We are in the middle of a major revolution in terms of communication since the invention of the telephone. With the advent of the “Internet of Things” or IoT, it is possible to connect all the things across the globe. In fact, IoT can be called as a logical culmination of the internet itself. We can already see its effect on our daily lives and businesses as a whole.
Today, with the help of cutting-edge IoT services, it is possible to use smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices more than just communication purposes. With the help of these devices, now you can track your location, monitor your health, learn about your preferences, and also connect you with other devices.
It has got tremendous potential that can have a positive effect on how all businesses product, market, and grow. The future of IoT is quite bright. And so, in the forthcoming paras, we have looked at major IoT trends that are going to take over day-to-day lives in the year 2020.
So, let’s get started.
The Gradual Shift of Smart Home Devices to the Office
With time, we see that smart home IoT devices have become quite popular. It has been anticipated that by the year 2021, approximately 28% of total households in the year 2021 will be smart homes. One of the prominent reasons for this upward trend is due to the fall in the device prices. However, market preferences are also changing.
It has been found that Millennials love home tech. It is their inquisitiveness that is driving property owners to include smart thermostats and security systems into new homes and remodels. On top of this, it is needless to say that the smart home technologies are eco-friendly and assist in saving energy costs.
However, these benefits are not exclusive to the home. Even businesses can benefit a lot from office automation! In the year 2020, it has been observed that more firms will adopt this technology for the office for the same reasons.
Thanks to these smart home devices in the office, business owners will reduce their monthly power consumption, thanks to smart lighting and sensors. Smart video doorbell cameras and locks will allow you to get remote access for deliveries or employees. It will also ensure maximum security for your business.
The role of smart thermostats can also not be undermined as it can reduce energy waste by learning about your staff’s temperature preferences and the cheapest times to heat and cool.
The Increased Use of IoT in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is the perfect foil for IoT. It is not only expanding at a rate of knots, but it is also highly regulated and tech-dependent, which makes it a perfect candidate to utilize IoT devices. Today, we are seeing several “smart” hospitals where IoT devices are being used to monitor patients using wearables and health sensors.
With the help of integrated monitoring systems, it is possible to keep track of patients, staff, and equipment (e.g. an indoor GPS). This way, it assists in maximizing resources and saving money. Even healthcare providers are employing small ingestible devices like “smart pills” that transmit data about medical effectiveness which results in better decision-making about patient care.
In the year 2020, it is expected that the healthcare industry will adopt more IoT devices to streamline processes, cut costs, and increase the awareness of patient care. With the help of more investments, it will enable associated markets like nursing homes and physical therapy to use this technology to stay integrated with hospitals.
Increased Use of IoT with AI
There has been increased growth in the number of IoT cameras, appliances, and sensors as we write. In the year 2020, this steady pace of growth will continue. According to a forecast done by International Data Corporation, by the year 2025, there will be more than 41 billion connected devices generating 80 zettabytes of data. The value derived by the connected devices lies in all that data.
There will be a time when humans will have to depend on artificial intelligence to do investigation and interpretation. It will not make much sense to connect devices if you are unable to employ it to optimize the user experience, save energy or make processes more efficient.
Companies like Amazon and Microsoft have already developed products using AI and machine learning technologies. In the upcoming year, we can look forward to more such initiatives from other industries like healthcare and trucking.
With time, sectors with large infrastructures and complex networks will look to strive hard to integrate AI to make their business function as an efficient system. It will also be time for businesses to scrutinize their own processes and evaluate where AI services will be beneficial the most.
A Handful of Federal Security Reforms
With security being the fundamental focus in the year 2020, the congress will not concentrate on IoT regulations. In other words, the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 will never come into action.
This act was carried out to preserve governmental security by establishing IoT manufacturing standards for all government vendors. Through these security standards, the government wished to create a ripple effect on the consumer markets. Other device manufacturers also followed this suit; however, the bill has not made it out of the Senate.
This does not guarantee that the action on IoT security will not exist in the year 2020. It may still operate at the state level. In fact, California is the first state to act on it. The SB 327 passed in late 2018 became the country’s first IoT security law. Thanks to the enactment of this law, manufacturers have to adhere to specific security measures like requiring consumers to change factory-set passwords.
It becomes imperative for businesses to get ahead of this curve to be fully prepared for future regulations.
Voice Activation will Grow in Prominence
As new applications keep on emerging in the market for consumers and businesses, voice activation will grow in the year 2020. According to recent market research, it has been estimated that there will be 8 billion digital voice assistants in use by the year 2023. Various factors will contribute to the growth of voice activation. The number one is an advancement in technology.
Today, voice recognition software has become more precise, and it can easily differentiate between individual voices which enables you to add multiple users to use the same device. Another factor is that voice recognition is a relatively cost-effective feature to integrate. In terms of hardware, manufacturers simply need access to or integration of a microphone to a device.
This makes voice activation feature an easy add-on for almost any home or office gadget. With time, as consumers become more familiar with interacting with voice assistant AI in their homes, their popularity will make this tech shift towards work settings.
Final Words
These are some of the most anticipated IoT trends for the current year. If you wish to learn more about IoT trends to watch out for in the year 2020, get in touch with a professional IoT service provider today!