Rise in IoT and Cloud Implementation During Pandemic: NASSCOM

IoT and Cloud Implementation During Pandemic

In its Internet of Things (IoT) Implementation Trends Survey – October 2020, Gartner reports that 47 per cent of the surveyed companies planned to increase their spend on IoT despite COVID-19 led CapEx reduction. IoT projects usually generate demonstrable cost reduction impact within 3 years, on average.

The pandemic has elevated IoT adoption for remote, human-less, preventive sensing, alerts, and action. While most common areas of IoT deployment are in production-based and logistics sectors in the country. According to a report by NASSCOM, Covid-19 has revealed how healthcare can deploy multiple “connected medical things" to deliver fast and contactless assistance. From telehealth and contactless in-patient servicing, to preventive healthcare equipment maintenance, and overall facility monitoring, the interconnected use of “medical things" has shown promise in enabling remote, contactless healthcare.

Here are some findings related to the IoT sector covered in the cited report.

• Coughing pattern actuators in a mobile phone App use AI to ascertain asymptomatic COVID-19 and raise alerts 
• Healthcare facilities closest to suspected patient's location respond via a telehealth consultation appointment 
• GPS-enabled drones drop IoT-enabled vital statistics monitoring wearable equipment to the closest pickup location 
• Vital statistics review suggest daily monitoring – mHealth Apps on a smartphone record, analyze, and relay data 
• In case of a community alert – generated when number of COVID-19 asymptomatic patients under telehealth consultation reaches a threshold in an area – licensed drones monitor thermal impressions of people moving in the area for a community conflagration watch (without identifying a particular individual or breaching privacy) 
• Healthcare facility response for the community is boosted in preparatory anticipation – with disinfection of public spaces, common transport and touchpoints, air quality control, etc. IoT in healthcare has led to an unprecedented rise in telehealth consultations in 2020, from an estimated 36 million to now over 1 billion consultations. 

India Turning into a Cloud Hub 

 Even as individual Digital Technologies emerge from exploratory phases to carve their mainstream niche, the synergistic integration of these technologies is now becoming better understood and, the benefits of tech convergence are being witnessed across sectors. Underlying the implementation of these digital technologies is rising Cloud adoption. Cloud remains the foundation of digital transformation. 

The improved deal activity during the quarter clearly shows enterprises scaling up cloud capabilities. Recognizing that cloud will be the next cloud lever going forward, service providers have started re-strategizing their business models with a laser sharp focus on cloud business. 

India is also rapidly emerging as a cloud hub for global cloud service providers with many of them investing in focused centers of competence and fostering unique partnerships.

 The report states the following tech insights

SensorTech 

Lowering costs of sensors, from $1.4 in 2014 to $0.3 in 2019, is enabling more widespread and faster growth of sensor-based low-cost IoT solutions.

 DeviceTech 

From individual devices becoming IoT-enabled, to multi-device connectivity, IoT and associated device standards are evolving towards standardization. For example, TATA Communications plans worldwide cellular connectivity platform – MOVETM – to enable zero-touch connectivity of IoT devices to cloud services across 600 global mobile network operator using Micron’s security as-a-service platform for edge devices.

PlatformTech 

IoT platforms are bringing together various smart devices and enabling backend integration with existing ERP/SCM systems 

 NetworkTech

Developments in 5G, LoRaWAN and NB-IoT areas offer faster data speeds and integration of edge devices.

CloudStrategy 

Oct 2020 saw a pivotal moment in the history of tech as one of tech industry’s oldest and largest companies announced yet another divesture from traditional business to focus on digital. While IBM split its business into two, TCS has increased its focus on cloud services business by splitting it into five strategic units.

Vertical Cloud

Cloud service providers are looking to build verticalised cloud platforms for industry-specific needs particularly regulation and compliance  

 Expansions

India rapidly emerging as a cloud hub for global cloud service providers. According to the report, Google to open its 2nd India Cloud region in 2021: 

• Will have a portfolio of key GCP products, offer lower latency to nearby users
• When combined with Mumbai region, can enable geographically separate in-country disaster recovery for customers' mission-critical applications

 Partnerships

With a fillip to cloud due to COVID-19, players are leveraging ecosystem partnership model as their Go-To-Market strategy