As enterprises start to think about building Internet of Things (IoT) networks, the key question becomes: What’s happening on the standards front?
Without platforms and standards to guide the development of products and services, IoT could become a chaotic mess. Widely accepted standards and broad platforms are needed in three key areas:
- The instrumented devices themselves, which can include just about anything from smart city street lights to industrial controls to farm equipment.
- The network, which will probably be a combination of wired and wireless that brings IoT data back to a data center.
- And a system of alerts or analyses or some way to make the data actionable.
These systems need to work together in order for IoT to be useful for enterprises. While the IoT standards process is still in its infancy, there’s an increasing sense of urgency as the momentum behind IoT continues to build.
A survey of nearly 1,000 enterprises worldwide conducted by 451 Research from August to October 2016 shows that 71% of organizations are gathering data as part of IoT initiatives today. They expect to increase their IoT technology spending by 33% over the next 12 months, the study says.