Full steam ahead for Internet of Things

According to Australian and New Zealand results from the Software for the Internet of Things (IoT) Developer Survey released by Embarcadero Technologies, 2015 will be a big year for developing business solutions with integrated ‘Things’ - such as industrial sensors, health monitors and smart buildings - to connect with existing and new business solutions. The survey finds the majority (92% in ANZ vs 84% globally) of software developers building IoT solutions in 2015 are targeting business markets, while 8% (vs 16% globally) are exclusively targeting consumers.

The Embarcadero survey, conducted by Dimensional Research, reveals that 84% (vs 77% globally) of Australian and New Zealand development teams involved in IoT projects will have their solutions in active development in 2015 with almost two-thirds (62% vs 49% globally) of local IoT developers anticipating their solutions will generate business impact by the end of 2015, compared to only 16% (vs 12% globally) in 2014. Customer demand (59% in ANZ vs 50% globally) ranks among the top drivers for Thing solution development in 2015.

IoT solutions will be distributed and interconnected

Australian and New Zealand results from the Software for IoT Developer Survey show that software and applications will be critical in IoT solution development in 2015, as developers plan to interconnect Things with multiple systems - including mobile apps, desktop apps, databases, cloud services, enterprise applications, middleware and other IoT devices:

• 61% (vs 71% globally) of Things data will move between devices and servers
• 67% (vs 72% globally) of Things will communicate using multiple technologies
• 58% (vs 49% globally) of Things will connect to cloud services
• Windows Desktop and Android will be the top operating systems connected to by Things

IoT will drive a new world of user experience

The survey reveals that three out of four Australian and New Zealand developers (75% vs 76% globally) think differently about the user experience - including input and output - when developing IoT solutions versus traditional software. While more than half of Things (55% in ANZ vs 56% globally) are expected to use traditional input (eg, keyboard, button press) in 2015, local Thing solutions are moving closer to the vision of Things, which does away with traditional touch:

• 86% (vs 97% globally) of Things will accept non-traditional input (sensors, GPS, line of site, etc)
• 22% (vs 37% globally) of Things will present information in non-traditional ways (VR, haptic, audible, environmental change, etc)

“While things like consumer gadgets are a strong focus for Australian and New Zealand developers, these survey results confirm that IoT is crossing over to business productivity and customer engagement,” said Malcolm Groves, Embarcadero’s Sydney-based senior director, Asia Pacific and Japan. “Consumers typically connect to IoT through a single personal mobile device, with other IoT infrastructure surrounding them. However, with business solutions IoT infrastructure encircles the business and enterprise assets while also including users. The IoT connected applications developers build for the enterprise are essential to connect the disparate parts of a distributed IoT business solution - from mobile devices, to wearables and sensors, to cloud and on-premises enterprise back-ends. The survey demonstrates that software developers are focused on this and will clearly play a pivotal role in driving IoT innovation and business adoption in 2015 and beyond.”

About the survey

In December 2014, Dimensional Research conducted an online survey for Embarcadero Technologies on the topic of the Internet of Things, which the survey defined as the network of Things that contain interconnection technology (ie, Wi-Fi/internet, Bluetooth) to communicate with other devices, applications, middleware and online services. The goal of the survey was to understand trends with new types of Things (excluding laptops, smartphones and tablets). After agreeing to a specific definition of “Thing” and “Thing solution”, 1040 qualified participants globally answered questions about the status of their IoT development efforts, technologies used and impact on developers, with 63 Australian and New Zealand participants.

To download an infographic for the global survey or the full global report, click here.