The Internet of Things is usually thought of in terms of its impact on consumers, but it has an impact on business users too.

UK support company Supreme Systems has produced an infographic looking at what the IoT can do for smaller businesses.

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The Internet of Things is all around us, and expanding daily. Our devices and appliances are increasingly connected, which can be both a good and a bad thing. Want to turn on the lights before you get home? You can do that. Forget to lock the door when you left? Do it from the store.

That all sounds great, and truthfully it is. However, there are problems, mostly surrounding security concerns that have plagued some products.

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We all know that the Internet of Things is growing, and more and more firms are using the new technology to take their businesses to the next level, but just how big is IoT now, and how much will it grow?

Gartner has given a few interesting predictions, including one which says that more than half of all new business processes and systems will use some form of IoT by 2020.

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The United States government has revealed that it has detected a rise in cyber criminal attacks on industrial control systems.

The concern is that with leading manufactures and grid power producers’ early adoption of the industrial internet of things -- and Industry 4.0 which are commercial and industry versions of the Internet of Things -- sufficient safeguards have not been put in place to protect them from the internet.

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Qualcomm and Japanese tech firm TDK Corporation have announced a joint venture, valued by Reuters at approximately $3 billion (£2bn).

The new company, named RF360 Holdings, will be building modules needed to communicate wirelessly with mobile devices and IoT devices. Those modules include the RF front-end (RFFE) and RF filters, the two companies said in a press release.

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This one is simple -- a confluence of anti-hacking paranoia combined with the Internet of Things (IoT), which will lead to any number of really, really bad events in 2016.

Remember how the CIA or the NSA or whatever agency it was hacked a few years ago the Iranian nuclear centrifuges making enriched uranium? The centrifuges updated their software over the Internet, loading doctored code that eventually caused the machines to overspeed and shake themselves to pieces, putting the Iranian nuclear program months or years behind.

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Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced new details today at CES 2016 in Las Vegas regarding the button-sized wearable hardware module, Curie. The Intel Curie module features 32-bit Intel Quark SE SoC, (system on a Chip) and runs for extended periods on a coin-sized battery.

Intel unveiled the Curie SoC module a year ago, and demonstrated it through a partnership with BMX to develop the first smart BMX bike. Curie was able to measure through sensors on the seat and handlebars of the bike the speed and movement metrics. However, now the button sized SoC module is being used on athletic sports clothing to bring the same analytical capabilities to all athletes. "We believe it will change how athletes are judged, how they train", Krzanich said.

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In 2015, the Internet of Things (IoT) developed significantly and saw increased interest from a range of industries. A whole host of new devices emerged, especially in the wearable sector. In fact, the global market for wearable devices grew by 223 percent. FitBit shipped 4.4 million devices, and Apple sold 3.6 million Apple Watches.

IoT also fueled important advances in healthcare in 2015, including the continuing development of IoT devices to monitor the supply chain of medicines and patients’ adherence to medical regimens. In addition to this, IoT was a hot topic in the automotive industry in 2015, as driverless cars seemed to be in the headlines every week.

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As the Internet of Things starts to gather momentum, the Wi-Fi Alliance today announces Wi-Fi HaLow. The latest wireless standard is touted as being ideal for the IoT thanks to its lower power requirements and greater range when compared to current offerings.

Wi-Fi HaLow is an extension of the existing 802.11ah standard, and occupies the frequency bands below one gigahertz. The Wi-Fi Alliance says it is perfect for use in connected cars, smart homes and a number of different industries, but there will be some of a wait before the technology is available -- it's not due for certification until 2018.

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These days almost everything is online thanks to the internet of things. That can, of course, be good since it allows you to control and monitor devices from wherever you are. It can also be a problem as we've seen. Sometimes the security of these devices is a bit lacking. I fully expect that one day one of my colleagues here will turn off my lights just because he can.

A bigger problem arises when the security weakness is actually your home security system. That seems to be the case with Texecom as UK-based security researcher Luca Lo Castro found out when he purchased the system.

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The Internet of Things is the hot buzz-phrase right now and Samsung has an iron in the fire with SmartThings. Its line of products is also compatible with those made by other manufacturers -- that's the biggest catch with all of this, as not everything is compatible with all competing products.

Now Samsung is bringing its SmartThings platform to its own line of TVs and all 2016 models will offer built-in compatibility. This allows for control of your home right from the screen in your living room, or wherever you may have the product.

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While everyone is currently concerned with the holidays, companies have their own concerns with the big Consumer Electronics Show coming on the heels of New Year's. This year's event is back at its normal venue in Las Vegas and will run from January 6th through the 9th. Prepare to be amazed, or appalled, by gadgets you may or may not ever see on the market.

One thing you will see at CES 2016 comes from GreenPeak and it aims to make your home smarter. Yes, the Internet of Things is still around and growing by leaps and bounds.

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Security experts from Panda Security warn that 2016 is set to be a bumper year of attacks and malware infections. The company says that malware will grow at "an exponential rate", with Android, mobile payment platforms, and the Internet of Things being key targets.

Business, individuals, and corporate users alike are at risk, and it is predicted that infections via JavaScript and Windows 10's Powershell are to be common attack vectors. Exploit kits are due to increase in popularity, largely because of the fact that it is not currently easy to combat them.

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Internet of Things this, Internet of Things that -- it’s all anyone can talk about these days. And rightfully so, when you consider the development and adoption of IoT products are driven by multiple factors, including an increase in broadband penetration worldwide, the development of wireless communication technologies, advances in 'smart' device capabilities and an increased demand for personalized, omnichannel customer experiences.

But transitioning to an IoT-dominated world is a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, you have businesses benefiting in many ways. For instance, connected devices allow them to better understand their customers’ needs and preferences by analyzing their behavioral patterns. For consumers, on the other hand, it’s all about personalization, personalization, personalization -- getting from point A to point B faster than ever before -- in a more relevant and personal way. Furthermore, most conversations around data protection solely focus on elaborate 'hacks', when in reality, the most immediate and grave security threats aren’t always sophisticated or complicated. It’s time that we flip the IoT conversation on its head to focus on the increasingly common data vulnerabilities and less complicated security threats -- of which, consumers are lacking awareness.

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According to the latest Digital Trends Report from Adobe Digital Index (ADI) the Internet of Things is gaining a foothold in more and more people's lives.

The report is based on 22 billion visits to branded websites and over 20 million social engagements across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites. Also included in the report is survey data based on 400 US consumers who own either a smartphone or tablet.

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