As noted in a recent article from Stein Soeleberg at KORE Telematics, the buzz around the “Internet of Things” has been heating up lately. He states:

The term, coined by a technology pioneer, refers to uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure. Brought into the mainstream in waves, the chatter around the Internet of Things has been steadily growing and can be attributed to large companies, such as Google and GE, jumping on the bandwagon.  Those companies, not surprisingly, think everything from your refrigerator to your window blinds will all be connected and remotely controlled and monitored to improve the quality of our daily lives.

But what impact, if any, could the Internet of Things have upon enterprise mobility? Soeleberg suggests 3 verticals that could benefit from the emerging technology:

1. Supply Chain – critical intelligence can protect the quality of delivered goods
2. Smart City – navigating the logistics of traffic, utilities, or public service as well as cost saving efficiencies
3. Healthcare – information gathering and critical care monitoring

Read the article in its entirety here.

The latest issue of Field Technologies magazine is out and within it, Sarah Howland provides a concise overview of simple steps that can be taken to ensure a successful mobile deployment.

1. Define Clear Goals for Your Mobile Solution – Rushing into technology selection before you have clearly defined objectives for the solution may save time on the front end, but ultimately will end in failure. Taking time to think through the current challenges of the existing process and what you are looking for in a new solution is critical. But stopping here is not enough. You could call it shoe shopping for a growing teen-age boy. Sure, it fits today – but give it a month. Too often companies invest in a technology solution that fits today’s process, but what will that process look like in 1 year, 5 years, 7 years? Is there other workflows that should be considered? Will a upfront investment in a new process actually enable your company to be more successful as a result? 
2. Do Your Due Diligence in Technology Selection – It is understandable why some companies want to rush through the evaluation and selection process simply because the options can be so numerous, but you’ll be doing yourself a disservice. There are many wrong reasons to land on a specific technology solution (cheapest, most expensive, household name, never heard of them, etc) versus it being the best fit to clearly defined goals you have already defined (the right reason). Don’t rush this process. Stick to selecting the solution that best addresses the goals you’ve outlined.
3. Don’t Ignore the Need for Change Management – Regardless if this is your first mobile solution, or upgrading from a current process, it is still a change. Anytime you are introducing change into the organization and asking your team to do a familiar process in a different way, you will need to manage this change. Without this oversight, even the best solution (see #1), will end up being a flop.