The tsunami of inter connectivity among all of the objects, from door locks to toll booths, from refrigerators to smart phones, coffeemakers, cars and lamps to anything, has led to the Internet of Things (IoT). It is a world in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers that have the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMs) and the Internet. It’s built on cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors; it’s mobile, virtual, and instantaneous connection; and it’s going to make everything in our lives from streetlights to seaports “smart.”

When we talk about making machines “smart,” we’re not referring strictly to M2M. We’re talking about sensors. So now we have sensors monitoring and tracking all sorts of data; we have cloud-based apps translating that data into useful intelligence and transmitting it to machines on the ground, enabling mobile, real-time responses. And thus bridges become smart bridges, and cars smart cars. Maruti Suzuki has already introduced and become thefirst in India to introduce the Apple CarPlay Infotainment system for Premium buyers for Baleno.

"It is a world in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers that have the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction"

It’s all about connections. All the gadgets and technol­ogies showcased at the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) recently had one thing in com­mon – they are all connected to the internet and potentially to each other. And it’s the connec­tions between these connected things that we call the internet of Things.

Gartner forecasts that 6.4 billion connected Things will be in use worldwide in 2016. Up 30 Per cent from 2015 in 2016 5.5 Million new things will get connected every day. IoT is leading to a convergence of electronics and software where the electronics is getting smarter and the software is getting more pervasive to drive what can be done. Users may only be able to enjoy the benefit on the third year after months and months of testing, but IoT believes the momentum is certainly there. Starting in earnest in 2016 with dense urbanized populations and advanced 3G, 4G and 5G network coverage, more devices will be connected. However, the movement will be burgeoning with industry. Although the idea seems quite simple, it can be very advantageous for a company to utilize the IoT to ensure quality service is given to their customers. Another advantage of IoT is the ability to track individual consumers and targeting these consumers based on the information supplied by the devices. Devices can make decisions and adapt without human guidance to reduce their energy usage.