New trends: eight directions of development of the Internet of Things industry

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technological revolution that aims to embed short-range mobile data transceivers into gadgets or objects in daily life, bringing new developments to the field of information and communication technology. Frost & Sullivan's research report proposes eight development trends of the IoT.

1. IoT will evolve into a cognitive tool

In 2017, the development of the Internet of Things will evolve from IoT 0.0, which is about connected devices, to IoT 2.0, which uses cognitive computing and predictive computing.

• IoT0.0 stands for Machine-to-Machine (M2M), and its characteristics include: connected devices are connected through mobile phones or other networks, very little data is integrated with enterprise or consumer applications, and the focus is on the "plumbing" aspect of embedded hardware and mobile networks.
• IoT 1.0 features include: cloud computing, integrated enterprise management, support for new business models such as product as a service, device and network security, big data analysis, and focus on integrating software functions and applications.
• The characteristics of IoT 2.0 refer to the transformation of the Internet of Things from using data to responding to events to using perception tools and cognitive computing (or predictive computing).

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2. Cognitive technology becomes the new intelligence

The Internet of Things is rapidly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to transform smart devices, which can respond directly to changes in the environment without human intervention.

In 2017, cloud services and AI integrated solutions will be able to integrate APP, machine learning and AI to provide complete situational awareness, prediction and regulation functions, and help organizations realize the value of the Internet of Things.

3. Recognize the commercialization of IoT platforms

Large companies will continue to work on building an ecosystem and provide various building blocks at the lowest cost to promote innovation and develop new IoT-related solutions and capabilities.

The IoT platform war has already begun, including: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure IoT, IBM Watson Cloud Computing, SAP HANA, and PTC Thingworx, etc. Companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and Cisco, which have their own IoT ecosystems, will continue to provide components (building blocks) to larger platform suppliers and begin to transfer their own ecosystems to the larger IoT ecosystem.

4. Drone delivery becomes a reality

Amazon successfully delivered a package by drone for the first time on December 7, 2016. Frost & Sullivan estimates that regulations for commercial drone testing will be passed in 2017, and drone delivery services will be available by the end of 2017. In addition, Qualcomm and AT&T are also testing drone commercial delivery, drone monitoring of forest fires, cell towers and cables, while continuing to lobby lawmakers to approve drones equipped with sensors for commercial use.

5. The Internet of Things is a crisis for national cybersecurity

Unsafe devices and malware may become a security risk for the Internet of Things. In 2017, hackers hacked into IoT devices and caused losses. For example, in the DDoS attack in October 2006, hackers successfully hacked into unattended cameras. Currently, there are billions of network devices in operation. Similar hacker attacks will invade power grid infrastructure, connected cars, drying, traffic monitors, nuclear power plants, etc., which will become a national network security crisis.

6. The integration of smart cars and smart homes has been realized

The Internet of Things allows mobile devices and smart homes to merge, helping consumers realize their dream of centrally managing their digital lives, including: car sharing, integrated train and plane schedules, car rentals, on-demand transportation (TAXI, BRT), urban public transportation, car energy management, APP, journey planning, big data, dynamic parking, private butlers, etc.

7. AI Assistants for Competitive Advantage

Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all trying to seize the market share of personal assistants in order to compete for the market share of home, consumer Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. In the development of AI personal assistants in 2017, the first step is to integrate existing services with AI personal assistants with smart home solutions; the second step is to integrate with the Internet of Vehicles; the third step is to integrate with autonomous driving; and finally, the large-scale introduction of AI personal assistants by small companies and owner communities will increase the competitive pressure on market leaders.

8. Popularization of cloud computing

Efficient data standards and fog computing will support endpoint intelligence and owner communities, which will help the future deployment of the Internet of Things.

• Point computing features: simple, private cloud-based IoT deployment; enterprise backend data processing; application-centric communications, etc.
• Features of cloud computing: IoT deployment based on public cloud, emerging applications of collaborative IoT deployment, and cloud-centric communications.
• Characteristics of Fog Computing: In a fog computing environment, endpoint-level data management, semi-autonomous IoT applications, and data-centric communications.