Mistakes Company should avoid when connecting devices to IoT
Internet of Things platforms hold great promise for organisations across nearly every field or industry. It allows an unprecedented amount of data to be collected and acted upon in real-time. With the right setup, companies can react to changing conditions or situations before they become bigger issues. Ultimately, the Internet of Things platform holds promise to change companies from being reactive to proactive. However, in order to do this, they must first select the right solution for their needs. In this article, we’ll outline 10 of the most common mistakes that companies make when connecting their devices to an Internet of Things platform.
1. Settling for a “One-Size-Fits-All” solution
Before settling for a one-size-fits-all solution, consider that every company is different, and has different needs. Your organization that owns a retail food service chain probably doesn’t need to collect, or act, on the same data that a trucking company or weather service does. Information that is critical to one may not even be relevant to another. But with a one-size-fits-all solution, you will have to wade through information that you don’t need or want to find the data you do need. This takes time and wastes resources and can lead to costly mistakes. Even with a customisable platform, it’s still possible to find solutions with rapid setup times, easy incorporation into your existing structure, and the production of actionable data for your organisation.
2.Thinking they don’t need to customise
This is related to the first error. Many companies don’t take the time to tailor their Internet of Things platform to their specific needs. Determine the data you need to receive and how you need to receive it, and customize what data is visible on your dashboard. This will allow you to have quick and easy access to actionable information at a moment’s notice.
3. Spending time coding instead of building their dream
You have a vision for what you want your company to be, and how to make it succeed. Spend time growing your vision, rather than coding your own Internet of Things platform. Many companies make the mistake of getting bogged down in creating their data gathering network, rather than utilizing existing solutions that have been proven to work. This leads to a costly waste of time and manpower, which could be better spent growing your company in the right direction.
4. Not setting-up alerts for critical data
Take the time to setup alerts for instances where a critical threshold has been met. If you run a trucking company and know that an accident on a delivery route is something that can cost you time and money, set up an alert for when those instances occur. That will allow you to spend your time doing something other than refreshing traffic maps but still give you the information you need to adapt to changing circumstances.
5. Failing to organise your dashboard for your unique situation
Determine exactly what data you know you need to have at any given time and place it on your dashboard. Data you don’t necessarily need on your dashboard can be distracting, and obscure the information that is critical to your organisation. Take the time to figure out what data is critical, and make sure to place this in an accessible, central location on your dashboard.
6. Not displaying the data in the best way for their business
If you are better able to visualize data, then receive important data in a visual format that is easy for you to quickly comprehend. Many of us simply can’t quickly make sense of raw data sets, and multitudes of numbers on display quickly lose meaning. Utilize visualization software to render the data you need legible, so you can act on it quickly and efficiently.
7. Failing to adapt the Internet of Things to your company
Make the Internet of Things work for you. Don’t adapt your company to an Internet of Things platform. Talk to experts about how best to incorporate the flexibility and data gathering strengths of the Internet of Things into your organisation. But in doing so, don’t compromise on your vision of the services you will be providing.
8. Failing to plan for future growth
Your company may experience rapid growth. Select an Internet of Things platform that has the flexibility to change as you grow. Avoid platforms that are static, or require large amounts of coding or effort to change what data is displayed or how it is gathered.
9. Not knowing how to adapt
If something about your Internet of Things platform isn’t how you want it, fix it rather than adapt to it. Tailor your platform to your needs. This is particularly relevant for companies connecting their devices for the first time. With Fathym, we are built to adapt, allowing you to change your mind like this without having to sink a ton of cost/man hours in changing your dashboard/setup to fit your new needs.
10. Not choosing a solution with continued support
Often companies that utilise a one-size-fits-all solution their first time connecting devices find out later on that they have issues or need a different solution. But they find out that the platform doesn’t have continued support. They then have to invest in coding to tailor that solution to their changing needs or transition to another platform. Do your research about the solution you are looking at, and determine if they will continue to provide support after your initial setup.
