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IoT: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?

Sven Hammar

The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly present in our daily lives, at work, in the home and in the public sphere, making the world a more connected place. In fact, 2020 will see at least 20 billion connected devices across the globe.

So, let's take a look at the most common iterations of the IoT at the moment, and what we can expect to see in the IoT landscape over the next 5 years.

How IoT looks now

 
In Our Homes
Many people's first experience of the IoT comes from their domestic life. There are hundreds of connected devices available to buy without breaking the household budget, from Google's Assistant software to smart "Nest" thermostats. People can use their voices to control their surroundings, making their homes and lives more connected than ever before. Smart homes also give us extra peace of mind, as IoT-enabled tech can connect owners to their home at all times.

On Our Wrists
Thanks to wearable technology, more people are starting to carry IoT capability around with them. Smartwatches like the Apple Watch mean our wrists are now synched with mobile devices and associated services. Additionally, the proliferation of wearable fitness trackers such as Fitbit, which provide instant data about users' workouts, has changed the face of the wider fitness space.

The world of work is changing to accommodate wearable IoT devices too. Employers are now introducing wearables into the office and onsite workplaces, allowing remote information sharing and optimization of employee processes.

What can we expect over the next five years?

In Our Cities
As IoT tech is adopted within the home, we'll also begin to see its application in wider urban neighborhoods, towns and cities. "Smart cities" will streamline services and improve infrastructure – provided they have the right connections and data. Issues like traffic congestion and pollution are among the problems the IoT can solve when smart technology is built into a city. Early schemes are already at work in Barcelona and Southampton, UK – other cities are sure to follow suit with innovative and smart technology over the next few years.

On Our Roads
Most high-end cars being sold today already have a high degree of connectivity, and the automotive industry is not going to slow down in delivering optimal user experience and embracing the IoT. Car manufacturers over the next five years will drive a revolution in how people both buy and use their vehicles. Increased accessibility will mean you can adjust car temperature, check mileage, or even start the ignition from an app. Also, with more control over cars at all times, users will benefit from better security.

The IoT is transforming every day physical objects like phones, watches and cars and creating an ecosystem of information that will enrich our lives. As more and more things enter into the digital fold, the IoT is en route to becoming the defining disruptive technology of our time.

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IoT: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?

Sven Hammar

The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly present in our daily lives, at work, in the home and in the public sphere, making the world a more connected place. In fact, 2020 will see at least 20 billion connected devices across the globe.

So, let's take a look at the most common iterations of the IoT at the moment, and what we can expect to see in the IoT landscape over the next 5 years.

How IoT looks now

 
In Our Homes
Many people's first experience of the IoT comes from their domestic life. There are hundreds of connected devices available to buy without breaking the household budget, from Google's Assistant software to smart "Nest" thermostats. People can use their voices to control their surroundings, making their homes and lives more connected than ever before. Smart homes also give us extra peace of mind, as IoT-enabled tech can connect owners to their home at all times.

On Our Wrists
Thanks to wearable technology, more people are starting to carry IoT capability around with them. Smartwatches like the Apple Watch mean our wrists are now synched with mobile devices and associated services. Additionally, the proliferation of wearable fitness trackers such as Fitbit, which provide instant data about users' workouts, has changed the face of the wider fitness space.

The world of work is changing to accommodate wearable IoT devices too. Employers are now introducing wearables into the office and onsite workplaces, allowing remote information sharing and optimization of employee processes.

What can we expect over the next five years?

In Our Cities
As IoT tech is adopted within the home, we'll also begin to see its application in wider urban neighborhoods, towns and cities. "Smart cities" will streamline services and improve infrastructure – provided they have the right connections and data. Issues like traffic congestion and pollution are among the problems the IoT can solve when smart technology is built into a city. Early schemes are already at work in Barcelona and Southampton, UK – other cities are sure to follow suit with innovative and smart technology over the next few years.

On Our Roads
Most high-end cars being sold today already have a high degree of connectivity, and the automotive industry is not going to slow down in delivering optimal user experience and embracing the IoT. Car manufacturers over the next five years will drive a revolution in how people both buy and use their vehicles. Increased accessibility will mean you can adjust car temperature, check mileage, or even start the ignition from an app. Also, with more control over cars at all times, users will benefit from better security.

The IoT is transforming every day physical objects like phones, watches and cars and creating an ecosystem of information that will enrich our lives. As more and more things enter into the digital fold, the IoT is en route to becoming the defining disruptive technology of our time.

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

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Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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