What is the Internet of Things?

Introduction

The Internet of Things or Internet of things is becoming a growing topic of conversation both at work and outside of work. It is a concept that not only has the potential to affect the way we live but also how we work. But what is the Internet of Things, really, but what exactly is the "Internet of Things" and what impact is it going to have on us? There are actually a lot of complexities surrounding the Internet of Things, but we will try to explain it in a more basic way.

What is the Internet of things?

The Internet of Things is a system of interlinked computing devices. Mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers. And which have the ability to transfer data across a network without the need for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

A thing, in the Internet of things, can be a person with a heart monitor implant. It could be a farm animal with a biochip transponder. A car that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when the tyre pressure is low. Or any other man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network.

How does the Internet of things not affect?

The new rule for the future will be "Everything that can be connected will be connected". But why do we want so many connected devices communicating with each other? There are many examples of what this could look like, or what the potential could be.

For example, you are on your way to a meeting; your car could access your calendar and know the best route to take. If there is heavy traffic, your car could send a text message to the other party informing them that you will be late. What if your alarm clock wakes you up at 6 and then alerts the coffee maker to start brewing? What if your office computer knows when you are running low on supplies and will automatically order more? Or if the handheld device you used in the workplace could tell you when and where you were most active and productive, and shared that information with other devices you used while working?

On a broader scale, the Internet of things can be applied to things like transport networks. "Smart cities" that can help us improve efficiency, such as energy use.

Is all that glitters all that glitters?

The reality is that the Internet of things enables virtually infinite opportunities and connections to be made. And many of which we can't even think about or understand today. It really opens the door to many opportunities but also to many challenges. Security is a big issue that often arises. With billions of connected devices, what can people do to make sure their information is kept secure? Can someone hack into your toaster and gain access to your entire network? The internet of things also opens up more security threats in companies around the world. Then there is the issue of privacy and data sharing.

This is a hot topic even today. So one can only imagine how concerns will intensify when we are talking about many billions of connected devices. Another problem that many companies will face specifically is around the enormous amount of data that all these devices will produce. Companies need to find a way to store, track, analyse and make sense of the vast amount of data that will be generated.

Is the Internet of things real?

It would be difficult to answer this question. Technology is full of marketing and hype. It is often difficult to decide at the outset whether an innovation is truly innovative or not. After all, many tech pundits scoffed at the first iPhone.

But the internet of things is one of those broader ideas that does not depend on a single project or product. Smart fridges may well be the appliance of the future, or they could fall by the wayside. But the idea of connected sensors and smart devices that make decisions without our involvement will continue.

No matter where it is or what we call it, Intenert of things is real. But what it will look like in the future cannot be answered.