When we talk about IoT (or the Internet of Things), we immediately imagine a series of devices – although IoT is much more than that, we often think of household appliances – working in a coordinated way, as if by magic. But those who work with magic (like those who work with engineering) know that behind a great effect there is a complicated and laborious mechanism designed to make the trick work perfectly, and the audience is first surprised and then breaks into applause.

A new MIT Technology Review report reveals why—and how—application performance monitoring (APM) is the key to deriving maximum business value from the Internet of Things. Here’s what IT pros can learn from the findings.