The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects, both man-made & natural, which have been given unique identifiers (UIDs) & the ability to transfer data over the Internet without needing any human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
The number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices is currently over 7 billion, and it is predicted to reach 10 billion by 2020 and 22 billion by 2025. Organizations in various industries are taking advantage of IoT technology to become more efficient, better understand customers for enhanced customer service & improve decision-making abilities.
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What is the process of Internet of Things (IoT) technology?
IoT is a network of devices that are connected to the internet and use special computer systems, sensors, and other hardware to communicate with each other. These devices collect data from the environment & share it by connecting to an IoT gateway or other edge device. The data can be sent to the cloud for analysis or analyzed locally, & these devices may even communicate with each other & act accordingly.
People can interact with these devices by setting them up, giving instructions, or accessing the data. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) & machine learning are used to make the collecting process easier & more dynamic.
An IoT system typically collects & exchanges data in real time.
An IoT system consists of three parts:
IoT application
An IoT application is a system that uses AI & machine learning to collect data from connected devices, analyze it, & make decisions. It then sends instructions back to the device which response accordingly.
Smart devices
This device is like a television, security camera, or exercise equipment that has been enhanced with computing capabilities. IoT devices collect data from their surroundings, user inputs & usage patterns, and transfer it over the internet to an IoT application.
A user interface with graphical elements.
A graphical user interface (e.g. a mobile app or website) can be used to manage a single IoT device or an entire fleet of them. This interface allows users to register & control the devices.
What industries can benefit from the Internet of Things?
Organizations that would benefit from using sensor devices in their operations are the most suitable for implementing IoT.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers can benefit from production-line monitoring. Sensors can detect when production output is compromised before it happens. By using sensor alerts, companies can quickly check & repair equipment, which leads to lower operating costs, improved uptime, & better asset performance management.
Automotive
IoT applications offer many advantages for the automotive industry. Sensors can be used to detect equipment failure in vehicles on the road & alert drivers with information & recommendations. Through IoT-based applications, car manufacturers & suppliers can gain valuable insights into how to keep cars running smoothly & keep drivers informed.
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Transportation & Logistics
IoT sensors can be used to optimize transportation & logistics systems. For example, cars, trucks, ships & trains carrying inventory can be rerouted according to weather or vehicle availability. Sensors can also be applied to inventory tracking & temperature control. This is especially beneficial in industries like food & beverage, flowers & pharmaceuticals where temperature-sensitive products require monitoring for safe delivery. In that case, alerts will trigger if temperatures rise or drop below a certain level.
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Retail
Retail companies can use IoT applications to improve their operations & reduce costs. For example, weight sensors fitted on smart shelves can gather RFID-based data & send it to an IoT platform in order to keep track of inventory levels & alert when items are running low. Additionally, beacons can be used to deliver personalized offers & promotions to customers for a more engaging experience.
Public Sector
IoT applications have many benefits in the public sector & service-based environments. Government-owned utilities can use IoT to send alerts about outages or disruptions to their users’ water, power, or sewer services. Additionally, IoT can be used to collect data about the extent of an outage & subsequently help utilities recover faster.
Healthcare
IoT asset monitoring is a great benefit for the healthcare industry. By attaching IoT sensors to wheelchairs, medical staff can use an asset-monitoring application to quickly locate the nearest available wheelchair. This way, doctors, nurses & orderlies can easily locate patient-assistance assets when needed. Additionally, tracking hospital assets with IoT also allows for proper usage & financial accounting of physical assets in every department.
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Safety in All Industries
IoT can be used to enhance the safety of workers in potentially dangerous environments, such as mines, oil & gas fields, & chemical & power plants. Wearables connected to IoT sensors allow for real-time monitoring of human health & environmental conditions. This helps people understand their health better, while also enabling doctors to keep an eye on their patients remotely.
What benefits does IoT offer to organizations?
The Internet of Things (IoT) can provide organizations with a variety of benefits, both industry-specific & those that are applicable across industries.
The advantages of using IoT for businesses include:
- Monitor their business processes as a whole.
- Improve the experience of customers.
- Save both time & money.
- Increase employee efficiency.
- Integrate & adjust business models to fit the situation.
- Improve business decisions.
- Generate more income.
IoT has become increasingly popular, benefiting organizations in a variety of industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, home automation & more. Sensor-driven technologies help farmers collect valuable data related to rainfall, humidity, temperature & soil content.
Additionally, IoT solutions can be used to monitor structural buildings, bridges & other infrastructure components. Home automation businesses can use IoT tools to manage mechanical systems & electrical systems in a building. On a larger scale, smart cities are using IoT to reduce waste & energy consumption for citizens. Finally, IoT is also playing a big role in healthcare, finance & retail businesses as well.
What are the advantages & disadvantages of the Internet of Things (IoT)?
The advantages of IoT include:
- The ability to access information from any location, at any time, using any device.
- Communication between connected electronic devices is improved.
- Transferring data over a network can save time & money.
- Automating tasks can help improve a business’s services & reduce the need for manual labor.
The disadvantages of IoT include:
- As more devices become interconnected & exchange data, the chances of hackers accessing sensitive information also increase.
- Enterprises may eventually be faced with having to manage millions of IoT devices & the data they produce. This could present a significant challenge.
- If there is an issue with the system, all connected devices could be affected.
- It is hard for products made by different companies to work together since there are no agreed-upon standards for the Internet of Things.
Standards & Frameworks for the Internet of Things
Some of the emerging standards for the Internet of Things are:
- 6LoWPAN is a standard created by the IETF that lets low-power radios, such as 804.15.4, BLE & Z-Wave, access the internet. It can be used for home automation & other purposes.
- ZigBee is a wireless network used in industrial settings that provides low data rates & low power consumption. It follows the IEEE 802.15.4 standard & is promoted by the ZigBee Alliance, which created Dotdot – a language allowing smart objects to securely communicate across any network.
- LiteOS is a type of operating system that provides support for wireless sensor networks, smartphones, wearables, smart manufacturing systems, smart homes & the internet of vehicles. It also acts as a platform for developing new smart devices.
- OneM2M is a system for connecting devices by embedding software & hardware. It’s an international standard created to make it easier for different types of Internet of Things (IoT) applications to communicate with each other.
- DDS is an IoT standard created by the Object Management Group (OMG) to make real-time, scalable & high-performance machine-to-machine (M2M) communication possible.
- AMQP is an open-source standard that allows secure & interoperable messaging between organizations, applications, & devices. It enables encrypted communication between them using asynchronous messages sent over a network connection.
- CoAP is a protocol created by the IETF for use in the Internet of Things, specifically for low-power & resource-limited devices.
- LoRaWAN is a protocol designed to support large networks consisting of millions of low-power devices, such as those found in smart cities.
Examples of IoT frameworks include:
- AWS IoT is a cloud platform from Amazon that makes it easier for smart devices to securely connect & communicate with the AWS cloud & other devices.
- Arm Mbed IoT aims to create a secure, connected environment for Internet of Things (IoT) devices by combining tools & services from Arm microcontrollers. Its goal is to build applications that are scalable & suitable for the IoT space.
- Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite offers a set of services that enable users to interact with, receive data from, & analyze their Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This platform allows businesses to transform, aggregate, & visualize the data for better understanding & results.
- Google’s Brillo/Weave is an IoT platform that makes it quick to create applications. It has two components: Brillo, which is an Android-based operating system for building low-power devices, & Weave, a communication protocol that lets the device talk to the cloud.
- Calvin is an IoT platform designed by Ericsson to help people create & manage applications that connect devices. It provides developers with a framework to develop applications, plus a runtime environment for running them.
Applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) for consumers & businesses.
IoT is a technology with many uses, both for consumers & businesses. In the consumer space, it enables people to control their home appliances remotely with computers or smartphones. Additionally, wearable devices can monitor & collect user data, providing personalized messages to make life easier. These wearables are also used for public safety purposes like providing faster response times or monitoring construction workers’ health during dangerous tasks.
IoT offers many benefits in healthcare, such as being able to track patient data more closely. Smart buildings can save energy costs with sensors that change the temperature depending on how many people are in a room. In agriculture, IoT systems can monitor light, temp, humidity & soil moisture of crop fields as well as automate irrigation. Finally, cities can use IoT sensors to reduce traffic congestion, conserve energy & improve sanitation.
Issues with Security & Privacy in the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things connects billions of devices & collects huge amounts of data, making it difficult to secure. In 2016, the Mirai botnet attack infiltrated domain name server provider Dyn & caused one of the worst distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks ever seen. Hackers were able to gain access by exploiting vulnerable IoT devices, threatening all connected data. Poor security measures by device manufacturers that fail to update their products leave them open to attack from cybercriminals.
Connected devices can collect a user’s personal information such as their name, age, address, phone number & social media account, making them vulnerable to hackers. IoT also poses a risk to users’ privacy as companies could misuse the data collected. Furthermore, it may damage critical infrastructure systems like electricity & transportation.
Overview
The Internet of Things (IoT) makes life & work easier by providing smart devices that automate homes. In business, IoT offers an insightful look into how systems are functioning, like tracking machine performance & supply chains. This helps companies reduce labor costs & waste.
Additionally, it increases service delivery efficiency & transparency in customer transactions. IoT is a crucial technology for everyday life & will continue to be more popular as businesses recognize its potential to keep them competitive.
