An extended version or extended mix of an album includes new material in the style of the original, and sometimes even a hidden gem. You might think it’s just about different versions of existing songs or B tracks, but it always adds a musical harmony creating consonant chord progressions that sound pleasing to most listeners. IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC) Extend, which is an online community for content and networking that goes beyond the physical event which took place in May 2022 in Barcelona, offers B tracks of the most engaging topics covered this year and, of course, exclusive pieces which turn to a masterclass of present and future technologies such as AI, Digital Twins, TRE-based SIM or quantum computing, to name just a few.
Across short sessions featuring presentations, interviews, dialogues, and panels, IOTSWC Extend speakers make it clear that we are living in an increasingly connected world. In fact, according to the most conservative estimates, there will be more than 25 billion connected devices in the world by 2030. And this is an incredible opportunity.Sophia Hasnain, CEO and Founder of Linked Things, an industrial IoT provider for emerging markets, highlights that “implementing IoT has a positive impact on the business”.
A positive impact
This happens in the most diverse sectors: IoT helps the automotive industry deliver an outstanding user experience and ensure predictive maintenance now that cars are not what they used to be but “software with wheels,” and electric options are changing the market. It supports institutions to bring smart mobility and smart lighting to citizens, as cities spend more than 20% of their energy bill on bringing light to streets and need to upgrade their infrastructure to energy-efficient solutions. IoT also eases the impact of heavy industry, which makes products that are central to our modern way of life but is also responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and allows more efficiency and security in buildings through Digital Twins solutions. It even leverages batteryless solutions to improve ventilation in metro tunnels. You might think that only happens in urban environments, but IoT is also worth it in the agriculture sector as it facilitates the Internet of Crops by lowering operating costs, having premium quality delivery, bolstered food safety and enhanced market value.
Beyond the ‘wow’ factor
This is not marketing jargon. IOTSWC Extend includes use cases that clarify each one of these statements while warning that efficiency is not the only reason to accelerate digitization and IoT implementation in these uncertain times: Sustainability is key. And again, it’s not about greenwashing but about an acute necessity that can drive tangible results.
Yet the downside to these developments is that they represent a considerable security challenge. Security needs to be a core component of connectivity, warns Maksim Karpukhin, CEO of Aprotech, a Kaspersky IoT company, who also enhances that “security-by-design is the foundation of any IoT development.”
This is probably easier said than done, as it affects pricing, but the industry needs to work in this direction for cyberthreats ramp up. According to the State of Security 2022, 65% of organizations have reported an uptick in attacks during the pandemic. And we’re not done.
A smart goal
Last but not least, at some point, one needs to think about the challenges posed by IoT applications and look in the eyes the elephant in the room, says Vishal Gupta, CTO, CIO and SVP of Connected Technology at Lexmark, a global imaging and IoT solutions leader that helps customers realize their business outcomes in more than 170 countries. Is it possible to make this elephant dance? How to implement innovation to balance today and tomorrow? And above all is it worth?
IoT Use Case Adoption Report 2021 enhanced that 79% of organizations are planning to invest significant amounts of money into at least one IoT project, and this is good, but implementing this technology isn’t something straightforward, says Paloma Reinoso, Senior Product Specialist at Altair, a global tech company providing software and cloud solutions in the areas of simulation, HPC, and artificial intelligence.
“Using the right design, validation, compliance testing and manufacturing tools through the product life-cycle is the only way to unleash the full power of the Internet of Things,” concludes Julien Sarrade, IoT Business Development Manager at Keysight Technologies. But, of course, as Vishal Gupta acknowledges “obviously, it’s a journey.”
By: Anna Solana