Dive Brief:

• According to some forecasters who look at the IT landscape, 2014 will see a rise in the construction industry of what some call the "Internet of Things" (IoT).
• IoT is also referred to as machine-to-machine technology, and one example is having all equipment and tools reporting where they are so a computer can, at any time, give a status report of what is going on at a construction site — perhaps enabling faster decision-making.
• A number of factors will accelerate the process, such as Microsoft's Lync connection system and vendors offering unified communications services, according to the firm Frost & Sullivan of San Antonio, Texas.

Dive Insight:

Sometimes these kinds of predictions sound too far-thinking or vague to accept, but the idea of machines reporting on their own conditions by telemetry to avoid breakdowns probably got the same reaction once. Building information modeling also seemed wild at some point. What will drive the process is companies thinking they can make money by delivering products and services that will help contractors make money, and being able to show how.