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Mobile devices are just the beginning. As more and more people, processes, data and things join and interact on the "Internet of Everything," the volume and potential value of all the data generated by those connections grow exponentially.

Key Findings of the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report

The new morning routine: toothpaste, toilet paper and texting
Gen Y does not want to miss anything. Checking their mobile devices for text, email and social media updates is how they start their day -- often even before getting out of bed. For this generation, information is real-time, all the time.

•Nine of 10 respondents globally will get dressed, brush their teeth, and want to check their smartphones as part of the morning ritual for getting ready for school or work. •For employers, this is meaningful because it demonstrates that the workforce of the future is more agile, more informed and more responsive than any previous generation. They live to connect and communicate.

Me and my smartphone. From morning through night, Gen Y stays constantly connected.

•More than one in four Gen Y respondents (29 percent) say they check their smartphones so constantly that they lose count. •Globally, one in five checks a smartphone for email, text and social media updates at least every 10 minutes. In the U.S., two out of five check at least once every 10 minutes. •One-third of respondents check their smartphones at least once every 30 minutes; in the U.S., that figure jumps to more than 50 percent.

Connected or addicted?

•Sixty percent of Gen Yers subconsciously or compulsively check their smartphones for emails, texts or social media updates. •Of those, women are more driven to connect: 85 percent of women versus 63 percent of men find themselves often compulsively checking their smartphone for text, emails or social media updates. •Over 40 percent of respondents would go through a "withdrawal" effect and "would feel anxious, like part of me was missing," if they couldn't check their smartphones constantly. •Of those compulsive smart phone users, 60 percent wish they didn't feel so compelled.

Information Technology professionals are even more connected

•Almost one third of IT professionals stated they check their smartphones "continuously." •40 percent of IT professionals said they check their smartphones at least every 10 minutes.

They're everywhere! Smartphones are used everywhere, even in the most private of places. The craving to stay connected means that the lines between work and social life/family life are blurring. People check for work updates and communicate at all hours from every place imaginable. Time is elastic: For Generation Y there are no clear markers between "the workday" and personal time -- both blend and overlap throughout the day and night.

•Is romance dead? Globally, 3 out of 4 respondents use smartphones in bed. •Don't forget to wash your hands: Over a third use smartphones in the bathroom. •Set a place at the table: Almost half of the global respondents (46 percent) said they text, email and check social media during meals with family and friends. More than half of American respondents (56 percent) use smartphones during social meals. •Watch out! Dangerous as it is, almost one in five admits to texting while driving.