IoT Corporate Environment to Exceed 1 bn Devices in 2018, Gartner predicts

Deployment of the Internet of Things in commercial buildings will double by 2018 to 1 billion, from the current level of 518 million, according to advisory company Gartner.

“IoT creates a unified view of facilities management as well as advanced service operations through the collection of data and insights from a multitude of sensors,” said Bettina Tratz-Ryan, research vice president at Gartner. “Especially in large sites, such as industrial zones, office parks, shopping malls, airports or seaports, IoT can help reduce the cost of energy, spatial management and building maintenance by up to 30 percent.”

The company estimates that smart cities will use 1.6 billion connected things in 2016, an increase of 39 percent from 2015. The growing maturity of smart home platforms through an ecosystem of home appliances, infotainment and home sensors will see smart home investments overtake those of commercial buildings in 2018.

Smart homes will represent 21 percent of total IoT use in smart cities in 2016, and will record the fastest increase over the next five years.

“Device and wireless standards will be embedded in more devices. Homes will move from being interconnected to information- and smart-enabled – an integrated services environment that will provide value to the home and the individual ambience,” Tratz Ryan said.

The average consumer in a mature market will own and use more than three personal devices by 2018, according to a recent report by Gartner.