Kevin Ashton said in an interview on NPR, “I had no idea that the phrase 'Internet of Things' would take off, had I known I would have thought of something better to call it.” The phrase IoT (Internet of Things) started as a presentation title Kevin had made up for Procter & Gamble, and though he was the first to say it, the concept has been around for a while.
According to Wikipedia, the IoT is a network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable it to achieve greater value and service by exchanging data with the manufacture, operator and/or other connected devices. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing internet infrastructure.
The question most IT professionals are left with is, “How does this impact me, and my environment?” At its current rate of growth, it could be a tsunami of information waiting to hit or already hitting your environment. Companies will need to evaluate how to acquire and utilize the great deal of information that can empower leadership to make pinpoint strategic adjustments without taking down their infrastructure.
There are a few items that can help you weather the storm of IoT. Understanding that giving your company flexibility to navigate through the new demands by looking to integrate open standards-based solutions like SDN (Software Defined Networking) is the first step. Second, reinforce your current environment to keep up to date on the security of its personal data and maintenance of consumer privacy. Finally, focus on storage management. Being able to calculate and adapt your storage requirements to the volume of data your company chooses to absorb is monumental.
There is time to start evaluating your environment and making adjustments before the tsunami reaches critical mass. We have a full complement of highly trained engineers ready to help you get ready for the IoT.
