Where are Government Agencies Involved in Internet of Things (IoT)?

BidPrime News • Jan 12, 2017

At a weekly content development meeting earlier this week, one of the attendees brought up the idea of doing a report on the ‘Internet of Things'(IoT). That suggestion was immediately met with a question from across the room, “What exactly is the Internet of Things?” Before we embark on our analysis and report on the subject, let’s address that clearly important question.

There are a variety of definitions out there, but Jacob Morgan broke it down nicely in Forbes back in May 2014. As Morgan explained, “…this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of.”

Of course, many of those items specified are common products that each one of us uses every day. Morgan got it right, "...almost anything else you can think of." Since IoT includes literally billions of products, devices, etc., and growing, the idea treks far beyond the relative basics. Consider for a second the sum of the variables of: device + on/off switch + connected to internet. Take a quick look around you.

At this moment, IoT isn't completely understood and has led to questions of risk, future applications, and even debates regarding the impact on industry, potential replacement of employees, government regulation, and others. One certainty is that the public sector is profoundly entwined in buying and deploying pertinent solutions, exploring further applications, and akin to you and I, endeavoring to grasp the enormity of this thing, "the Internet of Things".

In my role in setting up, refining, and perfecting client's accounts for businesses pursuing relationships with the public sector, I have a front row seat to the number of businesses providing IoT-type solutions and services and I see the compelling number of technology bids. With the IoT concept defined and expanse of the subject matter assured, I led a team that researched our database to determine the level of request and purchase activity by governments in the United States. Suffice it to point out, there is a lot going on!