The Internet of Things (IoT)/The Internet of Everything (IoE) are both growing rapidly. There are more than 10 billion wirelessly connected devices in the market now, ABI Research said. The same study predicts there will be more than 30 billion devices by 2020.
There are other similar projections. IDC predicts that in 2020 there will be 26 times more connected things than human beings. Also, Wikibon forecasts that by 2020 some $154 billion will be spent on the Industrial Internet.
"The emergence of standardized ultra-low power wireless technologies is one of the main enablers of the IoE, with semiconductor vendors and standards bodies at the forefront of the market push, helping to bring the IoE into reality," Peter Cooney, ABI practice director, said in a recent statement.
Over the next several years, Bluetooth, cellular, RFID, Wi-Fi and ZigBee wireless technology will lead to increasing use of IoE, the report said.
"Today, Hub devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops are pivotal in enabling the IoE ecosystem and will continue to be an essential building block," Cooney said in the statement. "Future growth, however, is driven by node or sensor type devices and by 2020 these will account for 60 percent of the total installed base of devices."
In addition, the IoT will lead to new jobs and change how people commute to work, communicate with each other, and collaborate among groups, according to a recent article in Wired by Puneet Pandit, the CEO of Glassbeam.
When it comes to commuting to work, there will be more sensors on roads, video cameras and other technology – that will allow for increased communication between vehicles and drivers. They will let commuters know how to cut down on commuting time by following the speed of traffic, stoplights, accidents and other road conditions.
In addition, companies will be able to follow the health of products – and stay ahead of developing problems after products are sold to consumers.
Also, there will be more cloud and big data jobs. Already, there are more chief digital officer jobs, with Gartner predicting 25 percent of companies will have one managing digital goals by 2015. There will also be more chief data scientists, analysts and chief customer satisfaction officers, Wired reports.
The future will also see improved productivity and collaboration in the workplace. There will be more use of Box, Skype, Facebook, FaceTime and Hangouts.
Big data continues to be important. The future workplace will be able to analyze data and tell more about customers, markets, product behavior, productivity and success.
And there will be less use of energy and more green technology. Location tracking will be more prevalent when it comes to inventory, filling orders, locating and deploying field services and staff, the report adds.
So get ready for the IoE. Changes are here and more are ahead.
Edited by
Rachel Ramsey
