The Internet of Things (IoT) is picking up momentum as more companies move from the planning stage to execution, according to a new report from reach firm IDC.
A new survey of global IoT decision makers by IDC found that 73 per cent of those responding have already deployed IoT solutions or plan to do so within the next year. According to IDC’s research, the greatest potential for IoT adoption is in the enterprise.
“IoT momentum continues to grow and our survey shows that it is seen as strategic to the enterprise,” said Vernon Turner, IDC’s senior vice-president and research fellow for IoT, in a statement.
According to the report, IoT is gaining the most traction in the retail industry at 56 per cent showing high awareness of IoT, followed by 53 per cent in the manufacturing industry.
IoT was viewed as a strategic initiative by 58 per cent, with 24 per cent also calling it transformative. The health care industry was on top with 72 per cent of health care respondents calling IoT transformative, followed by transportation and manufacturing at 67 per cent and 66 per cent. Lagging well behind the pack was the government vertical.
“IDC’s 2015 survey shows the regional differences in terms of awareness, adoption, and plans for implementation,” added Carrie MacGillivray, IDC’s vice-president for IoT and mobile, in a statement. “With nearly 2,500 survey respondents from 15 countries, including the United States, Brazil, China, India, and Germany, we are able to provide quantifiable evidence that the Internet of Things is a not just a concept, but a real global accelerator of the 3rd Platform.”
In other findings, security remains a concern for many IoT decision makers, and is now joined by upfront and ongoing costs. Software vendors are catching up with their hardware cousins when it comes to IoT solutions, and data processing at the edge of the network, rather than in the data centre, is becoming a clear requirement for customers.