2017 and Beyond: How Digital Innovation Will Impact the World Most organizations know today that there is some business value to be derived from investing in an Internet of Things (IoT) project. The challenge is that not many of them have a lot of IoT expertise on hand. That makes investing in a IoT project […]
2017 and Beyond: How Digital Innovation Will Impact the World
Most organizations know today that there is some business value to be derived from investing in an Internet of Things (IoT) project. The challenge is that not many of them have a lot of IoT expertise on hand. That makes investing in a IoT project without knowing the real costs and expected benefits a risky endeavor.
SAP this week moved to reduce that risk by launching a program intended to help organizations jumpstart an IoT project. It is based on the SAP Leonardo portfolio of IoT products and services that SAP has developed, and Hans Thalbauer, general manager for extended supply chain solutions and IoT at SAP, says the goal is to get organizations down the IoT path faster via a three-month engagement based on a fixed promotional price encompassing both SAP products and services. The products covered include SAP Connected Goods, SAP Vehicle Insights, SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service and SAP Asset Intelligence Network.
In general, Thalbauer says many organizations often don’t appreciate the scope of an IoT project and the effect it can have on its business. An IoT project not only involves connecting devices to the internet, it also profoundly alters processes in a way that almost inevitably requires people to acquire new skills and expertise.
“Organizations really need to figure out the business strategy,” says Thalbauer.
Thalbauer says the jumpstart program for SAP Leonardo is designed to make it simpler to implement a proof-of-concept (PoC) of an IoT project to make it simpler to comprehend the effect that project might have on the business once it is implemented at scale.
IoT projects are some of the most exciting and frightening projects any organization can embark on. From attaching sensors to endpoints to building massive Big Data analytics applications, there is almost no part of an IT environment that an IoT project doesn’t wind up touching in some way. Naturally, if all goes as planned, that IoT project can transform the business. However, it is possible that IoT project might be the IT equivalent of a money pit. The challenge facing IT organizations is to find a way to make sure they get the opportunity to take a good long IoT look before making the actual leap.
Save
Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a contributor to publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.
The go-to resource for IT professionals from all corners of the tech world looking for cutting edge technology solutions that solve their unique business challenges. We aim to help these professionals grow their knowledge base and authority in their field with the top news and trends in the technology space.
Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.
