To have a clear, transparent and simple company digitalization process, it is first necessary to allow for the collaborative integration of technologies. Different initiatives carried out by different sectors, within ecosystems that do not communicate, do not place the company in a digital transformation scenario.
The digitalization process begins when there is a single initiative with the integration of several technologies, which involves the Internet of Things (IoT), but also Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Big Data and many others that make up Industry 4.0.
Just like in an orchestra where dozens of instruments need to converge the sound into a clear and pleasant melody, it is necessary to integrate different technologies within companies.
For most companies, the basic concept of digital transformation is not clear. The pressure of everyday life, the need to reach goals and increase efficiency turns the digitalization process into a disoriented race, and only up front, after having already made the investment, do you realize that the decision was taken in a wrong.
Therefore, one of the biggest challenges for companies to follow this transformation process is raising awareness about collaborative technologies. Digitization will be complete when applications from different verticals can communicate horizontally and decentrally with other solutions.
In this article we will focus mainly on aspects related to IoT, as it is one of the foundations for a digital transformation process and one of the main difficulties for companies.
Who should carry out the process?
A complete digital transformation process must involve the entire company, from C-Level to operational levels, involving changes in organizational culture and processes. Specifically in IoT projects, the initiative is often led by IT in conjunction with OT.
However, the innovation process should ideally involve specialized suppliers from outside the company. The IT/OT sectors are already taken over by day-to-day internal demands and, in addition, they tend to act in accordance with the company's core business, leaving the responsibilities and deliveries of an IoT project to suppliers capable of doing so. .
Companies experienced in marketing and implementing Internet of Things solutions are aware of trends, the problems faced by the market, the pain points of their customers and are already experimenting with solutions in various projects.
It is common for customers to want to define applications and areas for integration and data collection. But just as important as collecting data is knowing how to manage all this information for the benefit of the company.
The path to Digital Transformation in industry
The solution as a service is the most economical and safe way for the company to digitize its operation. In this modality, the most important thing for the client/company is to know what the solution's KPIs are for success.
The manager needs to ask himself “What do you want to achieve by improving efficiency?”, “What pain will IoT solve?”. Many companies don't know what they want to measure with IoT or where they hope to go, and this is an important process for Digital Transformation.
It is possible to start small. There are customers who start with one machine. The size is not the problem, the most important thing is the concept. After all, how will the gain be visualized? At this point, the solution as a service is another factor for the customer to visualize returns through technology.
There is a series of information that is extremely useful and helps the company save money and obtain a return on its investment . In preventive maintenance contracts, for example, predictive and remote monitoring generates logistical savings for teams and avoids unnecessary stops in the operation.
Another point is that in the solution as a service, the onus of operation lies with the solution provider, who needs to monitor and deliver the data. The company/client does not need to make investments to develop a solution, and is free to search for providers on the market that best meet their needs.
IoT plug and play is a trend for 2023
The protocol variations that exist in the industry make it a little more conservative for adopting ready-to-use IoT solutions. To introduce plug and play devices into the industry, it is necessary to have a platform compatible with different protocols, interfaces and communication flexibility with different software.
This interoperability capability qualified Bridgemeter Above-Net 's Industrial IoT solution , to modernize the M2M communication of a large sanitation company . The challenge was to make different technologies able to read the data and share it with the SCADA of four companies.
“We built a product based on observing market problems. It's not thinking that the market needs a solution and then trying to push it to the public. We are observing the intersection of problems in all of our customers, then we come up with a solution for it, because we know it will be in great demand”, commented Marcelo Ramos, Vice-President of Above-Net .
Bridgemeter is a modern and innovative cloud solution capable of connecting with any industry sensor or equipment, allowing monitoring, collection, programming of intelligent rules for problem prediction and analysis of data from remote locations.
The system can receive information from equipment, PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller), digital or analog sensors, engines, trucks and even light vehicles as well as cameras, tablets and smartphones with tracking and generate real-time alarms quickly and accurately.
Above-Net 's Industrial IoT platform is offered in a solution-as-a-service (SaaS) format with investment based on OPEX and zero CAPEX investment. With a small monthly fee per monitored point, it is possible to implement an industrial solution with high availability and data security without worrying about the development and integration of systems that deviate from your company's business model.
