M2M (Machine to Machine) - 2020

5 ways to cope with the big pile of m2m data - Tech Page One March 24 2014

The Internet of Things (IoT), driven by machine-to-machine (m2m) sensors is coming soon. Estimates vary widely, but the consensus among industry observers is that by 2020 IoT will connect more "things" together than all of the rest of Internet connectivity. Sensor growth will hit every area, from medicine to manufacturing, and from the kitchen to the grocery store.

There's one common thread: These m2m sensors will create tons of new data. Sophisticated gear, such as machine vision in manufacturing, are the sorts of m2m sensors that are going to be adding serious data volume.

In the manufacturing world, m2m sensor deployment will include vision systems for quality control, simply programmed robots that can work alongside to humans, synthetic noses that can detect food freshness and bacterial contamination, along with and a raft of other things, many of which we haven't even thought of yet.

All these m2m sensors create data, and IT faces the risk of being swamped if we don't find some ways to handle it. Manufacturing, especially high-throughput processes, can generate massive amounts of data.