The Internet of Things: What It Is, Why It Matters

The "Internet of Things" (IoT) -- a diverse collection of technologies and devices designed to connect everyday objects to the Cloud -- will likely be one of the most important technological advances of this century.

Connected "things" includes any number of items, from a front door lock, a wireless vital signs monitor or a motion sensor that detect earthquakes. New "things" introduced during the past year include trackers for cars, kids and pets, cellular and Wi-Fi photo frames, health and fitness monitors and products for remote medical care. The emergence of Cloud computing, meanwhile, has created the application and device management backbone needed to scale to and support billions of connected objects. Consumer, governmental and business trends are also pushing us toward the IoT. And despite inhibitors to growth, such as privacy issues and the challenge of creating sustainable business models, we will see, over the next decade, increasing benefits in our personal and community lives as the IoT takes hold.