Page 34 - College Planning & Management, September 2017

Technology INNOVATIONS FOR EDUCATION
The Internet of Things is Coming
In fact, it’s already here. From building controls to wearable devices almost anything can — and will — be connected to the cloud. Is your campus ready?
BY AMY MILSHTEIN
HOW DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT? An innocu- ous question for sure; it used to garner an appropri- ately simple “good,” “not good” or “like a baby” if you
were feeling particularly refreshed. But ask the same question to someone wearing a Fitbit fitness tracker and banal generalities are replaced with hard data. Hours in bed are broken down into light sleep, deep sleep and — if you download the right app — minutes of REM. But the device doesn’t stop at sleep. It tracks how many steps you took, how much water you drank and even how many squats your friends got in.
Welcome to the connected future. Welcome to the Internet of Things.
Simply defined, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a system that con- nects any device with an on/off switch to the Internet via the cloud. Smart phones, coffee makers and cars are all tracking use, talking
to each other and sending data out for analysis. And that’s just for starters. In 2015 there were more than 13.4 billion devices connected globally. That number promises to multiply as availability of broad- band Internet grows and technology costs comes down.
This presents unique challenges to college campuses. The IoT can streamline processes, save money and change the way faculty members teach. It can also overwhelm networks and make you vulnerable to cyberattacks in new and unique ways. Here’s some ways the IoT can help, and hurt, your campus.
Your Dashboard — on Steroids
Smart building controls are old news as building automation systems have been around for some time. The Internet of Things promises to deliver and analyze more data to better pinpoint and predict issues. “Connectivity is the next big step forward,”
34 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / SEPTEMBER 2017
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