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The Internet of Things is about to change the way you do business

Honeywell_3002016 is shaping up to be a very big year for the Internet of Things (IoT). We could very well be standing at the metaphorical doorstep of that ‘holy grail’ of smart technology, the smart home. It is a place wherein all of our IoT-connected devices could be inter-connected and controlled from a single interface.

Claims like this have been made before, but this time is a little different. Not only does the news come from Scott Harkins, VP of IoT Partner Programs at Honeywell, but he said it during an interview at Microsoft Envision—an event which focused heavily on bringing thought leaders together to talk about digital transformation.

“…when I say ‘smart home,’ that implies that [connected devices] also talk to one another, and so far that really hasn’t happened yet. There’s not been a platform that has effectively pulled them together. Personally, I think that this is the year those platforms will start to materialize and come into play.” –Harkins

Traditionally, Harkins admits, Honeywell has been a maker of things, the “T” in IoT. But that’s been changing, and right now Honeywell, with its installed base of 110 million connected homes in the U.S., is an important member of an ecosystem of companies working to bring IoT platforms to reality. The launch schedules for those platforms? Harkins says they’re right around the corner.

The takeaway from all this is that the IoT is primed for a whole new wave of functionality. That in turn could lead to new levels of usage data for your business, whether or not you’re directly involved in developing IoT products. Sectors like construction and insurance, for example, could discover new ways to improve products and better meet the needs of their consumers.

The advent of the smart home is just one of the many pathways to digital transformation being brought to light in the wake of Microsoft Envision. To get a clearer picture of how the Internet of things could change the way you do business, check out our full interview with Scott Harkins.