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Why What's Going On Inside IBM's Big, New IoT Center Could Deeply Change Our Lives -A. Leek

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Why What's Going On Inside IBM's Big, New IoT Center Could Deeply Change Our Lives -A. Leek

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencoleman/2017/03/14/why-whats-going-on-inside-ibms-big-new-iot-center-could-deeply-change-our-lives/#6e6a3d596578

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A Simple Explantion of "The Internet of Things

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A Simple Explantion of "The Internet of Things

# data[].attributes.body
Anthony Wasyl

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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 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.

The reality is that the IoT allows for virtually endless opportunities and connections to take place, many of which we can't even think of or fully understand the impact of today. It's not hard to see how and why the IoT is such a hot topic today; it certainly opens the door to a lot of opportunities but also to many challenges. Security is a big issue that is oftentimes brought up. With billions of devices being connected together, what can people do to make sure that their information stays secure? Will someone be able to hack into your toaster and thereby get access to your entire network? The IoT also opens up companies all over the world to more security threats. Then we have the issue of privacy and data sharing. This is a hot-button topic even today, so one can only imagine how the conversation and concerns will escalate when we are talking about many billions of devices being connected. Another issue that many companies specifically are going to be faced with is around the massive amounts of data that all of these devices are going to produce. Companies need to figure out a way to store, track, analyze and make sense of the vast amounts of data that will be generated.

So what now?

Conversations about the IoT are (and have been for several years) taking place all over the world as we seek to understand how this will impact our lives. We are also trying to understand what the many opportunities and challenges are going to be as more and more devices start to join the IoT. For now the best thing that we can do is educate ourselves about what the IoT is and the potential impacts that can be seen on how we work and live.
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author (most recently of The Future of Work), and futurist.

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A Simple Explanation Of 'The Internet Of Things'

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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?

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Noah Wrightson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These and many other fascinating insights are from Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study (12 pp., opt-in) released this month. The study's methodology includes interviews with nearly 1,700 retail decision makers from North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The respondents represent a wide spectrum of retail segments, including specialty stores, department stores, apparel merchants, supermarkets, electronics, home improvement and drugstore chains. Interviews were completed in 2016 by online research partners Research Now and Qualtrics. Please see page 11 of the study for additional details regarding the methodology.

Key insights from the study include the following:

By 2021, retailers are planning investments in Internet Of Things (70%), machine learning/cognitive computing (68%) and automation (57%). Orchestrating these diverse technologies to provide a more responsive, real-time customer experience is the goal retailers want to achieve in the next five years. Relying on the Internet of Things to bring greater visibility into supply chain operations to alleviate out-of-stocks and optimize selections based on customer preferences is the goal. Machine learnings' predictive strengths as a technology are being used to solve supply chain constraints challenges, better personalize customer experiences and improve inventory management. Automation has a wide variety of uses in retail including inventory tracking, enabling higher levels of customer service and managing inventory levels locally more effectively.

70% of retail decision makers globally are ready to adopt the Internet of Things to improve customer experiences. 79% of North American retailers are investing in IoT technologies such as automated inventory verification and sensors on shelves. One of the key areas retailers are addressing is supply chain performance. 72% plan to reinvent their supply chain with real-time visibility enabled by automation, sensors, and analytics based on Internet of Things technologies. The graphic below provides an overview of retailer's investment plans by 2021. IoT will play an increasingly important role in security across all operations, in addition to supply chains, and enabling customer experiences and location-based marketing.

By 2021, nearly 79% of retailers will be able to customize the store visit for customers as a majority of them will know when a specific customer is in the store. Retailers are predicted to pilot micro-locationing technologies in the next four years and eventually adopt them in their main retailing operations. Retailers are scrambling to keep up with the technology preferences of Millennials who have now eclipsed Baby Boomers as the world's largest shopping group and who will be 75% of the global workforce by 2025. Zebra believes that this group born between 1980 and 1995 mark the first generation of digital natives who use technology as second nature and have high expectations for responsiveness through all online channels. IoT locationing technology is planned across a wide variety of applications by 2021 to improve store operations, optimize the customer experience and ensure responsiveness.

Superior omnichannel support requires 90% inventory accuracy or greater to enable consistently excellent customer experiences. Eight out of ten customers use their smartphones while shopping as in-store shopping assistants, making omnichannel integration essential for the future success of any retailer. 78% rate the importance of integrating e-commerce and in-store experiences as important/business critical. The following graphic illustrates how omnichannel conversion and fulfillment are expected to grow in the next four years.

73% of retailers rate managing big data as important or business-critical to their operations. By 2021, at least 75% of retailers anticipate investing in predictive and software analytics for loss prevention and price optimization along with cameras and video analytics for operational purposes and improving the overall customer experience. Market-basket analysis, customer segmentation and centralized customer data and intelligence are the top tech initiatives retailers are prioritizing
Sources:
Zebra Study: Seven In Ten Retailers To Invest In IOT Technologies to Revolutionize Customer Experience and Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study (12 pp., opt-in)

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Internet Of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
70% of retail decision makers globally are ready to adopt the Internet of Things to improve customer experiences. 73% of retailers rate managing big data as important or business-critical to their operations. These and many other fascinating insights are from Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study,

# data[].attributes.headline
The Internet of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

# data[].attributes.subject
The Internet of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

# data[].attributes.body
Jayde Orenzuk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These and many other fascinating insights are from Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study (12 pp., opt-in) released this month. The study's methodology includes interviews with nearly 1,700 retail decision makers from North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The respondents represent a wide spectrum of retail segments, including specialty stores, department stores, apparel merchants, supermarkets, electronics, home improvement and drugstore chains. Interviews were completed in 2016 by online research partners Research Now and Qualtrics. Please see page 11 of the study for additional details regarding the methodology.

Key insights from the study include the following:

By 2021, retailers are planning investments in Internet Of Things (70%), machine learning/cognitive computing (68%) and automation (57%). Orchestrating these diverse technologies to provide a more responsive, real-time customer experience is the goal retailers want to achieve in the next five years. Relying on the Internet of Things to bring greater visibility into supply chain operations to alleviate out-of-stocks and optimize selections based on customer preferences is the goal. Machine learnings' predictive strengths as a technology are being used to solve supply chain constraints challenges, better personalize customer experiences and improve inventory management. Automation has a wide variety of uses in retail including inventory tracking, enabling higher levels of customer service and managing inventory levels locally more effectively.

70% of retail decision makers globally are ready to adopt the Internet of Things to improve customer experiences. 79% of North American retailers are investing in IoT technologies such as automated inventory verification and sensors on shelves. One of the key areas retailers are addressing is supply chain performance. 72% plan to reinvent their supply chain with real-time visibility enabled by automation, sensors, and analytics based on Internet of Things technologies. The graphic below provides an overview of retailer's investment plans by 2021. IoT will play an increasingly important role in security across all operations, in addition to supply chains, and enabling customer experiences and location-based marketing.

By 2021, nearly 79% of retailers will be able to customize the store visit for customers as a majority of them will know when a specific customer is in the store. Retailers are predicted to pilot micro-locationing technologies in the next four years and eventually adopt them in their main retailing operations. Retailers are scrambling to keep up with the technology preferences of Millennials who have now eclipsed Baby Boomers as the world's largest shopping group and who will be 75% of the global workforce by 2025. Zebra believes that this group born between 1980 and 1995 mark the first generation of digital natives who use technology as second nature and have high expectations for responsiveness through all online channels. IoT locationing technology is planned across a wide variety of applications by 2021 to improve store operations, optimize the customer experience and ensure responsiveness.

Superior omnichannel support requires 90% inventory accuracy or greater to enable consistently excellent customer experiences. Eight out of ten customers use their smartphones while shopping as in-store shopping assistants, making omnichannel integration essential for the future success of any retailer. 78% rate the importance of integrating e-commerce and in-store experiences as important/business critical. The following graphic illustrates how omnichannel conversion and fulfillment are expected to grow in the next four years.

73% of retailers rate managing big data as important or business-critical to their operations. By 2021, at least 75% of retailers anticipate investing in predictive and software analytics for loss prevention and price optimization along with cameras and video analytics for operational purposes and improving the overall customer experience. Market-basket analysis, customer segmentation and centralized customer data and intelligence are the top tech initiatives retailers are prioritizing
Sources:
Zebra Study: Seven In Ten Retailers To Invest In IOT Technologies to Revolutionize Customer Experience and Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study (12 pp., opt-in)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Internet Of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
70% of retail decision makers globally are ready to adopt the Internet of Things to improve customer experiences. 73% of retailers rate managing big data as important or business-critical to their operations. These and many other fascinating insights are from Zebra 2017 Retail Vision Study,

# data[].attributes.body
Maicie Clinansmith

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

A thing, in the Internet of Things, can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when tire pressure is low -- or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network.

IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems ( MEMS), microservices and the internet. The convergence has helped tear down the silo walls between operational technology ( OT) and information technology ( IT), allowing unstructured machine-generated data to be analyzed for insights that will drive improvements.

Kevin Ashton, cofounder and executive director of the Auto-ID Center at MIT, first mentioned the Internet of Things in a presentation he made to Procter & Gamble in 1999. Here's how Ashton explains the potential of the Internet of Things:

"Today computers -- and, therefore, the internet -- are almost wholly dependent on human beings for information. Nearly all of the roughly 50 petabytes (a petabyte is 1,024 terabytes) of data available on the internet were first captured and created by human beings by typing, pressing a record button, taking a digital picture or scanning a bar code.

The problem is, people have limited time, attention and accuracy -- all of which means they are not very good at capturing data about things in the real world. If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things -- using data they gathered without any help from us -- we would be able to track and count everything and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling and whether they were fresh or past their best."

IPv6's huge increase in address space is an important factor in the development of the Internet of Things. According to Steve Leibson, who identifies himself as "occasional docent at the Computer History Museum," the address space expansion means that we could "assign an IPV6 address to every atom on the surface of the earth, and still have enough addresses left to do another 100+ earths." In other words, humans could easily assign an IP address to every "thing" on the planet. An increase in the number of smart nodes, as well as the amount of upstream data the nodes generate, is expected to raise new concerns about data privacy, data sovereignty and security.

Practical applications of IoT technology can be found in many industries today, including precision agriculture, building management, healthcare, energy and transportation. Connectivity options for electronics engineers and application developers working on products and systems for the Internet of Things include:

Although the concept wasn't named until 1999, the Internet of Things has been in development for decades. The first internet appliance, for example, was a Coke machine at Carnegie Melon University in the early 1980s. The programmers could connect to the machine over the internet, check the status of the machine and determine whether or not there would be a cold drink awaiting them, should they decide to make the trip down to the machine.

Dr. John Barrett explains the Internet of Things in his TED talk:

See also: ubiquitous computing, Internet of Things security ( IoT security)

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What is Internet of Things (IoT)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

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Embracing the Internet of Things doesn't necessarily mean forfeiting privacy

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Embracing the Internet of Things doesn't necessarily mean forfeiting privacy

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Elicia Jones

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The merging of blockchain technologies with the long-foretold Internet of Things resolves security concerns in a hyper-connected world, according to Amit Sharma, vice president and digital head of Indian technology solutions firm Tech Mahindra.

Data protection and privacy issues are often cited as a major roadblock to the complete adoption of an Internet of Things (IoT). But one solution comes in the form of a blockchain, which is a highly-secure and auditable form of data storage originally conceived for digital currencies.

"Sooner rather than later, blockchain and IoT will converge. And the cryptographic algorithms being used by Blockchain will obviously help us to protect this data," Sharma, who directs and coordinates Tech Mahindra's innovative business development activities, told "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.

This technology would give businesses a lock and key to data.

"We believe best is to give control to customers. So they can modulate their data and they would have clarity as to what to share and what not to share with the third-party service providers," Sharma said.

Prototypes and discussions about this convergence are already happening between the ecosystem partners, and Sharma said it will be a matter of months before businesses can use this technology.

The idea of combining a blockchain with IoT solutions is not a new one - CNBC reported on studies to that effect in 2014 - but the likelihood of such an implementation appears to be nearing.

Despite concerns over how much people are willing to let technology into their lives, Sharma said that the digitally native, post-millennial Generation Z would be more open to sharing data.

Sharma, however, added that we "[would] have to wait for another four or five years when the Generation Z is more equipped and they're ready to experience all of what is getting created."
Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.

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Embracing the Internet of Things doesn't necessarily mean forfeiting privacy

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The merging of blockchain technologies with the long-foretold Internet of Things resolves security concerns in a hyper-connected world, according to Amit Sharma, vice president and digital head of Indian technology solutions firm Tech Mahindra. Data protection and privacy issues are often cited as a major roadblock to the complete adoption of an Internet of Things (IoT).

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Internet of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

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Internet of Things Will Revolutionize Retail

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2017/03/19/internet-of-things-will-revolutionize-retail/#12d821735e58

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3 Internet of Things Stocks to Buy in 2017

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3 Internet of Things Stocks to Buy in 2017

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Kaitlin McMillan

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technological shift that is opening communication between the world's devices, and it looks poised to change the way the world operates -- and generate tremendous value along the way. While increasing device connectivity and insights stemming from data analytics are already having an impact, the IoT revolution is still in its early phases, and 2017 looks to be an influential year in the progression of the tech.

To help readers navigate investing in this potentially massive tech trend, we asked three Motley Fool contributors to pick their choice for a top IoT stock to buy this year. Read on to learn why ((( IBM NYSE:IBM), Best Buy NYSE:BBY), and Xilinx NASDAQ:XLNX) made the list.

Flying under the radar

Tim Brugger (IBM): Much has been made of IBM's "strategic imperatives," which include data security, mobile, cloud, and artificial-intelligence-driven solutions via its Watson supercomputer, but IoT doesn't get mentioned. Don't be fooled, though: Not only does IBM have serious plans to win its fair share of the skyrocketing IoT spending in the coming years, but it's ideally positioned to do so.

Imagine the amount of data the 24 billion connected "things" estimated to be in the IoT by 2020 will amass. It's mind-boggling. Storing, analyzing, and ultimately developing actionable results from all that information will require an artificial-intelligence-driven computing wonder of enormous capabilities -- otherwise, what good is all the data? Which is where IBM's Watson IoT cloud platform enters the picture.

The event may have flown under the radar, but IBM committed $3 billion to its IoT initiatives nearly two years ago. Since then it's acquired The Weather Company for $2 billion, utilizing Watson to analyze and provide insights from the 26 billion inquiries The Weather Company receives every day. IBM also just took the wraps off its new Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, Germany, with projects to further its reach and expand its capabilities even more.

The data all the IoT devices generate in the coming years will only be as valuable as the ability to analyze it to assist business and government with everything from customer targeting to product development. When it comes to analyzing incredible amounts of data, IBM's Watson is in a class by itself, which is why IBM is an IoT stock to buy in 2017.

A retailer benefiting from the Internet of Things

Daniel B. Kline (Best Buy): Electronics retailer Best Buy has faced and survived some major challenges in recent years. One of them has been that while televisions, laptops, and other electronics have gotten better, they haven't changed dramatically. That makes it less likely a consumer will come into a store to see the latest model, which not only costs Best Buy sales, but also robs it of the opportunity to sell warranties or installation services.

The explosion of IoT devices will benefit the retailer in two ways. First, shoppers are likely going to be more willing to come to stores to actually look at products in a category they are not very familiar with. This is already starting to happen in Best Buy stores as more shelf space has gone to connected-home products and other items in the broad IoT category.

The second major benefit for Best Buy is that in many cases customers will want the benefits of IoT, but need help installing the devices. Even doing something simple like setting up an Amazon Dash ordering button may be beyond the ability of some Best Buy customers. That should create service and Geek Squad sales opportunities for the retailer.

Going forward, Best Buy could even increase this type of service by working with manufacturers to embed Geek Squad service calls into the functionality of more-complicated IoT devices. A smart appliance could in theory order its own repairs before it breaks, and the retailer would be well-positioned to handle some of those service calls.

IoT will spur demand for this company's chips

Keith Noonan (Xilinx): Many chip companies have been seeing strong momentum thanks to IoT, and Xilinx stands out as a leader in a semiconductor segment that could see continued benefits from growing machine-and-sensor connectivity. The chipmaker specializes in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) -- semiconductor solutions that can be programmed after manufacturing rather than having a set process.

FPGAs are especially useful at the beginning of technology cycles, when the likelihood of changes and smaller market size make it less feasible to use expensive chips designed for a specific purpose. With the Internet of Things ushering in a range of new technologies that will change and evolve at a rapid pace, there's a good chance that FPGAs will see increased demand. The rollout of the 5G networks needed to facilitate the growing wave of machine-to-machine communication will be one source of momentum for programmable chips, but Xilinx has other opportunities related to IoT.

Intel's acquisition of Xilinx's rival Altera for $16.7 billion in 2015 pointed toward the growing importance of FPGA chips for data centers. Notably, Xilinx is winning influential customers in the space, having recently signed deals with Baidu and Amazon to provide data center solutions. The chipmaker's FPGAs will also be used for IoT-related technologies including machine learning, cloud computing, analytics, and machine vision.

Those looking for returned income have another reason to consider adding Xilinx to their portfolios. The stock currently yields 2.2%, and the company has raised its payout for six years running. With strong growth potential and dividend income to fall back on in the event of market turbulence, Xilinx looks like an IoT stock to buy in 2017.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Keith Noonan, Daniel B. Kline, and Tim Brugger

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Internet of Things Stocks to Buy in 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technological shift that is opening communication between the world's devices, and it looks poised to change the way the world operates -- and generate tremendous value along the way.

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Internet of Things Stocks to Buy in 201

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Internet of Things Stocks to Buy in 201

# data[].attributes.body
Tracey Russell
https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/01/3-internet-of-things-stocks-to-buy-in-2017.

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Hanna Lehman
http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/the-internet-of-things

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Learn the latest news of AT&T's Internet of Things (IoT), platforms & security, smart citites, connected cars, and other innovative industry solutions.

# data[].attributes.body
Allie Ma

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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 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.

The reality is that the IoT allows for virtually endless opportunities and connections to take place, many of which we can't even think of or fully understand the impact of today. It's not hard to see how and why the IoT is such a hot topic today; it certainly opens the door to a lot of opportunities but also to many challenges. Security is a big issue that is oftentimes brought up. With billions of devices being connected together, what can people do to make sure that their information stays secure? Will someone be able to hack into your toaster and thereby get access to your entire network? The IoT also opens up companies all over the world to more security threats. Then we have the issue of privacy and data sharing. This is a hot-button topic even today, so one can only imagine how the conversation and concerns will escalate when we are talking about many billions of devices being connected. Another issue that many companies specifically are going to be faced with is around the massive amounts of data that all of these devices are going to produce. Companies need to figure out a way to store, track, analyze and make sense of the vast amounts of data that will be generated.

So what now?

Conversations about the IoT are (and have been for several years) taking place all over the world as we seek to understand how this will impact our lives. We are also trying to understand what the many opportunities and challenges are going to be as more and more devices start to join the IoT. For now the best thing that we can do is educate ourselves about what the IoT is and the potential impacts that can be seen on how we work and live.
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author (most recently of The Future of Work), and futurist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Simple Explanation Of 'The Internet Of Things'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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?

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What The Future Might Hold For The Internet Of Things

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What The Future Might Hold For The Internet Of Things

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Brett Arsenault

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Andrew Oswalt

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As the hyper-connected world of technology comes of age, another new frontier is emerging: the internet of things (IoT). The internet is arguably the most transformational technological development of the last century. The vast amount of personal and business data on the internet, like images, videos, games, inventory, transaction histories, has been created by people and is mostly about people. But now, the internet is set to evolve in yet another world-changing form. The "new internet" that's on the horizon will not just connect people, it will connect things.

This marriage of minds and machines is poised to change our lives just as drastically as the internet already has. For over a decade, we have already been connecting smart devices to the internet for person-to-person and person-to-thing interactions, tasks like syncing emails and downloading maps. As technology continues to improve at an unprecedented rate, thing-to-thing interactions have become a reality. The things or devices we connect to the internet are now able to share their data with other internet-connected devices.
The IoT In Action
Our things are becoming more human every day as we grant our devices the ability to sense. We are giving them the capacities to communicate, touch, probe and control. We are creating the capability for our devices to interact and collaborate with other devices. As these changes happen, our devices are growing ever closer to being able to interact as humans do, contributing to each others' efforts and collaborating. As humans, we see, hear, taste, smell and sense other people around us, and soon our devices will be able to do the same.

But what are these "smart" things? They are more than just smartphones. They're also household appliances, Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems, automated production lines, smart cars, heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and even wearable fitness monitors. As these devices gain the capacity to learn from each other, an entirely new source of knowledge is created that we can leverage.
Why Accountants Should Care About The IoT
It is clear that businesses can leverage the IoT to improve its products through a better understanding of its customers. But how can real-time information be used by accountants for better business planning and resource allocation?

As a technology professional working with accountants, I think accountants have immense potential to take advantage of these trends, as real-time data can help improve budgeting accuracy and improve cost planning and forecasting. As "things" gain the ability to communicate, scheduling of service downtimes and human resources deployments become cheaper to anticipate and risk becomes easier to manage. Minimizing losses from fraud also becomes easier through earlier identification of potential issues, and earlier and more appropriate responses become simpler to implement.

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As the hyper-connected world of technology comes of age, another new frontier is emerging: the internet of things (IoT). The internet is arguably the most transformational technological development of the last century. The vast amount of personal and business data on the internet, like images, videos, games, inventory, transaction histories, has been created by people and is mostly about people.

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Building my own Internet of Things ambient experience, one step at a time

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Building my own Internet of Things ambient experience, one step at a time

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Jacob Hogg

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Image: Simon Bisson

First, a confession. I always wanted one of those internet-connected rabbits.

You know the ones: they'd glow yellow if it was sunny, drop an ear if the NASDAQ had conniptions, and make burbling noises when a friend was trying to Skype you and you'd turned off all your speakers.

What they were was an early example of an ambient user interface, using the things around us to tell us about the things we can't see. A stock market movement waving a rabbit ear might seem odd at first, but it's a simple signal that encodes complex information. Catching that movement out the corner of your eye gives you the opportunity to delve into richer tools and get the information that triggered the ambient action.

Buying an off-the-shelf rabbit puts you at the risk of losing service, as all those devices eventually did. So is there a more open alternative, one that's less self-consciously cute, and one that's ready for the modern API-driven world?

As I've noted in other posts, I've been experimenting with retro-fitting smart devices into a Victorian London house. It's a challenge: the building isn't designed for technology beyond a gas lamp and a coal fire, so anything I fit has to be wirelessly connected to my office network.

A recent switch to a set of Netgear Orbi wireless mesh access points has made that a lot easier, with fewer, more powerful wireless routers looking like a single node to my devices. Orbi's smarter approach to wireless networking means it's also a better neighbor to some of the low-power Wi-Fi devices that make up some of my personal 'intranet of things'.

I've already written about the Arlo and Ring cameras over the front door, and they've recently been joined by a Ring Video Doorbell. Between them they've helped me monitor a package that had been left on the doorstep while I was on the other side of London, and provide entertaining wildlife footage of the local urban foxes' 2 am antics (see my video below).

They're only part of my home's sensor network: a Nest Protect smoke detector also provides CO monitoring, while a Netatmo home weather station collects data about temperature, rain, and wind from the roof of the house. It also provides tools for monitoring local pollutant levels, a useful feature for living in a city like London.

However the thing about all these devices is that they're all very much their own thing, with their own apps on my phone and their tabs in my browser. So how can I bring them together, and how can I see what they're telling me without having to look at my phone?

The answer was inspired by that wireless rabbit. What if I built some sort of ambient information device on my desk that could quickly show me what was going on in my world, giving me the facts I need when I need them?

Philips had recently sent me a set of their Hue bulbs -- colour-changing LED bulbs with a wireless hub that connected them to my home network. I put one in an old desk lamp, in the corner of my crowded desk, and started looking at how I could connect it to a range of different services.

While the Hue hub has a local set of RESTful APIs, it's been designed so only a limited number of trusted partners get access to Philips' cloud-hosted Hue service. One option, then, was to use a Raspberry Pi running Node-Red as a personal IoT hub, linking various cloud-hosted APIs and webhooks to a freely available module that could control my lights. It was certainly an attractive option, but was there a simpler way yet?

Luckily there was. One of Philip's trusted Hue partners is the personal no-code API connection service IFTTT. If This Then That uses simple API-driven triggers to connect one service to another, and you can build a personal library of services that won't run until triggered.

With Ring and Netatmo as IFTTT inputs, and with Hue as an output, I could target that desk lamp, changing its colour in response to external events. Ring my doorbell, and the light goes blue. Is it raining? The light is green. That gives me a very simple set of tools for driving my lights from my various IoT devices.

Image: Simon Bisson

IFTTT is useful, but it's limited. It's no-code approach limits you to known triggers and known outputs. You can't make decisions based on the content of input data, and you're limited to services where IFTTT has existing partnerships.

However the answer to the problem is hidden away in the ever growing list of services that IFTTT supports: its Maker Webhooks. Intended for users building their own IoT hardware, IFTTT's webhooks use a common web standard to give you a set of open triggers that are tied to your IFTTT account. All you need to do is create a webhook, and copy its URL with your personal authentication key. You'll notice that the URL has an {event} field. This is where you define the trigger your IFTTT applet is going to respond to. You'll also see there's the option of delivering a JSON payload from whatever triggers your webhook.

With support for multiple {event}s, you're able to build applets that connect to your Hue for a range of different possible outcomes, tying them to colours, to patterns, or just to blink the light. Things get interesting though when you take advantage of the payload, as now you can send a colour from another application to your Hue bulb.

Image: Simon Bisson

That made me wonder: could I connect my IFTTT applet to an output from a more information oriented service like Microsoft's Flow?

The answer was, unsurprisingly, yes. Flow is able to send signals to a webhook, so all I needed to do was configure the appropriate URL for my IFTTT Maker Webhook, and hook my Flow output to an input. Flow lets you build much more complex interactions than IFTTT, with tools for handling basic conditional workflows and stacking outputs, so one input can have multiple outcomes. It's also focused on working with enterprise data sources, plugging in to Microsoft's and other cloud services.

Now, while I could have used a Flow to deliver a colour that encoded sales data from Dynamics, or my number of unread messages in Outlook from Office 365, I actually just used Flow's click button to send a signal to IFTTT that would turn the light on.

Image: Simon Bisson

It was simple, it was relatively uncomplicated, and, best of all, it worked.

I'd connected two different no-code services together, taking advantage of their strengths to do something that one alone couldn't do. I was also a long way on my road to building an ambient information system out of my desk lamp. All I need now is a list of my inputs and I'll be ready to go.

Read more by Simon Bisson

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Building my own Internet of Things ambient experience, one step at a time | ZDNet

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First, a confession. I always wanted one of those internet-connected rabbits. You know the ones: they'd glow yellow if it was sunny, drop an ear if the NASDAQ had conniptions, and make burbling noises when a friend was trying to Skype you and you'd turned off all your speakers.

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The Internet of Things Is Far Bigger Than Anyone Realizes

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The Internet of Things Is Far Bigger Than Anyone Realizes

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Daniel Kivell

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When people talk about "the next big thing," they're never thinking big enough. It's not a lack of imagination; it's a lack of observation. I've maintained that the future is always within sight, and you don't need to imagine what's already there.

Case in point: The buzz surrounding the Internet of Things.

What's the buzz? The Internet of Things revolves around increased machine-to-machine communication; it's built on cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors; it's mobile, virtual, and instantaneous connection; and they say it's going to make everything in our lives from streetlights to seaports "smart."

But here's what I mean when I say people don't think big enough. So much of the chatter has been focused on machine-to-machine communication (M2M): devices talking to like devices. But a machine is an instrument, it's a tool, it's something that's physically doing something. When we talk about making machines "smart," we're not referring strictly to M2M. We're talking about sensors.

A sensor is not a machine. It doesn't do anything in the same sense that a machine does. It measures, it evaluates; in short, it gathers data. The Internet of Things really comes together with the connection of sensors and machines. That is to say, the real value that the Internet of Things creates is at the intersection of gathering data and leveraging it. All the information gathered by all the sensors in the world isn't worth very much if there isn't an infrastructure in place to analyze it in real time.

Cloud-based applications are the key to using leveraged data. The Internet of Things doesn't function without cloud-based applications to interpret and transmit the data coming from all these sensors. The cloud is what enables the apps to go to work for you anytime, anywhere.

Let's look at one example. In 2007, a bridge collapsed in Minnesota, killing many people, because of steel plates that were inadequate to handle the bridge's load. When we rebuild bridges, we can use smart cement: cement equipped with sensors to monitor stresses, cracks, and warpages. This is cement that alerts us to fix problems before they cause a catastrophe. And these technologies aren't limited to the bridge's structure.

If there's ice on the bridge, the same sensors in the concrete will detect it and communicate the information via the wireless internet to your car. Once your car knows there's a hazard ahead, it will instruct the driver to slow down, and if the driver doesn't, then the car will slow down for him. This is just one of the ways that sensor-to-machine and machine-to-machine communication can take place. Sensors on the bridge connect to machines in the car: we turn information into action.

You might start to see the implications here. What can you achieve when a smart car and a smart city grid start talking to each other? We're going to have traffic flow optimization, because instead of just having stoplights on fixed timers, we'll have smart stoplights that can respond to changes in traffic flow. Traffic and street conditions will be communicated to drivers, rerouting them around areas that are congested, snowed-in, or tied up in construction.

So now we have sensors monitoring and tracking all sorts of data; we have cloud-based apps translating that data into useful intelligence and transmitting it to machines on the ground, enabling mobile, real-time responses. And thus bridges become smart bridges, and cars smart cars. And soon, we have smart cities, and....

Okay. What are the advantages here? What are the savings? What industries can this be applied to?

Here's what I mean when I say people never think big enough. This isn't just about money savings. It's not about bridges, and it's not about cities. This is a huge and fundamental shift. When we start making things intelligent, it's going to be a major engine for creating new products and new services.

Of all the technology trends that are taking place right now, perhaps the biggest one is the Internet of Things; it's the one that's going to give us the most disruption as well as the most opportunity over the next five years. In my next post in this two-part series, we'll explore just how big this is going to be.
Daniel Burrus is considered one of the world's leading technology forecasters and innovation experts, and is the founder and CEO of Burrus Research. He is the author of six books including the New York Times best seller "Flash Foresight."

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The Internet of Things Is Far Bigger Than Anyone Realizes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When people talk about "the next big thing," they're never thinking big enough. It's not a lack of imagination; it's a lack of observation. I've maintained that the future is always within sight, and you don't need to imagine what's already there. Case in point: The buzz surrounding the Internet of Things.