Understand IoT Opportunities and Get Started with IoT in Action
Is your business ready to seize the internet of things (IoT) opportunity? From helping farmers reduce energy costs to optimizing Twizzlers production at the Hershey’s plant, IoT is helping businesses across industries automate, save money, and generate new revenue streams.
Microsoft wants to help you drive digital transformation and business impact with IoT by connecting you with the insights and partners you need to get started. Which is why we are hosting the IoT in Action event series across cities worldwide. Be sure to register for our next delivery, coming to San Francisco on February 13, 2018.
Understanding the IoT opportunityAnalysts from IDC estimate that right now, there are 13 billion connected things. And they expect that number to increase to 30 billion by 2020, representing a revenue opportunity of $1.7 trillion.
IoT dramatically expands the usefulness of ordinary things. IoT gives things the smarts to communicate and use data insights to perform helpful tasks in a multitude of scenarios. IoT can be a significant competitive differentiator for businesses. The advantages can vary, but generally fall into one of four categories: informing decisions, streamlining operations, saving money, and driving revenue.
Examples of IoT abound. The automobile industry uses IoT to optimize fuel economy. Engineering firms use IoT to detect structural issues in bridges. Healthcare organizations use IoT to track and diagnose health issues. Manufacturers use IoT to detect and prevent equipment failures or maintenance issues before they interrupt operations. Even beverage service providers like BUNN are delighting customers and driving business forward using IoT.
Getting started in IoTBut knowing where to begin can be overwhelming. Taking a device and making it something that delivers greater business value is no easy task. IoT requires the right ideas, the right connections, and the right platform.
Rodney Clark, VP IoT Sales at Microsoft suggests businesses to start with asking yourself questions. “What vertical do you play in? What experience have you been creating over the years? What types of enterprise or customers do you serve? What are your partner assets? Get started where you have a core strength, a core set of value props that you can deliver.”
IoT also requires the right partners. Partners have the expertise to help you navigate the ins and outs of bringing an IoT solution to fruition, from platform integration to choosing which devices and processes to connect to managing data insights.
IoT in Action can helpIoT in Action is a free, one-day event focused on helping businesses in energy, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, building, and security to get started on IoT. It’s a prime opportunity to get insights from IoT pioneers. Discover how other businesses are tapping market opportunities and generating new revenue streams with existing assets and infrastructure.
You’ll interact with top IoT innovators, and learn about Microsoft technologies, market opportunities, security, and more that you can apply to your own world-class IoT solution. You’ll also explore ways to overcome key challenges facing businesses, such as scaling IoT solutions, managing the complexities of connecting and monitoring devices in the cloud, and collecting and using data for predictive actions that drive business forward. Finally, you’ll get connected to top IoT partners who can help you bring your IoT solution online.
Watch this video for a recap of our Boston event, and sign up today – Space is limited!
