When someone tells you about the Internet of Things, you probably think something like a personal type of gadget.
According to research firm Gartner, “the number of connected devices is expected to reach 25 billion by the year 2020, and this surge in technology will go far beyond personal devices. Investment in the IoT by businesses is expected to grow to $832 billion by 2020.”
This is a too-good-to-true statistics that you shouldn’t ignore, especially if you are having an enterprise. Below are five ways in which the Internet of Things can be applied in your enterprise:
1. Remote Monitoring
As the world continues to evolve, things are changing every single day; shortage of skilled labour is alarming, but the manufacturing industry is trying to fill that gap using robots.
The interesting part is that even small businesses have started using automation to improve their income.
The beautiful thing about the Internet of Things is that it helps companies monitor their operations so that their processes can continue even when their employees are not present at work.
If you ever found it hard to have sensors in your company, here’s the good news; sensors are now less costly and you can purchase it at a fair price.
In case you didn’t know what sensors are; sensors are attached to machines to measure pressure, temperature and other mechanical elements, which alert technicians if their set threshold has been succeeded.
2. Inventory Management
Using the barcoding system to manage inventory is something not new because it has been there for several years.
The only disadvantage is that you have to physically be present to scan parts so that the tracking systems to work efficiently.
And fortunately, this has helped warehouses and retails become even smarter with the help of sensors.
Here’s the good news though; You can place RFID chips on products then connect them to a technology that’ll enable real-time visibility.
And best of all is that companies can now use built-in GPS to track an item’s location during its shipment.
3. Mobility
Internet of Things is becoming the ace in the hole for most companies; they are seeing its importance because it works remotely.
Your employees don’t need to engage physically with each other. They can connect from wherever they’re located – from Paris to London. The hope is that newer inventions will even simplify things.
Processing payments have also been made freaking easy with the help SMBs, which use mobile devices.
In addition, Internet of Things aid SMBs via apps and interactive whiteboards, video conferencing and many more.
For example, home healthcare employees who normally go to various unsafe places can be monitored by their companies using the GPS trackers.
4. Security
Due to many technological advancements that have taken place over the years, there have been some risks.
Hackers have the potential to hack data that flows back and forth across networks and this should cause an alarm to you.
The truth is that it is your employees who pose the greatest risk on your company to expose your data, but you can use the Internet of Things to curb such risks.
5. Improve Overall Efficiencies & Productivity
Internet of Things can also be used to improve the efficiencies and productivity in your company. For instance, it becomes simpler when scheduling meetings if the data on room occupancy is visible.
Final Thoughts
As an enterprise, one of the advancements you shouldn’t ignore is the Internet of Things. Nearly all businesses are using it to improve on their efficiency and productivity.
