The first Internet item is considered to be a toaster, which was connected to the Internet by John Romkey, one of the creators of the TCP/IP protocol, in 1990.
The toaster could be switched on and off remotely. The term “Internet of Things” itself was coined by British engineer Kevin Ashton in 1999. Ashton was part of a team that succeeded in inventing a way to connect objects to the Internet with the help of RFID technology. An RFID tag is an identification tag that allows objects to be identified by radio signals; certain information can be written on it and later be read as a device.
The year 2012 saw significant changes in sensors, leading to accelerated market readiness of the IoT, and for many companies, this meant that the digital transformation was gaining momentum. Technological advancements made possible the emergence of MEMs – microelectromechanical systems (a miniaturised device made by micromachining both mechanical and electrical components). This made sensors smaller, able operate at lower power and added more features that it was possible to attach them to clothes, for example.
Over time, more and more “things” began to acquire such functions, and today it is impossible without Internet “things”.
One of the challenges that comes with design services is the cyclical nature of the services business. When the economy tightens and corporates are watching their operational expenses, the first step will be to halt any external contracts/contractors which are not deemed absolutely essential.
Whereas the earlier (staircase) model is a good approach in scaling up revenue and creating new revenue streams, the foundation of the company is still based on the service model: headcount continues to be the main driver (typically up to 60-70% of revenue). In terms of (enterprise) valuation the additional revenue streams, however, will already make a significant difference.
Design services companies typically start small (some exceptions when it concerns management buy-outs) and natural growth is a slow process as it requires hiring and training of engineers based on/driven by the revenue stream of the company. Growth of business is tied to growing the team and it is not always easy to find the engineers.