CIOs are no strangers to change. They have witnessed transformations from mainframes, personal computing and the internet have all transformed and changed the world of business technology for enterprises. The next wave of disruption is already making its presence felt, and organisations across all domains require a quick steer.
Consider how Uber eliminated manual coordination in cab services and transformed the traditional taxi industry, or what Apple has done to Blackberry and Nokia. With the multiple possibilities it offers, internet of things (IoT) may be your key to disruption.
It’s time for CIOs to either spearhead the business or move out of the way. However, it ’s easy to understand why organisations are wary of this new technology — IoT is disruptive, changes the way everything works, and threatens stake holders. Here are three of the most crucial considerations for large firms when it comes to IoT.
Data protection and privacy
Security ranks highest among IT concerns, mainly due to the increasing frequency and complexity of cyber attacks. Every single device and sensor in IoT represents a potential risk. CIOs need to be confident that each device has its controls in place to preserve the confidentiality of data.
Integrity of data
More From This Section
Corporate systems will be bombarded with data from various connected sensors. This increases the need to ensure that that data isn’t compromised or interfered with. Security must be built into the design of these devices and systems to create trust in both the hardware and integrity of the data.
Interoperability
Over 400 ‘standards’ for IoT communication have been reported lately. With this, there is seamless interoperability between devices in the presence of multiple connectivity, network protocols, data formats. Thus, semantics and platforms, can be a huge challenge. Currently, many companies and products are working on enabling interoperability through open-source development. Third party associations like The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers work along with global engineering communities to standardise and facilitate collaboration.
To win the on-going IoT standards war, Google recently open-sourced its ‘thread networking protocol’ used in its Nest smart thermostat. We will witness a slew of similar changes in IoT technologies, which will eventually bring technology vendors on a common platform. This will be driven by open source, ready-to-use, pre-built, pre-certified hardware, software, and platform components, which will accelerate the time-to-market for new offerings. This trend goes hand-in-hand with evolving industry standards. For instance, Allseen Alliance is trying to bring seamless connectivity across plethora of devices in home. Meanwhile, entities like Open Connectivity Foundation work to unify IoT standards so that developers can create solutions and devices that work together seamlessly.
Instead of worrying over change, re-examining the benefits will help one understand that in the long-run, digital disruption is an opportunity to propel CIOs who can talk the business language into the boardroom.
Tejinderpal Singh Miglani, Chief executive officer, Incedo Inc