The Cloud: A Key Internet of Things Enabler

By 2020, Gartner estimates there will be 26 billion connected devices as the Internet of Things develops rapidly in the next five years. With more smart devices in our cities, homes and industries the sheer quantity of data produced will be staggering. Cloud computing will be integral to the success of the Internet of Things. Already a key technology benefiting businesses and consumers, it will be critical for realizing the full value of IoT products and services across a different range of industries and sectors. With huge new quantities of data coming automatically from sensors in smart devices, the cloud will provide the mechanism for storing and managing this data, but more importantly will execute real time analytics for insights and informed decision making. Carlos Oliveira, founder & CEO of Shaping Cloud and techUK Cloud & Mobile Services Council member recently highlighted an example of how cloud will integrate with IoT in a Cloud-Channel.TV interview. Using smart cities development as an illustration, he outlined a scenario in which sensors deployed around a city providing pollution levels data could be analysed through machine learning to detect areas of poor air quality levels and automatically notify at risk citizens. In this instance, cloud would invisible to the user but an essential enabler of IoT technology.