Google has been flooded with users, curious to find out more about the ‘Internet of Things’. It can be defined as the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.
The ‘Internet of Things’, although a new term amongst society, isn’t a new concept. Tech companies and pundits have actually been discussing it for decades, and, fun fact- the first internet connected toaster was unveiled at a conference in 1989. Put simply, the ‘Internet of Things’ is the interconnection of devices via the internet. Imagine your microwave could text you that it was unclean via internal cameras that could recognise dirt.
By 2020, it’s expected that 50 billion gadgets will be connected via the internet, and this idea could actually revolutionise our lives. In more ways than your smart fridge being able to tell you there’s no milk- something that Cisco demonstrated they recognise when they led the ‘Internet of Things’ 2017 world forum.
Before now, there have been 3 ‘Internet of Things’ and the conferences have grown significantly since the first one in Barcelona. In the most recent forum, Cisco demonstrated just how big the ‘Internet of Things’ truly is, for the following top reasons.
Transforming into a Huge Business
$6.9 billion has been supplied to industrial projects since 2012, and around 30% came just in the last year. An estimated 47,000 new jobs have been created in Barcelona, all due to developing projects for ‘Internet of Things’.
Keynote speaker Cisco president Chuck Robbins stated in his talk that “There are now 8.4 billion things connected worldwide,” “And 3.1 billion of those things are being used by business. Think about that: we’re in the early stages, phase zero where 26% of these things have success in their early low-hanging fruit initiatives, and there’s already over three billion of these things.”
Building New Partnerships
As no one really can have ownership of a concept, no one has a monopoly on the ‘Internet of Things’, which will lead to form some fairly odd bedfellows. Since the whole idea of the ‘Internet of Things’ revolves around integration, we feel this couldn’t be more fitting.
“You’re going to build partnerships with companies that you never dreamed of,” Robbins stated. “If you’d have said ten years ago that Cisco and Rockwell were going to build a partnership, I’d have said ‘that’s great, we’ll sell them some stuff.’” Now, their partnership is more evenly balanced than they ever thought it would be.
It will Revolutionise our Lives-
We’re still in the beginning stages of the ‘Internet of Things’ in terms of its development, even so, we’re already seeing the huge impact it’s made. Already, thousands of jobs have been generated, it’s an industry with billions of dollars being invested in it, with bigger projects already on the way.
Author Don Tapscott, outlines some potential knock-on effects of a completely integrated technological world. He puts forward that a virtual mass transit system could decrease huge costs worldwide, a prime example can be found in London. Here, 50% of police funding goes towards traffic control and maintenance. What if this system could more or less run itself and the reinvested?
All in all, Cisco has shown us that that the ‘Internet of Things’ is sure to transform our lives. Critics point out the complex security, and the hard work required for project completion. We must consider though, that it’s only in its infant stages, and already we’re reaping the benefits. It would be wrong to undermine something that will significantly help vital services like healthcare, the police. Could bring down pollution, energy levels, and is set to truly revolutionise society.
