As the Internet of Things becomes a reality and revolutions such as smart cities, digital manufacturing and connected vehicles are proliferating, the number of data points that could potentially be attacked by hackers are also rising at a staggering pace, writes Pavan Singh, the vice president and business head of the data security platform at Covata. Indeed, Gartner predicts that by 2020 there will be 9.7 billion connected devices, all of which represent a possible entry point for an attacker. (more…)
September 16, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
In his first blog post, John Duffy from Netclearance introduced the Location of Things (or LoT) concept and discussed how adding context to data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) in terms of location, can add real value to the IoT. (more…)
August 25, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Social media and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are not two things you’d immediately group together, writes Andres Richter, the chief executive of Priority Software. (more…)
August 23, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Verizon Communications Inc. and Fleetmatics Group PLC have entered an agreement under which Verizon will acquire Fleetmatics, a global provider of fleet and mobile workforce management solutions. (more…)
August 2, 2016
Posted by: Jeremy Cowan
As the Internet of Things becomes a reality and revolutions such as smart cities, digital manufacturing and connected vehicles are proliferating, the number of data points that could potentially be attacked by hackers are also rising at a staggering pace, writes Pavan Singh, the vice president and business head of the Covata Data Security Platform at Covata. Indeed, Gartner predicts that by 2020 there will be 9.7 billion connected devices, all of which represent a possible entry point for an attacker. (more…)
Posted by: George Malim
In the past, warehouse workers, otherwise known as pickers, would worth with lists and manually run a warehouse. This took pickers a long time to get shipments in order just and this laborious practice soon became outdated when digital advanced, writes Suzanne Vallance, who works for Ferrari Packaging, a wholesale packaging supplies company based in Scotland.
IoE practices in warehouses
Warehouses have started to use the Internet of Everything (IoE), robotic systems which makes the working day much more effective. IoE and voice picking have improved the efficiency of warehouse practices. Sensors can now even detect everything through a robotic system and businesses can check where their pallets are, whether that is in the warehouse or en route to the shipping dock.
Progressively, businesses are adapting to IoE technology and are connecting the different departments in their organisation. These warehouses, like new technology that we use every day, are called “smart warehouses” and have increased productivity across the board.
IoT and cloud software for business
Cloud software is continuing to develop and change security perceptions. Steve Banker from Forbes Online has stated that there are benefits of using IoT in warehouses and has highlighted how pickers are management are adjusting to the change: “Most well run warehouses have a Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) that depends upon bar code data. Warehouse floor level operations personnel and warehouse managers execute their tasks based upon this data.”
This is true, figures from 2015 have shown the growth of IoT in business, especially in the use of cloud technology:
Cloud software is hosted elsewhere, virtually and businesses manage their accounts by accessing the software over the internet. Organisations will be charged a cloud fee, however, this includes hosting services.
What is a voice picking cloud?
The main method of internet picking is through a voice picking cloud solution. This means organisations can host their information remotely.
This is beneficial as it means your business does not have to obtain, install or maintain servers. This will not only improve staff efficiency in the long run but it will cut costs. In-house IT hardware can be problematic when it comes to continual security and maintenance.
Argos is just one of the UK’s multichannel retailers that have moved away from paper trail picking. This has been beneficial to the company as they claim it has boosted staff productivity and accuracy.
Getting it right the first time is now more important than ever as the fast delivery pressure from the “Amazon effect” is hitting the retail business. Thankfully for Argos, its level of accuracy is going up and accuracy error rates have decreased from just over 1% to less than 0.3%.
By adopting a voice picking system a business will become more consistent. The paper trail has become outdated, therefore it may be worth businesses looking into business improvement across the board, especially in the operational side of businesses.
Operational vs technical in the warehouse
Remember, improving the technological side of your business is vital, but maintaining the operations section of it, is just as important.
Adopting cloud technology will allow for reduced operational costs, but it’s good practice not to reply on the cloud alone to protect your goods. Amazon uses the cloud to help protect against theft, by using a system that updates every thirty minutes, however for the SME traditional methods for protecting your stored items should not be disregarded. Invest in suitable packaging supplies that will act as a secondary dimension of protection for your goods.
IoT warehouse operations
Changing your business ethic can be risky, therefore it always worth trialling different methods of IoT. By using the internet to enhance your workplace it will not only encourage your employees to work harder but they will learn new, digital skills. The beauty of the internet is that is growing and it is never too late to change, you could see the benefits of IoT in your warehouse works in a matter of months.
July 27, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
The internet of things (IoT) is introducing itself into every industry and revolutionising the lives of consumers and businesses alike, writes Paul Burke, the vice president of management for cloud and applications at Oncam. (more…)
July 21, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution is gearing up to dramatically alter various industrial sectors of the economy including manufacturing, healthcare, energy and transportation amongst others, which together account for nearly two-thirds of the global GDP, writes Sukamal Banerjee, the executive vice president of engineering and R&D services at HCL Technologies. (more…)
June 22, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
When it comes to technological trends, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a very big thing indeed. Approximately 3.9 billion connected things were in use in 2014. Gartner expects this figure to rise to at least 25 billion by 2020. Connected devices are certainly changing the way our global economy and societies function, and they are dramatically changing the rules for IT security, writes Myles Bray, the vice president of EMEA sales at ForeScout Technologies. (more…)
May 26, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Adrian Crawley, the regional director of Northern EMEA for Radware, continues his blog on the challenges facing utilities providers as they embrace and integrate with IoT. (more…)
May 6, 2016
Posted by: George Malim