Security and Privacy in Cyber-Physical Systems

Chapter 17The Internet of Postal Things: Making the Postal Infrastructure Smarter¹

Paola Piscioneri, Jessica Raines and Jean Philippe Ducasse

Digital and Global Team, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, 1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington, VA 22209-2020, USA

17.1 Introduction

A greater number of Internet-connected devices are available than the world's population, and this number is expected to grow to over 100 billion by 2050. This explosion in connectivity – the Internet of Things (IoT) – is not a new concept. However, only recently there has been a convergence of factors that make it technically and economically feasible on a wide scale. Near ubiquitous connectivity, the decreasing cost of sensors, and improved performance of analytics encourage the growth of IoT. In addition, there is also an almost insatiable customer demand for data; the value of the information associated with a product is nearly as important to the customer as the product itself.

These trends are changing the environment in which businesses operate and sparking a rise in IoT applications. IoT has the potential to disrupt companies' business models, strategies, value chains, workforces, and competitive environment. At the same time, IoT can provide unprecedented opportunities to better control and manage assets, increase efficiency, cut costs, generate new revenue, improve the customer experience, and foster innovation within the organization. The excitement around IoT results from the ability to ...