The cloud and the Internet of things are inseparable

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week featured plenty of cloud-related announcements from a wide variety of companies. Indeed, most new devices, from refrigerators to cars, have a massive cloud-based back end. The cloud components of these technologies are becoming more systemic. Indeed, the cloud is assumed.

 

More and more, people expect everything to be connected. No matter if it’s a washer and dryer, a refrigerator, or a car, they all communicate or will communicate with cloud servers. Why? Companies that make these devices understood early on that it does not make sense to keep all the smarts and storage in the device itself, and these devices must be instantly upgradable for them to have long-term value. Think about your TV service or smartphone updates. That’s how cars and thermostats — and eventually everything else that’s electronic in your home — are beginning to work…

However, there are downsides to all this connectivity — security, for one. Although I don’t mind my TV getting hacked, I am concerned about the connected car I’ll be driving. Worse, I’m not seeing a focus on security by manufacturers. It’s going to take a few close calls for the industry to wake up and understand that anything connected must come with well-defined and well-implemented security…

Read more from the source @ www.infoworld.com/article/3021059/cloud-computing/cloud-and-internet-of-things-are-inseparable.html