How Will M2M & the Internet of Things Affect Your Enterprise?

The internet was originally designed to carry simple messages between computers, but it now has countless types of devices connected to it. The ‘Internet of Things’ is here, and its implications for your company’s wireless strategy are numerous. Whether it’s a mobile phone, a utility meter, a vending machine, or a smart watch, all of these devices now increasingly depend on an active wireless data connection to operate at their full potential. As these devices become more pervasive, your enterprise will gain more potential to optimize processes, streamline your wireless billing, and boost your bottom line.

Wearables

The most obvious example of wearable wireless technology is the smartwatch. Most smartwatches, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear, and Google’s recently announced ‘Android Wear’ have small touch screens, powerful instruments, and multi-core computing power built in. These devices rely on a high-speed Bluetooth connection to communicate on a relay with a compatible mobile phone. Besides telling the time, smartwatches can show text messages, show flight status, fill you in on the weather, and monitor your physical activity. However, they are still highly dependent on another device to connect to the internet, and at this point in their product cycle, their benefit to business is still unproven.

M2M

Machine-to-Machine communication, or M2M, describes an interconnected and diverse network of machines that can report data remotely and optimize your use of human capital. Connecting these devices to the data network reduces the need for ‘checkups’ and can optimize your employees’ work flow.

Imagine that you are a large soft drink company, with thousands of drivers filling your vending machines daily. Inevitably, not every machine will need attention. A smart vending machine with an active wireless data connection can monitor its own inventory, letting you know what product needs to be replenished. Better yet, they can let you know which machines are full, alerting your driver that he or she can skip those machines all together.

The Dilemma

As more of your company’s assets go wireless, the number of billable devices on your carrier bill increases. These devices are not maintenance-free, and like traditional mobile device networks, will need close monitoring to make sure operational savings outweigh the increased spend on wireless. Additional devices also create more avenues for unsavory individuals to exploit unsecured connections, leaving your company’s valuable data and trade secrets potentially at risk.

About mindWireless

MindWireless has nearly 15 years of experience providing enterprise mobile solutions such as Billing Optimization, Branded Help Desk, Expense Management, and Wireless Consulting to Fortune 500 companies. As the largest provider of wireless expense management, mindWireless has the experience to help your company negotiate the challenges that come along with implementing and managing M2M solutions, as well as traditional corporate wireless expense.

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