How to Sell IoT Solutions to Government Agencies

Government agencies that wait to explore and deploy IoT solutions waste valuable time in delivering important services and educating their constituents about the effect and impact those new technologies will have on their lives and wallets.

That warning, part of Deloitte’s new “Anticipate, sense, and respond: Connected government and the Internet of Things” report, spells good news for VARs that are planning to develop or expand their IoT offerings in the public sector.

The report illustrates some of the early IoT applications government agencies have begun or are planning to deliver, why they are needed and the major issues attached to them. VARs can use that information to help develop their pre-sales consulting strategies; build scalable, entry-level solutions that government agencies are becoming more familiar with; and address any concerns the agency might have.

Solution providers still have plenty of time (but none to waste) to prepare for these emerging opportunities. Most local and state government agencies have only begun thinking about the possibilities of IoT implementations, while no federal agency has included one in a strategic IT plan, according to a Brookings Institution report issued early this spring.

But as specific IoT implementations gain publicity, more public agencies will begin taking steps to develop their own. Solution providers will want to be the first in the door to help them. Here are a few emerging solutions public agencies—mainly utilities, safety and security and education—are gaining interest in, according to the Deloitte report:

• Collecting better information to effectively evaluate how public workers, programs and policies address challenges and help government agencies deliver services based on real-time and situation-specific conditions (all levels)
• Improving parking, waste management, emergency broadcasting (local and state)
• Monitoring water quality of lakes, rivers, public drinking supplies, supply chains, and energy efficiencies (federal)

As solution providers prepare government IoT solutions, they should review the concerns and behaviors public sector IT managers share when dealing with new technologies. Those concerns become more acute with IoT solutions. Solution providers should be prepared to present the facts and documentation needed to ease those concerns. Here are a few suggestions from Deloitte:

1. Public sector IT managers have to prove beyond a doubt the value and ROI of any project before it gets the green light. Help them do that by providing your own concrete examples.
2. Prove value by identifying real-life problems the solution will solve or the goals it will enable. Clearly identify the technical, organizational and talent changes that will have to be made to realize the benefits of the solution, Deloitte notes. Show how a solution rethinks, redefines and improves existing products and processes, as opposed to merely showing how it enhances existing ones. Demonstrating how data collection and analysis can create new insights and positive behavioral changes is a good place to start.
3. Data analytics will play an increasingly important role in government IoT applications. But the data collected from IoT devices can lead to discrimination, especially when algorithms are used to automatically categorize, make decisions or treat people differently. Understand those risks and demonstrate how the solution will prevent them.
4. Protecting privacy and securing data are paramount concerns for all public agencies. That’s especially true when it comes to the vulnerability of the sensors, wireless devices and infrastructure, and data analytics solutions that make up the backbone of IoT. Governments are expected—and being forced—to lead in those areas. Show them how to do it.

Jeff O’Heir is a freelance journalist who covers emerging technologies. He can be reached at joheir1@gmail.com