5G and IoT: What Impact Will They Have on IT Operations in Industry?

Major advances in the fields of information technology and telecommunications have paved the way for Industry 4.0, which is one of the primary areas of application for innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and robotics. These technologies are at the heart of business processes in the vast majority of companies and industries worldwide. They rely on wireless networks (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G) to provide factories with optimal and smart working conditions, and above all, to balance operational efficiency with performance.

The world is on the cusp of a new revolution expected by the end of 2020. This is the advent of 5G, which is sure to transform practices and standards in the fields of information systems and telecommunications. This new technology will redefine IT processes and embedded tools to bring greater flexibility and performance to industrial, logistics, medical, and other processes. It is becoming essential for both business and technical managers and decision-makers to prepare for the transition to this technological leap.

5G in a Nutshell

5G networks are set to revolutionize the way organizations work and their established practices. To better understand the benefits of this technology, it is important to take a closer look at it.

5G is the fifth generation of mobile communication networks. It will replace 4G, which is still in use in France in particular and around the world in general. This new mobile technology will, in a sense, enhance current applications such as streaming, gaming, embedded systems, GPS, mobility, support for Industry 4.0, and more. The advertised speeds range from 100 Mbps to several Gbps. In other words, 5G will offer speeds rivaling those of fiber optics. We’re light-years away from the 150 Mbps that 4G offered on average… quite a revolution!

The IoT (Internet of Things) serves as the bridge between objects (sensors, transponders, etc.) connected to a wireless network (Bluetooth, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc.), enabling them to exchange, store, or process information generated by these objects.

IoT: An Overview of Some Application Areas

This technology has a wide range of applications in both the domestic sector (smart homes, smart living, smart energy, etc.) and the industrial sector (smart farms, smart cities, smart foods, etc.). The IoT is at the heart of Big Data, which it feeds on a daily basis.

In the business and industrial sectors in particular, the applications are countless and include, among others:

• intrusion detection systems,
• telemedicine,
• monitoring of farms,
• air traffic control,
• monitoring of IT infrastructure in data centers,
• drone mapping,
• supply chain management,
• etc.

All of these applications are now central to the performance of businesses across all industries.

The IoT and 4G are already deeply embedded in the operational processes of enterprise information systems. The advent of 5G starting in 2020 will boost production systems by reducing latency and facilitating decision-making. The impact on IT operations in the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) will be felt across various areas.

Inventory Management

Inventory management is a challenge for any business, whether it’s a small company or a large corporation. Having intelligent systems capable of saving valuable time when searching for parts, calculating alert thresholds, and conducting inventory counts has become a top priority for companies that want to remain competitive.
In the event of a breakdown, it is essential for IT teams to adhere to the SLAs (Service Level Agreements) signed with business managers. Locating equipment, a component, or any other configuration element remains a major challenge for business productivity. The IoT, coupled with mobile network technology such as 5G, will enable IT departments to remain proactive. This combination will allow them to make the best decisions:

• For example, knowing the status of equipment in stock,
• Retrieve the GPS coordinates of the locations of the aforementioned equipment,
• Walk through the factory wearing an augmented reality headset to make reservations or
  update inventory data,
• Improve replenishment processes by automating the calculation of
  alert thresholds,
• etc.

This improvement in IT inventory management processes supports the business at the required level and gives the industry a competitive edge.

Infrastructure Maintenance

Until now, in companies that have not adopted the IoT, IT technicians have had to go from workstation to workstation to collect data on the health of equipment, components, or any other element of the infrastructure required to deliver a service. This situation results in:

• increased costs: more technical staff to supervise and
  manage the entire IT infrastructure,
• risks to service availability and continuity: having to visit each site to collect data significantly reduces the ability to anticipate outages,
• Reduced operational efficiency: spare parts are difficult to locate in industrial settings due to their spatial and geographical layout,
• loss of revenue and customers: a production line that isn’t running at full capacity isn’t competitive,
• etc.

Deploying an IoT solution integrated with a 5G network will revolutionize the way IT systems are maintained in industrial settings. Going forward, technicians will perform predictive maintenance; data will be transmitted directly from sensors and other IoT devices to monitoring centers, enabling better decision-making and the implementation of effective actions. The latency previously observed in data transfers will be significantly reduced: transfers will occur (thanks to 5G) at very high speeds, exceeding 100 Mbps.

Infrastructure Monitoring

The cornerstone of effective operations in information systems management is the monitoring of components and equipment. Lacking automatic reporting of data collected from systems and sensors is akin to flying blind. This situation hinders IT departments’ ability to meet performance expectations and comply with the SLAs in place within organizations. In today’s and tomorrow’s industries, it is unacceptable for a production line to come to a halt. CIOs are therefore tasked with keeping systems in optimal working order to support the business. The 5G/IoT combination is at the heart of this strategy. Indeed, it powers the industrial organization’s big data infrastructure. Technicians have access to up-to-date, real-time data (on various devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, etc.) regarding the health of IT systems. Mobility and roaming are becoming a reality. No matter where one is, data can be analyzed and corrective (or preventive) actions taken more effectively. IT infrastructure monitoring centers can be automated using artificial intelligence to reduce manual tasks and improve the responsiveness of support functions. Technologies such as RPA (Robotic Process Automation) can be integrated into technical support processes to analyze the vast amounts of data collected by sensors and other monitoring devices, and use specific algorithms to make appropriate decisions to ensure the continuity of IT services.

Reduction in operating costs

A significant reduction in energy costs is one of the key benefits of deploying IoT and 5G within an organization. In Industry 4.0, IT infrastructure consists of sensitive, energy-intensive equipment that requires high-performance cooling systems as well as alternative (or backup) power supplies. Having a detailed map of this entire system can lead to substantial cost savings for the company.

• As mentioned above, predictive maintenance helps reduce costs associated with technical staff, thereby allowing them to be assigned to much more productive tasks and ensuring their professional development and career advancement within the company.
• Having greater visibility into your IT infrastructure leads to better alignment between inventory management and procurement processes. You no longer need to keep spare parts on hand for every piece of equipment or component. It also becomes possible to purchase spare parts or equipment at the right time, thereby easing the cash flow burden on the IT department.
• Reducing the industry’s energy footprint is another benefit of adopting 5G and the IoT within a company. Indeed, smart industries—or Industry 4.0—are at the forefront of environmental initiatives. These two technologies facilitate the integration of IT and industrial systems and enable companies to adopt a Green IT approach.

The IoT and 5G are sure to transform industries in the very near future. Companies that are already leveraging the combination of IoT and 4G will make the transition. However, those still lagging behind will need to jump on board and reinvent themselves in order to remain competitive and viable. IT departments, which will be at the center of these changes, will need to adapt, embrace these various technologies, and, above all, know how to integrate them.