Elements Of IoT

For anyone working in IT, the Internet of Things is trend that can't be ignored. IoT dominates headlines with catchy stories about connected refrigerators and wearable tech, along with sensational estimates for the oncoming number of connected devices.

Cisco, for example, predicts the number of connected devices will rise from 25 billion in 2015 to 50 billion by 2020. Garter's IoT estimates are a less dramatic -- the research firm expects by 2020 the IoT will include 26 billion units -- but impressive nonetheless.

What gets less attention is the underlying technology for all these connected devices. Here, we look at some of the top use cases for IoT and the associated infrastructure and network components that IT pros can expect to build and install.

Technologies such as wireless mesh networks, for instance, will get more attention as organizations build out support for the IoT. We also examine some challenges that IoT raises, such as increased storage demands and new data security concerns.

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