Internet of Things building momentum in all spaces

The Internet of Things is being adopting across a broad spectrum of industries and services, from smart grids in cities to improved industrial automation. As firms consider integrating their systems more efficiently, they need to consider all of the factors and technologies needed to support this growth.

According to IDC, the momentum behind the Internet of Things has been building at a steady pace. Global spending on Internet of Things connectivity and related technology, such as serial to Ethernet converters, is expected to nearly double between 2012 and 2020, at a CAGR of 7.9 percent.

"The momentum of the Internet of Things is driven by a number of factors. There is no doubt that business and consumer demand exists and will continue to expand for IoT solutions," said Vernon Turner, Senior Vice President of IDC's Enterprise Infrastructure, Consumer, Network, Telecom, and Sustainability Research. "I expect the current IoT use cases are just the tip of the iceberg."

Despite this growth there are still factors in place that limit the opportunities and advancement of the Internet of Things. A lack of supporting network infrastructure in the enterprise, or the need to improved media converters to minimize latency will help overcome these hurdles and ensure that opportunities aren't missed to streamline workflow.

On the civil side of Internet of Things adoption, FTTH and smart grid deployments are also on the rise at a global level. Further improvements from electronics and machinery vendors, such as GE, are boosting the opportunities that cities and businesses have to embrace automation and remote workflow. In fact, General Electric recently implemented new equipment, targeting transportation and manufacturing industries, to boost the Internet of Things adoption.

"Industrial data is not only big, it's the most critical and complex type of big data. Our greatest challenge and opportunity is to manage and analyze this data in a highly secure way to deliver better outcomes for customers and society," Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, said.

Embracing the Internet of Things can help firms reduce risk, optimize workflow and even prevent downtime by improving the technology and infrastructure that support overall operations. However, companies exploring these opportunities have to ensure they have the tools in place to support communication between process and IT networks, such as the right rs232 to Ethernet converter.

Perle's serial to Ethernet converters connect serial based equipment across an Ethernet network. The Perle IOLAN range of Console Servers, Device Servers and Terminal Servers feature built-in support for IPv6 along with a broad range of authentication methods and encryption technologies.