Mumbai :  Zebra Technologies Corporation today issued survey results that show the Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer a concept, but a reality that is improving the operations of Indian enterprises. In fact, companies across multiple industries are already using Internet of Things technologies to track and manage physical assets, improve the customer experience, enhance supply chain visibility and more.

The global, October 2012 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting “Building Value from Visibility: 2012 Enterprise Internet of Things Adoption Outlook” (http://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra/white-papers/en-us/zebra-iot-report-en-us.pdf ) showed the following results:

There is a positive perception of the term IoT in India, and 92% of respondents agree with a common definition provided (http://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra/white-papers/en-us/zebra-iot-report-en-us.pdf)  of what IoT solutions are.

India Leads the World in Implementing IoT Solutions

30% of organizations in India already have an IoT solution in place as compared to 15% of organizations globally.

7 in 10 organizations in India are planning to implement IoT Solutions within the next two years as compared to 5 in 10 organizations globally.

“Enterprises across multiple industries are already using technologies to track and manage physical assets, and most enterprises are feeling positive about the idea of a more interconnected world. At Zebra, we believe every organization must use IoT technologies to illuminate operational events occurring throughout their value chain so they can act upon them to make smarter decisions and inspire innovation” said Mr. Sachin Tare, Head – Indian Subcontinent,  Zebra Technologies Corporation.

Nearly 15 years ago, RFID technology pioneer Kevin Ashton used the term Internet of Things. He believed that IoT had the potential to change the world ‘if we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things’ – where is it, how cold is it, what condition is it in. While we are still in the early stages of broad IoT implementation, enterprises are feeling positive about a more interconnected world, with some already seeing the benefits, such as retailers employing item-level tracking to streamline inventory management and reduce costs. As organizations continue to build on barcode and active RFID technologies with real-time locating systems, Internet of Things has the potential to generate data never before possible, spurring new insights, ideas and innovation.

Based on the definition shared in the survey, Internet of Things solutions are smart interconnected devices that provide more visibility into the organization’s operational events. The study shows that many organizations are using technologies such as barcoding, RFID, and GPS to gain greater visibility into the location, condition, timing and accuracy of the events occurring in their value chains. These key technologies enable the Internet of Things:

8 in 10 IT decision-makers in India identify barcodes, active RFID tags and passive RFID tags as important or very important devices for enabling IoT solutions.

6 in 10 IT decision-makers in India identify device manufacturers as the partners to help them realize the benefits of implementing IoT solutions.

“A new generation of solutions, supported by the power of the Internet of Things, is enabling more effective deployment of assets and inventory. By connecting the physical to the digital, we can generate insights and business intelligence that drive breakthrough ideas in organizations and in the world,” said Mr. Sachin Tare. “We envision making even bigger strides in addressing business challenges, such as: patient identification, which enables healthcare providers access to tracking technologies that help protect patients from medical errors and support electronic health records; inventory management, in which retailers use technologies to improve inventory tracking and enhance the shopper experience; and food traceability where food suppliers and distributors have access to electronic traceability to capture information in the event of a major food recall.”

According to the study, a variety of forces are aligning to drive increased enterprise demand for Internet of Things solutions, including declining device costs and widely deployed IP networks. While supply chain visibility and asset tracking are the top issues organizations hope to address with these solutions, the top benefits for surveyed enterprises in India include: improved customer service, supply chain visibility and cost efficiencies.