data deep dive the internet of things · iot / blockchain / edge computing / cognitive computing /...

IOT / BLOCKCHAIN / EDGE COMPUTING / COGNITIVE COMPUTING / IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES / QUANTUM COMPUTING

DATA DEEP DI V E

The Internet of ThingsThese findings are based on an independent study of 1200 IT influencers from a mix of large and small companies across Europe.

What is IoT and how is it really being used at the moment?


“People in general are happy that things will be talking to each other – once the security issues have been addressed.“

– survey respondent

/ COMPUTING

Coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, the term ‘Internet of Things’ first featured in a presentation he wrote while working at Procter and Gamble. He had this idea that the company should put RFID tags onto its products to improve product tracking and create real time stock management. Today the Internet of Things, or IoT (Ashton didn’t coin ‘IoT’) as it is widely known, has expanded in its thinking.

IoT is now essentially a network of objects and devices (digital or otherwise) that can talk to each other and share data on how these ‘things’ are being used or performing, regardless of location. Applications and methods of connectivity and data management vary considerably but the fundamental idea remains the same – if objects, products and devices can talk and share data, they can provide a wealth of intelligence on customers, products, processes and many other factors.

IoT is already touching many industries from agriculture and healthcare through to manufacturing, transport and logistics, and utilities. The data derived from sensors is already helping farmers monitor crops, doctors monitor patients, power firms improve the supply and demand of electricity, service teams use predictive maintenance to reduce machinery downtime and manufacturers improve shop floor efficiencies.

Ultimately IoT is creating opportunities for much more contextualised and responsive interactions that can improve workplaces, homes, cities, consumer experiences and environmental impacts. It’s all in the data that IoT can deliver. The challenge for everyone now, is to analyse that data and create actionable insights that make a real difference.

What impact will this technology have on the workplace in five years’ time?

INTERNET OF THINGS

EDGE COMPUTING

BLOCKCHAIN QUANTUM COMPUTING


Which technology trends will have the most impact on the workplace over the next five years?*.

COGNITIVE COMPUTING

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

49%39%

35%29%

25%23%

*Based on the percentage of professionals who rated the impact of each of these technologies as 5 or 6 out of 6

There is clearly an appetite for IoT. While the number of IoT-enabled devices is predicted to hit 55 billion by 20251 , businesses now appear to at least recognise the opportunities that exist for a connected workplace. Understanding that IoT can have a major impact on an organisation, the way it operates, its staffing and its ability to be agile, is fundamental to its adoption.

Our survey seems to support this. Out of the six trends addressed, IoT emerged as the one IT professionals were most positive about, with 80% of respondents claiming they expect IoT to impact the workplace in the next five years. While although cognitive computing – or at least its perception – is all the rage at the moment, only 70% of respondents are expecting it to impact the workplace within five years.

It’s not that much of a leap to suggest that the majority of organisations therefore see the collection, management and analysis of data as the biggest driver to change. As devices and sensors increase on an IoT network, there will also be a need for increased cognitive computing to analyse and action the resultant data.

The least enthused region for IoT is France, with just 38% believing it will have a major impact in five years. This is a surprise given that France is the birthplace of two key IoT connectivity technologies - LoRa WAN (born in Grenoble) and SigFox (born in Toulouse). France is a major IoT technology player, so perhaps the disconnect between image and reality may be to blame. This is highlighted by examining both business leaders’ and CIO’s views of the technology – 55% of CEOs believe it will have a major impact while just 35% of CIOs agreed, perhaps with knowledge of the practical implementation challenges.

Will IoT make us more productive?

“As continuous, real-time feedback increases we’ll see predictive technologies

flourish and gain valuable insight from data that was previously inaccessible.”

– survey respondent


It’s probably not the primary intention of IoT to increase productivity, although 47% of respondents suggest otherwise. This is interesting because a recent Gallup poll2 suggested that for all the technology innovation we have experienced over the years, productivity has not improved for decades. IoT could change that though, as fundamentally it is geared towards increasing automation and improving management decision making. Therefore, IoT won’t necessarily make individuals more productive but it should make businesses more productive.

Less productive

18%

I don’t know

10%

More productive

47%

Stay the same

26%

What impact will the internet of things have on workplace productivity?

What is holding the technology back?

“There is no real practical application for blockchain and it is pretty

complex to implement. Basically,the technology is not yet ready

for prime time.” – survey respondent

Lack of understanding about the technology

Don’t knowEmployee behaviourstowards the technology

Internal business processes

Actions of senior management regarding implementation


Which factor is most likely to prevent the internet of things from being incorporated in the workplace?

Overall, a combination of internal business processes, actions of senior management regarding implementation, and employee behavior towards the technology are tending to hold it back, according to the survey. This fits with the idea that legacy technology and the cost and confusion around implementing IoT are inhibiting uptake.

Internal business processes are cited as a key barrier to adoption by 25% of respondents, which points to a digital transformation problem. Unsurprisingly management attitudes to technology implementation reflect this, with 24% cited as a reason IoT is being held back. If management has to transform the entire business, rip out legacy IT and implement new processes, it’s a costly and daunting task.

15%14%23% 25%24%

What conclusions can we draw?


IoT does have a mixed perception issue driven by consumer attitudes and a lack of knowledge. “The problem with IoT is the race to the bottom,” says Howard Roberts, Technologist at HP. “There are an increasing number of landfill technologies being pumped out by factories that are cheap and have given little thought to security and data privacy. Consumers need educating on the dangers and need to stick to recognised brands with a history of offering reputable service and support.”

Roberts’ concern is security and privacy and rightly identifies the requirement for standards but there is no denying the rapid rise of IoT, particularly in industries such as logistics and utilities. It’s not just a future technology, it’s a now technology that can improve product performance and give businesses access to predictive maintenance, efficiency improvements and customer intelligence. By understanding the data from IoT devices, organisations can understand the user of these devices and the environment in which they operate and therefore, provide them with a valuable insight into how to make them work better and smarter. IoT has a big future.

Appendix


This research was conducted by Spiceworks on behalf of HP. The 1200 respondents came from job titles ranging from helpdesk to CEO, in companies ranging from under 50 employees to over 5000 employees, from UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Nordics, Benelux. The full breakdown can be found below.

1. http://uk.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-report?r=US&IR=T

2. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238103/improve-productivity-hire-better-managers.aspx

Links:

Breakdown of respondents by company size Breakdown of respondents by country Breakdown of respondents by job title

Company size

<500

500+

Dataset

588

612

Country

UK

France

Germany

Italy

Spain

Nordics

Benelux

Dataset

200

200

200

200

200

100

100

Job Title

Owner/CEO/President

VP IT/CIO

IT Director

IT Manager

Network Architect

Network Admin

Help Desk

Tech Consultant

Other

Dataset

120 (10%)

108 (9%)

204 (17%)

300 (25%)

24 (2%)

192 (16%)

72 (6%)

108 (9%)

72 (6%)

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