Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      The satellite broadband operators taking on Starlink

      9 July 2025

      Yaccarino out: Musk’s handpicked CEO quits X suddenly

      9 July 2025

      AI gold rush propels Nvidia to record $4-trillion market cap

      9 July 2025

      Price hike for .za domains

      9 July 2025

      China’s Temu ups ante with South African warehouse launch

      9 July 2025
    • World

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025

      Jony Ive’s first AI gadget could be … a pen

      30 June 2025

      Bumper orders for Xiaomi’s YU7 SUV heighten threat to Tesla

      27 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on data governance in hybrid cloud environments

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Company News » The value of IoT in the digital age

    The value of IoT in the digital age

    By Pinnacle18 July 2019
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Organisations around the world are initiating plans to develop and harness the benefits of the Internet of things (IoT). Governments, in particular, are formulating policies aimed at accelerating the move toward smarter cities, as well as building closer technological, economic and trade relationships between nations.

    For all savvy public and private sector entities, it has become clear that IoT is a vital new growth engine that is crucial for expansion in today’s digital economy, says Fred Saayman, Huawei business unit executive at Pinnacle ICT, South Africa’s leading ICT distributor.

    What is less clear, he says, or perhaps less quantifiable, is the sheer scale of the economic impact that IoT will have. “Consulting giant McKinsey suggests that by 2025, the impact could be as huge as US$11-trillion. Similarly, Huawei predicts that the same year will see some 100 billion devices connected, for both our personal and business lives.”

    Different use cases have different needs and the various industries require different IoT connections

    The use cases, says Saayman, are endless. “Think about in retail, using ‘smart shelves’ that more efficiently manage inventories and the supply chain, traffic lights that have the ability to automatically alerts the utility company to send repair technicians should something go wrong, your fridge noticing that you’re running low on an item, and sending a shopping list to your phone. The possibilities are endless.”

    However, with all the opportunities that forward-thinking organisations are trying to grasp comes a slew of challenges too, he says. “The first that springs to mind is standardisation as there are multiple IoT architectures used across a variety of industries, resulting in IoT being fragmented and not very well scaled. Players are looking for ways to integrate the diverse IoT standards to lower barriers to entry.”

    Connections and security

    Next, says Saayman, comes connection limitations. “Different use cases have different needs and the various industries require different IoT connections. Some will need vast breadth and depth of coverage, others are low-power devices, or have low-latency requirements. Taking into account the myriad IoT technologies on the market; how does an organisation choose the appropriate type of IoT and integrate it into their operations?”

    Then there’s the question of security. “Given the range of solutions available, how does an organisation put a holistic security process in place? Moreover, many of these devices were designed to be low cost and don’t have security built in from the ground up. This means that the organisation’s security solutions will need to cover every single device, which is no easy ask when you consider the sheer numbers of devices out there.”

    Another point to consider, he adds, is modernisation. “As with all new technologies, they need to align with and serve the business goals. All industries embarking on a digital transformation journey have to factor IoT into their plans and work out why they can leverage it to drive new growth and innovation as well as develop digital services.”

    Fred Saayman

    According to Saayman, IoT is complex and is linked to a lengthy and onerous supply chain involving a plethora of original equipment manufacturers, integrators, operators and customers.

    “The questions businesses need to ask themselves is how to build widespread alliances to unite partners within sustainable business models, and ones in which all stakeholders can be successful. How can you ensure everyone’s interests are protected and grow as a unit? These issues must be resolved as they are fundamental to the success of any commercial application of IoT as well as its sustainable growth.”

    All industries embarking on a digital transformation journey have to factor IoT into their plans

    Another way to go about harnessing the benefits of IoT is to find the right technology partner, he says. “However, because IoT devices are driving new management challenges across the full ICT array, it is crucial that organisations select a partner that has the appropriate solutions and expertise. They must identify the tools that offer the full spectrum of capabilities, security, interoperability and suchlike. They should also offer management and consulting services, to ensure that systems stay up and running and operate at optimum levels.”

    “Pinnacle and Huawei, for example, have the ability to provide consulting and full-stack IoT solutions across the entire spectrum, from chipsets, operating systems, IoT connections and platforms, all the way through to cloud computing, big data analytics and ecosystem development.”

    “Huawei’s tools, combined with Pinnacle’s expertise and experience, enables seamless, full-stack IoT services and experiences, tailored to the demands of any business and industry,” concludes Saayman.

    For more, visit pinnacle.co.za.

    • This promoted content was paid for by the party concerned


    Fred Saayman Huawei Pinnacle
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleInterest rates cut
    Next Article SAP executives come out fighting as shares slump on cloud worries

    Related Posts

    Huawei South Africa Partners Forum 2025: joining hands for a digital, intelligent future

    8 July 2025

    Powering South Africa’s industrial intelligence with Huawei Cloud’s AI-native innovations

    8 July 2025

    Huawei launches next-gen fibre-to-the-room solution

    7 July 2025
    Company News

    Samsung unfolds the future with thinnest, lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet

    9 July 2025

    Huawei supercharges South African SMEs with over 20 new eKit products

    9 July 2025

    Webtonic cracks the talent code with AWS-powered TonicHub

    9 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.