Connectivity among people, things, and businesses is increasing exponentially. Enabling flexible connectivity and data exchange between billions of assets and processes represents a tremendous opportunity for businesses. Old business models and processes are being rethought and new ones are emerging.
Illustration: © IoT For All
Enterprises are already utilizing flexible connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT), and below are some examples.
Enabling Long-Lived Assets in the Field
A utility meter manufacturer deploys products with embedded SIMs. They will be deployed for multi-year periods and must avoid the SIM needing to be replaced due to a change in service provider or mobile coverage.
New Business Models for Capital-Intensive Industries
Equipment deployed in construction, agriculture, and healthcare can benefit from IoT-enabled predictive maintenance and asset tracking. There’s also a developing opportunity to use IoT to enable new business models for providers of such assets that can shift to delivering them on an “as-a-service” basis. Cloud-based IoT connectivity management platforms can support delivery of such applications on a flexible and cost-effective basis, even enabling dynamic pricing changes.
Single-Site Manufacturing for Internationally-Shipped Devices
A manufacturer produces devices, goods, or equipment at scale that are intended to be connected. Even if these devices are manufactured in a single facility, they can be sold or deployed in multiple countries. Using a neutral SIM, which can be remotely updated as it is turned on in a new country, removed the need for multiple SKUs dependent on the destination country. Profiles can be easily managed and subscriptions updated through the connectivity platform.
Cross-Border Mobility
Connected mobile (or portable) assets, such as those used in fleet management and logistics, can dynamically change service providers when crossing borders. Delivering connectivity for portable assets and vehicles requires the ability to control costs, adjust pricing according to data usage, integrate with other vehicle systems, and shift between networks as needed.
Be sure to check out the SAP Digital Interconnect Ovum Whitepaper on how to manage and grow your business’ IoT connectivity for tomorrow.
