The Internet has given unlimited access to data and technology for most of the world’s population. We have all become very tech savvy. The Internet of Things revolution promises to bring this to the next level with the volumes of services, devices and humans communicating growing exponentially over the next few decades.
There are many factors contributing to the IoT revolution. Mobile device communication services allow devices and humans to be permanently connected. Cloud services have reduced the complexity required to produce new services and products. The advances in device design and manufacturing continue to reduce hardware cost and complexity. This creates many opportunities and challenges for new profitable IoT services to be developed that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
IoT differs from traditional IT solutions in that the services typically include the deployment and management of large volumes of communicating devices. This presents many new challenges for business owners wishing to develop IoT services. There is a wealth of information available to support this development, but too often it focusses on the technology aspects and can offer confusing or conflicting messages. That, coupled with the fact that technology is changing so rapidly, means that what is written regarding IoT technology today may be obsolete tomorrow.
The focus on technology for IoT services means that the business aspects are often overlooked. Successful IoT services are built on a foundation of a clearly defined service offering complimented with operational and business models. There can be a tendency to treat each of these views in isolation, but successful IoT services develop these models in parallel.
According to Cisco CTO Kevin Bloch approximately 75% of all IoT projects fail due to lack of viable business experience. This book addresses that gap by offering the reader the possibility to understand a holistic view of IoT. It explains the business challenges and how they can be addressed, incorporating the technology and operational considerations. It is essential reading for business owners wishing to embark on their IoT journey.
Mattias Andersson (CEO MTek)
When I embarked on my IoT journey, I had already worked with machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity services for several years. I was requested to initiate an IoT innovation program to develop IoT cloud service offerings for Ericsson. Many sponsors expected that we would create an IoT platform to facilitate the launching of IoT services, but I set our targets a little higher. I wanted to wrap the IoT products we were planning to develop in the as-a-service (AaS) business model, bringing stakeholders, collaborators, and customers on an “IoT journey.” To quote the Head of XaaS at Ericsson, “The innovation will not be technology; it will be development of a new business model and delivery method for IoT services at Ericsson.”
In 2015, Ericsson hosted an IoT conference in Stockholm where the keynote speaker suggested, “If you haven’t started in the IoT, you are already late. If you have started, then you will need to launch your offering immediately.” I believed that then but don’t believe it now. IoT will be around for a long time; there will be new IoT services, ideas, and business models with revenue streams continuously launched. You will never be too late with new, innovative ideas, and IoT offers increased possibilities for realizing your vision.
Fast-forward two years, and the IoT Accelerator is launched at Messe Hannover, the international industrial trade fair.
During this period, there have been hundreds of contributors across the globe from the Ericsson organization working in areas such as sales, commercial management, delivery and operations, and research and development. The engagements with partners, collaborators, clients, and even competitors have provided a great learning experience for the team as we all continue with our IoT journey.
This book summarizes many of these discussions, the mistakes, the successes, and the subsequent conclusions. There have been many collaborators who have added their unique expertise to enable this book to be completed. I would like to thank Grant Smith, Head of Smart Energy in Queensland, Australia, who helped to initiate many of the innovative IoT discussions. There were over more than 150 direct contributors during the development of the IoT concepts outlined in the book, the senior managers were Paul McGettrick, Marina Acedo and Gema LaFuente, Jason Chua and Maria Archer. Technical support during the editing process was provided by Luiz (Tayo) Carvahal, Principal Solution Architect at Microsoft and Paula Kelly, Lecturer at D.I.T. Grant Marshall VP Supply Network Head of Engineering at Nokia, Mikael Blockstrand Head of M2M Ericsson and Luis (Tayo) Carvahal provided great insights into the future of IoT. Thanks also to Marina Acedo, Senior Project Manager at Avya, Andrew Parker Operations Manager at Ericsson and Andres Amores, Head of IoT Smart Services for their input on Operational topics. Finally, I would like to thank Mikael Ungerholm, Head of Innovation at Ericsson Tony Sandberg, Innovation Consultant and Ericsson, Paolo Filetti, Head of Digital Solutions at Bridgestone, Henrik Bergman Head of Sales MTEK and Peter Lejon CEO virtuGrp for providing support during this IoT journey.
Table of Contents
About the Author
is a graduate of Aberdeen University, MSC Artificial Intelligence and Queens University Belfast, BSC Computer Science. He has been working in IT for 20+ years providing IT and Telecommunication consultancy services to a broad range of companies. During the last 10 years he has developed services in multiple IoT industry verticals, including Industry 4.0, Smart Transport, Smart Energy, Smart City, and Connected Home. He has worked with all aspects of IoT services including the development of GTM strategies, Commercial, Operational and Technical models developed in collaboration with Fortune 500 companies, IoT startups, service partners, and competitors.