Adoption of Internet of Things in business

Internet of Things is growing in popularity, but that popularity is overshadowed by the high failure rate of IoT initiatives. As IoT is a disruptive and complex technology, many factors play a role in the success or failure of those initiatives. A research gap was identified, namely that there was barely any literature which provided an overview on the influencing factors in the adoption process of IoT. This research aims to provide this overview, based on three research approaches. Firstly, existing IT adoption models were reviewed in a literature review. The factors that were found are general for most technologies and therefore also assumed relevant for Internet of Things adoption. Secondly, a literature review was conducted on the adoption challenges of Internet of Things in particular. This provides an overview of relevant factors that are specifically important for Internet of Things adoption. Thirdly, a case study in the form of an expert interview was conducted, which provided additional practical insights and factors. Furthermore, this also confirmed a number of factors that were found in the two literature reviews. The result of the research is a synthesis of the three research approaches into an integrated Internet of Things adoption framework. The framework consists out eighteen relevant factors that influence the adoption of IoT in business, divided across the contexts of the organization, technology and environment. In the end, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed and recommendations for future research are included.