This is Mark Mueller-Eberstein, your guide through the digital transformation journey, discussing with you the connected world, with more data and engagement potential then we could have imagined a decade ago. In this module, you will learn about the Internet of Things, or IoT and how these technologies allow new ways of customer insights, interaction, and engagement. IoT is transforming consumer experiences and complete business processes from supply chain over manufacturing to distribution and customer service. The Internet of Things is like the mobile computing and communication revolution, also accelerating some of the other technologies we discuss in the digital transformation course. The rapid IOT adoption by businesses and consumers is generating data that allows big data and artificial intelligence applications to generate new insights. Managing and securing IoT devices and their generated data is a challenge that block chain technology might be a good answer for. Combining the IoT data with machine learning and artificial intelligence create systems that assist marketers in areas such as market forecasting, automation of processes and decision making as well as customer support and ongoing engagement. This module will help you to discuss and embrace a key technology in the digital transformation of many organizations and societies. First we will define the key terms. Then we will look at how businesses are using Internet of Things. Together, we will gain an overview of the market trends and solutions available today and those that are emerging. The Internet of Things specifically in marketing and custom engagement will a focus of our discussions. With this foundation, you will be ready to discuss the potential of IoT for your organization and envision enhanced and new customer engagement scenarios, leveraging the technology and the data. We have a lot of players, a lot of technologies, a lot of services and maybe even a lot of insights. For consumers, the Internet of Things is the connection of everyday products like cars, alarm clocks and lights to computing devices via the Internet. It allows them to exchange data with each other, providing marketers with more context about their customer's products. This enables marketers to deliver more relevant messages and leads to greater customer engagement. The Internet of Things is not some science fiction fantasy. IoT it's an entirely new paradigm for building relationships. And it is here today in many applications and user scenarios. Deciding when, how, and to what extent to apply connected products and other sensor generated data to the customer experience is a key role for marketers and digital strategists. The Internet of Things has the potential to mutually benefit both the enterprises and the consumers. The enterprises would gain visibility and the consumers gain empowerment. In this module, we will examine use cases that are illustrating how consumer facing brands can embrace the Internet of Things to create actual value for businesses and consumers alike. Our community of technology savvy marketers might even be the first one to come up with ideas for new business models and value propositions enabled by the technology that they and others can take to market. In this course, we're exploring how cutting edge technologies will shape customer engagement over the next decade and new examples, questions and opportunities will arise. Please, engage in the forums and discussions so we can all learn, explore and experiment together. None of us has all the answers, but asking questions will get us closer to a deeper understanding.