IoT or the Internet of Things is the name given to the vast network of millions of devices that send and receive data over the internet. These devices or “things” can include smartphones, wearables, complex robots, smart refrigerators, etc., along with people who use them. They consist of hardware and software implants that enable them to transfer data over the internet. These implants can include sensors that let the devices interact with their surroundings and complementary software applications that govern their workings.
IoT has been a driving force behind many technological innovations in the world. It has helped businesses and organizations improve their services, provide better user experiences, and paved the way for technological advancements that were previously unthinkable.
Even when it comes to the development of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, 5G networking, IoT is playing a significant role. IoT devices are now able to execute much more complicated tasks, generate massive amounts of relevant data, facilitate better data analytics and integrate AI to improve automation and reduce errors.
So far, 2021 has been a highly fruitful year for IoT. In the light of the recent pandemic, IoT has seen some much-needed and highly innovative developments. Come 2022 and these developments are only going to gain more and more traction. Here are some of the most prominent upcoming trends that give us a glimpse into the future of IoT.
IoT Trends to Keep a Watch On in 2022
Let’s take a look at some of the forthcoming IoT trends in 2022 and see how IoT holds the potential to change our lives for better or worse.
1. Enhancements in Cybersecurity
Today, the number of devices connected to the internet is more than the number of people on this planet. And this number is bound to grow exponentially in the coming year. A recent example can be the recent COVID-19 pandemic that confined all of us to our homes for a significant amount of time. As remote education and remote work became the norms, companies, and institutions invested heavily in improving their communication infrastructure. This directly translated to more and more devices being connected to the internet.
Considering the staggering number of web-enabled devices that flood today’s internet, their security becomes a major concern. Since the jump in the number of internet-connected devices is spontaneous, the owners of many of these devices are not aware of the basic security practices. Moreover, keeping a track of the security of so many devices at once is also a humongous task for security agencies. Apart from loopholes in security measures, higher risks of cyber attacks are also a major concern for IoT devices. According to Kaspersky, a leading cybersecurity firm, more than 1.5 billion attacks were targeted at IoT devices in the latter half of 2021.
Citing these security concerns, companies are now beginning to address the problem of weak security in IoT devices. Many firms are launching timely security updates, building more secure and rugged software ecosystems, and adopting practices that will keep their devices secure while online. And this trend of enhancing cybersecurity is set to gain more traction in 2022.
2. Integration of IoT in the Healthcare Sector
Even before the pandemic struck, the healthcare sector had been a prominent adopter of IoT technology. But, it was during the pandemic when the readiness of this sector to embrace new technologies frequently was highlighted significantly. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the healthcare industry was at the forefront of IoT adoption in 2021. From cameras to maintain social distancing to building state-of-the-art medical equipment, the healthcare sector incorporated IoT to collect huge amounts of useful data and use it for the benefit of all of us.
Even ancillary health devices such as smart wearables, blood oxygen monitors, etc., helped a lot in improving the lifestyles of the healthy as well as the affected. And seeing the extent to which IoT helped improve healthcare, this trend is sure to continue in 2022.
3. IoT and Its Benefits for the Manufacturing Industry
The manufacturing industry has benefited highly from its assimilation of IoT in its operations. The usage of sensors to detect anomalies in production facilities, highlight security issues in factories and ensure better maintenance of factory equipment has been of much use to the industry.
Apart from this, IoT has also played a big role in the design of smart factories. With automation being the new trend, factories and manufacturing plants have begun to use IoT to gather data from their equipment and increase the efficiency of their manufacturing processes. This is being done to ensure higher quality standards and increase the rate of production.
4. IoT’s and the development of 5G Networking
5G or the fifth generation of mobile networking, is the immediate future of the current mobile networking standards. 5G promises better connectivity speeds, greater network reliability, higher data transfer rates, and overall a better experience on cellular networks than the ones we use today. Since IoT is all about connectivity, 5G will have a huge impact on it. With 5G becoming the norm of cellular networks, IoT devices will be able to connect to the internet quickly and transfer relevant data at a higher pace.
Conversely, the current state of IoT will also impact the development of 5G by acting as a benchmark. 5G firms will use the present IoT conventions for R&D and devise more rugged networking parameters.
5. IoT and Its Application in Big Data, Advanced Data Analytics, and Machine Learning
As obvious as this sounds, IoT is finding a tremendous amount of applications in Big Data, Data Analytics, and Machine Learning as you read this article.
IoT is a network of billions of devices that interact with the network and with each other (in some cases) on the internet. IoT is a highly potent source of information-rich data. Since IoT devices use a plethora of sensors to capture data from their surroundings, Big Data techniques, that are used to analyze complicated and huge silos of data, are applied to the IoT data. The result is the extraction of valuable information that can be used in a variety of ways.
One such way is to feed this information to Machine Learning algorithms. Doing so enables machines to develop better decision-making capabilities, perform data analytics better, create a better foresight of any future trends, and enhance pattern recognition greatly.
And not just in 2022, but even in the coming decades, IoT will find a myriad of uses in Big Data and ML.
Conclusion
Although its origins date back to 1999, IoT has recently attracted a lot of attention from various industries and found potential use in future technologies. As the number of IoT devices grows, newer and more resourceful ways to leverage them will be devised. The trends mentioned here tell us a lot about the exciting things that IoT has in stock for us. So do not forget to keep a track of the IoT trends mentioned here and the ones that will show up in the next few months!!
