We all know that the future of the web is, as Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella says, ‘anywhere, anytime’. One of the big concept ideas helping to realise this is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has been dubbed "the next Industrial Revolution" by some people because of the way it will change the way people live, work, entertain, and travel, as well as how governments and businesses interact with the world.

A smart revolution

It is a way of describing a universe in which objects we interact with in our everyday lives – cars, street lights, watches – interact back with us, the user, as well as with other objects, helping to make the world smarter. If that sounds a little bit far-fetched, it shouldn’t. Plenty of cars can now “see” where they’re going thanks to sensors like cameras and microphones positioned around the vehicle that enable special tracking. What about the fitness tracker on your wrist that tells you how much exercise you’ve done, without you needing to take any invasive tests? We take these things for granted, but they are the start of a smart tech revolution, which is causing the IoT to rapidly grow. So what will the world look like in 2020?

2020 and the IoT

• Investment into the IoT by 2020 will be sizeable, with a predicted 24 billion devices installed, compared to 5 billion in 2015.
• $6 trillion will be invested between now and 2020.
• Sensors will become increasingly low-cost
• Demand for internet services will increase by around 40%

It’s clear to see that the IoT is going to be a big business by 2020. But who is driving us towards this next revolution?

Consumers

• 5B devices installed by 2020
• $900M spent by 2020
• $400 ROI by 2020

Governments

• 7B devices installed by 2020
• $2.1B spent by 2020
• $4.7B ROI by 2020

Businesses

• 2B devices installed by 2020
• $3B spent by 2020
• $7.6B ROI by 2020

As you can see from the above statistics, while consumers are a large part of the puzzle, governments and businesses are doubling their investments.

Driven by Microsoft technologies

With industries like manufacturing, transportation, food services, retail and infrastructure all playing major roles, Microsoft Dynamics technologies are playing a leading role in driving intelligence across all verticals. Whether it’s putting the customer at the centre of the experience for a more bespoke retail experience with Dynamics CRM, or it’s working out better logistics for transportation of goods and services with Dynamics AX, Microsoft is leading the way.