According to Gartner Inc., in 2016 we shall use 6.4 billion “Things” connected to the internet, 30% more than in 2015. If the foregoing predictions are true, in 2020 there will be 20.8 billion devices in the IoT. The “Internet of Things” is becoming the “Internet of Everything”, and according to the foregoing data, companies are responsible for 2.3 billion devices connected to the internet.
The connection of objects to the internet enables, above all, to compile information that otherwise would be unthinkable to obtain, and depending upon the areas in respect of which the data is obtained, the adoption of decisions related to said information may be drastically improved. The work environment is one of the areas with the highest potential for change over upcoming years, as the monitoring of the use of the office and even of the performance of staff shall be possible. However, when considering how to integrate said technology within companies, there are still a number of sceptics that do not consider that sufficient returns are obtained from such a considerable investment with only a few years of implementation and without significant data that verifies the efficacy thereof.
According to the annual study “Voice of the Enterprise: Internet of Things” carried out by the consultancy firm 451 Research, 46% of large worldwide companies already have initiatives implemented within their business plan related to the Internet of Things. In turn, 21% of international SMEs hope to integrate said initiatives this year.
This high degree of connectivity of everything in real time is going to have a significant impact in the transformation of work spaces as we know them. It is unquestionable that we are witnessing the beginning of a new generation of “smart offices” that, in the not too distant future, shall enable us to save time and resources in a range of simple actions such as the control of lighting, air-conditioning, safety, the use of spaces and the monitoring of the activities carried out within the office.
But, does this transformation really imply an improvement of efficiency and productivity?
According to the 451 Research study, companies that have already integrated strategies related to the IoT have reduced errors in their business decisions by 66% and have optimised their decision-making processes by 63%.
Returning to the Gartner Inc. study, the true source of value throughout the world of the IoT are the services associated to said devices, and the focus is now on new companies and users that develop the potential of this new industry.