What The Internet Of Things Means For Field Service

By Ben Smye, marketing executive at Oneserve

The Internet of Things (IoT) has huge potential in the field service industry. Smart devices could provide insight on a level never seen before, enabling ever-quicker diagnosis and resolution of issues. Already, machine-to-machine (M2M) technology is helping companies to find out about issues as soon as they occur. IoT, however, is said to go beyond M2M and so is perhaps represents the ‘next generation’ for field service.

What is the Internet of Things and how is it different to M2M?

The Internet of Things refers to everyday objects having network connectivity, which enables them to send and receive data. There is a lot of overlap between IoT and M2M, but according to Axeda, a provider of M2M and IoT solutions, the basic distinction between the two is that IoT is broader than M2M.

“M2M is the communication between a machine or device and a remote computer. M2M is about connecting a device to the cloud, managing that device, and collecting machine and sensor data.”

“IoT goes beyond M2M… beyond computers connecting to things. IoT represents things connecting with systems, people and other things.” Read more

Such a distinction is perhaps not of any great importance. Ultimately, all you really need to know is that IoT technology can potentially improve current M2M systems. It could also be more accessible than M2M, which has often been the preserve of large companies due to high costs and the need for highly customised applications.

Effectively, IoT will allow companies to gain greater insight into the status and health of their assets remotely. Imagine the advantages of having a total view of all your assets and knowing which ones you need to service. This is already possible to an extent, but not on the level that IoT could facilitate. Indeed, IoT could signal a dawn for truly insightful preventive and condition-based maintenance and take the guesswork out of reactive maintenance.

Data = insight

Yes, it’s been said many times before. But that doesn’t make it any less important. Great data drives great insight – without accurate and relevant data, you can’t do much. That’s where the power of IoT lies – connected devices can undoubtedly provide a lot of data, but much more importantly they can provide useful data. Indeed, there is the potential for very specific information to be collected and analysed in real time.

As mentioned, this could vastly improve the way companies maintain assets. Many field service organisations already know the value of proactive and preventive maintenance, but IoT will enable a smarter approach. Companies will be able to use data to build up more knowledge of their assets and plan maintenance schedules and the like around this knowledge. The same principle applies for condition-based maintenance – companies will be able to become better at it as they will have access to more and better information in the first place (at least in theory).

Current restrictions

While this all sounds great, it may not yet be a reality for the majority of field service organisations, for two reasons. Firstly, implementing IoT technologies requires a step change in the way asset maintenance is approached. Companies focusing on largely reactive maintenance, initiated by a customer reporting a fault, may simply not view IoT as relevant to them. Secondly, the cost of implementing M2M or IoT technology may currently be seen as too high. That, however, is sure to change. Gartner’s Peter Middleton asserts that by 2020, connected devices will be the norm:

"By 2020, component costs will have come down to the point that connectivity will become a standard feature, even for processors costing less than $1. This opens up the possibility of connecting just about anything, from the very simple to the very complex, to offer remote control, monitoring and sensing." Read more

The Internet of Things could allow field service companies of all sizes to start monitoring assets and taking advantage of the benefits doing so can bring. It certainly looks like an incredibly exciting prospect for the industry.