Implementing Edge computing - some see danger, some see an opportunity.

The 3 biggest concerns around IoT, accroding to a recent Bain IoT customer survey, are security, high price or unclear economic benefit and difficulty integrating IT with operational technology. At the same time as these concerns slow down some, the fast movers are already gaining significant competitive advantage from IIoT. According to an Industry-Week/Genpact study, leaders are seeing significant returns in areas such as operational improvement, business agility, supply chain optimisation, asset utilisation and regulatory compliance. The difference between leaders and those striving to implement IoT is significant. According to the same study 53% of those who have an IoT budget are increasing it from last year. 

Those who have seen the light, are increasing their speed and reaping in the benefits.

Security is tackled seriously at several levels, both fysical and logical, in the way things are done and using the best and most advanced technology to do so. Edge computing pushes data processing deeper into the operations and data transfer is minimized.

High price is a myth. With the cost of sensors coming down and the competition between platforms, making an asset intelligent can see pay back times measured in months. Among our customers, the best we have seen so far was 14 days. In addition, new business models, such as HaaS, PaaS and Saas, enable subscription based "purchasing" along with moving costs from CAPEX to OPEX. Digitalizing, making an asset intelligent, touches so many of the components of the ROI calculation: cost, revenue, asset life etc. that the economic benefit from an IIoT project can really surprise. With open linux architecture and extreme flexibility in both the way agile companies operate and the way the modern modular edge computing technology is built, application and integration, when necessary, is not only fast but also cost efficient. 

Those who sail, know, that it is impossible to steer a sail boat unless it is moving. It needs momentum. So does an IoT project. An IoT-strategy necessitates piloting. It is critical to pilot, experiment, iterate and learn from trial and error. What information is availabe and how can it be used. Some companies have all sails out, some are just pulling up the anchors.

Year 2017 will be a big one for the IIoT. Instead of only the visionaries, now also the doers are on the move. We can feel it coming.