The majority of enterprises are already using the internet of things (IoT) for their business, to reduce risk, optimise operations and enhance customer targeting, and existing products and services.
Sixty-five per cent of organisations are currently collecting data from connected devices and equipment and using it for a business purpose, 451 Research's quarterly study on IoT has revealed, with datacentre IT equipment the most common source (51 per cent) of this data.
Dan Harrington, research director at 451 Research, said: "Our survey shows that connected endpoint scenarios vary immensely from traditional use cases such as IP connected cameras, building automation, warehouse automation and telematics to emerging industrial use cases such as crop monitoring and remote patient monitoring.
"Organisations are both enhancing their already connected endpoints with greater capabilities as well as connecting new objects with sensors and circuitry to derive net new value for the business."
Machine sensing is now the leading source of data (71.5 per cent), with data from environmental (20 per cent) and biological sensing from humans and animals (8.5 per cent) dwarfed in comparison.
"While there are numerous examples of 'old' IoT, it does feel very much early days," Harrington continued. "We are just now beginning to understand the value of the data being produced and how best to put it to use. In order for IoT to evolve as a key digital transformation enabler, enterprises and vendors of key solutions must address security concerns, set standards for connectivity, and lower both the cost and complexity of deploying these environments.
"This complexity includes not only the deployment of the physical hardware itself, but also the backend analytics and software platforms, and the business justification tools used to realise the value of the data being gathered."
But security concerns remain the biggest barrier to IoT deployments, said 46 per cent of respondents, with a third citing a lack of internal skillsets.
Harrington added: "There is a clear need for external expertise to help convince organisations of the business value of IoT as well as to fill internal skillset gaps in areas like security, big data and network infrastructure. As these projects mature, many organisations will find themselves looking to outside consulting and professional services firms for these capabilities."
