The Internet of Things (IoT) Connects to Business Travel

The world is becoming more and more connected. It has become easier for the business traveler to not only work remotely through technological innovations that enable connection, such as Slack, Skype, and now, travel bots, but to also increase enjoyment of the physical act of traveling through the explosion of the internet of things, or IoT.

You’ve likely heard about IoT frequently in the media or even in casual conversation; IoT refers to the interconnection of devices through cloud computing and networks of data-gathering censors. Since its inception with machine to machine connection, it has broadened and dug its fingers deep into the consumer markets of technology. Through the mass adoption of IoT into consumers’ lives with products like the Apple Watch, smart home appliances, wearables, and more, companies are now able to gather data on incredibly large populations, and they’re able to access that data in real-time to make lives not only more convenient, but safer and more enjoyable. Through mass collections of data that are aggregated in one cloud, companies are beginning to be be able to identify the real needs of consumers in order to provide products and services that solve problems and create new industries. And that is exactly what has happened with physical travel.

Companies Leveraging the Internet of Things

A number of companies have developed products to increase the ease of physical travel for airport-goers, with numerous companies specifically leveraging the increased popularity and opportunities that have arisen through the Internet of Things. Due to their frequency of travel, business travelers, especially, have a lot to gain from these innovations.

Informu has invested in the development of the Mu Tag, which claims to be the world’s smallest loss prevention device, through crowdfunding efforts on Kickstarter and Backerkit. It’s a tiny tag that you can attach to anything, like your passport for example. Once you’ve attached it to your devices by simply sticking it on, you name that tag through the app. In this example, name it “Passport,” and once you’ve strayed too far from your passport on the day of your flight, the tag will automatically send you a notification through your phone or smartwatch.

A larger and more established company, SITA, Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques, is based in Geneva, and comprises the world’s leading air transport IT and communications specialists. They are an entire company, with around 1,000 airports using their technology, which focuses on bettering the customer experience.

SITA has applied technologies to increase the ease of travel for airport customers. Perhaps most notable is the 2014 Virgin Atlantic Google Glass trial at Heathrow airport. Concierge staff in the upper class wing wore Google Glass, which allowed them to greet guests by name, update passengers on the latest flight information, local events and weather, and translate any further information in foreign languages. Virgin Atlantic’s long-term adoption plans look to include capabilities such as staff being able to identify dietary and refreshment preferences to provide more personalized services to each individual passenger. The company also has solutions to enable self-check-in baggage drop, a walkthrough experience from check-in to the aircraft door, better wireless connectivity, and more.

Make Travelling Easier

SITA has also placed its support in a new startup that is entering the business of IoT in travel, called ChillTravel, through access of the WorldTracer. They are the only application outside of airlines that has been approved to use the WorldTracer technology and are using it to compete in the tracking industry. Jeronimo Acosta, co-founder of ChillTravel tells us that, “Every mishandled bag costs $100 on average to the industry, but the worst part is the disappointed and angry customer that shares his thoughts on social media and doesn’t return.” They are “making an affordable solution that will protect, track and retrieve luggage and stuff.”

SITA’s business is completely reliant on real-time data connectivity or, the Internet of Things, generating revenues of $1.7B each year from integrating its services into well over 1,000 airports around the world.

JetBlue Airways is also leveraging IoT by implementing facial-recognition systems this June at US airports to replace both passports and boarding passes. Joanna Geraghty, Vice-President of Customer Experience at JetBlue, says the reason for this move is “customer ease,” and that “it’s forseeable to have a situation in the future where a customer never has to take out a boarding pass.”

These innovations have the potential to make business travel (and travel in general) easier and more efficient; however, companies also need to consider rising concerns about safety and privacy.

privacy issues internet of things

Issues of Security, Privacy, and the Internet of Things

Technology has truly enabled companies to transform physical travel, making it easier, faster, and more convenient for passengers to get from point A to point B or for business travelers to make it to their first meeting in a new city on time. The benefits are immediately evident. Yet, as Mark Twain famously said, “Too much of anything is bad.” There are repercussions of this increasingly connected world that we have found ourselves in, and such concerns primarily revolve around security and privacy.

Security Issues

Security issues include items like hacking and simpler concerns such as public perception. Samsung’s smart home platforms that have already been on the market have been proven, through researchers’ attempts to hack them, to have holes in security. Earlance Fenandes and Jaeyeon Jung of the University of Michigan and Atul Prakash of Microsoft Research published a paper last year called Security Analysis of Emerging Smart Home Applications (PDF), demonstrating how vulnerable the platform is to hackers through their own concept attacks on the system. They targeted Samsung because of the sheer number of users that have adopted their hardware and software in addition to the level of maturity that the company is currently at.

Additionally, there is a general public worry about the security that occurs when one adopts IoT into their lifestyle. The increased connection simply creates more opportunity for hackers to hack and more information for them to take.

Privacy Issues

Privacy is another issue that has received an abundance of media attention and has only been magnified with the development of the Internet of Things. IoT has enabled a mass collection of data and its potential to do so is truly extraordinary. Just 10,000 households in the USA can generate more than 150 million unique data points each day according to the Federal Trade Commission report, “Internet of Things: Privacy & Security in a Connected World (PDF).”

Businesses are taking advantage of the power of new technologies to accrue large amounts of data enabling them to not only make better decisions, to automate and cut costs, but also keep track of their employees engaged in business travel.

GPS applications can be installed into smartphones to allow for consistent monitoring of business travelers, which puts businesses into the grey area that is privacy privilege. Although Dave Braun outlines some alternatives to constant GPS monitoring, the freedom that travel managers have—to choose direct GPS tracking through phone applications—demonstrates how technology can sometimes overstep personal boundaries.

The Importance of Addressing Privacy and Security Concerns for IoT

From the concerns that individuals have had over the US government listening in on phone calls, net neutrality, and even criticisms of other nations’ (such as China’s) control over individuals’ privacy, the IoT development in physical travel must not overlook these issues of privacy. Doing so prevents the adoption of technology that can truly not only improve our experiences in travel but can also increase human efficiency, decrease costs, and create industries of opportunity. The potential for IoT to positively impact our lives is substantial, but careful considerations of privacy and security concerns should drive the development of technological innovations to physical travel, among other industries.