by Ralph Eck
| Apr 09, 2014
The internet has been around for the last twenty years and it has truly revolutionized all aspects of life as we know it. Whether we’re at work, or on our morning commute, or shopping for a new iPhone, we rely on the internet and the instantaneous access to information it brings us. Our daily routine is so structured by the internet that we scarcely stop to remember (those of us who can!) what life was like before the world wide web.
The internet has grown exponentially over the past two decades from a relatively small handful of users to nearly 1.6 billion (as of 2010):
As the internet has unfolded over the past 20 years, it has also provided a unique window into the way that technologies have dramatically transformed the way we live, work, and think. Remember back to the early days of the internet and the introduction of Google, circa 1998. The primary leveraging point of developing a new and accessible browser was to organize the growing cache of online information in a new and unprecedented manner. The late 1990s and the early 2000s represented the first iteration of the Internet, or Web 1.0, or what is sometimes referred to as the “Internet of information.”
Next, as technology continued to unfold, we saw the explosion of social media and unprecedented means of connecting and networking with others. In rapid succession we witnessed the development of MySpace (2003), Facebook (2004), and Twitter (2006). These tools and platforms introduced a whole new paradigm of real time communication and interaction at all levels of society, which came to be known as Web 2.0. Like a giant brain, the internet was no longer just a huge encyclopedia, but now a major tool of social discourse. This new iteration came to be known as the “Internet of people.”
We’re now entering yet another historical juncture in the exponential growth of the internet. And this one is slated to be bigger and more all-encompassing than what has come before, primarily because of the sheer scale of possibilities. We’re crossing into the world known as the “Internet of Things,” or IoT. The essence of IoT is the linking of physical objects with unique identifiers to the internet so they can be traced and tracked in order to provide real-time feedback to the end-user.
The standard Internet Protocol has been IPv4, based on a 32 bit system, which provides about 4.3 billion addresses. The recent development of a new Internet Protocol, IPv6, based on a 128 bit system, means that an almost unlimited number of IP addresses will be available. What this boils down to is that IPv6 is large enough for every grain of sand on earth to be IP addressable! There will be no end to the number of objects that can become IP enabled.
The ability to receive real-time awareness of our physical world, the ability to enhance decision-making with this data, and the opportunity to visualize this vast amount of information . . . are just some of the many trends that will exert wide-ranging and disruptive impacts on all levels of business and society.
If you’re a small business owner, now is the ideal time to get onboard with the latest transformations coming down the pipeline. In fact, these trends go well beyond what can be contained in the notion of “things”; it will get to the point of becoming the “Internet of Everything.” John Chambers, Cisco CEO, claims this space will have five to 10 times the impact on society as the Internet itself, and is projecting a $19 trillion dollar market (yes, you read it right!) for this industry over the next decade.
In part 2 of this series we’ll drill down into some specifics around how small business leaders can begin to leverage the latest advances in the Internet of Things and position themselves to leverage this momentous market opportunity. Join us back here tomorrow as we continue to discuss this exciting topic.
