You’ve heard the term, you seen examples, and you may even have some knowledge of what it’s all about. On a personal level, you may already be connected to the Internet of Things (IOT), turning lights off, setting your thermostat, or checking on your children while you are physically miles away. But, are you, and is your organization, really prepared for the profound change that the Internet of Everything (IOE) will have on business?
IoE is here – connecting people, processes, systems, data, and things to the network, making network connections far more relevant and valuable than ever, providing information that leads to actions and creates opportunities. And, with a little imagination, there is no limit to new possibilities: smarter, faster, better ways to do business and run your operations.
IOE provides every business with a blank canvas, an unparalleled chance to redefine how it operates — from the ground up. Actually, with IOE, there is no ground. Consider a mining company that is now able to improve the safety of employees by knowing the exact location of miners working underground and which can also retrieve needed information from those same miners instantly rather than waiting for them to surface. Consider too the building that saves on electricity costs with programmable lighting and knows the difference between regular lighting needs and emergency needs.
We are about to experience a sea change. As disparate previously unconnected networks (e.g., networks, electrical, lighting, and HVAC) become one, the effect will be profound. Services will become integrated, functionality and productivity will increase and costs will significantly decrease.
Check out these two short video clips, interviews with CISCO CIO, Bill Kastelic, to gain a better appreciation of how companies are embracing the IOE, what this means for the network, for security, and why this drives a threat-centric model.