A peek into Intel’s Internet of Things lab in Swindon

Among many other things showcased at the IoT lab was this data analytics machine that analysed live Twitter feeds for a particular topic or "hashtag". On the opening day, the IoT machine was tracking the hashtag - Intel IoT. Everytime there was tweet with the hashtag, the machine's glass door will become white for a couple of seconds. 

Tim Taberner of Eurotech, a company that builds supercomputers and offers the technology behind London’s Oyster cards, is planning to use the lab to collaborate with other players to develop smart buildings and retail. “It’s like an ecosystem where all providers can converge and build services that will add business value,” says Taberner.

But Taberner identified several challenges in enterprises’ IoT journey. 

ccording to Taberner, IoT is like a “leap of faith”. He said: “CIOs want specific value. If they implement something, they want immediate value out of it or find ways to monetise it, but for IoT to deliver value, it takes a long time to get it right."

He said traditional businesses will not throw away their existing IT kits for IoT services: “For instance, British Gas will not change its legacy systems. And hence, a gateway is fundamental to help IT implement IoT projects.”