Internet Of Things 1
The Good, Bad and Ugly of the IoT
The Internet of Things, shortened as IoT, could possibly be the mascot of the appropriately named Industry 4.0. However, according to high-profile technologists such as Don DeLoach, it could be a double-edged sword.
On serious reflection, the first revolution is a slovenly edition of the current revolution. The Industry 4.0 is a blessing and disaster in equal measure.
The Good
For starters, the IoT is a technological development proposed by the Internet of Things Institute (IoTI). It will enhance our daily activities with Internet connection, facilitating data communications.
First, the Internet of Things bodes well for the latter-day global challenges. How? This includes global warming and strained resources? Over the next two decades, it’s predicted that the global population will increase by 2 billion people. To feed the extra mouths, the farm output has the ability to increase thanks to innovation enabled by the IoT. What’s more, farmers will cash in on better agricultural prospects.
Second, IoT oriented technology has the power to improve global security, enhance healthcare services, and boost the global bread baskets. The Internet of Things has brought about advanced security systems. For instance, the gunfire locator; by using sensors such as acoustic and optical and via geographic information system, this can pinpoint the location of a gunfire incident. These security apparatus can be applied in urban centers to help standby security personnel act and react to such gunfire.
Third, improving care services; the technology breakthrough facilitated by the IoT can be handy in overseeing the welfare of old people and enable medical professionals to get in touch with and distantly liaise with the sick.
FYI, the IoT sector is still in its formative stage. However, it will develop like the way the introduction of smartphones in the market has seen an influx of apps.
The Bad and the Ugly
The Internet of Things Institute has a flip side. The first one is cyber insecurity. There are cyber attacks taking advantage of the loopholes in the IoT. For example, unauthorized people with ill-will can ably get access to government communication platforms and spread propaganda.
Second, a hacker can get unauthorized access to a warehouse containing explosive materials and program them to explode simultaneously. DeLoach opines that this can be catastrophic, especially if terrorists take advantage of the complexity of the Internet of Things.
Third is vulnerability; over the past few years, for example, organizations in the Internet of Things sector confident of their hitherto secure innovations have dared hackers to hack into their systems; the easiness with which the hackers did it questions the security of the systems.
Fourth, lack of privacy; the great quantity of data gathered through the Internet of Things innovations can easily lead to privacy intrusion. Fifth, there is the possibility of business rivalry among the companies providing IoT related services. Lastly, social media platforms can take advantage of the IoT to ignite uprisings.
To sum it up, there’s great unexploited potential in the IoT but stakeholders can be doomed and damned.
