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Global network of connected 'things'

Andy Robb
By Andy Robb, Technology specialist at Duxbury Networking.
Johannesburg, 31 Jul 2014

Modern technological developments such as cloud computing have achieved much in terms of expediting the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product. But, despite overcoming the challenges of providing shared resources, software and information to computers and other devices as a utility over the Internet, the day-to-day impact of this groundbreaking advance on the end-user experience has been negligible.

In a similar vein, the advent of 'big data' is something of an enigma to most end-users. Hailed as a breakthrough, big data requires exceptional technologies to facilitate the exponential growth and availability of data, both structured and unstructured, to the corporate world.

To the technologically-aware, big data may be as important as the Internet, but to the man in the street, the concept has gained no more clarity of purpose since industry analyst Doug Laney defined it in terms of 'the three Vs' of volume, velocity and variety back in 2001.

While the IT industry has taken giant leaps forward, it has failed to provide end-users - its customers - with a substantially new computing experience. This is about to change.

Shaking things up

A hint of what is to come has been spelled out by the BYOD (bring your own device) phenomenon, which has put unprecedented computing power in the hands of mobile users.

They stand in line to reap the benefits of the next big technological revolution - the concept of the 'Internet of things' (IOT).

First articulated by British technology pioneer Kevin Ashton 15 years ago, his vision describes a system in which the Internet is connected to the physical world via ubiquitous sensors. These have the power to radically change the way people live and work.

Ashton's revelation is now poised to become reality. Simply put, the IOT depicts a world in which any device with an on-and-off switch can be connected to the Internet - or to other devices, which include everything from cellphones to washing machines, coffee makers, lighting systems and anything else imaginable.

According to analyst firm Gartner, by 2020 there will be more than 26 billion connected devices making up a global network of connected 'things' and people. The relationships will be people-to-people, people-to-things, and things-to-things.

The IOT's impact on end-users will be tsunami-like, as wave upon wave of new ideas and opportunities flood their lives.

Coffee time

Initially, IOT will address applications that gain the most consumer interest. For example, thanks to IOT, a person's alarm clock will wake that person at 6:30am, but minutes earlier it would have notified the coffee maker to start brewing. Office equipment - printers, copiers - will know when they are running low on supplies and automatically re-order more.

It won't be long before IOT gets to grips with applications linked to cost monitoring and resource optimisation. It will help users to broaden their horizons, building the foundations of new 'smart cities', where IOT will be applied to transportation networks, waste management and energy use, at the same time assisting users to improve both work and leisure experiences.

One of the biggest impacts of IOT will be felt in the health and lifestyle arena.

As IOT applications quickly gain traction, South Africans could, for example, see a marked improvement in municipal service delivery, better usage of electrical energy and a host of other real-world benefits.

One of the biggest impacts of IOT will be felt in the health and lifestyle arena. Wearable computer devices, in addition to the tracking of various fitness metrics, will be able to assist the elderly or health-challenged to monitor a wide and diverse range of medically critical parameters in real-time. This will allow immediate and appropriate treatment to be dispensed.

Researchers who track this market believe the wearable health market will represent at least $2 billion in revenue worldwide by 2018, with an inventive, sensor-laden headphone design becoming a sought-after fashion accessory.

The reality is that the IOT will allow a wide variety of connections to take place, opening the doors to many opportunities and innovations. As the IOT learns how users conduct their lives, as more and more information is gleaned from wearable devices, marketing opportunities will unfold.

Analysing how people's lives are run will have a plethora of commercial implications, bridging the gap between the IOT and big data, and giving companies the chance to realise long-held goals of more agility, better efficiency and added competitiveness in dealing with consumers.

The most significant advantage for IOT is that no new infrastructure has to be built, no communications networks designed or standards platforms approved for all its benefits to be realised. IOT is totally applicable to the man in the street, who will benefit more from this than any other technological advance of the past.

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