Forget all you thought you knew about cannabis, including the warnings and prohibitions against it. The cannabis industry is now a huge business, especially with overseas markets opening wide for its unrestricted use. Even here in the US, it is increasingly becoming legal and mainstream, both for medical and recreational use.
The global cannabis market is estimated to be valued at USD 20.5 billion in 2020 by Markets and Markets, and is projected to reach USD 90.4 billion by 2026. In the United States, approximately 14% of the population regularly use some form of CBD products, with the highest usage in the west and south, respectively.
Technology Is Spurring Growth in the Cannabis Industry
With all the interest in cannabis products worldwide, the cannabis industry has naturally turned to technology to help drive their growth and success. Technology has enabled increases in research, safety, and quality harvests, as well as many innovations for growth on the business side.
Growth, Harvesting, and Logistics
New smart growing and harvesting technologies are being applied to the cannabis industry. Sensors, lighting, atmospheric controls, soil health, and more are all connected through the cloud to monitor every aspect of product growth. Even biosynthesis efforts that work to extract more and better cannabinoids from plants use advanced technology to bring down production costs, improve quality, and lower the end cost of cannabis products.
Logistics has long been an area that has used technology to control inventory and product distribution. The cannabis industry has adopted these logistical aids in full, from drone monitoring to smart inventory and shipping methodologies. Harvesting operations are even tied to production and distribution to predict the flow of product and foresee any shortfalls before they can happen.
The list goes on and on:
- Sensors monitor materials and equipment to track growth and movement across an entire growth and harvesting operation.
- AI records data from how workers move about and interact with product and growth operations.
- Digitized safety mechanisms protect workers and collect data on growth and manufacturing processes, enabling better collaboration and decision-making.
- Apps help managers track every set of plants and each worker in real-time, managing traffic, material deliveries, growth patterns, site conditions, and more.
- Mobile apps improve measurements, inventory, product inspections, and more.
e-Commerce Technology
Perhaps the most innovative advances in the cannabis industry involve e-commerce technologies. Even the most open areas experience some difficulty in obtaining the products they desire, so technological solutions were quickly adopted to help users locate and procure the products they needed.
One example of this is by adopting AI chatbot technology and connecting it with a cannabis knowledgebase, inventory database, and commerce solution. Now, on many cannabis product websites, users can interact with a chatbot to discover which strain or product is best for their needs. Recommendations and a seamless transition to purchasing solutions are provided.
Even blockchain technology is making its way into the cannabis industry. Blockchain validation technology can ensure that customers enjoy a high level of compliance, validation, and security in their transactions. This is becoming more important to satisfy local, state, and federal oversight and regulations as they unfold.
A Reliable Dedicated Network for Your Cannabis IOT Needs
Of course, this huge amount of technology must be connected to a reliable digital network in order for it all to function as necessary. The remote growing and harvesting locations of many commercial cannabis operations make fiber a poor solution, owing to huge costs and delays.
Even if fiber is available, a secondary network is a must to guarantee redundancy and diversity.
Cannabis companies need a high-speed wireless Internet connection and network that can provide superior bandwidth, security, and reliability, plus the ability to scale quickly as needs arise. Plus, fixed wireless installation is fast and simple. If a nearby fiber connection exists, fixed wireless is the perfect backup solution.
Fiber and fixed wireless can be designed to enter your facilities at different points, from different sources, and co-exist as your primary and secondary networking solutions. Modern cannabis operations rely on secure, dependable Internet and networking connectivity to maintain continuity and stability.
Contact MHO today to inquire about fixed wireless Internet and networking solutions for your cannabis IOT needs.
