Nemont/ND Fall 2016 Issue

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F A L L 2 0 1 6 5
N E M O N T TODAY
THE I NT ERNE T
OF TH I NGS ( I oT )
I NCLUDES MAN Y
SMART OB J ECTS
There’s a lot of talk these days about the Internet of Things
(IoT). But just what is it? The IoT is a collection of objects
represented and connected virtually through the Internet.
This means that ordinary things will be identified with
electronic tags that will allow them to send information
to other devices, enabling people to interact with the
objects in helpful ways.
For example, a smart refrigerator might send information
to your smartphone about what’s inside, so you can do a
grocery run on the way home from work without having
to go home to check what’s running low. A fitness bracelet
might measure your body fat and suggest tailored fitness
plans. Or a toothbrush might evaluate your brushing tech-
nique and alert you to spots in your mouth you’ve missed.
There seems to be no limit to possibilities offered by the IoT. A leading networking
company, Cisco, estimates that the number of devices connected to the Internet will grow
four times to 50 billion by 2020 from about 13 billion in 2014. Those billions and billions
of connected devices—more than seven things for every person on Earth—will generate
massive amounts of data that can reshape the way the world lives and works.
We can look forward to a wide range of benefits from the IoT, including:
• Nomore passwords! Devices will have fingerprint and retinal scanners to identify users.
• Healthier world. Sensors will provide information about air quality, sewers, and other
locations to determine the impact of our activities on the environment.
• Better emergency response. Cars will send details about crashes so emergency
responders can plan ahead.
• Improved health. Pill bottles will be equipped to flash lights or send messages when
a patient forgets to take a dose.
• Increased safety. Buildings will have monitors that measure the severity of earthquakes,
so occupants will knowwhen to evacuate.
Nemont has invested in a fiber network to make sure our customers have
access to the high-speed Internet required to take advantage of tomorrow’s
learn more, visit .