Global view. Local Access.

Analyst Q&A

Carrie MacGillivray

Group Vice President & General Manager, WW Telecom, Mobility & IoT Research

What do you see in the near future of IoT?

IoT is just hitting its stride. There is still a lot of challenges in how to scale an IoT deployment beyond a trial, but the market generally understands IoT can help a business change – it’s figuring out where to deploy IoT first and what outcomes they want to achieve that they are struggling to define. Vendors providing well packaged holistic solutions – not point solutions – are going to be the ones who succeed in this market. Strong partnership strategies are needed to build these holistic solutions – since no one vendor can provide an end-to-end IoT solution since it’s a confluence of hardware, software, connectivity and services.

For consumers, IoT is happening more organically. Even in my own home, I watch my teenage daughters interact with our connected car, smart speakers, and connected doorbell, to name a few, and I see the profound impact of having access to information, content and context is having on their daily tasks. As the linkage between the digital and physical worlds becomes tighter, we will be closer to insights about the environment around us, but also with each other thanks to this new connected paradigm. When I look at my daughters and see the ease at which they can switch between the physical and digital, I can see the future where the IoT is no longer a market term but a way of life.

What is the favorite aspect of your job?

Being an industry analyst isn’t like many other jobs. I still struggle with an elevator pitch of what I do. However, getting up in the morning and not knowing how the day is going to shake out would probably make some people uncomfortable but I think I derive a lot of energy from it. The variety is thrilling for me. In any one day, I can be working on our IoT research, strategizing on product roadmap and market messaging with senior leaders at our clients, talking to Wall Street investors about IoT market trends, or talking to the press about a late breaking technology story.

I’ve also have the chance to travel around the world to work with clients and end users, and present at industry events. Going into another region and observing how business is done and how people interact in a business environment reveals a lot of cultural influences. I think it’s helpful in putting the North American business and technology adoption, into context. It opens the aperture and allows me to apply some global perspective to my every day engagements with clients and colleagues.