The term which I am going to explain is not that much relatively new or not that much old... but it is something which each and every one should know. If you know it in a better way than you can easily add value to the conversation and get everybody attention towards yourself.
Any guess till now, what it can or what I am going to explain….
Thinking about the readers, let’s not muscle the brain (increase the blood circulation), as this is not a speech which I am giving it is just simple English I am talking.
So, the wait is over and here comes the latest jargon, the much more hype word –
SMAC
Social, Mobility, Analytics, and Cloud...
Social refers to the practice of increasing one's business and or social contacts by connecting with people, through different networks.
Mobile refers to mobility and access to the digital world using key tools such as smartphones and tablets.
Analytics refers to the Big Data, which is the fast-growing, structured and unstructured datasets with huge sizes beyond the ability of conventional database tools to store, manage, and analyze them.
Cloud is the concept of Cloud computing services, where the pools of resources are shared on the internet instead of personal hard drives.
But there is one more very very most important thing which every company is dedicatedly working towards i.e. IoT. You would have surely heard somewhere or by someone talking on it. Including this IoT with the above word, the word which has been trending in the market–
SMACI
"I" in SMACI mean Internet of Things.
Let us know some more information on these
Social
Today social media is something without which no one can survive, we are all so much used to it that we can’t even survive a day without it. Being connected is so much important for everyone; be it individual, enterprise, banks, retailers and even the government.
With over more than billion individuals logged on to various social networks, people have started using social media for advice on what products to buy, where to shop, check for the discounts and even regarding which firms suits them the best.
The options are huge once we know how to use it in a proper way, though it also has disadvantages which I am not going to cover believing that we are mature enough to decide what to do or what not to do.
Most commonly used are – Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook etc.
Some interesting facts about social media:
Ø Over 465 million accounts are active on Twitter.
Ø Facebook has over 1.06 billion users, approximately 15% of the world’s population
Ø 2 new members joining LinkedIn every second.
Ø 35 hours of video is uploaded every minute on YouTube.
Mobility
Mobiles or mobile device have changed the way how digital content is accessed these days. With the help of smartphones and tablets, all the digital contents are delivered to consumers at their fingertips. You can do anything which we used to do by our computer; I would rather say that which were doing long long back.
Though it is still evolving, it has now become a replica of the functions of the computer system. (Think what we cannot do from the mobile which can be done by laptops!).
Mobile banking has emerged as one of the most innovative products in the financial services industry.
Many banks are offering to open bank account completely online.
Shoppers are increasingly using their mobile devices for everything from browsing to comparing to buying products. Also, governments are reaching out to their citizens, using mobile devices as an efficient channel.
The day is not so far when enterprises must also jump on to the mobility bandwagon, and ensure that their applications are mobile ready.
There is a still compatible issue with all Mobile Operating Systems (Android, Windows, iPhone, BlackBerry etc.), but who cares as long as it is working smoothly.
Some interesting facts about mobile:
Ø More than half of the world’s population uses mobile phones out of which one fourth are smartphone users.
Ø Every 9 in 10 smartphone users use mobile apps.
Ø Half of all the local searches are performed on mobile devices.
Analytics
It is very difficult to assume how many data's are generated and which formats. Almost billions of gigabytes of data are being generated every year by companies and individuals.
Big Data is a common term used to describe the rapid growth and vast availability of datasets. The dataset can be in any format - Structured, Un-Structured or Semi-Structured.
Big Data Analytics, in the context of business, refers to the collection and analysis of large datasets available to discover hidden insights, intelligence, and other useful business data. It is really a painful job to segregate these data, whatever the beautiful analysis we see needs a lot of hard work needs to be done by members working backstage.
It can help retailers predict buying decisions of shoppers (can be seen while logging into e-commerce websites); it can help banks weed out fraudulent transactions; while governments can use analytics to provide services directly to their citizens. Predictive analytics has also been adopted across industries in various scenario building activities.
The focus of the industry has shifted from ‘what is Big Data’ to ‘what can be done with Big Data.’
Some interesting facts about analytics:
Ø Over 2.5 billion gigabytes of data is generated every day.
Ø 90% of the data available today has been created in the past 3 to 4 years.
Ø The amount of data in the world will double once every 2 years.
Cloud computing
The undeniable power of cloud computing to foster innovations and improve productivity is now accepted by both IT vendors and their customers. While the financial services and government sectors are mostly moving to a private cloud model due to information security concerns, other industries like healthcare and retail have adopted public cloud. Moreover, their existing infrastructure has helped telecom players to emerge as providers of cloud computing, leading to erosion in boundaries between IT and telecom vendors.
Some interesting facts about the cloud:
Ø By the year 2020, the cloud computing market is expected to grow from $40.7 billion to $241 billion.
Ø More than half of the companies have invested in Cloud, majority witnessed improvements within 6 months.
Ø Over 65% of the companies selected cloud-based solutions in the last 2 years alone.
Above image source - http://www.anglerheadstart.com/event-information.html
Above image source - http://www.anglerheadstart.com/event-information.html
Internet of Things
The term Internet of Things was first used by Kevin Ashton in 1999.
Refers to uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure
Definitions of IoT
Wiki definition - Internet of things or IoT is the internetworking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"), buildings and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.
Also called The Internet of Objects, refers to a wireless network between objects,
Usually, the network will be wireless and self-configuring, such as household appliances.
Center for Data and Innovation
Internet of Things refers to the concept that the Internet is no longer just a global network for people to communicate with one another using computers, but it is also a platform for devices to communicate electronically with the world around them.
IoT 2008
The term "Internet of Things" has come to describe a number of technologies and research disciplines that enable the Internet to reach out into the real world of physical objects.
IoT in 2020 (Future)
“Things having identities and virtual personalities operating in smart spaces using intelligent interfaces to connect and communicate within social, environmental, and user contexts”
From any time, any place connectivity for anyone, we will now have connectivity for anything!
Characteristics of IoT
Ambient Intelligence - the autonomous and intelligent entities will act in full interoperability & will be able to auto-organize themselves depending on the context, circumstances or environment.
Event Driven –
An event is an action that is usually initiated outside the
Event Driven systems are typically used when there is some asynchronous external activity that needs to be handled by a program.
Flexible Structure - means that hundreds and thousands of nodes will be disabled and will be set to run.
Complex Access Technologies - means that there are several kinds of media such as vehicle stone that they need different access technologies.
Semantic Interoperability-
IoT objects will be able to understand each other through semantic
The IoT can be viewed as a gigantic network consisting of networks of devices and computers connected through a series of intermediate technologies where numerous technologies like RFIDs, wireless connections may act as enablers of this connectivity.
Tagging Things: Real-time item traceability and address-ability by RFIDs (Radio-frequency identification)
Feeling Things: Sensors act as primary devices to collect data from the environment.
Shrinking Things: Miniaturization and Nanotechnology has provoked the ability of smaller things to interact and connect within the “things” or “smart devices.”
Thinking Things: Embedded intelligence in devices through sensors has formed the network connection to the Internet. It can make the “things” realizing the intelligent control.
Current Status and Future Prospect of IoT
As the population grows, connected devices number also multiply. This is when IoT implemented will become a need for the organizations.
IoT as a Network of Networks:
These networks connected with added security, analytics, and management capabilities. This will allow IoT to become even more powerful in what it can help people achieve.
Application of IoT
Connected Cows
In the world of IoT, even cows will be connected
• Sensors implanted in the ears of cattle
• Allows farmers to monitor cows’ health and track their movement
– Ensuring a healthier, more plentiful supply of meat for people to consume
• On average, each cow generates about 200 megabytes of information a year
Smarter Food
• Tracking produce and other food items from farms and Factories through supply chains and into supermarkets
• Ensuring ideal storage conditions and traceability
Better Quality of Life for the Elderly
• The world’s population is aging
– Approximately 1 billion people age 65 and older by the middle of the century
• IoT can significantly improve quality of life for the surging number of elderly people
– For example, imagine a small, wearable device that can detect a person’s vital signs
• And send an alert to a healthcare professional when a certain threshold has been reached
• Or it senses when a person has fallen down and can’t get up
Enhanced Shopping^
^IOT Application Scenario implementation has already been started by retail companies.
Transportation
- A network of sensors set up throughout a vehicle can interact with its surroundings to provide valuable feedback on local roads, weather, and traffic conditions to the car driver, enabling adaptive drive systems to respond accordingly
- This may involve automatic activation of braking systems or speed control via fuel management systems. Condition and event detection sensors can activate systems to maintain driver and passenger comfort and safety through the use of airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioning
- Sensors for fatigue and mood monitoring based on driving conditions, driver behavior and facial indicators can interact to ensure safe driving by activating warning systems or directly controlling the vehicle
"The Ultimate Goal of IOT is to Automate Human Life."
Challenges of Implementing IoT
- Technological Standardization in the most area is still remaining fragmented.
- Managing and fostering rapid innovation is a challenge for governments
- Privacy and Security
- Absence of governance
Conclusion:
Using the SMAC technique, the organization can do the complex work in a simpler way.
Adding IoT (SMACI) to their solutions will –
- Unlock new revenue from existing products/service
- Inspire new working practices or processes
- Change or create a new business model or strategy
Finally, the company will have a more happy & delighted customer and the goal to make the profit will be achieved.
