By Waseem Azmi – Network Consultant
Internet of Things (IoT) as many presume is not about things but services; connecting companies, people and technology in real-time, all the time. IoT is an extension of the Internet into the physical world which is fundamentally redefining the way we do business today and live.
IoT is primarily convergence of the digital and physical worlds. In the last century we have developed technologies touching every facet of our lives however, those advance technologies were autonomous in their functioning and mostly independent from each other. Decision making and integrated functionality still remained in human hands thus, managing several technologies effectively remained a daunting task. IoT is a step towards making these advanced machines communicate with each other and based on select parameters take autonomous decisions without human intervention. With the maturity of mobile connectivity and easy Internet access, it’s possible to integrate our complex physical world with the digital one and let both interact in a way that makes our lives easy in ways never imagined before.
It is a transformative concept and amalgamation of various technologies to work together in a cohesive fashion presenting data in ways never seen before. This revolutionizing connectivity, data availability is creating considerable value for both the businesses and the consumers. Importantly, this connectivity is touching every facet of our lives from smart homes to industrial automation to advanced warning systems to healthcare to even efficient agricultural operations and many more.
IoT is in its growing stage and many different platforms have been developed to cater to specific business needs, however, the basic tenet remains constant is to utilize available data variables and massage it to make the most appropriate decision for the specific purpose. Moreover, automation is the keyword for IoT thus enabling convenience, saving time, money and a more efficient system is the end result of deploying IoT in whatever field we choose.
The IoT is revolutionary, but its building blocks are not; it leverages currently in-use tools and technologies. Engineers and programmers do not necessarily need to learn new languages or protocols to work in the IoT space, instead, their existing knowledge allows them to successfully implement IoT deployments. It is the architecture and integration where the differences exist. Consultants may find minor learning curves to make their place in an IoT company. Additionally, Taos offers extensive learning opportunities and mentoring support to its consultants to tackle any challenge confidently.
References:
http://www.jasper.com/internet-of-things/internet-of-things-101
http://www.buildinginternetofthings.com/internet-of-things-list-of-platforms/
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/833251/What-is-IoT-and-Why-we-need-IoT
http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2014/10/16/the-internet-of-things-isnt-a-technology-fad/