The Internet of Things—the IoT—is very much a double-edged sword, insofar as it can create some very real threats just as easily as it can offer businesses considerable benefits when leveraged properly. Let’s focus on this latter point and explore the kinds of benefits that the IoT can bring to the workplace.
What Can the IoT Do?
The technology known as the IoT demonstrates clear benefits for the businesses that put it to use. In addition to significantly simplifying its adoptees’ workloads, it helps to minimize the number of tasks that your team members are responsible for and helps eliminate the chance that something is missed or performed incorrectly.
The long and the short of it is that the benefits of the IoT are threefold: decreased operating costs, increased productivity, and new opportunities.
Decreased Operational Costs
One of the foundational parts of the Internet of Things is the automation that powers it. Consider the control it gives you over your office—a mobile application allows you to turn your lights on and off at will, and locks can be set to automatically engage at a given time. This increased control helps to decrease your costs without needing to actively consider and think about what are generally rote tasks, as you can trust your office will automatically shift to match the conditions you set.
Boosted Productivity
It also needs to be said that the IoT can help give your productivity a boost. For example, today’s “smart” virtual assistants, like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, feature functionality that makes many tasks as simple as just asking.
The Internet of Things can also be used to help consolidate all work-essential data, further improving your productivity. Building upon this, the IoT can also be used to keep your team in the loop and on-task, ensuring that messages are received promptly by combining the power of the IoT with automated processes.
Embracing Opportunity
The IoT is a technology that any business can take advantage of to benefit a variety of processes. Smart locks and Internet-connected cameras help to keep businesses secure. Chatbots and other automated tools (like those referenced above) can help minimize the extraneous responsibilities of your team members, freeing them up to focus on their more mission-critical tasks.
Handle with Care
All that being said, the IoT has some severe shortcomings that need to be considered. Many devices classified under the IoT lack proper security and are often neglected in terms of updates, and the desire to be ahead of the curve makes these kinds of devices appealing to business owners. This all combines to make a more vulnerable business if not addressed properly.
We’re here to help you with your technology—including your use of the IoT—so that it serves the greatest benefit to your business operations. Learn more by giving us a call at 978-798-6805.
