The Internet of Things
It’s time we delved into what the IoT actually is and what it could mean for your business - both now and in the future. Essentially when we discuss the Internet of Things - a term that has been around since 1999 - we’re referring to the connections between two or more machines. And we’re not just talking about the ability for a machine we build to collect data and information. It’s what it does with that data, in real-time, that is so innovative and valuable. Traditionally, our printer can tell us when we’re running low on the color ink cartridge. With the IoT, everything is taken one step further by contacting our supplier and ordering us more toner, all without any human interaction needed during the process. Not only does it begin to save us time - and money by only ordering things when we truly need them - but it is essentially allowing the machines to learn our habits. That statement can in fact seem a little scary to skeptics who are wary about giving so much power to the machine - and essentially the government, with so much more of our personal information and habits being recorded. The most immediate way that it can start benefiting business owners, however, is by allowing them to spend time on what they love about their business, instead of spending it doing inventory and contacting suppliers.
Let’s go even further to appreciate how proactive the Internet of Things makes everything. Since it involves having sensors in basically every piece of machinery, it can predicts when things will go wrong and alert either a human or another machine so it can be fixed. We’re talking creating smart cities, not just smart appliances. If your car can communicate with the infrastructure, you can be notified when you’re approaching an area with ice on the road, and then either you or your car can slow down.
The implications are so immense that it will take time to fully put into place what this truly means for the future of each industry. Just know that it’s inevitable and it’s going to make processes happen much, much quicker than they are now.
