Interview with David de Celis, Business Development at Accent Systems.

A pleasure to talk with you, David. How would you define the Internet of Things (IOT)?

The first thing we must be clear about is that we are moving towards a completely connected world and IOT is what makes “things” talk, both among themselves and to us. For example, a few years ago, if you lost your car keys and they were not connected, they didn’t “talk”, it was very difficult to find them. Now, however, having connected keys allows you to know where they are without leaving home, from the mobile application.

Domestic vs Business IOT

It is important to distinguish between domestic IOT (for society) and IOT for companies; at least that’s how we do it at Accent Systems because we see that there are very different opportunities.  

Well then, let’s start…

Domestic IOT tries to make life easier for the user: to give them added value. On the other hand, IOT within a business seeks to reduce costs and increase sales, it is a more economic field.

It is important to highlight that things communicate with each other, but the most important thing is that they are talking to us, to people. That things talk to each other is fine, but the most important actor in the chain is us because we receive that valuable information and manage it to obtain results.

Opportunities for Businesses

What opportunities arise for companies when “things” go from being mute to being able to communicate?

I would like to answer this question with an example that I think will be very easy to understand…

Go ahead…

We have a client who is dedicated to making car insurance. Until relatively recently they were offering the normal service that any insurance company could offer, but one day they decided to bet on IOT and their business has undergone a paradigm shift.

They contacted us and presented the idea to us and we quickly offered them an IOT solution so they could carry it out. What they are now offering is a personalized service for each driver: with our bluetooth beacons (iBKS105) they collect information about the insured’s habits on the road and if the behavior is favorable they offer better conditions.

Added Value of IOT

Undoubtedly, here the IOT solution is providing added value to the end customer…

Exactly, because it saves them money and, ultimately, makes life easier for them. And not only that, but the company is boosting its brand and increasing sales thanks to technology. In the end, what a company has to constantly try to do is reinvent itself and, for that, technology and IOT are fundamental.

I always say that a good business strategy involves having an eye on the future and thus getting ahead of the present. If you can be a few steps ahead of the present, you will be able to adapt better and know what the customer’s needs are.

Reasons to Invest in IOT

Give us some good reasons why companies should bet on IOT transformation.

IOT allows you to collect relevant information about your business, manage it and draw conclusions that will help you make decisions to improve and optimize your processes. The objective, and therefore also the reasons, is threefold: reduce costs, offer a better service and/or product, and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Steps for IOT Success

What steps must a business follow to succeed in its IOT strategy?

The first thing it must do is study what relevant data it is interested in collecting, what data will give it added value. Once this problem is solved, you have to ask yourself how to obtain this data, that is, what devices or technology do I need to integrate to obtain this information and how do I manage it. In the end, it is about identifying a problem or opportunity that IOT will allow you to solve or seize.   

I give an example, a company that is dedicated to distributing water dispensers does not need to know the water temperature, for example, but rather the level at which the distributed tanks are to be able to anticipate the user and bring them a replacement or optimize the delivery person’s route to provide better service, reduce delivery time and save costs.

Success Stories

What success stories would you highlight from companies that have opted to integrate IOT into their services or products?

The case of Samsonite is very interesting. Since they were born they have been making the same product and it works very well, but in the end it is still a suitcase. The solution we provided them was a device that allowed them to locate that suitcase at all times so that if it was lost the user could find it quickly through a mobile application.

In this way, Samsonite, selling the same product but adding a connectivity component, is providing added value to the customer that will undoubtedly also impact their sales.

Connecting More than Objects

So far we have talked about connecting things: objects, machines… But it is also fashionable to connect animals, people…

Yes, without a doubt. In fact, we are working on a project to locate farm animals in South America. Here the company contacted us because they identified a problem: their cattle were leaving the controlled area and getting lost or mixing with animals from neighboring farms. Faced with this fact, we have provided them with an IOT solution to be able to locate them and send an alarm the moment they escape from the marked area.

You would be surprised by the transformation that the agricultural and livestock industry is undergoing at a technological level; there are already 100% connected farms!