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EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
30
Yes to AI and IoT.
No to VR and 3D print
Budget and security concerns limit workplace adoption of
VR, AI and other emerging technologies, new survey shows
Microsoft Cortana (46%) and Google Now
(31%). However, an additional 23% 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 worries them
most about AI in the workplace, most IT
professionals cite security and privacy issues
(43%). Despite these concerns, 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 deploy 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 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.
research/future-of-it
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 to have
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’s 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
HP will be hoping to
increase the take-up
of 3D printing
The Microsoft HoloLens: preferred by IT professionals
