IOT For Large Enterprises

While IoT is a fast evolving technology, it still has gaps in its implementation. At the same time, IoT can be used in large enterprises to serve a number of sectors. Alok Bardiya, Head, IoT Business Unit, Tata Communications, discusses some of these issues

- Dr. Archana Verma

What are the possible innovations in the field of IoT for the large enterprises in the next years in India?

As technology evolves to enhance efficiencies in our everyday life - from predictive waste management to precision farming, from geo-fencing to smart electricity meters – the IoT industry is predicted to grow exponentially. On the enterprise side, we are seeing increasing efforts being put on enabling worker safety and productivity through the use of IoT. Along with worker productivity, security is rapidly becoming a priority for the large companies, mobilising new conversations in the industry on the need for connected workers.

An example of an evolution taking place in the emerging market landscape is our IoT enabled wearable devices for these connected workers. It tracks employees/ workers to share real-time information about the location of workers with automated alerts in case of proximity to hazardous or unauthorised areas or detection of any health-related abnormality. Such real time information helps improve worker productivity through quicker emergency response time, reduced operational costs and overall employee satisfaction.

We see another layer of innovation taking place in the larger set of distributed assets. The use of IoT is increasing in asset management, in terms of distribution and consumer delivery. While it started in the logistics or supply chain side, it is now beginning to spread its branches on the distribution side as well, such as efficiently managing inventory at the retailer with the help of IoT.

Additionally, enterprises are now more open to allocating budgets for functional teams to experiment with IoT PoCs. They anticipate it to be the driving force for a large set of solutions and devices, equipped to address key gaps identified at the functional level within the organisations.

What are the gaps in this field?