Get connected: it’s as easy as IoT

Welcome to a new edition of our Get Connected series. We started the series with the goal of exploring how you can successfully transform and digitize your business, regardless of the industry you’re in. And we also said that we would focus on all steps of the journey, It doesn’t matter if you’re just considering the transformation, have already made the first steps or are already experiencing some of the benefits that IoT can bring to your business.

We’ve talked a lot about what you can do with the data that that your equipment, operations and your buildings produce. And we’ve talked about how to maximize your results with new insights powered by AI. But today I want to focus on the steps prior to all the other topics and discuss how you can actually get started with IoT. It means connecting your devices, getting your data and making sense of it.

Bringing it all together

By now, you probably have a pretty good idea of the potential of the Internet of Things. As we’ve discussed, you can put sensors on your things, listen to them  or watch them, all without touching anything. So now that you have all this data and a good understanding of what’s happening at these individual points, how do you bring it all together? Do you really understand what that actually means for your business?

We’ve found in our numerous interactions with clients that, often the potential value of the collected data is not really understood in the beginning phases of a project. That’s because data  is kept in separate piles. Enter the need for an IoT Platform that securely brings all your data together in one spot and with integrated analytics to immediately manage the volume of data you may receive. An IoT platform provides a flexible, scalable foundation that can get you off the ground in proof of concepts (POCs), while also being a seamless repository in the cloud when you want to grow. It’s a very important decision in how you will manage the future costs of a solution, and choosing one that continues to provide a great ROI as it grows in scale and scope.

What an IoT Platform should provide

An IoT Platform not only connects all your devices, but also understands your data faster than ever, shortens the time to market and improves time to value for your business, all while delivering the best experience for your customers. Connecting your devices or the data from these devices means you are ready to tackle concerns such as compatibility, security and manageability. We’ve incorporated that into our scalable and secure solution.

This platform also needs to connect to existing business processes, services and apps, as well as new ones (such as Blockchain, analytical services and AI) to gain operational improvements. Last, an IoT Platform provider needs to handle all this for you, so you can focus on maximizing the value that your data presents, and not on upgrades, fixes and on-going operation. IoT Platforms should not be teasers to have to buy lots of other things. IBM’s platform is simply priced, with the needed application services included, essential to ensuring that costs are contained, even as the implementation grows.

The Platform in action

Let’s have a look at some of the use cases that derived from the numerous customer interactions we’ve had. Diamond Offshore, based in Houston, TX, operates drilling rigs for offshore exploration. They aimed to be the best performing rigs in the industry, and a big part of that was to digitize their operations and change the way they collect and analyze the data. They started with a POC and then progressed to a pilot phase that led into the current project: transforming deepwater oil drilling with connected rigs. Another great example is the Port of Rotterdam, who set out to be the “world’s smartest port”. Their digitizing initiative has many components, from IoT sensors, AI and weather data, all working together to analyze and provide vital statistics, such as the best time to enter the port by identifying the most favorable conditions.

The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe

Our platform has industry acclaim, too. The latest came from Forrester and I invite you to learn more here.

Both companies that I mentioned above understand that if they want to become best in class, digitization is the answer. Exploration was the key as IoT is a journey of experimentation and learning. So, if you are looking to start your connected journey, I invite you to learn more about our solution. See how it can help you engage in the moment, anticipate your customers’ needs, and move from reactive to proactive services. IoT is here for the long run, and it’s here to help you build better experiences in real time.

Learn more

Visit our site and learn how you can connect your devices and start connecting to your clients.