Instead of the internet of things (IoT), perhaps we should call it the “data of things” or the “internet of data?” IoT will generate a staggering 400 zettabytes (or 400 trillion gigabytes) of data a year by 2018, according to the 2016 Cisco Visual Networking Index.

This is being driven by everything from wearables and smart home devices to high-end connected platforms like the Boeing 787, which generates 40 terabytes per hour of flight, or a Rio Tinto mining operation that can generate up to 2.4 terabytes of data a minute (more than 20 times what Twitter generates in a day).

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