With the advent of 5G, organisations can find new ways of engaging customers using technology to unlock competitive advantage. One of the significant areas of opportunity with 5G technology is IoT (Internet of Things) . This infrastructure enables the proliferation of internet-connected devices that create and interact with data, improving an enterprise's productivity and efficiency through automation and real-time data generation and analytics. IoT also offers the opportunity to enhance customer experience, with faster time-to-market for products and better engagement and outreach to customers.
For years, IoT has been on the periphery as a future technology. Requiring a combination of fast Internet speeds, an extensive array of connected devices, mobility, 24/7 reliability, and low latency, thus far, the internet infrastructure hasn't been able to unlock the full potential of such technology. However, with the advancements in technology offered by 5G, now organisations of all sizes and across all sectors can access IoT opportunities.
Every sector can benefit from the innovation that 5G enables. The exact use case for 5G will vary from sector to sector, but some examples of it in action include:
These are just some examples of how enterprises are looking at IoT for their sector. The first step in utilising the technology is understanding what IoT does (gather data and allow the IoT device to receive data in return), and how to understand and improve space operation.
Once an organisation understands the potential use cases of IoT via an audit of the environment, the next step is to design the technology's rollout and application. This step should determine the nature of success and positive outcomes, how the organisation will execute implementation and change management, and evaluate the risk factors.
For most enterprises, the most significant risk of IoT is the collection, storage, and management of massive data - much of which may be sensitive. A healthcare organisation that uses wearable smartwatches to monitor a patient's condition once they return home uses IoT in a valuable way, resulting in better outcomes for the patient. It's also collecting data the healthcare provider must treat with utter sensitivity. Businesses need to determine how IoT data will be stored, accessed, and used while maintaining governance and compliance. Enterprises also need to have redundancy in their environment. While 5G provides greater reliability and stability than its predecessor 4G, the CIO will still need to consider what happens when the environment relies on IoT devices to operate, but the power cuts out. That kind of downtime can become expensive when it prevents an organisation from running for even a few minutes.
IoT is complex, and use cases are varied, and no one-size-fits-all approach could work. Instead of looking to off-the-shelf solutions, organisations must partner with solutions providers to audit their environments and architect an IoT solution that delivers the expected outcomes. For this reason, it's essential also to be aware of and adhere to standards. As IoT is an innovation area, many solutions and products don't currently meet established standards. Using non-standard technology can cause issues when the business needs to work with a new provider or make changes or upgrades to their environment.
In many cases, organisations are running legacy environments. These businesses will struggle to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by IoT where much of the computing is done in the live environment by the devices connected to the network for complex use and management. For edge computing to work, organisations must transform their settings to be digitally orientated, cloud-ready, and hyper-connected between office, site, and individual users. Specialist partners in digital transformation can prepare these environments to take full advantage of 5G and IoT.
Research shows that 89% of business leaders believe that how customers engage will be impacted by IoT. The ability to gather precise data means that companies can get to know customers at an unprecedented depth, and customers will expect more personalised levels of service from brands. Additionally, IoT efficiencies mean customers also expect better service levels - such as orders that arrive more quickly; support enquiries addressed instantly and with a complete understanding of the customer's challenges; and less or no time required at the service counter to make a purchase.
Capitalising on IoT's benefits requires 5G to provide speed, reduced latency, and increased bandwidth needed for these uses. If you're looking for a reliable 5G business partner, SpinTel has you covered. No lock in contracts and unlimited data are among the perks of our 5G plans, perfect for your modern business. Speak to a SpinTel team member today.
