
Is IoT just another buzzword?
Having spent too many years in the IT-business I have seen the coming and going of many promising technologies that prove to be… well not so promising after all. Or I should probably be more precise and say not so promising on the short run. It seems we sometimes forget that there is a certain lag before these new possibilities are utilized and that they depend on other technologies to evolve. Anyhow back to my headline – is IoT just another buzzword?
Well, surprisingly I believe not. I could bring tons of reports from analysts that back up my opinion, but that is sort of a pseudo argument. Instead I want to refer to an experience I had a few weeks ago where I attended a conference in Malmö called “Hardware Connected”. It is the sort of meet-up where the hardware based start-ups and established enterprises based in the greater Malmö/Lund area show-off their latest and greatest. On beforehand I was thinking that this should be a good proving ground for testing whether IoT were hype or reality.
Even to my surprise almost all products were IoT focused. To give you some examples:
- Products for precision farming and grounds care by Sensefarm
- Prototype IoT systems from Arduino and DeviceRadio
- Several enterprise IoT systems on chip: e.g. from Cypress, Mistbase and uBlocks
- Smart home appliances ranging from windows control systems to control of power consumption: e.g. Animus Home, E.ON, EWA , Optifuse, ensative, Tryggel
- Smart sensor for food security by Innoscentia
For me that was a real proof that IoT is not just another buzzword made up by analysts and marketing professionals. IoT is already a reality and I think a small meet-up in Malmoe is actually a very good indication on that the way we interact with technology and optimize our use of resources is going to change. Exciting times.
More information
Managing Partner, Jakob Appel, jakob.appel@glaze.dk, +45 26 17 18 58