What to expect and how to enjoy it

With the maturity of internet technology new era of computing has emerged, the Internet of Things (IoT), which was first introduced by MIT Auto-ID Labs in 1999 [1]. IoT consists of millions of “things” that are connected to each other, communicate with each other and exchange data, in order to make more intelligent environments. The objects participating in this network can come in the form of wearable and embedded sensors, computers, information appliances, and tags. These devices capture data from the environment, analyze the data, and actuate accordingly.

“We need to empower computers with their own means of gathering information, so they can see, hear and smell the world for themselves.” says Kevin Ashton co-founder and executive director of the Auto-ID Center.

IoT is known as the third revolution in information technology after the Internet and mobile communication networks, and today it is being used in multitude of public and private sectors, to provide services including security, energy-saving, automation, telecommunication, and entertainment integrated into a single ecosystem with a shared user interface.

This technology is being more and more commonly used. According to a report by Cisco IBSG [2], the number of connected devices in 2015 was 25 billion, and this number is expected to grow to 50 billion by 2020.

“The number of connected devices is expected to grow to 50 billion by 2020”

Smart City, Smart Home, Smart office, Smart Car, Smart Agriculture, and Smart Assisted Living are some examples of IoT applications. All these applications have already found their ways into the modern life.

As devices continue connecting us more and more, we are becoming a part of huge connected world with a high degree of intelligence and sophistication. This will change the way we live, work, and communicate, forever.

In SHIFT 2017, our keynote speaker, futurist Gerd Leonhard [3] talked about the phenomena of technological revolution, digital transformation of business and society, and the significance of keeping up with the exponential technologies.

There was also an opportunity to participate in the program of our official side-event Smart City and learn more about how to make our cities smarter.

IoT has already facilitated many environments including offices. Smart connected gadgets, devices, and applications have revolutionized the workplaces, exceedingly. IoT can benefit the workplaces with lower utilities costs, better and communication, higher security and efficiency. It makes the business no longer physical and has made it available everywhere. People are no longer physically bound to the offices. They can access their documents that are saved on a cloud infrastructure, from anywhere through the Internet. Smartphones and wearables have made the dream of portable office plausible (e.g., checking the emails and editing the documents on the go). The smart calendar checks the routes to the meeting place and the traffic situation from the map, notifies and guides the user to the best route. The temperature and light are adjusted automatically based on environmental , smart coffee maker starts brewing coffee at the most usual time of the day. More secure offices are set up these days, through security cameras, motion sensors, and smart locks.

These are all just some few examples of how the business and workplaces could be automated through using the cutting edge technologies such as smart devices and IoT. Therefore, it is time to think strategically, embrace the technology, bring your work and workplace into the future.

REFERENCES:

[1] I. Bose and R. Pal, “Auto-Id: Managing anything, anywhere, anytime in the supply chain,” Commun. ACM, 48(8), pp. 100–106, Aug. 2005.

[2] “The internet of things- how the next evolution of the internet is changing everything,” verified 2017-03-05. [Online]. Available:

http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ac79/docs/i…

[3] http://www.futuristgerd.com/

Pictures by geralt and fancycrave1.