What is the Internet of Things?

What on earth is the Internet of Things? While it may sound like a colloquial term, it actually refers to physical items that have specific, internet-based capabilities included. At the consumer level, it’s commonly associated with a “smart home” or “smart devices.” Common household examples include:

 

  • Amazon Echo

  • Fitbit

  • Google Home

  • Mr. Coffee Smart Coffeemaker

  • Nest thermostats 

  • Owlet Smart Sock

  • Ring doorbells

  • Snapshot from Progressive Insurance

  • Tile Mate trackers

  • WEMO light switch from Belkin

 

Incorporating IoT devices into your organization’s processes allows for greater accuracy, tracking, and forecasting of future needs. Using internet-capable devices (through wifi or mobile data), companies can have up-to-the-minute data.

Virtually every industry can benefit from strategic IoT integration. Some of the most common ones include manufacturing, delivery dispatches or supplies trains, healthcare, and water management.