The “Internet of things” is getting a lot of attention lately. The idea of the Internet of Things (IoT) is pretty simple: take ordinary every-day objects such as thermostats, refrigerators, lights, doors etc. and connect them to the Internet where they can be monitored and controlled remotely, usually through a smart phone app.

In the 1980’s, there were approximately 1000 connected devices. In 1992 that number rose to reach a million devices. In 2008 the number of connected devices reached 1 billion. Leading tech companies estimate that we will have roughly 50 billion connected devices by the year 2020. The next several years will show a dramatic increase in the number and types of devices that will become connected.

Can you imagine the future of home and business, where refrigerators tell you when you are out of food and offer to order more, or an office printer is low on ink and automatically places a work order with the IT department? Connected devices can simplify ordinary tasks and even tell us about ourselves in the process. It will be interesting to see what new “things” are created in 2014 and how people will respond.