theguardian.com - 

We are used to the idea that computers and smartphones can be connected. That, after all, is what they are designed to do. But the Internet of Things is a world in which even something as inanimate as a manhole cover or lamp-post can be connected to the internet and invested with some low level of awareness.

Consultants McKinsey & Co estimate that 50bn devices will be connected by 2020, and this in turn will drive the total value of the IoT sector to $6.3tn. Evidently, the potential for new business ventures is vast. As Kay Kinton, director of Twilio – a company that enables the mobile communications that interconnected things require – says: “It’s really not so much about one certain sector or type of application, but the proliferation across industries.” She adds: “We have customers like Coca-Cola Enterprises in western Europe using Twilio to automatically inform repairmen when Coke machines need repair and newer companies like Smart Things have created a Smart Hub which turns your coffee machine on, makes your garage door close or turns lights off.”

One way to view the small and innovative companies leading the way is to group them as pioneers, enablers and utilisers. In this article we’ll take a look at all three.

photo CC by Norlando Pobre