NC Sep-Oct 2022

OPINION: IOT
HOW THE INTERNET OF THINGS IS
REACHING MATURITY
AFTER MANY YEARS OF HYPE, THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) IS
FINALLY MATURING TO A POINT WHERE ORGANISATIONS ARE
TURNING STRATEGIES INTO REALITY AND PLANNING INTO ACTION,
ACCORDING TO PHIL BEECHER, CEO AND PRESIDENT, WI-SUN
ALLIANCE
This maturing of IoT comes across clearly
in Wi-SUN's recent IoT research study, a
follow up to the one we published in
2017. It's clear that IoT is a much bigger IT
priority for organisations than it was five years
ago. Half of the research sample - IT decision
makers in UK and US organisations across a
range of industries - view IoT enablement as a
top three priority for the next 12 months. It's
also most likely to be the single top priority
among respondents.
Implementations and the technology itself are
maturing and ambitions are growing. Decision
makers see their peers benefitting from IoT
initiatives and are looking increasingly to the
technology to differentiate themselves in the
market. More than 90% of respondents believe
that they must invest in IoT over the next 12
months to remain competitive.
IoT can help to make them more agile - a
key driver for adoption. This equips users to
meet volatile operating conditions during a
pandemic that has changed the operating
rules, and new challenges we face in a rapidly
changing world.
Businesses and public sector bodies need to
enhance their user experiences, both internally
and externally, as they look for new ways to
engage people in no-touch and remote
environments. This is especially true for smart
cities, which must find safe ways for
increasingly dense populations to co-exist
alongside each other.
CHANGING IOT INITIATIVES
Overall, plans to roll out IoT initiatives have
grown. In 2017, respondents were asked
about their plans to implement a series of
different IoT-related projects, and the
proportion stating that their organisation was
'very likely' or 'definitely' going to deploy them
within 12-18 months ranged from 57%-77%
across various projects. In 2022, this rose to
72%-87%.
While the use cases for utilities, including
distribution automation and advanced meter
infrastructure, remain popular, we are starting
to see new opportunities emerge both for
smart utility and smart city environments. Waste
management sensors, for example, which
could monitor bins and alert councils when
they need emptying.
With more vehicles on our roads and traffic
congestion a growing problem, it's no surprise
that traffic management is an area of
increased focus for smart cities adopting IoT.
More organisations are planning to implement
traffic lights and controls, with an 18%
increase, while smart parking saw the biggest
rise since 2017, with 77% planning to deploy
this, compared to 57% in 2017. It's clear from
the report that environmental and
sustainability-focused use cases are also
moving up the IoT priority list, particularly for
smart city initiatives.
With the global urban population predicted
to more than double by 2050, according to
the World Bank, we will see smart technology
playing an increasingly important role. This
includes devices like pollution sensors that
monitor air quality, acoustic sensors that
measure noise levels, and an electric vehicle
charging infrastructure that can cope with
growing demand for electric vehicles.
Two new initiatives on our list for 2022,
include water loss/leak detection and
mandatory carbon monitoring, with three in
four organisations planning to implement
these. The opportunities for savings and
increased efficiency in some of these use cases
are high.
But it's not just about environmental
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