Category: Best Practices

Operations control room with complex operational systems, illustrating the infrastructure challenges of scaling AI in enterprise environments
Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Executive Overviews, Innovation Management, Management

The AI Scaling Problem Nobody Talks About Enough

AI pilots are succeeding. Enterprise impact is not following. Across industries, organizations are accumulating pilot wins while the structural and infrastructure gaps that prevent those wins from reaching business performance go unaddressed.
This article draws on direct observations from fractional Chief AI Officer engagements to identify the scaling problems most organizations are not talking about enough, and what leadership teams can do to close the gap.

AI infrastructure investments are moving faster than most organizations can manage. Platforms are fragmenting. Vendors are pivoting. Regulatory requirements are tightening. For mid-market companies, a wrong bet is not just expensive. It is a setback there is no easy budget to recover from. This post introduces a practical framework for future-proofing your AI infrastructure: a continuous lifecycle management strategy that helps CEOs, COOs, and CAIOs protect their investments, maximize flexibility, and manage change deliberately. Includes a self-assessment diagnostic and five action steps you can apply before your next AI investment decision.
Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Executive Overviews, Innovation Management, Management, Strategy

Future-proofing your AI Infrastructure

AI infrastructure investments are moving faster than most organizations can manage. Platforms are fragmenting. Vendors are pivoting. Regulatory requirements are tightening. For mid-market companies, a wrong bet is not just expensive. It is a setback there is no easy budget to recover from.

This post introduces a practical framework for future-proofing your AI infrastructure: a continuous lifecycle management strategy that helps CEOs, COOs, and CAIOs protect their investments, maximize flexibility, and manage change deliberately. Includes a self-assessment diagnostic and five action steps you can apply before your next AI investment decision.

Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Execution, IIoT, Industrial IoT, Internet of Things, IoT

Your AI Pilot Worked. So Why Isn’t It Scaling?

Fifty-six percent of companies saw no impact from their AI projects. This highlights an uncomfortable truth: the main AI challenge most organizations face today is not building AI models; it is building environments where AI can operate reliably.

This blog discusses the four infrastructure barriers that block AI and outlines practical steps leaders should consider.

IoT build, buy, partner
Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Execution, Product Management, Strategy

The AI Build–Buy–Partner Decision: A Strategic Framework for Executives

AI enables organizations to transform their operations, enhance responsiveness, resilience and facilitate customer experience. While the decision to adopt AI is straightforward, organizations are faced with a “build, buy, partner” decision – build it themselves, buy and integrate technology, or partner with another organization to co-develop it together.

This article discusses some of the key management considerations involved in making a decision.

Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Executive Overviews, Internet of Things, IoT, Strategy, Technology Review

The Generative AI opportunity for IoT (Internet of Things) Part One

The use of generative AI for IoT is poised to revolutionize business operations, automation, and decision-making. By combining structured and unstructured data, generative AI for IoT brings new capabilities and intelligence to enhance processing and analysis of operational data.

This article provides business leaders with an understanding of what generative AI for IoT is, and five opportunities that it provides businesses who adopt it.

Artificial Intelligence, Best Practices, Executive Overviews, Strategy, Technology Review

The key to successful AI projects: Start with the right problem

Four out of five AI projects fail. One of the top causes of these failures is related to the problems AI is asked to solve. If you fail to specify the problem correctly from the start, you’re setting yourself up for failure before the first algorithm is even written.

This article provides business leaders with best practices and practical guidance on finding and selecting the right problems that lead to successful AI projects.

Safe Space office picture
Best Practices, COVID-19, IoT, New Normal, Safe Spaces, Smart Buildings, Smart City, Smart Communities, Strategy, Urban Planning

Creating COVID-19 Safe Spaces for Reopening and Return to Work (Part Two)

COVID-19 Safe Spaces are key to reopening buildings and facilities for in-person activities. Technology is a critical component of the COVID-19 safe space. There is no one technology that makes a space safe. A variety of technologies, working in tandem, is used in safe spaces.

This blog, Part 2 in a series, discusses the role of technology and IoT in the operation of a safe space. Key considerations, from the use case, operations and maintenance, and technology are presented.

Best Practices, COVID-19, New Normal, Safe Spaces, Smart Buildings, Smart City, Smart Communities, Strategy, Urban Planning

Creating COVID-19 Safe Spaces for Reopening and Return to Work (Part One)

The discovery and regulatory approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020 has made reopening and return to work initiatives top priority for business and community leaders in 2021. Despite the vaccine, COVID-19 isn’t going away and many people are concerned about a return to in-person activities.

This blog introduces the concept of safe spaces to support reopening and return to work. A framework describing the elements of a safe space is discussed, along with ten best practices for planning safe spaces.

covid-19 safe spaces facilitate reopening and return to work
Best Practices, COVID-19, Innovation Management, Product Management, product-market fit, Smart City, Smart Communities, Strategy

Responding to COVID-19 – a framework for smart cities

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cities and communities worldwide. As the number of infections and deaths surge, governments are turning to technology and innovative approaches for help. However, current efforts to engage the innovation communities are reactive, piecemeal, and have limited effectiveness.

This blog describes a Smart Cities COVID-19 Collaboration framework. It provides a structured way to identify the collaboration opportunities between cities, public health systems and the technology community.

smart city innovation labs
Best Practices, Industrial IoT, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, Partnerships, Smart City, Smart Communities

Smart city innovation labs – ten best practices

Smart city innovation labs provide an organized structure for cities, community, experts, and vendors to collaboratively create viable solutions. Successful solutions piloted in smart city innovation labs can then be scaled and deployed into a city’s operations and infrastructure.

Based on our experiences in creating, launching and operationalizing San Mateo County’s Smart Region innovation lab (SMC Labs), we share ten best practices for civic innovation leaders planning their own innovation labs.

Smart City Ecosystem Architects - eight things to do
Best Practices, Digital Transformation, Industrial IoT, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, Smart City, Smart Communities

Building Smart Cities – Eight Things That Matter

Whether you are planning or have already started your smart city journey, there are eight things that cities must get right. While smart cities are often associated with technology, it is but one component within the larger smart city ecosystem that needs to be addressed.

This article discusses the eight things that leaders and planners must get right, in order to build the sustainable and well functioning smart city.

Six things IT managers must do to accelerate IoT adoption
Best Practices, Digital Transformation, Innovation Management, Internet of Things

6 things IT executives must do to accelerate IoT adoption

Are you ready for IoT? Despite its transformational potential, most organizations are not ready. In an era of rapid disruption and digital transformation, IT executives and managers must lead the charge. They must bridge the gap between technology, business, engineering and operations. They are evangelists, teachers, facilitators and innovators.

This article lists six things IT managers must do to successfully accelerate IoT adoption within their organizations.

5 IoT Lessons Learned from dot-com mistakes
Best Practices, Execution, Internet of Things, Strategy

Five “dot com” mistakes that IoT companies must avoid

We are in a modern day gold rush, sparked by the Internet of Things (IoT). Thousands of companies, new and established, are planning “smart” solutions.

Amid all this, what IoT lessons learned from the past can today’s IoT companies apply to avoid mistakes of previous “gold rushes”? Are we smarter now, or are we making the same mistakes? The answer is yes and yes. This articles identifies five major mistakes made by dot-companies and five Iearnings for today’s IoT companies.

IoT innovation is not in the solution, but in how it is used
Best Practices, Digital Transformation, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, Strategy

IoT innovation is not in the technology, but in what it can do

Don’t confuse IoT with innovation. The real IoT innovation is not in the technology, but in what it can do and what it allows organizations to become – intelligent, agile and adaptive, in creating new value for its customers.

This article describes five innovation paths with IoT solutions to consider when planning digital transformation projects, along with advice to get started on turning the Internet of Things into the Innovation of Things.

management considerations for IoT subscription models
Best Practices, Business Models, go-to-market, Internet of Things, sales, Strategy

Six Management Considerations for Planning IoT Subscription Models

One common monetization approach for today’s IoT solutions is the subscription model. While it provides an attractive recurring revenue stream, subscription models require major investments in resources, time, capital and management commitment.

In this blog, we’ll highlight six key strategic and critical considerations managers must address when planning and building IoT subscription models. These considerations will determine whether the IoT subscription service is successful or not.

8 things to stop doing if you want to sell more IoT
Best Practices, go-to-market, Internet of Things, IoT, Product Management, sales, Strategy

Selling IoT? Eight Things To Stop Doing If You Want To Sell More

Despite the disruptive and transformative potential of IoT, selling IoT solutions is today’s emerging marketplace is challenging. Buyers face many barriers, ranging from a lack of awareness to fears of early obsolescence.

In this blog, we’ll share the eight things IoT solutions vendors must stop doing right away. Instead, we’ll share eight alternative best practices and strategies that they should be doing instead to drive market adoption.

Best Practices, Innovation Management, IoT, Product Management, Strategy

Future-proofing your IoT Infrastructure

Buyers face a dilemma with buying IoT solutions today. Buy an immature solution now and risk obsolescence in the near future, even if the solution has value for them today, or hold off buying until things become clearer.

In this blog, we will share common causes of obsolescence and a framework for futureproofing your IoT infrastructure. We will list some tactical practices to put in place to maximize the useful life of your IoT solution.

Best Practices, Digital Transformation, Execution, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, project management, Strategy

Ten best practices for making your first IoT projects a success

A recent study by Cisco found that three quarters of IoT projects were not successful. The reasons included long completion times, poor data quality, lack of internal expertise, integration and budget overruns.

In this blog, we will share ten best practices, from project planning to implementation, to help managers and project planners overcome common mistakes made with projects implementing emerging technology solutions.

Best Practices, Execution, go-to-market, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, Partnerships, Product Management, sales, Strategy

The secrets to successful partnerships in the fast changing IoT market – Part 2

Today’s IoT market is very dynamic, continuously evolving, and fragmented. No single vendor has a connected IoT stack. Partnerships are a critical business capability that IoT vendors must develop in order to be relevant in this type of marketplace.

This post, the second of two parts, describes ten best practices that vendors should use when forming and managing partnerships with other IoT partners.

Best Practices, Execution, FAQs, go-to-market, Innovation Management, Internet of Things, Partnerships, Product Management, sales, Strategy

The secrets to successful partnerships in the fast changing IoT market – Part 1

Today’s IoT market is very dynamic, continuously evolving, and fragmented. No single vendor has a connected IoT stack. Partnerships are a critical business capability that IoT vendors must develop in order to be relevant in this type of marketplace. This post, the first of two parts, describes the basic partnership types, the relationship models and key engagement scope parameters.

IoT channels
Best Practices, go-to-market, Internet of Things, Product Management, product-market fit, sales

Building IoT solutions? Don’t forget about the channel!

Internet of Things (IoT) solutions offer tremendous and disruptive value for customers, but sometimes have the unintended effect of adversely impacting the channel that it is sold and serviced through. This results in slow adoption of IoT solutions, even if those solutions have significant and tangible customer value. This post highlights the two common product-market fit mistakes, and lists four best practices to facilitate channel adoption of innovative IoT solutions.

IoT as a service
Best Practices, Business Models, Execution, go-to-market, Internet of Things, sales, Strategy

Selling IoT as a Service – 7 Best Practices

IoT or Internet of Things solutions, built on a cloud-based infrastructure, create opportunities for new business models and value delivery methods. While many IoT solutions are usually sold as a “product”, many vendors are now beginning to offer IoT “as-a-service”.

Selling a recurring revenue solution is not the same as selling an “one time” sale product. This post presents seven best practices for selling IoT as a service.

iot buyers
Best Practices, FAQs, go-to-market, Internet of Things, sales, Strategy

Selling IoT – Who Is Your Real Buyer?

You found product-market fit and built your Internet of Things (IoT) solution. But do you know who your buyer is?

IoT solutions create value that cut across organizational boundaries. Identifying a single buyer or owner in today’s traditionally structured organizations is difficult. Unlike IT where there is a centralized buyer, IoT buying is decentralized.

This post describes the reasons for this, and provides six best practices for selling IoT solutions into corporate organizations.

Buying IoT from startups
Best Practices, Internet of Things, Strategy

Buy smart: best practices for sourcing IoT solutions from start-ups

A lot of the innovation around Internet of Things (IoT) is coming from start-up companies. But how do you buy a solution when the technology is still evolving, the use cases are emerging, and the company selling it may not be in business a year from now? Your “tried and true” sourcing practices that you use with your more established suppliers will actually increase the risks for both you and the start-up company that you are buying from.

This post describes the three main risks and highlights ten new strategies for buying IoT solutions for start-up companies.