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Present and Future Applications of the Internet of Things

  • Present and Future Applications of the Internet of Things-

    Future Applications

    Health care (14 percent), urban usage (13 percent) and automotive (12 percent) applications ranked high in their potential for future IoT applications. Tracking health statistics will dramatically impact the medical community as well as the general public as a whole. However, the bridge between gathering health data and sharing it safely and securely with the proper health care providers remains a key challenge for this sector. Codifying standards that will allow these diverse devices to safely communicate with one another is a key hurdle currently being addressed. The FDA, for example, has been working on standards for medical devices for many years.

    The automotive industry is also facing scrutiny around the security of connected devices in cars. The recent demo of the hacking of a connected Jeep Cherokee demonstrated the ability for a hacker to drive it off the road, vividly illustrating the problems inherent in IoT security. Securing these devices is particularly daunting given the activity of hacker communities and the skills gap between many smaller development shops and the larger security community. In order to move IoT adoption forward, these factors will need to be addressed.

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Present and Future Applications of the Internet of Things

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  • Present and Future Applications of the Internet of Things-3

    Future Applications

    Health care (14 percent), urban usage (13 percent) and automotive (12 percent) applications ranked high in their potential for future IoT applications. Tracking health statistics will dramatically impact the medical community as well as the general public as a whole. However, the bridge between gathering health data and sharing it safely and securely with the proper health care providers remains a key challenge for this sector. Codifying standards that will allow these diverse devices to safely communicate with one another is a key hurdle currently being addressed. The FDA, for example, has been working on standards for medical devices for many years.

    The automotive industry is also facing scrutiny around the security of connected devices in cars. The recent demo of the hacking of a connected Jeep Cherokee demonstrated the ability for a hacker to drive it off the road, vividly illustrating the problems inherent in IoT security. Securing these devices is particularly daunting given the activity of hacker communities and the skills gap between many smaller development shops and the larger security community. In order to move IoT adoption forward, these factors will need to be addressed.

The Internet of Things (IoT) can be simply defined as an interconnection of uniquely identifiable, embedded computing-like devices within the Internet infrastructure, but the term and dictionary definition often only limit future applications of the technology. A recent IoT industry survey by New Harbor Research and commissioned by Progress found that nearly half of the developers who were surveyed are building IoT applications right now, and nearly three-quarters of them are excited by the technology's potential. This growing industry trend is evidenced by the vast array of smart devices, connected appliances and wearables along with accompanying applications currently on the market.

The survey asked developers about their thoughts on where the Internet of Things is headed. Topics ranged from the commercial reality and future potential of the IoT to developers' biggest concerns and challenges as well as the opportunities for innovation currently available. Also discussed were the most popular operating systems and platforms for IoT development, and leading IoT industries today and looking forward.

A surprisingly diverse number of opinions were revealed about the current status of IoT adoption, where it will be in the future, and how to leverage it today.

Here are the top five compelling patterns that developers are seeing emerge in the Internet of Things space.