As technology gets smarter, our technology is becoming increasingly connected. On Episode 28 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast, Paddy Gogin, the SVP of Sales at Blues, joined us to share his insights on the future of connected tech, particularly in the IoT sector. Read on for his predictions. 

What impact have intelligent machines started to make on the industry so far?

“I think the IoT is dead, and our SVP of product would agree with me. I think we’re living in another world now, and that’s the world of connected intelligence. I’ll use the phrase ‘connected intelligent machines’ because I assume the machine is the asset. This connectivity has become commoditised, and I think it should be, but we are now in this world where there’s this ubiquitous expectation that any machine should be intelligent. That has not always been the case. Smart machines were very novel about 10 years ago, and getting temperature data from your refrigerator for example was still really cool. Now that’s expected by the customer. 

The future of that is vast and broad. The future of connected machines is accessible to all, and it’s accessible anywhere. Whatever you’re building, our mission is to help people transform physical things into smart intelligence services. People will have complete access to connectivity and be able to connect their assets in a way that is business-effective and cost-effective. 

There’s a great example of satellite connectivity, which has become commoditised too. 10-15 years ago, satellite connectivity was for rich people on boats using Motorollas. We’ve come a long way since then, and I think we’re at the beginning of another wave and inflexion point now. Soon, every machine you see around us will be connected and intelligent, and we will extract data from those assets to do a number of things, but primarily to add value to our customers or create new revenue streams for our own businesses. We will be getting greater insight into our customers than we ever have before, and we’ll know how they use things and what they care about, so we can tailor our businesses towards that.”

How do you see the future being shaped by connected, intelligent machines?

“I think what you’ll see is a greater uptake of products in the space. There are a lot of old-school companies that have done amazing things, like creating generators or industrial machinery, which work, they’re robust, and they’re built for purpose. These companies are now being stress-tested to think differently about their products though, because they aren’t cutting-edge anymore. How do they become the face of innovation when they aren’t plugged into connectivity, data and AI? 

What we’ll see is a transition towards all industries thinking that way. And make no mistake, there will be winners and losers. There’ll be people who won’t see that transition or won’t necessarily want to believe it, and they will lose. Then there will be people who move first, and they will win. 

The future of intelligent machines means greater products for your customers. What it means for the organisation is that you are going to be closer than ever to your customer, and you are going to understand your customer like never before. That means we’ll have stickier customers as well. They won’t just be dating you because of the value you’re giving them now. Connected intelligence is a must, so if they don’t have you in their lives, there will be a big difference to their business.”

To hear more from Paddy, tune into Episode 28 of The Connectivity Matters Podcast here. 

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