Talking IoT with Afzal Mangal

Heading up iotcreators.com for Deutsche Telekom, Afzal Mangal says that Internet of Things (IoT) is being held back by a lack of understanding - both of the technology and its potential. Find out more from his chat with SONAH’s CSO and co-founder, Thomas Grimm.

How much does the average person on the street understand about the wonder technology, Internet of Things (IoT)? Not enough, says Afzal Mangal, a prominent voice for IoT on LinkedIn and self-proclaimed ‘fighter of corporate bullshit’. He recently sat down with me, SONAH’s CSO and co-founder, Thomas Grimm, for a conversation touching on some critical themes shaping the IoT landscape and the challenges it faces -  especially within the GovTech area. 

We’re All in a (Smart) Echo Chamber

We who work in the tech industry sometimes forget that our bubble is just that - a bubble. While everyone we know is crazy about IoT and having smart parking, smart lighting, smart everything, there’s a whole lot of people who aren’t really clear on what it means. And if we’re being honest, we might know how we (for instance, SONAH) can leverage IoT for smart parking guidance systems, but we don’t necessarily know IoT’s full potential beyond this.

Listening to Afzal talk on the topic, it starts to become clear. IoT is often talked about in the context of a very specific solution; nonetheless, IoT as a movement or as a potential painkiller for many of society’s ills is not understood.

Solution? But We’ve No Problem!

Selling a solution to an industry that hasn’t recognized its problem is no unusual task for marketers. But when Afzal says “selling IoT today is like selling a bandage to someone who does not even see their wound,” he’s reflecting on a deeper problem. Businesses and governments are haemorrhaging money and time because, up until now, it was simply normal to not address certain issues. Take parking; cities have lost money from bad parking management since the dawn of cars. With no efficient solution conceivable, these losses were simply accepted. If people aren’t currently trying to solve a problem, then they’ve got no time nor motivation to hear about a piece of technology that they don’t understand.

It’s Time To Teach

What’s the biggest obstacle to accepting change? Afzal hints that it might be disclarity. While B2B marketers often center value propositions in their customer engagement, it’s equally crucial to understand the underlying technology. People don’t trust products they don’t understand -  especially if all they are hearing are the positive potentialities of it. “IoT parking sensors improve your parking assets” sounds good, but for those who don’t grasp just how IoT works? They’ll be looking for the catch - GDPR violations, for instance - or they’ll write you off as a snake oil salesman and forget it. 

Afzal’s new book - out soon! - is all about how we can support decision-makers with thorough education on IoT. His thesis is that this education enables stakeholders to think critically about what they want to implement and how it can be adapted to their specific needs. 

How Clarity Leads to Progress

This is where we at SONAH also really see a bottleneck. Not for our business alone, but for the improvement of urban areas. Take our sensors; they are multi-faceted, with problem-solving services ranging from parking detection, vehicle/object counting, and object detection, to smart lighting and interfaces to parking guidance systems. For companies or governments to make full use of the sensors, they have to understand how the system works and therefore how it can continue to be used beyond the one initial idea. 

Sell and communicate IoT based on benefits alone, and we miss out on the communal brainstorming that comes with full comprehension of IoT. The industry must improve in identifying end-users and working with them to find new "partners in crime." Collaboration and co-creation are key to driving innovation and adoption. When service users understand how it works - they’ll present us, the developers, with more problems we can solve.

The One Bottleneck We Can’t Pass: Change Management in Smart Cities

I can add to Afzal’s analysis of why IoT isn’t being used more commonly. SONAH mainly works with governing bodies - regional and/city administrations that regulate parking assets for citizens. It’s a lack of unity within these administrations themselves that so often causes resistance. I say often that collaboration between departments is sometimes as challenging as interplanetary communication, and that the door to the colleague in the same department can sometimes feel as far away as colonizing Mars.

Why is that so important? Because these departments have to work together; smart parking requires collaboration with departments for building, electrics, lighting, and data protection. If even one department struggles to come to terms with the use of IoT, or if project managers aim for functionality without drawing attention to potential issues - the project can come to a total standstill. 

Growing Urgency From A Shrinking Workforce

By 2030, one third of all employees in Germany’s public sector will retire. That should be a huge motivation for businesses and governments to improve their relationship with IoT, to push for solutions that can really make a difference. With that in mind, we’re glad someone like Afzal is on the job, educating people on IoT and helping the industry progress. 

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Afzal’s unique approach is encapsulated in his motto: “Fighting corporate bullshit & bringing tech to market that makes life & work more fun.” His insights challenge traditional mindsets and encourage a more innovative and user-centric approach to technology deployment.

For more about Afzal and his work, visit his blog and website: https://afzalmangal.com/