A look back at some of the more outlandish sci-fi movies of past will make you realize that we’ve certainly arrived—at least, as far as some of the predicted technologies go. While we’re not living in a Jetson’s-like, 100 percent digital lifestyle, some of the tech tools we use aren’t far off. In fact, a lot of what we can do is backed by the power of IP.

Take for example distance learning. Right now, you’re probably aware of the many available degrees one can earn without ever having to set foot inside of a classroom, and this is all thanks to IP. As higher education systems continue to grow, it makes sense to look at different ways of teaching more people, perhaps even more efficiently.

Right now, edX offers free online courses from 28 colleges and universities, including MIT (News - Alert), Harvard University, Berkeley University of California, The University of Texas System, Australian National University, TU Delft, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Georgetown University.

In addition to education, telemedicine is becoming a solution to the problem of having patients who are otherwise immobile able to see their healthcare practitioners. Telehealth has become a boon for the healthcare industry in that it’s a cost-effective tool and an attractive alternative to in-person consultations.

The benefits of telehealth services as it relates to patients are plenty. They increase access to specialty services for rural patients while allowing the patient to stay in their own community rather than traveling. Conferencing and other telehealth services decrease the number of canceled appointments due to weather/travel conditions, and allows for other caregivers to participate, including teachers, youth workers, or home care staff who would otherwise not be free to travel.

IP has also made M2M (machine-to-machine) a possibility. Machines are talking to businesses and to each other to deliver information that is improving how business is accomplished. Remote monitoring and analytics reduce the cost of failure, minimize the need for routine maintenance visits, and problems can be fixed before they have an impact on the customer. When it comes to managing fleets, it means being able to monitor, locate, and re-route vehicles without having a physical presence. It also means getting maintenance alerts, improvement of routing and having a clear view of daily operations.

Technology has afforded many businesses some pretty helpful features that make communication a heck of a lot easier. Many are choosing to invest in IP systems, as it takes all of the necessary components of effective business communications and offers them up in one complete package.