IoT, I am sure a lot of us have heard this and we know its full form but do we really know what it means...

So, what is the Internet of Things?

IoT, the acronym for The Internet of Things, refers to zillions of physical devices connected all over the world through the internet used for collecting and sharing data. By using the processors and wireless networks, it's possible to turn anything into anything. As a part of the IoT, a level of digital intelligence is added to devices that would be otherwise dumb. It enables them to communicate without a human being involved, and merging the digital and physical worlds.

An example of an Internet of Things device –

Almost any physical object can be transformed into an IoT device once it is connected to the internet and controlled.

A fan circulating air in a room can be switched on using a Smartphone app is an IoT device, using a motion sensor. An IoT device could be as small as a toy or as big as a truck, or as complicated as a jet engine having a lot of sensors collecting and transmitting data.

The term IoT is used mainly for devices that couldn’t generally have an internet connection and can communicate with the network independently without any human interaction. Thus, a PC cannot be considered as an IoT device, neither a Smartphone -- even though the latter is crammed with sensors. However, a smart watch or a fitness band can be counted as an IoT device.

History of the Internet of Things –

The idea of adding intelligence to basic plain objects was discussed during the 1980’s and 1990’s but, the progress was very slow because the technology wasn't in place. However, there were some early projects like an internet connected vending machine. Kevin Ashton (one of the founders of the original Auto-ID Center), coined the phrase 'Internet of Things' in 1999, although it took a minimum of another decade for the technology to catch up with the vision.

"The IoT integrates the interconnections of human culture (‘our things') with the interconnections of our digital information system ('the internet') and that's the IoT."

– Kevin Ashton

How big is the Internet of Things?

Big and Growing Bigger.

As more and more devices are getting connected to the internet- ranging from kitchen appliances, to motor vehicles to entire power stations. There are already more connected things than people in the world. Soon cyber security professionals will not be just responsible to ensure if computer networks are safe, they will also need to ensure that all the connected devices in the world are safe.

Analyst Gartner calculates that around 8.4 billion IoT devices were in use in 2017, increasing its usage up to 31 percent when compared to 2016, and this will likely reach 20.4 billion by 2020. Total spending on IoT endpoints and services will reach almost $2 Trillion in 2017. With two-thirds of those devices found in China, North America and Western Europe, covering 67% of overall IoT installed in 2017.

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