Having been a buzzword for a few years, 2016 could see the emergence of recognisable real solutions using IoT, and an engagement by the wider market and IT channel.
IoT is linked to other emerging trends such as big data, and has a primary relationship with both cloud, and naturally, security.
A white paper based on research by IT Europa shows how rapidly a market is developing which will affect IT customer engagement, IT suppliers and developers.
The Internet of Things is the killer app for cloud, the report says, especially for hybrid clouds that are emerging as the primary model for the Internet of Things.
As a result, APIs and a sound strategy around them is becoming increasingly important to enterprises.
"By offering alternative models to new customers, many intelligent hardware manufacturers have found that they're able to tap into new markets.
"The rise of connected intelligent devices enables hardware manufacturers to deliver better user experiences by improving customer provisioning and onboarding, while allowing them to implement new business models, including subscriptions and pay-per-use," said one of the experts quoted in the report.
Which way does the IT supply channel go, and what should IT vendors do at this stage? There is a lot of uncertainty, and it looks as though the enterprises who are the customers for IoT are looking at it firstly for analytics, says the report.
The questions currently uppermost among customers will range from 'what is available off the shelf?', 'what are others doing?', to 'is there any implication for my future IT strategy?'.
The answers will usually involve cloud, network suitability, security and a high level of consulting.
According to the report channels should stress that IoT devices/sensors do not change the workplace themselves, but enable new business models and process changes that will change the workplace.