IDC’s (International Data Corporation) Manufacturing Insights recently published a report on recent trends in the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and the capabilities offered by IT system integrators (SIs) for their implementation. IoT today is at a level of maturity in India where innovative use cases have been implemented in certain pockets resulting in significant business impact. According to IDC’s forecasts, revenue from IoT implementation in India for manufacturing will be close to US $4 billion by 2020, growth at a CAGR of 20 per cent.
Multiple diverse components from sensors that are bundled with products to networking gateways, telemetry for remote connectivity, infrastructure such as an IoT platform for storage and computing and an analytics engine to bring out key insights from raw data need to be integrated together for an effective business value to deliver high class operational performance. No single player can offer expertise in all these areas.
Given this complexity with multiple systems that need to be integrated, the choice of partners is as important as the selection of specific operational technologies. System Integrators with their growing investments in IoT will be key stakeholders who will manage end-to-end execution bringing together multiple players and their own expertise. For instance, organizations like Wipro, Infosys and Cognizant have identified IoT as a top theme for growth while some are setting up IoT test beds in collaboration with the Industrial Internet Consortium Others have “Digital Works” team to provide a comprehensive digital experience to customers from conceptualizing to implementing projects in the IoT foundry.
IDC classifies the use cases in Manufacturing into 3 broad categories –
1) Connected assets within the enterprise
2) Connected products
3) Connected supply chain
Domain expertise in these areas and specific to the industry are critical for a successful IoT blue print. System Integrators with their experience in implementing traditional IT applications in manufacturing can extend their expertise for a connected enterprise. The report covers the capabilities of 12 System Integrators in terms of use cases, infrastructure, their engagement models, challenges faced and how these challenges were overcome, best practices and examples of successful IoT projects.
As per Ramachandran S, Principal Research Manager, IDC Manufacturing Insights Asia/Pacific, “Successful implementation of IoT projects will be subject to awareness and choice of appropriate partner based on well-defined evaluation parameters for their end-to-end management. The onus of technology perspective and their management will be on partners. This will help manufacturing enterprises to focus on the core areas of IoT in bundling them with their product and services portfolio and in rolling out profitable business models.”
Questions such as ownership of data, ensuring their security and interoperability, cost sharing and incentives must be well-defined to ensure enhancement of overall system which makes engagement models vital for IoT projects.
