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The Internet of Everything and the Looming Apocalypse

You know of the Internet as the network of computer networks around the world, or better put, as the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. Of course, originally these devices were mainly computers.

Afterwards the Internet grew wings, practically, thanks to the arrival of mobile phones and then smart phones; and, not the least with the help of wireless fidelity simply coded as WiFi, the Internet became the interconnection not just of computer networks be they desktops or laptops; it became the interconnection of gadgets at that level.

If you thought that was the end of the spiralling growth of the Internet, then you were dead wrong.

Not too long ago, the techies, those nerds, who love to upset every stomach at every meal with the announcement of new disruptions to our daily living, screamed a new fad: the Internet of Things!

Now, what on earth is that? As the name goes the Internet of Things (IoT) is the internetworking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as “connected devices” and “smart devices”), buildings and other items – embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.

So, although the concept of the Internet of Things became popular in 1999, through the Auto-ID Centre at MIT and related market-analysis publications, in countries like Nigeria, we are still waiting for IoT to become as commonplace as the Internet that already enables us to send simple emails, browse for news, search for some items, shop and pay without leaving our desks, and so on; you now even make and receive calls without driving out the airtime on your regular mobile phone.

So it is no longer just computer network-connect-computer network-connect-gadget  (all technology products), but  IoT means such things as your kitchenware, your crops in the farm, your buildings and so much more are now to be connected and accessible via the Internet. Not a very good sight to behold if you ask me; but unfortunately one that is inevitable.

In 2013 the Global Standards Initiative on Internet of Things (IoT-GSI) defined the IoT as “the infrastructure of the information society.” The IoT allows objects to be sensed and/or controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit.

When IoT is augmented with sensors and actuators, the technology becomes an instance of the more general class of cyber-physical systems, which also encompasses technologies such as smart grids, smart homes, intelligent transportation and smart cities.

Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure. And already, experts estimate that the IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects by 2020.

As well as the expansion of Internet-connected automation into a plethora of new application areas, IoT is also expected to generate large amounts of data from diverse locations, with the consequent necessity for quick aggregation of the data, and an increase in the need to index, store, and process such data more effectively. IoT is one of the platforms of today’s Smart City, and Smart Energy Management Systems.

The concept of the IoT is not altogether new after all; the term was coined by Peter T. Lewis in September 1985 in a speech he delivered at a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) supported session at the Congressional Black Caucus 15th Legislative Weekend Conference.

As of 2016, the vision of the Internet of things has evolved at alarming speeds and quantum due to a convergence of multiple technologies, including ubiquitous wireless communication, real-time analytics, machine learning, commodity sensors, and embedded systems.

Already, there is danger everywhere; or, is there? Mike Orcutt writing in Technology Review, in a piece entitled ‘Security Experts Warn Congress That the Internet of Things Could Kill People’, states that “Poorly secured webcams and other Internet-connected devices are already being used as tools for cyber-attacks.” He posed the rhetorical question: “Can the government prevent this from becoming a catastrophic?” He was addressing the government of the United States of America. Are other governments, Nigeria inclusive, taking a cue from that?

Here’s part of his piece:

‘A growing mass of poorly secured devices on the Internet of Things represents a serious risk to life and property, and the government must intervene to mitigate it. That’s essentially the message that prominent computer security experts recently delivered to Congress.

‘The huge denial-of-service attack in October (2016) that crippled the Internet infrastructure provider Dyn and knocked out much of the Web for users in the eastern United States was “benign,” Bruce Schneier, a renowned security scholar and lecturer on public policy at Harvard, said during a hearing this November held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

No one died. But he said the attack—which relied on a botnet made of hacked webcams, camcorders, baby monitors, and other devices—illustrated the “catastrophic risks” posed by the proliferation of insecure things on the Internet.’

But if that worries you, then you probably need to find a place to hide – if indeed there is such a place at all under the surface of the earth when you are hit by the next big thing. It is the new one that is now to assail us: the Internet of Everything (IoE); yes, of EVERYTHING! Yes prepare to be scared, to be scared real big time.

For, if previously you could decide when to logon to the Internet with your computer or mobile device, now with IoE, you are practically logged on every time, and all things are on the Internet or connected to the Internet. Everything does not mean those or some of the things you wish to have connected, but everything or put another way, ALL things are connected and are thereby interconnected.

What does this create? A single uniform world where the good, the fair, the not so bad, the damn right bad and the ugly are all connected and are thereby interconnected.

On the upside, the Internet of Everything (IoE) brings together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before – turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries.

As far back already as 2014, Tim Bajarin, writing on ‘The Next Big Thing for Tech: The Internet of Everything’, reflected:

“Although we have been talking about connected devices since the mid ’90s, I think we will look back at this year’s CES and realise it as the event where the Internet of Everything finally hit the mainstream.”

So indeed, it is not such a new threat; the sad thing is that some countries, like Nigeria, are still standing in complete ignorance or denial, in visionless wonderment as the world gallops on; not planning, not producing any products that will play in the league, not creating the necessary awareness and neither reaping from the economic benefits that IoT is already delivering to the world, and that which IoE will yet deliver. However, such countries will receive in the hardest way, the dangers that IoT and consequently IoE are set to unleash on the world.

For instance, Cisco says the Internet of Everything is a $19 trillion global opportunity over the next decade: Private-sector firms can create as much as $14.4 trillion of value while cities, governments and other public-sector organisations can create $4.6 trillion.

Then the downside to IoE pervasiveness from a technology point of view: As IoE grows, firms, governments and everyone will need to confront security, regulatory, and IT challenges; that is, for those in countries where ignorance has already disappeared.

For countries like Nigeria and many in the Third World or those which only consume what is produced from Europe, America and Asia, the coming IoE era is yet another opportunity that will be missed.

But the threats and dangers that it brings will be visited upon these regions with even greater vehemence. So, be prepared to be scared, real big!

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