By Subind Kumar
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a transformative force, infusing intelligence into everyday things around us, thereby profoundly impacting our daily lives. Let us take the example of the smart home, where an array of electronic devices come alive with sensors to enhance functionality and convenience. These products have the potential to transform our lives. Consider the impact of a smart refrigerator; this home appliance can identify its contents, and it possesses the intelligence to discern, detect and alert a user, say, about spoilt vegetables or in case it has run out of milk.
Smart homes are enabled through IoT, which empowers users to engage with their surroundings in a more intuitive and efficient manner, offering a glimpse into a more connected future that promises to enrich lives immeasurably. But data, and indeed storage, is the key to IoT.
Smart devices collect data to operate. While this may not be large, when the number of IoT-enabled or smart devices runs into billions, the amount of data surges to a gigantic volume. For example, a smart refrigerator makes use of a camera to screen its content, and likewise, a smart doorbell uses a camera to enhance security. Herein, the amount of data collected is larger.
The data collected from smart devices can offer knowledge and insight that was not available earlier or was incomplete. Is important to note that insights can only be drawn from data when it is collected, stored, and analysed. Therefore, storage plays a crucial part in the process of IoT impacting or transforming lives. Storage is the lifeline of data; without it, data cannot save and put into action.
In order to store humongous amounts of data economically, there is a demand for storage devices that can store ever increasing amounts of data in the same or, better still, smaller form factors. In response to the market expectations, the storage industry is evolving rapidly. For example, Sandisk offers purpose-built storage solutions that are empowering a plethora of connected devices across a variety of applications. As IoT rapidly imbues objects around us with life, the importance of innovation in the storage industry will continue to escalate.
Internet and smartphones have already made a deep impact on our lives that perhaps even their inventors might not have imagined. Likewise, the emerging examples of IoT are hinging on unimaginable yet increasingly essential use cases. While we cannot predict the full extent of future applications and use cases, it is evident that industries and societies are eager to adopt this transformative technology.
The writer is the vice-president and country manager at Sandisk