IoT is the latest trend that’s producing new connected devices that change how we interact with our environment. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what IoT can achieve, but before we can really hit our stride in this industry, all the different players needs to agree on a standard.

Acting as an early adopter isn’t inherently bad—if you look at this from a business context, it’d be like investing in a promising startup and hoping to double or even triple your money over time. But what’s critical here is avoiding pushing all your chips into the middle of the table early on.

Companies say they want to build a culture of innovation, but saying and actually doing are two different things. Those that are serious should take note of the recently released innovation blueprint developed by the ecosystem at the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.