Investments in IoT and edge computing have continued to accelerate into 2023 in spite of macroeconomic headwinds – and the Eclipse Foundation is betting on the open source model augmenting the benefits.

The foundation has released its 2022 IoT and Edge Commercial Adoption Survey based on responses from more than 260 IoT and edge professionals. Just over half (53%) of respondents said they were currently deploying IoT solutions – potentially a low number – with an additional quarter (24%) planning to deploy in the coming 12 to 24 months. 53% of those polled said they were utilising, or planning to utilise, edge computing technologies within 12 months.

One evident trend was not just in terms of investment, but size of deployment. The report found deployments of fewer than 1,000 managed assets would remain steady or decline. More than half (52%) of implementations were a mix of greenfield and brownfield assets. Just under a quarter (23%) of respondents said they were looking to spend between $100,000 and $1 million on IoT and edge in 2022 – a number which rose to 33% when it came to 2023 projected spend.

The open source element is evident; just under three quarters (73%) of those polled said they factored it into their deployment plans. Of total respondents, 38% said they were looking purely at open source IoT and edge solutions. Primary reasons for deployments ranged from the ability to customise or influence code in projects, cited by 30% of those polled, flexibility (22%) and cost advantages (16%).

The report offered several recommendations, for the enterprise, solution providers, and vendors. Enterprises, the foundation, noted, had to put their money where their mouth was to get the most benefit from open source. “Contributing to relevant open source projects and communities will help their employees develop valuable skills, while ensuring the long-term viability of those projects and communities,” the report noted. Solution providers, the foundation added, ‘absolutely’ need an edge computing strategy.

For vendors, a key piece of advice is to create offerings which optimise certain workflows, or mitigate specific challenges. “There is already a wealth of generic platforms and technologies available in the market,” the report concluded. “To achieve differentiation, organisations need to develop features and capabilities that set them apart.”

You can read the report here (email required).

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