The truth is, businesses are blind to the world. While a company does what it can with evaluations, metrics, surveys and the like, these techniques only reveal so much information. They also take time. The Internet of Things is poised to change all that. Collecting data from hundreds, if not thousands, of sensors opens the eyes of a business, allowing them to see the world as it happens.

To gain some understanding how IoT will shake up business, Dave Vellante (@dvellante) and Stu Miniman (@stu), co-hosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, visited the Dell EMC World convention in Austin, TX. There, they talked with Andy Rhodes, VP and GM of IoT Commerial Solutions at Dell Technologies Inc.

Analyzing data to find new models

The conversation started as Rhodes defined what IoT means to business. He described it as a series of use cases, from consumer applications that people already know about, to more industrial areas like predictive maintenance. It’s about customers and the world collecting data from things and then analyzing that data for some business value.

Rhodes also mentioned this data can be used to create new business models and revenue streams. He felt that while IoT can be disruptive, it’s also transformative. Unlocking islands of data that already exist transforms companies with new use cases and new ways to consider that data.

Where Dell EMC helps business

“The first thing Dell does is connect the unconnected,” Rhodes said. Behind every IoT project is an IT project. For Dell EMC, that means building a gateway that connects the old protocols. Because shipping around raw data is slow and expensive, the gateway also filters the data for valuable information.

This approach changes a company. Rhodes noted that a lot of customers used their new insight to change what they sell and how they sell it. Successful IoT projects start with a use case, get everyone together, and consider business functions. Rhodes pointed out that Dell EMC offers a wide portfolio and can advise customers on what’s best for their needs.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Dell EMC World.

Photo by SiliconANGLE