Internet of Things will impact the CIO in the years to come

One of the byproducts of the rise in cloud computing has been the increase in possible connectivity. With devices syncing up wirelessly, it is possible to easily share information not only between two people or a person and a machine, but also between two machines.

This kind of connectivity is pushing the creation and collection of data to a level never before seen. Andrew Milroy, an analyst from Frost and Sullivan, predicted in a recent blog post that in 2014, the data that is generated by machines will outpace that which is created by human beings. This lends credence to the growing conversation surrounding the Internet of Things.

This involves the inclusion of wireless technology in every device, allowing them to transmit information. Imagine having a refrigerator text you every time you are out of milk or controlling all of the lights, televisions and electronic in your home from a smartphone. There is speculation that there could be 50 billion connected devices by 2020.

A recent white paper by Forrester examined the Internet of Things and how organizations have mixed feeling about it. According to a survey conducted for the study, more than 50 percent of companies have no interest or plans to implement machine-to-machine technology within their business. On top of that, just 8 percent have actually deployed one.

There are reasons for this concern. Respondents cited security concerns (37 percent), costs (32 percent) and technology immaturity (25 percent) as the top reasons, along with integration challenges, migration and/or installation risks, and regulatory issues.

Despite this, the report mentions that there is a link between well-connected world technology and business outcomes.

"CIOs will be a crucial catalyst for their organizations to capture emerging opportunities and harness the power of connected-world solutions," the report reads. "Context-aware, location-based applications and services change how companies engage with and serve their customers. CIOs should straddle the line between what's possible from a technology perspective and what's meaningful to the business."

The technology world is changing and organizations need to be aware that the impact of networking and connectivity is much greater than most realize. With the help of IT support services that specialize in cloud consulting services, any business can start taking steps toward improving their overall operations and be ready for the future.