Collaboration in the world of the IoT is the single most important component for successful IoT deployment. As I have stated before, enterprises must first establish and imbue a culture of internal collaboration between OT stakeholders and IT stakeholders. Clear rules of engagement need to be driven from the top down in midsize to large enterprises. Cross departmental cooperation must be the rule, and the business value of the deployment drives the strategy, tactics and day-to-day execution of the project.
Once the internal culture has been firmly established (and accepted), an important secondary mindset needs to be created. This secondary mindset recognizes that there is a clear need for outside partners to be involved in most, if not all IoT deployments. What we have seen so often is that no matter who the enterprise is or how talented the internal team members are, the Internet of Things ecosystem is too complex and fast-moving for any one enterprise to go it alone. As such, it often takes a village of vendors, integrators and service providers to work together on solutions in an ever-changing, rapid fire IoT marketplace.
Most enterprises have an array of horizontal, vertical, and geographical needs. Even those enterprises that have expertise in broad IoT capabilities are finding they need to partner with someone with deep vertical market IoT knowledge. Those that possess the IoT vertical expertise find that they usually need to work with a partner who can provide the horizontal foundation for their solution.
The following article makes some really good comparisons of the cultural elements that we see in start-ups that would apply to enterprises for adopting the IoT. The entrepreneurial spirit found in start-ups can be infused into larger organizations. And it is this “intra-preneurial” mentality that enables enterprises to implement new ideas faster, react quicker and vet external partners more readily. The author offers up five solid tips on how to create this type of cultural environment. Tip number 5 makes specific reference to the importance of knowing your role in the IoT partner ecosystem.
The corporate world seems to have an unending fascination with startup culture. Mired in processes, groupthink and incremental projects, we yearn to resurrect the exhilaration of moving at speed in pursuit of a great idea. Eric Ries tried to capture some of this startup “secret sauce” in his book, The Lean Startup. And countless articles and blogs—in publications from Forbes to Emirates—have imparted tips on what big companies can learn from startups.
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