Exploring regulations and scope of the Internet of Things in contemporary companies: a first literature analysis

Abstract

Purpose: The Internet of Things is the networked connection of people, processes, data and things, which together are able to achieve more relevant and valuable connections than ever before. In this framework, every aspect of economic and social life will be related via sensors and software to an Internet of Things platform, and the resulting data continuously flow into big data at every node. In order to provide a better understanding of this smart infrastructure, the aim of this paper is to investigate the Internet of Things through a revised theory of the topic, examining the period from 1985 to 2015, with the purpose of identifying the new opportunities offered by the Internet of Things to the economic-system and learn how to manage them. Design/methodology/approach: The Internet of Things was analysed by applying a qualitative method with a single method approach to the existing literature. We developed the research by studying national and international literature and, by running four key words (Internet of Things, Energy Internet, Communications Internet and Logistics Internet) through two databases (Google Scholar and EBSCO), we obtained a range of scientific contributions that could complement the literature review. The research sources are of a secondary nature.Originality/value: The Internet of Things can connect everything to everyone in an integrated global network. This network promises efficiency and social and individual benefits by quantifying and monitoring previously measureless qualities. The analysis of the literature review on the Internet of Things is, therefore, a way to fully appreciate the characteristics, opportunities, possible applications, risks and potential issues linked to the topic.Practical implications: Through our theory, our aim is to contribute towards identifying the main features, fields of application and corresponding potential applications for the Internet of Things, offering new ideas for further analysis.

Examining potential benefits and challenges associated with the Internet of Things integration in supply chains

“…Overall, the findings of this study fill some of the highlighted literature gap of related studies about IoT adoption and its potential (e.g. Borgia, 2014;Lee and Lee, 2015;Madakam et al, 2015;Mishra et al, 2016;Ng et al, 2015;Russo et al, 2015;Whitmore et al, 2014;Zhou et al, 2015).…”

“…The Internet of Things is believed to bring tangible business benefits (Borgia, 2014;Madakam et al, 2015 andRusso et al, 2015). The adoption of the IoT has the potential to improve operational processes, reduce costs and risks due to its transparency, traceability, adaptability, scalability, and flexibility (Zhou et al, 2015).…”

Big Data and Individual Privacy in the Age of the Internet of Things

“…The IoT promises unprecedented advancements across knowledge-based industries and fields. According to a review of literature on the IoT (Russo et al, 2015) from its earliest conceptions in the late 1980s to 2015, numerous future characteristics behind these advancements are proposed by researchers as follows:…”

Mapping worldwide research on the Internet of Things during 2011-2016

“…The emergent field of the IoT has been evolving rapidly with geometric growth in a number of scientific publications in numerous fields. In recent years, researchers have attempted to review the literature on the IoT through survey papers focusing on its vision and applications in various domains (Borgia, 2014;Gludice, 2016;Madakam et al, 2015), namely, architectures, protocols and fundamental technologies for realizing the IoT (Madakam et al, 2015;Sethi and Sarangi, 2017), and characteristics, tools and opportunities EL 36,6 (Debasis and Jaydip, 2011;Russo et al, 2015), as well as its integration with security requirements (Roman et al, 2011;Shancang et al, 2016). However, the best instrument in social sciences research for systematic analysis of research trends and publication output of any subject, author, institution and country is bibliometrics.…”