IoT Institute content director Brian Buntz looks at what is likely in store for the Internet of Things in 2017.

1. Internet of Things
Predictions for 2017
Brian Buntz,content director of IoT Institute

2. 1. The “Things” in IoT get smarter.
A typical connected device for
an Internet of Things
applications is not nearly as
smart as a smartphone.
In the past, companies have
called many IoT devices
“smart” just because they were
connected.
In the future, IoT devices will
become actually smarter.

3. 2. Recruiting Will Remain a Challenge for IoT
Finding the staff to work on Internet of
Things projects can a challenge.
Companies need to find technical
people, project managers, etc.
Finding staff to help with computer
security, digital marketing, mobile
technology, project management, and
database administration was especially
tough, according to TEKsystems

4. 3. The Business Focus Sharpens
 In the past couple of
years, many IoT projects
were “problems looking
for a solution.”
 Going forward, expect to
see the business case of
IoT projects to be clearer
and companies will take a
long view (incremental
approach) towards IoT
projects.

5. ….but It Won’t Be Easy
Since Steve Jobs passed away, tech
companies have struggled to understand
what types of products will resonate with
consumers. Google thought people would
want Glass…
The U.S. Presidential election also shows
that it is difficult to predict what people
are thinking. Expect to see more smaller
experimental projects rather than big, risky
ones.
And expect to see more strength in the
industrial segment.

6. 4. Security Will Remain a Big Problem
It’s never been easier for people to
become hackers and, the more
connected devices there are, the
greater the risk.
Still, the financial upsides to the IoT are
too great to ignore, so the market will
likely continue to expand unless there is
some kind of IoT-related security
nightmare that stalls growth.
In the U.S., the government could step
in to regulate the industry.

7. 5. Winning Products Will Offer a Service
Many IoT products that are targeted at consumers
offer primitive services. But the ones that offer services
such as voice recognition are the most popular.
Voice-powered AI will likely be a technology that sees
greater use for IoT applications – in other realms
besides the consumer space.

8. 6. Standards Will Remain Messy
There are not very many clear standards
for IoT applications. That is not likely to
get better next year. This could slow
down the growth of the market.

9. 8. More Interest and More Challenges for
Smart Cities
 Interest in smart cities is buildings.
 There are still significant problems,
however, relating to data.
 In the U.S., there could be more
investment in infrastructure under a
President Trump.
 Countries with a strong central
leadership and funding like China will tend
to have the most success with smart cities
projects.

10. 9. Self-Driving Cars Will
Begin to Shift Society
Self-driving car technology is advancing
faster than many people had anticipated.
The technology will likely not become
mainstream for many years, but it will
require significant social shifts.
Governments and the industry will work
together to prepare society for self-
driving cars, which will have a big affect
on the economy: people might not buy
as many cars, insurance companies and
cities will lose revenue and look for
different revenue streams.

11. 10. Machine Learning Makes Strides in IoT
 The IoT opens up the ability for companies to gather tremendous amounts
of data. Machine learning will likely be a popular strategy for dealing with
data overload and preventing “digital exhaust.”

12. 11. More Drones / AR and VR in IoT
 Similar to voice-powered AI technology, drones are a technology that became
popular among consumers that is expanding and finding more business
applications.
 AR could be used for customer
service and for education
 VR could be used for scenario
management and for education
 Technology likely will not live up
to the hype for the foreseeable
future

13. 12. Blockchain
 Look for things to sell to things and for Blockchain technology to be used to
program “things” to sell to “things.”