Published on the 16/06/2015 | Written by Donovan Jackson
New research report anticipates a warm welcome for smart watches and wearables in the enterprise…
If new research coming out of the United States is to be believed, wearables won’t long be the preserve of hipsters and fanbois. Instead, says 451 Research, businesses will very soon be putting ‘on-the-cuff’ technology to work – and, specifically, as an interface into the Internet of Things.
That’s the core theme of a report titled ‘Time for Work: Smart Watch App Development Turns to the Enterprise’ and authored by analysts Ryan Martin and Chris Hazelton. Key findings in the report showed that 39 percent of US IT decision-makers at companies that use or plan to use wearable technologies will deploy solutions in the next six months; 24 percent plan to deploy in the next 12 months.
The key words, however, are ‘companies that use or plan to use’, implying that 451’s sample is drawn from businesses which have already signalled their intention to use wearables, rather than businesses in general.
In addition, 451 Research says 81 percent of US IT decision-makers who say their company plans to deploy wearables in the next six months will favour smart watches.
Despite the Apple Watch being late to market, behind lesser known brands such as Pebble and virtually ignored models from SonyEriccson, Fossil, Suunto and even arch rival Samsung’s 2009 effort, it is considered the catalyst which will catapult wearables into the office.
New Zealand Institute of IT Professionals CEO Paul Matthews said the use of wearables in business comes as no surprise. “The Internet of Things is really just the next form factor in computing; it used to be big servers, then desktop PCs, then laptops and now tablets and smartphones. Wearables is the next step in that evolution and, just as business use of smartphones was inevitable once security issues were ironed out, so too will wearable computing be taken advantage of as a business tool.”
Technology commentator Ben Kepes added that the era of the wearable device is here. “Consumers are starting to feel more comfortable wearing body-mounted cameras, having notifications sent to their watches and measuring various bodily metrics. The move of wearable devices into an enterprise setting will closely follow.”
Kepes said health, dangerous industries and remote working are all situations where wearable devices are useful. “We will see adoption in these more obvious use-cases first, before wearables moves into more general settings. As organisations are expecting their people to do more for less, wearable devices will be increasingly useful to improve the reach and efficiency of individuals.”
In a prepared statement Martin said: “The release of Apple Watch has opened the flood gates governing wearables’ adoption. But now that the river is running, it’s less about where it will end and more about where – and when – to start.”
Notably, Martin ties wearables to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). “We expect wearable technology to deliver a key interface and input into the IIoT. Wearables have the potential to become an interface – if not the interface – for IIoT access.”
The full ‘Time for Work’ report can be viewed here (registration required).
