SAP: UK Lags Behind Developing Countries In M2M Adoption

Despite some homegrown innovation in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication field, the UK is lagging behind countries like India and Brazil in the adoption of relevant technology, suggests a recent survey by SAP.

However, an average of 70 percent of the respondents agree that companies that fail to implement M2M technologies will fall behind their competitors.

Rise of the machines

M2M refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other systems of the same ability. By 2020, the number of devices connected to the Internet is expected to reach 50 billion, with only a small portion of this being traditional computers. Cars, traffic lights and rubbish bins will talk directly to each other, and whole cities are set to become “smart”.

However, in a survey of 750 IT decision-makers across six regions, SAP found that two out of five IT professionals from the US and UK are perceiving M2M technology, sometimes referred to as the “Internet of things”, as little more than “hype”.

At the same time, in India, 91 percent of respondents are positive about the new technology, and in Brazil the share of M2M enthusiasts stands at 84 percent. The developing countries are also more likely to believe in the concept of Smart Cities.

24 percent of respondents from China say their top-level management is “enthusiastic” about M2M, as opposed to 18 percent in the UK and the US. China has already embraced Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) trend, with 56 percent of IT decision-makers claiming that their company provides productivity apps for at least one mobile platform.

Most respondents noted that there were serious obstacles to wider M2M adoption, such as security concerns and lack of expertise, but agreed that innovative forms of broadband, such as 4G/LTE were helping speed up the process.

“Today, M2M technology is primarily being used to collect vast amounts of machine data. The ‘Internet of Things’ goes one step further by integrating data from machines, ERP, CRM systems, social media and more, in real time, allowing humans to intelligently interact with devices, devices with devices and devices back to humans – the ultimate social media collaboration of man and machine,” commented Sanjay Poonen, president of Technology Solutions and Mobile Division at SAP.

“This vision requires a technology infrastructure that can handle big data, analytics and mobility in the cloud securely – something SAP is uniquely able to deliver,” he added.

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