Our Head of Design Alasdair Gauld attended the CENSIS 2019 Tech Summit to learn more about the latest advancements in sensing, imaging and IoT technology, as well as the potential benefits for businesses in Scotland.
On 7th November, I had the pleasure of attending the sixth CENSIS Tech Summit and Conference at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. The annual event brings together thought leaders in the tech industry to share knowledge of state-of-the-art advancements in sensing, imaging and the Internet of Things (IoT). For me, it was also a fantastic opportunity to network and meet vendors, and to consider the ideas and technologies that could be brought back and applied to our work at CCIT, for the ultimate benefit of our clients.
IoT in Scotland
The event reiterated to me just how rapidly the Scottish IoT sector is growing, with new solutions being launched almost daily. CENSIS took the opportunity to announce their exciting ‘IoT Cyber Accelerator’ initiative, which is set to boost the adoption of IoT technologies in Scotland through the development of new products and approaches to cyber security. The news was announced by Kate Forbes, MSP and Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, who highlighted in particular the significance of sponsorship by the Scottish Government in placing Scotland at the forefront of IoT development. Ours is a highly collaborative sector with a wide scope for working with others – and events like the CENSIS Tech Summit are a great way to spark conversations, generate ideas, and form new partnerships. It is fantastic to see that the government are backing this movement.
The day kicked off with an opportunity to walk around and speak to the vendors, and after that we sat down for about an hour and a half of presentations.
Harnessing knowledge
At CCIT we see a great opportunity to benefit from embracing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) – to harness its power to transform business processes across numerous industries. My overarching aim for the event was to hear about the latest developments in the IIoT, the system that is propelling businesses into Industry 4.0. I found that many of the vendors had fully furnished IoT sensor kits – these have the potential to be linked into the solutions that we offer. There is the option to buy in third party sensor kits that can link into any platform, whether that is a native app solution, Office365, or another service. There are numerous ways to approach the introduction of IoT, and it all depends on the needs of the client.
Our SharePoint developments take input from population by the user – data that was once-upon-a-time confined to ledger books and filing cabinets. The shift has now begun from mere digitalisation to automation, and the next phase is to pull more data into the system through sensors. With many different options out there, we have the expertise to be able to select the right solutions for our clients. We are integrating new technologies with our existing products that combine manual input and automatic sensor input, with the ultimate goal of improving efficiency and productivity for our clients.
We are harnessing this knowledge about the future of the IIoT and sensor data, so that we can go out to businesses and consult in the best way for our clients. We will do this by looking at their current IT system and offer a vision of where they could take it. We support businesses in many different sectors that rely on various different kinds of sensors, from building maintenance to on the factory floor. Their needs can vary quite dramatically, which is why we make it a priority to stay up-to-date with the latest news in IoT technology and the products available – and the CENSIS Tech Summit 2019 was the perfect opportunity for this.