International Data Corporation (IDC) today published an IDC Innovators report profiling three companies offering wearable devices that monitor the wearer's health, safety, and productivity in the enterprise. The three companies are: Kinetic, Oura Health, and Nymi.

While wearable devices have been slow to prove their utility in the enterprise, vendors are leveraging the data processing capabilities and network connectivity of wearables to deliver useful workplace functionality. For example, smartwatches can deliver information about the wearer's health and activities for safety and productivity monitoring. They can also deliver glanceable and actionable information to the display for immediate use by the wearer. And wearables can host information that enables a range of contact-free interactions. As companies reevaluate their post-pandemic work environments, wearables have the potential to meet a variety of needs.

"Wearables have had a small presence within the enterprise, yet they continue to gain salience, especially as companies revisit and revise their return-to-work plans," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC's Wearables team. "The diversity illustrated by the three companies profiled in this report show how wearables can bring new solutions to a wide range of problems in the workplace."

The report, IDC Innovators: Wearable Technology, 2021 (IDC #US48168421), features three companies that have developed wearable devices addressing specific needs in the enterprise. The three companies are:

Kinetic offers a belt-worn device that monitors body mechanics and alerts the wearer of high-risk movements to help prevent injury. The device also monitors social distancing to facilitate contact tracing.

Nymi uses a wristband to authenticate the identity of the wearer and provide secure access to applications and assets. The device also supports social distancing and contact tracing needs.

Oura Health uses a ring to monitor sleep activity as well as several other biometric measures and compares these against the wearer's baseline levels to identify potential signs of sickness.

About IDC Innovators

IDC Innovators reports present a set of vendors – under $100 million in revenue at time of selection – chosen by an IDC analyst within a specific market that offer an innovative new technology, a groundbreaking approach to an existing issue, and/or an interesting new business model. It is not an exhaustive evaluation of all companies in a segment or a comparative ranking of the companies. Vendors in the process of being acquired by a larger company may be included in the report provided the acquisition is not finalized at the time of publication of the report. Vendors funded by venture capital firms may also be included in the report even if the venture capital firm has a financial stake in the vendor's company. IDC INNOVATOR and IDC INNOVATORS are trademarks of International Data Group, Inc.

For more information about IDC Innovators research, please contact Jen Melker at jmelker@idc.com.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

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A new IDC Innovators report profiles three companies offering wearable devices that monitor the wearer's health, safety, and productivity in the enterprise.