The Internet of things (IOT) is an evolving ecosystem that includes almost any form of technology capable of connecting to the Internet. It covers a wide variety of protocols, domains and applications, and has become a 'catch-all' phrase to explain the addition of connectivity and intelligence to devices in order to give them special functions.
Technically described as the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices, the IOT offers a level of advanced connectivity, systems and services that go well beyond those provided by conventional machine-to-machine communications.
The interconnection of embedded devices - including 'smart objects' that are able to define their own possible interactions - is expected to bring about the concept of automation in nearly all fields of endeavour, while also enabling advanced applications such as smart grids, which could play a key role in SA in future years.
A smart grid is a modernised electrical grid that uses ICT to gather and act on data relating to the behaviour of consumers. The objective is to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics and sustainability of electricity distribution.
Mass(ive) market
The IOT is predicted to have a following of more than four billion people, who will be using around 31 billion devices by 2020, nearly doubling the amount of connected technology seen in the marketplace today.
These devices will range from embedded heart monitoring implants to wearables capable of measuring calories burned, glucose levels and blood pressure. Personal electrocardiogram systems are now available. Smart beds are already monitoring sleep patterns, with hundreds of sensors built into mattresses, sending the results to apps on the users' smartphones or tablets.
Increasing numbers of smart devices will be found in vehicles that will be equipped with sophisticated sensors and operational devices, similar to those that are assisting in the development of driverless controls today.
Dynamic interaction between these devices will enable inter- and intra-vehicular communication, smart traffic control, smart parking, logistics and advanced fleet management, together with safety and road assistance functions.
Creatures of habit
As processors become ever smaller, cheaper and more powerful, they will find their way into objects not traditionally considered 'intelligent'. Thus, universal applications will be created that are connected to lights, TVs, door locks, air-conditioning, kitchen appliances and many more devices.
In many cases, these apps will be capable of learning peoples' habits, reacting to what they like, and what they don't like.
Besides a large range of new application areas into which Internet-connected automation will be able to expand, IOT is also expected to generate large amounts of data from diverse locations that will need to be aggregated at very high speeds, thereby increasing the requirements to better index, store and process this data.
Given the amount of innovation associated with the IOT, it will encourage more start-up companies to mushroom, each offering a plethora of new devices and services to increasingly tech-savvy end-users.
Prominent standardisation bodies, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, the IPSO Alliance and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute are developing protocols, systems, architectures and frameworks to support these companies and enable the benefits of the IOT to reach new markets.
The confluence of mobile, cloud and intelligent devices is the next big thing in the IT industry.
This is good news for cloud services vendors, as start-up companies will be more likely to embrace the cloud because of its no-upfront-payment model. What's more, software as a service enabled enterprise-level applications, as offered by cloud service providers, will allow smaller businesses to use sophisticated software to improve the efficiency levels associated with project management, customer relations and other administrative tasks.
Just as a symbiotic relationship has developed between cloud computing and mobile technologies, driven by the bring your own device movement, so a similarly close and binding relationship will develop between the cloud and the IOT.
The confluence of mobile, cloud and intelligent devices is the next big thing in the IT industry. It will present a significant marketing opportunity for cloud providers. Just as with mobile, the IOT can be expected to rely heavily on the cloud for processing power, storage and interconnectedness.
Importantly, the functional benefits of intelligent objects are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the revolutionary potential of the IOT. With so much data flowing from potentially millions of different nodes, the cloud is the only technology suitable for filtering, analysing, storing and accessing this information.
Although the cloud may seem to be a mature technology, this is only the beginning when it comes to exploiting the potential of the interface between mobile, cloud and smart objects with sensors.
Make no mistake; the IOT will present cloud computing with challenges relating to security, privacy, hardware and software compatibility, data mining, data analysis and many other issues. Those who are ready with the necessary expertise, solutions and infrastructure will be best placed to reap the business rewards of the IOT and the next phase of the cloud computing revolution.
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