There is no doubt that the technology industry has made huge leaps in the last 30 years and it doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon, with the number of interconnected devices set to reach nearly 14 billion by 2020.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to change the way we live our lives, we are already able to control our heating, kitchen appliances and lighting from our mobile phones. The IoT has brought us a whole host of new possibilities for our home lives but what about our business lives?
Keep on top of inventory
The majority of businesses use barcode tracking to keep track of stock levels, damaged stock and sales, however most devices and equipment have the capability to connect to a network, making inventory management a more intuitive process. Brining inventory online allows you to dig into sales figures when you want and run a more accurate ordering system, streamlining your business to become more responsive.
There’ll be more data
Chances are, you already analyse a lot of data to understand your customers. The Internet of Things will allow you to delve even deeper into, not only your customers behaviour but how your employees are working and how the business operates. Whilst this is all valuable information, it’s important that your businesses systems are prepared to handle such a large influx of data.
Faster and cheaper
The invention of the internet has allowed businesses to offer their customers a faster service. As the internet has developed so has the speed at which a company can work. As a business, this speed means that you can get what you need quickly but it also means that customers will demand a quicker, more efficient service from you.
Being connected allows your machines to respond more efficiently, operate more smoothly and maintenance will also become easier. This means that expenses can be cut when it comes to producing a product.
Becoming more remote
With the rise of cloud-hosting, remote working is already a very real option but with devices becoming more connected, device will become available on one network. This opens up the possibility to manage a sales team, production line or even an entire business remotely.
Be prepared to update
Unfortunately all of the benefits of implementing the Internet of Things require you to update your business. You need to take time to ensure your devices and your staff are prepared. It will be necessary to invest in IoT-enabled devices and the accompanying software to gather the data you are collecting. An investment will need to be made into your team, it is important that your staff don’t get left behind. Take the time to make sure they understand how to get the best of the IoT-enabled technology.
How you host
Any changes to your telecoms systems will inevitably make you consider how you are hosting your services. With the Internet of Things bringing so much information, you will begin to use Big Data. This Big Data has its own difficulties, one being storage. All of this data needs to be stored, without affecting the speed at which the data is collected. A cloud based hosting system can help you to scale up or down depending on demand.
At ITC, we take the time to understand your business and where you want to be. Our expert knowledge of the telecoms industry means that we know how to get you there. With a range of services available, from IT support and data back-up to website hosting we have got you covered. If you want to find out how we can help you, contact our team on 0845 652 0450 or email info@clickitc.co.uk.
Get a quote now