What does the Internet of Things or IoT mean ? Why do we hear the name of this concept lately ? IoT is a concept that will change not only our lifestyle but also the way we work.

With the development of technology and the spread of the internet, communication has reached another level in every sense. While first connecting to the internet via cables, we now connect to the internet as wireless (Wi-Fi). (Of course, wired connections are still used for some special cases). As the range of influence in wireless connections increased, we began to be able to reach the Internet without interruption, even outside the scope of the modem at home, even on intercity roads.

There has also been a change in machines connected to the Internet. While we used to access the internet with our desktop (desktop) computers in the past, we started to access the internet with our laptop (laptop) computers. Tablets and mobile phones were added to this list in the mid-2000s.

But here we need to clarify something. Many people perceive the concept of connecting to the Internet as accessing a website or opening its application. Accessing (or connecting to) the Internet is actually a very broad concept. It is a more accurate concept to define our browsing process as entering the web.

Well, after telling all this, let's come to the importance of IoT. Let's start with the definition of IoT first. IoT is the name given to the system in which there are physical devices that are connected to the Internet and obtain information on their own, share (send) it with other objects connected to the Internet, or decide on certain issues with the information it obtains and act accordingly.

The first emergence of this concept actually dates back to the early 2000s. In 1999, Kevin Ashton (founding partner of Auto-ID Labs at MIT) talked about the importance of the internet in a presentation he made to P&G and suggested that some of its business be done with devices that talk via RFID (Radio-frequency identification). This structure, that is, the sensors placed in certain devices within the company communicate with each other by receiving or sending radio frequencies. He called it the "Internet of Things".

The widespread use of the Internet, its acceleration and cheapening, and the spread of micro-sensors have made it possible for many devices to connect to the Internet. From traffic lights to household appliances, from eyeglasses to medical devices, production plans have been made and even production has begun.

In the next 10 years, the number of devices connected to the IoT system is expected to be around 100 billion.

So why is the Internet of Things so important ?

It will be very beneficial for us people if a device can operate on its own using the data it collects from the environment or send this data to another device after analyzing it and increase its functionality.

Let's explain this with a couple of examples. Imagine that you have a greenhouse and your devices that do heat and irrigation work are connected to the IoT system. Consider that the device that adjusts the temperature of the greenhouse takes the 10-day weather forecast from outside and changes the temperature accordingly, and that this device can send the heat data to the device that does the irrigation work and change the timing of the irrigation. In another example, you have a disease and you go to the doctor. Your doctor wants to follow the changes in your body for 1 week after examining you. The sensors in the clothes you wear bring your body information (for example, heart rate information) to the screen in front of the doctor. In a distressing situation, your doctor can inform you about it.

How will the Internet of Things affect companies ?

Increasingly, some organizations are using IoT to work more efficiently, understand customers better, and provide better service. Companies using smart devices have started to strategically gain competitive advantage. Helping them market to consumers more effectively, these devices monitor a consumer's behavior inside a store, making recommendations for specific products that drive sales.