If you’re reading this article, you’ve no doubt heard the terms ‘smart home’, ‘smart workplace’ and ‘smart city’. All of us have definitely heard of the smartphone – in fact, you’re highly likely to be using one to read this article.
Today, technology can make pretty much everything ‘smart’ – including devices, machines, spaces, activities and even entire cities. The concept behind this is known as the Internet of Things (IoT), but what does that really mean?
What if all the devices in your life (not just your smartphone, but also your lightbulbs, doorbell, camera, window, car, fridge, or running shoes…) could collect useful information on indicators like temperature, location, pollution or movement?
And, what if all these devices connected to the Internet, communicating this information to you or receiving commands from you to open the door, warm the oven, or to start your car engine? All of this exists today thanks to the IoT making everything around you smart.

One of the areas where we’ve enjoyed success in deploying these amazing devices is consumer IoT. In this area, we’re helping a global Telco roll out new and exciting gadgets to their customers. But how are we making this exciting journey to a smarter world?
Initially, we helped our client create the cloud platform required to store and run server-based IoT applications. This included notification capabilities, Big Data, analytics, dashboards, automation and workflows. In some cases, it also required artificial intelligence (AI) to make smart devices even more intelligent, creating a unique differentiator to the competitors in the market.
While our cloud architects and developers were working on the server-side applications, we collaborated with the client’s commercial team to identify, asses and onboard consumer-centric devices – along with the supporting applications and services in hot consumer demand. This allowed us to deliver a prioritised, continuously refreshed collection of valuable IoT devices.

We’ve already started integrating these devices into the IoT platform. And we’re doing this in cycles to not just allow early releases to the market but also to ensure the continuous improvement of the IoT platform and supporting services. It’s all part of an ongoing process as the team learns from end consumers and incorporates that knowledge into future deployments.
Some of the most successful smart devices that we’ve integrated are sold in stores and online.

They include:
• A smart watch for kids that allows parents to track them and their activities
• SOS band watches for the elderly and vulnerable to make sure they have help when needed
• A smart pet tracker that monitors the activities of your pets
• Luggage and multi-trackers that let you know the whereabouts of your luggage, backpack, laptop and other valuables when travelling
• Smart alarms and detectors for your home to notify you of emergencies and keep your family safe
• Smart lighting that allows you to control the lights in your home via an application, offering you comfort and helping you save energy

Once integrated with the cloud, these devices are manageable through a single mobile app that allows customers to access one centralised source of information about their devices and deliver commands.
Thanks to its unique offering, the consumer IoT programme has seen growing sales – as well as rising numbers of onboarded devices. The programme still has a lot to give, and we (along with our client) are closely monitoring IoT start-up innovations to keep pace with developments and onboard exciting new devices.