The internet of things (IoT) is the new frontier in a world where data is king. Businesses are investing in IoT to improve their operations and meet customer needs. But how do you know which strategy is right for you? MEF IoT Project Director Nassia Skoulikariti shares the lowdown on how to get ahead…

When deciding what you want to achieve, think about the specific benefits of achieving your goal. For example, if your goal is to improve data accuracy in a warehouse, think about the different areas in which accuracy could be improved (e.g., reducing the number of mistakes made by warehouse personnel).

Once you have determined what benefits would result from achieving your goal, it is time to figure out how to measure success. There are many ways to measure success for an IoT strategy, but a few key metrics to keep an eye on include reducing overall costs, increasing data throughput, and creating new business opportunities.

One of the biggest challenges when implementing an IoT strategy is that many different devices and software platforms need to be coordinated. It can be challenging to determine which tools or technologies will work best for your organisation.

IoT Connectivity is a critical component of the data journey and a key element to the overall IoT success. Data cannot be captured, processed, and analysed without reliable and consistent connectivity.

To build an effective IoT strategy, it is essential to understand the various types of connectivity available and ensure that your devices are connected to the right networks and platforms. Additionally, it is important to consider how you will use connectivity to capture data, process it and analyse it.

  IoT Connectivity is a critical component of the data journey and a key element to the overall IoT success. Data cannot be captured, processed, and analysed without reliable and consistent connectivity.“

Five key elements to success with IoT Connectivity

IoT has the potential to create a vast array of new opportunities for businesses, but it requires a concerted effort and strategy to succeed.

During the last MEF IoT working group, we spoke with Jimmy Jones from Zariot about ways to succeed with IoT connectivity.

Jimmy Jones identified five key elements that an organisation needs to consider when deploying connectivity for IoT solutions. Availability, Identity, Security, Privacy and Longevity.

Availability – Ensuring that your IoT devices are always connected and have the appropriate coverage, capacity and scalability is essential for gathering data and executing instructions. Strategies for ensuring availability include deploying redundant infrastructure, deploying cloud-based solutions, and using secure communications protocols.

“Availability comes first. If you can’t connect, then by definition, you haven’t got an IoT service. Every IoT device has to be able to communicate with the network and not just the network. It needs to be able to communicate beyond that to the applications and the users that want to use the service.” Jimmy Jones

Identity – Protecting the identities of individuals and entities involved in your IoT operations is essential for safeguarding privacy and security. Strategies for effective identity management include establishing secure authentication mechanisms, encrypting data transmissions, and adopting proactive disclosure policies.

“All of the data being sent by the device, particularly with things like AI and machine learning, is you don’t want a hacker to be able to train the core incorrectly. So it could maybe push details to behaviour that don’t actually exist by impersonating or tampering with the data on its way through. And that’s where the network has to be able to identify and authenticate the device.” Jimmy Jones

Privacy – IoT brings a whole new level of data collection and use. In many cases, the data generated by IoT devices can be very personal. For example, if you have a smart thermostat that knows your temperature preferences, that data is very personal. If you have a smart fitness tracker that records the number of steps you take each day, that data is also very personal.

“It gets more and more difficult because, in IoT, things are forever changing, so you have to be globally on top of exactly of all your personal data overhead.” Jimmy Jones

The question then becomes: What rights do users have regarding their personal data? The answer to this question varies from country to country, but users generally have the right to know what information about them is being collected and how it is being used. They also have the right to change or delete their data if they no longer want it collected or used.

Security – Ensuring that your IoT devices are protected from unauthorised access is critical for safeguarding data and operations. You can use a variety of security measures, from passwords to biometric authentication, to keep unauthorised access at bay.

Another vital consideration for IoT security is the fact that many devices are connected to the internet. If your IoT device is compromised, it could potentially be used to carry out attacks on other systems or even steal sensitive data. To protect your devices and data from attack, you should ensure that they are appropriately secured against unauthorised access and malicious activity.

“And the root of trust has to be inherently trusted” Jimmy Jones.

Longevity – IoT connectivity projects require considering and preparing for the future to achieve longevity. Longevity can be defined as the ability of a system to continue functioning over an extended period.

“One of the problems is that it’s very difficult to plan for IoT. The problem with IoT is you need to anticipate events that may not happen for five or ten years, and so what you find is if you put your eggs in one basket, then you could have a problem… You need to make sure that the advances that are coming along are not just going to wipe you out, and I think that’s very important, because if you don’t have that diversity and flexibility, then you’re going to have problems moving forward.” Jimmy Jones