IoT - The Interstitial Tissue of the Digital Universe

Check out The Ultimate List of Internet of Things Statistics for 2022

This piece offers a number of interesting Internet of Things (IoT) statistics attributed to various reputable sources.  Statistics out of context are not my favorite go to topic as we seek to share knowledge and insights from our Knowledge Exchange.  In this case, I made an exception (sort of).  While the statistics offered certainly suggest the IoT is very real and growing fast, they are still just stats. And please keep in mind that just because the statistics are written down, doesn’t bestow a special predestination status on any one statistic. Even with the best of intentions and very smart folks offering the predictions, such forecasting is challenging, because the forecasters do not have all the information necessary to predict into the future.  This is the heart of why continuous and rapid cycling change is disruptive and demands adaptability.  That said, some of the forecasted stats will land reasonably close to the mark, and some prognostications will miss not only the mark but the entire drop zone.  Such is the case with all forecasting.

With such a statement, you may wonder why I bothered to share this list of statistics at all.  Here’s what I see.  The IoT includes so many core elements of our digital world, not least of which is hyper-connectivity, machine to machine communications, and the point of convergence for the physical, digital, and biological environments.  If we look at the IoT from that perspective, then the statistics shared, even if only directionally accurate, suggest we are moving from a period of “being on the Internet” to “existing in the Internet (some might call it the metaverse)”.  

I think of data as the fuel and exhaust of the digital universe.  So, I found the following statistic staggering, and I bet it is one that will prove out to be a pretty solid forecast.

17. IoT devices will generate 79.4 zettabytes of data by 2025

(IDC) 

According to the IDC, IoT devices will generate 79.4 zettabytes of data by 2025. The total internet data used combined represented 4.4 ZB last year [2021]. However, by 2025, it is expected to grow to 175 ZB, 79.4 ZB would be due to IoT devices. 

Just how big is a zettabyte? One zettabyte is equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. If you were to count nonstop at one number per second, it would take you a good 31,705,770,450,221.94 years to finish! (source:  The Ultimate List of Internet of Things Statistics for 2022)

I hope you find value in the statistics shared in this piece.  I did.  Take a moment with each statistic and ask yourself if you are prepared to adapt or fall behind and get stuck in the “exponential technology gap”, which will be a topic for an upcoming post.