Research

Report: IT Professionals Worldwide Say It’s Still Early for AR Adoption

• By Sri Ravipati
• 11/15/16

Despite growing consumer awareness and popularity of augmented reality, IT professionals across industries worldwide are still unconvinced that its benefits outweigh the risks, according to a new study from ISACA. The global business technology and cybersecurity association recently published a report of findings from its annual IT Risk/Reward Barometer survey, which asked nearly 6,600 business and technology professionals across 140 countries about the “risks and rewards of AR, and how organizations and individuals are beginning to use it,” according to the ISACA website.

Only 21 percent of the respondents believe the benefits of AR outweigh the risks. In the United States, IT professionals said that security concerns (18 percent) and insufficient ROI (18 percent) are the biggest barriers to AR adoption, followed by insufficient budgets (13 percent). Across all countries, about eight in 10 IT professionals think that organizations should be concerned about the privacy risks of AR, such as “virtual graffiti” attacks. These attacks use AR-enhanced Internet of Things devices “to virtually deface buildings, landmarks, signage or other workplace surfaces with negative, unauthorized imagery, and then share with others,” according to the report. The survey found that few organizations (less than 7 percent in the U.S.) have programs in place that monitor comments from virtual graffiti apps.

In addition, the report offers the consumer perspective from five countries – the United States, United Kingdom, India, Singapore and China. Overall, consumers are more optimistic about AR than IT professionals. Most Americans, for example, “see the value in the range of potential applications of AR that was presented,” according to the report. The report cites a recent analysis from a financial firm that estimates AR and VR (virtual reality) hardware and software markets will grow to $80 billion by 2025 in the U.S. – with education to grow to $700 million.

The study also examines the progress of consumer adoption of Internet of Things technologies, revealing that a majority of consumers own at least one IoT device. Approximately 71 percent of U.S. respondents own at least one IoT device, which is lower than India (85 percent), Singapore (81 percent), Australia (77 percent) and the United Kingdom (73 percent). Smart TVs are the most commonly owned device for all five countries (45 percent of U.S. respondents own one). U.S. consumers also own wireless fitness trackers (26 percent of respondents) and Internet-connected cameras (22 percent).

For more information, view the full report on the ISACA site.