What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing global network of Internet-enabled objects that transfer data and communicate with each other. These objects all have unique identifiers and can be anything from mobile devices to home appliances to cars. IoT can also include people, animals or other objects embedded with sensors, like a heart rate monitor for heart attack prevention, collars that can track a dog’s location and health or sensors in agricultural equipment to spot crop issues.

The benefits of IoT include increased automation that provides time and resource efficiency and more informed decision making from greater amounts of data and better visibility into that data. Possible concerns related to the Internet of thing(s) include security risks, invasion of privacy and challenges around managing such a complex system of devices.