As We Move Forward Let IoT Do the Heavy Lifting

I have been speaking with friends and people across my network who are sitting around and twiddling their thumbs. However, my phone is ringing off the hook! My re-sellers are busy due to the fact they’re not reliant on one particular sector and also because they have been able to see how technology can do the heavy lifting across a lot of different sectors, from CCTV to e-health, track and trace to digital signage. 

In the midst of Covid I see an opportunity for various industries to enjoy the advantages and value of IoT. Before M2M became IoT I always described it as ‘’a device talking to another device with no human intervention’’. It’s that “no human intervention” element that really triggered with me. IoT is a sweet spot right now because it’s removing that human intervention.  

For example, if we look at building maintenance where you have people on site switching devices on/off, changing this, monitoring that – you don’t actually need to have many things  manned because you can remotely monitor and control lights, locks, doors, panels, electricity, etc.  IoT enables you to do certain jobs remotely. With IoT you’re removing the need for humans to perform a task on site where a device can do it for you. 

If we’re talking about industries like urban micro mobility, I see a company like VOI with their electric scooters as having a massive opportunity to remove the workforce from public transport while enabling people to still travel.  The UK government says you can go to work but you should think about if you can walk, bike, or use the car, instead of using public transport – this is where micro-mobility can really make a difference in our cities.  

Imagine an entrance at a bus, train, or airport terminal with an anti-bacterial dispenser that will need topping up regularly. Cities and companies could potentially offer free hand sanitizer in all public spaces and in order to keep the dispensers filled you use a connected sensor that tells you when it’s running low or faulty, rather than relying on employees waiting next to the dispenser to run low or break. This is just one simple example of how we can move forward with the help of IoT. Having that connected sensor means you can optimize where you need your workforce to replace, mend, or carry out myriad tasks.  

A lot of places will be looking to implement temperature taking, both public and private. In addition to immediately understanding if someone has a temperature, a connected thermometer can also collect data for public health authorities who can then study and identify trends.  

If we look at agriculture, many countries have migrant workforces but when you’re relying on a reduced workforce you have to utilize efficiencies as best you can. Deploying sensors across your fields means you can not only monitor soil moisture levels, soil nutrients, and other factors that impact your crops, you can also understand how to best utilize your workforce.  Right now, we’re unfortunately letting some crops rot in the field but IoT can be a strong facilitator in managing our agricultural output. There’s no point in sending workers across the whole field when you could potentially tell them to go to zone 7 for example, where your data tells you the crop is ripe for picking and requires 10 staff. This is utilizing the technology to become efficient with your production. It also reduces waste because you’re not picking too late or too early. 

From a sales or business perspective you need to look at your business through fresh eyes. Remove the human intervention and let technology do the heavy lifting. Some may fear this will result in more unemployment but what it will do is create new jobs and new opportunities. There are jobs that will be created in the next five years that don’t even exist at the moment and this will mean investment in training and education in order to address these changes. We don’t know quite what those jobs will be, but we still need to be prepared and make sure our workforces are ready by using technology to its best advantage and understanding the possibilities IoT presents. In my opinion IoT is the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Jason Howard
jason.howard@tele2.com
Re-seller Channel Manager
Tele2 IoT