Every month our Sales Operations Manager and #IoTinsider, Jack Young, is scouring the web for the best articles covering the Internet of Things. So, whether you’re interested in brand spanking new tech or cutting edge business strategies, we’ve got you covered with our IoT Download.
This month:
Can I give up my landline and use 4G broadband?
Digital Transformation: Four Ways To Ensure Adoption From Your Employees
Nike and the NBA unveil connected jerseys… and they’re super cool
73% of Executives Are Researching & Launching IoT Projects In 2017
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Can I give up my landline and use 4G broadband? – The Guardian
First up, the Guardian contemplated a common consumer question: I surf the web on my mobile phone just fine—can’t I use the same connectivity at home on my laptop?
While it is possible, the more pressing question is whether it’s actually worth changing from fixed broadband to 4G cellular connectivity—especially with many places throughout the UK having better 4G coverage than traditional fixed line broadband. The general answer is no, but the more specific answer is that it depends on the situation.
There have been a variety of reasons why millions of people have replaced their fixed broadband with mobile broadband. Some of these include the online needs of the customer, the low quality of the fixed broadband available, and their personal situation. However, the main drawbacks continue to be the availability of 4G services, the variability of download speeds, and the high prices. One of the biggest concerns when determining if it is a viable option is how many people will be using the connectivity.
A house with two teenagers who constantly watch movies on Netflix, stream music on Spotify, and play online video games will use a lot more data than, let’s say a single professional who is at work all day. The house with two teenagers should probably keep their fixed broadband line to keep up with the amount of data those kids use on a daily basis. On the other hand, the single professional might be able to get away with just using 4G if they’re not at home that often.
So, if you’re thinking about getting rid of the fixed broadband line at home, you might be better off sticking with what you’ve got.
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Digital Transformation: Four Ways To Ensure Adoption From Your Employees – Forbes
Despite the countless hours global organisations have spent planning for digital transformation, many still have trouble when it comes to execution.
Forbes argues that often the disconnect happens in the communication between the executives of the organisation and the employees that are going to be using the new technology, meaning that, ironically, getting digital transformation right is often more about the people and less about the technology involved.
Just like any business initiative, getting your employees to buy into the idea of the initiative is crucial—what’s the point of having this new technology if your employees don’t even know how to use it properly? However, getting buy in from your employees is a lot easier said than done. This article outlines four ways to ensure adoption from your employees:
- Aim to align values company-wide.
- Create a narrative for digital transformation.
- Ride the learning curve.
- Start small, but finish strong.
So if you’re thinking about putting your organisation through a digital formation be sure to keep your employees in mind—as many know, the key to a successful business (and digital transformation) is happy employees!
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Nike and the NBA unveil connected jerseys… and they’re super cool – TechCrunch
To celebrate being the official apparel sponsor for the NBA Nike have given its fans exactly what they want—a basketball jersey that connects to the internet.
With the connected jersey, a customer can purchase a jersey of their favorite player and unlock “premium content” about that player via the NikeConnect app. That premium content includes things such as “pregame arrival footage,” highlight reels, music playlists from players, and boosts for players in NBA 2K18.
The introduction of the jersey will not only increase the customer experience of the fan, it’ll also provide a plethora of data Nike can use to improve their marketing—all enabled by IoT tech. The data collected will no doubt be used to give Nike valuable customer insights. What type of content are their customers looking for? Do children use the app to get boosts for players in NBA 2K18? Do adults venture more towards highlight reels?
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73% of Executives Are Researching & Launching IoT Projects In 2017 – Forbes
Lastly this month, Forbes highlighted some key takeaways from Verizon’s State of the Market: Internet of Things 2017.
As you’re probably aware by now, the amount of IoT connections has grown exponentially in the last 2 years—and that upwards trend is likely to continue. But which industries have been investing the most in 2017?
Let’s first look at where the growth has come from to understand where investments might be happening this year. According to Verizon, manufacturing-based IoT connections grew 84% between 2016 and 2017, followed by energy and utilities (41%). Transportation and distribution (40%), smart cities and communities (19%) and healthcare and pharma (11%) are the remaining three industries tracked in the study who had positive growth in the number of IoT connections.
As expected, manufacturing is continuing to lead the way in IoT spending with an expected $138 billion invested in 2017 alone, meaning manufacturing is still a key industry for IoT projects.
With improvements in technology, and a variety of connected car products being introduced to the market, it comes as no surprise that Transportation have increased their investment, but the industry still comes in a distant second with an estimated $85 billion invested. Utilities and energy rounds out the top three with an expected $66 billion to have been invested, with the big push coming from the many corporations looking to reduce energy costs by going green.
So, as 2017 comes to an end, the questions to ask is how is you business planning to make the most of the opportunity?
What are some of the best IoT articles you’ve read this month? Tweet our #IoTinsider @jack_pangea.
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