Why IT Departments Should Prepare for the Machine to Machine Economy

Preparing for the M2M Economy

To gain these benefits, IT decision makers need to look at whether their systems will enable M2M business or stand in its wayThere are three key trends they'll need to consider. The first is the rise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which will automate more complex decision-making processes than previously possible.

The second is the growth of the sharing economy. Until now, this has mostly involved individuals or businesses renting equipment such as accommodation or vehicles to other individuals or businesses, but in the future, machines could rent equipment to other machines. IT departments will need to put in place systems to support this.

The third is the emergence of digital marketplaces such as Airtasker and ServiceSeeking. Today, these allow people to do business with each other, but smart machines could use the same model to buy and sell insurance, or rent themselves by the time or distance required.

IT decision makers should also look to pioneering work that is already turning the M2M economy into a reality. For example, IBM demonstrated a proof-of-concept semi autonomous Samsung washing machine as far back as 2015. The washing machine was capable of re-ordering detergent and parts, and negotiating power usage with energy providers. This project linked blockchain technology to the Internet of Things to solve security and payment challenges.

The payment technologies that will underpin the M2M economy are also advancing. Fledgling distributed autonomous organizations exist today that use smart contracts to govern their transactions. One example is Dash, a digital currency organization.

IT decision makers will also need to consider security challenges posed by the transfer of data and currency in the M2M economy. They will also need to make sure smart machines act safely and ethically.

The Next Big Shift in IT

For IT decision makers, the M2M economy is shaping up to be as significant as cloud computing.

The number of devices that could potentially become part of the M2M economy is increasing as the cost of processors falls and more devices connect to each other. By 2020, it is estimated that the Internet of Things will incorporate up to 50 billion devices.

Forward thinking organizations are currently testing use cases and experimenting with the M2M economy. These use cases apply to a broad range of sectors, from manufacturing to logistics, resources, agriculture, and energy.

Plenty of IT departments have spent years replacing systems so that their companies can do business quickly in the digital economy. Now, organizations such as the Commonwealth Bank are assessing M2M opportunities to know whether their systems are ready.

Organizations that prepare their IT to support the M2M economy now, will be in a much better position to benefit from it in the future.