When the Internet of Things (IoT) hit the market, it was primarily utilized for web-connected home products and supply chain management.
However, it’s now starting to revolutionize the IT departments of companies around the globe, specifically in the areas of security, productivity and efficiency.
How IT departments are utilizing IoT
1. Access control
One technology that’s easy to overlook is the smart card reader on door access points. They stand as one of the more familiar and oldest forms of IT departments using IoT technology. Smart cards mixed with biometrics are generally preferred to other forms of security because simple key cards can be lost and/or shared, and keypads wear down over time.
2. Predictive maintenance
While usually reserved for manufacturing applications, predictive maintenance can also be used for data centers. Specifically, it can be used for the data collected from read-write heads for hard drives. When read-write heads go up and down they can wear out and lead to hard drive failure. Until recently, there was not a predictive maintenance model for this failure. Now predictive maintenance is giving IT operations an idea of when they could expect hard drive failures, which can impact their operations.
3. Reducing energy costs
For the past two years, Google has been collecting data from thousands of sensors in the hopes of improving energy efficiency. They’re taking this data and using machine learning algorithms to cut down the amount of energy needed to cool by upward of 40 percent.
4. Smart wearables
Along with smart card access points, phones and/or smart watches that utilize near field communication (NFC) capabilities can also allow for user authentication. Wearables are particularly attractive means of access because they stay on a person’s body, which make them more secure.