# Towards a Maturity Model for IoT Adoption by B2C Companies
## 4 Identified Dimensions from the Literature Analysis
### Technology  
Unsurprisingly, the first factor driving the process of IoT integration is technology. The presence of necessary software and hardware, i.e., infrastructure, enables the use of IoT in a company.  
To understand what kind of technology is needed for IoT integration, it is important to first understand the structure of an IoT system. As explained in the article by [PERSON] [37], an IoT system consists of five layers: perception, access, network, management, and, finally, application. Firstly, at the level of perception, various data is being collected and transformed into signals to send to the devices. Secondly at the access and network level, collected information is transmitted to and integrated into the network through already present networks, such as mobile communication, satellite, and local networks. Next, the service management layer is responsible for monitoring existing networks and making sure that processes on other levels are flowing smoothly. Finally, application level is the level of the IoT system where collected information is being analysed, and the appropriate response is generated to be sent back to devices. According to the author, examples of this process are real-time health monitoring, intelligent power grid, etc.  
To enable the aforementioned essential processes, different kinds of technologies are required. Four types can be distinguished: device hardware, device software, communications, and platform (What Technologies are Used in IoT-Technology Behind Internet of Things. (11 June 2019). Retrieved from [[https://www.avsystem.com/blog/iot-technology/](https://www.avsystem.com/blog/iot-technology/)]([https://www.avsystem.com/blog/iot-technology/](https://www.avsystem.com/blog/iot-technology/))(accessed on 16 December 2019). Necessary device hardware, such as sensors and actuators, as well as computing hardware are needed for processes at the Perception level to be realised. Likewise, device software enables all operations performed by smart devices. They include data collection and its real-time analysis, sending and receiving information from the Cloud, and managing devices. Next is communication technology, which supports processes on all levels of an IoT system. As stated by [PERSON] [37], _\"Communication technology is a key technical measure for connection and communication among things in the Internet of things, playing an irreplaceable role in development of IoT.\"_ Here, apart from the installations of the necessary hardware, data transfer protocols must also be considered. Choosing an appropriate one to support the interaction of devices with the Cloud and among themselves is important for the whole functioning of the IoT system. The working range of the communication solution varies, so the choice should be made according to the needs of a particular system. Last but not least, is the platform. It is a collective of software and hardware that constitutes the core of the IoT system. Collected data is being processed at the Cloud or on-site server, and the decision regarding the next actions within the system is made. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [27] also discuss that, when authorising actions to be performed by devices, the decision-making algorithms need to consider multiple sensor observations and relationships among them instead of only one.  
It can be seen that there is a lot to consider in the aspect of technology. IoT Project Management [38] as well emphasises that there are a plethora of decisions involved when working through these aspects of IoT adoption, so the matter of technology should be considered thoroughly.