Riding the Internet of Everything Wave

Last week I attended the Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise (CITE) expo in San Francisco – home of delicious seafood and great surfing. At the conference I had a chance to talk about the changing tide of IT and how we can prepare for the next big swell.

Throughout history there are moments in time that define innovation.

In 1939, two guys in a garage built the first audio oscillator. It was sold to Disney and helped create Fantasia. In 1973, Motorola built the first mobile phone. It weighed 2.5 pounds and was 9 inches long. It let you talk for 30 minutes. Then you needed 10 hours to charge it. This was innovation at its finest.

Now today, the Internet of Everything is connecting people, processes, data and devices like never before. We can either ride this wave or get slammed.

To this point, we’ve only been thinking about bringing products onto our network. Now we are on the precipice of something dramatic. I’m not a futurist but as a technology marketing specialist, I worry far into the future so we can be ahead. This includes an understanding of how connections bring more value to all other connections.

For example: Let’s think about your car.

When it is connected, it simply increases the number of things on the Internet by 1. Now, think about the numerous other elements to which your car could be connected—stoplights, service personnel, weather reports, warning signs, and even the road itself. It is from these multiple connections that your driving experience will become better than it is today. You will be safe, informed and entertained. You will arrive on time, and even save on fuel and maintenance costs as you travel to your destination.

To ride this wave, basic connectivity is not going to cut it anymore. If we are turning data into information that we can base decisions on – especially real time decisions – the network is going to need to be intelligent and act on that data even as it is in motion.

How are you preparing to ride the Internet of Everything wave?

Tweet me your thoughts on #IoE @MarieHattar.