The International Data Corp. has released a new report that reveals how the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining traction in the enterprise sector.
According to the report, 31 percent of organizations have launched IoT offerings that incorporates cloud, analytics, and security capabilities into their network, while 43 percent are looking into deploying IoT offerings in the next 12 months.
“I think we’re moving past the early nascency [of IoT], and organizations are really starting to understand the benefits that IoT can bring,” Carrie MacGillivray, vice president of mobility and Internet of Things at IDC, told CRN. “There’s a lot of education taking place in the market, and now IoT is such a hot topic that customers are talking about it with vendors or attending events to learn more.”
MacGillivray has also emphasized that as the IoT market continues to grow, there is a need for stronger partner ecosystems, as well as channel and systems integrators playing a more important role. He also noted that analytics vendors and systems integrators are being seen as leaders in the space as customers are now starting to realize that IoT is all about the data and not so much about the hardware.
Nico Genet, director of IoT and co-founder of SMG3, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based solution provider, stated that the focus on analytics and cloud IoT is understandable as “data is the new currency.”
“You need to have that next level of analytics because end users want to see more beyond just the hardware,” Genet said. “With any ruggedized device, end users want to go deeper. That next phase [of IoT] is happening; customers want to use the data faster and more wisely.”
Despite 55 percent of survey respondents see the strategic benefits of IoT to their business, they are aware that there are still challenges that needs to be addressed, such as the internal skills in deploying IoT solutions to the company. Other challenges mentioned in the report that are hindering IoT adoption in the enterprise include up-front and ongoing costs, and security.
It’s pretty clear that the report has tapped into some overall truths of IoT as it progresses on into the future. Industry observers will be keen to highlight the next standout implementation of a deeper, faster IoT product that delivers on the technical expectations of this ‘next-phase’ IoT construct. Powered by capable architecture, the future is a world where analytics have scaled in capabilities, and data is the key focus.
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