and visualisation software.
Moreover, businesses now operate with
interconnected devices, cloud-hosted software
and portable devices, and the ability to
meet the consumer demand for immediate,
guaranteed efficiency in service delivery.
Experts have criticised local businesses for
being uninformed and lax when it comes to
the issue of security and IoT, and for failing
to devise and instil a comprehensive plan of
action related to IoT.
The more important shift in security will
come from the fact that IoT will become
more ingrained in our lives. Concerns will
no longer be limited to the protection of
sensitive information and assets. Our very
lives and health can become the target of
IoT hack attacks.
Connecting so many devices will be one
of the biggest challenges of the future of
IoT, and it will defy the very structure of
current communication models and the
underlying technologies.
At present we rely on the centralised, server
or client paradigm to authenticate, authorise
and connect different nodes in a network. The
model is sufficient for current IoT ecosystems,
where thousands of devices are involved.
And how will this likely play out in terms of HR
in the workplace? One immediate impact is
that the HR department will likely soak up and
utilse IoT Big Data. Employees will embrace
gadgets and mobile or smart devices to help
evaluate their performance on the job. Data
can extracted and used to measure people-
centric trends, processes, where businesses are
losing out, where there are definite strengths
and potential weaknesses.
Companies are beginning to not only know
how to extract data but are now beginning
to truly grasp the power that lies in that
data and now extend the influence of IoT
beyond internal and into partnerships,
service delivery, customer experience and
much more.
So how should businesses
handle their quest towards IoT?
According to experts operating within the
competitive enterprise software market and
quoted in research, an effective strategy is
for businesses to start on a modest scale
and then settle on a core business objective
related directly to customer service, that
will impact the bottom line. It also outlines
the importance of a detailed plan, with
fast, effective
control of every business resource
IoT offers
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