It's hard to imagine a world without the World Wide Web. And yet, it's not even 30 years old. What started out as a platform that would allow humans to talk to humans-from websites to email to social media-has rapidly grown to include machines and objects (aka "things") in the conversation.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term to explain the way any non-human thing connects to the internet. The implications of this technological development are far reaching, and have already begun to have a wide-reaching impact, small businesses included.

While the technology behind an IoT is here today, it's still early: we're just in the creation phase of the IoT. This means that while some new tech has trickled into daily use, overall the greatest possibilities are still a function of the imagination.

The list of small businesses using technology in conjunction with the IoT is growing fast. Those businesses that are early adopters gain an edge over those who aren't.