Published on the 17/01/2018 | Written by Newsdesk

For some time iStart has tracked advancements in the enabling infrastructure which will make the Internet of Things a reality. Now, with the release of its annual Internet of Things Decision Maker Report, IDC New Zealand confirms the accelerating pace of deployments. The market researcher said its report shows the number of New Zealand organisations which have implemented an IoT solution has practically doubled, going from 13.7 percent in 2016 to 25.7 percent in 2017.

“New Zealand organisations are understanding that the value of the Internet of Things is in the data it produces and, more importantly, what that data enables companies to act upon or improve,” said Monica Collier, Research Manager for Telecommunications, IDC New Zealand, in a statement.  “Additionally, endpoint costs continue to decrease and the range of connectivity options is increasing; it’s easier to get an IoT business case across the line.”

Other highlights from the report include:

• New Zealand companies deploying IoT are more influenced by improving the customer experience, than on improving internal processes. In fact, New Zealand organisations place more focus on the customer, as a driver for IoT, than any other country surveyed across Asia Pacific.
• While Wi-Fi remains the most popular IoT connectivity, Low Power WAN’s popularity is growing fast. Low Power WAN lets organisations deploy long-life battery operated sensor devices in remote locations, for example water meters and remote asset tracking.
• Some key shifts are occurring in IoT vendor perception by New Zealand companies with Rockwell Automation, Google, IBM and Dell performing well in terms of IoT mindshare.
• IoT is no longer just about ‘connected cows’ (agricultural applications). There are opportunities across industries from manufacturing to retail to healthcare. For example, While Australia leads APeJ for asset performance tracking in manufacturing, a healthy 21 percent of NZ manufacturers have deployed IoT in this space.

Collier summarises the opportunity in IoT: “The New Zealand IoT Alliance research says IoT could bring NZ$2.2 billion of benefit to the New Zealand economy over the next ten years. Our report illustrates how companies have understood that message and are implementing IoT to increase productivity and improve customer experience.

“We would encourage tech buyers to ensure their IoT plans are not siloed; the plans should fit within their overall digital roadmap. For vendors, to step ahead you’ll need a good IoT partner ecosystem in context with the industries you are servicing. Customers want a technology partner that understands their business as well as their technology.”