INTEGRATING IOT AND DATA ANALYTICS FOR SMART SERVICE DELIVERY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN SAUDI ARABIA

The combination of the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics is altering the way service organisations detect their operating conditions, understand demand, co-ordinate their resources, and react to customers. In Saudi Arabia this convergence is significant since the country's digital transformation initiatives are expanding its connected infrastructure and at the same time public and private organisations face pressure to enhance the quality of their services, their productivity, resilience and sustainability. This review critically brings together the latest evidence published between 2020 and 2025 on the mechanisms by which IoT and data analytics can improve smart service delivery and operational efficiency, with a specific focus on the situation in Saudi organisations. It employs a structured evidence-synthesis approach that is based on two empirical studies carried out in Saudi Arabia and is extended using citation chaining and targeted scholarly searches. Thirty peer-reviewed studies, all with verified digital object identifiers, were included. The synthesis highlights five interdependent capability layers: sensing and connectivity, interoperable data integration, analytical intelligence, decision orchestration, and adaptive service execution.