IoE: My First Impression

As Cisco is sharing its Internet of Everything ( IoE ) vision today at CES 2014, it makes me reflect on what the future of this technology will look like. We’re in such a connected society now, with more information available to us than ever before. I ask myself, “Will being more connected, with even more information at our disposal be something our society could benefit from?” After evaluating this concept, my opinion is a resounding yes.

Imagine a world where you can have everyday items “speak” to you without having to initiate the action. Our lives are so busy now that having important information alerted to us without needing to query it ourselves is a huge idea. Here are some immediate thoughts on how the Internet of Everything could help solve everyday problems.

How many of us have gotten into our car late for some sort of appointment, and while driving, realized we didn’t have enough gas to get where we needed to go? Having a sensor in the car alert you that you’re low on gas would be a time/stress saver. In my house creating weekly grocery lists can be cumbersome. Going through cabinets one by one seeing what’s needed, and putting them down on the list. Of course, this always happens right when you’re ready to leave for the grocery store. Imagine going up to your refrigerator and having it email you a list of items needed. That’s huge, and can save you from having to run back to the store more than once because you forgot that important dinner item!

When designing the future of the Internet of Everything we don’t want to drown in data overload. It‘s not about the amount of data we obtain, but about obtaining the right data at the right time. We’ve all dealt with situations where too much data at the wrong time hurts our decision making, and with even more data available, we certainly don’t want this to happen more and more. So it’s key that the implementation of these sensors and their delivery of information is smart. Just having your refrigerator blast out that you need milk every time you’re in the kitchen would cause you to ignore it or turn it off all together.

As I continue to read articles and videos on the Internet of Everything ( IoE ), my mind starts imagining all the great possibilities and use cases out there. I know for me, this is an exciting time to be in the IT field, and to be a consumer of this possible technology as well. A new IoE future can lead to great things, and I for one am very excited about it.