Yes, VIRGINIA, there is an IoT

Dear Editor,

Some of my little friends at work say there is no Internet of Things here. Others say “If it’s all the hype, it’s so”. Please tell the truth, is there an Internet of Things?

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by IoT fatigue caused by the over-use of the term IoT. Marketers have spread that word around like snow on a winter day. Of course there is IoT. IoT has actually been around for a few decades, but it’s important you understand what constitutes today’s real IoT versus what is a label slapped on older ideas and technology. Looking at some data from Nucleus Research, let’s break it down and understand the definitional standards for IoT.

Connected Devices

That part is easy. You may be reading this on an IoT device right now. If it’s a device that’s communicating to the internet to send and receive data, it’s an IoT connected device. Your Apple watch, Nest thermometer, Amazon dash button, and your newer car are all connected devices. And that’s just consumer devices. Industrial and commercial devices are even more pervasive, with manufacturing and logistics leading the way for future device consumption. But devices are just devices and even when they are transmitting, that’s not full IoT. As Nucleus puts it, “One way information transfers from a sensor, regardless of the shiny analytics engine on the back end, is just old-school instrumentation.”

IoT Platform

So you have a connected device – now what? To be considered true IoT, your connected devices needs to interact with multiple applications. And within those applications, there needs to be data collection, models (like digital twins) and API’s. This platform is where the real value is generated for IoT. This is where the data is used for preventative, prescriptive and predictive analytics. And those type of analytics can drive real ROI (Nucleus found 2.2 times higher ROI than traditional Business Intelligence customers).

Hitachi Solutions IoT Service Hub is a platform that minimizes the time and complexity of setting up IoT environments. Device configuration is streamlined and common integrations and connections are pre-built. It easily interfaces with existing internal and external business systems.

Taking Action

Ok, now you have devices connected over a network, and the data has been collected and analyzed in the platform.

Are we there yet? Almost, Virginia.

The final step is taking action. The action can be machine to machine, like when the connected thermometer in your home adjusts when you are out of town based on some external weather factors. Or the action can be a safety warning to a person via text, as is common in the Hitachi Solutions IoT Worker Safety solution. In either case, the action is the final step and offers last mile in the value chain for IoT.

Is IoT Real?

Ah, Virginia, in all this world, there is nothing else as real and abiding. IoT lives and will live forever! Aria Systems co-founder Brendan O’Brian said, “If you think that the internet has changed your life, think again. The IoT is about to change it all over again!”

Ready to talk about IoT in your organization? Let us help! Contact Hitachi Solutions today.