Why Knowing About the Challenges of Adopting the IoT Is Important
Today we can say with confidence that the Internet of Things (IoT) has penetrated into all spheres of business.
Enterprises from a variety of areas invest into the IoT in order to make this technology serve their needs.
Google actively uses IoT solutions for its own purposes aims and offers similar services to other companies.
Lufthansa processes real-time aircraft, airport, and weather sensor data to improve on-time performance and enhance the customer experience.
However, is the implementation of this technology provided to all enterprises without difficulty?
No, and the whole idea is that the adoption of the IoT is a very delicate and risky task.
In this article, we will discuss some of the challenges faced by enterprises that want to implement IoT technology and talk about ways to avoid them.
Let’s discuss the reasons why enterprises should be aware of the potential problems of IoT implementation.
Why Knowing About the Challenges of Adopting the IoT Is Important
Let’s discuss the reasons why enterprises should be aware of the potential problems of IoT implementation.
Enterprises will be able to avoid additional costs and security issues during IoT implementation
More and more CMOs, CEOs and other executives of enterprises are becoming increasingly concerned about this technology.
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) survey confirms that, “Internet of Things solutions have reached critical mass, fast becoming a top concern for U.S. enterprise decision makers.”
So why do they need to know about the challenges of IoT adoption?
The answer is very simple.
As the old proverb says, “forewarned is forearmed.”
Any enterprise that plans on implementing innovations needs to know all of the possible risks connected with it, especially if it concerns things such as the introduction of new and previously unused technologies.
In addition to the fact that introducing new technology is costly, it can also lead to unpredictable consequences.
Incorrectly implementing IoT technology can make everything worse than it was by paralyzing or disrupting the work operations of the company.
For example, if the process of adoption is performed by under-qualified people, they may unwittingly leave a security hole within the systems of an enterprise.
This can lead to a leakage of customers’ personal data, and, as a consequence, to a loss of customers.
To prevent such an unpleasant turns of events, enterprises need to know about the possible challenges and issues of IoT adoption.
BI Intelligence forecasts that, “Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions.”
So they must know all the pitfalls and how to get around them.
“The IoT’s value is never greater than what management is prepared to do with it,” wisely concludes Meta S. Brown, a Forbes contributor and technology expert.
In knowing how to deal with challenges, enterprises will be able to surpass competitors who do not have this knowledge
The second reason why executives of business firms need to be aware of potential problems associated with IoT adoption directly follows from the previous paragraph.
I have already said that the adoption of the IoT is trending. But, the truth is that this trend is rapidly gaining momentum.
If only a limited quantity of enterprises start allocating funds now for the implementation of IoT solutions, then in two years most enterprises will be actively using IoT technology.
“IoT will become a mainstream enterprise element by the beginning of 2019. 44% of 2020 IT budgets, on average, will be dedicated to IoT projects development and maintenance,” – predicts TIA’s survey.
This means that an enterprise that can quickly and successfully implement the technology now will gain a competitive advantage.
Such an enterprise will have at least two years of technological superiority over most competitors.
What Challenges May Enterprises Face While Adopting the IoT
Now let’s discuss what problems can arise for any enterprise implementing the IoT, and how they can be circumvented.
- Inability to link all the data together and process it effectively
With more devices and systems connected, the larger data sets will have to be processed by enterprises using IoT solutions.
Joe McKendrick, a Forbes technology columnist, believes that, “Complexity is the greatest challenge. We’re talking about even “bigger” big data here, which could be overwhelming.”
Another problem with a large amount of data is that it will be difficult to track truly valuable information.
“People will have decide which pieces of data are really, really important, and is it worth the cost and time to try to capture everything,” says Joe McKendrick.
The problem of processing large amounts of data can be partly solved by services such as ParStream, a special solution that enables digital data analytics for complex IoT environments.
ParStream was created just to help companies handle arrays of digital information and extract the most valuable data from them.
- Incompetence in establishing same technology standards to make all connected devices ‘understand’ each other
The whole network based on IoT technology works as one living organism.
It is not enough to make an enterprise process data received from all devices connected to the network.
It is also important to make these devices understand each other.
David Roe, a technology expert and journalist, claims that, “Right now though, IoT devices are not being configured to speak a single language. As yet here is no universally accepted communications standard that will enable all devices communicate.”
So how can this problem be solved?
Enterprises can use various services that were created to help multiple devices interact with each other.
For example, Open Connectivity Foundation and Allseen Alliance developed a universal software framework that allows the connection of different IoT devices and ensures their interaction with each other.
- Inability to deal with security and data privacy threats
Many experts consider the introduction of the IoT to be dangerous regarding security.
Duncan Jefferies, a London-based tech journalist, notes that, “There are legitimate fears about security: in simple terms, the more smart devices and sensors you connect to the internet, the more potential there is for hackers to find a way into sensitive systems.”
Given that all the data of an enterprise will be linked to one other, even a small security hole is a potential threat to the entire business.
First, information can end up in the hands of hackers who can do anything with it.
Second, customers who see that an enterprise cannot ensure the safety of their personal data are unlikely to continue dealing with such an enterprise.
Is there any way to avoid fears and problems related to security during the adoption of the IoT?
“Unless these fears are properly addressed by device manufacturers and proponents of the IoT, they’ll continue to limit its development,” concludes Duncan Jefferies.
So when deciding on IoT adoption, it is better to consider one option – hire third-party experts to assist in the development and implementation of IoT solutions.
According to TIA survey, 28% of enterprises rank system integrators as their top trusted choice of an IoT partner.
Thus, it is possible to delegate this risky and challenging matter to companies that specialize in the implementation of new technologies and who have valuable experience in this area.
Conclusions
Today, the Internet of Things is a trend.
Many experts understand that this technology is the future, and the IoT gives certain competitive advantages to any enterprise that can adapt it to its needs.
Despite the fact that more and more enterprises are using IoT technology, many of the difficulties associated with its implementation remain unresolved.
This makes the adoption of the IoT a rather risky and unpredictable affair.
Here are the key points of the article:
Enterprises should learn about the challenges of IoT adoption because, as they start to adapt this technology, they will need to know what problems they may face.
In knowing how to deal with these challenges, enterprises will be able to surpass competitors who do not have this knowledge.
The main challenges associated with the implementation of the IoT are:
- Inability to link all the data together and process it effectively
- Incompetence in establishing same technology standards to make all connected devices ‘understand’ each other
- Inability to deal with security and data privacy threats
Blog Author
Hassan Bawab
Hassan Bawab is the CEO of Magic Logix, a Dallas, Texas based transformative marketing agency specializing in customized web development solutions and digital strategies. Mr. Bawab is a trusted resource in the industry and often spends his free time as a consultant for Top 1000 Fortune companies. He is the author of “How to Work with a Digital Marketing Agency” and has written numerous articles on automation technologies that have become industry dogmas. Key to Hassan Bawab’s success is his passion for digital innovation and his ability to incorporate trend-setting technology into the field of web development and integrated marketing.
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