Table Of ContentMessage from Global Leaders
Abhik Chaudhuri’s book reveals the enormous new power of connecting mil-
lions of people, sensors and intelligent machines into what my colleague Thomas
Malone calls “Superminds.” This is the age of the IoT. Abhik Chaurdhuri explains
how these new IoT-enabled minds are transforming our homes, cities and society
faster than most of us realize.
The book accomplishes the near-impossible, offering a helicopter’s view of the
new landscape: It provides rich ground-level descriptions of key IoT technologies
and systems. We grasp that these new enablers are real, cheap and plentiful. The
book interweaves description with systematic overviews, offering wise counsel on
how this profusion can be brought together to solve our most critical problems. A
smart business executive or policy maker will benefit immensely from reading this
book. Opportunities abound, and Chaudhuri enables us to consider them well.
James F. Moore
Strategist
Collective Intelligence Design Lab
Center for Collective Intelligence, MIT
Inventor of the business ecosystems approach to strategy-making
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most important and complex technolo-
gies of our 21st-century digital economy, which promises to make our homes, cit-
ies, factories, vehicles, health systems and the world around us smarter and more
responsive. The IoT is not an individual technology, but rather an ecosystem of
products, services and private and public sector institutions, all of which must work
well together to achieve its potential. But, like any advanced technology, the IoT
must be properly managed to realize this potential while ameliorating its accompa-
nying security and privacy risks as well as serious unintended consequences.
Abhik Chaudhari’s Internet of Things, for Things and by Things is a timely
contribution to help achieve the promise of the IoT. His comprehensive book
explains the fundamentals of the IoT, its potential applications, inherent risks and
governance requirements to anyone interested in better understanding the IoT and
its implications for economies and societies.
Irving Wladawsky-Berger
Emeritus, IBM; Visiting Faculty, MIT
Abhik Chaudhuri has researched and penned the most comprehensive compen-
dium of information and insight on the IoT that I am aware of. He leaves no stone
unturned—from theory and philosophy of information in the context of the IoT,
to its ever-present security and privacy concerns and dozens of practical use-cases
and real-world examples. Anyone looking to learn almost all there is to learn about
the IoT, or about specific aspects of the IoT, should strongly consider this book.
Douglas Laney
VP and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner,
and author of the book Infonomics: How to Monetize, Manage,
and Measure Information for Competitive Advantage
Few thought leaders have Abhik Chaudhuri’s spectacular analytical ability to
convert the complexity of the Internet of Things into an easy-to-comprehend book
that expands and more deeply explains the original concept behind the IoT, which
I devised in 1985. As this technology exponentially grows, it is important that pub-
lications of this nature are widely distributed so that other forward thinkers, like
Abhik, can contribute to the more advanced integration of IoT technology with
the decentralized features of blockchain, device data transportation improvements
via 5G wireless and the emergence of complex systems, like unmanned aircraft
systems traffic management, which will have a profound impact on the conduct of
more efficient operations in our lives.
Peter T. Lewis
President, NetMoby, Washington DC
Inventor of the term ‘Internet of Things’ and the concept behind it
Privacy by Design (PbD) is a framework I created in the late 1990s for preventing
privacy harms by proactively embedding the necessary privacy-protective mea-
sures into the design of information technology, networked infrastructure and
business practices. PbD is a model of prevention—prevent the privacy harms from
arising. The Internet of Things, or perhaps more aptly, the Internet of Everything
truly concerns me because the interconnected nature of virtually all that we do
may lead us down a path of surveillance that will be too great to conquer after
the fact. Surveillance is the antithesis of privacy, and accordingly, the antithesis
of freedom. I strongly believe that neither privacy nor the benefits inherent in the
emerging IoT need to be sacrificed. If we are to preserve any semblance of privacy
in such an emerging world, we must ensure that privacy is built into the very
systems being developed. This will require innovation and ingenuity, as well as
foresight and leadership, in an effort to reject unnecessary trade-offs and the false
dichotomies that jeopardize privacy in favor of other laudable objectives. We can
have privacy AND the Internet of Things—but only if we act now and proactively
embed Privacy, by Design!
Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., M.S.M.
Distinguished Expert-in-Residence
Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence
Ryerson University
This comprehensive book that Abhik Chaudhuri has authored will be an impor-
tant contribution to many parties. He covers perspectives from the technical to the
socio-technical and to important areas such as smart cities, governance and stan-
dardization. The book provides a synthesis from many sources including Abhik’s
own creative contributions.
Given the complexity of the multitude of technical and non-technical issues
involved, this book should be a starting point for those who seek to work towards
understanding and addressing the complexities and thus seeking solutions to the
many opportunities and risks involved in the new world environment created via
the Internet of Things.
Certainly deploying a systems perspective in considering the many interacting
elements of the system of systems involved will be vital.
Harold “Bud” Lawson, Professor Emeritus
Coordinating Editor of the College Publications Systems Series
ACM, IEEE and INCOSE Fellow
IEEE Charles Babbage Computer Pioneer
INCOSE Systems Engineering Pioneer
The Internet of Things, for Things and by Things by Abhik Chaudhuri successfully
illustrates all the different aspects related to the IoT, such as technology, people,
philosophy and regulations. The book captures everything related to the IoT, from
architecture, the philosophy of information, ethics in the IoT and privacy issues.
Moreover, the book touches the aspects of threat mitigation and risk management
of interdepended systems of smart cities, smart city governance and regulations.
This book manages not only to provide theoretical information about the IoT but
also provides examples of IoT technology and potential benefits to society in various
domains. The reader can sufficiently understand the complexities of the IoT ecosys-
tem. I recommend this book as a valuable addition in the field of the IoT not only
for experts but also for everyone who will be using IoT technology in the future.
Dr. Maria Bada
Senior Researcher at Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre University of Oxford
Abhik Chaudhuri has assimilated and asserted the triple-foundations of the IoT.
It is like reaching the foundations of the very democracy of information building,
which is OF the architecture and the embedded philosophy, then FOR the array of
designs that makes our built environment livable and inclusive! And finally, BY the
players and stakeholders of all classes and categories that configure our humankind
and that make any application complete. The new and deep course of the informa-
tion building of our future, which is the IoT, is very well researched by Chaudhuri
and it has been done in a unique way, never before and never attempted in the way
that one may find while paging through the book. The book will go a long way and
find a place on many shelves and in many minds of our better tomorrow.
Dr. Joy Sen
Professor and Head, Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, Indian
Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and author of the book ‘Sustainable Urban
Planning’ (The Energy Research institute)
I see the Internet of Things (IoT) being vitally important for three reasons:
◾ Firstly the number of devices means that the scale of the IoT will be more
pervasive than the ‘Internet of People’ revolution we have seen to date.
◾ Secondly, the IoT has many things in common with the way we manage
our money digitally. It comes with similar risks and needs good policy and
governance to work at all. This means we need to apply a lot of wisdom and
integrity in our use of the IoT. There is a lot of opportunity for failure, and
success will involve working with care in a complex, rapidly emerging tech-
nical environment.
◾ Thirdly, the data that is produced by the IoT is proving to be a new natural
resource on the planet. It gives us the ability to understand the way the world
works in finer detail, at a bigger scale and in a more timely manner, thereby
increasing our chances of success and avoiding dumb decisions.
If handled well, the IoT will give us the understanding and the foresight to
make the world a better place economically, socially and environmentally.
Along with the growth in traditional computing power and emerging cogni-
tive computing, the application of the IoT gives mankind the tools to seriously
make progress on our Millennium development goals.
Ian Abbott-Donnelly
Associate: Cambridge University Centre for Science & Policy
Emeritus member: IBM Academy of Technology
The Internet of Things, for Things and by Things provides a comprehensive view
of the many opportunities for new value in our hyper-connected communities,
from smarter healthcare to connected vehicles. Abhik Chaudhuri wisely includes
consideration regarding how to ensure trust, identity, privacy, protection, safety
and security in all these systems, from the sensor to the cloud and everywhere in
between, to ensure safe and responsible implementation of these new connected
systems of systems in our world.
Florence Hudson
“Blockchain in Healthcare Today” Editorial Board, Former IBM Vice President,
Former Internet2 Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer
The world of automotive transport is governed by diverse laws, regulations and
standards, and we have no difficulty understanding the purpose and nature of
these controls, regardless of how much we like them. Broadly described, the con-
trols apply to the design and manufacture of vehicles across numerous classes, to
the design and construction of roads on which vehicles operate and to the use
and operation of vehicles by individuals and organizations. In 2003, we realized
that the world of information technology needed to be governed by more than
the technical standards for computer software, hardware, stored and transmitted
data and operational management. From this realization was born ISO 38500, the
standard for governance of (the use of) information technology. While stated with
excessive subtlety, ISO 38500 positions business leadership and ownership of the
use of information technology as a critical element in extracting true value from
the investment. The challenge has been for business leaders to understand the role
they play in defining the use of information technology and in enabling it to fulfil
its promise. Yet these elements are comprehensively captured in the six principles
of ISO 38500: responsibility, strategy, acquisition, performance, conformance and
human behavior. These principles apply in all cases where information technology
is deployed.
The Internet of Things is, at its most primitive definition, an organized, large
scale deployment of information technology. Despite extensive current deploy-
ments, the IoT remains in its early infancy. As scale and technology evolution
make devices and communications inexorably cheaper, the potential extent to
which humanity might deploy future Internet of Things structures becomes vir-
tually boundless. Those who conceive and implement such networks will benefit
from comprehensive guidance on both the capabilities and the controls that inter-
work to make an IoT solution both effective and safe.
In this expansive work, Abhik Chaudhuri lays out for all to understand the
nature of the Internet of Things, enabling business leaders and technologists alike
to explore possibilities, to plan previously inconceivable possibilities and to real-
ize extraordinary value from the opportunity to capture data and exert control in
ways far beyond the naked capability of human beings. Before you take another
step into your (organization’s) plans for the IoT, and even if you think the IoT is
not relevant to you, read this book!
Mark J Toomey
Executive Chair, Digital Leadership Institute Limited
ISO Project Editor: ISO/IEC 38500:2008
Author: Waltzing with the Elephant
As a former CIA officer who used to focus on terrorists and now applies those les-
sons to technology, I’m not a big fan of letting the world into your homes. This is
what the IoT does.
But, do I have smart bulbs that automatically turn on when I get home? How
could I not? Does Alexa play my favorite songs whenever I ask? Of course.
IoT devices inevitably will be hacked, and eventually on a large scale that will
get to you and me. No, your smart coffee maker can’t be hijacked to shoot scalding
coffee on you . . . yet! But it certainly might listen to your conversations. Or your
smart lights might be overheated to explode and shoot glass at you.
Your smart coffee pot isn’t going to have antivirus software. Nor will two-
factor authentication make sense. Could you imagine having to get a text message
and punching in a verification code for your coffee maker? And then for your
Alexa? And then for your smart lightbulbs? It’s not feasible. The IoT is going to
require new cybersecurity controls customized for its unique nature.
I am a big proponent of the IoT. The benefits are enormous. But I urge every-
one to keep security in mind. The IoT is like letting the terrorists into your back-
yard. You don’t have to spend time at the CIA to know how that will play out.
Remind IoT manufacturers that cybersecurity is important to you. Push them
to be transparent about their cybersecurity practices, and to communicate the level
of their cyber strength. And when deciding who to buy from, consider security
along with things like features and price.
Scott M. Schlimmer, CISSP
Co-Founder & CIO
CyberSaint Security
Internet of Things, for
Things, and by Things
http://taylorandfrancis.com
Internet of Things, for
Things, and by Things
Abhik Chaudhuri
