Organizations moving towards scalable IoT deployments

Initial results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) 2016 Global IoT Decision Maker Survey show that the organisations are pivoting away from proof of concept projects to scalable Internet of Things (IoT) deployments that are incorporating cloud, analytics, and security capabilities.

31.4 per cent of organizations surveyed have launched IoT solutions, with an additional 43 per cent looking to deploy in the next 12 months. 55 per cent of respondents see IoT as strategic to their business as a means to compete more effectively.

While security/privacy and upfront/ongoing costs are top concerns for decision makers, lack of internal skills is a new, top concern for organizations looking to deploy an IoT solution.

Improving productivity, reducing costs, and automating internal processes are seen as top benefits of an IoT solution. This highlights an internal and operational focus by organizations over the short term as opposed to external, customer-facing benefits.

"Setting strategies, finding budgets, and supporting IoT solutions have contributed to an ongoing tussle between line of business executives (LOBs) and CIOs. However, that race may be over, because in many cases LOBs are now both leading the discussions and either paying in full or sharing the costs of IoT initiatives with the CIOs," said Vernon Turner, senior vice president, Enterprise Systems and IDC Fellow for IoT.

"This year we see confirmation that vendors who lead with an integrated cloud and analytics solution are the ones who will be considered as critical partners in an organization’s IoT investment," added Carrie MacGillivray, vice president, Mobility and IoT.