You may already know about IoT because your daily life may include IoT objects such as smart appliances, fitness trackers, and smartphones.

The Internet of Things (commonly referred to as IoT) is the network of physical devices or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity, which enables these objects to connect and exchange data. In general, IoT is a broad term because of the many use cases for IoT platforms and solutions. However, IoT has become much bigger and can be used at an enterprise level to monitor and control critical equipment for different business cases. In each instance, it only takes the ability to connect a device to the internet to collect and analyze the device’s data.

The now:

While IoT seems like a new term, it has been around for a little more than a decade. There is some confusion surrounding how quickly IoT was adopted and how many different use cases it has, but there has been a slow adoption of all things IoT for a while now. It is predicted that by 2020 over 50 billion devices will be connected to digital infrastructure, according to "50 billion IoT-connected devices by 2020: Report".

From fitness trackers to hospital equipment or a grocery store’s refrigerator, IoT is not going away anytime soon. By connecting these devices to the internet, data from these devices can be collected and analyzed for important information.

For example, displaying notifications only when something is wrong or needs your attention rather than tracking issues on your own. By making these large streams of data “small”, IoT is simplifying and enhancing everyday aspects of life.

Consider how much guesswork would be involved if you did not have a fitness tracker to show your target rates, or if you are actually improving from those dreaded workouts. This information makes it easier for you to change your workouts and daily routines for better personal results such as losing weight or sleeping better.

Moving into the future:

For organizations in the retail space, connecting your assets such as your HVAC, lighting, and security systems to a digital infrastructure allows those assets to tell you when equipment is working too hard, could fail, or is operating outside of normal operating capacity. By using IoT, retailers can control their costs and put fewer dollars into unnecessary repairs.

If the last ten years are any indication, devices will continue to become more connected every day. For our customers, these connections to IoT-enabled devices offer ease of use, cost savings and operational efficiencies, giving individual users and businesses the opportunity to focus on data that may be beneficial to them.

To learn even more about The Internet of Things, contact us today.