What is the Internet of Things (IoT) and How Does it Work?
The technology in our lives is getting smarter, and quickly. With each passing year, smart devices are becoming the norm, and inter-connected systems lead the way in improving the way we live and work.
You’ve likely heard the term Internet of Things (henceforth referred to as IoT), but may not know what it means, and what its current and future applications for business might mean for your company and work. In this article, we’ll dive into IoT, what it is, and what it can do for your business both now and in the years to come.
You’ve likely heard the term Internet of Things (henceforth referred to as IoT), but may not know what it means, and what its current and future applications for business might mean for your company and work. In this article, we’ll dive into IoT, what it is, and what it can do for your business both now and in the years to come.
What is The Internet of Things (IoT)?
Think back five or ten years, and consider how inter-connected our devices were. The answer? Not very. A Bluetooth speaker, a connection from a phone to a tablet for transferring data. These days, devices across our home and business are talking and communicating with each other, sharing data, and allowing our lives and businesses to run more smoothly. This is IoT; countless physical devices connected to the internet, working together, collecting and sharing data to enhance daily life. With small systems widely available, like the ASUS Tinkerboard range, almost anything can be integrated into the IoT sphere. IoT typically refers to devices that aren’t normally equipped with an internet connection; the idea is that tools like the ASUS Tinkerboard range can be connected to ‘dumb’ devices, connecting them with other devices over the internet.What Does IoT Do?
Now that you know what the Internet of Things is, you might be wondering how it can help. What exactly is IoT good for? For personal use, smart devices like lightbulbs, thermostats, and doorbells allow elements of our lives to be put on autopilot; schedule the lights and heat to come on and switch off, while providing us with data to save on our energy bills. For business, the applications are virtually endless. Install IoT devices throughout a warehouse for example, and you’ll be able to use the streams of data you collect to analyse where processes can be improved for great efficiency. How about in supermarkets, where data can be used to analyse which products are most in-demand, smartly ordering new stock for the most demanded items in specific locations, avoiding stock shortages in one supermarket, and wasted stock in another? Sales teams can use IoT devices to identify which products are most sought after or looked at (for example, in a car showroom), using this data to make decisions on which products are the most valuable to the company.Where is IoT Going?
According to IDC, there are predicted to be 41.6 billion devices in the IoT sphere by 2025, with the largest portion of that found in the industrial and automotive industries. Additionally, we’ll likely see the Internet of Things used to make our world more efficient and environmentally sustainable; cities and governments will use IoT to connect traffic, lighting, energy systems, and more together in order to accurately predict and meet demand. Businesses will continue to grow smarter, connecting various elements of business together and using machine learning and AI to make long-term business decisions. Here are a few examples:- Identifying which consumer-facing locations are most profitable/successful
- Smoothing out issues in the logistics process, and rapidly accounting for spikes and/or drops in supply or demand.
- Learning where the majority of their productivity comes from, when, and how it’s produced. Are 20% of staff responsible for the majority of business success? Where are the team’s weaknesses? Business effectiveness will improve as IoT helps to answer such questions.
- Wide-reaching business decisions like moving to a 4-day work week will be made by using data sets produced by IoT.
Meet the ASUS approach to IoT
ASUS offers a strong approach to enabling IoT configurations in your business, whether you’re a retailer, healthcare provider, or manufacturer; you can learn all about how ASUS delivers AIoT integrations here. Part of our offering is the ASUS Tinker Board range. A single board computer (SBC), they’re an ultra-small form factor system capable of being implemented into a variety of business use-cases. Equipped with a 40-pin GPIO header and other I/O, you can use Tinker Boards to connect elements of your business together, adding sensors, lights, switches, and much more to smarten ‘dumb’ devices. Whether you work in retail, healthcare, transport, manufacturing or other business sectors, you can make use of IoT in your business today. Learn more about the ASUS Tinker Board today, or contact us directly to learn how you can begin connecting your business together for increased productivity and efficiency.
