Colombia. Organizations in Colombia are behind in the issue of investment in information technologies, currently their average investment is 3%.
According to the report Internet of Things: Technology as an ally of sustainability at EAE Business School, the average in Latin America stands at 7.7%. Only Argentina surpasses Mexico with 10.4% and is followed by Peru with 9%. Behind are Chile with 5.5% or Brazil with 5%. Spending on information technology (IT) in Latin America is forecast to increase by 5.5%. In addition, the same source projected that spending would grow another 7.7% in 2021.
The report also publishes that, in 2021, the number of IoT connections in Latin America amounted to 791 million and is expected to increase to 1.2 billion in 2025, thus generating 47.2 BUSD. There are also predicted to be 513 million new Internet of Things (IoT) connections between 2020 and 2025. In addition, it is estimated that smart homes will generate more than 100 million new connections in the period.
"In 2021, citizens of Latin America reported that they expected 5G networks to help bridge the digital divide by providing connectivity to a larger part of the population. They also expressed their hope that this technology will improve people's quality of life and be able to make a positive impact on the economy. These three reasons are the main advantages for the adoption of powerful networks, which allow greater connectivity, which helps interoperability", says Cristina Gallego, professor at EAE Business School and author of the report.
IoT and sustainability
According to data provided by National Geographic and collected by EAE Business School, uploading one photo a day to Instagram, storing files in the cloud or having a full email inbox generates an ecological footprint that demands 7% of the world's energy. The global CO2 emissions produced by the information technology industry (2%) is equivalent to that emitted by a fleet of Boeing 747s.
If we go to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Colombia suspends in the following objectives:
• SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• SDG 10: Reducing inequalities
· SDG 15: Life in terrestrial ecosystems
• SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Use of IoT in the world, what's next for the future?
By 2030, the report forecasts a growth in connected (autonomous) vehicles, everything related to IT infrastructure, and tracking, asset monitoring and smart grids.
The difference between connected and non-connected devices has increased since 2020 and, according to estimates by IoT Analtycs (2021) and collected by EAE Business School, will be 20.6 billion devices in the world by 2025. The most important use case is that of smartphones, where the number is projected to rise to more than 17 billion by 2030.
"This increase in this type of device responds not only to its total incorporation into everyday life, which prioritizes connection and constant monitoring. The new modalities of multimedia consumption, the greater investment to improve the networks, and the increase in connection times of the Covid-19 stage have meant a consolidation and growth of this market, "says Gallego.
The implementation of this new type of systems within organizations, sometimes, "is not so simple". According to a study carried out by Kaspersky (2020) and collected by EAE Business School, companies face problems such as the need to implement cybersecurity tools due to high costs (40%), the impossibility of justifying the investment before the board of directors (36%) and the lack of personnel or specific knowledge in IoT security (35%). "This means that investment in advanced technologies is lower due to the costs and necessary satellite infrastructure," warns the professor at EAE Business School.
Finally, according to a study carried out in 2020 by EAE Business School, which analysed the most demanded technologies that would have an impact on the jobs of the future. The most demanded areas of knowledge are: 5G networks (83%), artificial intelligence and machine learning (79%), IoT (79%) and augmented and virtual reality (75%).
