Watson - API with a lot of potential
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Watson IoT platform has been explored for the last year, and a number of use cases are being deployed. The one that I am most interested in is syncing Watson IoT platform with Enterprise Asset Management. Maximo has been widely used across heavy industries now, and getting access to the relevant data and visualization will be very useful to attain the asset productivity we aim for and to generate business value.
Pros
- The asset information is available in both static and dynamic format (from thermal images, to OEM data, to time series data). The ability to ingest all the information using a single platform has great value.
- Another benefit is a seamless integration with Maximo. This has been a challenge with other 3rd party systems available.
- The experience of IBM Maximo systems updates is positive.
Cons
- IBM, in general, lacks strong front-end consultants, and is still a software sales driven company.
- Customers need a lot of help identifying the "real" problem, which could be caused by their process, people, or maybe a technology. IBM with its experience can help.
- I understand that IBM will soon offer a holistic Asset Performance Management solution, because until now it has been a tactical level solution. Watson has a place in the overall package
Likelihood to Recommend
As long as we have a clear understanding of the "real" pain points-- and that involves gathering both structured and unstructured data-drawing conclusions-- Watson IoT has a role to play. The area I am most keen on that a move the Watson can help achieve would be to go from preventative maintenance, to predictive maintenance, to eventually prescriptive maintenance.