IoT enablement a top priority for 2022 – Wi-SUN Alliance

The Wi-SUN Alliance has reported data privacy regulation as a top challenge for Internet of Things (IoT) adopters.

In a new survey of UK and US IoT adopters as a follow on to an earlier 2017 investigation, the Alliance has found that while fears over security remain a top challenge and improving security is a top IT priority, over the period these have become less of a concern, dropping by over 30%.

However, at the same time fears have grown over data privacy issues and big data, with data privacy regulation a top concern and a top rollout challenge.

Other top challenges are those arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and its handling, viz the need to reprioritise spending in its wake and budget cuts resulting from the reduced revenues during that period.

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“Data privacy concerns have gone up, understandably, with more legislation putting the spotlight on data protection. This includes the GDPR in Europe and various state-level laws in the US,” comments Phil Beecher, President and CEO of the Wi-SUN Alliance.

“IoT initiatives, such as smart metering, streetlighting and those using environmental, air quality and acoustic sensors are increasingly generating huge volumes of data and while this information may be made entirely ‘secure by design’, the risks remain.”

The survey, which was based on input from players including utilities, smart cities and industrial IoT and gives a good insight on thinking on IoT adoption, highlighted that in 2022, IoT is a bigger IT priority than ever for organisations across multiple sectors with enablement as a top priority for the next 12 months.

As the use cases mature and organisations see repeated successes among their peers, they are looking increasingly to this technology as a way to differentiate themselves. More than 90% of the respondents believe that they must invest in IoT over the next 12 months to remain competitive, believing that it could help to make them more agile and equipped to meet the more volatile operating conditions of today’s markets.

Security and surveillance was cited as the most popular IoT initiative in 2022, with most very likely or definitely planning to deploy the technology in the next 12-18 months. Other top popular use case are distribution automation and advanced meter infrastructure as well as waste management.

Among the other use cases, an uptick in interest was recorded over the past five years in IoT streetlighting, but the greatest rise was seen in traffic management including traffic light control and smart parking.

The survey involved 300 IT decision-makers, 200 in the US and 100 in the UK.

The Wi-SUN Alliance supports the development of interoperable wireless solutions for IoT applications in smart cities, smart grids and other areas.