Global machine to machine (M2M) communications
Key M2M drivers and enablers
Thanks to expanding global cellular coverage, the potential of
M2M is almost unlimited: across any device, in any business sector,
located anywhere in the world. The drivers for M2M vary depending
on the specic business and its needs.
New business models
While cost saving is still very important and valuable to businesses,
this represents only one aspect of the potential of M2M. The
most powerful driver for M2M is that it can enable new business
models. Increasingly, M2M solutions are being used to enhance
business operations, improve functionality and environmental
stewardship, and to connect the business with its end users. At this
point the M2M solution moves from simply being part of business
processes, to a key part of the overall business operation and
customer experience.
Take, for example, a manufacturer of commercial air-conditioning
systems. It sells its products through distributors and building
integrators, and may receive equipment fault information only
second hand. It would be unable to track usage and performance
data, with no view of who is using its equipment or where it’s
installed.
By integrating an intelligent monitoring and control M2M
system into their air-conditioning assets, the manufacturer gains
direct, ongoing access to eld intelligence about its units. This
information can be used to ensure that manufacturing faults are
promptly corrected and to gain valuable product usage statistics.
If this M2M solution were extended to provide a front end
accessible to end users, such as a website, the manufacturer could
then gain direct access to the customer and have the opportunity
to enhance its product offering.
Stronger service offerings
M2M can be used to strengthen and differentiate service offerings
and add greater value to the end customer. Sensors built into a
vehicle for example can be used to add new functionality such as
‘infotainment’ and navigation services and to enable the vehicle to
self-diagnose and warn the driver of potential difculties before a
long journey is undertaken.
When built into an end-to-end logistics system, more advanced
M2M solutions can be extended to provide additional benets
such as producing information for customs ofcers, or providing
conrmation that a shipment has satised environmental
constraints and has not been tampered with en route.
M2M solutions offer the ability to continuously monitor and
assure compliance of remote assets regardless of location. The
automation of quality monitoring can reduce administrative costs,
improve visibility and deliver benets beyond simple reductions in
the cost of monitoring compliance.
By automatically collecting business mileage information, for
example, a company can produce employee mileage claims and
tax deduction conrmation without waiting for the employee to
submit an expense form.
For those businesses involved in transport and logistics this easily
extends to conrming compliance with drive time regulations,
CO
2
emissions, working hours and corporate responsibility for
occupational training.
评论0