Use this checklist to guide you as you search for an IoT connectivity management system that will allow you to ensure the right fit for your business needs.
IoT solutions are truly revolutionising our world and the way we operate on a daily basis. With every new development, improvement, or function, IoT solutions have more opportunities to make an impact for end-users. And for every IoT solution – from personal healthcare devices to sustainable, smart living plant walls – you need a reliable, agile system to easily manage your connected devices.
This need for reliability, ability and ease of management is why so many companies are looking to implement a single hub to manage their global network connections. The ability to monitor and adjust rate plans and connections across multiple carriers for all of your devices, worldwide, is no longer a nice to have – it’s a requirement. That’s why it’s crucial to engage with a trusted IoT connectivity partner that provides a single, seamless connectivity management system as a part of their IoT solution bundles. When evaluating which partner has the right platform for your IoT solutions, here are some questions to ask:
1. Is it user-friendly?
One of the first things you need to consider is how easy the connectivity management tool or platform is to use – if it’s difficult to use, it’s going to be difficult to operate and optimise your IoT solution.
A successful connectivity management system should have a clean, user-friendly design that makes monitoring and managing your connectivity simple. The goal should be to help automate many of your daily connectivity processes so that your team of experts can continue to innovate and grow your business. But good intentions and goals are useless if the system isn’t easy to use. In your evaluations, make sure your team attends demos or walkthroughs or has the ability to physically test the different functionalities you’ll need and that it performs as advertised.
2. Can it adapt to my changing needs?
Simply put, your IoT solution can – and should – evolve over time. As new capabilities become possible, you’ll include more functionality as part of your solution.
Your connectivity management system needs to be agile enough to support adding and removing services as your solution needs change. Look for a connectivity management system that’s built on modular architecture, allowing you to add new services to your system quickly. This will also impact the speed with which you can get your IoT solutions to market as well as the overall scalability of your offering. You need to find an IoT platform and provider that can grow and change as quickly and easily as your solution.
3. Is it flexible?
This question goes hand-in-hand with adaptability. Not only do you need to consider the future of your solution, but also the current state of your environment.
A holistic connectivity management system needs to seamlessly integrate with the various technologies in your own infrastructure. To adequately assess this, you need to first audit your existing set-up. Then you can begin looking for a system that functions seamlessly with yours. An open application programme interface (API), allows all your various systems to communicate with each other – if there’s no flexibility, there’s no reason to implement a solution. Look for a system that supports agnostic application enablement and makes it easy to integrate your technologies rapidly – without the need to modify source codes on either end.
4. How many networks does it integrate with?
Possibly the biggest benefit of a centralised, single connectivity hub is the ability to provision multiple network carriers depending on your regional or global deployment needs.
A connectivity management system is only valuable if it integrates with a wide network of carriers in the areas your IoT devices need coverage. It’s important to ask for not only the provider’s current carrier partnerships but also their future plans.
If you’re investing in a connectivity management platform, you want to make sure that your partner’s future vision aligns with yours – sparing you the challenge of moving to a new platform after you’ve outgrown your current one. The benefit of choosing a provider with a large number of geographically diverse carrier partnerships is that no matter where you decide to take your IoT solution in the future, you’re more likely to have exceptional coverage.
5. Does it support emerging technologies?
Technology changes – rapidly. In the past ten years, alone, IoT has exploded in both popularity and capabilities.
So, it makes sense that you’d need to look for a platform and a partner that is forward-thinking and innovative in the technologies it supports. Take eSIM, for example – you may or may not have a need for this technology currently, but the ability to remotely provision carrier profiles to your devices, whether they’re deployed in various global destinations or they’re mobile and need to seamlessly switch from network to network, affords you an immense amount of flexibility as you innovate and iterate on your IoT solution. Finding a connectivity management platform that supports emerging technologies and working with an IoT enablement partner that stays ahead of these trends is crucial to the future success of your solution.
Find the right fit for your business needs
Using these questions to guide you as you search for a connectivity management portal or system will allow you to ensure the right fit for your business needs. Ultimately, a connectivity management system is only valuable if it can help simplify your IoT solution deployment needs. From a high-level overview of your device and connectivity health, security and statuses to arming your team with the future-proofed technologies you need, the right system should free up your team and allow them to focus on innovative new ways to use your IoT solution and maximise your return on IoT investment.
This report first appeared inside IoT Now magazine.
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