Research/Blog
What does it take to Deliver a Successful IoT Initiative?
- October 27, 2017
- Posted by: CellStrat Editor
- Category: IoT
![](http://learning.cellstrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IOT-1-840x430.jpg)
There has been lot of hype around Internet of Things (#IoT) since last almost 3-5 years. But it is only now that many organizations have started adopting IoT in real sense. They are exploring how business differentiation and improvement in customer experience can be brought in by leveraging IoT capabilities both in their products and services. But the requirement to unify a diverse set of devices, data streams and processes, IoT projects are often stretching IT departments in new directions and require diverse skill sets as well as step-by-step methods. Based on interviews with early adopters, Gartner has identified five key steps on the path to executing a successful IoT initiative:
Envision > Prepare > MVP > Architecting > Implementing
Envisioning
IT manager must begin by learning about the IoT and assessing its capabilities, to lay out diverse options for integrating the IoT into their business. They should study examples from similar companies, which can inspire solutions and highlight the challenges of connected products and ecosystems.
Preparing
This is a critical step and brings together the required professionals and processes necessary for an IoT program. Best way to address this challenge is to hire an IoT architect — a critical and emerging role that is believed, will become important to any future IoT business initiative. This role will involve bringing together not only technical skills, such as designing an end-to-end architecture, but also nontechnical elements such as evangelizing, strategy and governance. From here, the team can move on to prototyping before architecting and implementing the solution.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
The complexity and cost of IoT projects are a hindrance to rapid architecting, design and implementation, which makes creation of MVP a very important step in the process of creating an IoT initiative. MVP helps quickly uncover and address key issues posed by complexity early in the process. As the team learns about the details of IoT operation, they will uncover innovative ways of leveraging IoT system to drive additional business value and will gain a deeper understanding of the architectural alternatives of an IoT solution.
Architecting
Architecting an IoT solution begins with decomposing the end-to-end system into its platform and enterprise components. This approach enables the architect to focus on each component separately. Architects must define how they will integrate the devices, data and processes to create an end-to-end solution that adds business value. Integration is the “IoT’s secret sauce” that turns an IoT project into a transformative business solution.
Implementing
Organizations that implement IoT solutions will, of course, learn how to build, maintain and evolve these solutions. More importantly, however, they will learn how to use IoT technology to drive business value as they uncover IoT use cases that they didn’t envision when they began the initiative.
(Inspired and excerpted from an article published in 2016)