Nov 05, 2021 by Mercku's Marketing Team
The Internet of Things (IoT) has now become an integrated part of our daily lives. Things as simple as a smart TV, fridge, doorbell, and all the smart devices you use daily are part of IoT. For many of us, IoT has already become a necessity. However, businesses often lack an understanding of how they can benefit from this connected world to improve their revenue. This is where Big Data enters the picture. Big Data powers the IoT, and as the number of devices and objects that use the Internet increase, the “Big” in Big Data grows exponentially.
Gathering heaps of data has become an upcoming trend, and the Internet is backing it up. The Internet has a playing field spread throughout the world and includes countless devices connected via the Web. Gathering and analyzing vast amounts of data is done to find patterns that can benefit every industry: from energy conservation and lifestyle to personal health and transportation.
In this blog, let’s look at the importance of Big Data and IoT working hand in hand.
The concept of IoT is a simple one – it’s the conversion of regular devices into a more innovative version using connected sensors and chips. The sensors and chips accumulate data from everyday use, even if they’re not directly connected to the Internet. This data can then be used to find usage patterns and, ultimately, evaluate the product’s performance. With such benefits and the exponential growth of IoT in all industries, the IoT is projected to reach more than 20.8 billion connected devices soon.
Big Data is a term that describes the new reality of manipulating data in amounts so vast, fast or complex that traditional methods do not apply. Big Data information is represented using veracity, variety, volume, and velocity. Veracity is the uncertainty, whereas velocity is the speed with which data is captured.
Big Data is composed of a vast amount of information that combines several different types of data. When it is being extracted, the primary concern is distinguishing between these different types of structured, unstructured, contextual or real-time information. This process of sorting through the data is where Artificial Intelligence, or AI, comes into play, efficiently separating the different data types. AI is the bridge between smart devices and the digital world.
To understand exactly how big data and the IoT work together, we need to examine several pieces in the overall workflow:
A company’s devices are installed to use sensors for collecting and transmitting data.
That information — sometimes in petabytes —is then collected, often in a repository called a “data lake.” Streams of structured data from prepared data sources (user profiles, transactional information) and unstructured data from other sources (social media archives, emails and call center notes) reside in the Data Lake. Using this information, AI-driven analytics platforms generate reports, charts, and other outputs for further analysis.
User devices provide additional metrics through settings, preferences, scheduling, metadata, and other tangible transmissions, feeding back into the Data Lake, contributing to even more extensive data volumes.
Big data and IoT devices have a symbiotic relationship. Suppose there’s an AI system locally on the IoT device responsible for processing its data and making decisions. In that case, that adds another variable to the equation as ample data storage is both the repository and source of data. The more connected IoT devices or the more complex the AI model, the greater the spotlight is on IoT hardware. The device’s performance and processing power depend on the hardware’s capacity to provide what is necessary. This highlights the importance of investing in more efficient hardware and optimized infrastructure design to enable this symbiosis.
Let’s have a look at an example of a theme park business. Their uses of big data and connectivity directly impact the possibility of people converting into customers.
Suppose your city’s most popular theme park has just released its App. It does more than provide a simple map, schedule, and menu items. Their App also uses GPS to identify the number of App users in line, thus displaying forecasted wait times for each ride based on density or even reserving a spot or triggering attractions based on proximity. Sounds neat, right?
Now, let’s see how Big Data Analytics can take the information gathered through IoT processes and make use of it to improve business decisions.
One of the biggest reasons why people avoid theme parks is the lines. But with real-time data—and in turn, aggregates of data over time – the App can show average wait times at specific times during the day. This is similar to how Google Maps projects drive times for particular hours, making your trip a bit more predictable. It allows people to maximize their time and plan around their needs, which converts customers and builds relationships.
Today, IoT and Big Data are essential parts of all industries. The latest trends in technology demand new hardware and software applications and the cutting-edge infrastructure to benefit from Big Data. The firms need to take care of the constant flow of data to analyze it in real-time. This activity can be effectively taken care of by the tools of Big Data analytics. As IoT is used to capture data from various sources, the analysis is taken care of by analytics platforms to get an insight into the information.
IoT has to do with the devices, connectivity, and data. It prioritizes the creation of more intelligent machines that successfully deliver valuable insights into companies’ products. It helps open up new business prospects.
With the introduction of numerous smart devices, the intervention of Big Data has become mandatory. It will gather accurate information and capture the data in a particular fashion your organization needs.
There are two significant areas to consider for businesses looking to explore the opportunities made possible by an IoT model.
First, ask how your business can use interconnectivity and metrics to improve your customer experience. This might even be an indirect benefit, such as creating a system that optimizes your internal communications to shorten the time customer is waiting for support.
Secondly, consider the current state of your IT infrastructure. Adapting to IoT and significant data needs raises a question of scalability and processing speed beyond traditional hardware capabilities.
Thus, such a decision may feel like it solely belongs to the IT department, but ultimately, it is a business decision to tap into Big Data. These opportunities create ways to deliver immediate dividends while also establishing a company as forward-thinking and technology savvy, enhancing its reputation and customer loyalty while building the technological foundation for future improvements.
Though it requires up-front resources to create an IoT experience, such an investment is almost a necessity these days. Given how much connectivity has become part of our daily lives, not leveraging Big Data and IoT is a sure way to fall behind the competition in today’s dynamic and connected business landscape.
Mercku, as well, is leading in the trend of IoT & Big Data. With each of our solutions, we help your customers connect their favourite IoT devices to improve their daily lives or use feedback to improve their experiences with our products.
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For more information about Mercku’s Connectivity Suite, our hardware and how you can partner with Mercku, please reach out to the team at connect@mercku.com.
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