Internet Society Releases Internet of Things (IoT) Overview: Understanding the Issues and Challenges

Promising to transform the ways we live, work, and play, the Internet of Things (IoT) offers impressive benefits but presents significant challenges.

By Karen Rose - CircleID, Oct. 15, 2015 – 

Near the end of the first decade of this century, the world reached an Internet milestone. The number of Internet-connected devices surpassed the number of people alive on planet Earth. At the time, seven billion devices had already been connected to the Internet, and this went completely unnoticed by most people. This moment represented an important sign of the rapid pace in which we are adopting technology and embracing Internet connectivity. Along with the explosion of mobile phones and tablets, this moment also marked the rise of what we now call the Internet of Things.

These things are devices of all types and kinds, ranging from consumer products, durable goods, cars and trucks, industrial and utility components, sensors, and other everyday objects. They can be configured to connect to each other and to the Internet itself, combining the native abilities of the devices with the enormous data analytic and cloud resources available online. New possibilities are emerging each day as new technologies make it even easier to connect more "things" to the Internet.

The scale of the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is expected to be unprecedented, with some estimates topping 100 billion devices in service over the next decade. They have the potential to impact us in most every aspect of our daily lives. The potential benefits are impressive and promise to transform the way we live, work, and play -- but IoT devices also present significant challenges.

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