I am beta testing Microsoft’s new Windows 10 operating system, and really enjoying the innovations implemented by Microsoft in the new release. As I have noted in previous blogs, I really enjoy this rapidly expanding technological world. Some of the videos, on sites such as YouTube.com, projecting what our interconnected technological world will look like in 2025 or 2050 are incredible.
However, there are a few challenges with our new “connected” society. I previously discussed some of the challenges with the electrical grid and have talked about the need for data storage, especially in a cloud based society. However, I recently encountered a concern which I have not specifically touched upon. First, though, I need to present some background.
According to an April 3, 2015 Processor.com article entitled “2015: A World With 1 Billion Connected Things”;
“Smart homes and smart commercial buildings comprise what’s known as “smart cities,” according to Gartner, and in 2015 the research firm anticipates 1.1 billion connected things. Because of IoT [Internet of Things] investment and service opportunities, these smart homes and buildings will more or less make up half of the total connected things in use this year, with this total rising to 81% by 2020.”
In addition to the extensive amount of “connected things,” even more “mind-blowing” is the amount of data being generated. In a June 26, 2015 Processor.com article entitled “Data Traffic to Soar:”
“By 2019, mobile data traffic generated by smartphones, feature phones, and tablets will equate to about 197,000 petabytes, or more than 10 billion Blu-ray movies, Juniper Research reports. Average monthly data usage will double in the next four years, with video traffic over smartphones expected to be eight times greater than today’s rates by 2019. Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly important, Juniper Research notes, and will carry the majority of mobile data traffic by 2019.”
An April 17, 2015 Processor.com magazine article entitled “Our Growing Appetite for Data” cites the following numbers in regard to data usage:
“Looking at global figures, ABI expects mobile data upload traffic to rise from 6,860 petabytes last year to more than 60,000 petabytes by 2019, with the biggest increase happening in Africa and Latin America.”
The unit symbol for the petabyte is PB. A petabyte is equal to the data which can be stored on 1,000 of the current one terabyte external hard drives.
1 PB = 1,000,000,000,000,000 B [bytes] = 1015bytes = 1000 terabytes. [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petabyte]
In addition, the wireless market continues to grow. This is noted in the same June 26, 2015 Processor.com magazine in an article entitled “Putting Some Numbers Behind Wireless Growth.” The following numbers are cited:
“The wireless market continues to grow, with shipments in the enterprise Wi-Fi market to increase from 10.5 million access points last year to 19.4 million units by 2020, according to ABI Research.”
Clearly mobile data usage is going to expand exponentially over the next few years. Another article in the May 29, 2015 issue of Processor.com magazine helps define one of the ways we will take advantage of this data. The article entitled “Cellular Gives Tablet Sales Boost in Declining Market.”
“The latest IDC data on global tablet computer shipments indicates a 5.9% decline in this year’s first quarter relative to the same quarter a year ago. There is a bright spot, however. ‘Cellular-enabled tablets are outgrowing the rest of the market, providing an additional revenue stream for OEMs and mobile operators,’ says Jean Phillippe Bouchard, research director at IDC. ‘In addition to driving higher usage than Wi-Fi only tablets, cellular enabled tablets also help position the segment as true mobile solutions rather than stay-at-home devices.’”
While as exciting as all of this portable data is, there are a few challenges to this new data centric world. As I noted at the beginning of this article, the electrical grid and the demand for storage are two major problems. However, I recently encountered another concern, which is less dramatic but just as real.
I know that “road-warriors” have dealt with this connectivity problem since my generation started carrying laptops and cell phones on business trips. However, with the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) to many other devices such as appliances, industrial equipment/valves, medical equipment and automobiles, it becomes far more concerning.
The problem started as I installed a new build of Microsoft’s Windows 10 software. I was connected via my Ethernet [also known as hard-wired] to the internet. The download and install worked very well. I realize that this is “beta” software and subject to “hiccups.” So this is not in any way a condemnation of the new Windows 10 operating system, but it does serve to illustrate my point.
During this testing [beta] process (and before), I have been moving my SurfacePro 3 laptop from its docking station, which is connected via Ethernet cable to the internet, into my briefcase to take it to my local Barnes & Noble Bookstore. This remarkable little tablet/laptop automatically switches from my Ethernet connection at home to the local Wi-Fi connection. I have been doing this seamlessly for several years and it has become an expected transition.
Recently, I arrived at Barnes & Noble and set up my SurfacePro 3, expecting to seamlessly connect to the internet as always. However, I could not get my computer to connect to the local Wi-Fi. No matter what I did, it would not connect. This was not the worst problem.
In addition, I could not get into my network adapter settings to enable the Wi-Fi [Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller] adapter. After about 30 minutes of working on the problem, I gave up and continued writing using the files on my external storage drive.
Since I was not connected to the internet, it should be noted that I could not access my data stored “in the cloud.” I use Microsoft One-Drive as my cloud storage and normally it works very well. If I didn’t have my external hard drive [what is termed a “hybrid storage solution”], there would have been no way for me to continue working on my writing. I have, for several years, been using an external hard drive which is connected to my laptop via a USB port.
With the new phones, tablets and laptops coming equipped with smaller internal hard drives, SSD drives or even flash drives, it is difficult to store all of your information and programs internally on these devices. While the smaller storage drives make a smaller, lighter form-factor machine, and save battery power, they do pose a storage problem.
For example, I have an HP Stream 8 tablet which has a 32 GB internal flash drive. This small tablet also has an internal T-Mobile SIM chip for connectivity, similar to a cell phone {T-Mobile offers free 200MB per month of data download/upload for the life of the device]. It also has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Clearly, I am not able to put my 150 GB worth of programs and information, which resides on my SurfacePro 3, on this tablet. Even the 128 GB micro-SD card which can be installed in this tablet is too small. While this tablet is not necessarily meant to take the place of my SurfacePro 3, it does illustrate the direction our global society is taking.
So, using this tablet, with its interconnectivity and cloud storage, am I able to be as productive as on my laptop? Well, yes and no.
If using Wi-Fi, and I can connect with my One Drive account, then I have access to most of my documents and data. As I also have my Microsoft Office 365 account on this tablet, I have Word, Excel and PowerPoint, again via Wi-Fi. So I can write and edit, work on spreadsheets etc. This is the concept behind “the cloud,” at least in part. This is also the meaning of Internet of Things (IoT) and “data everywhere.”
But where would my HP Stream 8 tablet be if it had the same problem as my SurfacePro 3? Well, the HP Stream 8 does have port and adapter to connect a USB drive. So, it is possible that I could have connected my external drive. But, without having access to Microsoft Office 365, I would not have been able to access Word or any of my Office program suite. Clearly, this would be a problem. [Author’s Note: fortunately, Microsoft has developed some mobile preview applications designed for mobile devices, such as tablets and phones which can be “locally” installed, so I could have continued to write using Microsoft Word.]
I think by now, you see the concern. What happens if your new device suddenly loses connectivity to the Internet of Things? Your data is still available in the “cloud.” You just can’t get to it. This could be your new tablet, cell phone, laptop or even your desktop computer. While it is true that you can always get a new device, what happens in the meantime? What if you are traveling, relying on having the data and are not near a store where you can replace your device?
Even more disturbing, are the billions of devices connected to the IoT. For example, what about that new car with its computer controlled, internet connected diagnostic system? You are driving along, and the chip which allows connectivity fails. What happens to you when the car just stops? Or take the city’s” smart traffic control system” which is dependent upon connectivity for its data. What about the factory which is automated with extensive robotics and relies on connectivity of the sensors to keep the process under control? As we use more and more devices which connect to the IoT which are dependent on microchips which allow that connectivity, some of those chips are going to fail. While many systems have redundancy built in, many do not. Take for example your cell phone. Some of the new cell phones do have dual SIM chip capability in them, the majority do not. While it is generally easy to replace a cell phone, as noted above, other devices are not so simple to repair or replace.
We saw this type of redundancy in the space program, especially with NASA. As I put together the amazing photographs of the journey to the asteroid EROS, in my EPub, I thought of this small space craft which traveled over 1 billion miles in the depths of space, orbited an asteroid, took thousands of photos and ultimately landed on that 6 mile long piece of rock. It was an amazing mission, which was a tribute to some of the best minds in technology. They accomplished some things the small spacecraft was not designed to do because of this innovation.
I can only hope that as we continue to advance technology and increase the amount of connected devices, that the same innovation and forethought takes place as with the NASA missions. While “the cloud” is here to stay and we are going to take advantage of increasing computer power to store, analyze and make use of data, there are several “weak links” in the system. One of these, which is not generally discussed, is the embedded chip and its circuitry, inside each IoT device, which allows communication and connectivity.
I might note that the solution to my problem with my SurfacePro3 was to take it home and reconnect it to the Ethernet dock. I then was able to access the wireless network adapter and re-enable it. The problem was solved and it now works as expected. However, I would have been irritated if I had traveled to a conference and was not able to connect to a wired system to fix the problem.
As I noted before, there are well over one billion connected devices with many more to come. How this IoT system is developed and designed is the key to how effective and efficient it is, as well as how dependable and reliable it is. Clearly, there will be an increasing number of interconnected devices which go beyond merely being inconveniences if they fail to connect. Lack of connectivity will prove to be life-threatening, and there are more and more of these devices integrated into our global community.
If we use the innovation, forethought and intelligence of which we are capable, this IoT system could be very dependable and reliable. However, if we let greed and the same attitudes which we have based much of our infrastructure repair, design and construction over the last 20 years on, then the next generation is in for a significant number major infrastructure challenges during their lifetime.
Sincerely,
H. Court Young
Author, publisher, speaker and geologist
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