Is the Internet Ready for Internet of Things?
Day-by-day, advanced technology is making our lives simple and connected. The Internet was developed with the promise to completely revolutionize the way things operate and people connect. In the past 3 decades, the Internet has lived up to its expectations and has changed the way people collaborate and businesses function. But now, it is time to look beyond the possibilities of what the Internet can do. The time has come when the world is looking up to a new phenomenon called the Internet of Things.
What Is Internet of Things Internet of Things is a concept that extends the idea of Internet to offer a more connected world. When Internet was invented, it connected machines (read computers)together in a network. In IoT, any device with computing capabilities thatcan store and transfer accumulated data can be connected over the internet. Internet of Things will connect different systems, tools and machines that we use in our daily lives to offer information in real-time to make quick and independent decisions. It turns objects of everyday use into smart gadgets. You can “keep a watch� over your house without being physically present with the help of IoT or,you can send live heartbeat results to your doctor for continuous and regular health assessment.
Basically the Internet of Things has the power to connect every aspect of our life with a system so that data collection and assessment becomes intuitive and easy.
Is The Internet Ready for IoT? It is true that Internet of Things comes with numerous possibilities and if used optimally can change the way the world functions currently. But are we ready for such a massive change? More importantly, since the Internet lies at the core of the concept of IoT, is it ready to handle process and transmit such massive data? Thus before we get excited about the future of IoT, it is important we take a look at the preparedness of the internet in this matter.
Internet’s Widespread Reach One of the major obstacles that makes the future of IoT uncertain is the fact that Internet’s reach is still not widespread. Currently about 40% of the world’s population is connected with the Internet. While the figures are quite encouraging, the future of IoT cannot depend of such penetration.
Mass Adoption Internet of Things can only become successful when we will have uninterrupted Internet connection. Right now that is a distant dream. Till the day when internet reaches almost every household in the different parts of the developed country, akin to electricity, we won’t be able to unleash the true potential of IoT.
“Things” Need To Go A Long Way Even if we see the day when Internet penetration is widespread and we have uninterrupted connection, IoT cannot be successfully used unless we have more “things” connected to the network. In the nascent stage, we have seen many players uncapping the possibilities of IoT with advanced gadgets, sensors, actuators and databases. But we need more innovative platformsthat will not only establish more machine-to-machine space but also explore cloud systems.
Promise of Secured Environment Time and again we have seen how data and systems have faced attacks from malicious sources. When we talk about Internet of Things, it is a system where ordinary tools and devices take decisions independently. Hence, security remains a critical issue. Servers and databases that store and process data have to become foolproof. IoT cannot become a successful technology unless people can trust the platform completely.
Addressing Issues of Interoperability The foundation of Internet of Things lays on the fact that multiple devices and gadgets are interconnected. This raises concerns about interoperability or the ability to exchange and use information in a large heterogeneous network. IoT can only be successful when devices and gadgets manufactured by different vendors work seamlessly with one another. This can be possible when Internet gateways have a controlled environment that can run multiple devices uninterrupted. Imagine when in the near future when your refrigerator can tell when you need milk or you can preheat meals even before reaching home! Yes, all this (and much more) is possible with Internet of Things. While all these look very enticing, IoT cannot become a successful technology unless we have a defined set of rules (or protocol) in place that can exactly determine how communication between two devices will occur. It is also important that the cloud systems are made more secured so that data can be easily stored. Lastly applications have to be adequately developed that can enhance the functionality of devices.Till the time Internet is not ready for the connected world, enterprises won’t be able to employ this advanced technology. If you want to capitalize on the possibilities of Internet of Things, you need to collaborate with a company that understands your need and requirements. At Semaphore Software we offer advanced IoT app development India solutions that are tailor-made to meet your business needs. Write to us at info@silvertouch.com to know more.