This October 2020 report by the Hypothesis Group—commissioned by Microsoft—is one in a series focusing on “new learning and insights around the current and future state of IoT.” A survey of decision makers in large companies (1000+ employees) was undertaken in the U.S., the UK, Japan, France, Germany and China, where 91% of these companies worldwide (94% in Germany) are involved in IoT adoption in some form.  Most projects have moved from “learning” and “trial” to “purchase” and “use” stages. Adoption is highest in retail and energy. IoT is being adopted to enhance productivity and security. Barriers to IoT adoption include complexity and cost. Companies adopting IoT are also developing their familiarity with artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing, and 70% are using digital twins for simulation with IoT.
Key words: Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, edge computing, AI