My name is Pavesh Govender, I am responsible for leading Vodacom Business’s Internet of Things (IoT) business unit. My team is accountable for the conceptualization, implementation, and support of our IoT Smart Products and the respective GTM. This ranges from creating horizontal products and services and curating deep industry value propositions. The intent of our products and services is to harness the potential of a more connected world to unlock value for organisations and businesses across Africa.
What are some of the unique challenges facing SMEs and Large Enterprises in IoT, unique to South Africa/Africa?
The challenges facing organisations in IoT, small or big is really similar and not region or area-specific (because we seeing these themes pop up globally). According to Forbes Insights Survey, 29% of executives feel the major challenge in building IoT capabilities is the quality of IoT technology. This data reveals the struggle of IoT application development companies to bring value to their customers. So, before plunging into the development of IoT applications, an enterprise must clearly define what value they are going to deliver through what capabilities. And how their solution will enhance efficiency and productivity, while also generating the desired user experience. Other more technical issues are around system interoperability, Data Privacy considerations and managing and interpreting huge amounts of data. This is not an exhaustive list but more the issues that are top of mind.
What are some of Vodacom’s unique solution services for customers across IoT divisions?
Part of the Vodacom IoT secret sauce is premised on a few of things – First is our ability to call on a vast ecosystem of partners. The expansive nature of our IoT ecosystem gives us an advanced ability to compete in new and existing industries.
The second thing is our expansive network reach and global connectivity platforms. IoT is really about connecting things, and who better than a leading network company like ourselves to unlock its full potential? Our global and local connectivity platforms allow us to connect anything, anywhere any time. Lastly, our ability to engage, listen understand and co-create solutions to our customer problems. IoT and our digital Co-x teams collaborate on really understanding our customer problems and then build executable plans to unlock value. These 3 dimensions of our business allow us to play in a lot of areas and industries which is really cool.
What are some of the big trends in the IoT field, moving into the latter half of 2023?
According to Forbes, there are 4 top trends in IoT as we look forward
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Digital Twins and the Enterprise Metaverse: This is a convergence of two very important tech trends that will define how technology is used across industry and enterprise during 2023. For business, one of the most valuable applications of the metaverse will be bridging the gap between the real and virtual worlds. By using data from IoT sensors, it will be possible to build increasingly realistic digital twins of many different systems – from manufacturing facilities to shopping malls. Business users will then be able to step inside these digital twins using experiential metaverse technology like VR headsets to get a better understanding of how they work and how adjusting individual variables is likely to influence business outcomes.
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IoT Security: IoT devices make our lives easier and more convenient, but they also leave us open to new and varied forms of cyberattack. To put it simply, the more connected devices we have in our environments, the more doors and windows are potentially open to attackers. As the number of devices explodes during 2023 and beyond, businesses, device manufacturers, and security experts will step up the fight to keep "malicious actors" at bay, minimizing their chances of getting their hands on our valuable data.
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The Internet of Healthcare Things: One of the biggest game changers is the use of wearables and in-home sensors to enable healthcare professionals to monitor the condition of patients outside of the hospital or doctor’s surgery. This enables 24/7 care while freeing up valuable resources for patients who need immediate and direct care. In 2023 more of us will become familiar with the concept of the “virtual hospital ward”, where doctors and nurses will oversee the monitoring and treatment of patients in their own homes thanks to sensors and telemedicine.
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Governance and regulation in the IoT Space: During 2023, the EU is expected to introduce legislation requiring manufacturers and operators of smart devices to follow stricter rules about how data can be collected, where it can be stored, and what they need to do to protect against breaches. This is just one piece in a raft of new legislation that we can expect to be implemented around the world.
Why should businesses turn to us for IoT solutions?
Outcomes above all else, mindset in our approach is why businesses should turn to us. With the capabilities and competencies in our toolbox, it really makes us a one-size-fits-all-all partner. We have simple off-the-shelf solutions and the ability to solve very complex deep industry problems.
