As a society we’re on the cusp of experiencing a proliferation of IoT sensors and devices brimming with intelligence, designed to improve our quality of life in every way imaginable. But with all great opportunities comes significant challenges. For IoT this includes: Security and regulation, Data storage and management, and Bandwidth.
I contributed to this eBook, in which I answered questions related to the IoT adoption path so far, current applications, and future trends.
As you read the ebook, you'll discover insights from some of the leading expert commentators and tackle the challenges with a guide on how to prepare yourself for a new wave of groundbreaking opportunities.
Below is a preview of what you will read
Where do you feel IoT is in terms of adoption?
According to recent research, connected IoT devices around the world were estimated to be around 22 billion in 2018. However, the recent pandemic highlighted the need for enabling technologies that allow us to overcome space barriers, and thus perform whatever tasks we need remote and regardless of the physical place where we are. The current acceleration in the adoption of such technologies suggests that by 2030 there will be hundreds of billions of smart devices around the world, thus creating a network of interconnected devices ranging from smartphones to kitchen appliances. For this reason, we are confident that loT solutions will play a major role in driving the connected economy.
Do you think it’s been driven by innovation or necessity?
The covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented and far-reaching disruptions to global economies, but it has also accelerated the need for digital transformation in many industries. However, companies had already seized the opportunity of innovation linked to digital, understanding how globalization has brought about radical changes in the way of doing business, creating new market space and therefore favoring the rising of new ventures in multiple sectors. IoT technologies obviously are driving this digital revolution.
Do you have any examples of IoT solving real-world problems? Cross-vertical? Vertical specific?
The future of IoT has the potential to be unlimited. In my experience, I have used IoT technologies to solve specific transversal and vertical needs. Some examples are:
As part of a digital transformation project of a very important Italian roasting company, I adopted IoT sensor devices to collect telemetry data by the production department in order to monitor the quality of the coffee from the beans to the final product in real-time. Another good example of the application of this technology concerns the use of IoT devices to gather data from an MV/LV transformer substation. The device has been installed with PLC security and critical infrastructure protection. All unstructured data is sent to the cloud to be processed and made accessible from mobile devices.
Finally, but there would be many other examples to tell, I am pleased to mention a project I followed a few years ago for the public transport sector. IoT devices were used to help transport operators improving system safety and service reliability, enhance the passenger experience, provide higher transit capacity, and reduce operational costs.
What do you think has been the most interesting application of IoT?
Healthcare Application
Energy Applications (smart grid)
Government Applications (smart city)
Maintenance management
Supply chains
Industrial IoT
Beyond “on device”, have you seen growth of data consumption & storage with regards to IoT? If so, what are the drivers for this?
The Internet of Things generates a huge amount of data to provide a variety of services to its users. Companies therefore undoubtedly need effective data management techniques at various levels, as they collect, process, and analyze data in order to meet the most important part of the chain: customer expectations.
This data collected by each touchpoint is then stored in different drivers according to the needs and the desired level of contextualization knowledge. Most large organizations invest in top-notch databases, data management companies, distributed systems, and cloud storage for storing the most important part of their business the digital information.
What does the future look like? Do you anticipate any trends in this technology? Do you have any concerns about wider adoption?
Edge computing is essentially bringing computing closer to where data is generated and where action can be taken quickly and effectively. With the rise of 5G and the availability of increasingly sophisticated AI algorithms, this year we will likely see an expansion of Edge Computing use cases. These trends are driven primarily by the development of new business models that of course will facilitate the growth of the offering of edge computing services. In other words, businesses will strive to become highly responsive to customer needs, and thus, across hundreds of thousands of local points of presence, they will be more agile to deliver more contextualized and relevant digital services.
