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Editor's picks: Thought-provoking IoT blogs from 2017

    by
    Sharon Shea
    Site Editor

    Some of the most popular articles from our IoT Agenda contributor network in 2017 took a look at the use cases of IoT in various verticals, as well as the technologies vital to its success.

    From IoT in farming and energy and healthcare to the use of microservices and artificial intelligence, the IoT conversation is shifting from what to where and how.

    Without further ado, here are some of the most popular IoT blogs among readers that offer fresh, forward-thinking views of where IoT can take us in the years to come.

    IoT and microservices

    Microservices are becoming a critical component in building enterprise applications, especially when mobility and IoT are involved. In “Five things to know about the future of microservices and IoT,” Nishant Patel, CTO and co-founder at Built.io, explains why there is a perfect storm brewing in IoT that will push microservices to the forefront in new and traditional industries alike. From lower cost to faster innovation to isolating risk, Patel offers five reasons why the future of microservices and IoT is bright.

    IoT + platform = monetization

    “How do you make money from IoT?” asks Helena Lisachuk, managing director at Deloitte Consulting BV. It’s a simple question, she says, that has a complex answer. In her article, “Growing IoT platforms: A new way to create value,” Lisachuk discusses why an IoT platform is the secret to IoT monetization success and describes four key factors to consider before building a platform.

    IoT in energy

    The demand for energy is ever-growing; in fact, consumption is expected to increase 56% by 2040. Combine this growth with an aging energy infrastructure and you have a recipe for disaster. But, as Tsafrir Oranski, vice president of U.S. business development and head of IoT at Panoramic Power, explains in “How IoT is shaking up energy and asset management,” many energy companies are poised for successful years ahead thanks to the benefits created by the internet of things.

    Precision farming

    The United Nations predicts the population to increase to more than 11 billion people worldwide within the next century — that’s a lot more mouths to feed. Add in a fluctuating and uncertain climate, as well as scare supplies of water and fossil fuels, and it’s easy to understand how a food crisis could be imminent. Farmers certainly have a dilemma on their hands. However, integrating IoT into the farming process can help solve many of the issues being faced, as Karina Popova, DevOps system engineer lead at LINK Mobility GmbH explains in her post, “IoT as a solution for precision farming.”

    IoT in healthcare

    In “My connected body: The future of IoT in healthcare,” readers are invited to explore the reasons for tech implants in the human body which Bart Schouw, global industry director of IoT at Software AG, believes will both spark debate and become mainstream. From embedded IoT for communications to helping with Alzheimer’s, learn how implanted IoT sensors will evolve and affect the medical world in the future.

    Three technologies, one result

    Blockchain. AI. IoT. Three of the biggest buzzwords in the industry today. But combine them, says industry expert and author Tiana Laurence, and we’ll see a more connected, more efficient and more secure world than we’ve seen before. Check out her blog, “2018: The year blockchain, AI and IoT technology converge,” to learn more about how these three technologies will work together and why 2018 marks the first time these technologies will take advantage of the others’ capabilities.

    IoT in retail

    The connectivity and real-time analytics inherent in the internet of things could be a game-changer for retailers, especially when it comes to inventory management. As Oliver Guy, global industry director of retail at Software AG, writes in his post, “Three ways IoT is transforming inventory management,” using connected technologies, such as digital shelves, RFID and robo-carts, will maximize a return on resources for brick-and-mortar shops.

    Industrial organizations and digital transformation

    The success of today’s industrial companies greatly lies in their ability to adopt and embrace digitization — as well as hire the staff that can help on this journey. In “The digital transformation of industrial organizations,” Jennifer Waldo, CHRO at GE Digital and VP, board of directors at the IoT Talent Consortium, discusses the many trends reshaping industrial companies and offers advice on where to begin, as well as how to find the talent that will bring you into the digital age of IoT.

    AI and IoT

    The internet of things is all about collecting data from everyday objects, machines, sensors and more. But all this data is just adding up and creating a “haystack of data,” says Karina Popova. It’s time to do something useful with it for IoT to be a success. In her post, “The role of artificial intelligence in the IoT revolution,” Popova explains why artificial intelligence is the key to finding the valuable needles within the haystack.