Too many cooks spoil the IoT broth

It’s a common phrase that we’ve all used from time to time. And it’s frustrating. Especially when all of those ‘cooks’ are the equivalent of Michelin Starred experts. But as the vision of the Internet of Things becomes a more ubiquitous reality, many needs and interests have to be unified.

It will be a challenge to work through connectivity and usage standards for connected devices, but it is worth the effort.

It is obvious that IoT offers many competitive advantages. A great number of companies are restructuring themselves so they can actually use the wealth of data they possess. Gartner predicts that half of new business processes will have an IoT element by 2020. They are also using innovative connectivity options to create efficient processes and subsequently profitable revenue streams for the business, says Erik Peeters, managing director IoT, at KPN.

The IoT will improve our quality of life in many areas. To make sure that the development of the infrastructure remains on track, it’s important for leaders in the industry to provide a support network. For example, workshops and brainstorms to help define and execute strategies to improve IoT standards, connectivity or usage, as laid on by the IoT Academy.

The goal of this collaboration is to make it possible for users to always access the best networks in whichever country they are in. This is most effectively achieved using unsteered roaming. This allows all devices to connect to the strongest signal, no matter the provider operating it. It makes roaming more effective and goes a long way to ensuring that devices have the bandwidth they need available.

The LoRa Alliance has also been established by companies including KPN to support international use of Long Range Low Frequency technology. The M2M World Alliance which enables these leaders to give companies around the globe the connectivity they need for connecting their M2M devices.

The technology necessary to run the internet of things exists, it’s now down to the creative people to maximise its potential. Cooperation between industries, companies, departments and people is essential. Not only when it comes to software and hardware standards, but also when it’s about finding ways to securely manage data and clarify responsibilities.

It’s clear that when cooperating, there are many paths to success there’s no single best way of doing things. It’s about making compromises. Then the broth will stay unspoiled.

The author of this blog is Erik Peeters, managing director IoT, at KPN

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