Business IoT uptake in New Zealand doubles during 2017 – IDC report

Companies in New Zealand are increasingly looking to IoT to boost customer experience and drive internal process improvement, a new study has found.  

The International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed that 25.7% of New Zealand enterprises leveraged the power of IoT in 2017, almost a twofold increase on 2016, which saw just 13.7% of businesses use this field of technology.

Monica Collier, Research Manager for Telecommunications, IDC New Zealand, commented: “New Zealand organisations are understanding that the value of the Internet of Things is in the data it produces and, more importantly, what that data enables companies to act upon or improve.”

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"We would encourage tech buyers to ensure their IoT plans are not siloed; the plans should fit within their overall digital roadmap. For vendors, to step ahead you'll need a good IoT partner ecosystem in context with the industries you are servicing. Customers want a technology partner that understands their business as well as their technology,” she continued.

IDC reported a wide array of use cases spanning supply chain, manufacturing, retail and healthcare, beyond the so-called ‘connected cow’, an innovation which has seen many dairy farmers attached IoT collars to their herds to monitor health.

The major reason for the larger uptake of IoT across the country is customer-driven, the research says. Indeed, New Zealand organisations place more focus on the customer, as a driver for IoT, than any other country surveyed across Asia Pacific.

Companies taking advantage of this and performing well in the deployment of IoT services include Google, IBM, Dell and Rockwell Automation.

"The New Zealand IoT Alliance research says that IoT could bring NZ$2.2bn of benefit to the New Zealand economy over the next ten years. Our report illustrates how companies have understood that message and are implementing IoT to increase productivity and improve customer experience,” Collier added.

More information on the findings can be found at www.idc.com.