INTERNET OF THINGS

SUBMITTED BY EVANJELIN S

(MHRM-16-14)
WHAT IS INTERNET OF THINGS?

The Internet of things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices,

vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"),
buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors,
actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to collect and
exchange data.
The "Internet of things" (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of
conversation both in the workplace and outside of it. It's a concept that not only
has the potential to impact how we live but also how we work. But what exactly
is the "Internet of things" and what impact is it going to have on you, if any?
There are a lot of complexities around the "Internet of things" but I want to stick
to the basics. Lots of technical and policy-related conversations are being had
but many people are still just trying to grasp the foundation of what the heck
these conversations are about.

Let's start with understanding a few things.

Broadband Internet is become more widely available, the cost of connecting is

decreasing, more devices are being created with Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors
built into them, technology costs are going down, and smartphone penetration is
sky-rocketing. All of these things are creating a "perfect storm" for the IoT.

So What Is The Internet Of Things?

Simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on
and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything
from cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps,
wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies
to components of machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill
of an oil rig. As I mentioned, if it has an on and off switch then chances are it
can be a part of the IoT. The analyst firm Gartner says that by 2020 there will
be over 26 billion connected devices... That's a lot of connections (some even
estimate this number to be much higher, over 100 billion). The IoT is a giant
network of connected "things" (which also includes people). The relationship
will be between people-people, people-things, and things-things.

How Does This Impact You?

The new rule for the future is going to be, "Anything that can be connected, will
be connected." But why on earth would you want so many connected devices
talking to each other? There are many examples for what this might look like or
what the potential value might be. Say for example you are on your way to a
meeting; your car could have access to your calendar and already know the best
route to take. If the traffic is heavy your car might send a text to the other party
notifying them that you will be late. What if your alarm clock wakes up you at 6
a.m. and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you? What
if your office equipment knew when it was running low on supplies and
automatically re-ordered more? What if the wearable device you used in the
workplace could tell you when and where you were most active and productive
and shared that information with other devices that you used while working?

On a broader scale, the IoT can be applied to things like transportation

networks: "smart cities" which can help us reduce waste and improve efficiency
for things such as energy use; this helping us understand and improve how we
work and live. Take a look at the visual below to see what something like that
can look like.

Terms and Basic Definitions

Internet of Things: A network of internet-connected objects able to

collect and exchange data using embedded sensors.
Internet of Things device: Any stand-alone internet-connected device
that can be monitored and/or controlled from a remote location.
Internet of Things ecosystem: All the components that enable
businesses, governments, and consumers to connect to their IoT devices,
including remotes, dashboards, networks, gateways, analytics, data
storage, and security.
 Entity: Includes businesses, governments, and consumers.
Physical layer: The hardware that makes an IoT device, including
sensors and networking gear.
Network layer: Responsible for transmitting the data collected by the
physical layer to different devices.
Application layer: This includes the protocols and interfaces that devices
use to identify and communicate with each other.
Remotes: Enable entities that utilize IoT devices to connect with and
control them using a dashboard, such as a mobile application. They
include smartphones, tablets, PCs, smartwatches, connected TVs, and
nontraditional remotes.
Dashboard: Displays information about the IoT ecosystem to users and
enables them to control their IoT ecosystem. It is generally housed on a
remote.
Analytics: Software systems that analyze the data generated by IoT
devices. The analysis can be used for a variety of scenarios, such as
predictive maintenance.
Data storage: Where data from IoT devices is stored.
Networks: The internet communication layer that enables the entity to
communicate with their device, and sometimes enables devices to
communicate with each other.

IoT Predictions, Trends, and Market

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, expects there will

be more than 24 billion IoT devices on Earth by 2020. That's approximately
four devices for every human being on the planet.

And as we approach that point, $6 billion will flow into IoT solutions,
including application development, device hardware, system integration, data
storage, security, and connectivity. But that will be money well spent, as those
investments will generate $13 trillion by 2025.
Who will reap these benefits? There are three major entities that will use IoT
ecosystems: consumers, governments, and businesses. For more detail, see the
Industries section below.

IoT Industries

Several environments within the three groups of consumers, governments, and

ecosystems will benefit from the IoT. These include:

Manufacturing Transportation Defense Agriculture

Infrastructure Retail Logistics Banks

Oil, gas, and mining Insurance Connected Home Food Services

Utilities Hospitality Healthcare Smart Buildings

IoT Companies

There are literally hundreds of companies linked to the Internet of Things, and
the list should only expand in the coming years. Here are some of the major
players that have stood out in the IoT to this point:

Honeywell (HON) Hitachi T-Mobile (TMUS)

GE (GE) AT&T (T) Cisco (CSCO)

Amazon (AMZN) Skyworks (SWKS) Apple (AAPL)

Iridium Communications
Google (GOOGL) Ambarella (AMBA)
(IRDM)

Texas Instruments
PTC (PTC) Fitbit (FIT)
(TXN)

Garmin (GRMN) Blackrock (BLK) InvenSense (INVN)

Control4 (CTRL) Silicon Laboratories (SLAB) CalAmp (CAMP)

 Linear Technology
InterDigital (IDCC) Ruckus Wireless (RKUS)
(LLTC)

Nimble Storage Silver Spring Networks Zebra Technologies

(NMBL) (SSNI) (ZBRA)

IoT Platforms
One IoT device connects to another to transmit information using Internet
transfer protocols. IoT platforms serve as the bridge between the devices'
sensors and the data networks.

The following are some of the top IoT platforms on the market today:

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure
ThingWorx IoT Platform
IBM's Watson
Cisco IoT Cloud Connect
Salesforce IoT Cloud
Oracle Integrated Cloud
GE Predix

IoT Security & Privacy

As devices become more connected thanks to the IoT, security and privacy have
become the primary concern among consumers and businesses. In fact, the
protection of sensitive data ranked as the top concern (at 36% of those polled)
among enterprises, according to the 2016 Vormetric Data Threat Report.

Cyber attacks are also a growing threat as more connected devices pop up
around the globe. Hackers could penetrate connected cars, critical infrastructure,
and even people's homes. As a result, several tech companies are focusing on
cyber security in order to secure the privacy and safety of all this data.
Advantages

Here are some advantages of IoT:

1. Data: The more the information, the easier it is to make the right decision.
Knowing what to get from the grocery while you are out, without having to
check on your own, not only saves time but is convenient as well.

2. Tracking: The computers keep a track both on the quality and the viability of
things at home. Knowing the expiration date of products before one consumes
them improves safety and quality of life. Also, you will never run out of
anything when you need it at the last moment.

3. Time: The amount of time saved in monitoring and the number of trips done
otherwise would be tremendous.

4. Money: The financial aspect is the best advantage. This technology could
replace humans who are in charge of monitoring and maintaining supplies.

Disadvantages

Here are some disadvantages of IoT:

1. Compatibility: As of now, there is no standard for tagging and monitoring

with sensors. A uniform concept like the USB or Bluetooth is required which
should not be that difficult to do.

2. Complexity: There are several opportunities for failure with complex

systems. For example, both you and your spouse may receive messages that the
milk is over and both of you may end up buying the same. That leaves you with
double the quantity required. Or there is a software bug causing the printer to
order ink multiple times when it requires a single cartridge.

3. Privacy/Security: Privacy is a big issue with IoT. All the data must be
encrypted so that data about your financial status or how much milk you
consume isnt common knowledge at the work place or with your friends.
4. Safety: There is a chance that the software can be hacked and your personal
information misused. The possibilities are endless. Your prescription being
changed or your account details being hacked could put you at risk. Hence, all
the safety risks become the consumers responsibility.