More large corporations have incorporated the internet of things (IoT) into their operations. Laptops, smartphones, smart watches, you name it — more devices now connect to the internet and provide companies with solutions to everyday problems. Here are just some of the ways IoT is transforming business as we know it. 

1. In-Depth Analytics

Before the internet, organizations had to collect feedback from customers and clients via paper questionnaires and conduct market research. This was time-consuming and expensive. Today, IoT provides business owners with the latest insights into their products and services with in-depth digital analytics.

The latest analytics tools, supported by good IT infrastructure, serve many purposes. Business owners can track customers as they move through the sales pipelines. Monitor customers at different touchpoints, for example, and convert prospects into genuine leads. Alternatively, you can discover what people are saying about your brand on social media. 

“The IoT has the potential to completely rewrite how businesses think of their customers,” says Software Advice [1].

2. Better Customer Service Outcomes

Customer service might be the most crucial component of your business model. Countless studies show that large organizations will experience a sales slump because of poor service. Research even suggests that the customer experience will be more important than prices and products by the year 2020 [2]. 

Looking for ways to improve the customer experience in your organization? IoT can help. The internet, for example, allows you to send personalized communications to your customers via email. This can help you target consumers and move them along your sales and marketing funnels.

IoT can also help maintain healthier relationships with your customers. Internet-enabled devices like smartphones, for example, help you collect big data from customers about your products and services, that can then be fine-tuned for your marketing and sales campaigns in the future. 

“The internet of things enables brands to play a much more important role in consumer’s lives — facilitating and enhancing everyday experiences,” says eConsultancy [3]. 

3. Tech Solutions

Research shows that around 29 percent of organizations have already installed IoT technology — up from 12 percent in 2013 [4]. As you can see, IoT continues to proliferate, and more companies are using the latest technology to automate many day-to-day tasks. 

Large organizations now have IoT ecosystems — huge networks of processors, servers, and devices that store, collect, and transfer data. These ecosystems provide business organizations with solutions to many tech-related problems. Companies now can improve workflows, for example, without any human intervention. This is because IoT automates many manual processes and, as a result, saves times and money.

If you’re interested in incorporating IoT into your business, our team at MelroseINC can help facilitate the complex process by providing infrastructure and IT support. 

Sources:

[1] https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/iot-data-analytics-use-cases/

[2] https://www.qminder.com/customer-service-statistics/

[3] https://econsultancy.com/how-the-internet-of-things-can-improve-customer-experience/

[4] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/future-technologies/internet-of-things/


Companies have always needed to protect their internal records and other information. In our Information Age, protecting information means protecting data. This is because data is stored on computers and in the cloud. Without implementing a cybersecurity plan, data is left vulnerable to hacking and general data loss events such as hard drive failures.

Examples of a basic information security plan would include having a firewall, using secure email, and encrypting stored data. Let’s talk about these three topics at greater length.

Firewalls are Barriers

A firewall is like a window screen. While air is able to move in and out of a home, bugs cannot get through the screen. Likewise, with a firewall, clean information and data move in and out of a network. Viruses and other types of malware and dirty traffic are banned. Firewalls are essential for proper network security.

There are two types of firewalls: network firewalls and host-based firewalls. A network firewall protects the entire interior network from the outside world, the internet. A host-based firewall, on the other hand, protects only that host, or computer. Each computer may have its own firewall in addition to the entire network having a firewall.

Protecting Data in Transit

Stored data, like data on a hard drive, is data at rest. Sending data over email, on the other hand, is known is data in transit. This data can be vulnerable to interception through tools packet sniffers such as Wireshark. Choosing a secure email service gives greater protection to your data.

Here’s another thing to consider when choosing an email service: How secure are their servers? After all, that’s exactly where your emails will be stored. There are more options than Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft Outlook. Let our team at MelroseINC help you choose which secure email service is right for your business.

Safeguarding Stored Data

Companies that work with large files have to think about storage options. External drives, cloud storage, in-house servers—these options are standard when it comes to finding a place to put data. And when it comes to data security, they need to be safeguarded in place to protect it while the data is at rest.

What would happen if someone gets unauthorized access to your computer, network, or server? The data would be vulnerable and ripe for the picking. That is unless there’s a way to protect the data even if someone breaks into your network. You should implement additional safeguards to ensure the integrity and safety of the data.

One of these safeguards is encryption. Encryption prevents the data from being viewed when the data is wrongfully accessed. When data is encrypted, the plaintext—readable words, phrases, and sentences—is converted into ciphertext. The ciphertext is unreadable and essentially looks like scrambled plaintext.

Contact Us to Learn More

Whether you’re interested in firewalls, secure email, or encrypting stored data, the MelroseINC team will help you get started. Protecting your critical business information means protecting your data. Get in touch with us to learn more ways you can safeguard your data.