We know that the world is moving toward IoT (the internet of things) and that technology is rapidly developing every day to become more connected, but what is the real benefit of this? Increased connectivity between devices paired with low latency means we can have the devices interact in ways that previously weren’t possible. From lowering your utility bills to monitoring the shopping patterns of customers, IoT devices are able to analyze trends and alert you of changes in order to maximize efficiency within your business.
Cisco Meraki recently released a line of sensors that can expand on or begin your Meraki environment. This includes three different models built for the following; indoor open/close sensor, indoor water leak detection sensor, and the indoor temperature and humidity sensor. These 3 little devices can lead to enormous savings for your company.
With Covid-19 here to stay for the foreseeable future, businesses don’t just need to adapt to accommodate the new way of operating but need to optimize their operations so they can thrive. The open/close sensors can help with this. These sensors operate as their name says, monitoring the activity of a door. While this sounds like a basic task, it gives you the information needed to quickly analyze the amount of people moving through the building. This reduces the amount of staff needed to monitor store traffic for Covid-19. These sensors have another purpose within retail. By tracking the amount of people coming and going, you can calculate staff efficiency through conversion. This means seeing how many people are coming into the store compared to how many actually make a purchase. This information will alert you of the need to investigate the reason your conversion might be low and take action accordingly.
A water leak can be an expensive fix. Often these problems are caught later rather than sooner after irreparable damage has been done costing your company significant amounts of money. Water leak sensors alert you the moment there is a leak. The biggest risk with water leaks is that they are caught too late. If used in conjunction with Meraki cameras you can closely monitor the area and minimize the risk of not only a hefty water bill but also the damage that water can do to your property. While water damage is the biggest one-time cost, leaks over time can put a significant dent in your budget. What seems like an innocent leak, or a toilet that runs just a bit too long could be costing you. If left unnoticed a running toilet has the potential to waste around 6,000 gallons of water every month. Depending on your water company that could be an additional 70$ a month per toilet. For school campuses and large facilities, it is likely these leaks would go unnoticed for longer periods of time increasing the unnecessary costs and the larger the building the bigger potential there is for multiple leaks.
Similar to the water leak detection sensor, the temperature and humidity sensor alerts you of a change in the temperature and humidity as the name suggests. For homes and small businesses, the average gas bill is 125-150$ per month in the province of Ontario. For commercial businesses the price is approximately 16-20$ per square foot but can jump to 30-40$ per square foot. That is a significant difference. By alerting you of a change in temperature you are able to quickly monitor and fix whatever the problem is, saving you hundreds of dollars every month and thousands of dollars over time. Paired with a Meraki video monitoring solution you would be alerted immediately of a change and be able to check the surrounding areas through the cameras via your mobile device. With the sensors alone you have the power to see a temperature change instantly and immediately adjust your heat to accommodate for the change. This allows you to keep the building(s) at a steady temperature and save yourself money over time. For schools, the average elementary school classroom size for 20 students is 1029sqft. That is one classroom. Now imagine the cost for multiple of these classrooms at 20$ per square foot per month. Without being monitored this number has the potential to double. What seems like something insignificant can have a massive impact on your bottom line.
In theory the internet of things sounds mystical, futuristic and high tech. But in reality, it is about implementing small devices that change the way we operate to increase efficiency and save us large sums of money over time. These sensors have the ability to greatly impact your bottom line and fast. They convert directly to savings. In addition to saving you and your company money, the sensors are easy to deploy, manage virtually, and integrate seamlessly with your existing environment. These are just a few small examples of how these sensors can be effectively implemented to benefit your business. The possibilities are endless.
Please contact us to learn more about how Cisco Meraki Sensors can benefit you and your business.
