Unveiling the Industrial IoT Landscape: A Definitive Map for 2024

After four years of rigorous investment, incubation, and in‑depth research, we are convinced that the Internet of Things—often called IoT or the Industrial Internet—will drive business transformation with a force rivaling the birth of the Internet itself.

What exactly is IoT? What falls under the Industrial Internet umbrella? How do the companies operating in this space relate to each other and to businesses outside its borders? Where do these boundaries lie?

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These questions inspired us to create the world’s first comprehensive Industrial Internet landscape, which we are previewing now and will debut at the IoT Revolution Symposium in San Francisco on July 11. This map embodies our core belief: the Industrial Internet is not a future promise but a present reality reshaping everything we do.

The Industrial Internet landscape is a dynamic, living diagram that clusters companies across all IoT sectors. Analyst John Koetsier, who will present the project at IoT Revolution, described it as “the most transformative technology movement of the era.” He added, “This landscape brings coherence, helping us understand where companies fit and what the trend lines look like.”

In our initial research, we identified approximately 4,048 global companies. For this preview, we focused on major players with over $50 million in funding or market value, narrowing the field to 533 firms distributed across three meta‑categories, each containing two main groups and numerous sub‑industries.

We organized the landscape into the following meta‑categories:

#1: Connected Apps & Processes

This category encompasses “Smart Consumer/User” and “Smart Enterprise.” These are the businesses we encounter daily in our homes and workplaces. The Smart Consumer arm covers sub‑categories such as connected homes, connected cars, and facilitative reality (AR/VR). The Smart Enterprise cluster includes emerging smart transportation firms, connected retail, and more.

#2: Connected Intelligence

Divided into “Smart Data” and “Smart Cloud,” this pillar supplies the infrastructure powering the new era. Smart Data covers big data, AI, and machine learning—the raw materials and analytical engines of the Industrial Internet. Smart Cloud includes data centers, cloud lifecycle, data security, and the computational backbone that supports big data and AI.

#3: Connected Edge

Encompassing “Connected & Autonomous Things” and “Smart Networks,” this segment houses wearables, robots, drones, and other operational assets. Smart Networks feature VPNs, network security, satellites, Ethernet, and other connectivity technologies essential for edge computing.

When plotted, the map reveals where the most mature—or heavily funded—sectors lie. Connected Intelligence accounts for over 46 % of the landscape, followed by Connected Apps & Processes at 31 %, and Connected Edge at 23 %.

With its debut at IoT Revolution, the landscape will enter an ongoing quarterly update cycle, driven by top industry analysts to ensure the data remains current and relevant.