12-27-21 | Blog Post

What is the Internet of Things?

Blog Posts

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a disruptive technology that is revolutionizing our whole lives. From the houses that we live in, to the streets we drive on, and even the time we spend at work is already being impacted by the Internet of things. But what exactly is it?

Internet of Things (IoT) Defined

IoT is the development of the internet allowing it a way to connect to everyday objects through a network to give it the ability to send and receive useful information. Basically, its the reinvention of basic objects into “smart” technology.

Example of IoT in Action

Picture this: you’re driving on a snowy winter day with your family, when all of a sudden you lose control of the car. You start sliding into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing other cars, until you finally stop in the ditch. The traumatic experience opened your eyes. It was time to ditch the rear wheel, bench seat pickup, and finally get a car that’s good in the snow. You head to the dealership and talk to a salesman, telling him you need an AWD Sedan to help you navigate the harsh terrain. He says, “Well, nowadays it goes much deeper than AWD. This car tells you where there is ice on the road, notifies you when you need to slow down, and can even tell you when an accident is going to happen before it does.”

Seriously it’s a thing:

The Internet of Things goes farther than this, though. It is changing how businesses interact with customers post-purchase. Enterprises will be able to connect devices to the internet, allowing them to interact with their products as well as their customers. This will give them the ability to gain valuable information of product performance and consumer behaviors.

Here’s the Thing

Everything that has an on/off switch will eventually be connected to the internet; sending and receiving data to help make our lives safer, more enjoyable, and even more productive. But how does it work? What happens behind the scenes?

First off, everything will have sensors, which means not being able to track everything is a thing of the past. These sensors can even track when there are stresses, cracks, and faults in the concrete that support bridges. Just imagine the potential these little guys have!

So the question remains, how do we analyze and house all this data that is being thrown in our faces? The answer is cloud-based applications. These apps translate that data into useful intelligence that can be used by you to make real-time adjustments. Not only does the cloud work with IoT to help you make instantaneous decisions with utmost precision, it also stores all of that excess data for you. This means you don’t need to worry about massive increases in your overhead due to the growth of your data infrastructure. Your data can grow as your company innovates and expands, and that is where the cloud comes in. No need to worry about latency, a cloud-based data center has the ability to send and receive that data in milliseconds, supplying you with all the information you need to become an all-knowing industry guru.

The Bottom Line

The Internet of Things a disruptive technology that we cannot afford to ignore. This technology is already revolutionizing the way we interact with almost every business. It has become a major engine for the creation of new products and ideas. Don’t let the future pass you by, make sure you understand how your business can take advantage of the IoT and Cloud technology to interact with your customers, improve your bottom line and innovate your products. Who knows, maybe we’ll finally get that hover board we were promised in Back to the Future!

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