A survey from Pod Group has revealed the need for a new breed of enterprise network operators to provide greater control and visibility of the enterprise IoT network.

Almost half of enterprise IoT decision makers would like to take ownership of their IoT network in-house, says the UK firm’s survey.

UK enterprises have expressed a need for a new type of IoT connectivity service provider to address enterprise pain points such as technical support, security of sensitive data and implementation of technologies such as private LTE and eSIM, according to the study, which also found that almost half of IoT decision makers believe enterprise ownership of the IoT network would give them greater control and visibility.

The boom in IoT deployments has led to a shift in enterprise connectivity requirements with a need for more flexible, secure and resilient networks designed specifically for mission critical IoT applications. The study carried out by Sapio interviewed 200 senior IoT decision makers in the UK across multiple sectors. It highlights the need for service providers to address these changing demands.

The most important requirement for organisations was found to be a need for greater technical support and troubleshooting focused on their application, with almost half of organisations overall citing this concern (45 per cent). This is a strong concern particularly for IoT decision makers from manufacturing and industrial companies with almost six in ten (57 per cent) stating this was one of their biggest pain points.

Security of sensitive business data was also found to be an issue with 41 per cent of respondents claiming they are concerned the level of security available on networks today is not sufficient for their IoT network. Scalability of the network and global coverage was the third-biggest concern overall with 39 per cent citing this as being critical to their IoT network.

Aside from the changing connectivity requirements of enterprises due to the specialist nature of IoT applications, overall 92 per cent of organisations were found to have concerns about being tied to a single service provider. Specifically, their main concerns are that as technology advances, they may become stuck with older technology that is not optimised for their deployment (55 per cent of respondents) and the lack of flexibility on offer (50 per cent). Fears that they may be locked into a provider and unable to benefit from pricing changes elsewhere was also cited by half of respondents (49 per cent).

As a possible consequence of these concerns, the results of the survey also found that almost half (46 per cent) believe that enterprise ownership of the network would give their organisation the most control and visibility over the connectivity of their IoT deployments. Organisations in the industrial and manufacturing sectors were most convinced of the need for enterprise ownership (60 per cent), while only a third of IoT decision makers in retail looked to enterprise ownership (32 per cent).

“As more and more enterprises begin to see the value of IoT applications and roll out new or extend their current deployments, some traditional connectivity providers are struggling to innovate in order to meet the demands being put on them in terms of connectivity, management and security,” said Sam Colley, CEO of Pod Group. “Increasingly, and maybe as a direct result of this, we are seeing a growing demand from organisations to bring the ownership and control of their IoT networks into the enterprise. This is particularly true in the manufacturing and industrial sectors.”

He added that with IoT devices being increasingly targeted by cyber criminals and with IoT deployments becoming more complex, global and tailored to individual enterprise needs, allowing the enterprise to effectively own its IoT network was the only logical approach. However, enterprises may not have the skill sets or experience in-house to deploy and manage an IoT network.

“This is where a new breed of enterprise network operator is emerging to provide managed services customised specifically to the enterprise and deliver services beyond just standard connectivity,” he said. “We are working with our customers to help them do just that, providing the level of support and security that fits with their individual needs and allows them to maximise the potential of their deployments.”

Pod Group is a specialist in IoT SIM cards and connectivity for enterprise IoT applications, bringing over 20 years’ experience and innovation to the telecommunications market. With offices worldwide and access to more than 600 networks in 185 countries, Pod’s team of IoT connectivity experts supports enterprises across a broad range of sectors as they take ownership of their IoT connectivity.

The study was conducted by Sapio Research in December 2020 and questioned 200 senior IoT decision makers in the UK working in organisations employing more than 500 people.