Thanks to advances in sensor technology and data analytics, the world's basic systems are becoming intelligent. At any given time, 7 billion devices are communicating with one another worldwide, according to IDC. Sensors are embedded in roadways, power grids, irrigation systems, household appliances, and even clothes, feeding a flood of data that can help smooth traffic flow, conserve resources, and improve health care delivery, among others. Obviously this trend is good for enterprise-computing stalwarts like IBM (
No. 57), Intel (
No. 173), and Oracle (
No. 300). But it can also benefit any company that consumes energy, orders parts, or ships products.
NEXT: The rise of urbanization
