Gone are the times when you had to manually monitor, note, communicate and analyze device readings. Now, you no longer depend on human resources to do the same or wait for somebody to make decisions based on device signals or readings. Automated software solutions take care of jobs that were once manual.
Internet of Things (IoT) falls in the similar category and enables monitoring and maintenance of equipment that are internet connected. The “things” in IoT refers to a wide range of devices – sensors, automobiles, kitchen appliances, buildings, etc. The expanded sensing and communication capabilities of these “things” have huge potential to enhance business operations.
If policy makers and businesses get it right, linking the physical and digital worlds could generate up to $11.1 trillion a year in economic value by 2025. (Source: Mckinsey)
Business Needs Fulfilled by Azure IOT
Automation With Azure IOT, a large part of operations and decision-making process gets automated and hence it requires minimal human intervention in times of varying workloads or outages. Industrial automation and process automation are some of the best applications for IoT. Consider an example of lawn sprinklers. Your lawn sprinkler controllers can be connected to IoT sensors and can be controlled using a mobile phone or web application. You can write additional rules and workflows to control the water pressure, duration etc. using an Azure IoT based application.
Proactive Approach It could lead to savings worth millions if you could sense future and avoid unplanned downtime or outages. Data collected from devices can be stored on cloud and after integration with back-end systems, can be used to optimize business processes, identify new revenue opportunities, and predict customer behavior in ways they didn’t imagine before. With Azure IOT, you can identify warning bells of potential problems, predict when the device needs maintenance, and proactively service the same before anything goes wrong.
Enterprise Mobility With cross-platform mobile apps integrated with IoT, real-time insights are available on smartphones anytime. PowerCommand Cloud is an Azure IoT based remote monitoring solution that connects to millions of Cummins generators, providing greater visibility into equipment performance and need of maintenance to maximize uptime.
Competitive Edge IoT integrated with business operations can help you cut cost and speed up processes. As many functions get automated, business processes get streamlined and improve bottom-line, thus keeping you ahead of competition. Companies with IoT enabled sprinklers can get competitive advantage by offering remote control and automation features. For customers, it can provide advanced features such as water consumption by different sprinklers, time, season etc. and offer analytics to help them optimize water consumption and reduce cost.
Cost Connecting devices and creating an IoT definitely cuts cost. When you use Azure to use pre-configured IoT solutions, store data and utilize analytics services, it cuts cost further. When you use cloud-based solutions for storage and analysis, you don’t have to worry about capacity constraints or on-premise infrastructure costs. WLS turned to Azure IoT to gain two-way communication between the light fixtures and web interface enabling users to not only remotely control light fixtures, but also collect information on energy consumption and health. With IoT enabled infrastructure, WLS saved its customers’ $10M in electrical costs.