The future of work and enterprise IoT

IoT is exploding. According to Gartner, there will be 20.4 billion IoT devices by 2020. No longer just a pipe dream, IoT is shaping up to be the backbone of our technological future. Not only will it drive some really cool improvements in the way we live and work, but it will also generate between $4 and $11 trillion in economic value by 2025, according to McKinsey.

Connected devices have simplified our personal lives in so many ways. Thanks to Siri and Alexa, we’ve been freed from mundane tasks that take time away from the things we really want to do. With Nest, we can rest easy if we forget to turn close the garage door in our haste to get to work. We want this same simple, intelligent experience at work — and it’s coming.

I recently spoke with Nivedita Ojha, Senior Director of Product Management for Enterprise IoT at Citrix to see where things stand.

Steve Wilson: For a long time, IoT was kind of like the Jetsons: fun to watch and a cool concept, but no one was convinced it could ever happen. Where are we today?

Nivedita Ojha: IoT has really moved from concept to reality. It is creating new business models that are transforming entire industries and driving unprecedented operating efficiencies. Think smart shelves in retail stores and sensor-fueled tractors on farms.

Wilson: When most people think of IoT, they think of consumer applications like Siri and Alexa or industrial uses like sensors that track inventory and shipments. But the lines seem to be blurring. What are your thoughts?

Ojha: For a long time, IoT was black and white. It was either consumer or industrial. But there is a new category taking shape: Enterprise IoT. Because the industry has made things on the personal front so simple, we are now starting to see consumer devices make their way into the enterprise workspace where they can do the same thing. Bring your own device has really become “bring your own thing.” Alexa is now in the office giving commands to open a file or start a meeting. Work is becoming handsfree, intelligent and autonomous.

Wilson: And are employees happier as a result?

Ojha: Definitely. They have the freedom to use the devices they prefer to remove a lot of the complexity that bogs them down and keeps them from doing what they want and are paid to do. They are more engaged and productive as a result. At the end of the day, it’s the little everyday experiences matter the most.

Wilson: What does all of this mean for IT? It seems to open up a whole new set of challenges in terms of securing these devices.

Ojha: Managing IoT devices definitely requires a different approach to security. Traditional models don’t adequately protect against the new vulnerabilities that connected devices open. To effectively secure them, IT needs to take a more intelligent and contextual approach and put in place a model that supports roaming, wirelessly connected, mobile users without getting in the way of their experience.

Wilson: And how do they pull this off?

Ojha: It requires an integrated set of tools that combines management, security, workspace and mobility into a centralized infrastructure that allows IT to monitor and secure all types of endpoints, applications and software from a single pane of glass, and they do exist.

Wilson: Any final thoughts?

Ojha: Enterprise IoT is one of the most interesting developments on the digital transformation front that we have seen in a long time. While it is still in its nascent stage, it is fast driving the convergence of digital and physical workspaces and transforming the way work gets done in very positive ways.

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