By Michael Rivera, PhD
The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming many businesses across several industries. For example, manufacturers are using IoT to increase productivity while cutting costs. While this sounds attractive to most businesses, the internet of things is a relatively new technology. As such, they want to proceed with caution. This is where deploying an IoT pilot project comes in.
A pilot project is a great idea to test the feasibility and viability of a company’s IoT idea. If there’s a specific aspect of your business you believe IoT might improve, deploying a pilot project can help you understand if it’s achievable without committing too much time and resources.
But there are key steps to note before you deploy an IoT pilot project.
1. Determine Your Objectives
The first step is determining why you want to conduct the IoT pilot. What areas of your operations does your IoT idea apply to, and what do you plan to learn after this project?
Your IoT project may focus on the technical feasibility of collecting sensor data and transmitting it to the cloud.
On the other hand, the IoT pilot project might be focused on determining business viability and product value, gathering customer feedback, and monetization strategies.
Ultimately, identifying what you want to learn will determine how to approach the IoT pilot project, what it should include, and how much investment is required.
2. Take Advantage of Turnkey Components
Leveraging off-the-shelf components for your IoT pilot project reduces the implementation time and minimizes expenses.
You can quickly gather the data you need to learn if the IoT idea is feasible or not. The pilot components can be replaced later with those that conform to the stricter requirements required for the production design.
3. Provide Real-World Testing
Testing the IoT pilot project in the real world is the best way to determine its viability and usability.
Users can speak directly to the development team about the difficulties and benefits they have experienced with the solution. This will provide practical feedback on user pain points and benefits.
Armed with this information, a team is better equipped to evaluate the idea’s validity, define product requirements, or completely ditch the idea.
4.Design Iteration
After testing in the real world, your development team must be on-hand to make design iterations based on real-world use. This will help reap the most benefits from the IoT pilot project.
Conclusion
Although many enterprises are reaping massive benefits from an IoT-focused digital transformation, it is understandable that you might want to take things slow. You don’t want to dive head first and regret it later on.
That is why Thinaer provides the ideal IoT pilot solution for you. Our starter kits are tailored to each industry’s need with minimum viable functionalities. This turnkey solution helps you deploy an IoT pilot with minimal time and resources. Ultimately, you get to decide whether it’s a good idea or not. Want to learn more? Talk to our team now.