The internet has evolved over the years from a place people go from time to time to something that’s permeated just about every part of our lives.
People carry an instant connection with them wherever they go with their smartphones. Company offices are pretty much always connected to the online world, and when they’re not a major outage occurs with the inability to communicate with the outside world.
Cloud solutions and mobile apps further expand our reliance on the internet and being a connected part of the world at large.
The number of devices connected to the internet continues to rise every year. Between 2019 and 2021, 2.33 billion more devices were connected to the internet. And by 2027, the number of internet-connected devices is expected to double.
The driver for that growth will be in large part the rise of IoT (Internet of Things).
What is IoT?
IoT devices are those that can connect and communicate with each other and through a network. In other words, they can “go online” and send and receive data wirelessly.
IoT devices encompass just about any internet-connected device, though computer and mobile devices are typically kept in their own category.
Any small business that has a wireless router already has at least one IoT device. A router is considered an IoT device, along with things like wireless printers.
One of the most popular home IoT devices that are beginning to make their way into offices is the smart speaker. Gadgets like Echo with Alexa or Google Home have become mainstays.
60% of smart speaker owners use them at least 4 times per day.
Benefits of Using IoT for your SMB
IoT devices are one of the fastest-growing areas of business technology. This classification of IT includes things like:
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- Wi-Fi routers
- Smart locks
- Smart lighting
- Smart thermostats
- Soundbars & video conferencing tools
- Wireless sensors
- Wireless printers
- Shipment scanning equipment
- Production line automation equipment
- And much more
Is IoT that much of a benefit?
Let’s take just one item for example to illustrate how enabling internet connectivity on a device can improve efficiency.
Say that you use a large padlock on a maintenance shed that includes expensive equipment. Managing access to that shed means you need to copy physical keys and hand them out. If someone loses one, you have to either make them a new one or change the lock for security and re-issue everyone else a key.
This is a time-consuming manual process, and security can have big weaknesses, such as the inability to track who may have stolen something because you have no way to track the key use.
Now, replace that lock with a smart lock that is an IoT device. You can give each person a personal code to use the lock, with no keys to keep up with. Because the lock can communicate online with an app, you can track exactly who uses their code to get in and when. Thus, if anything goes missing, you can see who last accessed the shed.
Revoking access to an employee who has suddenly left your company can also be done at the click of a button. No need to replace the entire lock to change anyone’s access privileges.
That’s just one example of the benefits of using a single IoT device to improve one process.
Here are some of the big advantages of mindfully incorporating IoT into your SMB operations.
Improve Efficiency by Reducing Manual Processes
Anytime you need to do something manually, the process takes more time and can be subject to human error. When IoT devices are used to take over some of those manual processes, such as tracking office access, you improve efficiency and free up your team for more forward-motion tasks.
Cost Savings
Many IoT devices offer cost savings in a few ways. Reducing the time that it takes a task to be completed improves productivity. There are also IoT devices that can reduce energy costs.
For example, the use of smart lighting and room sensors can ensure that lights aren’t left on in a room that’s not occupied. When a sensor receives an indication of motion, the lights can be turned on automatically for the occupants. This type of IoT can lower energy bills through more efficient use of lighting.
Instant Access to Data
When sensors and other IoT gadgets can send information via the internet to your PC or mobile device, the time and effort needed to gather that data is greatly reduced.
For example, instead of needing to send surveyors out to dangerous sites to gather location data, an IoT drone can be used to safely gather the necessary calculations and transmit them to the office.
Likewise, sales reps or maintenance technicians that travel onsite, can eliminate the need to do tons of paperwork once they get back to the office, and use IoT to send details of an engagement before they leave the client’s location. By the time they’re back, the office team has already been working with the information on their end.
Get Help Setting Up and Securely IoT Properly
IoT can be a big benefit to an SMB, but it has to be properly secured so it’s not a security risk. Leverage IT Group can help your DFW area business take full advantage of IoT without risking your data security.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call (469) 458-0559 or reach us online.