{"id":43963,"date":"2019-12-05T11:04:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T11:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/?p=43963"},"modified":"2023-10-02T09:49:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T08:49:00","slug":"three-key-considerations-for-cios-when-pursuing-iot-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/2019\/12\/05\/three-key-considerations-for-cios-when-pursuing-iot-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Three key considerations for CIOs when pursuing IoT initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Given the disruption IoT initiatives can cause when they are introduced it\u2019s vital that CIOs push for involvement in their business\u2019 IoT strategies from the start. Subbu Iyer, CMO, Riverbed Technology, offers three key considerations for CIOs pursuing IoT initiatives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives promise\nnumerous benefits to businesses; namely that they allow for more comprehensive,\nreal-time data collection and analysis which enables systems to become\nconsiderably more responsive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, a manufacturer may add IoT\nsensors to their products so they can receive data on their performance, assess\nissues and plan for improvements. However, when first pushed into production, IoT\ninitiatives create undeniable waves in the digital enterprise; from increasing\nthe complexity of IT infrastructure to affecting integrations with other\nenterprise systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CIOs and their teams are likely to be\nresponsible for implementing the aforementioned technologies, as well as\nassuming operational responsibilities over the new systems. However,\nconcerningly, 59% of IoT strategies are planned without\nthe direct involvement of IT or IT is involved after the crucial\ndecisions have been made, according to Gartner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For IoT projects to be successful,\nIT must place themselves back in the conversation. Partnering\nwith other stakeholders to understand what other initiatives are planned and\nestablishing whether the underlying IT infrastructure will be capable of\nsupporting IoT is a crucial part of this process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, here are three key\nconsiderations for CIOs pursuing IoT initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IoT initiatives will change WAN requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many unsuccessful IoT initiatives are\ncharacterised by their failure to consider how the projects will change the\nrequirements for Wide-Area Networks (WANs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Gartner, there will be\n20 billion Internet connected objects by 2020. This influx of devices\nand sensors will significantly increase network traffic and unused to the\nvolume of activity, traditional Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) links will\nbecome congested. This will result in a decline in application performance\ntriggering a whole host of problems, including reduced productivity and loss of\nrevenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an attempt to overcome such capacity\nlimitations, many companies will turn to alternate connectivity options, for\nexample cellular LTE or broadband Internet. However, the routers and patchwork\nof tools required for this process will create an unnecessarily complex hybrid\nnetwork when combined with the volume and diversification of IoT devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) circumvents this\ncomplexity. Unlike traditional infrastructure, SD-WAN will automatically direct\ntraffic through the most efficient route available, regardless of connectivity\ntype, to ensure the seamless connectivity required for a successful IoT\ndeployment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, this simplified, intelligent and\nflexible approach to network management means IT administrators can quickly\ndeploy new services, policies and even entirely new sites, through a\ncentralised management console. As well as being capable of addressing evolving\nneeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edge Computing is vital for real-time data analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud is a key facilitator of\ndigital strategies. Particularly when it comes to business\nintelligence, archiving and centralising access. However, for data-rich\napplications, or in scenarios where employees need to turn data into actionable\ninsights as it\u2019s created, Edge Computing is far more suitable due to its lower\nlatency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take the IoT system on a manufacturing\nfloor as an example. The system may have been designed so that the production\nline will shut down automatically in response to the sensors indicating that a\nquality threshold is being exceeded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if latency causes a delay in the\nrelevant information being conveyed from the sensors, faulty units will\ncontinue to be produced, ultimately increasing downtime and overall costs. The\nmanufacturer needs more computing power at their remote sites to support\nreal-time data processing to prevent this from happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resolving the issue through traditional\ninfrastructure would be highly costly and complex to manage, but with Edge it\u2019s\na different story. Edge Computing offers a lean, powerful infrastructure for\ningesting, processing and analysing millions of relevant data points, where\nthey\u2019re created in real-time. Minimising the time and cost of directing IoT\ntraffic to the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will face numerous new security threats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, 26% of business breaches were caused\nby unsecured IoT devices or applications, according to the Ponemon Institute. This was almost double the percentage\nreported in 2017. This rise is thanks to the increase in the number of IoT\ndevices in use, lack of stringent security measures and the fact that all the\ndevices are connected, providing hackers with numerous roads into networks and\ndata. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, for the data produced to be\ninstantly actionable, it may be temporarily stored outside the secure confines\nof a cloud or data centre increasing the chance of exfiltration or loss. If\nthis occurs, it could seriously damage the company\u2019s reputation and as a\nresult, customer acquisition and retention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combining SD-WAN and Edge Computing helps\novercome these issues. Firstly, SD-WAN enables you to set network rules that\nsegment IoT assets away from other apps, devices and systems, such as payment,\nwith just a couple of clicks. This makes it easier to control access, limiting\nthe scope of attacks. It also decreases the chance of a security event\nhappening as a result of an operator error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, Edge architecture limits the active\ndata outside of the secure data store by only holding active data at the IoT\nedge. This means the smallest possible percentage of data is vulnerable for the\nsmallest possible amount of time. Meanwhile, complete copies are constantly\nupdated to a secure location. This has the additional benefit that frequent\nbackups will give companies more recovery points if the IoT service faces an\noutage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the disruption IoT initiatives can cause\nwhen first introduced \u2013 from increased complexity and  latency to security challenges \u2013 it\u2019s vital\nthat CIOs, who have a greater understanding of the potential pitfalls, push for\ninvolvement in their business\u2019 IoT strategies from the start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they don\u2019t emphasise upon the other\nstakeholders the importance of investing in the intelligent, modernised\ninfrastructure required to support their initiatives, such as SD-WAN, their\ncompany\u2019s efforts to embrace IoT and reap the associated benefits will not be\nas successful. As such, it\u2019s clear that it\u2019s time IT was put back in the IoT\nconversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given the disruption IoT initiatives can cause when they are introduced it\u2019s vital that CIOs push for involvement in their business\u2019 IoT strategies from the start. Subbu Iyer, CMO, Riverbed Technology, offers three key considerations for CIOs pursuing IoT initiatives. Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives promise numerous benefits to businesses; namely that they allow for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":87496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[139,6,15963,93,3629,9961,13,79],"tags":[155,274,4775,3997,202,1073,315,284,1080,5808,286,5069],"class_list":["post-43963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-expert","category-insights","category-kuwait","category-main-story-newsletter","category-newsletter","category-thought-leadership","category-top-stories","category-used","tag-cio","tag-cios","tag-edge","tag-edge-computing","tag-gartner","tag-internet","tag-internet-of-things","tag-iot","tag-lte","tag-mpls","tag-riverbed","tag-subbu-iyer"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43963"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43972,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43963\/revisions\/43972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}