![\"Internet](\"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/internetofthings.jpg\" "\\"Internet")
<\/p>\nOne of the latest buzzwords from the buzzword factory is the Internet of Things (IoT). \u00a0There\u2019s lots of confusion and skepticism about the value of connecting formerly \u201cdumb\u201d devices to the internet. \u00a0People have lots of questions. \u00a0What is the Internet of Things, really? \u00a0Is this the Next Big Thing? \u00a0Why should I connect my toaster to the network? \u00a0Really, what\u2019s the value in connecting all sorts of devices to the network? \u00a0Will it watch cat videos? \u00a0What about that other buzzword I keep hearing about, Big Data? \u00a0What does Big Data have to do with IoT?<\/p>\n
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Simply put, it is adding sensors and internet connectivity to \u201cthings\u201d so that they can communicate with people and other devices. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes, these are even devices that formerly had no electronic components whatsoever. \u00a0These can be used passively to capture data, or actively to alter the operation of the device. \u00a0\u00a0These sensors can measure anything from temperature in toasters and power usage in smart meters to thousands of variables on an assembly line or millions in a national cell network. \u00a0If it can be measured directly, it can be integrated into an internet connected device.<\/p>\n
The real power in connecting things to a network is information and automation. \u00a0If your toaster normally runs at 500 degrees, and it suddenly changes to 450 or 550, you know something is going wrong. \u00a0That toaster needs to be fixed.<\/p>\n
Now, a single toaster isn\u2019t all that important in the long run. \u00a0But imagine you had 50,000 toasters in a bakery chain. \u00a0\u00a0Keeping up with 50,000 or more toasters can be a real headache. \u00a0I like to call this Big Toast. \u00a0This Big Toast initiative is in use in the corporate world everywhere. \u00a0It\u2019s not just toasters, though. \u00a0All the machines and objects vital to business processes can be monitored this way. \u00a0But that\u2019s only phase one.<\/p>\n
Phase two moves from the operational to the analytic. \u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s where your data becomes much more useful. \u00a0One of the toasters consistently makes amazing toast. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Why does it make golden crust so flaky and wonderful, retaining just that perfect little bit of moisture so that it crumbles rather than becoming a black burnt mess? \u00a0Without data, the world may never know. \u00a0But analytic data is not the end. \u00a0It\u2019s just a stepping stone to phase three.<\/p>\n
Phase three is self-adjusting, automated processes. \u00a0\u00a0This is when things REALLY get fancy. \u00a0In our Big Toast initiative, one of those 50,000 toasters begins recording unsafe temperatures. \u00a0Previously, it may have only recorded the temperature. \u00a0Now, in phase three, it notifies the toaster maintenance staff and shuts itself down to protect everyone not only from burnt toast, but a fire that could take out all the toasters. \u00a0\u00a0It may kick off a diagnostic of the electrical system. \u00a0It may automatically order a new replacement toaster. \u00a0Without Big Toast, the bakery itself might be toast. \u00a0That\u2019s not all. \u00a0A true phase three Big Toast can constantly adjust toasters to compensate for ambient temperature and humidity to always, always, always make that perfect golden toast.<\/p>\n
These initiatives are already well underway all around us. \u00a0Cities and municipalities monitor and adjust road traffic<\/a>. \u00a0Energy companies record power usage<\/a> from homes and businesses. \u00a0\u00a0Race teams<\/a> record every aspect of a car\u2019s operation. \u00a0Manufacturers<\/a> record information about the assembly equipment and production results automatically. \u00a0Delivery companies track their drivers, shipments and warehouses. \u00a0The Internet of Things is already here.<\/p>\n No.<\/p>\n Big Data is the special sauce in the IoT initiative. \u00a0The key to Big Toast is really Big Data. \u00a0Big Data frameworks allow for massive storage and parallel processing of reams and reams of data. \u00a0With the IoT, that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019ll be generating. \u00a0Hundreds and thousands of devices, each logging data from multiple sensors, will generate lots and lots of data. \u00a0Those sensors might be taking readings every hour, every minute, every second or even every microsecond. \u00a0Real-time analytics needs to be able to process and act upon that data as it is generated. \u00a0Big Data frameworks like Apache Hadoop and Azure HDInsight are specifically designed to cater to these high volumes of data.<\/p>\n You might say that the Internet of Things is the killer app of Big Data. \u00a0You might be right.<\/p>\nWill My Toaster Watch Cat Videos?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What does Big Data have to do with IoT?<\/strong><\/h3>\n