Editor’s note: John Spooner is Director, Internet of Things (IoT) and Devices Practice at Technology Business Research.

HAMPTON, N.H. – Customers and vendors alike will abandon their irrational expectations for big Internet of Things (IoT) transformation projects to refocus on smaller, incremental IoT tools.

TBR expects customers and vendors to implement a two-part view, focusing on connected operations for their industry-specific operational needs and
connected business tools for their horizontal business functions.

Vendors will focus on delivering prepackaged IoT applications and services that help task-oriented customers eliminate IoT sprawl and help employees get their work done.

  • Prediction: IoT hype will give way to a focus on giving businesses tools to get work done

Trend: The air will leak out of the IoT hype balloon in 2018 as the term IoT loses its valence as a new way of thinking about outcomes around connected operations and connected business takes hold.

Driver: Customers will focus on connected operations for their industry-specific operational functions and connected business tools for their horizontal business functions. Vendors will create solutions that plug into these respective needs and will focus on use cases such as operational controls and maintenance (connected operations), leading to cost savings. They will also provide separate solutions that enable business management, planning, marketing and selling functions.

Customers will seek application or solution packages that meet their modernization needs through connected operations and connected business. These packages will further automate operations while connecting employees to the insights needed to make more effective, higher-level decisions.

Result: Vendors will market connected operations and connected business solutions, as the business case for both can finally be made with reasonable certainty due to current customer experience levels and vendors’ efforts to create prepackaged IoT solutions around operations, transportation, logistics and business functions.

(C) TBR