Sanjay Katkar is Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Quick Heal Technology
Today, people are not very good at capturing data about things in the real world since they have very limited time and attention. If computers could gather data without any help from us, we would be able to track and count everything and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. This is exactly what the Internet of Things (IoT) will enable. IoT has evolved as a result of the convergence of multiple technologies, ranging from wireless communication to the Internet and from embedded systems to micro-electromechanical systems.
This means that the traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), and others all contribute to enabling the Internet of Things. The main motive behind interconnecting these things is to offer an enhanced, physical living experience. The interconnection brings an integrated view of the status of the functions offered by the things.
The concept of a network of smart devices was discussed as early as 1982, with a modified Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University becoming the first internet-connected appliance, able to report its inventory and whether newly loaded drinks were cold. The programmers could connect to the machine over the Internet and check the status of the machine to know whether there would be a cold drink awaiting them if they went over to the machine. 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 (P&G) in 1999.
IoT has become immensely important today because it is the first real evolution of the Internet—a leap that will lead to revolutionary applications that have the potential to dramatically improve the way people live, learn, work, and entertain themselves. As the Internet becomes more and more knowledgeable about humans, it will be more accurate at knowing just about everything.
IoT is now making it possible to connect billions of things and provide more intuitive insights to help companies revolutionize their business processes. Companies will be able to achieve enhanced process optimization and efficiencies by collecting and reporting on data collected from the business environment.