The Internet of Things drives the interaction of IT and Operational functions. Rather than moving up-stream as is the case with cloud computing and application developers where DevOps plays a critical role, the IoT goes side-ways. It mandates new levels of co-operation between IT and Ops. In many cases, the integration of connected devices is simple compared to the cultural integrations required between these two functions.
However, it is exactly the organizational shifts that must occur to gain the real advantages of the IoT for enterprises. Gathering data from connected devices is nice, But enterprises already generate a ton of data that sits within databases unused for driving business decision making. It’s layering in the expertise of operational professionals from data analysts to data scientists that draw new insights form the connected device data.
It’s in this vain that Don DeLoach, co-chair of the Midwest Internet of Things Council, stated in regard to the IoT data, “It’s still the same atomic data, but what you’re doing is separating the creation of the data from the consumption of the data, and that’s where you gain maximum leverage,” DeLoach said. “The value of their data will actually increase after being enriched by the context it’s given with enterprise analysis.”
Mr. DeLoach continues by showcasing one company that through a partnership has been able to harness both IT and Operational expertise to bring innovative products to market. “The domain expertise married with the technology delivers a set of capabilities that you can’t match,” DeLoach said. Hitachi Vantara’s comprehensive set of capabilities, as well as its roots in energy and transportation, make the company a formidable organization in the future of the internet of things,” he added.
The IoT presents significant opportunities for enterprises. However, before enterprises can take advantage of its full potential, they must do away with outdated processes and old ideas and push for organizational changes that blend IT and Ops to moves data into transformational insights.
