Have you recently heard the terms Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT)? You probably have; these are big buzzwords that already have a huge impact on people and especially on business.
Put simply, M2M connections refer to the action of similar machines directly connecting and communicating with one another. Common examples are computers linked in networks or bank ATMs.
By contrast, IoT is a term that refers to an entity that encompasses a broader spectrum of networked devices, software, and other objects. In the IoT, every connected thing in this Internet links and communicates with one another.
The end result is something that gathers data from a range of touch points so that you can form a really big digital picture of the total area that surrounds each linked element. You can think of this as a giant web that connects basically everything together, including M2M networks.
Why is this important to know?
Well, M2M and the IoT are terms that are going from being trendy and significant to being inescapable. These are ever growing networks of technology that will allow people to do much more with much less time. Applied to companies, the IoT will allow firms to cut costs and increase revenues through increased production and lowered manpower needs. The IoT will also bring new challenges as well.
Not sold on the IoT’s importance to business? Well, maybe some predictions from a recent IDC report might convince you:
- Within 5 years, all industries will have IoT initiatives;
- Within 2 years, over 90% of IoT-based networks will suffer a security breach;
- Within 5 years, over 90% of IoT data will be hosted on the cloud,
- By 2018, over 60% of IT solutions built for industry will become open-sourced, meaning a new crush of IoT markets can form based on these solutions.
Because of all this (and more), it is important to be prepared and have the correct software in place to handle the Big Data demands of the oncoming IoT. But, just how does one decide on “correct” software? The quick answer: Choose future proofed software.
Future-proofed Software
Future-proofed software and solutions align with a company’s long-term goals. Why would anyone settle for a solution that might be relevant for five or fewer years instead of opting for software that can last much longer?
Of course, that means you have to answer this question: How do you find future-proofed software?
The answer: You look for something that’s been built with the most advanced tools of the day.
Now, there are many tools from which we can create software, even for handling Big Data. That said, for us, there are three tools that stand out. These include:
- MongoDB;
- AngularJS; and
- HTML5.
We could (and have) go(ne) on for days on what makes these tools great, but that’s a bit out of scope at present. Rather, here are a few short descriptions on what they are and what they can do.
MongoDB. MongoDB is made to handle Big Data (in fact, the name “MongoDB” comes from the word “humongous”). It’s something that was designed to read and handle vast volumes of data. It does it very quickly, and solutions made with MongoDB are lightning fast at trawling unimaginable amounts of information.
AngularJS. Seeing as you will be handling a large amount of Big Data, it’s important to have automated processes put in place. The processes also have to be stable and reliable. After all, it’s a huge waste of time (and likely money) if your tasks revolving around data fail halfway through (or never even start). AngularJS allows developers to build applications that satisfy these 3 requirements, and then some. It’s best practice to use AngularJS, actually.
HTML5. Older HTML apps were only displays – there was no real computing power to them. They would simply send requests to a server, wait for the server to process and send back results. HTML5-built apps are much more than just simple displays; they’re true applications that can deliver functions and results to end users straight from a device. This makes for a much faster response.
This is just a short description of each tool, but much more information is available. If you’d l
ike much deeper insight on these tools, download our FREE eBook Looking Ahead: Building Software for the Future and find out exactly why your company will benefit from using software built using these tools.
Speaking of future-proof software…
Etelesolv is Canada’s leader in IT and telecom expense management. We achieved this through our Cimpl solutions which centralize, automate, and allow companies to take control of their IT assets. And yes, you guessed it; our solutions are built using the above-mentioned tools which give end-users the ultimate experience, proofed for the future.
