By 2026, the Internet of Things will no longer be defined by the number of connected devices, but by the level of trust, intelligence, and autonomy those devices deliver. Across industries, IoT is evolving from a passive data-collection layer into an operational nervous system that senses, decides, and acts in real-time.
AI-driven edge computing, next-generation connectivity, and unified orchestration platforms require IoT to go beyond dashboards and alerts toward self-orchestrating, predictive environments that prevent incidents, optimize resources, and automate decisions before human intervention is needed. As enterprises grapple with cloud resilience, security exposure, and data overload, the competitive edge is shifting toward solutions that deliver reliability, verification, and business outcomes, not raw telemetry.
In this next phase, buyers will prioritize confidence over connectivity, favoring IoT ecosystems that are explainable, interoperable, secure, and capable of turning signals into actionable promises. See for yourself in our compilation of industry predictions.
IoT Will Transform Into Organizations’ Operational Nervous System
By the year 2026, the Internet of Things will exist as a telemetry layer and transforms into the operational nervous system of organizations, making Routing decisions, predicting failures, reallocating resources, and performing other complex operations without the need for human intervention. The competitive advantage will come, not from the deployment of additional sensors, but from operational trust endowed to supply chain partners through composable platforms and ecosystems, transparent SLA, explainable automation, and seamless, automated cross vendor integrations. B2B buyers will cease purchasing raw signals and shift towards buying promises. Suppliers who bundle operational reliability, seamless integration, and trust will prevail. Think of IoT as a service that offers business confidence, not mere data.
Cache Merrill, Founder, Zibtek
Streamlined Data Analysis & Real-Time Insights
By 2026, IoT in the trading and forex industry will transform how businesses operate, streamlining data analysis and providing real-time insights for more informed decision-making. The integration of IoT devices will allow traders to monitor market conditions and execute strategies with unprecedented precision, creating a seamless connection between analytics and execution.
Drawing from my experience as a former Finance Director at CheapForexVPS and currently a Business Development Director, I see IoT driving smarter, data-driven approaches in trading environments, optimizing performance and enhancing customer satisfaction on a global scale.
Corina Tham, Sales, Marketing and Business Development Director, CheapForexVPS
A Shift to Self-orchestrating Systems
By 2026, IoT in the B2B space will shift from simple device connectivity to self-orchestrating systems that use real-time sensing, AI, and automation to correct issues before humans ever notice them. In healthcare, where our IoT integrations support remote monitoring and asset tracking, we expect edge-AI devices to independently triage data, reducing cloud dependency and enabling faster clinical decisions. The biggest transformation will come from interoperable IoT ecosystems, where hospitals, logistics networks, and suppliers share secure device data to predict failures, optimize operations, and create truly intelligent environments.
Vince D, Global Business Manager – Digital Health & Automation, OSP Labs
IoT Deployment Will Become Mainstream
By 2026, IoT adoption is expected to accelerate as AI-powered edge devices become more capable, reducing latency and improving real-time decision-making. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and smart cities will see deeper integration of connected sensors for automation and predictive analytics. Enhanced security standards and low-power networks will further drive mainstream IoT deployment across both consumer and enterprise environments.
Krunal Vyas, CEO, India App Developer
B2B IoT Will Fragment Into Verification Layers
I spent years at Premise Data managing a network of 10M+ contributors across 140 countries collecting ground-truth data through mobile devices–essentially turning smartphones into distributed IoT sensors for humanitarian and commercial intelligence. By 2026, I predict B2B IoT will fragment into “verification layers” where device data gets cross-referenced against human observation to filter out the noise that’s currently drowning enterprise systems.
Right now most B2B IoT deployments generate massive data streams that nobody trusts enough to act on without human confirmation. We saw this at Accela with smart city sensors–municipalities installed thousands of devices but still sent inspectors to physically verify everything because the false positive rate made automated workflows impossible. The winners in 2026 will be platforms that blend IoT sensor data with crowd-sourced validation, creating audit trails that regulators and insurance companies will actually accept.
The real shift won’t be more connected devices–it’ll be fewer devices that decision-makers actually believe. When I raised $300M+ across my companies, investors cared about deployment numbers; by 2026 they’ll care about “trusted data percentage” because that’s what drives whether a procurement officer at a Fortune 500 actually changes their operations based on what your sensors report.
Maury Blackman, President & CEO, Maury Blackman
I build AI-powered mobile surveillance trailers at DuckView Systems, and here’s what I’m seeing: by 2026, IoT security systems will stop being “dumb cameras with cloud storage” and start predicting incidents before they happen. We’re already there with behavioral AI that detects fighting, crowd surges, and weapon threats in real-time–not after someone reviews footage.
The shift is from recording evidence to preventing the incident entirely. Our law enforcement clients saw a 73% drop in disorderly conduct just by deploying units that detect aggression patterns and trigger instant audio deterrents. That’s IoT actually doing something, not just watching.
What B2B buyers really want is deployment speed and zero infrastructure headaches. We drop solar-powered units with LTE connectivity on job sites and retail lots in under an hour–no trenching, no permits, no IT team involved. The companies winning in IoT will be the ones solving real operational pain, not adding another dashboard to ignore.
Dan Wright DVS, Founder, DuckView Systems
Fully Automated AI-driven Environments
It’s already happening, but by 2026 IoT will accelerate into fully automated, AI-driven environments where devices adjust to weather, humidity, allergies, seasonal patterns and individual routines, creating a living experience as personalised as a first-class cabin. Homes and workplaces will respond intelligently to the people in them, with every system adapting in real time. This shift will also intensify concerns around data privacy and security, but it’s a challenge the industry must face as intelligent automation becomes the norm.
Rehan Ahmed, Director, Smart Web Agency
Next-gen Wireless Tech
A Push For Better Real-time Intelligence
Breakthroughs in Connectivity
The Cloud Confidence Crisis
More Options for Integrating Insurance Software With AI
Restaurants Will Embrace New, Additional IoT Use Cases
Presence Without Pressure
I really think the Ambient IoT vision will finally start to scale in 2026.
For homes, I expect everyday objects to gain light-touch intelligence that feels almost invisible. I keep imagining a coat that signals its location the moment I wonder where I left it, or a pantry that notes what needs restocking before I even think to check. This kind of calm assistance turns routine moments into small wins that feel surprisingly reassuring.
In workplaces, I see Ambient IoT easing tasks that usually drain time and energy. Tools, supplies, and assets announce their status with gentle clarity, helping teams move with confidence instead of hunting for missing pieces. As this quiet fabric of awareness spreads, it delivers what I like to call presence without pressure, a sensation that everyday environments are finally paying attention in helpful ways.
Brandon George, Director of Demand Generation and Content, Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
AI Will Take The Lead in Shaping IoT
In 2026, AI will take the lead in shaping IoT by turning connected devices into intelligent, adaptive systems. While IoT has long promised liberated data, true value will emerge as platforms simplify and automate device onboarding across vendors. This has been a long-standing struggle to date, and although it’s getting better, AI will enable the next wave of adoption through simplifying configurability and flexibility of IoT devices (regardless of make or model)—making data more accessible, useful, and trusted for AI-driven analytics. Basically, AI will enable AI.
Michael Skurla, co-founder, Radix IoT
Risk And Exposure Management
IoT environments are now so dense and heterogeneous that most organisations are flying blind to overall risk and exposure management and 2026 will mark a clear strategic shift. Inventory visibility alone no longer satisfies boards, regulators, or security leaders. Security teams now require solutions that prioritize vulnerabilities, and implement risk mitigation across all asset types. This requires a complete and more granular understanding of asset behavior, communication patterns, and business context while accounting for the challenges segmentation projects face.
Shankar Somasundaram, CEO, Asimily
Evolving IoT Fire-prevention Technology
IoT fire-prevention technology is rapidly moving from reactive alarms to predictive AI systems that identify unsafe cooking behavior before a fire can start. Property managers, insurers, and senior-living operators are increasingly turning to real-time information and analytics from connected devices to strengthen safety protocols and reduce preventable risks.
David Eby, CEO, Cook Top Safety
Advanced Meeting Tech
The ability to connect teams working at home, in the office, or across the globe will grow markedly more effective, efficient, and collaborative in 2026 with advanced meetingtechnologiesand connected devices.To bring all team members together, no matter where they work, advanced video conferencing platforms with a360-degreepanoramic webcam will provide a more engaging meeting experience by highlighting participants as they talk, making it easy to follow a discussion from person to person.
Scott Francis, Technology Evangelist, PFU America, Inc.
Orchestration Platforms
In 2025, we saw major retailers like Wal-Mart accelerate the push toward ambient IoT, replacing traditional tags with advanced energy-harvesting devices. Moving into 2026, the real shift won’t just be in the devices themselves, but in the orchestration platforms that make them intelligent. Companies that integrate ambient IoT into broader AI orchestration systems will transform IoT from passive endpoints into context-aware, self-powered, fully orchestrated nodes that create the next competitive edge in operational efficiency.
David Ly, CEO and Founder, Iveda
Predictive Maintenance Becomes Standard
Rather than relying on fixed maintenance schedules, IIoT telemetry will enable microgrids to predict and preemptively service critical components to help improve uptime, extend equipment life and reduce operational risk. These predictive insights also feed back into the iterative design and engineering process, allowing generator models to be refined using real-world performance data, component failure signatures, and operational stress patterns to further enhance durability and system reliability.
Madison Ruta, Senior Director, Data Centers, Enchanted Rock
Greater Independence and Intelligence
In 2026, IoT systems will be more closely connected with AI, allowing devices to operate with greater independence and intelligence. Both cloud-based AI and advanced Edge AI will be essential, enabling devices to process data locally for faster, smarter, and more secure decisions. This evolution will make IoT environments more responsive, resilient, and able to deliver real-time insights without depending entirely on centralized systems.
Kristaps Bergfelds, Technical Product Manager, LMT IoT
IoT Protection
Edge computing devices, IoT sensors, and autonomous AI systems all generate and process data outside traditional network perimeters, acting as a potential ingress point for lateral movement or firmware-based exploits. Attackers are already experimenting with model inversion and prompt injection attacks against embedded AI systems. By 2026, cybersecurity will be defined by adaptive defense ecosystems that integrate behavioral analytics, automated response, and human strategic guidance. Effective protection will depend on continuous device attestation, encrypted communications, and zero-trust network principles that verify every request, identity, and data transmission.
Bindu Sundaresan, Director, LevelBlue
From Isolated IoT Point Solutions to Unified Platforms
In 2026, we will see a significant shift from isolated IoT point solutions to unified platforms that can connect an array of devices onto a single platform. This shift will unlock faster deployments, lower integration costs, and a wave of new cross-device insights that weren’t possible when systems operated in silos.
Greg Colaluca, CEO, Intellicene
Strong Edge Capabilities
Most enterprises I work with aren’t interested in IoT as a set of connected devices anymore. They now expect live data streams, and precisely, spontaneous insights. So the real challenge for 2026 is to build strong edge capabilities that can handle billions of data points globally (and securely), and turn them into decisions fast.
Murli Pawar, VP of Digital Engineering, SunTec India
Expanded Influence
In 2026, IoT will expand its influence as connected devices feed real time data into cloud platforms that strengthen investigations and security operations. This shift is already reshaping how banks manage customer service, compliance, and branch activity, and the same pattern is emerging across other large organizations. Teams that build flexible ecosystems will be ready to adjust as new IoT tools and regulatory expectations continue to evolve.
Matt Tengwall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Fraud and Security Solutions, Verint
