Are we on the brink of next big transformation in computing?

Are we about to witness something even loftier that the web browser or the personal computer?

Yes, we may sooner or later see a paradigm shift that can affect 5 billion people on the globe.

You can call in data singularity or “The internet of things”.

Imagine a scenario if almost everything on earth had a sensor. For example, if lanes, windows, cars, dams and so on are connected to far off data centers and thousands of computers is busy managing information.

The data that can be gathered is unimaginable.

The servers can send back commands or trigger alerts of traffic jams, bad weather, or an attempt at burglary perhaps.

You can even imagine a situation where an insurance company is instantly resolving who has to pay for that accident because the car has been automatically fed information via its sensor.

Yes, it is an enormous mega process in which machines and things gather information, processes and transform what they learn.

If you are still in doubt, a beginning has been made through what they call Internet of Things projects run by big multinational companies.

To make things clear, let us define what Internet of Things is.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept that conceives future where everyday physical objects are connected to the internet and are able to identify themselves to other devices.

According to an Information Technology expert, “Such a scenario is significant because if an object can represent itself digitally it becomes greater than the object itself”.

At the present level of technological advancement we are familiar with being connected with the internet via computers, tablets, and smartphones. The Internet of everything or things foresees an environment where just about anything can be connected to the internet with the web in an intelligent fashion.

In other words, we are seeing the potential of the physical world becoming a huge conglomeration of information.

This potential is already a big driver of development schemes in Europe, Asia and Americas. We are already talking about Smart Cities, Smart Cars, Smart Homes, Smart Industries and more.

We may soon head towards the IoT universe.

In the Internet of Things we can visualize the web connecting potentially everything.

These are forward looking thoughts with a touch of science fiction, but nonetheless are stimulating exploration of how we may live in the future.

In very optimistic terms, the scope of IoT is to create and foster ecosystems of platforms for connected smart entities, integrating the next generation of devices, network technologies, software innovations, and other evolving ICT innovations that will help the people and society at large.

Now let us try to analyze what IoE or IoT means for India.

Internet of Things is not ignored in our country. It is the latest buzzword in the IT community.

Since IoT goes beyond machine to machine communications and covers a potpourri of devices and applications, many startups are emerging with exciting plans.

The focus on manufacturing makes sense, because this is the area where our country can derive growth.

New information technology is not only making management of manufacturing more effective but the job itself smarter.

Technologies based on the Internet of Things have the makings to radically transform visibility in the manufacturing process where each unit or subunit of the process can be visualized in each step.

Plenty of factory operations in India are offline currently. With Internet of Things, these can be reduced drastically.

As one internet savvy manufacturer rightly pointed out, “With IoT, we can provide each of our assets a digital identity which will facilitate them to know the exact place and condition of the asset in real time”

The move towards the Internet of Everything looks exciting.

But will it generate huge value?

Yes, using data to generate efficiency is a great idea. But there are situations of concern.

Usability 

The IoT must converge on usability. The focus must be on technology that addresses issues people face in their day to day lives.

Sustainability

Nothing is as bad as degradation of the environment. We all worry about our ecological footprint. But how many of these electronic gadgets are renewable?  Added to this is the rate at which gizmos are becoming obsolete. It is not a pretty scenario.

Privacy & Security

It is true; if every conceivable gadget is connected to the internet we can reap exponential gains.

But what happens to privacy?

Already our smartphones have compromised on our privacy.  What we buy, what we watch, and what our illnesses are – nothing is private. All these information is floating on the web.

Let us hope the captains who are leading this IoT crusade are addressing these issues.

Fortunately, the above issues are on top of the minds of technology experts. They have realized that to facilitate accelerated take up of IoT, vital issues like identification, privacy and security and explicit interoperability have to be addressed.

The future of Internet of Things, with cautious optimism is bright.