IoT Market Still Growing Quickly Across Many Different Areas: 2021 Update

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Oct 01, 2021, 08:30 ET

DUBLIN, Oct. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Whatever Happened to the IoT?" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The industrial IoT market is of great interest to software providers and investors as it is growing so quickly across so many different areas. There were at one time numerous statistics showing huge, growing revenues, numbers of sensors, connections, and possible applications, that the promise verged on hype.

This report addresses the question 'whatever happened to the industrial IoT?'

The report focuses on the industrial IoT through the Connected Applications software market - which is where most revenue is generated - by large, global, 'enterprise' software providers, mainly from an OT or IT background, with a long tail of smaller players. Although 'pure' IoT technology providers are growing quickly, they are less significant.

Connected Applications are packaged software solutions that bridge from IoT-connected devices to other information systems, and typically leverage AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning) and Analytic capabilities. They help drive the expanding Digital Transformation market, which almost always requires IoT technology. A sign that the market is maturing is that investment in IoT technologies is rarely standalone. Most industrial automation projects now involve IoT, and Connected Applications can deliver this as part of a broader solution - often involving enterprise systems such as ERP, PLM/CAx, MOM and BIM.

The market is still very fragmented, with Providers large and small, from many different backgrounds, some totally focused on Connected Applications and others have entry-level operations or are 'testing the water'. By defining nine Connected Market Areas and focusing on the most frequent Use Cases, we have been able to measure the market, and use this information to make forecasts and identify trends with the granularity expected by strategists.

Our research indicates that Connected Applications are becoming pervasive and support a growing market that Providers should assess carefully.

For over 30 years, the publisher has been analyzing the engineering and manufacturing software market. In 2010 it began to study embedded software, which is fundamental to the IoT.

As interest in IoT grew, the authors decided to analyze this market in full and in 2017 undertook a self-financed research project into the landscape for industrial IoT and Digital Transformation. This involved interviewing key executives in senior strategy and operational roles in major providers. The resulting report: 'The Industrial Internet of Things and Digital Transformation; Market Landscape and Trends', published in January 2018, provided a perspective onto the market from both technical and commercial viewpoints.

The next step was an industry-led Charter Program to agree on market segmentation and provide the basis for accurately measuring the global market size and composition in the Digital Transformation and industrial IoT space. Further analyst research resulted in the IIoT/Connected Applications Observatory - a dataset that tracks size and estimates growth of the market across three geographic regions: AMER, APAC and EMEA. This can create confusion amongst buyers because so many companies are involved and there are applications in so many industries. Measuring the market is a challenge but - using quantitative research and a methodology honed by 35 years of analyzing engineering, industrial and manufacturing markets - the publisher created this 'Observatory' to measure the global industrial IoT/Connected Applications market and provide forecasts based on econometric sources.

What we're hearing

Two-way briefings with leading software providers and investors have given the author insights into experiences at the cutting edge, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (also discussed in Section 4).

Actual comments include:

Some far-sighted customers (e.g. semiconductor manufacturers) invest in downturns so that they're ready for the next boom cycle
Customers are doubling down on digital investment and we're taking a more consultative approach to be more flexible
The pandemic is shortening the move to digitalization from years to months
Process manufacturing, transportation, Utilities and CPG are relatively unaffected
Sectors such as automotive see this as a 'pause'; product development and sales will take up the slack when the pandemic effects are managed. This is also what happened after the GFC
Solution providers are reacting to the crisis by moving into needed areas - pharma, medical device manufacturing (e.g. ventilators)
We're seeing re-shoring of manufacturing back to North America
AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Consulting) is holding up in 2020. The new US administration will join the ROW in infrastructure stimulus so that 2021 will get back to growth
IT companies can easily work remotely - and even be more efficient/effective
IoT application developers are partnering with 'OT' industrial automation providers to provide factory/production solutions
Front line workers need digital solutions too.

Questions that software providers and investors are asking

The IoT/Connected Applications is difficult to define, track and analyze, so it is unsurprising that there are many unanswered questions from both software Providers and Investors strategists such as:

Software providers:

To plan our sales strategy, we need to know which sectors are projected to grow most strongly, by Market Area and Region, and where new demand is likely to emerge?
To plan our software product development, we need to know which Use Cases are most popular, which are growing fastest and what new Use Cases are likely to emerge?
For our marketing strategy and communications, we need to know the strongest providers, emerging competitors, and possible disrupters in the sectors we cover? We also need to understand how customers can obtain business value from our solutions?
To plan our implementation services and partner strategy, we need to know how IIoT/Connected Applications and key technologies will be delivered?

Investors need to know:

Which companies are strong but underperforming?
Where the disrupters are likely to come from?
Who are the top 5 or 10 performers in their sector/region?

We trust that this report will throw some light on many of these open questions.

The objectives of this 2021 report are to:

Present a credible landscape view of the IIOT and how it may evolve.
Capture the main trends and market drivers.
Identify key players and possible disrupters.
Describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Use metrics from IIoT and Connected Applications research - combined with other econometric sources - to make evidence-based market forecasts.
Predict possible scenarios for the evolution of the industry.

This will assist global software providers in marketing and sales planning and assist investors in targeting investment opportunities.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction and Objectives

2. IoT, Connected Applications and Digital Transformation

3. Understanding the 'Ecosystem'

4. Market Economics

5. Measuring and Forecasting the Market

6. Challenges and Trends

7. Conclusions, and Questions for Business, Investment & Marketing Planning

Companies Mentioned

Analog Devices
ABB
Accenture
Amazon AWS
ARM
AT&T
Autodesk
Bosch
Brompton
Capgemini
Credit Suisse
CyberX
Dassault Systemes
Enovia
Dell EMC
Deloitte
Deutsche Telekom
EE (BT)
Emerson
EY
GE Digital
Google
GreenQ
Hitachi
Honeywell
HPE
IBM
IFS
KPMG
LYFT
Microsoft
Mitsubishi Electric
NTT
Nvidia
Oracle
OSI Inc.
PTC
Rockwell
RTI
Samsung
SAP
Schneider Electric
Siemens
Software AG
T-Mobile/Sprint
Taos
Texas Instruments
Uber
Verizon
Vodaphone
Wipro

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r3xv9i

Media Contact:

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets