IoT 3 mins read

IoT Habit #5: Become Future-proof

Being future-proof is first and foremost a state of mind; then architecting for the IoT unknown looks easier.

Bart Schouw Bart Schouw

Future-proofing by architecting for the unknown is a lot easier said than done. Of all the habits I have explained so far, this one might throw the biggest curve-ball for your organization.

Becoming future-proof sounds like something you would need a fortune teller for. (If anyone can teach me how to become a fortune teller that is a training class I would like to sign up for!) But I don’t believe that you have to be a fortune teller to be future-proof. Rather it is more about acknowledging some hard facts about the pitfalls in your organization, and then trying to avoid stepping in them.

One way is by not becoming complacent when a new technology has been adopted, such as the Internet of Things. First-movers can gain twice as much in revenues as their laggard competitors, according to McKinsey. Technology adoption should not be seen as a series of one-of special projects, but as continuous, living organism, that has to grow and adopt itself to the ever-faster changing requirements of your organization.

To stay sharp on this, you need to acknowledge that most organizations create an inside-out view of their needs. What do I mean by that? Your organization probably has a good view of the needs it is longing for – and you probably can articulate them. So you draft an RFI and you invite your suppliers in to tell them your needs. Then they craft a solution by mapping your needs to their capabilities – which you then source through an RFP. Sound familiar? Read on.

If you take this approach you will probably do what 95% of your competition is doing. As a result you will end up with similar kinds of solutions, meaning that you will be able to compete with each other more or less on the same things. Granted you may gain a temporary advantage, if you do things quickly and efficiently, but in the end you will have the same solution as everyone else.

Instead you need to stand back and appreciate the outside-in view. Accept the fact that you don’t know the things you don’t know, and start actively listening for any unknown needs. Visit some analyst and industry conferences. Check out new trends: What does Cloud mean to you? How does Microservices fit in with your architecture? Should you adopt Blockchain? What does DevOps mean to your organization?

So shouldn’t you listen to your suppliers? Yes, but when you invite them in ask for a needs assessment and also request their point of view. Ask them what they think are the brightest examples in other (adjacent) industries. What are they are seeing in other regions? Ask them about their lighthouse projects and why they think they are lighthouse projects. Get an understanding of why those companies embarked on those lighthouse projects. 

Because being future-proof is first and foremost a state of mind; then architecting for the unknown looks easier. You won’t need a crystal ball after all!