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This month Simon Banks talks to Hiran Ravat, Head of IoT Business Development & Partnerships at CSL.
Is the UK’s All IP programme impacting other sectors?
Yes, it is. There are lots of systems that currently rely on the PSTN, from the obvious ones like landlines to things you might not consider like public traffic lights, cash machines, railway signals and motorway signs. This is a big challenge, with Transport for London suggesting 1,000 of its 6,400 sets of traffic lights are currently monitored remotely using PSTN technology. Just like security and fire alarms, they will all need to move into the new digital IoT world, utilising radio, or IP alternatives. The expansion of 4G and 5G means that most of these will favour a wireless mobile solution.
In what way does IoT exist within the Fire & Security Industry?
When lots of people think of IoT they think of Smart Cities and huge integrated systems, but IoT really means anything that is connected digitally. There is no doubt that security and fire alarms are part of this, and increasing as these systems become smarter, they fit comfortably into the world of IoT. In this sector, we are leading the way in terms of mission critical IoT solutions. What we do has to work every time and all the time. Lives and properties depend on it. That’s therefore why in this sector we see the highest standard of IoT systems anywhere.
How important are managed services in IoT?
In the wider IoT world, markets are built on platforms and portals, with ‘the myth’ being that all end-users want to self-manage their systems via these tools. However, speak to a retailer on a busy Saturday when they have a network issue. They would have to call their IT department to log into these tools and perform diagnostics to get them back up and running. Or worse, they have no IT department and must log in and do this themselves. Increasingly, end-users want a fully managed service, that guarantees things work and proactively fixes them when they break. In a connected IoT world, this will be vital.
What has changed in the world of IoT during the Covid pandemic?
One of the biggest changes over the past 18 months is people are viewing connectivity differently. People are working from home, away from their offices or factories, so we’re seeing for the first time lots of unique cases. Across industries, people are finding more and more examples where IoT solutions can enhance existing systems. Whether this is to provide increased insight on the performance of a system or to provide the ability to remotely perform health checks or software upgrades.
YOU SAID IT!
“I have been fitting the DualCom Pro on loads of pre-2025 (All IP) upgrades, very good units and the My Base App is a great help.”
Carl Mullins (CTS Security Ltd) – Facebook – 15th May
