物联网市场规模将翻倍，达每年5000亿美元以上

据贝恩咨询公司（Bain & Co.）的数据显示，未来四年，很多大公司对视频监控、工厂传感器等智能联网设备的投入将增加一倍以上，总投资额或将达到每年5200亿美元。

这5200亿美元包括了市场对相关设备、软件和服务的需求。2016年，贝恩公司曾做过一项类似调查，当时贝恩公司曾预估，到2020年，市场对联网设备的需求将达到4500亿美元。今年的预期已明显高出了这一数字。除了企业界的需求之外，普通消费者对联网设备的需求也在上涨，比如智能麦克风、能连接Wi-Fi的灯泡等等。

当前一代的物联网设备通常会将收集到的信息（包括大型视频文件等）发送到云数据中心进行分析，以监控安全区域、分析客流量、监测零部件消耗速率等等。但新一代物联网产品将自带更强大的计算能力，有的还内置了人工智能应用程序，从而变得更加独立和高效，理论上这也必将进一步推高它们的销量。

不过也有一些人认为，物联网设备或许不会有大家预期的那样受欢迎，我们或许有必要给物联网的一些热门领域浇浇凉水。比如，很多公司希望大量收集关于某些设备的数据，以决定如何科学地对其进行维护，进而降低成本。

比如电梯生产商迅达集团（Schindler）就与通用电气（GE）合作，从6万余部电梯上收集传感器数据。但由于缺乏历史数据，再加上集成不同数据格式的难度，使得迅达很难基于这些传感器数据科学预判维保时间。贝恩公司指出：“见解的获得要比一开始承诺的更难。”

企业用户对物联网的最大疑虑，与2016年的调查并无二致。2%的企业认为物联网设备存在安全风险，可能导致黑客入侵其计算机系统。29%的受访者认为物联网系统很难与其他新旧系统整合，还有28%的受访企业担心物联网设备的投资回报率太低。

贝恩公司并未披露受访企业的总数。不过调查发现，大企业客户一般更喜欢“即插即用”式的物联网设备，而不喜欢需要高度定制的系统。目前有60%的受访企业都表示需要对物联网设备进行定制。

这份调查还着重介绍了一些成功案例。比如IBM公司利用了与三星（Samsung）合作获得的见解，帮助电梯制造商通力公司（Kone）优化了电梯维保日程。法国铁路公司SNCF跟踪了数千列火车的行车数据，提高了铁路交通安全性。威瑞森公司（Verizon）通过收购了四家公司（包括2016年以34亿美元收购车辆轨迹追踪公司 Fleetmatics Group），建立了一项监测汽车轨迹的无线实时服务，等等。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

Big companies plan to double their annual spending on smart, Internet-connected devices like video surveillance gear and factory sensors over the next four years to an annual total of $520 billion, according to consulting firm Bain & Co.

The estimate, which includes purchases of devices, software, and related services, is up from a projected $450 billion for 2020 made by Bain in its previous survey about the topic in 2016. The higher forecast shows businesses are increasing their appetite for connected devices alongside growing consumer demand for everything from smart speakers to Wi-Fi connected lightbulbs.

Connected products used today usually send the information they collect, including big video files, to cloud data centers for analysis to monitor secure areas, measure crowds, or keep tabs on how quickly parts are wearing out. But newer products will have more of their own computing power and artificial intelligence apps built in, making them more independent and efficient, at least in theory, boosting sales.

But some expected uses of connected devices haven’t caught on as much as expected, according to Bain, providing a reality check for the hot field. For example, many companies hoped that collecting extensive data about their equipment would help predict when to service them, reducing costs.

In one example, Bain pointed to elevator manufacturer Schindler working with GE to collect sensor data from 60,000 elevators. But a lack of historical data and problems integrating different data formats made predicting maintenance needs difficult. “Insights have been harder to glean than first promised,” Bain noted.

Overall, the biggest concerns business customers had about the Internet of Things remained the same now as in the 2016 survey, Bain said. Forth-two percent of companies cited the risk of security weaknesses that could allow hackers to infiltrate their computer systems, while another 29% cited difficulties integrating new and old systems, and another 28% feared poor returns on their investment.

Bain’s survey, based on checking in with an undisclosed number of companies, also found that big customers are looking for connected devices that that they can plug in and use right away, instead of systems that require substantial customization. Currently, 60% of those surveyed said they have to customize the products.

Bain praised IBM for using insights it learned working with Samsung to help elevator and escalator maker Kone improve maintenance schedules and the French rail company SNCF track thousands of trains and improve safety. Using a different strategy, Verizon built a real-time wireless service to monitor vehicle fleets by acquiring four firms, including the $2.4 billion purchase of trucking tracker Fleetmatics Group in 2016.