1. Spotlight On Data Analytics Tools

The past year has seen a rush in the industry to connect any and every device. From trash cans to thermostats, technology vendors and device manufacturers are racing to launch the newest smart "thing." But now, businesses are beginning to realize that the real value in IoT is not the ability to collect that data from devices, but rather analyzing that data to derive meaningful business insights.

In 2017, data analytics tools like IBM Watson Analytics and Microsoft Stream will take a starring role in IoT solutions as customers look to real-time data analysis for business intelligence.

"We're seeing data now, but in the future we'll see an explosion of innovation around how to apply that data," John Walicki, Watson IoT Developer Ecosystem Advocate at IBM, told CRN.