Whether Industry 4.0, Smart Home or digital consultation hours: all of this is only possible because the Internet connects virtual systems and information with different devices. The term Internet of Things (IoT) has largely prevailed. How is IoT already changing our lives? What are the opportunities and what are the risks? Where is the journey going in the coming years?
Internet of Things: what exactly does that describe?
The Internet of Things is more of a kind of collective term. IoT therefore primarily describes the state of a globalized infrastructure that networks virtual and physical objects with each other. This creates a network that can act independently of time and place. New relationships are created between different systems and between people and the system. At the same time, the relationship between man and machine is being reassessed.
The term Internet of Things was first used in the late 1990s. Networks of this type already played a role here. However, these were rather local. IoT is changing life, work, industry, business processes and entire societies in the long term. In addition, the Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in IoT. It is no longer the human who controls the system, but the AI within the system. This will be necessary, among other things, because humans will no longer be able to process or control the huge amounts of data. This is accompanied by a kind of loss of control, which can certainly be viewed critically.
Artificial intelligence: Does it make people weak?
Without artificial intelligence there would be no Internet of Things. The AI is able not only to emulate human decision-making structures, but also to further develop them itself. For many decades there have been very dystopian ideas about the use of AI. Good examples of this are certainly films such as “Blade Runner”, “A Space Odyssey” or the “Terminator” series. The literature has also increasingly taken up the topic in the last 100 years. Among other things, the novel “I, Robot” (1950) is world famous Isaac Asimov. Fascination and fear are therefore closely related when it comes to IoT and AI. This may be one of the reasons why art and culture are also heavily involved with these issues.
IoT and Industry: Optimizing Processes 4.0
The Internet of Things is revolutionizing industry and the processes that take place there. That is why one also speaks of Industry 4.0. The main feature is that industrial production is largely digitized and networked. Like the previous three epochs, the so-called fourth industrial revolution represents a serious change in the human-machine system. Industry 4.0 is characterized by the following organizational features:
- Decentralized decisions
- Networking
- transparency of information
- Assistance by machines, AI and computers
This development also changes the status and position of humans in the human-machine system. As with the other industrial revolutions before it, there is a great deal of skepticism here.
Internet of Things in private life: More convenience and connectivity
So far, IoT has caused serious changes in organization and process design, especially in industry. However, the Internet of Things is also increasingly encroaching on private life. Most of the time, however, people are not really aware of this. After all, a networked house ensures, for example, that the heating starts up intelligently or the TV switches on the right channel via voice control. Cars drive autonomously and people are shown a list of things they need at home as soon as they enter the supermarket.
Security and IoT: A tough proposition
As much as IoT makes life easier in many ways, the issue of security must not be left out, especially with such a development. After all, the operations take place on the Internet, which, once it is not well protected, becomes vulnerable very quickly. This is also noticed by companies whose sometimes sensitive infrastructure is massively disrupted by a cybersecurity attack and, in the worst case, even destroyed.
Outsourcing security: That’s why it often makes more sense with IoT!
Own security systems are more useful for larger companies. They cost time, personnel and money. A solution for small and medium-sized businesses, on the other hand, is to outsource security. This principle is also called Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs). but what are MSSPs exactly?
MSSP specifically: How big is the benefit?
MSSP is a security service provided by an outside company. A major advantage is that MSSP allows an outside view from experts. A certain operational blindness is therefore excluded. Core responsibilities of MSSP include:
- Development of a cyber security strategy and implementation of security guidelines
- Development of a security infrastructure suitable for the company
- Monitoring and troubleshooting
Conclusion: Where is the journey going with the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things sets the course for a digitized future, which will simplify processes in many areas. An important building block for this is the AI. Where people will remain and how they will deal with this extensively networked world cannot yet be adequately answered at this point in time. The same applies to the question of whether IoT and AI will remove the limits to growth. It therefore remains an open question whether mankind will implement and use everything that will be technically possible.
11/07/2022