With hundreds of IoT standards, from sensor level, up to the network and into the cloud, the journey to IoT adoption is not straightforward. So IoB caught up with industry experts at IoT Build in London to find out what must change.
The Internet of Things (IoT) presents an undoubtable opportunity for businesses to transform their models and processes. But adopting IoT is not a straightforward process in itself. There are numerous issues around cyber-security, data privacy, and simply educating board on why IoT matters, which prevent adoption. Yet, perhaps the biggest problem facing the market right now is standards.
Related: Weightless CEO William Webb – There’s a problem in IoT, here’s how to solve it
IoT standards problem
The problem, according to Adam Leach, director of research and development at Nominet, is the stage IoT is at. It is not quite nascent, but nor is it mainstream. Really it’s at the early adopter stage and, for Leach, that is the cause for the plethora of standards that have amassed in recent years. So, when will the market mature?
Seb Chakraborty, chief technical officer at Centrica Hive, agrees that the situation is a mess. But he says that, with hundreds of standards on the market, a battle for the survival of the fittest is inevitable.
At the same time, Chakraborty sees a growing problem between the need to provide adequate security protection at the device level and the pressure on manufacturers to produce their goods at the cheapest possible price.
Which standards will survive and how can we circumnavigate the race to the bottom in the development of IoT goods?
Related: 400 platforms and one big fat reality check for IoT
“Too successful”?
That said, maybe we’re looking at this whole thing the wrong way? Maybe standards are too successful.
That’s the opinion of Weightless SIG CEO, William Webb, who thinks that it’s too easy to create a standard and there are, therefore, too many on the market. All of which causes confusion. Instead, Webb suggests we might follow the cellular model, but is that appropriate?
Ultimately, it’s a different theory behind the same problem. There are too many standards and the market needs to consolidate.
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