The Internet of Things (IoT)

Picture this. You drive home from a long weekend in the mountains. It was a great trip, but you’re exhausted. As you round the corner to your home, the garage door opens up. The inside temperature is perfect, and there’s some mellow music playing. This is one version of IoT, a Smart Home that uses geo-fencing and time related data to set the thermostat, open the garage door, and start your favorite playlist.

The Smart Home is just one of many other uses for IoT. IoT describes the connection between physical devices over the internet that can send data and/or respond to certain criteria. Internet connected devices that have software can share and transfer data quickly, frequently and in abundance. The Internet of Things allows us to be able to globally dispatch information in near real-time. Anything that can be connected to the internet can be considered an IoT device, but it typically refers to devices that are autonomous. Smart thermostats, fitness trackers, baby monitors, security cameras and cars are all examples of the Internet of Things devices. IoT devices need to connect to the internet via WiFi, or some other mechanism.

The importance of IoT is the abilities of it. It can create information about the physical devices it’s connected to and come up with solutions after analyzing data. The Internet of Things can create a world in which everything is connected. It makes devices ‘smarter’ by connecting them to the internet. It’s its own ecosystem. It links multiple devices to give smarter performance and greater insight into the data. IoT has changed the way we communicate and has thoroughly impacted the technology industry. Cell phones, home devices, lifestyle applications have been a result of IoT. 

IoT has and will continue to transform business industries. It’s helping in creating marketing campaigns that are molded and personalized to the user of the smart device by gaining data or analytics on the user’s likes, commonalities and preferences. Factories are getting smarter, farms are more efficient, and we are able to track our steps - something our ancestors would find preposterous. That benefits the user and the business because the user gets to see things that they usually like or would want to buy. The business benefits because they get to understand who uses their services, what they like and how likely they are to come to your website. IoT has made access to data so much easier- You can learn about anything and everything by a quick search on the internet in minimal time. The user experience has heightened due to the easy and fast access that IoT provides. 

IoT is increasingly changing how the world corresponds with each other, how we view and collect data as well as how fast we get data. Communication and business will forever be in a transformation state due to the advancements that the Internet of Things has permitted and will continue to create in the future.  

“The future of IoT has the potential to be limitless. Advances to the industrial internet will be accelerated through increased network agility, integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and the capacity to deploy, automate, orchestrate and secure diverse use cases at hyperscale. The potential is not just in enabling billions of devices simultaneously but leveraging the huge volumes of actionable data which can automate diverse business processes. As networks and IoT platforms evolve to overcome these challenges, through increased capacity and AI, service providers will edge furthermore into IT and web scale markets – opening entire new streams of revenue.” - Future IoT for intelligent society and industry - Ericsson

The benefits of IoT showcase themselves through the advancement of ‘smart’ devices as a whole. Everyday we use, share, and look at so much data -The magnitude and power that our devices hold is unmatched. We are subject to so much information, so much technology and so much access to people because of IoT. The Internet of Things is a force to be reckoned with. It has literally transformed communication as a whole in every sense and like it or not, IoT is here to stay. How do you see it transforming your business or your life due to the tremendous opportunities to leverage the benefits of IoT?