IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a...

15
IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT WHAT IS YOUR IOT STRATEGY? WHITE PAPER MAY 2019

Transcript of IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a...

Page 1: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOTWHAT IS YOUR IOT STRATEGY?

WHITE PAPER MAY 2019

Page 2: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

CONTENTS

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 2

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 3

THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) 4

IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY 5

THE BUSINESS IOT ECOSYSTEM 7

BUSINESS IOT COMPONENTS 7

BUSINESS IOT STAKEHOLDERS 8

WHAT IS YOUR IOT STRATEGY? 9

TAKING YOUR FIRST STEPS IN IOT 10

DEVICE TYPE 10

SOFTWARE POSSIBILITIES 11

WIRELESS PROTOCOL 11

WHAT NETCOMM BRINGS 12

POWERFUL EDGE PROCESSING 13

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT (SDK) 13

INDUSTRIAL GRADE 13

CONCLUSION 14

Page 3: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 3

Three Industrial Revolutions have transitioned the world from manual labour to machines and mass production, in turn boosting performance and increasing efficiencies of our businesses. The innovations opened unique opportunities and became the foundation for countless new industries. This has resulted in a social and technological shift and shaped the world we live in today.

We are now on the brink of the fourth Industrial Revolution where technology will become an integral part of our daily lives. The environment around us is evolving into increasingly complex, connected, coordinated and intelligent ecosystems. Multiple elements – people, processes, services and things – will come together to create a more interactive and automated experience.

We are continuously looking to simplify and optimise our lives, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be at the core of this. By automating mundane daily processes and simplifying complex systems, we will have more time for intelligent and complicated work.

However, in recent years IoT has become such a broad term, its meaning has created confusion. Although a lot of research has been completed on the macro-scale opportunities of the IoT, many people and, more importantly, businesses, find it hard to identify the benefit it can bring to them, let alone how to start implementing it.

When the internet was introduced, businesses were hesitant to adopt the new technology as it required investment and knowledge that wasn’t readily available. Today, if a company doesn’t have a digital presence, it is not likely to last long. It will be the same for IoT.

This whitepaper provides an introduction on what IoT is, how to approach it and why it’s important to have an IoT strategy in your business. It sets the baseline for businesses to take the first steps towards a fully optimised environment and provides a summary of the foundational elements needed for businesses to start capitalizing on the massive commercial opportunities that IoT presents.

INTRODUCTION

Page 4: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 4

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a multitude of overlapping interconnected industries, creating a sophisticated, intelligent, scalable ecosystem that increases efficiencies and reduces the need for human intervention.

The ecosystem is based on the key ‘pillars’ that support the growth of the IoT segments (the verticals). These foundational industries are working in synergy offering seamless experiences, from the day-to-day routine of at home experiences (connected appliances, home surveillance systems) to interaction with city infrastructure components (parking meters, elevators) to connected rural areas on a national scale (smart agriculture, GPS tracking).

A subset of the IoT focusses on the usage of IoT in the business sector. Business IoT typically connects machines and sensors across various industries and, at this point of time, displays far greater adoption than consumer IoT. For the purpose of this white paper, we will be exploring Business IoT use cases as they currently hold greater potential.

THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

WEARABLES

HOME

CITY

COUNTRY

Machine Vision Systems

Corrosion Monitoring

GPS TrackingAir Pollution Monitoring

Fleet Management

Elevators

Alarm Systems

Smart Watch

Smart Energy Meters

Smart Gas Meters

Remote Metering

SMA

RTTR

AN

SPO

RTA

TIO

N

SMA

RTM

ETE

RIN

G

EN

VIR

ON

ME

NTA

LM

ON

ITO

RIN

G

AU

TOM

ATI

ON

& C

ON

TRO

L

EQ

UIP

ME

NT

MO

NIT

OR

ING

PHY

SIC

AL

SEC

UR

ITY

& S

AFE

TY

SMA

RT E

LEVA

TOR

S&

ESC

ALA

TOR

S

SMA

RT G

RID

SMA

RT S

OLA

R

Page 5: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 5

IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY

Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions and suppliers come together to serve its customers. Efficiencies can be generated only by actions and activities that improve the way your business works. Many organizations continuously focus on cutting operational costs, introducing processes that get the job done but are hard to scale.

Asset maintenance is one of the most challenging areas when it comes to cost reduction. In many cases, it requires a person to physically check that no problems occurred due to a malfunction. This doesn’t only add to the cost, but also jeopardizes the safety for the employees. Equipment malfunction can result in injuries or even death. No business would therefore take the maintenance lightly.

Examples of asset maintenance includes:

- Maintenance workers needing to regularly test elevators and escalators to ensure they are safe for customers to use;

- Farmers needing to check soil parameters to accurately schedule watering and fertilising activities to achieve the best results;

- Factory equipment requiring continuous monitoring and maintenance to ensure assembly lines run smoothly, products can be delivered on time and the safety of the factory workers is guaranteed;

- Utility companies regularly sending technicians to record the meter status at the customer’s premises.

By automating these processes to do routine checks remotely, businesses can more efficiently manage their maintenance workers, focussing their resources on resolving existing or potential problems. This will reduce operational costs, provide a reduction in equipment downtime and result in higher employee satisfaction and safety.

The interest in IoT applications is primarily driven by the pressure for business efficiencies, improving health/safety or creating better experiences. Any of these reasons can lead to cutting costs or increasing profit margins, if not both. According to the latest Ovum survey, 28% of SMEs globally are already using some form of tracking application, and another 30% are considering adopting it in the next 12 months*.

The savings that can be achieved with these benefits are impressive. The IoT market is going to reach US$123 billion by 2021, generating US$14.2 trillion of impact on the global economy by 2030. Over the next five years, IoT solutions can reduce costs by over US$421 billion and create 12% of efficiency gains.**

According to Gartner, the areas that will benefit the most from the Business IoT revolution are workforce productivity, remote monitoring of operations, business processes, supply chain visibility and control, and manufacturing processes.

*2018/19 SoHo and SME Insights Survey, Feb 2019** Gartner, 2017

Page 6: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 6

Some companies who have embraced IoT, are already starting to see the benefits:***

- Harley Davidson, the globally-based motorcycle manufacturer, grew overall profitability by 3% to 4% and reduced operating costs by US$200 million by shifting production to a fully IoT enabled plant;

- Royal Dutch Shell, the global energy company, received a USD$1 million return on a US$87,000 investment in a remote IoT-based asset monitoring and maintenance solution that tracks activity across 80 oil fields in West Africa;

- A smart lighting system, installed in one of the office buildings in the Netherlands, has provided over US$138,000 in energy savings and over US$4 million savings in space utilisation costs since 2015 when it was installed.

These results are undoubtedly impressive and indicate the importance of introducing IoT to every business.

AREAS WITH MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS GENERATED BY IoT INITIATIVES

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Work force productivity

Remote monitoring of operations

Business processes

Supply chain visibility and control

Manufacturing process

Asset monitoring and optimization

Safety

Conserving resources

Risk assessment

No benefits

PERCENTAGES OF RESPONDENTS

41

34

34

33

31

28

27

24

23

0.1

*** Unlocking the business values of IIoT in operations, Capgemini

Page 7: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 7

When introducing IoT, the main goal is to connect electronic devices to the network so these can be monitored and maintained remotely. By doing so, businesses can automate processes and reduce operational costs.

A business IoT solution brings together a whole ecosystem of components and stakeholders that need to work together to deliver the most value.

BUSINESS IOT COMPONENTSFor the successful implementation of an IoT solution, multiple layers need to be brought together – hardware, software and a user interface.

At the hardware level, you have equipment that needs to be connected (a machine, sensor etc.) and a connectivity device. In many cases, developing the connectivity device requires quite different expertise from developing actual equipment. In addition, the lifecycle of each device can vary. Equipment might be in the field for much longer than a network supports or the other way around. Therefore, it’s important to distinguish equipment from connectivity to make sure upgrades are possible separately.

Once the equipment is in place, the data is generated by the device and sent back to the central server. At the server, an intelligent software layer is required to interpret the data, process and analyse it. By doing so, proactive measures such as alarm bells and process automation such as triggering an event can be introduced.

Processing data can vary from very basic (checking that parameters are within an acceptable range) to extremely complex (identifying intruders on the property) and is meant to deliver actionable insights. Data and analytics play an increasingly important role in IoT, delivering additional value to its owners. Therefore, the software used will heavily depend on the devices chosen and the application scenarios.

A user interface delivers collected and processed information to an end-user and are specific to the application it runs. It can be via email, text message or a graphical user interface (web application) depending on the application and its goals. The user may also be able to perform some actions to manage the devices or system.

THE BUSINESS IOT ECOSYSTEM

IoT SOFTWARE PLATFORM

APPLICATIONS

HARDWARE

Page 8: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 8

BUSINESS IOT STAKEHOLDERSA business IoT solution benefits multiple stakeholders when they are brought together. The business will get the productivity improvements, the network operator gets to connect more endpoints to its network and the application provider develops the software.

When building an IoT solution, each of these stakeholders have a role to play. To bring it all together, an integrator needs to be assigned. This can be an independent party, as well as a part of the business’ IT department or the network provider’s business development team.

Many operators provide support in this regard and have set-up IoT teams to bring together the different components to offer a complete package to the businesses in their area. In this case, the integrator would be a person or team within the network operator, finding the right software platform and hardware to offer the IoT solution.

In other cases, businesses have successfully put together the solution where they have only requested a SIM card from the network operator. Sometimes this is done by setting up a dedicated team in the IT department, sometimes this is done by assigning an external integrator.

In all cases, there is one person or team that needs to put together the different IoT components to make the end-to-end solution work.

INTEGRATOR

NETWORK

THE BUSINESS APPLICATION

Page 9: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 9

WHAT IS YOUR IOT STRATEGY?

The challenges and level of complexity around IoT implementation can seem quite overwhelming, even intimidating. However, while fully integrated, state-of-the-art IoT systems can be designed for unique environments with highly specific requirements and goals, smaller actions can be taken in between to get there.

Most businesses don’t realise they already have equipment in place to track a wide range of parameters. The key here is to connect these devices to the network. By giving machines an ability to communicate with one another and the network, businesses can efficiently and effectively transform their processes without massive investment.

Instead of considering the IoT implementation as one big costly leap forward, an alternative approach splits the project into bite-size implementations, starting from identifying which existing elements are possible to connect without big expenditure. A step-by-step plan with predefined milestones can help to streamline complexity and re-allocate resource spending over time.

A company may, for example, start with tracking some parts of its process or equipment. When more data becomes available, it will become clearer where the pain points are and the business can expand the project or even change the business model completely.

Taking a step-by-step approach also allows time for testing solutions to specific business problems using discrete technologies. That way companies can determine which devices best meet their needs, discard those that don’t provide the benefits they seek, scale the ones that do, and build on the successes to gain further buy-in from senior executives for future development.

Page 10: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 10

TAKING YOUR FIRST STEPS IN IoT

When considering IoT and which assets to connect, businesses can start with connecting equipment that already generates data, but which need a technician to physically retrieve it (elevators, humidity sensors, electricity meters etc.). All these assets need is a device to connect to the network, so the data and parameters can be retrieved remotely.

Choosing the right device is not to be taken lightly. The type, software possibilities and wireless protocol all play an important role.

DEVICE TYPERather than working towards full integration, using embedded solutions of both the equipment and connectivity device, this approach suggests choosing stand-alone networking devices to connect equipment to the internet. There are three main types of connectivity devices:

MODEMS – the simplest devices that can be used to provide a cellular connection. These devices are ideally suited for applications that require a gathering of data before intelligent decisions can be made. For example: farm sensors where data from all sensors needs to be combined to define a trend, weather station information, etc.

ROUTERS that are designed to allow communication between different devices, sensors and computers in a network and to the internet. In applications where certain devices need to act depending on information gathered by other devices locally, these can be used.

GATEWAYS that function as a bridge and aggregate data from different devices over different protocols, translating it to a common protocol and allowing for more complicated processing. may need to connect to the network only in rare occasions but can benefit from immediate action when a problem occurs.

By using a stand-along connectivity device, instead of replacing the entire machine because a connectivity part has reached the end-of-life or requires an update, a company would need to change only a router. It helps to solve the equipment lifecycle challenge, allowing for easier maintenance and higher cost-efficiencies.

Page 11: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 11

SOFTWARE POSSIBILITIESWhen deploying IoT, it’s not enough to simply think about one’s current needs. The core of a successful deployment is to build a system flexible enough to evolve and adapt. To achieve this, the IoT system should be built using open technologies and platforms, allowing for easy scaling up, maintenance and updates.

There are many different applications available and the innovation in this area is constant, so you don’t want to be locked in with one application without the possibility to upgrade or change the software. By disconnecting the hardware from the software, businesses have more flexibility and ownership over how to optimize their processes and develop solutions specific for their business.

WIRELESS PROTOCOLTo build a future-proof solution, the type of wireless protocol will have an impact on the success of IoT as well. Many IoT applications today use dedicated networks, built in a limited number of areas using unlicensed spectrum. The limited coverage doesn’t let businesses that use them to scale up easily, while the open nature of these networks makes it hard to guarantee the right level of security. The best practice is to deploy equipment that supports the latest generation of the 3GPP standard (also used for mobile networks), as it’s more widespread, more secure and more reliable.

The 4G LTE evolution in Release 13 3GPP is focussed on new low complexity network types that support reduced bandwidth and allow an ultra-long battery life, thanks to power consumption reduction techniques and extended coverage operation. The Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards LTE Category M1 and Category NB-IoT are specifically designed to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity and speed up the adoption of the Internet of Things. Thus, they have a huge advantage over nearly retired 2G and 3G.

Page 12: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 12

WHAT NETCOMM BRINGS

NetComm provides a suite of devices, all open standards based and using the latest IoT standards of 3GPP.

HIGH-SPEEDLTE Cat 3 and Cat 6 devices (NTC-140 and NTC-400) built for the Industrial IoT scenarios requiring exceptional performance: surveillance cameras, access control solutions.

HIGH RELIABILITY & LOWER LATENCY

LTE Cat 1 devices (NTC-220) designed to cater to the broadest range of IoT applications, smart elevators and escalators, smart buildings, digital signs, traffic lights, vehicle tracking and monitoring.

LOW COST, LOW POWER, LOW THROUGHPUTLTE Cat M1 and Cat NB-IoT devices (NTC-100) developed to serve delay-tolerant IoT use cases: smart metering, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, vending and ticketing machines, smart city solutions.

Page 13: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 13

To ensure flexibility and extended lifetime, NetComm’s devices are built to bring value to a wide range of verticals, helping to meet the requirements of a rapidly changing market. They support powerful edge processing, a Software Development Kit and are industrial graded to support any business in their IoT plans.

POWERFUL EDGE PROCESSINGNetComm’s IoT devices are equipped with powerful edge processing capabilities that enable multifaceted IoT applications. By processing certain functions on the device, instant decisions for time-sensitive applications that must respond quickly to changing input sensor measurements, can be supported. Pre-processing data before sending it to the remote database reduces the bandwidth, making it perfect for bandwidth constrained applications. It may be as simple as compressing or buffering data, or as complex as enabling intelligent algorithms which notify external platforms.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT (SDK)NetComm’s purpose-built Software Development Kit (SDK) is a user-friendly Linux application development platform. It allows users to easily build, upload and install custom applications specifically tailored to the unique needs of the applied IoT use case. Custom applications can be created using any common programming language including ANSI C/C++, Shell Script, LUA Scripting Language and many more. By offering an open platform, the development time is reduced as many applications are readily available.

INDUSTRIAL GRADEAll NetComm IoT devices are built from long lifecycle components able to withstand a wide range of temperature extremes (from -30 °C to +70 °C). Rugged industrial housing protects the devices from harsh weather conditions. The wall mounting brackets enable the user to choose the perfect placement for the device, offering flexibility and ensuring the best connectivity.

All NetComm IoT routers are vibration and shock resistant for the best performance even in the toughest vehicular or remote conditions. Thanks to the improved reliability and battery saving power management scheme, our IoT devices offer lower maintenance, which is crucial for remote applications. High performance GPS provides accurate asset and vehicle tracking, making sure you know where your assets are at all times.

Page 14: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm IIoT Whitepaper | 14

The Internet of Things (IoT) will drive the fourth Industrial Revolution. By connecting devices and allowing them to communicate and automate processes, not only our everyday lives, but also our business productivity will be improved.

Just like over a decade ago, when we were at the dawn of the digital transformation, every business should have an IoT strategy. By leveraging the benefits of IoT, businesses will reduce their operational costs and become more efficient in serving their customers.

IoT encompasses a wide range of aspects and there are many contributors to the ecosystem. From hardware providers to the applications to run the automation; from software platforms to the network to support the connectivity, there are many players to take into consideration when embarking on this journey.

Most businesses can start with IoT, taking small steps at a time. By connecting assets that already gather data, the first productivity improvements can be achieved. Given the wide range of options and the many players in this field, it’s important to choose the right connectivity device that will help you connect the different components and allow for a flexible approach. Every business has its own challenges and requirements, which need to be addressed in the most effective way.

NetComm offers a robust portfolio of industrial-graded routers to connect any device in your business. By approaching connectivity and equipment separately rather than choosing an integrated solution, different lifecycles can be easily managed. This allows for a network upgrade without the need to replace the entire equipment, as well as an equipment upgrade without the need to change the network connectivity.

By offering a software development kit, NetComm also allows businesses to choose their own software platform and develop custom applications. This offers the flexibility to fully own your IoT process and tailor it to your unique needs.

IoT will change the way we conduct business forever, so if you do not have an IoT strategy today, it’s time to get started.

CONCLUSION

Page 15: IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY WITH IOT · IMPROVE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY Business productivity is a result of the way that a company operates – how people, processes, different functions

NetComm is a global developer of solutions that bridge the gap between fibre and the end-user. In a world where everyone’s connected life matters – no home, device or machine is too hard to connect. Fibre networks create new revenue streams while delivering the minimum bandwidth needed by all today, but the final connection of fibre to end-user equipment has proven to be challenging. New technologies such as VDSL, Gfast, 4G and 5G are therefore used to speed up deployment and reduce costs. At NetComm we understand that no one-solution fits all. Every operator is different, so we build the right technology, enclosure and size, to meet specific network, market and geographic conditions worldwide.

netcomm.com

HEAD OFFICE

NetComm Wireless Limited18-20 Orion Rd,Lane Cove NSW 2066 AustraliaPhone: +61 2 9424 2000

AUUS OFFICE

NetComm Wireless Limited 1000 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway,Suite 500 Sunrise, Florida 33323 USAPhone: +1 320 566 0316

USUK OFFICE

NetComm Wireless LimitedEastlands II, London Road,Basingstoke RG21 4AW, Hampshire UKPhone: +44 125 622 3155

UK