Setting standards for IoT can capitalize on future growth

The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) appears to be unquestioned. Advances in wearables and sensors are strategic to tech companies, telecoms and manufacturers across multiple domains. Everyone from millennials to boomers is incorporating IoT technologies into the daily flow of life. Gartner says the IoT market will be $300 million in 2020. With all this projected growth, standards will play an increasing role in IoT adoption.

A number of IoT standards initiatives are setting the pace. The AllSeen Alliance has developed AllJoyn, an open-source protocol that provides tools for connecting and managing devices on Wi-Fi networks. Manufacturers are starting to use the AllJoyn framework to create custom apps, complete with control and notification services.

Dell and Intel announced their Open InterConnect Consortium (OIC) as another collaborative targeting open-source development and deployment. The OIC wants to accelerate development of IoT interoperability standards by defining a common communication framework to wirelessly connect devices, control the flow of information between devices and enhance the autonomy of interconnected devices. This OIC has also formed a strategic alliance with the Industrial Internet Consortium that will help achieve the targeted interoperability and accelerate the development of global IoT standards.

Developing IoT standards will have a significant impact on multiple verticals, including:

• Energy and utilities – IoT capabilities will drive advances in production, distribution, smart-grid data infrastructure development and predictive analytics.

• Healthcare – IoT deployment on healthcare will lead to patient-focused home care, remote controlled medical devices, sensor-embedded medicine and improved quality of life at lower cost

• Transportation – Flexible transportation systems that can respond to changing demands, improved fuel efficiency, predictive analytics to enhance mean time to failure calculations for critical equipment and speed optimization are key benefits of transportation IoT adoption.

In an effort to capitalize on IoT future growth, Dell has opened a new IoT Lab in Silicon Valley. The lab, free to Dell customers, is focused on research, testing and development of IoT systems. The lab is effective in creating rapid prototypes that demonstrate the innovative potential of IoT technologies.

IoT development and adoption will significantly transform our personal and work lives, so it’s important for IT leaders and business decision-makers to understand the technologies in play and participate in the development of standards that will influence IoT adoption.

(This post was written as part of the Dell Insight Partners program, which provides news and analysis about the evolving world of tech. To learn more about tech news and analysis visit Tech Page One. Dell sponsored this article, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent Dell’s positions or strategies.)

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