By 2020, 20.4 billion devices will be connected worldwide, according to Gartner. Cisco forecasts that number to be as high as 50 billion. Either way – that’s a lot of connected ‘things’.

And with this incredible growth, the device itself will become less important than the apps that run on it. This is thanks to the value of meaningful, actionable data. Just think for a moment about the various devices you use on a daily basis, from your mobile phone or wearable to your smart fridge, your computer or your TV. And on top of these devices, consider the various apps you use and how these platforms are collecting and delivering information to consumers and businesses. If we want a world where all of these tools and platforms work together seamlessly, they need to connect and interact with each other.