Future ahead with Newer challenges IoT can command and control

S Mohini Ratna Editor VARINDIA

Warm wishes to you and your families from all of us at Team VARINDIA. I hope 2014 brings all of you good health, much joy & lots of success in everything you do.

Most people around the world are of the view that 2014 will score over last year and that the global economy will be on strong wicket compared to the last year. When it comes to India, analysts opine that in the current year technology should play a pivotal role in the revival of the Indian economy. The opinion is well placed. As India elects a new stable government in May-June, it is expected that the new dispensation will go an extra length to improve exports and put infrastructure projects of gigantic nature in place that will give a fillip to the Indian economy.

The year 2013 has been an exciting year for the e-Commerce industry. Heightened interest in the sector and increased internet usage amongst the average Indians has made millions of Indians eager to discover the many benefits of online shopping. According to a recent report, the Indian e-commerce market will grow from $1.6bn in 2012 to $8.8bn by 2016.

As usual, in 2014, the IT service economy will be at the forefront of conscious attention. NASSCOM estimates that the contribution of business process outsourcing, call centers and data-entry to the Indian economy in 2013 was to the tune of $100bn.

Cloud will be in the cross hairs for cybercriminals as it is an easy target for them to penetrate these data-rich cloud platforms for profitable motives. With the movement of critical business data to cloud-based solutions, it is no surprise that  cyber villains are now focusing their attacks more on data stored in the cloud. It is simply a matter of time when one of the main cloud providers is breached – causing wide spread disruption and downtime.

Though India's e-tailing industry accounts for just 1% of the total retail business, as per industry estimates, it's the fastest growing segment of e-commerce (non-travel) growing at 59% annually, However, the industry is facing challenge in the form of a phenomenon whereby one out of every four products sold online gets returned.

Internet of Things (IoT) is being defined as smart machines interacting and communicating with other machines, objects, environments and infrastructures, resulting in volumes of data generated and processing of that data into useful actions that can “command and control” things and make life much easier for human beings. The year 2014 will see enterprises exploiting this new reality to a whole new level. With IoT as an emerging focus for all players and with its increased adoption, many verticals like automotive, healthcare, networking and retail are expected to reap huge benefits out of it. IoT would not only ease our daily lives with a minimal usage of time but will prove to be cost efficient as well.

So, it’s the right time for transformation and getting ready for a future full of machines.