5 IoT Trends to Watch for in 2018

1. Transforming Industries

Though IoT is based on consumer products and aimed at the masses, vast industrial houses are realising the potential it holds for them. Growing at an exponential rate, Industrial IoT is making advancements in all aspects of it. They have begun implementing automation to control and monitor their production process. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is another category of varied software applications that specialise in process control. This help gathers data in real time from remote locations. A cohesive, structured database ensures the manufacturer’s control over the quality of inputs, equipment used and conditions of manufacturing easily.

2. Transforming Public Spaces

Implementing IoT at a large scale can be a very efficient way of making things accessible to as many people as possible. Smart machines can potentially transform the face of public spaces such as hospitals, schools, information centres, libraries and many more. These smart public spaces give way to the idea of smart cities where digitisation has revolutionised all monitoring activities like traffic, waste management, resource management and law enforcement. Not only will this enhance and standardise the work done but it will also lead to a drastic reduction in costs and better management. Interactive systems also help in ensuring a level of transparency in the system.

3. Healthcare

Another field experiencing a torrential growth spurt with technology in healthcare. Delivering real-time data of patients to their concerned caretakers has served as a breakthrough and is indicative of IoT’s potential when it comes to health services. Ranging from wearable devices that can be operated by apps or monitors that are automated to respond in case of crises or simple apps that can keep individuals on track of a healthy lifestyle, all of it can compound to a boost in IoT adoption by the professionals in medicine. The equipment that can effectively relay data on a patients health from even remote locations can essentially make it easier for so many bed-ridden patients to lead an easier life from the comfort of their homes.

4. Security Concerns

As more and more facets of an individual’s life get reflected in the digital world, a large amount of data generation occurs every day for every person. The fear of storing one’s data at a slight risk of losing it in the wrong hands is not lost on everyone. Corporations adopting IoT are taking data security as their paramount concern as more and more advancements are made every day and as the technology gets more and more layered. Similarly, security concerns on the part of the consumers have come up again and again and will only increase in the future.

5. Cognitive Computing

The IoT is currently in its developing stages where the usage is targeted at storing and monitoring information. However, as Cognitive computing enters the scene, IoT leaps into space and becomes far more interactive. Essentially, cognitive computing would entail these smart devices also to be responsive and adaptable as the conditions around them change, thus becoming intelligent. This will prove to be of immense value in the field of health and big data as it will facilitate identification of patterns and so much more.

IoT will sweep the market away as it takes over one industry after another. As we move forward, the technology will grow more receptive and intelligent. It could lead to essentially a transformation of the grade where all electronic items become smart gadgets with custom settings. These are some trends that will play a central role in its development but IoT is constantly evolving, and what shape it may take next, we can only guess.