Internet of Things, Its Applications, Choice of Applications

Discuss about the case study Internet of Things for Information and Communication Technology.

Internet of Things (IoT) is a system where a connection is made between physical world and the internet using specialized sensors. The IoT has the potential to revolutionise people’s living. Smart refrigerators could sense when one runs out of groceries such as milk and cheese and create a shopping list for anyone. Sensors in the home could detect changes in the temperature and then turn on or turn off heaters and or air-conditioners to maintain a constant temperature (Xia et al., 2012, pp.45). People with chronic illnesses could have sensors implanted that send data to a doctor who could then send back data to change the dose of medication being administered automatically by a medical device (Drucker 2015, pp. 105-110). There are also applications in business, in particular, manufacturing and production industries where sensors could detect low stock levels and reorder supplies or indicate when machines need to be repaired. The IoT has the potential to revolutionise people’s living. Smart refrigerators could sense when one runs out of groceries such as milk and cheese and create a shopping list for anyone. Sensors in the home could detect changes in the temperature and then turn on or turn off heaters and or air-conditioners to maintain a constant temperature (Madisetti & Bahga 2014, pp. 343). People with chronic illnesses could have sensors implanted that send data to a doctor who could then send back data to change the dose of medication being administered automatically by a medical device. There are also applications in business, in particular, manufacturing and production industries where sensors could detect low stock levels and reorder supplies or indicate when machines need to be repaired.

In this report, a study on IoT and its possible applications in the company has been conducted in order to gain more knowledge on the systems and understand the associated risks with the projects. In this report structure, first, the basic concept of internet of things (IoT) and its applications are discussed. After that, the advantages and disadvantages of IoT have been discussed and its possible applications in the specific company have been analysed. Again, for the project, a company is selected, whose business is mainly spread over a small region of the country and is trying to spread over a larger region by implementing new and positive changes. As the chosen company is still limited to a particular region and hence needs small but high potential ventures in order to grow and spread over a large region.

Applications of IoT

Internet of Things

Kevin Ashton invented and coined the term Internet of Things (IoT) in 1999 to describe a system where there is connection between physical world and internet with the use of sensors. In the last decade the concept of IoT has expanded to refer to situations where physical devices, vehicles, buildings and machines are embedded with electronic sensors and software that support network connectivity (Skarmeta & Moreno 2013). The IoT has been made possible by the use of cloud computing and networks of data-collecting sensors.  Examples of the IoT include the recent trend of smartphones and wearable data collection devices being connected to each other and to the Internet. People wear devices, which track physical activity and sleep patterns. Using Bluetooth this data is then synced to an application on a smartphone (Gubbi et al., 2013). The application on the smartphone then sends the data to a central database stored in the Cloud. This database could contain data collected from thousands of individuals.

The IoT has the potential to revolutionise people’s living. Smart refrigerators could sense when one runs out of groceries such as milk and cheese and create a shopping list for anyone. Sensors in the home could detect changes in the temperature and then turn on or turn off heaters and or air-conditioners to maintain a constant temperature (Chandrakanth et al., 2014). People with chronic illnesses could have sensors implanted that send data to a doctor who could then send back data to change the dose of medication being administered automatically by a medical device (Perera et al., 2014). There are also applications in business, in particular, manufacturing and production industries where sensors could detect low stock levels and reorder supplies or indicate when machines need to be repaired.

Internet of Things (IoT) have a wide range of applications in different fields. These are as follows:

1. Application In Connected/Smart Home – A smart home is the one in which the gadgets have the ability to speak with each different and additionally to their elusive surroundings (Akash et al. 2014).

2. Applications For Wearables – Wearable IoT tech is a vast space and comprises of a variety of gadgets. These gadgets extensively cover the fitness, wellbeing and amusement necessities (Bonomi et al., 2012). The essential from internet of things innovation for wearable applications is to be exceedingly vitality effective or ultra-low power and little estimated.

3. Applications In Retail – The capability of IoT in the retail area is gigantic. Envision the situation when your home apparatuses will have the capacity to inform you about deficiency of supplies or even request all of them all alone. This closeness based publicizing model of brilliant retailing has begun to wind up a reality (Miorandi 2012).

Advantages and Disadvantages of IoT

4. Applications For Smart Cities – Brilliant surveillance, more secure and computerized transportation, more quick-witted vitality administration frameworks and ecological observing all are case of internet of things applications for well-informed urban areas (Turner et al., 2014).

5. Applications In Healthcare – Another sector is healthcare, in which internet of things is expected to have a wide range of applications.

6. Applications In Agriculture – Agriculture and related sectors needs extremely institutive and exceptionally versatile innovation arrangements. Internet of things applications can convey precisely the same to ranchers.

7. Applications in Automotive/Transportation – Google’s self-driving motors are well known all over the world. IoT is making associated cars and motors a probability yet gradually. Any innovation takes no less than a few years to proliferate in standard car industry (Zanella et al., 2014, pp.232). This is the reason there is not such buildup around associated internet of things cases. Organizations and new businesses all are declaring imaginative advancements to bolster associated auto stages.

8. Applications For Industrial Automation – Industrial mechanization is a standout amongst the most significant uses of IoT. With help of internet of things base sponsored with cutting edge sensor systems, remote availability, creative equipment and machine-to-machine correspondence, routine mechanization procedure of commercial ventures will change totally (Da Xu et al., 2014). IoT computerization answers for commercial enterprises from every single huge name like NEC, Siemens, Emerson and Honeywell are as of now in the business sector.

9. Applications In Energy Management – Power grids without any particular future will not just be efficient and effective enough additionally exceptionally solid. The idea of smart grid is turning out to be exceptionally well known (Mulani & Pingle, 2015, pp. 55). The essential thought behind the smart grids is to gather information in mechanized design and break down the conduct or power shoppers and suppliers for enhancing effectiveness and additionally financial aspects of power use.

Advantages

Information: According to general opinion, unmistakably having more information helps settling on better options. Whether it is normal decisions as hoping to acknowledge what to buy at the business sector or if your association has enough devices and supplies, learning is power and more data is better.

Monitor: Another apparent great advantage of IoT is monitoring service. Knowing the exact measure of supplies or the air quality in a home, can propel to give more information that couldn’t have already been assembled viably.

Time: As showed in the past cases, the measure of time saved as an aftereffect of IoT could be extremely immense. Likewise, in today’s present life, people in general could use extra time (Suryadevara et al., 2014).

Money: In general supposition, the best favored outlook of IoT is saving money. In case the expense of the marking and checking equipment is not precisely the measure of money saved, then the Internet of Things will be by and large gotten.

Compatibility: At present, there is no overall standard of compatibility for the marking gears. Specialists trust this obstacle is the most simple to beat (Stankovic, 2014). The gathering relationship of these gear simply need to consent to a standard, for occurrence, Bluetooth, USB, and so on. This is just old news new or innovative required.

Complexity: As with each and every mind-boggling structure, there are more odds of complexity of the devices. With the Internet of Things, more complexities arise from the devices.

Insurance/Security: With each one of this IoT data being transmitted, the peril of losing assurance increases. For instance, how all around mixed will the data be kept and transmitted with? Does one require his neighbors or organizations to know what meds that he is taking or his cash related situation?

Safety: If an acclaimed developer changes one’s cure and then again if a store thus sends him a proportionate thing that he is overly sensitive to, or a flavor that he couldn’t care less for, or a thing that is currently ended. Subsequently, prosperity is finally in the hands of the client to check any robotization.

For the company, two potential implementations of IoT can be Smart Home Systems and Wearables.

Smart Home System – Albeit the concept of home automation has been known to all since the 1970’s, it didn’t accomplish high market infiltration because of high costs, exclusive correspondence benchmarks, and dependence on installers/clients with innovative insights (Stankovic, 2014). With the utilization of scaled down modules that influence 802.11bgn Wi-Fi home systems, and keep running at ultra low powers, soon every gadget in the house is associated with the home system and available specifically, over the home system, and even remotely from over the world. These associated home gadgets will have the capacity to organize vitality utilization, shopper accommodation, and perhaps precisely and reliably foresee the necessities of the general population who stay in the homes (Suryadevara et al., 2014). Numerous experts trust that the purpose of intonation has been achieved where the expense of empowering items for the home with Wi-Fi is exceeded by the propelled highlights, overhauls, client accommodation, and information gathering and investigation (and conceivable membership income) that could originate from gadgets associated with the web and at last to cloud administrations. It is no more a matter of if, however of how soon (Mulani & Pingle, 2015, pp. 65).

Wearables – Wearable gadgets, for example, the Apple Watch, and a large group of other brilliant gadgets by different organizations, for example, Google, Samsung, Fitbit, Pebble, Jawbone, Adidas, Johnson and Johnson, and so forth., will help the business sector for the IoT. Nearly 500 million units of shipments of wearable gadgets are expected to be delivered by 2018 (Stankovic, 2014).

The company is still limited to a particular region and hence needs small but high potential ventures in order to grow and spread over a large region. As the company wants to implement IoT in the business, these two options are the best as they are easy to implement, low cost but cost-efficient and have a lot of potential in the future. These two technologies will also attract more customers that will eventually help in the growth of the company. Moreover, the company will not require any high investments for these two implementations. Also, these two projects can easily be implemented with the last few years. Hence, these two options are most feasible for the company.

Issues with Smart Home System

Hacking Connected Thermostats – Connected thermostats can be hacked and misused by some people to control the temperature of the room at will that may lead to major accidents.

Issues with Smart TV – Smart TV hackers can use the attached webcam to spy on the users of the Smart TV.

Compromised Security Systems – Security systems might be compromised causing serious security troubles to the user.

Eavesdropping on Communication Systems – Unethical hackers can eavesdrop on communication systems in order to extract personal and confidential information from the user.

Changing Lighting Systems – Programmers that access a keen home’s lighting frameworks cannot just control whether a house’s lights are on and off, they can likewise have admittance to a home’s power (Hamraz et al. 2013). From that point, programmers can disturb the power measure in a house is devouring, prompting a galactic power bill for the property holder.

Security issues with wearables mainly come from the fact that the modern day wearables come with the feature of computing and hence, hackers can use the feature to capture personal information of the user.

Conclusion

From the study, it can be concluded that the company can look to implement Smart Home and Wearables project in their business systems. A smart home is the one in which the gadgets have the ability to speak with each different and additionally to their elusive surroundings. A smart home gives proprietor the capacity to alter and control home environment for expanded security and productive vitality administration. There are several IoT innovations accessible for checking and building smart homes. Customers are starting to search for remote ability on their gadgets they purchase for their home, and new home development is progressively introducing remote empowered gadgets as the default establishment decision. Hence, smart home is definitely a feasible business for the company that is seeking to gain more control over the market and possibly expand over other regions of the country. Again, Wearable IoT tech is a vast space and comprises of a variety of gadgets. These gadgets extensively cover the fitness, wellbeing and amusement necessities. The essential from internet of things innovation for wearable applications is to be exceedingly vitality effective or ultra-low power and little estimated. The company is still limited to a particular region and hence needs small but high potential ventures in order to grow and spread over a large region. As the company wants to implement IoT in the business, these two options are the best as they are easy to implement, low cost but cost-efficient and have a lot of potential in the future. These two technologies will also attract more customers that will eventually help in the growth of the company. Moreover, the company will not require any high investments for these two implementations. Also, these two projects can easily be implemented with the last few years. Hence, these two options are most feasible for the company.

The following recommendations are suggested to the company.

• Guarantee that any web interface in the thing rejects feeble passwords
• Ensure that any web interface in the thing has a record lockout framework
• Ensure that any web interface in the thing has been striven for XSS, SQLi and CSRF vulnerabilities
• Ensure that any web interface can use HTTPS to guarantee transmitted information
• Incorporate web application firewalls to guarantee any web interfaces
• Ensure that any web interface allows the proprietor to change the default username and mystery keyword
• Ensure that any entrance requiring confirmation requires solid passwords
• Ensure that client parts can be appropriately isolated in multi-client situations
• Actualize two-component confirmation where conceivable
• Ensure secret word recuperation instruments are secure
• Ensure that clients have the alternative to require solid passwords
• Ensure that clients have the alternative to drive watchword termination after a particular period
• Ensure that clients have the choice to change the default username and secret key
• Ensure all gadgets work with a negligible number of system ports dynamic
• Ensure all gadgets don’t make system ports and/or administrations accessible to the web by means of UPnP for instance
• Survey all required system administrations for vulnerabilities, for example, support floods or dissent of administration

On additional notes, the implementations of Smart Home and Wearables should analyzed and the best aspects should be utilized by the company. Customers are starting to search for remote ability on their gadgets they purchase for their home, and new home development is progressively introducing remote empowered gadgets as the default establishment decision. Hence, smart home is definitely a feasible business for the company that is seeking to gain more control over the market and possibly expand over other regions of the country. Again, From Apple iWatch and Google Glass to wellness groups and patient crucial sign screens, the body zone systems (wearable, patchable, or implantable gadgets associated with the cell phone or tablet, or a more particular gadget. Hence, the company can start up with wearable, which is one of the applications of IoT. The company should also understand the advantages and potential of IoT in business. Hence, they should take suitable action to implement IoT in their business in order to gain more control over the market and expand to other regions of the country as well.

References

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