4 Reasons Why Agriculture Businesses Need Managed IT

Farming is no longer the cultivation of crops with simple tools: It is the adaptation and progression of plant and animal life via advanced technology. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, is sweeping through the world of agriculture and produce, boosting efficiency, production, and quality through the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, the total number of IoT connections will reach 83 billion by 2024, reports Juniper Research, and the industrial sector, which includes agriculture, will account for more than 70% of its 130% growth. Here are four reasons why agribusinesses need managed IT to handle this digital transformation.

Technology

Advanced connectivity infrastructure is expected to cover 80% of the world’s rural areas by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Precision farming, smart farming, and digital farming all demand a solid internal infrastructure. IoT devices, including smart sensors, robotics and drones, positioning and location tracking, cloud computing, AI analytics, and cellular communication systems, generate big data, which can overwhelm aging IT systems. Consequently, agribusinesses need to routinely assess their IT infrastructures to ensure they are optimized for the advanced technologies of precision agriculture.

Production

With industry-wide connectivity from IoT devices, the agri-food sector could increase $500 billion in additional value by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. However, the increased production and quality of agricultural goods can be devastated by a downed server or expired software license. Downtime costs $5,600 per minute on average, reports Gartner, and an hour can amount to $140,000 to $540,000 depending on the organization. Save time and money through regular, proactive systems monitoring to maintain the health of your business’ IT infrastructure and guarantee system uptime and business continuity.

Workforce

Dispersed across acres of fields, checking different crops and monitoring different IoT devices, agricultural employees cannot walk across the office and knock on the door of the IT department. Often widespread and remote, these workers need immediate access to big data and sensitive information in order to manage produce, which is directly impacted by weather and natural elements that wait for no human or lagging network connections. Agricultural employees require around-the-clock help desk and IT support so they can get the job done no matter the hour, no matter the IT request.

Customer Experience

All three of the prior reasons—technology, production, and workforce—impact the health and food security of people across the world. Their efficiency, output, and success—or lack thereof—trickle down into overall customer success. The world’s population is set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, and thus, global agricultural production needs to rise 69% between 2010 and 2050, according to the United Nations. The boost in production from Industry 4.0 is the key to this goal. Precision agriculture can reduce operations costs by 15% and increase crop yield by 13%, according to the American Farm Bureau. Agribusinesses should invest in managed IT services from a qualified managed service provider to ensure optimal network performance and a healthy IT infrastructure that supports the advanced technologies necessary to boosting production and putting more food on more tables.

What NexusTek Can Do For Your Agribusiness

As an award-winning managed service provider, NexusTek delivers experienced IT consulting and IT services for agribusinesses across the U.S. We offer multiple fixed-fee Managed IT plans so that you can select the service that best meets the needs of your business. Here are the ways in which our dedicated IT supports your business:

Our initial onboarding assessment of your IT infrastructure evaluates the efficiency of your current systems and identifies areas for improvement to better support advanced IoT devices.
Our quarterly business reviews continue to update you throughout the year on the optimal technology solutions that answer your business needs and goals throughout your journey to digital transformation.
Our 24/7/365 proactive monitoring continually surveys your IT systems to ensure the health of your IT infrastructure, decreasing downtime and increasing productivity.
Our unlimited live help desks support your remote workforce wherever they may be, whenever they may need assistance.
Our IT inventory management and tracking services confirm your software licenses and hardware warranties are up to date so that your smart farm never falters.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing the way we produce food.
Change with it, with NexusTek’s managed IT services.