We’ve all had a couple of weeks to recover from the Christmas festivities and now we’re firmly back in the saddle – hopefully with our New Year’s resolutions still intact.

So what will be the big technological themes for the year ahead? Well, this blog covers the first of them – the Internet of Things (IoT) – which is an acronym you will certainly see and hear a lot more about in 2016 and over the years to come.

WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS?

A bit like “The Cloud”, this is not a new invention that somebody has dreamt up, patented and started to roll out. The Internet of Things is a concept – something that will evolve and happen (and is happening) over time, thanks to the ways in which new technology is being used.

IoT is the concept of plugging any device directly into the Internet. This might include mobile phones, coffee machines, fridges, headphones, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. It also applies to larger machines, for example, the jet engine of an aeroplane or the wheel of a car.

Gartner says that by 2020 there will be over 25 billion devices connected to the Internet. That’s a lot of connections (some even say this number could be much higher, with estimates of over 100 billion). This perhaps goes some way to explaining why the world is running out of IP addresses (see the update dated 30^th September 2015 on the Utilize Facebook wall referencing a BBC article of the same month).

So in summary – the IoT is a giant network of connected “things” (which also includes people!)

WHY NOW?

A couple of factors are influencing the growth of the Internet of Things. Fast, reliable broadband is becoming more widely available and it’s cheaper too. The cost of connectivity is decreasing and more devices are being made available with Wi-Fi and sensors built into them. Look no further than the latest Smartphones and Smartwatches. I have a friend whose new Apple iWatch told him to leave 10 mins earlier for work that morning as the traffic was bad!

As the cost of technology falls and Smartphone usage increasing, these elements are creating a “perfect storm” for the IoT.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

The Internet of Things does offer real relevance to most people’s everyday lives. To elaborate on the example of my friend’s Smartwatch – imagine you were on your way to a meeting wearing such a device. Your car could gain access to your calendar and advise you of the best route to take. Then, if the traffic was heavy, it might send an email to the other party notifying them that you will be late.

Better still, what if your alarm clock had already adjusted itself to wake you up 30 minutes earlier to adjust for these anticipated delays, before notifying your coffee machine to start brewing a skinny cappuccino (don’t forget those New Year’s resolutions!) to prepare you for the journey.

What if your office equipment already knew when it was running low on supplies and automatically re-ordered more? Clearly, the IoT allows for endless opportunities, in both our private and professional lives, many of which we have yet to imagine.

BUT..?

There is usually a “but” when it comes to “endless opportunities” and, in this case, security and privacy present the most significant challenges.

With billions of devices being connected to one another, sending information via the Internet, what can users do to ensure their data remains secure? Will someone be able to hack into your fridge and, from that point, gain access to more sensitive, personal information than your particular preference of yoghurt?

Privacy is another potential minefield and providers will need to define satisfactory systems to store, track, analyse and make sense of the vast amounts of data that will be generated.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Debates about the IoT have been taking place around the world for many years and will certainly continue throughout 2016, involving many of the major technology vendors.

As we seek to understand how this concept will impact our lives, the best thing we can do for now is follow the trade press, educate ourselves about what the Internet of Things is promising to deliver and anticipate just how these new innovations might influence the ways we work and live.

Exciting times are undoubtedly ahead.