By: Andreas Schmitz
SAP, 04/06/2015
Internet of Things: Does utopia have to wait?
The penetration of appropriate technology is still relatively low, note Aelita Skarzauskiene and Marius Kalinauskas of the Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. What’s more, the researchers point out, there is a lack of standards, suitable protocols for data transfer, and compatible middleware, and data security continues to be major concern as well. The utopia of a gentle and quiet networked world is still a long way away.Accenture likewise believes that the main challenge lies in getting current technology up to speed to accomodate the IoT. Software and sensors are often antiquated and no longer upgradeable. Poor integration of internal systems and those of external partners create data silos. Another problem is that outdated operating systems and technologies pose security risks but cannot be easily scrapped. Plus, there’s hardly any “embedded computing” in the applications and products.
The six main Internet of Things obstacles according to Capgemini
Ultimately, it’s a combination of technical and personal obstacles that are preventing companies from embracing the Internet of Things. Capgemini has identified the most significant.
Existing IT infrastructures are not cut out for the ever-increasing volumes of sensor data
According to Capgemini, 60% of all British companies in a recent study felt they were not in a position to process sensor date in real time. There is urgent need for action here, especially since the proportion of sensor data among all digital data is expected to increase five-fold by 2020.
Companies lack appropriate analysis tools that could help them gain new insights from the new datasets
The real-time processing of data in particular is frequently an unsatisfactorily resolved problem, as are the integration, analysis, and visualization of data.
IoT forces companies to address the issues of data security and data privacy
In a recent US survey of IT decision-makers, only half of those questioned believed they were ready for the networked world in this regard.
Product-centric organizations lack development and marketing thinking
IoT demands new services and sales models that stand out from those of the classic portfolio. Companies often lack the appropriate competencies at first.
Most sales departments are still relatively unfamiliar with IoT services
The new class of services requires a special training that focuses on the networked services and the new opportunities they bring.
The new services demand new capacities in customer support
Customer queries are becoming increasingly complex. Nevertheless, customers expect quick response times.There is a lack of Big Data experts who are able to interpret sensor data
Data scientists are rare and in great demand. It is difficult to find and hire well-trained specialists.No matter how differentiated these reasons appear to be, though, perhaps the greatest hurdle to IoT adoption is what IDC identified in its recent study — the up-front investment.