EDITOR’S QUESTION
EDITOR’S QUESTION
RÉAN VAN NIEKERK, FOUNDER
AND MD, METACOM
The Internet of things – it is a trend,
a solution, an implementation and so
much more. Ask 100 people to define
it and 100 definitions will return. It
is a complex concept with simple
origins and its potential to transform
communications, business, lifestyle and
quality of life is extraordinary. From
two machines talking to one another
to an interconnected web of data
and insight, IoT is the future. It is also
not an easy solution to place on the
African continent where infrastructure,
connectivity and understanding
present serious obstacles to success.
In developed countries, IoT means
smart homes and offices make
experiences at home and work
more efficient. Most of these
Internet-enabled devices and
appliances are not yet relevant in
Africa where connectivity remains
an inhibitor. The continent requires
smart solutions to solve its biggest
challenges, such as the effective
delivery of healthcare services.
Below are some of the challenges faced
by Metacom while working in Africa:
One of the first problems is funding.
To effectively enable IoT, a robust and
reliable communications infrastructure
is essential. Only with the right
infrastructure is revenue going to
deliver on its investment – normally
IoT is low-cost revenue per device,
but without any devices the dynamic
changes considerably. So, the first
question to ask is – how are the devices
connecting to one another and how
is this going to be monetised? This is
not the kind of business model that’s
considered low hanging fruit by the
incumbent operators in Africa. Cellular
communication is well suited to this
task, but managing SIM cards in Africa
is notoriously difficult and the data
costs are exorbitant.
In addition to the issues around
funding and return on investment,
is the thin population spread. Africa
consists of vast geographic regions
with isolated areas that boast dense
population numbers. Building an
infrastructure in these geographic
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INTELLIGENTCIO
CLAUDE SCHUCK, REGIONAL
MANAGER FOR AFRICA, VEEAM
regions would be prohibitively
expensive, as would providing the
necessary support to keep the
infrastructure operational and current.
are mercurial, at best, non-existent at
worst. Most rural deployments need
backup power which is expensive
and needs constant support to
remain viable.
Of course, there is another cost point
– transport. Travelling across Africa is
expensive and difficult. Even countries
with good infrastructure links, like
Namibia, suffer from cost restraints.
Vast distances between towns and poor
road networks can result in hours lost
in travel time. There are cases where a
technician must travel only 40kms, but
the journey takes four hours in a 4x4
driving at 10km per hour. Route cost
planning is complex. Finally, and probably the most
complex, is the regulatory framework
that changes with every African
country. Each one is different and
unpredictable. The rules that govern
how products can enter markets are
almost constantly in flux and it’s
impossible to know how much the
product will cost to get in, what new
costs will arise around its upkeep or
what rules customs has introduced.
For IoT to thrive in Africa, there is also
the environmental factor. External IoT
devices deployed in rural areas are
going to be exposed to the elements
for long periods of time and many
of these conditions are harsh. The
products have to be extremely robust
to operate successfully on the African
landscape. Then add to this another
challenge – power. Power supplies The whole idea of IoT is to connect
and communicate, but so many of the
challenges that Africa presents impact
on its ability to do what it says on the
technical tin. There are solutions and
options, of course, but for now, the
continent can be likened to Sisyphus
as it pushes the IoT boulder up the
never-ending hill – it will get there,
just not today.
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This does not mean that the
IoT isn’t suitable for developing
countries, in fact it is perfect for
Africa and the platforms are in place
to take advantage of it. The rise in
telemedicine and other e-healthcare
services has seen many developing
countries across the continent embrace
more innovative ways of providing
quality and affordable care.
Traditionally, people in rural
communities had to face the challenge
of travelling long distances to reach
a clinic for much-needed medical
care. And while this is still a way of life
throughout Africa, technology
has started changing how services
are delivered.
For example, wearable technology
offers live feedback on the wearer’s
health that alerts medical staff and
users to potential health risks before
they become serious. Home scanners
allow for self-diagnosis, helping to
avoid a visit to the hospital for less
serious ailments.
As African companies prepare
themselves for more widespread
adoption of IoT, decision-makers
need to be cognisant that behind
the promise and buzz IoT offers, the
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availability of data will be critical to
its success.
The IoT Barometer 2016,
commissioned by Vodafone, found that
90% of local companies felt that IoT
was important for their future success
with 88% seeing value in IoT and that
it required considerable financial and
time investment.
This increased dependence on IoT,
connected devices and connected
services, brings with it the pressure
to ensure that these services operate
without any interruptions. Data must
be made available at all times to allow
the intelligence to be unlocked. For the
IoT momentum to continue, service
levels must be maintained and the
availability of data must be a priority.
Downtime and data loss now see
enterprises face public scrutiny in
ways that cannot be measured by a
balance sheet alone. The 2017 Veeam
Availability Report, released in April,
shows that almost half of enterprises
see a loss of customer confidence and
40% experienced damage to brand
integrity, which affect both brand
reputation and customer retention.
Additionally, Veeam has found that
the average annual cost of downtime
for organisations in the study totalled
more than R270-million.
In a medical environment, the loss of
data at a critical time becomes more
than a financial argument – it becomes
a very human one. Having downtime
measured in hours and days is simply
unacceptable. The availability of data
is of paramount importance, and
outages, when they do occur, must
last mere seconds and minutes before
data availability is restored. In the
healthcare sector, specific IT systems
must be always on, making data
available around the clock.
Failure to deliver always-on access
to IoT services, particularly in these
early stages, could severely hamper
the uptake of the technology and
perceptions of the brands utilising
them. Poor service and connectivity
will make consumers think twice
about paying for, and placing trust in,
connected devices.
When implemented correctly, IoT can
substantially increase productivity
and enhance quality of life through
the useful data collected. For many
businesses, IoT solutions and services
offer the possibility of new revenue
streams, better decision-making and
increased profitability.
As IoT continues to transform
industries, businesses must ensure
availability is built-in to the planning of
these deployments. Technologies such
as IoT are enabling highly disruptive
business models and, along with
blockchain and artificial intelligence
platforms, show promise in delivering
competitive advantages. But these
advantages will not be realised if the
exponential rise of data that comes
with them is unable to be managed
and kept available.
IT leaders therefore need to properly
assess these platforms and ensure
a solid availability strategy is in
place to underpin their digital goals.
With availability at the centre of an
IoT strategy, innovation can occur,
consumer trust will build and the
business will reap the benefits. ¡
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