By: Sivi Moodley – CEO Macrocomm Group
As we move out of the tighter levels of restrictions into a world shaped by the impacts of
COVID-19, we can expect an increase in the utilisation of technologies to support our evolved
way of managing business operations… the way we work… and the way we go about our daily
lives.
The use of data driven and data acquiring solutions, networks and devices are no longer
luxury, but a necessity if we are achieve a sustainable social and economic environment in
the aftermath of the pandemic.
With an increase in demand for such solutions, we can expect to see several key trends that
will enable the smart, data driven and autonomous Internet of Things (IoT) segment to gain
traction over 2022:
1. Edge computing
Although still in its early growth stage in South Africa, EDGE computing has significant benefits
to appropriate IoT use cases. The processing of computing functions closer to the IoT devices
(sensors, smart switch, utility meter, actuator etc.) can significantly reduce risks related to
latency, data transmission costs, security, transmission failure and costs associated with
moving data to the cloud. The potential of virtualising onsite premise based gateways into
multi-tenanted virtual gateways could also reduce the cost barrier to adoption of IoT based
services.
2. 5G
5G networks deliver high-speed connectivity, very low latency, and greater network
reliability. They also generate more data capacity that can support a greater number of
connected devices. The pending spectrum auction, which includes frequency bands
allocated for 5G, will contribute to greater 5G coverage. This in turn would contribute to a
more conducive environment for 5G based IoT use case uptake.
3. Privacy
The increased adoption of applications and smart devices (tablets, smartphones, wearables)
by consumers does pose a credible risk to the privacy and security of individuals. As data is
collected about their movement, location, health and mental state, this exposes them to data
breach and privacy risks. Compliance to legislation relating to this (Protection of Personal
Information Act, General Data Protection Regulation) will continue to be and area of focus as
IoT uses cases evolve in adoption.
4. AI engineering
An exponential increase in the number of data attributes and volume of data that is generated
by an increased installed base of IoT devices, high-speed connectivity availability, cloud
computing capability and data analytics coupled with data science capabilities have created
a conducive environment in with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) driven
use cases can flourish. We can expect to see and increase AI and ML based IoT use cases, that
are driven by smart and autonomously improving algorithms.
5. Cybersecurity mesh
We have witnessed a number of cases in South Africa recently where the operations of large
organisations were brought to a halt as a result of cybersecurity breaches. In addition to that,
ransomware incidents have been on the rise both globally and locally. In order to mitigate
this, organisations are moving beyond perimeter protection to building a layer of protection
around individual access points – which is essentially the approach of cybersecurity mesh.
Since many IoT devices will be distributed outside the traditional firewall or unified threat
management parameters, identity and access management becomes paramount in
mitigating cybersecurity risks. The ability to ensure that all devices, data, applications and
services are accessed securely — irrespective of location — is critical to building a resilient
cybersecure environment base on zero trust principles.
6. Hyper automation
As businesses operate in a more curtailed economic growth environment, a greater emphasis
will be placed on achieving higher levels of operational and business process efficiency as part
of their cost optimisation strategies. Businesses will also focus on reducing downtime risks
through predictive, proactive and preventative measures targeted towards risk identification
and management. Increased in levels of automation will drive efficiency, gain use cases, and
the data from these automated processes and systems will be used to proactively manage
operational risks.
Macrocomm’s approach to ensuring that we solve real world and business problems in a
sustainable, ethical and socially responsible manner dictates that we monitor current and
emerging trends, and incorporate these into the solutions we develop.
Our partnerships and investment in research and development enables us to use the
appropriate technologies to develop secure and sustainable solutions — that are fit for
purpose to the needs of specific customer segments and the market environments that they
operate in.
About Macrocomm
Macrocomm is a premier innovation and technology agnostic led provider of data driven digital
solutions. Our solutions are not just focused of connectivity and technology, but they aim to solve
societal problems in a Smart Made Simple way. The Macrocomm group of companies play across
all stages in the digital value chain including devices, connectivity, platforms, application and
software development, systems integration and training and development. This enables us to
innovate across the digital value chain to deliver bespoke as well as generic solutions in a manner
that leverages both scope and scale. We service a range of verticals including municipalities, fleet,
agriculture, facilities management, health, mining, retail and logistics. Our key partners include
Vodacom, Sigfox, FAW, University of Stellenbosch, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Orange.
