BOSTON, July 13: Nearly one third – 30 percent of businesses worldwide have already begun limited Internet of Things deployments, according to the new Strategy Analytics IoT 2015 Deployment and Usage Trends Survey. The independent Web-based survey polled over 450 businesses worldwide across 45 vertical markets in June 2015. All classes of businesses – SMBs, mid-sized and large businesses were equally represented. Among the 30 percent of early Internet of Things adopters, the majority of survey respondents indicated the main use cases were: Internet of Things-enabled software and applications; Internet of Things-enabled hardware and Internet of Things standalone devices or systems. The survey results also indicated that interest in Internet of Things is high and that 55 percent of respondents were familiar with Internet of Things's benefits and services. Other key findings from the survey include:

• Some 32 percent or one third of those polled said their firms plan to deploy IoT compared to one in four survey respondents – 26 percent - that said their companies currently have no IoT deployment plans. The remaining 42 percent of survey participants are still studying the issue and are undecided.
• Office security/video surveillance; smart building controls; billable services; financial analytics; healthcare analytics and healthcare diagnostics were among the top IoT applications cited by survey respondents who intend to use IoT.
• Current and potential IoT customers plan to deploy the technology to solve pragmatic and pressing business issues that impact daily operations. These include: security of both the corporate data assets and physical facilities; receiving proactive alerts to avoid service disruptions and remote control of equipment.
• IoT Security; integration and interoperability with existing and legacy systems and the potential confusion arising from the need to deal with multiple IoT vendors and platforms, were cited by survey respondents as the biggest impediments to IoT deployments.

"The survey results show that enterprise interest in IoT is high, driven by the need to address and solve pragmatic business issues. But it's equally clear that organisations are still assessing the myriad offerings and specific integration and migration strategies," said Laura DiDio, SA Director of IoT Strategies Enterprise Research and Consulting. "Many respondents highlighted the value that can be derived from deploying IoT ahead of cost savings; from new service development and increased competitiveness, to a better understanding of their business that can be derived from data analytics," said Andrew Brown, SA's Executive Director of IoT and Mobility. Key vertical segments covered in the survey include F.I.R.E (Financial, Insurance, Real Estate), manufacturing, professional services, education/public sector, healthcare/pharmaceutical and telecom/media/technology.