Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the hottest topics in the tech world today. According to Security Today, every second, 127 new IoT devices are connected to the internet.
IoT has the potential to transform not just how people live but how businesses operate.
According to a report by Microsoft published last year, 85% of enterprise IoT decision-makers surveyed said that their organizations have at least a current IoT project, at full adoption, or in process. And 88% of the adopters believed in the importance of IoT to the success of their business.
IoT has received significant goodwill but remains far from its full potential because of the various challenges with the management of connected devices. Five major factors threaten the adoption of IoT by enterprises.
About two years ago, research suggested that IoT devices could be responsible for 3.5% of global emissions by 2025 and that by 2040, that figure could rise to 14%. It also predicted that electricity consumption by the communications industry could reach 20% by 2025.
The findings challenged the mainstream idea that IoT devices could significantly increase energy efficiency.
In a world where human and animal existence is threatened by climate change, corporations are striving hard to reduce their energy footprint in whatever way they can. According to the World Economic Forum, IoT deployment can cut carbon emissions by 15%.
So, why, then, should enterprises be concerned about its possible negative effects?
The problem with connected devices and sustainability has more to do with production than implementation. In building IoT devices meant to ensure sustainability, we may be inadvertently harming the environment even more.
The efficiency of IoT (both consumer and enterprise) is in having all connected devices working together as a single ecosystem.
A smart home depends on the synergy of multiple devices, the same way that a smart city is only possible when all aspects of homes, offices, vehicles, and industries work together as one unit.
According to McKinsey analysts, interoperability is required to realize 40% to 60% of the economic value that IoT enables.
However, interoperability is threatened by the existence of different vendors and service providers, using different operating systems and technologies to power their devices. And the lack of standards in the IoT industry contributes to this.
Normally, a device from maker A and another from maker B and another from maker C should be able to work together effectively, but that is hardly the case.
Besides, with rapidly growing innovations, technologies used in connected devices can go obsolete quickly and render the devices useless.
What distinguishes IoT devices is their ability to connect to the internet. But there is a problem with connectivity, too: a lack of uniformity in communication protocols.
According to David Roe, a tech journalist, “Right now though, IoT devices are not being configured to speak a single language. As yet there is no universally accepted communications standard that will enable all devices to communicate.
