Many in the machine-to-machine (M2M) technology space like to evangelize a coming connected future. A ‘real-time enterprise’; your whole business ‘connected’. Indeed, current technology has reached a point where it has become cost-effective to connect operational assets, equipment and products to the Internet, achieving new levels of efficiencies and service not thought possible before.

Before you jump on the first bandwagon you see, ask yourself a question that M2M fanatics may not be asking you: Is it really as easy as it’s made out to be? Have your competitors really implemented these technologies with no hiccups? Guess what, the old rule holds: nothing in life is as easy as it seems BUT good partners make it easier.

As you start to engage potential partners, keep the following two things in mind:

#1) Not all hardware is created equal. Nothing has changed: the right tool and the right device for the right job. It is important that you, the customer, understand that just because we can force the proverbial square peg into the round hole, doesn’t mean we should. In the world of ‘connected assets’, the wrong or poorly-designed device, without enough ‘smarts’, can lead to costly dispatches, costly replacements or upgrades and costly downtime, in addition to losing precious profits and operational savings. Frustration! You need to work with partners that understand and are able to assess whether hardware will do the job correctly, and who are not limited by the types of devices available on the market (i.e. in-house proprietary quotas) that may increase downtime and create substantial technical problems.

#2) You need a good software partner. Ask yourself, does my software provider help me manage this network of mobile assets and fixed equipment? If you are going to rely on this data to transform the way you do business, you need to be able to rely on it working properly. Your software service provider supplies the all-important glue to make this ecosystem work. They should not only be aware of the performance of their own applications, but also the condition of the networks powering the devices, and the quality and security of the devices that are capturing and delivering the data.

It’s possible to achieve the benefits of a scaled network of assets and equipment, while proactively communicating and working with your labor force to deliver the goods, services and operational harmony of your company on a wide scale; however, identifying reliable partners, both for hardware and software service, are critical to the success of these new technologies.

Until next time,

Alex