Inmarsat reveals the drivers and challenges of IoT deployments

Inmarsat reveals the drivers and challenges of IoT deployment
More than half (54%) of respondents said cost-effectiveness is their main reason for adopting IoT technologies. This was followed by environmental sustainability and a better understanding of the supply chain – both with 48 percent.

Organizations with a formal IoT strategy reap the most benefits when it comes to the main drivers of increasing costs and sustainability.

Without a formal IoT strategy, 52 percent feel their investments meet or exceed their expectations for cost-effectiveness and 53 percent for environmental sustainability. With a formal IoT strategy, this increased significantly to 73 percent and 71 percent, respectively. “The efficiency gains and cost savings IoT can bring, in addition to the many environmental benefits, paint a clear picture of why most organizations are moving forward with IoT,” said Mike Carter, president of Inmarsat Enterprise.

In terms of barriers, lack of own skills (37%) was cited as the main barrier to new IoT deployment. This problem is particularly acute among organizations that do not have a formal IoT strategy in place, as 47 percent of this group continue to struggle with skills shortages. That drops by more than half to 21 percent of organizations with a formal IoT strategy.

Another major obstacle is the lack of reliable connectivity (24%). “For organizations to get the most out of their IoT deployments, they need to ensure they have all the right skills and connectivity requirements. The strategy is better positioned to reap the benefits of optimized and more sustainable operations,” Carter added.

“We see that many companies still struggle with deploying IoT projects due to unreliable, insecure or poor connectivity. This is where IoT satellite connectivity can play an important role. Some of the most valuable data often come from the most inaccessible places, so investing in the effective collection, storage and analysis of this data is critical to successful IoT strategies.