What is the internet of things, exactly?

History of IoT

The term internet of things was allegedly first coined by Kevin Ashton during a presentation he made to Proctor & Gamble in 1999. Pushing the importance of RFID to company executives, Ashton titled his presentation "Internet of Things" as he wanted to incorporate one of the hottest trends of the late 90s -- the internet -- into his talk. Later that same year, Neil Gershenfeld discussed the concept of IoT in his book, When Things Start to Think, though he didn't use the exact term.

However, by the time Ashton uttered the phrase, IoT was already in the making. One of the first IoT devices was a Coke machine in the early 1980s that allowed programmers at Carnegie Mellon University to check the status of their favorite soda before visiting the machine. At Interop in 1990, John Romkey demonstrated a toaster that could be turned on and off over the internet -- simple, but an early example of an internet-connected device.

Technically, IoT evolved from M2M -- with M2M offering the connectivity that connects disparate IoT devices. IoT can also be considered an extension of supervisory control and data acquisition, software that gathers real-time data from locations to control equipment and conditions.

Fast-forward a couple decades. The internet is now readily available -- remember that in 1995, less than 1% of the world's population had internet access. As of December 2017, more than 54% of the population has internet access, with upwards of 8.5 billion smart devices connected to the internet. And depending who you listen to, the number of IoT devices could reach 20.8 billion by 2020, with total spend on smart devices and services expected to reach $3.7 trillion this year.

IoT use cases and applications

Looking for more information on the effects of IoT?

Read our extensive coverage on smart cities, including this article that divulges the benefits both citizens and the community can reap with the addition of smart technologies.

Expanding on the smart city use case, IoT is also transforming the transportation industry. Think beyond self-driving cars and learn how IoT is creating more efficient public transportation systems which provide not only better security, but also a better commuter experience.

The internet of things is having a major impact on manufacturing and industry. Explore how collecting data from these environments brings a number of opportunities to manufacturing and industrial organizations alike -- from reducing downtime to increasing efficiency.

Get insight on connected devices in smart homes, including how to address smart home device complexity, pre-empt negative customer experience and keep your eye on the true prize of the smart home: not the smart device, the smart home user.

Beyond smart cities, smart homes and smart manufacturing, the internet of things is revolutionizing the workplace. IoT can unleash a wealth of benefits in the office, not only by monitoring temperatures and adjusting lighting, but also to make for a happier employee.