Lucy Wyndham
Big businesses across New Zealand have taken to smart environments with aplomb.
According to an influential study by consultants IDC, business smart device usage doubled throughout 2017.
For digitally-native professionals in the country, this is great news, as work environments will become suitable for a high level of smart integration.
However, given the disruptive nature of smart tech and how it transforms working patterns, this does pose the question of where IoT (internet of Things) business environments will lead.
How will this technology shape the workplace of the future?
Key to understanding this question is how the IoT has transformed the home. Many of the principles are transferable and give an insight into how businesses can expect to evolve.
Transformation of Homes
The smart home which the IoT creates has been slow to build but now makes steady progress.
The benefit has been wide-ranging.
Tech expert Graeme Muller has suggested that in 2019, technology will continue to improve and even save lives in certain homes. These gadgets have shaped the home through improving the ability of people to live their lives with freedom.
By controlling heat, lighting, communications and even cooking, those leading increasingly busy lives have the opportunity to devote more of that spare time to endeavours that will improve them, rather than the mundane parts of everyday life.
This correlates to the busy world in terms of efficiencies.
There are realities for every business that must be fulfilled; the likes of admin paperwork, logistics and basic HR functions.
The IoT allows business to get around these hurdles.
How business uses IoT
There is a huge variety of IoT applications in business that can be applied to almost any arena. For example, postal services have been using intelligent sensors to find mileage efficiencies for years. In New Zealand, businesses are using IoT to improve productivity and connectivity with rural businesses alongside urban environments; a recent IoT network launch by network operator Spark will bring agri-culture smart tech usage up to the 52% national average.
This is great news for connectivity with rural areas that sometimes suffer from poor infrastructure, and is bodes well for countries around the world with large rural areas, like India. In the future, with the aid of AI integration, business decisions can be made with a greater level of information and more aspects of the agricultural business can be automated.
IoT in the future
The end stage for businesses utilising IoT will be a fully remote network.
Employees will be able to work for home – something that, according to CNBC, 70% of global workers do already. Products will be smart and integrated with business AI, allowing for rapid and bespoke improvements and maintenance.
Smart application of devices and products will improve consumer retention, and allow businesses to grow bigger and for longer.
IoT is a transformative technology that will make everyone’s life easier.
This is the case for business, too. Initially, efficiencies are being found as processes can be streamlined or removed altogether.
As businesses become more comfortable with the technology and its influence grows, the consumer will benefit, too, and businesses will be able to provide excellent service for longer.
Lucy Wyndham is Content Editor for a Survey and Review Site based in New Zealand.
