ABI Research IoT Security Update: M&A and Investment Ramping Up

IoT Security technology maturity is on the rise in industrial settings, transport and automotive, government and public services, according to the recently-released ABI Research IoT Security Semi-annual Update. With risk assessments becoming more common for operational technologies, and security imperatives increasingly part of C-level discussions, ABI Research said it expects IoT implementers and manufacturers to significantly up investment in secure IoT deployments.

There is a nascent chip-to-cloud, end-to-end security management market specifically targeted for IoT high-growth markets: industrial, connected car, utilities, city, retail, supply chain, and wearables.

“In the European Union and the U.S., these market movements are supported by increasing regulatory and policy discussion over IoT security,” said Michela Menting, Research Director, ABI Research. “Further, increasing standardization, specification, reference architectures, and best practice guidelines are emerging to support security in the IoT, facilitating secure development and deployment for OEMs and DevOps.”

These dynamics are reflected in increased M&A activity, with top deals including the Intel acquisition of Mobileye for US$15.3 billion, and Samsung’s acquisition of Harman for US$8 billion. High-level funding rounds include US$300 million in Truphone for IoT connectivity and US$200 million in IBM Watson IoT.

ABI Research’s IoT Security Semiannual Update provides a snapshot of market activity, tech maturity and guidance for IoT OEMs in the IoT security space, as well as an overview of ABI Research relevant research reports in Blockchain IoT and the Development of IoT Security Standards and Guidelines. These findings are from ABI Research’s IoT Security Semiannual Update report. This report is part of the company’s Digital Security research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights.