Cellular could be your best option if you’re building a fleet of IoT sensors that need to be in the field and require low latency. But, the procurement department must consider network technology availability, pricing and SIM card costs.
Look for providers that offer flexible rate plans and services like data pooling so that businesses can avoid bill shock. They should also provide a platform that streamlines wireless management and supports real-time device visibility.
Scalability
A company’s business processes will change over time, and its IoT connectivity should be flexible to adapt. This is why choosing a provider that provides a solution that can scale up or down to meet your current and future needs is important.
Choosing a provider that allows you to change data plans and connect devices to different networks easily is also essential. This will enable you to make your IoT network more resilient and cost-effective.
Businesses need a wide range of connectivity services for IoT projects and providers that can deliver them via one integrated platform. This includes hardware, connectivity, device management and cloud service. It is important to look at how these elements work together and ensure they provide a seamless experience for your customers.
Choosing a provider offering a wide range of international coverage is also crucial. For example, a multi-network SIM that automatically switches to the strongest network will ensure your devices always have the best connectivity, even when roaming. This is especially helpful in regions with limited or no cellular coverage.
Flexibility
Business processes change constantly, and a business needs IoT connectivity providers to keep pace. Solutions providers must be able to provide the necessary hardware to IoT projects while also offering services that make it easy to manage and modify those devices as business processes evolve.
This flexibility can be achieved by choosing a connectivity provider that offers a variety of plans designed to serve specific industries. These specialized plans can include low power consumption, wide-area coverage and a host of other features that address the unique challenges of different businesses.
A flexible IoT connectivity partner can also offer customizable rate plans, pooled data plans and usage and roaming alerts that ensure you never overspend. This level of flexibility can help you stay ahead of unexpected costs or the cost of new equipment and services that are required to stay competitive. It can also ease the wireless management process for solution providers, reducing overhead and preventing unnecessary charges for their clients. This helps to create a stronger relationship between the provider and the client.
Cost
Making the best choice in a world of multiple IoT connectivity providers takes time and effort. To ensure the successful implementation of an IoT network, businesses need to approach the decision-making process with care. This involves defining and communicating business requirements; analyzing current processes, both present and future; and developing a rough road map that can be fine-tuned along the way.
Ensuring your chosen service is cost-effective when looking for IoT connectivity providers is important. For example, a water utility might need thousands of sensors to monitor and respond to severe conditions such as storms and droughts. For this, it’s vital to find a provider that offers flexible data packages that cover the full range of needs, from short bursts to large broadband files.
Also, tracking and managing data usage in real-time can improve operational efficiency for logistics devices that travel long distances. This helps to avoid the unpleasant experience of bill shock, where an enterprise receives a huge telecom invoice at the end of a month for data that hasn’t been used.
Security
Security is a long game that must be addressed at all product lifecycle stages. Breaches of end-user devices or customer data can have significant financial repercussions and damage a business’s reputation.
Businesses should look for IoT connectivity providers with strong network-design and process-design protection and encryption techniques. They should also consider how quickly providers can respond to hacker intrusions.
Choosing the right IoT connectivity provider can be tricky, and some companies make mistakes they later regret. To avoid these pitfalls, businesses should make sure that they approach their selection in a considered and structured manner; they should define their needs and requirements in detail; they should develop a rough road map that can be finessed along the way; and they should take full advantage of the demo phase by involving all project stakeholders.
Additionally, businesses need to find a solution that can grow with them. For example, a flexible IoT connectivity platform that supports local connections and can handle large amounts of data is ideal.
Reliability
The best IoT connectivity providers understand how to build reliable connectivity solutions. They have the expertise and leadership to ensure their customers can succeed. They also provide high customer service and treat their customers as long-term partners.
IoT device outages are unacceptable, so it’s crucial that your business can count on its connectivity providers to keep your devices online. That means ensuring that the IoT network has backup solutions in place. And if you choose cellular IoT connectivity, you’ll want to find a provider that offers multi-network SIMs so that your devices will always connect to the strongest network available.
When selecting a solution, you should consider a provider that provides visibility of your devices’ status and location so that you can track their data consumption at scale. You may also want to look for a provider that supports device authentication, which can protect your IoT system by requiring all machines to access the same credentials. This helps prevent hackers from entering your IoT network by identifying insecure or unsecured systems.
