7 ways the Internet of Things could dramatically change the workplace as we know it

By 2019, the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things will grow nearly tenfold, from 2.5 billion in 2014 to almost 24 billion, according to BI Intelligence estimates.

These objects, which have software, sensors, and network connectivity that allow them to send and receive data, are already changing the workplace.

According to Megan Anderle, an editor at Dell's tech information site Tech Page One, "IoT-connected devices used in business settings are just beginning to catch on in a change akin to the Industrial Revolution."

For instance, machines in factories now have sensors that notify workers as soon as there's a problem; building surveillance systems have been upgraded with connected locks and camera systems that inform managers instantly when someone is around or attempting to gain entry; and inventory can now be tracked in real time, thanks to IoT, Anderle explains in a recent post.

She quotes David G. Simmons, an executive at PsiKick, a company that manufactures ultralow-power sensors: "[IoT] will fundamentally change a lot of how we do things, at the same scale as the World Wide Web transformed the workplace in the '90s."

The infographic below, created by David Wong, a visual designer at Group SJR, outlines seven ways the Internet of Things will change the workplace:

Internet of Things