More than just “smart devices,” Thomas described the IoT as “a programmable world” where physical objects of all types can be connected to the Internet and to each other, through sensors that monitor interactions. Thomas referenced research that predicts that 28 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020 — that’s 300 devices per second! Pretty mind-blowing, but also shows the potential for industries to connect the devices that we depend on to a larger graph – a physical graph of data and information. Thomas mentioned home improvement retailer Lowes and its Iris Smart Home management system as an example of one large company’s move into IoT. Despite some major acquisitions and a lot of interest from investors, the Internet of Things is still very much in its infancy.There’s still a lot of flexibility and opportunity in IoT, but some dangers as well, as Thomas mentioned some of the concerns around security and privacy in the Internet of things. Just as Google has dominated the knowledge graph and Facebook is king of the social graph, there’s still room for a company to be an early leader of the physical graph, and industry with an $11 trillion economic impact by 2015, according to McKinley Global Institute. On October 4-6, Tech Cocktail Celebrate Conference is gathering hundreds of attendees, industry leaders, and inspiring speakers in downtown Vegas to meet the hottest startups and investors from around the country, learn and collaborate with others turning their communities into startup cities, and enjoy music, parties, and llama spotting. Check out more Tech Cocktail Celebrate Conference coverage here.
