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EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
IoT devices
and AI
technology
are expected
to have the
biggest
impact in the
workplace,
and VR the
least
There was no escaping the Internet
of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence
(AI), virtual reality (VR) and 3D
printers at this year’s Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las
Vegas. But what applications do
they have in the workplace and
what will it take for them to become
a common feature of office life?
To find out, Spiceworks, the
professional network for IT, recently
surveyed IT professionals across
Europe, the Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) about their perceptions of
these emerging technologies. The
findings, published in the
Future of
IT: Hype vs. Reality
report, show that
while AI, VR, IoT and 3D print have
potential in the workplace, budget
and security concerns are limiting
take-up.
Of the technologies covered in
the survey, IT professionals expect
IoT devices and AI technology to
have the biggest impact in the
workplace, and VR the least. More
than three quarters (79%) believe
IoT devices will be useful to their
business practices in three to five
years’ time; 55% say the same for
AI. Only a minority expect mass
adoption of VR and 3D printers in
the workplace.
John Webb, general manager
of Europe at Spiceworks, said:
“Despite recent innovations in
VR and 3D printing, the majority
of IT professionals across EMEA
are struggling to find viable use
cases for the technology in their
organisations. As a result, many
can’t justify the investment, unlike AI
and IoT, which offer tangible benefits
for the workplace today.”
Artificial intelligence
Spiceworks’ findings show that
artificial intelligence is already being
used to carry out mundane tasks
in a minority of organisations, with
many more planning to adopt the
technology over the next 3-5 years.
Almost one in five (18%) use AI in
intelligent digital assistants for work-
related tasks, with 59% planning to
do so in the
near future.
Apple
Siri (49%) is
currently the
most commonly
used intelligent assistant in a
business environment, followed by
Microsoft Cortana (46%) and Google
Now (31%). However, an additional
23% percent of IT professionals are
planning to implement Microsoft
Cortana in the next 12 months,
mainly through Windows 10
deployments, which will give Cortana
the lead.
Artificial intelligence is also
used by organisations for machine
learning (12% now, with 63%
planning implementations) and for
business analytics (4% now, with
69% planning implementations).
When asked what concerns them
most about AI in the workplace, most
IT professionals cite security and
privacy issues (43%). Despite these
worries, attitudes to AI are generally
positive, with 67% of IT professionals
believing AI and machine learning
will give them more time to focus on
strategic IT initiatives, compared to
just 12% who worry that it will put IT
jobs at risk.
Internet of Things
Currently, 14% of EMEA
organisations surveyed have IoT
devices deployed on their network,
with an additional 44% planning to
deploy them in 3-5 years. Healthcare
has the highest adoption rate
at 30%, with an additional 50%
planning to adopt IoT devices.
This is despite real concern
about the security of IoT devices in
the workplace. In the Spiceworks
2016 IoT Trends
report, 77% of IT
professionals in EMEA expressed
concern about the growing
number of entry points into
the network; 70% are worried
about the lack of security
measures put in place by IoT
manufacturers.
When asked to name the
Budget and security concerns limit workplace adoption of VR, AI and other
emerging technologies, new survey shows
Yes to AI and IoT.
No to VR and 3D print
leader in innovative IoT technology,
Google came out on top, selected
by 19%, followed by Intel (10%) and
Samsung (5%). Forty per cent of
IT professionals say they are still
waiting for a vendor to emerge as a
clear frontrunner.
3D printing
The take-up of 3D printers (7%
using/21% planning to) is much
lower than AI and IoT, although the
technology is gaining momentum is
certain industries. Education has
the highest current adoption rate
(19%), while the construction and
engineering industry has the highest
planned adoption rate (50%).
Barriers to adoption include cost
(44%), followed by a lack of use
cases (33%) and ongoing investment
and upgrade requirements (20%).
Security and privacy are not issues
with 3D printers.
MakerBot is viewed as the most
innovative leader in 3D printing.
However, IT professionals are twice
as likely to evaluate HP devices
probably due to their familiarity
with the brand (25% vs 13%). Two
thirds (67%) of respondents couldn’t
name the leading 3D print provider,
indicating an opportunity for a
vendor to gain market leadership.
Virtual reality
As with 3D print, IT professionals
have yet to be convinced of the
need for virtual reality (VR) in the
workplace. The current adoption
rate is just 7%, with 13% planning to
implement it in the future.
Although only 6% of organisations
in construction and engineering are
using VR today, the industry has the
highest planned adoption rate (25%),
probably because architects and
engineers can use VR to visualise a
building or product prototype.
Cost is the main barrier to
adoption (58%), followed by a lack of
use cases (43%) and the high level
of graphics and computing power
required (35%). As with 3D printers,
security and privacy issues are of
least concern.
Oculus (31%) is seen as the most
innovative VR leader, followed by
Google (15%) and Microsoft (13%).
The Microsoft HoloLens (37%)
tied with Oculus Rift (37%) as
the headset IT professionals are
most likely to evaluate for their
organisation.
.
com/research/future-of-it
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The Microsoft
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