When people often think about an M2M solution, they imagine massive "mission control" systems controlling tens of thousands (or more) device in the field. These systems require massive investment, massive infrastructure and many skilled people to deliver. To a certain extent, this has been an accurate way of thinking as many of the early adopters in the M2M space were very large corporations with very large remote deployments. But, what about the little guy? Does an M2M solution benefit companies that may only have 5 assets to monitor? If it is the right solution, an M2M solution can have as much (or more) impact on the bottom line for a small business as it does for a Fortune 500 customer. This posting offers ideas on how M2M can help your business, even if you think you are too small! Finally - If you work for a carrier, please see the special note at the bottom of this posting.
Here are some key criteria to think about, regardless of the solution:
Hosted or not Hosted? Many larger organizations have made a conscious decision to move a lot of their work into the "cloud". For most, this wasn't a mandatory decision, as there were able to successfully handle the processes internally, but they have found more value in cloud-based services. For smaller businesses, the cloud is the way to go, for a few reasons. First, cloud services usually provide a level of redundancy and availability that is simply not reasonably available to most small businesses. Next, many small businesses have a "mis-mash" of hardware technology (laptops, desktops, tablets), and cloud-based computing allows for a common platform easily across all devices. Finally, for many businesses, the IT administrator is also the same person who makes coffee and does the payroll, so it makes sense not to overburden them with additional duties. So, for most small enterprises, a hosted solution makes the most sense.
Simple and scalable While many small businesses will choose to stay small, many wish to grow their businesses into much larger enterprises. So, it is imperative that any solution allows a company to have the ease of use today, and the ability to rapidly grow its functionality / number of users as the business grows.
Integration with what you currently have For some small businesses, inventory is done either in the brain of the owner or on a spiral notebook, so integrating a new system might not be too difficult. For others, it is important that systems can integrate into their POS system, as well as their Accounting packages.
Use Remote Monitoring to help your business
Many businesses (regardless of the size) have a significant number of assets deployed in places other than their own buildings. They may be rented to someone else, they may be in use on a permanent basis by one of their customers (and serviced by the company) or they may be being used by one of their own staff at a remote location. Regardless of how they are being used, monitoring applications provide real time information on a variety of things (ranging from storage tank levels, temperature of an object, levels of consummable supplies such as ink, paper or parts and the status of a devices). In addition to being able to be alarmed of certain conditions, businesses are often able to perform simple functions (like resetting devices) that help eliminate unwanted downtime.
Here are some specific examples:
Tank / Storage container monitoring This would appeal to companies such as waste management, propane distributors, chemical distributors, meat/poultry processors, septic tank companies and much more. Using an M2M solution to tie into existing tanks, your company would be able to find out a ton of different information in real-time, including: capacity of tank being used, amount of fluid/solids currently stored, the temperature/humidity of the contents and much more.
Remote machinery deployed This would appeal to a very large swath of companies.....here are just a few: Printing/copier machine distributors, heavy machine distribution companies, contract repair companies, beverage tank distribution companies, ATM repair/service companies, medical equipment distribution/service, contract laundry service providers and much more. An M2M solution would provide complete visibility into the function of these machines (their accurate usage, performed maintenance, performance metrics and more).
Companies that are contracted to perform routine maintenance/deliveries This would appeal to companies such as vending machine distributors, companies who service coffee machines in offices, ATM suppliers, medical equipment service houses, industrial machinery repair/maintenance and much more. For these companies, an M2M solution would provide you with more accurate usage data, which would allow you to greatly optimize the number of visits (and possibly optimize how you charge customers to improve your competitiveness).
Overall general benefits for small businesses using an M2M solution:
Improved visibility to remote devices (reduction in unnecessary site visits as some work can be done over the air, reduction in downtime to improve Customer Service and maximize revenues, better usage data to provide the correct products/services that customers need)
Reduced downtime (better scheduled maintenance adherence ... no more running out of a key consummable such as fountain pop at a busy restaurant / ink cartridge in an ATM / diesel fuel for a generator being used more than expected....increased usage information = alerts you of a problem before it happens ...remote access to devices allow for device resets to bring devices back on-line faster, often before the customer knows it went down)
Increased productivity for remote workers (Performing simple resets over the air = avoiding expensive "truck rolls" to fix simple issues, increased margins on service contracts / ability to be more competitive to win the contract and avoiding going to a site to perform maintenance / empty a container that isn't required)
Thanks for reading, and as always, let Novotech know how we can help!
Special note for carrier salespeople: For many carriers, the size of a customer is determined by how many traditional cell phones / smartphones that they have deployed. It is important to keep in mind that many potential customers who have a very low amount of handsets/smartphones may have hundreds (if not thousands) of remote assets that they potentially need to monitor. In an environment where handset growth has slowed (if not levelled out), M2M in SMB customers is a huge potentially untapped market for new activations/revenue.