How the Internet of Things Is Like Monopoly
To keep smart technology initiatives moving, governments and organizations must focus on security.
Players use a variety of strategies in Monopoly. If you are familiar with the game, you know you must achieve a monopoly before you can build, and you need four houses before you can add a hotel. My preferred strategy is to establish an infrastructure before I start building houses. I try to buy railroads and utilities, as well as the less expensive properties on the board.
In this way, Monopoly mirrors the Internet of Things. As localities try to implement IoT technologies for smart cities initiatives, they need an infrastructure that includes networking, storage and processing to handle the data that will be collected, stored, transmitted and analyzed. And starting with smaller, less expensive projects can help them establish a record of success before they move on to bigger things.
Everyone has a preferred method when playing Monopoly. Some people save up and get Park Place and Boardwalk — others prefer to acquire the railroads and utilities. Whatever your way to play, the reality is that it can all go to pot if you land on the wrong space.