RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – At the Internet of Things Community’s IoT Slam Live 2018, industry leaders began the day Thursday by emphasizing the growing importance of data collection, analytics and artificial intelligence to organizations that strive to be more efficient and competitive.
IBM’s Chris O’Connor stresses the importance to businesses’ ability to operate efficiently and competitively. (Photo by Mindy Hamlin, WRAL TechWire)
Keynote Speaker Chris O’Connor, IBM’s vice president of sales – Internet of Things, focused on three new IoT data trends:
- Connected operations
- Connected vehicles
- Connected spaces
“How do you drive the usage of data?” O’Connor asked the crowd. “Think about the data in terms of operations and spaces.”
For Oliver Schabenberger, executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief technology officer at SAS, analytics ensure the potential of the internet of things is realized.
“Data without analytics is value not yet realized,” said Schabenberger. “Analytics is the key to getting insight.”
A key element of realizing this potential: artificial intelligence.
“The combination of artificial intelligence and the internet of things is unavoidable,” he said. “They are at the nexus of the trends that are driving technology.”
Leaders weigh in on future of IoT
O’Connor and Schabenberger were the first of more than 30 key note speakers, panelists and workshop facilitators slated for this year’s event.
The event covers a wide-range of topics related to corporate use of the internet of things, including:
- Vertical alignment
- Healthcare, retail and automotive industries
- User applications of IoT and use cases
- Security/privacy/trust
- IoT analytics and big data
- Connectivity and infrastructure
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence
IoT Community continues to grow
IoT Slam Live 2018 is hosted by IoT Community, a community of more than 22,000 senior business leaders and practitioners who develop, deploy and operate the internet of things devices, networks and applications.
In a letter to the event’s attendees, IoT Community Executive Director David Hill highlighted why the organization is basing its efforts out of RTP.
“Our commitment is to base our efforts out of the Research Triangle, and in the process, help further position North Carolina as a Global IoT Center of Excellence.”
Day 2 of the event is Friday.
