With IoT A New Normal Networking Paradigm Is Emerging

Manufacturers across all areas —automotive, chemical, durable goods, electronics, etc — have invested heavily on IoT devices, and they are already reaping the benefits. According to a new report, ‘The Internet of Things: Today and Tomorrow’ by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, in association with technology visionary Kevin Ashton— who coined the term ‘Internet of Things’, it is estimated that by 2019, 92% of manufacturing organizations globally would have adopted IoT technology and 77% believe it will transform manufacturing.

Manufacturing has emerged as one of the high growth sectors in India as well. The Government of India has set an ambitious target of increasing the contribution of manufacturing output to 25% of GDP by 2025, from 16% currently – a target which can only be achieved by adoption of new technology to improve processes and increase output.

In an exclusive interview to Dataquest, Santanu Ghose, Director Networking, HPE Aruba talks about the multipronged impact of IoT and how Aruba is manifesting the opportunities with its offerings and solutions. Excerpts from the interview:

- Shrikanth G

As you very well know, in the last few years, the traditional networking topologies are giving way to programmable software defined networking. Given that, is IoT empowering static and limited functionality networking and other devices whilst making them more intelligent? is there a new normal networking pattern/ paradigm emerging?

Yes, that is right, with the incorporation of IoT devices into the network; we are seeing a new model emerging. The basic connectivity is becoming wireless. There is a fundamental shift in how the network is deployed and managed. IoT devices are wireless devices and they need to follow the standards of the wireless protocols.

We are also seeing Wi-Fi getting deployed in cities. You will now have IoT networks doing many things in public life. However, this is turning into an expensive and inefficient affair. There is a consolidation of the network happening around converged network. It includes voice, video, regular streaming, IoT connectivity and surveillance all in one network that is delivered over wireless. Having said that, it’s not going to happen overnight because there are a lot of legacy systems in use and this will have to gradually change. This is what we see from a network perspective.

What has been the adoption of IoT in India and what role does Aruba play?

India has been one of the early adopters of IoT. It was termed differently before and has undergone a lot of changes since then. The way Indian manufacturing industries and the utilities have been incorporating automation has changed over the years.

In India, IoT has been an evolution of what has been there in the past and now we are moving ahead in the industry. Most recently we published a global study that found India to have one of the highest adoption rates of IoT.