IoT ...Internet of Things

We hear Internet of Things (IoT) as a jargon like few others i.e. Cloud, M2M, Big Data etc. What actually is IoT? And is this something new now?

It basically means connectedness and ability of objects or things to communicate with each other over Internet. We have machines in shop floors that are controlled through PLC and sensors. We have come across microelectronics to gauge the state of equipment like temperature, pressure, humidity, load, tilt etc. So, what is the difference?

The difference is connectedness of these objects that are being controlled so far in silos, over one single platform, thus creating an eco-system where we can monitor and measure the status, behavior and experience of these dumb objects or machines in relation to each other and the impact thereof on ourselves, either as individuals or enterprises.

Hence, IoT is not the technology, rather it is an eco-system of multiple technologies that connect, communicate and control real-time i.e. humanize these objects with intelligence.

Let us take an example of workplace. Employee Identity cards, office equipment, factory machines, moving vehicles, spare parts that you name it has potential to be tagged for identification and communication wireless. Once all the information about them including location, status, movement, behavior and past experience are captured on a single platform, it is easier to analyze, monitor and measure productivity, workforce movement, material movement, maintenance planning so on and so forth. That gives the intelligence to the enterprise in a holistic manner and enables it to avoid any blind spot, thus maximizing returns.

We will soon see IoT does not stay as a mere jargon but becomes a language of tomorrow’s business.

To stress the above statement, will cover some more examples in next blog……see you then.