## 4 Results and Discussion
### Challenges Impeding IoT Adoption Within the Silicon Mountain Technology Ecosystem  
Table 2 presents the challenges impeding IoT adoption within the Silicon Mountain technology ecosystem. Respondents were asked to evaluate the seriousness of each challenge using the following scale: Very Serious (VS), More Serious (MS), Moderate (M), Less Serious (LS), and Not Serious (NS). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Items** & **VS** & **MS** & **M** & **LS** & **NS** \\ \hline Poor internet connectivity and high cost of internet data & 28 & 5 & 9 & 28 & 76 \\  & 19.2\% & 3.4\% & 6.2\% & 19.2\% & 52.1\% \\ \hline Insufficient power supply and high energy costs & 30 & 12 & 5 & 27 & 72 \\  & 20.5\% & 8.25 & 3.4\% & 18.5\% & 49.3\% \\ \hline Lack of skilled labor in the field of IoT & 56 & 28 & 36 & 11 & 12 \\  & 40.4\% & 19.2\% & 24.7\% & 7.5\% & 8.2\% \\ \hline Adoption of new technologies requires an updated educational curriculum & 45 & 43 & 33 & 16 & 9 \\  & 30.8\% & 29.5\% & 22.3\% & 11.0\% & 6.2\% \\ \hline Insufficient financial resources & 48 & 41 & 37 & 13 & 6 \\  & 32.2\% & 28.1\% & 25.3\% & 8.9\% & 4.1\% \\ \hline Lack of standardization in IoT & 39 & 43 & 40 & 20 & 4 \\  & 26.7\% & 29.5\% & 27.4\% & 13.7\% & 2.7\% \\ \hline Concerns regarding data confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and ownership & 33 & 37 & 36 & 29 & 11 \\  & 22.6\% & 25.3\% & 24.7\% & 19.9\% & 7.5\% \\ \hline Potential damage resulting from a successful IoT attack & 29 & 38 & 46 & 25 & 8 \\  & 19.9\% & 26.0\% & 31.5\% & 17.1\% & 5.5\% \\ \hline Inadequate security mechanisms within IoT systems & 24 & 44 & 45 & 25 & 8 \\  & 16.4\% & 30.1\% & 30.8\% & 17.1\% & 5.5\% \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Challenges impeding IoT adoption within the Silicon Mountain technology ecosystem. The results are as follows:  
* Poor Internet Connectivity: This is not considered a serious challenge, with 52.1% of respondents rating it as \"Not Serious\". * Power Supply and High Energy Costs: Similarly, these issues are not seen as significant barriers, with 49.3% of respondents rating them as \"Not Serious\". Conversely, several factors are identified as serious challenges:
* Insufficient Skilled Labor: The lack of skilled professionals in technological areas such as data science, cybersecurity, IoT development, agriculture, etc., is considered a significant challenge by 40.4% of respondents who rated it as \"Very Serious\". * Inadequate Financial Resources: Challenges such as difficulty securing loans and limited funding support are rated as \"Very Serious\" by 32.2% of respondents. * Lack of Standardization: The absence of uniform standards in IoT hardware, software, and communication protocols makes interoperability difficult. This was rated as \"More Serious\" by 29.5% of respondents. Other significant challenges include the following:
* Sub-Standard Curriculum: The outdated educational curricula in most of Silicon Mountain's academic institutions, which fail to keep up with advancements in technology, were rated as \"Very Serious\" by 30.8% of respondents. * Data Security Concerns: Issues related to data confidentiality, integrity, and authentication are considered a challenge, with 30.8% rating these concerns as \"Moderate\". * Risk of IoT Attacks: The potential damage from IoT attacks, such as the 2016 IoT botnet attack, is seen as a significant risk, rated as \"More Serious\" by 26% of respondents. * Inadequate Security Mechanisms: The perception of the IoT as the \"Internet of Threats\" due to insufficient security measures is also considered a barrier.