IoT 2016: Top 100 Influencers and Brands

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the term used to describe the networking of physical objects, such as consumer electronic devices, vehicles, buildings, air conditioners, heating systems and other items. These objects or “things” are embedded with software, sensors, electronics, and network connectivity, enabling them to complete tasks and communicate with each other, with no user input. The possibilities for IoT are limitless, it can be used to turn the automated home into the smart home for example, or to make our cars even smarter and disrupt the automotive industry. IoT has been described as a world changing revolution akin to the creation of the internet, that will effect the industrial sectors and eventually the entire world.

We have conducted research into IoT on our blog back in 2014 and again in 2015 and it’s interesting to compare this new list to our previous ones. There are some familiar names among the individuals, who have come up every year such as Vala Afshar, Simon Porter and Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsin. Among the brands Intel and IBM have consistently appeared year on year. Interestingly, this year we are seeing the World Economic Forum much higher on the list, as well as brands such as IDC, Ericsson, AT&T and Jaguar doing well.

What Are the Experts Saying?

We reached out to some of the top 20 influencers to ask them for their views on IoT. We spoke to Dean Johnson (#6), Simon Porter (#7), Ronald Van Loon (#9), Evan Sinar (#11), Kirk Borne (#13), Paul Sonnier (#17) and Ian Moyse (#18) . Be sure to follow them to stay up to date on the best content and resources on IoT!

Dean Johnson – Head of Innovation at Hello Brandwidth

“Call it what you will – the Internet of Things, the Internet of Everything, or simply the Connected World – excitement levels are high. So too are expectations. We live in a time when a connected kettle can sit on the same network as our telephone, television, baby monitor, washing machine and every light bulb in the house. This networked utopia isn’t a new concept. 1950s visions of the future foretold just such a connected world where all these wondrous gadgets were living harmoniously together, alongside their human masters. With great arm-waving comes great responsibility and the need to deliver on a promise. In order to achieve this, our connected world needs to be truly connected. We’re getting there and we’ll see good (and plenty of bad) ideas fall by the wayside in the rush to offer a seamless experience. In order to be ground-breaking, you need to break a few tools along the way. That top layer is by far the toughest to crack but the rewards for perseverance are high. The future’s bright, we’re just still a little disconnected.”

Simon Porter – Vice President – Commercial Sales, Europe, at IBM

“IoT has the potential to transform multiple industries so warrants the description as the next Industrial Revolution – Whilst technology’s such as cloud, analytics and security are fundamental aspects of a good IoT implementation, it’s more about the changes in business model that IoT offers many businesses to create new service models and profit streams. This is allowing many small agile businesses to create competitive advantage.”

Ronald Van Loon – Director at Adversitement

“The Internet of Things is no longer approaching. It is already here, as more and more devices are generating data. From wearables to household appliances, they are all connected and capable of delivering new insights on how we interact. One thing is for sure: the Internet of Things is the genesis of countless new business models, that revolutionize our day-to-day life. But how can companies act on these insights? How can you create sustainable success from the Internet of Things as a part of the numerous customer journeys? Like in any data-driven business model, customer-centricity and relevance are key factors to excel. First, companies have to be able to create a fundament of structured and unstructured data through data process management, combining datasets from ‘things’, touch points and external sources. Then, through a proper balance of expertise in data science and customer experience, you can get to grips with customer journeys and optimize customer experiences, increasing brand loyalty to a level where sustainable value is created.”

Evan Sinar – Chief Scientist at Development Dimensions International

“As the Internet of Things meets the workplace, expectations are high and early returns are promising. For it truly take hold, however, a compelling case needs to be made to employees about how IoT will actually help them learn, grow, and advance, and how they can retain some semblance of control over what data are gathered and how it’s used. Businesses must convince employees how their careers will benefit from all the new digital breadcrumbs being gathered: otherwise, usage will fade and cynicism will form. The talent development potential of IoT gathered data is massive, providing unprecedented opportunities to spot skill blind spots and to provide actionable information about how to close these gaps. Companies who plan for and communicate about these gains – much more than most are doing now – will increase the chances that workplace IoT will be met with employee receptivity and sustainability, rather than just short-term and tenuous compliance.”

Kirk Borne – Principal Data Scientist at Booz Allen

“In the beginning, the Internet was a thing. Now, things are becoming the Internet. The greatest benefits from the IoT will be the insights about things and automated actions by things that are enabled through sensors everywhere that deliver content, context, and cognition about all things. Consequently, we anticipate rapid growth in cognitive analytics (AI) and intelligence augmentation (IA) as the IoT, Big Data, AI, and Deep Learning revolutions converge.”

Paul Sonnier – Digital Health Strategist, Keynote Speaker and Founder of the Digital Health Group

“As an extension of the Digital Revolution, the Internet of Things offers particular relevance to health, namely Digital Health. For example, monitoring people actively (e.g. via connected Wearable Tech devices) and passively (e.g. via stationary sensors) can provide insights into the activity and health of consumers and patients alike. This data feeds a myriad of solutions such as health and fitness coaching tools, medical diagnoses, and even predictive analytics regarding a person’s potential for various medical conditions or events. Privacy of consumers and patients is, of course, of paramount importance, so people must be properly informed so they can opt-in, plus safeguards and security must be built in to these systems. Together, Digital Health and the Internet of Things offer a dynamic interplay to revolutionize our health and living. It’s an incredibly exciting time and I thoroughly enjoy reporting on breaking news as it occurs in my 40,000+ member Digital Health group on LinkedIn and via Twitter, at @Paul_Sonnier“

Ian Moyse – Board Member Eurocloud (UK), FAST & Governance Board Member Cloud Industry Forum 

“Disruption has already changed the world, with six companies now accounting for 53% of the NASDAQ’s $664 billion market value (Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook, Netflix and Gilead). In 2016, we can expect to see increased innovation and disruption throughout the year and beyond, as we are entering a time when legacy approaches, size and brand, will be viewed as totally impertinent. Cloud has already defined itself as a change instigator and through its inherent linkage to mobility and its demands from users, continues its rapid growth trajectory. Adding IOT into this mix will drive a 3 way play, with IOT leveraging both cloud and mobility to redefine the way we deliver so many things in both B2C and B2B world’s. IOT will be much hyped (as was cloud) before it simply appears in your life by stealth of the benefit it brings. It will be adopted and used not for IOT or cloud names, but for the customer experience and beneficial outcomes it delivers.”

 MAPPING THE COMMUNITY

We were very interested in seeing which IoT brands and individuals were leading the online discussion, so we analysed 1.5M+ tweets from 28th November 2015 to 26th January 2016 and identified the top 100 most influential brands and individuals leading the discussion on Twitter. What we discovered was a very engaged community, with much discussion between individuals and brands. Below you can see a network map of the online conversation. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). Be sure to click on the map to enjoy the full size network diagram in greater detail.

Below you can see another network map created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM) showing the #3 Influencer Val Afshar at the centre, and the conversations to and from the different influencers in his field. If you are interested in learning more about identifying, managing and engaging with influencers click here to get in touch!

TOP 100 INDIVIDUALS

We looked at all the individuals engaging on Twitter to bring you a list of the top 100 most influential individuals in the IoT landscape.

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TOP 100 BRANDS

In the top 100 brands we found a great selection of organisations such as the World Economic Forum, IDC, and industry resources such as Wearable and IoT and Gartner, as well industry heavyweights such as Intel and IBM.

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At Onalytica we love building these lists and want to give back to our loyal readers as much as we can. If you’re interested in other topics (such as Machine to Machine, Wearable Tech, Internet of Things) be sure to have a gander on our blog or why not propose some topics to us on twitter? We also build some very cool software to manage all of these influencers. Get a free demo today by clicking the button below!

Disclaimer: As ever with these lists, it must be stressed that the ranking is by no means a definitive measurement of influence, as there is no such thing. The brands and individuals listed are undoubtedly influential when it comes to driving discussion in the IoT debate.

The PageRank based methodology we use to extract influencers on a particular topic takes into account the number and quality of contextual references that a user receives. These calculations are independent of a user’s number of followers, but we do filter our lists based on how much a user is engaged in the conversation and the influence they drive through their networks.

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